Page 88 of The Import Slot
“This weekend has been crazy,” Johnny says as we head up the stairs.
“Just sort things out with Vicky. That’s the key.” I say to him. “And maybe get laid.”
I’m sort of half-joking. I think it’ll do him good to get back out there. He shrugs, but I can tell he’s thinking about it.
“See you tomorrow,” he says as he heads inside his apartment.
I unlock our door, and Danny follows me in, his eyes landing on the shoes in the hallway that belong to Becca. I feel a pang of jealousy that he’s getting to come home to Becca, and Jen is across the way, but when I open my bedroom door, a Jen-shaped figure moves in my bed. My heart leaps.
“Where have you been?” she says, rolling over.
I pull off my hoody and t-shirt and kick off my runners.
“Got stuck in the elevator. I’m so glad to see you.” I lose my sweatpants and I slip into bed next to her.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” she asks.
“I am now. How’d you get in?”
“Becca let me in,” she says. “I wondered why I had to take the stairs. The lift in the lobby was flashing all sorts of red.” She snuggles into me. “I tried to call you, but I assumed you’d gone to Johnny’s or something.”
“Yeah, I was trying the assistance line. I need to copy my key for you.”
I’m completely exhausted, but I feel so content right now. I always sleep better when I share a bed with Jen. I feel like this is where I’m meant to be.
My mom always said that everything happens for a reason. I remember her telling me about when she and Dad met for the first time. ‘I just knew there was no one else for me’, she had said, and I thought it was gross then, but I get it now.
Then she told me that things work out, and if you’re meant to be with someone, you will be, like the universe pulls you together. I thought that was bullshit too. She told me that her marriage to my dad wasn’t even for her or us kids. It was for him. Everything she did was for him, and in turn, everything he did was for her. Together, they were doing it for them and us boys.
“Jen?” I say, pulling her close.
“Yeah?”
“I love you,” I say. “I think I have for a while.”
She looks up at me and reaches for my face. I can just make her out in the dark.
“I love you, too. Even if you’re freezing cold.”
If I die tonight, I’ll die a happy man.
She rests her head on my chest, and her fingers dance along my abs as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 24
Jenna
I’mbackatmydesk from lunch just in time to see the guys almost ready to leave the ice; I have no shame in admitting that I took an early lunch to guarantee I could catch the end of the session.
The offices overlook the rink, and I’m usually fighting to concentrate on my work, but today I allow myself a treat.
I focus my eyes on Ryan as he talks to Johnny, then to Danny, and then he laughs at something Bettsy says before breaking out into a sprint up ice and back again.
Danny looks happy today. I’d imagine it’s probably because he and Becca are back in each other’s beds, but less secretive about it now. They haven’t said they’re seeing each other, but I think it’s a done deal to anyone with eyes.
Focusing back on my screen, I feel anxious as I look at the project plan that fills one of my monitors. The more I look at it, the more worried I get.
“Jen? Have you got a second?” Alex, the project manager I’m working with, says as he strides over to my desk. He nods toward the boardroom, and I follow him with my notepad and laptop, grabbing it from its docking station.
