Page 71 of All Jacked Up

I managed to smile. “You’ll always have that.”And most likely my heart—oh, and my soul. I’m pretty sure you also snatched that, but no biggie. I’ll survive this.

His smile made his eyes brighten with relief, and then he reached for the door. “That’s good. I’d hate to show up at your door and force you to answer my texts and calls.”

I laughed, but it wasn’t genuine. My heart was hurting too much for that.

Taking my purse, I climbed out and walked around the back while he got my suitcase and rolled it over to me. I reached for it, and he shook his head.

“I got it.”

Yes, please keep being chivalrous and slowly killing me with all I will never truly have.

We walked toward the front entrance, and I tried to ignore the women who blatantly stopped what they were doing to look at Ransom. They thought he was mine. They were probably all envious of me right now.

HA! Joke was on them.

He stopped at the door and turned to me. “I’ll handle your mom’s ashes when they’re ready. You tell me where to take them, and I’ll do it.”

“Thanks,” I told him.

He pushed the suitcase toward me. “Have a safe flight, Shakespeare.”

“Bye,” I said, wondering if it would be years before I saw him again. I wanted to cry, but there was no way I’d do that in front of him.

He nodded his head once, and his eyes dropped to my mouth. I waited, watching him. Neither of us moved, and when I said every fiber in my body was pleading with him to take a step forward, I was not exaggerating. But he didn’t move. Moments passed. A horn in the distance, however, broke whatever trance we’d seemed to fall into, and his gaze snapped back up to meet mine. His smile was tighter.

“Talk soon, yeah?” he said.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

Then he walked away. Not turning back once to look. I know because I watched him until he was completely out of sight. Taking my heart with him.

Twenty-Five

Noa

Ransom: There was a cat that lived 38 years.

I glanced down at the text and smiled. It had all gone back to the way it had been. The past two weeks, Ransom had sent only texts. There had been no phone calls. While I was thankful I’d not lost him, this had slowly been killing me. I was hoping my time with Jellie this weekend, celebrating her birthday in Boston, would get my mind off things. Or Ransom. Get my mind off Ransom. He was the only thing on it, unfortunately.

Me: Is this an attempt to get me to rethink my refusal to get a cat?

I hit Send, then turned back to the mirror to make sure this outfit that Jellie had insisted I wear tonight looked okay. I had agreed to let her dress me only because it was her birthday and we were going out with friends of hers to an upscale club that her boyfriend was a member of.

My phone dinged, and I glanced down at it.

Ransom: I mean, that’s a long life. Might think about getting a few. You’ll outgrow your allergy.

I laughed and decided the strapless silver dress with a black belt that tied at the waist while leaving fringes to hang at my waist would be okay. It was shorter than I normally wore, but I didn’t look bad in it.

Picking the phone back up, I typed my response.

Me: I think I’ll pass. You need to let it go. But I will look into the stained robe thing.

A knock at the door was followed by Jellie swinging it open and filling the space with her never-ending energy.

“Holy shit, you look hot. As in on fire,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and beaming at me like a child she was proud of.

The hot-pink leather-looking two-piece thing she had on reminded me of something a Barbie doll would wear, but she was stunning. It was very Jellie. Thank God she hadn’t wanted me to wear something like that though. I’d never have been able to walk out the door.

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