Page 68 of Once Bitten
“What the fuck does that mean?” Jamie asked.
She threw out her hands with an exasperated sigh. “There was a letter. A stupid,stuuuuppppid letter. Not even a letter really,” Heidi sighed and leaned her elbow against the table looking at Steve. “What the hell is it about her anyways, Stevie?” she asked, leaning close to him.
Steve took a deep, calming breath and looked at the woman in front of him. “The note. What did it say, Heidi?” he asked, trying to keep her on track. She was blitzed already which meant he didn’t put much faith in getting the truth out of her. He was probably better off going straight to Jordyn’s apartment and hoping she was there.
“Nothing important,” Heidi said in an almost sing-song voice, and Steve ran a frustrated hand across his face.
“She’s so drunk right now,” Jamie told him over Heidi’s head. “Blitzed.”
“Yeah, I gathered.” Steve sat back and stared at Heidi, who was sipping the last of her drink with a contented smile on her face. “Listen, I’m taking off, I gotta get over to Jordyn’s place. I have to fix this tonight.”
“Ugh! Why?!” Heidi suddenly exploded, sitting up straight and shoving her glass away from her. “I’m so sick of her and what she’s done to you!” She waved a hand at Steve. “That letter, Stevie, I’m sorry. I love you,” she spat out, her voice distorted in a mocking imitation of Jordyn’s. “Please! She turned you into this other person. You are not this person, Steve! You are above this fucking love bullshit!” she said, jabbing a finger into Steve’s chest.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Steve asked her, looking down at the finger pointed at him.
“From the minute she came into the shop you’ve been someone else. Why did you let her change you?” Heidi asked, her voice turning into a whine and her eyes closing as she leaned against the table. Everyone from the shop stared at them in silence.
Steve shook his head, feeling like he was in the twilight zone. Whatever demons Heidi needed to work out, she could do it on her town time. “I have to go,” he told Rob, who nodded at him and glanced at Heidi in confusion.
“Yeah, boss man,” Rob replied quickly.
“She made you into this fucking softie. And you are not soft, Steve,” Heidi said as Steve stood up. “You’re mean, you get in fights, you’re an asshole, you fuck whoever you want, you don’t give a shit about anyone. That’s my Steve. And that’s who you really are!” she yelled drunkenly after him as he pushed his way through the crowd.
“Maybe...maybe we get you home,” Jamie sighed, putting a hand on Heidi’s elbow. “Okay?” he asked before Heidi looked at him and started to cry.
“Yeah,” she sniffled, and Jamie tamped down his anger with her, just enough to help her to her feet and guide her out to his car to get her home.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jordyn was a mess that night.The alcohol hit her system all at once, prompting Dora to take her back to her own apartment to keep an eye on her while she slept it off. She woke up the next morning to Dora sitting beside her, offering her a glass of water and an aspirin.
“Morning, sunshine,” Dora smiled wanly at her.
“I want to crawl into a hole and die,” Jordyn whispered, raising the glass to her lips with a grimace. “How much did I drink?” she asked, and Dora shrugged.
“You were hitting those shots pretty fast, so I have no clue,” Dora admitted, patting Jordyn on the shoulder as her friend slowly sat up.
“What time is it?” Jordyn asked, quietly, wincing at the sound of her own voice. She had to get a move on because the camp she was leading with Alex was leaving later that day. She would be gone for three days, three full days of helping out with the kids she loved, and she was thankful for anything other than Steve being with other women to occupy her thoughts.. Or Steve not returning her feelings. Or knowing that he felt differently about what they had. God, it was enough to make her insane.
Maybe it was good she was going on the trip after all.
If she never thought about last night again, it would be too soon, and if she weren't as hungover as she currently was, she would be dying from embarrassment. Instead, she felt like she had been run over by a semi, and all she wanted was for the throbbing in her head to stop. What the hell had she been thinking last night?
“Seven thirty,” Dora answered, and Jordyn’s eyes widened as she shot up in bed with a screech.
“OH SHIT!” she gasped, stumbling from the bed as fast as she could. “I have to go! The bus! It leaves for the camp in less than an hour!” She ran to the bathroom and started splashing water on her face and moaned in exasperation when she saw her bloodshot eyes. “Crapppppp,” Jordyn groaned, jerking a bottle of mouthwash to her and gargling as fast as she could.
“Hey, so… Jamie got a hold of me last night,” Dora said, coming to stand in the doorway.
Jordyn swished the mouthwash around, pointing to her lips, and held her hands up in a ‘what?’ gesture before Dora continued. “Steve was looking for you. He was at your apartment all night waiting for you to come home.” Jordyn rolled her eyes and spat the mouthwash out with more force than necessary.
“Whatever,” she mumbled, scrubbing her face dry with the hand towel on the counter. She squeezed by Dora and realized that she was still wearing the red dress. “Ugh,” she said, turning around and marching back to Dora’s room, looking for the jeans and shirt she had been wearing when the ill-fated plan to go out and get Steve back had been hatched. If she could go back in time, she would, and she would stop her stupid ass from doing any such thing in the name of love.
“I didn’t tell him you were here because I wanted you to rest,” Dora sighed, watching her friend. “But I think you should talk to him, Jordyn.”
“No.” Jordyn pulled on her jeans and looked at her best friend as if she was a traitor. “No,” she said again with a finger wag when Dora opened her mouth.
Dora frowned at her. “Why not? He sat by your door all night!All night!That deserves, at least, an audience, right? Just give him a few minutes to talk to you is all.”
