Page 55 of Jett in Jeopardy

“I really don’t,” I said, returning my attention back to the screen.

He sighed loudly, but I ignored him, pretending to be engrossed by the numbers on the screen in front of me. With a few hours left before we opened, the bar was dark and quiet, and burying myself in paperwork had seemed like a perfect distraction from my own thoughts spinning in my head like a tornado through a trailer park.

“He’s back home,” Daniel said. “In case you were interested.”

Of course, I was interested—no matter how desperately I wished I wasn’t. The truth was, I hadn’t been able tostopthinking about Jett since I’d walked out of the hospital. So many times, I was tempted to call him.

I missed the sound of his voice, his humor, hell, every part of him. But what would be the point? Nothing had changed. If anything, the last few days apart from him had only proved my point. Ending things between us hurt, and that would have only grown worse the longer we spent time together.

“He must be doing okay if the hospital let him out.” I forced myself to keep my tone bland, almost disinterested, even though I’d been sick with worry when I’d heard he wound up spending a second night in the hospital. I’d nearly caved and tried calling one of his friends to find out what was going on, but after walking out of Jett’s life, I wasn’t sure they’d have told me anything, anyway.

“Must be,” Daniel agreed, though his tone was less than sincere.

I finally tore my gaze from the computer and looked at Daniel. “How do you know he’s home?”

“I know lots of things.”

Great.“I asked how, not what.”

“Alistair asked to switch shifts with someone tonight, because he wanted to go over and help out. Apparently, Jett’s friends don’t want to leave him alone.”

Well, that was something, I guessed. The truth of the matter was, I hated the idea of Jett going back to that house. He was still hurt and vulnerable and wouldn’t be able to defend himself.

The guy who had attacked Jett after stalking him for months was still out there somewhere, and until the police caught him, I was certain he wasn’t just going to give up and go away. Sure, Jett and his friends had an alarm system, but I wasn’t confident he’d be safe.

I wanted toknowhe was safe. He should be in my apartment, recuperating in my bed. I wanted to know he was safe and to fall asleep listening to the soft sounds of his breath, his sweet-smelling shampoo teasing my nose. I wanted to wrap myself around him and keep him protected. Though, why I thought I might be able to do it now after already failing so spectacularly, I didn’t know.

The only thing I did know for certain was if I hadn’t been such a dick, fighting to keep from caring about him, he would have been able to trust me enough to tell me what was happening with his stalker. I would have been with Jett, and this Simon asshole wouldn’t have got anywhere near him.

“So, it’s over with you and him, then?” Daniel asked, voice heavy with reproach.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. “You’re pretty well-informed, so I’m guessing you already know the answer.”

“I don’t, actually, and from what I heard, Jett doesn’tknoweither, since you haven’t said anything to him after you saw him at the hospital.”

My face burned hot. I knew what I was doing with Jett was cowardly, and having Daniel call me out was like having my nose rubbed in my own mess.

“I had no idea Alistair was such a gossip.”

“More ranting than gossiping. He thinks you’re a jerk.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Daniel sighed, loudly. “What are you doing, man? Youlikedhim. You told me so. Why are you wrecking this for yourself?”

“There’s nothing to wreck. We were just fucking. He stayed here while we tried to figure out who was stalking him. Now he knows, and he’s gone home.” I shrugged and turned back to the computer.

“Bullshit! I just don’t get you. A few days ago, you’re telling me you care about this guy, and now you were justfucking?”

“What else could we possibly have been doing? He’s barely twenty-four. We have nothing in common.”

“You know, of everything you’ve said to me, that might be the dumbest argument you’ve made so far.” Daniel shifted forward in his seat, jaw set, light blue eyes so bright in the dimly lit office they practically glowed. In the years we’d been friends, I don’t think I’d ever seen Daniel well and truly pissed. I might have been intimidated if I didn’t know him as well as I did.

“It’s not dumb,” I argued. “I’ve got twelve years on him.”

“Who cares?” Daniel threw his arms in the air, exasperated. “You care about him, and he cares about you. These last few weeks, I haven’t seen you this happy in years.”

He didn’t say it aloud, but I could read between the lines. He hadn’t seen me this happy since Ryan. Something in my chest squeezed because I knew he was right.

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