Page 28 of Kissing Chaos
Instead, I can’t get his brown eyes, scruffy beard, and dirty ball cap out of my internal video player. I want this guy. Likewant, want. That’s not a feeling I’m accustomed to.
I mean, I was attracted to Joey, but never have I ever literally felt heat build just from a few looks. Then McKenna told me he’d noticed when I zoned out while asking me a question earlier, so he made sure to have my attention before asking a second time without getting irritated. I know from experience how rare it is to find a guy not fazed by that.
Granted, it was only once. But maybe he could always be like that? I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Crap.
I need to get up and do something before my thoughts consume the rest of my night. Picking up my phone and touching the screen to activate it, I realize it is already after one in the morning.
Double crap. How did I lose three hours? I’ll be lucky to snag five hours of sleep at this rate. Not the worst I’ve ever done, but I need to get back into a routine—or I guess build a new one. New town, new me.
Isn’t that how this is supposed to work?
***
By the time I fell asleep, it was almost three, so the alarm that goes off at seven has me cursing and hitting snooze. Twice. It isn’t until a text comes through from my mom that I shoot up in bed. What the heck does she want? We haven’t spoken since the night I ended up doing shots at Riley’s.
I scroll through my contacts and tap Reece’s number, nibbling on my thumbnail as I wait for him to answer.
“Yeah?” he asks in answer. His voice is gruff, and only then does it tickle my thoughts that he’s likely already stacking hay or something this morning. I bypass a hello as well and jump right into my reason for calling.
“Do you know why Mom wants me to call her?”
“Jett? What are you going on about?”
“Mom. She texted me. Told me to call her. Why?”
He sighs—a pretty regular occurrence around me. “I don’t know why she texted you, Jett, but she probably just wants to talk. You haven’t exactly made it easy on her.”
A groan slips past my lips as I fling myself back against my pillows. “She always wants to know too much.”
“She loves you and wants to make sure you are doing okay, sis. Give her a call.”
My thumb hits the red button on the screen seconds before the impulse to toss my phone across the room wins out.Tossmay not accurately convey the level of force involved. Luckily, the screen lands face-up and doesn’t shatter. The last thing I need is to add replacing a broken phone to the to-do list.
I swing my legs out from under the covers, resting my bare feet on the cool wood floor. My head sinks forward into my hands, elbows on my thighs as my breaths come out in shaky bursts.
Damn it.
I shouldn’t have been so snappy with Reece. It was immature to hang up on him, but I know better than to call him back right now. My chest is tight at the thought of adding an extra layer of worry to his day, so I send off a text.
He leaves my message on read almost immediately. I need to get up and get moving. Otherwise, the thoughts in my head will consume my morning. I quickly slip into some sweatpants and an oversize tee before walking into my kitchen, where the to-do list McKenna and I put together last night sits next to a bottle of water and my morning vitamin regiment.
I laugh at the last one. McKenna must’ve added it after I’d walked off.
After the struggle of trying to decide if I am going to get fixed up today or just go as I am, I choose the latter. Sweats and messy bun (remember, not cute) it is. I triple check to ensure I have my phone, wallet, and keys in hand before locking the door and making my way down to the sidewalk to take in the sunny small town morning.
I want to try out the bakery, because Reece raves about it, but there’s so many people inside that I end up hovering outside the door for longer than intended.
“The door won’t bite, you know.”
I jump at the unfamiliar voice behind me and realize I’m pretty much blocking the entrance to the shop. “Sorry,” I mumble before stepping aside and taking in the petite woman. And I do mean petite, even to my five-foot-four frame.
“You’re Jett, right? Reece’s sister?”
“How did you—”
“Right, I’m Kelsey. Jace’s twin.” She extends her hand in greeting, the cheeriest smile lighting her face. Are people actually this happy in the morning? And functional?
