Page 38 of Accidental Love

I couldn’t lean forward on the counters like I used to because of my hurt ribs. I was stuck leaning upright, and with no phone, I was beyond bored. I didn’t know what had happened to it. It was probably somewhere inside the ruined car. It was easier for everyone that I didn’t have one anyways. I knew I could just go and buy one since I still had a lot of money in my bank account from Liam, but I swore I wouldn’t use it. It wasn’t rightfully mine. What was I even thinking when I accepted that deal? I knew it was wrong to take someone’s money. I wasn’t one to do it anyways.

I looked over at the clock and saw I got off in twenty minutes. It was almost three and Sophia would show up any minute for her shift. I ended up telling her all about what happened. I kind of had to when out of the blue I showed back up at the diner, asking for my job back. I thought she would immediately tell me that she had been right, but thankfully, she didn’t. She just pulled me into a hug and told me everything would work out. I made her and Candy promise not to tell anyone where I was. If Lennon or even Blake were looking for me, I didn’t want both of them to spill the beans. I knew that if Lennon and Blake knew where I was, they would try to convince me to come back and I couldn’t have that. Plus, Liam wouldn’t try looking for me when he got up. I bet Lilly told him some lie about me to make him hate me. Not that I really blamed her.

In fact, I didn’t blame Lilly for making me leave Liam. I knew she was upset that her only son was in the hospital and that she found out his “engagement” was a sham. She opened my eyes to what I had been pushing aside since I met Liam. Not wanting to think about her right now, I forced her to the back of my mind and glanced around the practically empty diner.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I did slightly miss it here. I missed the familiar faces that came in every day; the ripped red chairs and booths; the family aura this place had. As I glanced around, my gaze froze on not one, but two familiar figures coming through the door. My gaze moved from their faces to their hands, intertwined with one another’s.

“Garrett?” I asked. He and Sophia were only a few feet away from me and heard my voice. Garrett’s gaze snapped up to mine and widened.

“Jenna?” I moved around the counter and made my way over to him. He still looked the same, although it really only had been three months.

“Garrett,” I breathed out, going to hug him. As his arms wrapped around my waist, I held back a yell at the pain. I bit my bottom lip before pulling away. “What are you doing here?” I looked over at Sophia, who was looking at us with a confused expression.

“I, well, I’m here dropping Sophia off. What are you doing here?”

“I work here. Well, I’m back working here,” I corrected myself.

“Wait, how do you know each other?” Sophia asked, gesturing between us with a raised eyebrow.

“Garrett was my driver when I first moved in with…Liam.” I choked out his name.

“Oh?” She looked over at him.

“May have forgotten to tell you about that,” he replied sheepishly.

“You guys are dating? For how long?” I asked, breaking the silence. I started moving back to the counter and they followed me.

“For about two months now,” Sophia replied.

“And you didn’t tell us when we went shopping the other week?”

“Sorry.” She sent me a look, but I wasn’t really angry.

“How did you meet?” I started asking. Looking at them, I noticed they looked good together. Garrett stood taller than Sophia by a few inches, and she seems to fit perfect into his side. I had always pictured Sophia with a dark-haired guy, honestly.

“We met one day on campus. I was heading into this coffee shop they have, and ran into Sophia as she was leaving. She split her hot coffee all over me and we started talking. One thing led to another, and here we are,” Garrett said, smiling down at Sophia. Awww.

“What were you doing on the same campus as Garrett?” I looked over at her.

“I’ve been taking some classes over at NYU, and the coffee shop has the best coffee,” she admitted. I didn’t know she was taking classes, but I was happy for her.

“Look, Jenna, could I maybe talk to you for a minute?” Garrett asked a minute later.

“Uh, sure. I am actually off.” With a nod, I went and took off my apron while Garrett kissed Sophia on the lips. I looked away from them, my heart hurting at the sight. I slid into an empty booth across from him.

“What do you need to talk to me about?” I asked.

“Well, I…” He placed his hands on the table and fiddled with his fingers. “I wanted to apologize again for what I did. I shouldn’t have told the paparazzi that you and Liam were engaged. It wasn’t my place to do that, and for money at that. I just feel really bad about it.” He glanced up at me.

“Garrett.” I reached over and put my hand on top of his. “It is okay. If it wasn’t for you, things between Liam and I wouldn’t have happened. I know I was angry at the time and I shouldn’t have been. I did exactly what you did, but with Liam. I accepted the deal for the money. You were only trying to earn some for school.” And I meant every word I said. If it weren’t for him tipping the paps off, Liam and I wouldn’t have done our engagement photos so soon, nor would we have kissed. If we hadn’t kissed then I wouldn’t have realized my feelings for him. And of course if that hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have known what it was like to love someone, even for a short amount of time. I forgave Garrett a long time ago; I just hadn’t realized it.

“But, Jenna, it wasn’t right,” he interrupted me.

“That is okay. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago, and I am sorry I haven’t told you before. It is all in the past and forgotten. Don’t stress yourself over it, okay? Plus, you have a gorgeous girlfriend now, who happens to be one of my closest friends. “I grinned at him.

“Thank you, Jenna. That means a lot to me.” He smiled back at me. “And yes, she is. She’s incredible.” He looked over at Sophia, who was greeting a cute elderly couple. The look he sent her, I knew he felt something deep for her. I wished someone would look at me the same way.

“You better treat her right,” I warned him, pointing at him. He just laughed and nodded at me.

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