And besides, Jessie could make it up to Harmony with another trip in a couple of weekends. If there was one thing that was easy to do in Colorado, it was ski in the wintertime. Maybe she’d treat her friends to the best room in the lodge, as a way to thank them. That was, if she ever felt like doing anything fun again.
Sighing, as she hoped for the millionth time that they were gaining on him, Jessie felt April beside her pat her knee. “Hey, relax. I’m sure he’s fine.” Jessie gave her a half smile, not really in the mood to chitchat about Kai. April brightened as an idea struck her. Digging through her jacket, April pulled out her cell phone. “Did you try calling him?”
Jessie slowly nodded. “Yeah…it went straight to voice mail. Maybe the battery died?” Or maybe he shut the phone off? She didn’t mention that possibility though.
April tried him anyway, but she got the same result as Jessie. Jessie bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. She hated the idea that Kai might have intentionally shut the phone off—intentionally shut her out. That was a whole new level of torture. April frowned as she put her phone away. Then, with a small smile on her face, she said, “Want to hear about the guys from the bar last night? It might take your mind off things?”
Jessie smiled softly, and April bit her lip. “Mine was a tight end for Oregon State...and yeah, he had a very tight end.” She giggled while Harmony shook her head.
Jessie managed a tiny laugh. “Sure, tell me all about him.” Anything to stop worrying about Kai.
Settling in, Jessie listened to her friends talk about all the fun, innocent flirting they’d done last night. Jessie tried not to let it happen, but words and sounds of her own night with Kai filtered through her head while they spoke, breathing in her ear, whispering how he needed her, how much he thought about her, her own sounds as he finally entered her. Telling her that he couldn’t stop, the erotic noise he made when he came…
It was a devastatingly long drive home with all of that in her head, and by the time Denver rolled into view, Jessie’s stomach was knotted so tight, she wasn’t sure if it would ever relax. Jessie told Harmony how to get to Kai’s place. When she pulled up to the apartment building, Harmony stared at it with an odd expression on her face. Too anxious about Kai to care why Harmony looked perplexed, Jessie opened her door.
“Isn’t this where Ricardo lives?” Harmony’s voice froze Jessie in place, with one foot on the sidewalk and one still inside. Oh God, she’d forgotten all about the fact that her roommates had been here before.
April scrunched her nose at Harmony while Jessie’s heart started thudding in her chest. “Ricardo?” April asked, confused. Then her eyes widened and she looked over at Jessie. “Oh, the Latin lover one night stand. We picked you up here that night?”
Jessie shook her head and shrugged. Drunken memory loss seemed like her best option. “I really have no idea. I doubt it was the same place.” Stumbling out of the vehicle, she prayed her friends didn’t start putting the pieces together now; she had enough turmoil going on inside.
Harmony leaned over the seat. “No, it was definitely this place. I remember the design on the door.” She let out an undignified snort. “Oh my God, how funny that Kai lives in the same building.” She grinned impishly at Jessie. “Do you think he knows Ricardo? Maybe they’ve run into each other in the hallway.”
April laughed at that and started humming, “It’s a Small World After All.” Eager to end the conversation, Jessie quickly said, “Can you guys take my stuff home?” Still humming, April nodded. Jessie paused a moment to appreciate the friends who had done so much to help her, and not just this morning either. She really was blessed. Giving them each a warm smile, she shook her head. “Thank you, guys so much for doing this. You both really mean a lot to me, I hope you know that.”
April tilted her head, then leaned out the door and pushed Jessie farther away. “Don’t get all mushy on me, I feel guilty enough.” She gave Jessie a quick wink, closed the door, then rolled down the window and blew her a kiss. “We love you too.”
Harmony agreed with her sentiment, then added, “Let us know if Kai is okay. He’s family, so, we love him too.”
Jessie nodded and waved as Harmony pulled away. She had no idea what she’d tell them about Kai. She didn’t want to have to manufacture an emergency, but she couldn’t tell them the real problem. Jessie was stuck in her lie and she really, really hated that feeling.