Jenny took her phone back and glanced at the picture before she clicked it off. “He doesn’t feel the same way. He never has.” She fidgeted with her glass of wine. “I got myself tangled up in a mess this summer. Nico found out about this job, helped me land it, and then he sublet me his house—he was moving to Chicago to take a job as a chef at a new restaurant. Right after he left, I went to the hospital to sign my contract, and while I was there, there was a . . . misunderstanding about the nature of my relationship with Nico.”
I cocked my head. “A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?”
She bit her lip. “The kind where everyone thinks that Nico and I are dating seriously. Like, the almost engaged kind of dating.”
My mouth dropped open. “Just how did that happen?”
Jenny waved her hand. “It was a long story. Basically, Ken Skaggs, the hospital board member who wrote me a glowing recommendation—at Nico’s request—turned out to be a notorious womanizer. The HR rep, who happens to be Mira Hoskins’ sister, was leaning toward not hiring me because she assumed that I was a floozy.”
“A floozy? Did she actually use that word?” I hadn’t met anyone from human resources yet, but somehow, I could imagine Mrs. Hoskins’ sister being a clone of the head nurse.
“Welllll . . . I don’t remember. But that was the idea, anyway. She said that they don’t want the environment of the wing to be like one of those medical dramas where the doctors and nurses are always sneaking into the break room together.” Jenny snickered. “She made a point of saying that they preferred to hire people who were married or in a committed relationship, and the next thing I knew, I was telling her that I was, in fact, dating someone seriously. And when she asked for details, I told her his name was Nico.”
“Oh, my God!” I squealed, holding my stomach and rocking. “You did not. So then what happened?”
“Nothing much, except between her and her sister, they toldeveryonein the hospital about my boyfriend, who was shortly going to propose to me.”
“I bet you wanted to die.” I could only imagine.
“Yeah, but I calmed down when I reasoned with myself that Nico was in Chicago, and he’d never have to know what I’d done. Which was awesome . . . until Nico came back to Harper Springs.”
“What happened to his job?”
“There was a mix-up with the friend who was supposed to make it happen. So he was back in town to find something else—and he just happened to walk in during my book club meeting, so there wasn’t any way to hide my, um, deception.”
“Was he pissed off?” I couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t be.
“He was . . . surprised and maybe a little unhappy, but he agreed to play along, mostly because it had been partly his fault. We figured we’d just tell people that we broke up once he found a job. But meanwhile, I had to go to the ball, and everyone expected Nico to be my date. He was so sweet, and it was such a romantic night . . .” Jenny dropped her head into her hands. “The longer we pretended, the more I began to think that maybe we had a chance. Like, maybe I was finally going to get my shot with Nico. We were hanging out here, doing things together even when other people weren’t around. He took me on this amazing picnic, and then . . .” She drew in a long breath. “About two weeks ago, we slept together. I was so happy—it felt perfect. Until he left.”
“Oh, sweetie.” I grabbed her hand. “That’s terrible. Why did he leave?”
“I don’t know, not really. He just left me a note apologizing for crossing boundaries and said he hoped that I could forgive him someday.”
“Did you try to call him? Where did he go?” I hated unresolved stories.
“I’m not sure where—and he doesn’t answer my calls. He had mentioned something about a possible gig at a restaurant in Charleston, so that’s where I’ve been telling everyone he is. I’ve been miserable, but I have to put on a happy face at the hospital, because I don’t want anyone to know what’s happening.” She shrugged. “I guess pretty soon I’ll just tell everyone that we broke up. That’s the way we planned it, anyway.”
“Maybe he’ll come back,” I suggested. “Don’t do anything yet. Give it another week or so.”
“I’m honestly afraid to keep hoping. I told myself that if I haven’t seen him or heard from him by the end of next week, I’m going to tell everyone at the hospital that things didn’t work out. If I don’t set a deadline, I might just keep the lie alive. I don’t want to be five years down the road, still making up excuses for why my so-called boyfriend hasn’t been to visit lately. I don’t want to be that pathetic.”
I nudged her under the table with my foot. “I promise I won’t let that happen. I’ll be your touchstone—you know, if you need someone to be honest, to say the hard things to you, I will say them.”
“Even if they’re not what I want to hear?” Her smile was watery.
“Especially if they’re not what you want to hear.” I tapped on the table. “I know we only met today, Jen, but witnessing my break-down and not letting me wallow, and then helping me with the enormous task of furnishing and cleaning my new home—that’s a bonding experience. You don’t walk away from that.”
Jenny nodded. “The best friendships begin over a composting toilet.” She lifted her wine glass. “To Bobby Lucas and Ken Skaggs and St. Agnes and trailers and fake boyfriends.”
I clinked my glass to hers. “I’ll drink to all of that.”
1 If you want to read all the fun and sexy details of Jenny and Nico’s story, you can get it FREE right here.. PRETEND YOU’RE MINE was originally released as a 12-part prequel serial. If you missed it before buying this book, you can still get it here.
4
Emma
I arrived at St. Agnes the next morning, feeling fresher and more myself. If I wasn’t a whole new woman, at least I was one who had gotten a solid night’s sleep, thanks to hours of hard labor and several glasses of wine.
