He crumbled to the floor after that.
“Yo, earth to Jo. Come in, Jo.”
I shook my head, shoving the memory away. Jake snapped his fingers in front of my face and waved his hand up and down.
“Hello in there.” He gently tapped the side of my head with his knuckles. “Knock, knock.”
I shoved his hand away but grinned slightly. “Who’s there?”
“Uh…” He narrowed his eyes at me in another flirty manner. “Some perv who wants to get in your pants.”
I groaned, getting up to grab a water bottle. “You have a healthy sense of realism, player, and confidence. You know that?”
“Like you said,” A second wink at me, “I’m a realist. I might not be in the front, but I’m right behind whoever the guy is. I’m going to be hot on his heels for as long as you’ll let me.”
“I was just thinking that we were actual friends when we were coming down the hallway.”
“Coming, huh?” A sly smile spread over his face. “I can make you do a different form of coming, if you get my drift?”
“I do, and it’s not going to happen.”
The light banter between us vanished.
Jake leaned forward, his eyebrows bunching together, and an intense expression flitted across his features. “Jokes aside, I think we should make a pact, hold each other accountable about our exes.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it yourself. We’re both trying to forget someone else. Let’s help each other out.”
I cocked my head to the side. It sounded okay, but I bit down on my lip. Something about it didn’t seem right to me. “I don’t know.”
He winced. “Tara’s like my Achilles’ heel. She’s a smoking habit that won’t go away. I need help to kick my addiction, and it sounds like you need the same thing.”
“Jake…”
“Think about it. Just think about it. No lies. No hiding or avoiding. A hundred percent honesty between us. If we feel like talking to the ex, we call each other instead. We help each other to get the other person out of our heads. There’s a big part of me that doesn’t even want to see her or talk to her. I start remembering the years, the sex…you know how it is.”
I didn’t. Bringing my water bottle up, I pressed it against my head. Maybe the condensation would clear my thoughts because he was starting to make sense to me.
“I don’t know, Jake.”
“Okay.” He shoved back his chair and held his hand up. His little finger was extended to me. “Pinkie swear. If we start dealing with our people, we tell the other. That’s the only way this is going to work. You need help, too. You wouldn’t have come to see me today if you didn’t.”
My gaze jumped to his, and I saw the knowing look there.
He lowered his hand. “It didn’t take a genius to know you were running from some dude today. You never drop by. You never even did that when we were actually dating before. And you don’t skip out on Erica. You’re a good friend. You’re loyal. You never lie either, Jo.”
Oh, boy. He was so wrong.
His hand extended to me again, his little pinkie just waiting to be shook. “Come on. What do you say?”
I had no idea what this was going to entail. “This is the worst idea in the world.” I reached up and wrapped my pinkie around his, and we shook.
His smile grew. “Let’s kick these bitches together.”
I scowled.
Jake and I were hanging out until my phone started going off. I had it on the side table beside me since we were in the living room and grabbed for it, not wanting to think about him. I hesitated before picking it up. Was I ready to get a text from him? My stomach double-knotted and then lurched to the bottom of my throat.
Here goes.
I picked it up and looked at the screen.
Wanker’s name was lighting it up.
I frowned and then answered, “Wanker? What’s up?”
A burst of loud music came from his end as he shouted into the phone, “I need backup!”
Ice plunged through my veins. I jerked upright on the couch and pressed the phone tight against my ear. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Erica.” The loud music faded abruptly, and his voice grew clearer. “She called me hours ago. She was already at Sids, and she’s going crazy. I’ve never seen her this upset.”
“Oh, no.”
His voice gentled. “She’s not even making sense anymore. Something happened at the interview today.”
“This is all my fault.”
“What? She didn’t say anything about you.”
My head went back up. “Say what?”
“She’s upset about Susan.”
“She didn’t say anything about me?” I needed to make sure. “Like, not a peep about me?”
“She said something about a panic attack, and she felt bad, but that was it. She’s been ranting and raving about Susan. I’ve never seen this side of her. Jo, I’m concerned. She goes from laughing hysterically to almost crying to planning Susan’s murder. I don’t know exactly what Susan did to her, but this isn’t the normal Erica or even the normal pissed-off Erica. Can you come and help?”
I gestured at Jake and then to the door. “Yeah, I’m coming. You’re at Sids?”
“We’re in the back left corner by the big booths. I got her back there since she was yelling. I figured she could go nuts there. It’s more private, you know.” He let out a sigh. “I have to head back. I went into a closet, so I could call you.”
“Okay.” I grabbed my bag and keys.
Jake had already gone out the door and was waiting for me.
“We’re on our way.”
Right before I hung up, Wanker said, “We?”
Hanging up, I shut the door and locked it. I said to Jake, “Susan did something to screw Erica over. We have to go and calm her down.”
“I’ll drop you off. If she sees me, she might get all vengeful. We both know she’s not a big fan of mine.”
I didn’t think Erica cared about Jake much anymore, but I didn’t say anything.
When we got there, the line was around the corner again. I wasn’t a regular. They’d let me in that one time because of Erica. I didn’t think I’d have the same luck.
“Yo, earth to Jo. Come in, Jo.”
I shook my head, shoving the memory away. Jake snapped his fingers in front of my face and waved his hand up and down.
“Hello in there.” He gently tapped the side of my head with his knuckles. “Knock, knock.”
I shoved his hand away but grinned slightly. “Who’s there?”
“Uh…” He narrowed his eyes at me in another flirty manner. “Some perv who wants to get in your pants.”
I groaned, getting up to grab a water bottle. “You have a healthy sense of realism, player, and confidence. You know that?”
“Like you said,” A second wink at me, “I’m a realist. I might not be in the front, but I’m right behind whoever the guy is. I’m going to be hot on his heels for as long as you’ll let me.”
“I was just thinking that we were actual friends when we were coming down the hallway.”
“Coming, huh?” A sly smile spread over his face. “I can make you do a different form of coming, if you get my drift?”
“I do, and it’s not going to happen.”
The light banter between us vanished.
Jake leaned forward, his eyebrows bunching together, and an intense expression flitted across his features. “Jokes aside, I think we should make a pact, hold each other accountable about our exes.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it yourself. We’re both trying to forget someone else. Let’s help each other out.”
I cocked my head to the side. It sounded okay, but I bit down on my lip. Something about it didn’t seem right to me. “I don’t know.”
He winced. “Tara’s like my Achilles’ heel. She’s a smoking habit that won’t go away. I need help to kick my addiction, and it sounds like you need the same thing.”
“Jake…”
“Think about it. Just think about it. No lies. No hiding or avoiding. A hundred percent honesty between us. If we feel like talking to the ex, we call each other instead. We help each other to get the other person out of our heads. There’s a big part of me that doesn’t even want to see her or talk to her. I start remembering the years, the sex…you know how it is.”
I didn’t. Bringing my water bottle up, I pressed it against my head. Maybe the condensation would clear my thoughts because he was starting to make sense to me.
“I don’t know, Jake.”
“Okay.” He shoved back his chair and held his hand up. His little finger was extended to me. “Pinkie swear. If we start dealing with our people, we tell the other. That’s the only way this is going to work. You need help, too. You wouldn’t have come to see me today if you didn’t.”
My gaze jumped to his, and I saw the knowing look there.
He lowered his hand. “It didn’t take a genius to know you were running from some dude today. You never drop by. You never even did that when we were actually dating before. And you don’t skip out on Erica. You’re a good friend. You’re loyal. You never lie either, Jo.”
Oh, boy. He was so wrong.
His hand extended to me again, his little pinkie just waiting to be shook. “Come on. What do you say?”
I had no idea what this was going to entail. “This is the worst idea in the world.” I reached up and wrapped my pinkie around his, and we shook.
His smile grew. “Let’s kick these bitches together.”
I scowled.
Jake and I were hanging out until my phone started going off. I had it on the side table beside me since we were in the living room and grabbed for it, not wanting to think about him. I hesitated before picking it up. Was I ready to get a text from him? My stomach double-knotted and then lurched to the bottom of my throat.
Here goes.
I picked it up and looked at the screen.
Wanker’s name was lighting it up.
I frowned and then answered, “Wanker? What’s up?”
A burst of loud music came from his end as he shouted into the phone, “I need backup!”
Ice plunged through my veins. I jerked upright on the couch and pressed the phone tight against my ear. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Erica.” The loud music faded abruptly, and his voice grew clearer. “She called me hours ago. She was already at Sids, and she’s going crazy. I’ve never seen her this upset.”
“Oh, no.”
His voice gentled. “She’s not even making sense anymore. Something happened at the interview today.”
“This is all my fault.”
“What? She didn’t say anything about you.”
My head went back up. “Say what?”
“She’s upset about Susan.”
“She didn’t say anything about me?” I needed to make sure. “Like, not a peep about me?”
“She said something about a panic attack, and she felt bad, but that was it. She’s been ranting and raving about Susan. I’ve never seen this side of her. Jo, I’m concerned. She goes from laughing hysterically to almost crying to planning Susan’s murder. I don’t know exactly what Susan did to her, but this isn’t the normal Erica or even the normal pissed-off Erica. Can you come and help?”
I gestured at Jake and then to the door. “Yeah, I’m coming. You’re at Sids?”
“We’re in the back left corner by the big booths. I got her back there since she was yelling. I figured she could go nuts there. It’s more private, you know.” He let out a sigh. “I have to head back. I went into a closet, so I could call you.”
“Okay.” I grabbed my bag and keys.
Jake had already gone out the door and was waiting for me.
“We’re on our way.”
Right before I hung up, Wanker said, “We?”
Hanging up, I shut the door and locked it. I said to Jake, “Susan did something to screw Erica over. We have to go and calm her down.”
“I’ll drop you off. If she sees me, she might get all vengeful. We both know she’s not a big fan of mine.”
I didn’t think Erica cared about Jake much anymore, but I didn’t say anything.
When we got there, the line was around the corner again. I wasn’t a regular. They’d let me in that one time because of Erica. I didn’t think I’d have the same luck.
