To babysit me.
I suddenly didn’t want to talk to Lola anymore. I had tonight and all of tomorrow before I had to be back on RC time, and I didn’t want to waste a second of it.
“I gotta run,” I told my best friend. “Talk later?”
“Sure, I’ll shoot you a text. Oh hey, how’s it going with the limo driver? He’s adorable. And hot. Not many guys can pull off that combination. Are you two getting along?”
I could practically see her knowing grin, and my irritation flared. She wouldn’t understand if I tried to tell her we were building a potential friendship, and she definitely wouldn’t believe I hadn’t slept with him. Hell, if Jonah hadn’t been the gentleman he was last night, I would’ve slept with him.
A sudden, pleasant shiver raced down my spine at the thought and I crossed my legs.
No. This is different. Jonah is different. He’s not a guy I fuck at random. He’s…
“He’s wonderful,” I said. “Goodbye, Lola.”
I hung up, and jammed the phone into my bag, all the way to the bottom.
Not an instant later, I heard a text come in. I dug it out and my heart rose to see Jonah’s number. It sank when I read the words:
Have to bail on you for the day. Too much work, then family dinner. Maybe order pizza? Sorry.
“Shit,” I said. My hand let the phone drop back into my purse. Disappointment bit deep, not just from him cancelling, but the terse, dry text itself.
I typed, No prob. CU later, and looked it over, satisfied it was casual and unconcerned. As it should be, I reminded myself. He had a schedule to keep and he was keeping it.
I hit send.
The hours passed slowly. I didn’t know how you could miss someone you’d only known a day and a half.
Around noon, I did what Jonah suggested and ordered a pizza—vegetarian, in case he wanted some later—and a six-pack of Diet Coke from a local place that delivered. I channel-surfed while curled up on Jonah’s couch. When I got cold, I went looking for the green-and-orange afghan, finally finding it balled-up in the hall closet.
I had seconds on pizza for dinner, and found When Harry Met Sally on a cable channel. One of my all-time favorites, but I found myself drifting to sleep around nine o’clock. My own sleep patterns were a mystery, since I usually stayed up until whatever party was over, and then crashed out after. But nine seemed early as hell. I guessed I had a lot of catching up to do.
I nodded off some time after the ‘stupid wagon wheel coffee table’ and woke up at the end of the movie, when Sally and Harry were at the New Year’s Eve party. Sally was in the midst of declaring how she hated Harry, with the echo of the word ‘love’ resounding behind every ‘hate.’ I teared up, like I always did. It took a long time for those two to find their way to each other, even though they were right there all along.
My fantasy was the opposite. I’d always dreamed my true love would swoop into my life, sweep me off my feet in one heroic gesture. I’d know him at once—a flame would burn between us immediately. No doubts or games. Love—and lust—at first sight. He’d rescue me from all the hurt and loneliness, and I’d never doubt I was loved.
I thought Chett had been that guy. I was the proverbial moth to his flame, drawn to his light, only to be burned to a husk when it proved to all be a fucking lie. And then I had nothing. No job. No money. Not even a high school diploma. God knew what would have happened to me had I not met Lola.
I went from hanging on Chett’s coattails to hers, and even now I was taking shelter under Jonah’s roof. It had never bothered me before but it did now.
It bothered me a lot.
I shut off the TV. Now the only light came from one little lamp. I thought about going to bed, but my eyes grew heavy and I was too tired to…
“Kacey?”
A gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Hmm?” I blinked awake. Jonah stood over me, and then crouched beside the couch. “You’re back,” I said.
“I’m back.” His expression was pained, his rich brown eyes heavy. “I’m sorry I left you alone all day. It was a shitty thing to do.”
“No…” I sat up, more awake now. “You have work and your family.”
“It was shitty. You’re only here for a little while, and I should’ve come back for lunch.”
A warmth spread in my chest, and I became so aware that only about a foot separated us. “I survived. I ate pizza. A lot of pizza.”
He smiled a little. “I was thinking maybe you’d like to go get dessert. Ice cream or something. I know it’s late…”
“I’d love to,” I said, and that warmth deepened to a flush that colored my cheeks. “Can you have dessert?”
Jonah’s bright smile returned, a slow tilt of his lips to a full-blown grin that made his eyes light up. “I’ll figure something out.”