Page 15 of Could Have Been Us
“We had a huge issue out in Wyoming with Oliver’s property, and he flew out first thing this morning.”
“Oh.”
My heart is racing as I search for another angle, a way to reassure her. “Look, I know it’s a big ask, and I wouldn’t ask if I hadn’t already cleared it with Grayson and he said it was fine if I had no other options, and I don’t.”
“What about Winnie?”
“Winnie said she’s bogged down at work.”
Please, Jessica. Please, I need you.
“You really have no one else?” she asks.
“I promise, I wouldn’t ask if I did. I swear, if I didn’t need to leave within the hour, I wouldn’t do this.”
“I can’t drive,” she says, the defeat in her voice makes me want to cry.
She’s going to do this. She’s going to help.
“I know. It’s fine. I will drive you to my place and you can hang out with Melia there since it’s in town and a block or two away from her dance studio. She has her own bedroom, and there’s a guest room, so you’ll be completely comfortable.Please.” I beg with my hands folded in front of my chest and then I go for the only thing that might sway her. “If you say no, I’ll have to take her with me, and she’ll be crushed that she’s missing dance.”
“I guess, but I still get nightmares and don’t want to scare her.”
Victory. Jessica is in, and I can get out of Willow Creek without anyone knowing what’s going on.
“You won’t. I promise. She would sleep through an entire army marching through her room.”
“All right. As long as you swear Grayson is fine with it.”
Chapter 5
Stella
There’s a hole in my chest, one that’s getting larger the more it settles on me that Misty is gone. I got home, packed a bag, and made sure all the letters were in the safe. As I placed the last one in, tears fell relentlessly.
It’s the last one that I will ever get from her.
I’m going to miss her.
Now, I’m standing on Jack’s doorstep, turning to the one person who will understand. The only person in this town I can come to, and I pray he doesn’t turn me away.
After a few seconds, I gather my courage and knock.
“One second.” His deep voice booms from the other side of the door. There is some shuffling and a bang before he curses loudly.
Then the door opens, and my breath is stolen from my chest.
He’s glorious. A God among men as he stands here, hair wet from the shower, chest bare, and basketball shorts slung low on his hips.
“Stella?” He tests my name as he stares at me.
“I . . .” I stumble over the words, not only because he seems to have scrambled my brain but also because the reason I’m here breaks through. “Misty, she . . . she died.”
His eyes go wide, and he pulls the door open wider. I enter, and then as the door clicks and I turn, Jack’s arms are around me.
I sink into his embrace, my head resting against the center of his chest as I listen to his heartbeat in my ear. I clutch at him, knowing that he’s the only person alive who can understand the myriad of emotions racketing through me.
“She died, and I . . . I don’t know what to do,” I confess.
