“What was that about?”
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Hell if I know. We were talking about some of the PR work I used to do, and then we started talking about my rehab, and the next thing you know she’s pissed as hell at me and making a fast dash for the exit.”
Cole followed Garrett’s gaze toward the front door where Alicia had walked out. “Huh. Women. Who can figure them out sometimes? And my sister? I wish I could offer some advice, man, but she’s always been a big mystery to me.”
Garrett had thought for sure Cole would take a punch at him for upsetting his sister. “I don’t know what I did. I swear I wasn’t trying to upset her.”
Cole offered up a wry smile. “Don’t worry about it. I can get her from zero to rage demon in about four seconds just by saying hello.”
Somehow he figured Cole was exaggerating. “I’m sure I did something or said something that irritated her. I need to say I’m sorry. Well, first I need to figure out what I did wrong. Then I need to apologize.”
Cole laughed and patted him on the back. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
TWENTY-FIVE
MAYBE SHE WAS PMSING. THAT WAS ALICIA’S ONLY EXCUSE for her lunaticlike behavior at the club.
She’d built up a good head of steam heading out of the club, carried a body full of smoke to the car, but by the time she’d gotten home and into the driveway, the fog had cleared, and she was, unfortunately, much more clearheaded.
And mortified that she’d let her emotions get the best of her, that she’d stormed out of the club, out of Jenna’s opening night, without saying good-bye to her family and without thanking Jenna and telling her what a great success the club was going to be.
Alicia owed Jenna a big, fat apology. If she ever left her house again, which at this point was debatable considering what a spectacle she’d made of herself.
This was the reason she’d spent the last several years focusing on her education and her career and most definitely not on men and relationships. Men made women crazy. Or at least they made her crazy. Okay, one man in particular was making her lose her ever-loving mind.
As she sat at her kitchen table sipping the cup of hot tea she’d made to try and mellow herself out, she replayed their conversation over in her mind. What had the trigger point been?
Having Garrett show up at the club had been wonderful, and she’d been grateful and thrilled that he’d gotten along so well with her family, especially with Cole. And when he’d asked her to dance, she’d been happy to be able to touch him and feel his body close to hers. They’d talked, and he’d made her laugh with his stories of advertising and commercials, until they’d gotten on the topic of therapy . . .
That’s when everything had gone awry, and she’d gone up like an erupting volcano because he’d challenged her abilities. Or at least that’s what she’d thought she’d heard. In a packed club with the music blaring and people talking all around her, for all she knew he could have been talking about the hottest new brand of goat cheese.
She decided she’d blame it all on the wine. Alcohol made people do dumb things all the time. Too bad she’d only had two glasses spread out over four hours with multiple waters in between, so she wasn’t even drunk. Not even slightly buzzed, as a matter of fact.
The bottom line was, she’d overreacted.
“Ugh, Alicia. You’re an idiot.” She laid her head down on the kitchen table, deciding at that instant to become a hermit. She’d give up her career and become a hoarder. She enjoyed shopping online anyway.
A knock at the door interrupted her self-pity party. She picked up her phone to look at the time. It was pretty late. Who could be here at this hour? Alarmed, phone in hand just in case it was someone she didn’t know, she crept to the door and looked out the peephole.
Garrett. She laid her head against the door.
She couldn’t face him. She was a moron. What would she say?
Oh, I’m dramatic like that all the time. Wouldn’t you love to continue having a relationship with me?
“Alicia. I know you’re there. I heard your shoes on the floor.”
Even worse, she sucked at stealth, too. Good thing he wasn’t a burglar. Unsure what to say to him but knowing she wasn’t going to leave him standing out there, she opened the door.
He stood there, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants and his head cocked to the side. He wasn’t smiling.
“Hey,” was all he said.
So she gave him a “Hey” in return.
“Can I come in for a minute?”
Despite having no idea why he’d want to be within miles of her at the moment, she stepped away from the entrance. “Sure.”
She closed the door and locked it after he walked in, but she stayed near the door, just in case she’d have to let him out right away.