Jessa spent the better part of the day packing. It should’ve taken an hour, but she’d been dragging her feet. Closing her packed luggage seemed so…final. As if it signified the end of the happiness she’d found here.
She’d wandered around the suite. The shower, the bath, the bed. The table where they’d eaten, the couch where Garrett had bent her over and shown her a whole new level of sexual gratification. Jessa committed to memory every moment of the last few days.
She’d learned a lot about herself since she’d met him. She’d never known the satisfaction that came with dropping her inhibitions. She’d never trusted a man enough to feel comfortable asking for what she wanted, taking what she’d asked for. Until Garrett.
Her flight in the morning would bring it all to an end. She’d be back in New York and Garrett would be here. She couldn’t even think about what would happen when spring training ended. It would be hard enough to know it was over when he was a thousand miles away. It was inconceivable as to what she’d feel once he settled in New York. She wasn’t sure her heart would survive seeing him, knowing he was close and not being able to be with him.
What would she do if he found someone else? And he would. He was prime real estate for women in the market. Sexy as sin, young, with an incredible future? Yep, he’d be snatched up in a New York minute.
Jessa laughed quietly at her own pun. It was either that or cry, and she was in no mood to show up for dinner with red, puffy eyes.
Not for the first time, Jessa cursed her dad and his insane need to control her romantic relationships. She’d never let it affect her decisions before, but this time it was different. This time, people could be hurt. Garrett could lose his job.
At this point, she wasn’t one-hundred percent sure how her dad would react to her feelings for Garrett. Without that certainty, she couldn’t take the chance. Wouldn’t. She’d give Garrett up before she risked his future.
Even if it killed her.
Slipping into shorts and a light, fitted T-shirt, Jessa tried to shake the dread she felt at the idea of saying goodbye. After everything they’d shared, she wondered if he’d miss her or not. It would be little consolation to her broken heart either way.
She wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
She strode to the bathroom and checked her reflection one last time. Garrett had said casual. He didn’t want her dressing up or spending a lot of time getting ready. He liked her as she was, he’d said, calling her a natural beauty.
She hoped he’d meant it. The sides of her hair were pulled up in a clip to keep it out of her face. What little makeup she’d put on gave her skin a subtle glow. It wasn’t much more than she’d do for a day at the ballpark. Jessa slid her feet into her favorite pair of sandals and headed to the elevator.
As the floors melted away with quiet beeps, Jessa’s nerves tightened. Dinner with Garrett meant goodbyes. He’d said they needed to talk, but she didn’t want a big, dramatic scene. She didn’t want to cry. She wouldn’t be that girl.
It was ironic, really. She’d always stayed away from ballplayers. In the romantic sense, anyway. She’d silently supported her dad’s mandate that she not get involved. It had been fine with her.
But, nothing about her current situation was fine. She loved Garrett. Once she left here, she was afraid she’d never be whole again.