She pulled the pillow over her head and groaned. She wasn’t really tired, but cooking breakfast with him was just too domesticated for her liking. She should leave. Everything inside her was telling her to go, but Mister Evans had some kind of hold on her, one that was getting stronger the more time she spent with him. As much as she tried to pull away, he kept reeling herin with his awkward charm. This whole situation was a mess, a mess she couldn’t seem to get out of.
*****
So waking up beside Jordan this morning was kind of amazing. That was something he hadn’t experienced in the year he’d lived with Trisha. She was always dressed and ready before he woke up and now he was beginning to realize that there was something slightly demented about that. It was a nice feeling. To wake up with a warm body beside him. And when that body was Jordan’s…well, then the word nice was an understatement.
Tyler switched off the stoves and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. It was a simple breakfast. Bacon, eggs and French toast. He laid the food out on the island counter and walked to the foot of the stairs. “Jordan,” he called out, “food’s ready.”
After hearing a tired groan, he saw her drag herself out of bed and go into the bathroom. “There’s an extra toothbrush in the cabinet,” he shouted.
He was about to go back to the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door and as he opened it, his heart stopped. Just stopped.
“Trisha.” It came out as a choked whisper, probably because of the nervous lump that was now lodged in his throat. “What are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Uh…I live here.”
An irritated smirk curved on her lips. “Matt saidhewas gonna be here. He asked me to come pick up the rest of my stuff.”
Operation Cupid!
How did he forget about that? Matt was an evil genius. That’s why he told him to make breakfast, so Jordan would stay long enough for this disaster to unfold.
“Matt is only coming by later.” It was the best lie he could think of on the spot. “Probably just a miscommunication about the time.”
Strange things happened when two people ended a relationship so abruptly. Seeing her again after so long made him feel so many emotions. Discomfort and awkwardness filled the air around them, their three-year history exchanged through simple eye contact. His body was tensing, becoming stiffer every second he spent looking at her. She was as beautiful as ever. Clothes pressed and pristine. Make-up expertly applied. Not one hair out of place. A flawless image of perfection. A total contrast to the woman he could hear coming down the stairs.
Tyler turned to look back and, as usual, was completely enamored by the unkempt sight of her. His lime green, V-neck T-shirt hung loose on her, but was much tighter on her chest. That’s because she had the type of breasts that demanded attention no matter what she wore and the deep V at the collar only accentuated the fact that those breasts were gravity-defying. She was so tall. His T-shirt only covered her to mid-thigh.
She held her arm out, as if there was an imaginary railing she was using for balance as she came down the stairs. “Need help?” he asked, suppressing a chuckle.
“I got this,” she replied, sounding somewhat terrified.
Trisha cleared her throat to get his attention. Her smile was forced and her green eyes showed unadulterated disdain. “My stuff?” she said, each word coated with bitterness.
Jordan reached the front door and smiled, completely unperturbed by the fact that she was only partially dressed and his ex was standing in the doorway. “Hi,” she greeted.
“Hi,” Trisha responded, spreading her fake smile even further. “I know you, right? What’s your name again?”
Tyler gritted his teeth. Trisha knew her name. She just wanted her to feel like it wasn’t important enough to remember and that kinda pissed him off.
“It’s Jordan.”
“You’re Tyler’s secretary?”
Of all the demeaning things to say.
There was nothing demeaning about being a secretary, but it was the way she said it with that condescending tone, another tactful jab to Jordan’s ego.
Now he understood what Matthew meant when he’d said that she treated everyone outside her social circle like dirt. She wasn’t always like that. Most of the time she was thoughtful and caring, but if provoked, she never held her tongue. And she had a very sharp tongue.
“I’m a lot of things to Tyler,” Jordan replied, still unfazed. “I just got promoted to standby guy this morning.”
He grinned at that, but Trisha’s face hardened and that’s when he knew trouble was coming. This would end up in a catfight if he didn’t stop it now. Jordan could fend for herself, whether it was against Alex Partridge or Trisha Parker, but he’d seen Trisha in action before. She was usually poised and well-mannered, the epitome of a lady, but Jordan had a way of riling people up with her words and all hell was about to be unleashed. He wasn’t going to allow that, not with Jordan.
He briskly walked up the stairs to get the cardboard box filled with the last few reminders he had left of her before heading back to the door.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what you are,” Trisha said with a wicked smirk. “The standby. I hope you—”
