bowl, I ask, “So what will you do with Jenner? How will you boot the bitch?”
“She wants to try to work things out. I owe her that much.”
Bile spurts in the back of my throat. “You owe her? Who says?”
He gives me a sidelong glance. “I do. I have a strong sense of fairness, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed. I see it more as you let her walk all over you.”
The look Jonas fires at me is one I’ve seldom seen. “I just want to do the right thing,” he snarls.
For a second I am taken aback. “Easy, there, I meant you no harm. I just care for you.”
He softens. “I know that. I just want to give her a chance to explain. It’s bad enough that she stepped out on me. She thinks I’ll understand if I give her the chance.”
I roll my eyes and say nothing. When I get the hum in my heart, indicating that a friend is calling, I stroke my lips and step out of the kitchen. “Hello?”
“Hey, girl, how’s that sexy hunk of man meat?”
“Hey, Magicka,” I whisper. When he gave me his number, it just made sense to program it into the friend list. I had an instant warm connection with him. I slip out the front door. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I never went to bed. I’ll probably crash as soon as the drugs wear off.”
“What drugs?”
“The drugs of extreme excitement, that’s what. Oh, my, that was quite an exciting evening. First, your friend and his wife…is she soon to be his ex?”
“She’s not his wife, and no, they’re going to try to work things out.”
“Oh, my. I don’t think that’s what he wants. He was looking at you last night, girl, as sure as the moon was bright.”
I get all hot and weird inside. “We’ve been friends for years. Just good friends.”
“Huh uh. No sir. You cannot sit there and tell me the boy only wants to be your friend. That boy had desire all over his face.”
The heat inside intensifies. I aim to redirect. “Thanks for all your help. With getting him out of the restaurant, I mean.”
“That skank-ass blond was going to drill him a few new ones if I didn’t. Could you believe her? She was the one caught red-handed and she’s blaming him?”
“I know, right? And now he wants to work things out.”
“Sounds like the boy has a case of the ‘Do-the-Right-Thing Guilties.’”
“What do you mean by the ‘guilties’?”
“Oh, some men are so possessed to do the right thing they fail to notice what the right thing really is. They’re so afraid people will cast them in a poor light that they hang on to misery long after misery has left the building. It’s like they perpetuate a shell of their life instead of reaching for something better.”
I frown, trying to wrap my mind around what he’s saying. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“He’s clinging, girl. Afraid to step off that edge. He wants to change but is probably so wrapped up in the life he’s built with her that stepping off the edge doesn’t seem appealing. He’d rather stay safe.”
“Rather stay safe than get happy and try something new?” Himeros flashes in my head. Maybe I should take his next call.
“We all have our own rhythms, darling girl. We all move with our own sense of timing.”
“I suppose,” I say, twirling a lock of hair. “So what did you do after you got Jonas in the car?”
“Oh, my, goodness. I met up with my own sexy hunk of man meat. Mm hmm. We tripped it, stripped it, and flipped it. Hold on a second, honey.”
Murmured, hushed tones greet my ears until Magicka starts talking again.
“He’s awake, dear heart. I’m going to scoot. You and your boy take care, now, you hear? I’m signing off.”
I meander back into the house and find Jonas sitting in the kitchen, talking heatedly to someone. Sounds like a Joner conversation to me. I sure hope he finds a way to step off that edge. For the teensiest, tiniest moment, I think, And I’ll be there to catch him. My eyes widen and I actually flick my
“She wants to try to work things out. I owe her that much.”
Bile spurts in the back of my throat. “You owe her? Who says?”
He gives me a sidelong glance. “I do. I have a strong sense of fairness, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed. I see it more as you let her walk all over you.”
The look Jonas fires at me is one I’ve seldom seen. “I just want to do the right thing,” he snarls.
For a second I am taken aback. “Easy, there, I meant you no harm. I just care for you.”
He softens. “I know that. I just want to give her a chance to explain. It’s bad enough that she stepped out on me. She thinks I’ll understand if I give her the chance.”
I roll my eyes and say nothing. When I get the hum in my heart, indicating that a friend is calling, I stroke my lips and step out of the kitchen. “Hello?”
“Hey, girl, how’s that sexy hunk of man meat?”
“Hey, Magicka,” I whisper. When he gave me his number, it just made sense to program it into the friend list. I had an instant warm connection with him. I slip out the front door. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I never went to bed. I’ll probably crash as soon as the drugs wear off.”
“What drugs?”
“The drugs of extreme excitement, that’s what. Oh, my, that was quite an exciting evening. First, your friend and his wife…is she soon to be his ex?”
“She’s not his wife, and no, they’re going to try to work things out.”
“Oh, my. I don’t think that’s what he wants. He was looking at you last night, girl, as sure as the moon was bright.”
I get all hot and weird inside. “We’ve been friends for years. Just good friends.”
“Huh uh. No sir. You cannot sit there and tell me the boy only wants to be your friend. That boy had desire all over his face.”
The heat inside intensifies. I aim to redirect. “Thanks for all your help. With getting him out of the restaurant, I mean.”
“That skank-ass blond was going to drill him a few new ones if I didn’t. Could you believe her? She was the one caught red-handed and she’s blaming him?”
“I know, right? And now he wants to work things out.”
“Sounds like the boy has a case of the ‘Do-the-Right-Thing Guilties.’”
“What do you mean by the ‘guilties’?”
“Oh, some men are so possessed to do the right thing they fail to notice what the right thing really is. They’re so afraid people will cast them in a poor light that they hang on to misery long after misery has left the building. It’s like they perpetuate a shell of their life instead of reaching for something better.”
I frown, trying to wrap my mind around what he’s saying. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“He’s clinging, girl. Afraid to step off that edge. He wants to change but is probably so wrapped up in the life he’s built with her that stepping off the edge doesn’t seem appealing. He’d rather stay safe.”
“Rather stay safe than get happy and try something new?” Himeros flashes in my head. Maybe I should take his next call.
“We all have our own rhythms, darling girl. We all move with our own sense of timing.”
“I suppose,” I say, twirling a lock of hair. “So what did you do after you got Jonas in the car?”
“Oh, my, goodness. I met up with my own sexy hunk of man meat. Mm hmm. We tripped it, stripped it, and flipped it. Hold on a second, honey.”
Murmured, hushed tones greet my ears until Magicka starts talking again.
“He’s awake, dear heart. I’m going to scoot. You and your boy take care, now, you hear? I’m signing off.”
I meander back into the house and find Jonas sitting in the kitchen, talking heatedly to someone. Sounds like a Joner conversation to me. I sure hope he finds a way to step off that edge. For the teensiest, tiniest moment, I think, And I’ll be there to catch him. My eyes widen and I actually flick my
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