He answered on the first ring. “How’s it going over there, baby girl?”
“Well, J’s telling us what we can and can’t do, Serena’s mad at both of us, and I’m hiding outside having a smoke. What does that tell you?”
“Do you want me to come over?” he asked.
This was why Blake was a superstar in my eyes. He was busy running his restaurant, but willing to drop everything for me. “No, don’t do that. I just needed to hear your voice; it always makes me feel better.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”
I sighed, and blew out a long breath of cigarette smoke. “I don’t want to go back, but I probably will just so I can make sure Crystal, my friend’s daughter, is okay.”
“Yeah, I get that. I would do the same thing.”
There was a loud bang inside the house. “Shit, Blake, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?” I said, putting my smoke out and getting ready to go and see what that noise was.
“Yeah, babe. Later,” he said, and hung up.
Heading back inside, I yelled out, “What happened?”
I found them both in the laundry. Turned out the noise I had heard was the dryer falling off the wall. “Bloody hell, how did that happen?” I asked.
Serena looked sheepish. “I may have slammed the dryer door really hard, and as a result, the dryer may have fallen down.”
J was inspecting the wall. God, I hoped he could fix this because our landlord would not be happy. He looked up at me. “I can fix this. But it’ll mean a trip for all of us to the hardware store.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “How did I know you were gonna say that,” she muttered.
“Sure, just let me get dressed,” I said, and left them to bicker while I went to find some clothes.
Something told me that this was going to be one long ass day.
Chapter 7
Madison
God, the trip to the hardware store was a torturous experience. Serena constantly took shots at J, who in turn, argued back. By the end of it, I was ready to stab myself in the eyes and cut my ears off; anything not to have to see or hear either of them.
I was thankful, however, that J managed to pick up all the supplies he would need to fix the mess in our laundry. He and I argued over the bill. In the end, he won and paid the bill. Men!
We were now home, and J was busy being Mr. Handyman, while Serena and I were lounging in front of the television. I had just filled her in on everything J had told me last night.
“Shit, what are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I sighed.
“Okay, so you want to check on Crystal. Yes?” Serena loved helping me solve my dramas.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“So, you go home for a visit. You check on your girl, you hang out with your family for a bit, you stay until they sort this Nix mess out. Then you come back here and live happily ever after,” she smiled, happy with her own advice.
I groaned out of frustration. “You make it sound so easy when it is as far from easy as anything could be. This shit with Nix could take a long time. I might kill my family if I have to stay that long. And what am I going to do about J?”
“Yeah, biker boy poses a problem,” she mused.
“I love how, after everything I just said, all you heard was the bit about J.”
“Oh no, honey, I heard it all. But the only problem in all of that was him.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why?”
She smiled her wicked little smile. “I’d say that’s pretty obvious. You’re both still hot for each other so I am worried about where that would lead.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Shit, I’m screwed aren’t I?” I said, and then looking up, I continued, “I don’t understand my feelings. He broke my fucking heart and yet, here I am, wanting him all over again. What is wrong with me?”
“You could just fuck him and get that out of your system,” she suggested.
I considered it for a moment. She’s right. I could totally fuck J. It’s what I did these days anyway; fuck and run. But would I... could I walk away, and be happy with just a bit of sex? Fuck it, this was the new me, the stronger me. The me who didn’t let a guy stomp on my heart anymore. Of course, I could do it. I smiled at Serena. “Thanks, babe. I might just do that.”
***
J finished up in the laundry a few hours later. I was impressed with his work, as was Serena. She even appeared to warm to him a little, offering him a drink when he was finished.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, when she made her offer, “And the next time you want to take your anger out on something, I’d suggest you choose a different target.”
She glared at him before stomping off to get his drink. I rolled my eyes. “You like pissing her off, don’t you?” I said.
He chuckled, eyes twinkling, “She’s too easy to play with, babe.”
Before we could continue this conversation, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call. I traipsed into the kitchen in search of Serena.