Page 20 of Off Limits
Chapter Ten
Jane
Jane sank to the floor of the locker room, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. She’d thought Brady showing up—especially at her work—meant everything was finally shifting. That he couldn’t stay away from her was supposed to be the dream, the proof he felt what she felt. That they could face Rex’s irritation together.
But she’d been wrong. And it didn’t just sting. It gutted her. Her chest felt splintered, like someone had reached inside and ripped her heart out. A few hot tears escaped. She swiped them away quickly. Maybe it was time to face the truth—no matter what she did or said, Brady wasn’t going to choose her. Not really. Not completely.
He made a promise to her brother years ago and broke it, so he would punish them both for the rest of their lives because of it.
She had to get over him. What else could she do?
She pushed herself to standing and huffed out a sharp breath.
She adjusted her clothing and hustled out of the locker room. She couldn’t stand another minute in the confined space where she’d just let Brady defile her in the most incredible way. Ducking into her closet-sized office, she grabbed her purse and locked up the studio. Hopping in her Jeep, she started the engine and tore out of the parking lot.
A good bottle of wine, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cannoli ice cream, and a re-watch ofThe Notebookwould cure her broken heart. A girl could hope.
Once home, she hurried directly to her shower. She had to scrub the smell of Brady off her skin. The hot water pelted her, washing away any trace of what happened at the studio. Now if she could only do the same to her mind.
After her shower, she poured a glass of Chianti and pulled what was left of the pint of Cannoli ice cream from the freezer. She found the movie on the TV and settled in for the night. Gorging herself on ice cream and wine while having a solid cry over a prolific love story was a normal way of dealing with a broken heart.
Tomorrow—she moved on.
****
Jane’s head pounded. She cracked her eyes open but the piercing sunlight caused her to squeeze them shut. Perhaps a whole bottle of Chianti had not been her best idea. She hadn’t even made it to her bedroom. She’d crashed on the couch in an awkward position. Her neck and back would make her pay for it all day.
She rolled to her side and tried opening her eyes again. The light brought tears to her eyes but she needed to get up. She had yoga classes to teach today.
Oh, shit! What classes had she been scheduled for today? She sprung to seating and immediately regretted the movement.
“Ugh!” She put a hand to her forehead. It felt like little men hammered away inside her brain.
Typically, she knew her schedule. Alarm would be set. And she’d spring out of bed like a champ. She was a morning person. However, she didn’t finish a bottle of wine on her own on a normal day. Ha, onanyday.
She grabbed her phone from the coffee table to check the time, but was distracted by the texts from Brady.
Brady:I’m sorry.
Brady:Please don’t hate me.
Brady:This is for the best.
She lifted her middle finger to her phone as if he might actually see her.Fuck him. She didn’t hate him but she was pissed. The emotional rollercoaster ride he’d taken her on was selfish and hurtful. She wanted off. No need to respond. A text message was not a conversation that she was required to respond to.
She glanced at the time. 7:30. She pulled up her schedule from her studio app. She had a 9:00 and an 11:00 today. Thank God she hadn’t been responsible for opening the studio or teaching the early birds. She’d have been late and completely hungover.
Shower. Dress. Eat. Studio. In that order. But first, coffee and ibuprofen.
