Page 30 of The Hot Mess

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” I noted. “Did I do something wrong?”

“I don’t know. Did you?”

I exhaled with a groan. “I can’t read your mind, Jada. Is this really all about other women? I told you. I’ve been traveling for other jobs. And I didn’t want you to know because I didn’t want it getting back to Lucas. I haven’t had time to see anyone else between you and my work at your family’s company. I definitely haven’t had time to consider your brother’s offer. But I’m done with lying. I’m not taking anymore consulting jobs while I’m here, until I’ve made up my mind. And…I need to make some other changes too.”

“Like what?” she asked, tapping her foot.

“That’s why I came here actually,” I said slowly, taking a seat on her couch. “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, here it comes,” she laughed with anger. “I dared to confront you about what you might be doing on your little trips, and now I guess it’s over, huh? You only liked me because I was easy and didn’t ask any questions.”

“What?” I gaped. “No. No, you’ve got it all wrong. Jada, I’m worried about how distracting this has been for me. And it’s not your fault. I started it. But people at the office are starting to talk. If I reject Lucas’s offer, that’s one thing. But I don’t want it taken away from me because of…”

“Because of me!?” she fumed.

“Because of this.” I pointed between us. “I need to take some time and space to think. I don’t want to stop seeing you. I really don’t. But we have to back off for a little bit.”

“And you expect me to believe this doesn’t have anything to do with whoever is in California?”

“It does if you’re counting my contract work,” I argued. “That’s the only thing that’s in California. I like traveling, Jada. I like seeing the world and making money and learning about all sorts of new technology and business ideas. I’ve been very happy with my consulting work. I’m not so sure I want to settle down and…”

“I never asked you to settle down,” she snapped. “I never asked for any of this. I thought it would be a one time thing, but you kept coming back for more. It’s like you wouldn’t quit until I was hooked. Was that the challenge for you? I know all about your reputation with women and how you hate being tied down.”

“Where is all of this coming from?”

“Isabella filled me in on how you are,” she admitted, looking a little sheepish.

“Did you tell her about us?”

“No, but she sure acted like she knewsomething. Have you told anyone?”

“No! Why would I!? You know I’m terrified of your brothers finding out.” I stopped myself from telling her they were already suspicious. We were one wrong step away from them beating me up and kicking me out of the company and their lives forever.

“You’re certainly not denying your sister’s accusations.”

“Because it’s none of her business,” I barked. “And I don’t feed into gossip and rumors. I have better things to do. Izzy would too if she’d get a job.”

“I have a job and apparently I still have nothing better to do,” she murmured, storming off into the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. “She told me about Lucas’s job offer. Do you know what that was like? Hearing it from her instead of you or my siblings? I felt like an idiot. Or, at least I do now. Here I was starting to think if you took the job, maybe this thing between us could be more. I had no clue you were planning to break it off as soon as you got back.”

“And I had no idea you were waiting to come at me with all of this the second I walked in the door.”

“Sorry I didn’t give you time to come up with a bunch of lies and excuses,” she grumbled resentfully.

“I’m not breaking things off. At least I don’t think I am,” I struggled to explain. “I just need some time, like I said. To make some big decisions about my life.”

Jada let out a frustrated groan and turned from opening the bottle of wine to slamming around dishes in her sink. It was obvious she was trying to do anything and everything she could to avoid facing me.

“Please, Jada. Will you just stop and look at me? Talk to me?” I pleaded. “I didn’t mean for any of this to be what it is. I didn’t know this would…”

“I know all too well about what you expected,” she said. “You expected an easy lay. And I guess you kept wanting to come back for more. You know, when your sister kept going on about how you are, I kept telling myself she just didn’t know what I did. But then you show up here breaking things off, and I realize I should have taken her warning to heart.”

“Then maybe you should stop hanging out with my sister.”

“It was your idea! You were the one who gave me her contact information and told me to interview her!”

“I told you to interview her about the app!” I shouted. “Not about me.”

Me raising my voice seemed to catch her off guard. She stopped over the sink, a dirty glass and sponge still in her hands. I watched her arms slowly drop and her eyes close, as if she was trying her hardest not to cry. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t stand to see her cry, knowing I was the reason why. And I had already yelled more than once. If I stayed any longer, I was only going to make things worse.

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