Page 51 of Rush of Jealousy

Zander: I’m leaving early morning for Cali. It’s not too late to join me.

Claire: Going to work an extra shift at the gym. Catch you later.

Zander: Would love for you to come with me…

Zander: If the answer is still no, then I’ll probably leave today instead and drive through the night.

Zander: You would love San Clemente.

With the last text, he includes a stock image of the nearby beach, making me feel a mix of emotions—the main one being guilt. Sure, I would love to take a spontaneous vacation, but the timing is all wrong.

Maybe the elusive concept of the perfect timing just doesn't exist.

11

“Rise and shine.”

“What? What’s going on?” I gasp, trying to sit up. I am so disoriented that it takes me a minute to even realize where I am. Glancing around the living room, my brain defogs and I slowly remember falling asleep and dreaming about Graham. The man is infiltrating every area of my life, and I no longer feel empowered enough to stop him.

Claire stares at me. “You fell asleep.” She speaks to me like I’m a five-year-old.

Pulling my leg up on the sofa, I readjust. The sun is rising and casting a warm glow through the spread curtains at the window. “I must have been tired.” Glancing at the clock, I see that I slept for over twelve hours. I never do that. “What’s on the agenda for today?” I try to sound chipper, but I think it just comes out as fake. I am feeling sluggish and emotionally drained.

“Nothing.”

I rub my eyes. “Then why did you wake me up, Claire?”

“I was bored.”

“You were bored?”

She shrugs.

I’m three seconds away from tossing my hands up in the air. This whole Ethan madness needs to hit a boiling point so she can stop living her life in limbo. I hate seeing my friend so mopey. She’s my bestie and we are in this boat together. That’s how it has been from the start. I very much sink with her, when she’s going through a low. And when she’s on a high? Look out.

“Let’s throw a party.”

Has she lost her mind? There’s really no other explanation to justify her mood swings. “A party?” I feel like we are on completely separate wave lengths right now. Gah, this woman is confusing. “Who’s invited?” I’m not sure why I’m even starting to entertain this idea.

“Just us.”

“Okay… Then what will the theme be?”

“Single AF,” she answers with confidence.

“Ha,” I laugh. “Seems fitting.”

She doesn’t even need to think about it, which tells me that she probably spent the better half of yesterday brainstorming. That’s the thing with Claire… When she has time on her hands, she lets her crazy ideas come out to play.

“So, let’s go to the liquor store and pick up champagne for a mimosa brunch.”

“Claire, it’s seven in the morning.”

“So?”

“There’s no liquor store open right now.”

Her bottom lip pouts out. “Then let’s go get dressed fancy so when they do open, we are ready. Actually, do you think alcohol can be delivered?”

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