Page 39 of Accidental Love

“On the subject of being treated right, is Liam treating you right?” he asked. My heart constricted, and I glanced down at my hands.

“You’ve seen the news, right?” I asked.

“No, not really. I’ve been busy with Soph and finals. Why?”

“He’s in a coma,” I said softly.

“Wait, what?” he asked, shocked.

“Yeah, we got in a car accident, and in order for his brain to heal, he was put in a coma. He should be waking up soon though.”

“Why aren’t you there with him? Is that where you are going after your shift?”

I turned and looked out the window. It was grey today, and windy. With winter almost upon us, it was getting colder as the days wore on. Not many people walked along the street, not wanting to freeze. The weather was just like my mood—grey and lonely.

“We aren’t together anymore,” I said softly. If Garrett wasn’t seated in front of me, he wouldn’t have heard what I said.

“You’re not together? Why?”

“Things just didn’t work out. I…I just don’t belong with him. That’s all,” I replied, smiling sadly at him.

“Jenna, I’m so sorry,” Garrett said, placing his hand on top of mine.

“Thank you.” I smiled gratefully at him. “Man, I really brought the mood down, didn’t I? I better go.” I slid out of the booth and stood up, wincing slightly. “I am glad I saw you again.” I gave him another quick hug. “Please take care of Sophia for me. She is a great person. If you hurt her I won’t hesitate to hurt you back,” I warned.

“Noted.” He smiled at me. “Thank you again, Jenna. It was great seeing you again.”

I headed back over to the counter to grab my bag.

“Bye, Soph. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sending her a smile, I turned and headed outside. The moment the door closed behind me I shivered. It was only the beginning of November and already cold. It definitely was going to be a long winter. With a sigh, I headed down the street to look for a taxi.

***

By time I got home, it was almost 4:30 and I was ready to change my clothes. I was looking forward to sitting on the couch and watching a Disney movie I promised Sky. She thought I was staying over for a slumber party, so every night we had to watch at least one Disney film that she knew all the words to.

Thanking the driver, I gave him some money before turning to Candy’s apartment. Going up the flight of stairs, I turned toward her door. Once I saw a figure standing by the door, I froze. This person definitely didn’t belong here, and I didn’t know how they found me.

“What are you doing here?” I found myself asking. My mother whirled around to face me. She put a hand to her heart.

“You scared me,” she said.

“How did you know where I am?” I asked. I was more surprised than upset. I didn’t have it in me to be upset with her at the moment.

“I saw on the news about the accident with Liam. I had to make sure you were okay. When I found your house you weren’t there, so I tracked you down here.”

“How?” How the hell did she do that? It was not like I had a tracking device implanted inside of me.

“I know a few people. Can we maybe go inside?” she asked. Not wanting to be out here in the cold any longer, I slowly nodded before heading over to her. She moved out of my way as I leaned down to grab the spare key from under the mat. Candy would be home with Sky around five, so I didn’t have to worry about them just yet.

“Um, come in.” I gestured once I opened the door. Why my mother was here, I had no idea.

“Thank you.”

I closed the door behind me and took off my coat.

“This is a cute place.” she said, looking around and eyeing the Barbie dolls on the floor.

“This is my friend’s place. I’m just staying here until I can find my own apartment.” I stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. After my last encounter with my mother at the mall, I hadn’t thought about contacting her again. These last few days she had been far from my mind. “Here, uh…sit down if you’d like.” I gestured over to the little dining table Candy had.

---