Page 23 of Jake Forever
Of course I was mad. What normal girl wouldn't be? But I didn't feel like explaining it, not to him anyway, so all I said was, "I just need to see Jake, that's all."
"Why?" He glanced down at my work uniform, which, come to think of it, he hadn't seen before. "Are you going to a costume party or something?"
Yeah. As Sally the Slutty Cowgirl.
But out loud, I said, "No. It's my work uniform." At his blank look, I added, "You know, from the steakhouse."
Trey gave a slow, approving nod. "I like it." He grinned. "So, uh, does everyone dress like that?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately." I hesitated. "Well, not the guys. Or the cooks." I waved away the distraction. "But back to Jake, do you know where he is?"
"Shopping, I think."
"Shopping? For what?"
I couldn’t help but recall something. On my first official date with Jake, he'd takenmeshopping.
At the memory, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He'd been wildly extravagant and such a great sport. Also, he'd been far too generous, no matter how hard I'd protested.
At the time, I'd already been more than a little in love with him. But even if that weren't the case, what girl would be able to resist a guy like that? He had it all – looks, money, fame – and he was generous to a fault.
But for me, his appeal had nothing to do with the fame or money. Even when he'd been poor, I'd been totally crazy about him.
I let that word roll around in my head. Crazy.
I was feeling a little crazy right now, but not in a good way. I pulled out my cell phone and hit the speed-dial. For the tenth time in the last half-hour, the call went straight to Jake's voicemail.
Well, this was just great. I didn't bother leaving a message, because I didn't know what to say, or how to say it without sounding like a paranoid harpy.
Trey's voice cut into my thoughts. "Did you hear what I just said?"
I looked up. "Uh, sorry. What?"
"I said, I think he's shopping for a car."
I gave a little shake of my head. "A car? Really?" Jake had a bunch of cars already. I knew, because they took up a huge section of the basement parking garage. Why he needed another was anyone's guess.
Still, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. A car – that sounded harmless enough.
What was wrong with me, anyway?
I'd never been the jealous type, but with Jake, it was sometimes hard not to be. I blew out a long, unsteady breath. It was especially hard when he carried off strange women and came home wearing different pants.
I thanked Trey for the info and turned away, heading back toward the elevator. Under my breath, I muttered, "I'm sure I'll find him eventually."
But as it turned out, eventually was a lot sooner than I anticipated, because when the elevator doors slid open, there he was, Jake, looking like he'd just gotten lucky ten times over.
