have a word
with Kiley. Not that she’d answer my call. No matter. I’d
borrow Ollie’s phone. I’d tell Rob what I thought about him, too, once
I’d calmed down. I wouldn’t have to disguise my number with him,
though. Rob would pick up. He had no shame.
I snapped up my phone and dialed Shannon
to tell him I wasn’t going to make it to his barbeque. Truthfully, I did
probably have time to make a brief appearance, but I didn’t feel like a party,
nor did I want to risk being late to the airport. Kiera didn’t need
another man to let her down.
“You’ve got to pick up Kiera?
Why? Is she okay?”
Shannon and Kiera used to be good
friends, too, before she moved to New York with Rob’s band a few years
ago. After that she kind of lost touch with everyone but me.
“She will be,” I said.
“Okay. Well, bring her on out
later, if she feels like it.”
“I don’t think she will, and besides, she
has Skylar with her.”
“Okay. Tell her I’m thinking about
her.”
“Thanks.”
I clicked the end button and shoved the
phone in my back pocket. I grabbed my keys off the side table by the
door, dreading what I had to do next. I pulled the ponytail holder off my
wrist and tied my hair up.
I knocked on Marissa’s door. It
took her a minute to answer. When she finally did open the door, she was
wearing a short pink robe and her hair was piled on her head in a messy
bun. She looked amazing. If I wasn’t furious with my brother-in-law
already, now I was livid.
“Hey, you’re early.” The smile on
her face said she wasn’t sorry about it either. Stupid, stupid Rob.
I leaned against her door facing and
sucked in my bottom lip, looking at her welcome mat, trying to think of what to
say.
“Something wrong?” she asked, her
forehead creasing.
“Yeah, I, uh, I’ve got to cancel.
I’m really sorry. Something came up. Some family stuff. And
I’m…I’m really sorry.”
I finally looked up. She was
frowning, and there was concern in her eyes.
“That’s okay,” she said, a halfhearted
smile pulling up one corner of her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, and turned to
walk away. As I turned, she reached out and lightly placed her hand on my
shoulder. I sucked in a breath, her touch sending tremors through my
chest.
I glanced back at her.
“I hope everything turns out alright,”
she said, the worry etched on her face almost driving me over the edge.
How could she be that concerned about me? She barely knew me.
I tried to smile, but couldn’t make my
lips obey. “Me too,” I whispered, and then walked down the stairs without
looking back, her fresh, sweet scent following me the whole way.
Stupid, stupid Rob.
Chapter 9
Marissa
I was surprised at how disappointed I
felt. I wasn’t mad at him. The look on his face told me that it was
something unexpected, something that couldn’t be helped. Still, I had
really been looking forward to it.
I sighed and took the clip out of my
hair, shaking it out. No use in straightening it now. I collapsed
on the couch and clicked the TV on. Within seconds Tulip’s head was on my
lap, Oatmeal was wrapped around my shoulders and George was nestled on top of
my feet. I couldn’t help but smile. At least they were happy I was
staying in.
I flipped through channels until I found
a movie to watch and then I went to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of
sweet tea. I poured myself a glass, reached in the cookie jar and grabbed
three of the oatmeal raisin cookies I’d made the night before, and went back to
the couch.
I watched the rest of the movie, before I
decided I could stand to be a little more productive. I’d cleaned the
whole apartment top to bottom yesterday, and given myself a pedicure and a
manicure. I’d already made cookies last night, and the TV was no longer
taking my mind off the fact that I wasn’t at Kieran’s barbeque, the
with Kiley. Not that she’d answer my call. No matter. I’d
borrow Ollie’s phone. I’d tell Rob what I thought about him, too, once
I’d calmed down. I wouldn’t have to disguise my number with him,
though. Rob would pick up. He had no shame.
I snapped up my phone and dialed Shannon
to tell him I wasn’t going to make it to his barbeque. Truthfully, I did
probably have time to make a brief appearance, but I didn’t feel like a party,
nor did I want to risk being late to the airport. Kiera didn’t need
another man to let her down.
“You’ve got to pick up Kiera?
Why? Is she okay?”
Shannon and Kiera used to be good
friends, too, before she moved to New York with Rob’s band a few years
ago. After that she kind of lost touch with everyone but me.
“She will be,” I said.
“Okay. Well, bring her on out
later, if she feels like it.”
“I don’t think she will, and besides, she
has Skylar with her.”
“Okay. Tell her I’m thinking about
her.”
“Thanks.”
I clicked the end button and shoved the
phone in my back pocket. I grabbed my keys off the side table by the
door, dreading what I had to do next. I pulled the ponytail holder off my
wrist and tied my hair up.
I knocked on Marissa’s door. It
took her a minute to answer. When she finally did open the door, she was
wearing a short pink robe and her hair was piled on her head in a messy
bun. She looked amazing. If I wasn’t furious with my brother-in-law
already, now I was livid.
“Hey, you’re early.” The smile on
her face said she wasn’t sorry about it either. Stupid, stupid Rob.
I leaned against her door facing and
sucked in my bottom lip, looking at her welcome mat, trying to think of what to
say.
“Something wrong?” she asked, her
forehead creasing.
“Yeah, I, uh, I’ve got to cancel.
I’m really sorry. Something came up. Some family stuff. And
I’m…I’m really sorry.”
I finally looked up. She was
frowning, and there was concern in her eyes.
“That’s okay,” she said, a halfhearted
smile pulling up one corner of her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, and turned to
walk away. As I turned, she reached out and lightly placed her hand on my
shoulder. I sucked in a breath, her touch sending tremors through my
chest.
I glanced back at her.
“I hope everything turns out alright,”
she said, the worry etched on her face almost driving me over the edge.
How could she be that concerned about me? She barely knew me.
I tried to smile, but couldn’t make my
lips obey. “Me too,” I whispered, and then walked down the stairs without
looking back, her fresh, sweet scent following me the whole way.
Stupid, stupid Rob.
Chapter 9
Marissa
I was surprised at how disappointed I
felt. I wasn’t mad at him. The look on his face told me that it was
something unexpected, something that couldn’t be helped. Still, I had
really been looking forward to it.
I sighed and took the clip out of my
hair, shaking it out. No use in straightening it now. I collapsed
on the couch and clicked the TV on. Within seconds Tulip’s head was on my
lap, Oatmeal was wrapped around my shoulders and George was nestled on top of
my feet. I couldn’t help but smile. At least they were happy I was
staying in.
I flipped through channels until I found
a movie to watch and then I went to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of
sweet tea. I poured myself a glass, reached in the cookie jar and grabbed
three of the oatmeal raisin cookies I’d made the night before, and went back to
the couch.
I watched the rest of the movie, before I
decided I could stand to be a little more productive. I’d cleaned the
whole apartment top to bottom yesterday, and given myself a pedicure and a
manicure. I’d already made cookies last night, and the TV was no longer
taking my mind off the fact that I wasn’t at Kieran’s barbeque, the
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