Page 63 of Unbossly Manners

Wearily, I walked to the sofa and sat on the edge. He took the armchair across from me. I sucked from my sports bottle, the wine exploding my glands when it sprayed into my mouth. I coughed, covering my mouth and trying to play it off, but Jackson’s lips were twitching as he held back a laugh.

“You ran away,” I said, getting to the point, once I recovered some composure. “To Italy.”

“I didn’t run—”

“You biked.”

“I meant—”

“I know what you meant.”

“Peyton, can I speak,” he scolded.

“Sorry.”

“I didn’t run away. But I also welcomed an excuse to escape this place for a bit.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought we were friends, Peyton, and out of nowhere you punched me in the gut.”

All my bluster faded. There was only one thing to say.

“You’re right.” I twirled my bottle in my hands. “I was horrible. And I’m sorry.”

Jackson leaned forward. “I know you are.”

“You forgive me?” I held my breath, my heart hitching in my chest.

“I forgave you the minute you walked out the door. At least, I wanted to.”

“But you said it’s over. And you ghosted me for a week.” I sucked the mouthpiece and coughed again as the wine sprayed into the back of my throat.

“For god’s sake.” Jackson snatched a glass from a shelf and handed it to me. I transferred the wine and sipped it feeling more like a grown woman and less like a baby suckling her bottle.

“You’ve gained the confidence you wanted,” he said. “That’s why we’re done.”

I opened my mouth to argue because I hadn’t even done the one big thing I wanted to do, oral sex, but I wasn’t going to push it. If he wanted it to be over, I wouldn’t grovel.

“Right. This is good.” I wiped my hands on my black linen shorts. “I’m going out with Derrick again and he was honest with me about why that thing happened on our date. That’s exactly what you said makes a good sexual partner… vulnerability and honesty.”

I leaned back and kicked my ankle over the opposite knee, giving an air of relaxed confidence.

“The timing is perfect. I like Derrick, and he can, you know, take over.” My chest ached, and I rubbed it with my palm.

Jackson’s light eyes studied me like he was looking for clues to the truth behind the statement.

“Take over the lessons?” Jackson asked, confused.

“Kind of.” I laughed like this was all amusing. “It would’ve been nice to pleasure you—for practice—but I can do it with Derrick.”

My cool exterior was fighting with my inner mess. Jackson was done with the sexual side of our relationship, and I didn’t want him to know that if he said the word, I’d climb over the coffee table and devour him.

One day ago, he’d been with his ex-wife and daughter in Italy, and I’d been counting down the minutes until he returned. In my warped mind, I thought we could get back to that moment at his dining room table, blissed out, before I slammed a wrecking ball into everything.

“Kat’s coming back,” he said.

“She just got there,” I said, all the blood draining from my head.

Jackson’s phone beeped and he hurriedly typed on his phone as he spoke. “I meant she might move back in with me when she gets back. Evie and her.”

“You’re getting back together?” My heart pumped faster, the blood rushing through my head making me dizzy.

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