Page 97 of Kissing for Keeps
“Speaking of which,” I say as I follow him and Tori into the truck, “how’s Steph?”
“What do you mean,speaking of which?” He stacks two boxes on top of each other.
Tori and I share a look. Steph and Troy were best friends in high school, but we always suspected he wanted more. We were right, but Steph didn’t feel the same way. They stayed good friends, but she got married a couple of years ago. Troy acted like it was nothing, but I don’t buy it.
“Just wondering how she’s doing these days,” I say, picking a toiletry organizer to carry inside. “She was in Bali last I saw.”
“Yeah,” he says. “I think that’s right. I haven’t heard from her in a while, so don’t really know.” His words are nonchalant, but there’s a clipped tone to them that tells me he’s not up for discussing it more.
Which makes sense. Steph is happily married, traveling the world with her videographer husband. But we’ll find a winner for Troy.
I set down the toiletry organizer in the bathroom, then pull my phone from the back pocket of my jeans.
“Anything?” Jack watches me from the doorway.
“Nope,” I say, sticking my phone in my pocket again.
He steps into the room and shuts the door behind him. “To spare Troy.”
“Right,” I say.
He looks at me intently. “You doing okay?”
“I am,” I say truthfully. “I’m at peace with things, however the chips fall.” Yesterday was election day, and Jack and I were awake until 2:00 a.m. waiting for results. The race has been too close to call, so now it’s a waiting game. Last time we waited for results, I was a wreck, refreshing my phone every two minutes to watch the numbers. “I did my best, and it’s out of my control now.”
Jack nods. “You were amazing. I’ve got a good feeling about it.”
“Yeah? Well, even if we lose, something will work out. It’d be a definite bump in the road, but hey, sometimes the plan needs a good little shake-up.” Of course I’m nervous. The election results will have a big impact on my future. But I’m feeling much more okay with that this time around.
“The woman speaks truth.” Jack sets his hands on my hips. “Did I shake up your plan?”
“More like tossed a grenade into it.”
“Go big or go home, I always say.”
“And now youarehome,” I respond, wrapping my arms around his neck. “A five-minute drive from me.”
His eyes are intent on me, then he presses his lips to mine, taking my breath and my sanity, just like he does every time.
There’s a knock on the door. “There are five boxes left,” Troy says through the door. “Can you guys wait like ten minutes?”
We both smile, and Jack opens the door to Troy shaking his head, a vacuum-sealed bag of towels in his arms. But he’s got a twinkle in his eye that tells me he doesn’t really hate this so much.
I definitely don’t hate it. Driving half an hour to see each other got old very quickly when Jack and I got home from France. And since SoCal can turn half an hour into two hours faster than you can say I-5, I was ecstatic when Jack surprised me with the acceptance letter he received on a home offer he’d put in. But it wasn’t just that we’d both be spending less time in gridlock traffic. It was that he took such a huge step to be closer to me at all. Jack shows me I’m a big deal to him all the time. Somehow, he’s fireworksandan LED bulb.
We finish the last of the boxes, then hug Tori and Troy goodbye. As they’re pulling away, my phone vibrates, and I fumble to get it out of my pocket.
Jack smiles at my lack of chill.
The screen says Richard’s name, and Jack puts a hand on my arm. He waits until I meet his gaze. “Let the chips fall.”
I nod, take a deep breath, and swipe to answer.
Richard doesn’t even wait for me to say hi. “Patterson just called to concede.”
I let out a huge, shaky breath, laughing with relief.
Jack’s eyes are on me, and I nod at him, eliciting a massive grin as he grabs my hand and squeezes it.
