Page 4 of My Girl
All he could think of was returning to Cape Town and seeing Sheridan again.
Sheridan
Sheridan sighed deeply as she spotted the bright red sports car in her driveway. She wasn’t in the mood for company and had been hoping to have a quiet evening to herself. Jacob hadn’t even let her know he was coming over tonight.
They’d been dating for roughly eighteen months, but what little spark had been there in the beginning had fizzled out for her. Quietly, without her even noticing, it has simply died. She’d known right from the start that he wasn’t her person. If she was being honest with herself, there was only one for her.
In fact, Sheridan had known from a young age that Gabriel was the one for her, her person. And her dad had been the only one who’d believed her when she’d boldly declared he was the man she was going to marry some day in the future. Her mother had laughed and told her it was nothing more than a childhood crush.
But her dad, he’d known she spoke from her heart. He’d always understood her. Sheridan’s mom had always said she and her dad had an unbreakable bond from the minute she’d been born.
Pulling up next to Jacob’s car, she waved at him while she waited for the garage door to open. Once parked, she hopped out of her car and waited for him to join her before lowering the automatic door again.
“Hi, sugarplum.” There was a whisper of a lisp in Jacob’s speech. “Everything okay on the roads?”
“Hi yourself. No, all good. Why?”
“You’re late, so I was a little worried.”
Sheridan felt her back stiffen. “I had a stop to make on my way home.”
“Oh, I see. Anyone I know?”
Tilting her head, she studied Jacob’s face. On the surface, it was calm, a pleasant smile stretching his lips. But there was a hint of jealousy in his unusual green eyes she’d never noticed before. And didn’t like one bit.
“What makes you think I stopped to see anyone?”
Jacob shrugged. “Just an assumption, I guess.”
She could feel her eyebrow quirk, irritation well on the rise now. “You know what they say about assumptions, right?” A nervous laugh was her only answer. “Well, come on in, and I’ll organise something for us to drink.”
They stepped into the kitchen through the connecting door, and Jacob made his way to the living room while Sheridan grabbed a couple of glasses out of the cabinet. When she placed them gently on the counter, it was his turn to quirk and eyebrow. She simply stared at him, waiting for him to say something. At first it appeared he might, but at the last minute seemed to change his mind.
Rooting around in the refrigerator, she found a bottle of white she’d put in there to chill for a visit with a girlfriend that had been cancelled. Triumphantly, she hauled it out and had the cork out in next to no time. Pouring them each a glass, she picked them up and joined Jacob in the living room.
“So, how was your day?”
“Crappy, but I don’t really want to talk about it if you don’t mind.” For a long moment he sat studying her intently. He seemed to have something he wanted to say but was hesitant to voice it. Finally, she said, “Whatever it is, just say it.”
Jacob cleared his throat, picked at an imaginary piece of lint on his pants, then blurted, “This is just a feeling, but it seems like something’s changed between us recently. I can’t put my finger on it. Something seems off.”
Her gaze connecting with his, Sheridan felt a wave of guilt wash over her. He was one hundred percent correct. Things had changed – her feelings had changed. From lukewarm attraction to affection, the kind one has for a friend. She’d become used to his steady presence in her life, hadn’t wanted to cut the ties and embrace single life again. Had become far too comfortable in the familiar.
In that moment though, Sheridan realised she’s let things drag on for too long. She should have called things off instead of letting the relationship bob along, creating a false sense of hope in Jacob.
Getting to her feet, she took her empty glass and placed it on the kitchen island, bracing for what needed to be said. Before she could utter a word, Jacob got to his feet. He approached her, but stopped short of where she stood, a sad expression crossing his boy-next-door features.
“Is there someone else?”
“No, of course not. I would never do that to you, Jacob.” The words came out harsher than she intended.
He nodded. “Then I’m guessing it’s that you don’t love me. Not romantically anyway.”
“I’m sorry, Jacob. I do love you, but as you say, not romantically. The worst is that I didn’t realise it until today.” Tears welled and a single drop tracked down her cheek. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.”
“I guess I’ve always known, on some level, I just didn’t want to accept it. If I pretended all was well, it would be so.”
A few more tears followed the previous one, Sheridan dashing them away as they fell. “I really am sorry, Jacob.”
