Page 29 of Head Over Wheels

I shake my hair out of the towel and flip upside down to scrunch in some gel. Now it can finish drying while I pack up my room. I’ve only been here since Friday so it shouldn’t take too long, but there were a lot of wardrobe changes in a short time. Rifling through my clean clothes, I pull out a pair of light blue jeans and set them on the bed. Then I dig around until I find my black cropped sweater and lay it beside them. Pulling out a tank for underneath and some socks, I grab the rest of the pile to sort through and repack.

My phone buzzes, and it’s a FaceTime request from Jess. I hit Answer, and her energy immediately flows through the screen.

“Hey, Ella! I know you said you’d call me tonight, but I couldn’t wait. Do you have a bit of time to fill me in on everything that happened last night?”

“Good timing, I’m just packing.”

“Your hair looks great, by the way. So, tell me everything.”

I catch her up on all the events of last night, from the club to Jace’s visit. “That’s everything.”

Her mouth is hanging open. She pushes a blond tendril behind her ear and starts in on the questions. “Are you and Jace a thing now?”

I clasp my hands together. “I hope so. He said I could tell Jeff that we were, and he was going to tell Elevate this morning.”

“Wait, why do you have to tell Jeff?”

My smile drops. “Ugh, in a moment of haste last night before Jace came by, I agreed to have coffee with him this morning.”

“Like a date?”

“I think so. But I told Jace about it once we sorted everything out and I plan to tell Jeff right away so that it doesn’t get awkward.”

Jess snorts. “Good luck with that.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, bestie.” My eyes are rolling before I even know it’s happening.

“And then you’re leaving right after the luncheon?” She changes the subject tactfully.

“My train’s at four p.m.”

“Great, finish packing and text me if you need me. Hey, do you want me to call you in the middle of your coffee date and tell you I have a huge emergency so you have an excuse to bail if it’s totally awkward?” Her eyes twinkle with her offer.

“Um, maybe. How about if I text you ‘banana’ then you give me a call?”

Jess raises a perfectly arched brow. “Why banana?”

I shrug. “No idea, it’s just the first thing that came to mind.”

“You’re so funny. Sounds cool, get back to packing. I’ll keep my phone handy at 10:30.”

We say our goodbyes, and I turn on a playlist to help me get through the rest of my packing.

CHAPTER 22

At 10:25, I’m ready to go. My bag is packed and on my bed, and I’m ready to meet Jeff. My stomach is in knots because I really hate any type of conflict or confrontation. I am hoping it doesn’t evolve into something like that. I pull on my black Chelsea boots and take one last look in the full-length mirror. The hair is doing what it’s supposed to and hanging in loose waves with minimal frizz. My fit is cute, and I’m ready to get this over with.

When I leave my room, I automatically head to the stairwell. I’m almost done for the weekend so why chance an elevator in my final hours here? My thighs are screaming at me as I go down. Why is going down always worse than going up after a heavy workout day? I’m grateful I’m not on the top floor because this would have gotten old quickly. As soon as I come out into the lobby, I see Jeff standing by the coffee shop.

Squaring my shoulders, I make sure there’s a smile on my face as I walk over.

“Hi, you look great.” He gives me a once over and grins warmly.

“Hey! Sorry I couldn’t meet earlier, it was a late night yesterday.”

An expression flashes over his face, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “Was it? I thought you left the club early?”

Oh, coming out of the gates with the tough questions. I just need to get this over with. “Jeff, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

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