Page 15 of When We Were Reckless
“Sure. Friends.” But even as I said it, I knew we’d never be friends like we used to be.
Deep down, I knew he was still good. That he was still the guy I’d fallen in love with forever ago. But now, I also knew how easy it would be for him to break my heart.
So I entered this truce, this friendship, a little wiser and a little more jaded than I’d been before that kiss and before that night I’d shown up at his house a week ago only to be crushed by his words and actions.
The only flaw in this plan? Now that I knew the feel of his lips against mine, all I wanted was to kiss him again.
Which probably made me a masochist.
I shouldn’t waste any more of my wishes on Jesse. I needed to save them for more important things than just a kiss from a beautiful boy who could be so kind one minute and so cruel the next.
Chapter Seven
Quinn
“Areyou sure you’ll be okay?” my mom asked for the millionth time. It was Monday morning, my day off, and I’d woken up early to say goodbye.
“I’ll be fine.” I poured my breakfast smoothie into a tall glass and took a sip, my eyes on her as she slid her laptop into her bag and double-checked that she had everything she needed. My mom was super organized, so I had no doubt that she did.
“No parties while I’m gone. I want the house to still be standing when I get home.”
“I’m not Declan.”
“Oh. Declan. I prefer to forget his teen years.” She sighed. “He’s responsible for all the gray hairs on my head.”
“You don’t have any gray hair.” My mom’s hair was a lighter shade of blond than mine, and unlike me, she blow-dried it and styled it every morning before she left for work. Today she’d pulled it back in a smooth chignon.
“Because I spent three hundred bucks on highlights. Now don’t forget to take your—”
“Mom. I take my pills every single day. Stop worrying. You’ll only be gone for a week.”
“I know that. But your father is… God.” She massaged her temples. “Why he chose this week to be on the West Coast is beyond me.”
As if it even mattered whether he was on the West Coast or thirty minutes away in his luxury high-rise in Austin. My dad wasn’t around much anymore, so I’d stopped relying on him. Far better to pretend I didn’t care than to set myself up for more disappointment.
I had no idea how my parents ran a business together. Neither of them was willing to step down or give up their share of a company they’d built from the ground up almost thirty years ago. They’d started with one farm stand. Then they opened their first store in Austin. And now, they had one hundred and twenty-seven Green Fields Markets across the country. Mind-boggling that they’d accomplished so much, and yet they couldn’t even be in the same room together.
“He knew I was meeting with the Northeast regional offices this week. It’s been on the calendar for months.”
My mother was a workaholic. Always had been. My father had gone so far as to blame his infidelity on her crazy work schedule. He wasn’t getting enough attention. Boohoo, you big man-baby.
So I would never hurt my mom’s feelings by pointing out that even when she wasn’t away on a business trip, she was rarely home. My mom was great, I loved her, and she didn’t need that kind of guilt.
“I love you, Mom. I promise not to burn the house down.”I’m not Declan. “No crazy parties. I’ll take my meds every morning and eat healthy. So just trust me, okay?”
“I do, baby. I trust you completely. I just worry.”
“I know. But lucky for you, I have three annoying brothers, and two out of three of them worry just as much as you do. Declan, on the other hand, would sell me to the highest bidder.”
My mom laughed. “Even big bad Declan loves you.” She checked her phone. “Okay. The car is here.” She came around the granite counter, her heels clicking on the limestone tiles, and I met her halfway. She pulled me into a hug, then kissed my forehead before she released me and rubbed her fingertips over my forehead to erase the traces of her lipstick kiss.
“Pillow Talk,” she said with a smile, referring to the nude pink lipstick she wore. “I’ll be home early Sunday evening. We’ll have a nice dinner together.”
“Sounds good.”
After my mom was gone, I carried my smoothie, peanut butter and honey toast and my laptop outside to the patio and set myself up at a round glass table overlooking the pool. The green and white striped awning provided shade from the morning sun.
What I loved most about writing was that I could explore all the different sides of my personality, dig deep inside, and let my imagination run wild.
