Page 41 of Worthy Now
The bane of my existence comes to a halt in front of us, and I force a tight smile to my lips.
“What a pleasant surprise,” she croons, like there’s not a drop of bad blood between us. “I heard you were back in town, but I had to see it for myself. It’s so good to see you again.”
I bet it is, I think, trying my hardest to keep a tight leash on my rising anger.
“Jake,” she acknowledges, resting a hand on his upper arm and giving him an adoring look.
Jake mumbles a polite greeting but looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. Biting back a possessive growl, I throw a pointed look at the spot where her fingers graze his skin and thank my lucky stars that she has the good sense to remove them before I’m forced to do it for her.
“I’ve been home for quite a while. I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other sooner. You don’t get out much, do you?” I ask in a sugary sweet voice and ignore the choked sound from the man at my side. We both know the reason why we haven’t yet had the pleasure, but I’m not above being petty when the situation calls for it. Jessica’s blinding smile never wavers, but the blush staining hercheeks red speaks volumes. Good. I want her to be uncomfortable. After everything she’s put us through, she deserves to squirm like a worm on a hook.
“Well, I’m sure Jake told you about my issues. Unfortunately, I’ve suffered a little setback recently. You’ll be pleased to know it’s nothing too serious, but Grandma thought I should brush up on my treatments to ‘err on the side of caution.’ I’d have found you sooner, but I was only released a few days ago.”
Her honesty surprises me, taking the wind out of my sails and leaving me unsure how to respond. When I say nothing at all, Jessica releases a breathy laugh and the surprises just keep on coming.
“I think we can all agree that an apology is in order. Part of my healing process is to make amends with the people I’ve wronged. I would’ve called you, but it just didn’t seem like enough to apologize over the phone, considering the damage I’ve caused. You deserve to hear how much I regret my actions face to face,” she says, stunning me into silence. “I apologized to Jake a long time ago, and I’d like to think he’s found it within himself to forgive me. But the truth is, he’s not the only one I’ve hurt. I manipulated the two of you because I couldn’t deal with being rejected. I admit I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with him back in the day.”
Jake shifts from foot to foot, focusing his attention on something across the road, as he does his damnedest to avoid her intenseeye-contact. I can only imagine how uncomfortable this strange interaction must be for him. On a surface level, Jessica may seem stable and genuine, but there’s something simmering just below the surface that I can’t quite put my finger on. Back in the day, I was too self-absorbed to pick up on it, as my own insecurities and jealousy clouded my judgment. I’d simply looked at her as a threat to my relationship, because she was an attractive girl and didn’t hide the fact that she wanted Jake. These days, I’m a little more attuned to people, and something about the way she looks at him makes me very uneasy.
“Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say I’ve worked hard on myself over the years. I understand it was wrong of me to pursue him, when it was obvious he only had eyes for you. I’m truly happy you guys have found your way back to each other, and I sincerely hope you can forgive me…someday.”
“I appreciate your apology. I hope you understand it might take some time to fully accept you mean it.”
Jessica gives me a sharp nod.
“I get it. I didn’t expect you to wrap me up in a hug and ask me to be your new BFF. I’m just hoping we can be civil with each other. If the rumors are to be believed, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, and I’d hate for things to be awkward.”
I can’t help the feeling that she’s fishing for information on our relationship status, like her curiosity goes beyond a passing interest. If she still harbors even a sliver of hope that she might have a chance with Jake, it needs to be squished once and for all. I peer up at him, not bothering to hide the genuine love and adoration before turning back to her lingering form.
“The rumors are true. I’ve decided to move back to Jenkins Creek permanently. I couldn’t let a man like this slip through my fingers a second time. That would be incredibly foolish of me, wouldn’t you agree?”
Emotion flickers in her eyes. It comes and goes so quickly, I almost wonder if I’ve imagined it. But I recognized it. That old-familiar anger. The glimmer of jealousy she never quite managed to hide whenever she saw us together. Jessica Cartwright may have everyone else fooled with her innocent I’m-a-changed-woman act. But I see her for who she really is. That girl is pure evil, and no amount of therapy will ever cure her of her delusions.
“Very foolish indeed,” she mutters, as I rise on my tiptoes and press a soft kiss to Jake’s lips. He indulges me just long enough to let me have my moment before he draws back, giving me a look that lets me know he’s not comfortable playing with fire. He offers Jessica a polite smile.
“Well, it’s been nice seeing you, but we’ve got somewhere to be, so we’d better get going.” Cradling my elbow in his hand, he leads me away from the deranged bitch who almost cost us our future, and I can’t help but take a look back.
Jessica tries, but she’s too slow to conceal her calculating expression, sending a shiver down my spine and confirming my gut feeling—this is far from over.
Twenty-Five
Tessa
“Pack a bag, sweetheart. I’m taking you away for the weekend,” Jake announces the second I swing the door wide and find him standing on my parent’s porch.
“What do you mean?” I ask, glancing at my watch to check the time. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” I step aside to let him in before I head back upstairs to my room. Jake’s hot on my heels, not even trying to hide the way he’s blatantly ogling my ass.
“Took the day off,” he tells me with a sheepish look when I catch him staring. “Figured if we only get a few days, we may as well beat the traffic. The great thing about running your own business is that I get to do whatever the fuck I want. You haven’t been quite yourself for a few days, so I thought a little pick-me-up would do us both some good.”
It’sthe Friday following our run-in with Jessica, and I’ve felt strangely unsettled ever since. The whole encounter left a sour taste in my mouth, and I can’t seem to shake the feeling of foreboding, which is why Jake’s surprise getaway couldn’t have come at a better time. Maybe getting out of town and away from the person occupying my mind is exactly what I need to get my head on straight. I know I’m being paranoid. Jessica might give me the creeps, but she’s not an axe murderer. Looking over my shoulder everywhere I go because I feel like I’m being watched is plain ridiculous, and I know I need to snap out of it.
“Good God, it’s like stepping into a time capsule,” Jake breathes when I throw my bedroom door open and make room for him to step inside. “I can’t believe you still have that,” he says, pointing to my beloved High School Musical poster. “I’m not gonna lie, I briefly considered breaking up with you once I discovered your shitty taste in music.”
“Hey. That soundtrack is great. Whenever I feel down or need to de stress, I get in the car and belt out the lyrics to ‘Breaking Free’. Improves my mood immediately. You should try it sometime.”
His lips twitch with amusement when he crosses the room and comes to a halt in front of a bulletin board that’s peppered with mementos of us. From concert tickets to the dried and laminated carnation he gave me on the first day we met, to a seemingly endlesssupply of pictures of us during varying ages. Jake giving me a ride on the new mountain bike he’d gotten on his thirteenth birthday. The two of us smiling at each other on the bus that took us on a school trip, looking utterly besotted, even though it was taken long before we got together. Us kissing in our booth at Jackie’s diner. Standing arm in arm in our bathing suits while a grinning Carter dive-bombs off the cliffs in front of us. I’ve never been able to bring myself to take any of them down. Maybe I kept them as a punishment—a reminder of what I’d lost. But as much as looking at these images hurt during my rare visits home, it was also a shrine showcasing our love, and I cherished each and every memory. He trails the tip of his finger along the edge of a picture of him accepting his diploma at our graduation ceremony, and my heart gives a painful tug.
“I didn’t know you took this,” he says in a quiet rumble as he studies the image with a thoughtful expression. “I mean, you pretty much hated my guts that day, so seeing this is a bit of a surprise. Man,” he says with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I look fucking sad.”
