Page 56 of The Hometown Dilemma
The thought of going back to my own apartment and having to do things for myself didn’t appeal, so Mom’s offer came at exactly the right time. If left alone, I’d start wallowing and it wouldn’t be good for me.
“Sounds great.” As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. “Don’t suppose you could make it for lunch instead, could you?”
She laughed. “If that’s what you want, Wade.”
Honestly? I didn’t know what I wanted.
An hour later, refreshed after a long, hot shower, I stretched out on the bed in my childhood bedroom. Lacing my hands behind my head, I stared up at the ceiling.
The past few days hadn’t exactly gone as I’d expected them to.
New York had been a revelation.
The woman I thought I might be falling in love with seemingly turned out to be a completely different person than the one I thought I knew.
The bar I thought held the key to my business future felt like it was nothing but embers and ash.
Every bone in my body and every synapse ached with tiredness.
Closing my eyes, I shut out the world and gave in to sleep.
When I finally peeled my eyelids back several hours later, the room was almost dark. I couldn’t believe how long I’d slept for – and dreamlessly at that. Blinking at the clock on the nightstand, I saw it was close to six. I never slept during the day and no doubt I’d pay for it later. If I had a couple of whiskeys with Dad this evening, that might help.
My phone had no charge, so I plugged it in and watched it spring to life. Messages from Austen and Dempsey’s staff mingled into one another, everyone saying how sorry they were and offering to help with the clean-up. I scanned them without seeing them, until I saw some I did want to read.
Jaime:Wade, I’m so sorry. Cami told me what happened to the bar. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do xxx
Jaime:I hope you’re okay. And your mom and dad xxx
Jaime:I’m coming home on the flight we were scheduled to. Can we talk when I get back? Please? Xxx
If she wanted to talk, that could only mean one thing.
The messages were time stamped a few hours ago, which meant that right now she’d be on the flight back to Raleigh. Even if I did reply now, she wouldn’t read it until she landed. Plus, I needed time to think about what I wanted to say.
Hauling myself up off the bed, I followed my nose downstairs to the kitchen where I found Mom stirring the pot roast like she’d promised.
“Ah, good, you’re up. Your dad said he’d come and wake you if the smell of this didn’t.”
I slumped into one of the kitchen chairs and observed her. “How come you look fresh as a daisy, and I feel like I’ve been dug up? Did you get any sleep this afternoon?”
She waved the wooden spoon at me. “When you’ve brought up a baby, you learn to live without sleep.”
Her comment made me a smile. “You always said I slept like a log.”
“Mmmhmm. And you did, eventually. But it wasn’t until you were about eighteen months old. Those first few months were hell.” She came over to where I sat, ruffled my hair, then went back to the stove. “Anyway, why don’t you tell me about your trip? And how’s Jaime? I’m surprised she didn’t come back with you.”
At first, I didn’t want to tell Mom the whole sorry story, but once I’d started, the words tumbled out and I couldn’t stop. I told her everything, right down to the part about calling Jaime a fake.
“Okay. I guess that explains why Jaime isn’t here with you now.” Mom chewed on the inside of her cheek as she dished up our dinner. “I can tell she’s made you happy and it would be such a shame to let things fizzle out, even if she does decide to take that job.”
“But she’s like a different person when she’s in business mode. There are two Jaimes; the one when we’re in the bar, bantering, having a laugh, then there’s this fake, giggling, air-kissing one.” I placed the upturned palm of each hand in front of me to demonstrate.
“And when she’s alone with you? Who is she then?”
The woman I love.
I couldn’t let things go. I at least had to find out what Jaime was thinking. Before I could change my mind, I pulled out my phone.
