The teal leggings, matching sports bra, and the athletic jacket were sitting on the welcome mat in front of her front door, the neon orange post it note sitting on top. She knelt, picking up the note with trembling hands as she scanned it quickly, before her eyes dropped to the workout clothes. A small, despairing moan left her mouth as she picked them up; the shredded and tattered pieces falling through her fingers back to the welcome mat they’d been left on.
She wanted to scream, to cry, to fall apart; but she just stood there, frozen. Her heart was a jackhammer in her chest, fear and anxiety making her dizzy.
He had seen her with Travis. She was unsure what part of the evening he had been witness to, but he had seen her with Travis. Wearing this outfit. An outfit that was exceedingly formfitting and showed off her body in ways that most clothes didn’t.
Had Neal been witness to their dinner? To them returning from dinner, before she’d clambered into her car? When Travis had almost kissed her?
When she had nearly begged Travis to kiss her?
Her stomach roiled, heart hammering in her chest. Was he still watching her? Even now?
Travis had kept his hands stuffed into his pockets, as had she. He hadn’t touched her, other than to assist her out of the booth at the restaurant… other than to lean in dangerously close and let his mouth drag across the skin of her cheek…
Anger boiled through her then and she swiped up the tattered remains of her workout clothes and the note, crumpling it in her fist as she strode into the house. Dumping the shredded mess onto the counter, she dropped the gym bag to the floor and unzipped it. Rifling through, she let her fingers curl around the handle of her gun, and it was a welcome weight as she pulled it out. She’d taken to carrying it with her again, and she was glad. Though Neal had not done anything threatening, she still felt better with it close by. He was escalating. Tucking it back in place, she sighed.
A stress headache was forming behind her eyes, and although she had been looking forward to going out tonight, she wasn’t sure she had the energy now. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she messaged Natalie:
Roxy: Hey, I hate to bail, but I’m not going to go out tonight. I have a headache. Raincheck!
The three typing dots showed up and disappeared repeatedly. She grimaced. Ooooh, Natalie was going to skin her alive.
Natalie: Unacceptable. Take some Tylenol, you big baby. Be there in ten. You better be dressed.
Roxy rolled her eyes and headed down the hall to take a quick shower to rinse the sweat off after her workout, then ran, naked and wet, back to the kitchen to shove the tattered pieces of the workout clothes into a random drawer in the kitchen island. She wasn’t ready to explain that to Natalie yet. Streaking naked back to the bedroom, she was just pulling on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt when the pounding on the door started. It was quickly followed by Natalie calling through the house, “Like fucking hell you’re bailing on me, you twat!”
Roxy exited her bedroom, padding down the hallway quickly. Natalie stood in her kitchen, hands on her hips, one cowboy booted foot tapping in annoyance on the polished brick floor.
Natalie pointed toward the hallway. “Get your ass back in that bedroom and get dressed. You promised you’d go out, I did not just do all this—” she hissed, gesturing to her scantily clothed body, made up face, and done up hair, “—to not go out with my bestie. No.”
Roxy rolled her eyes. “Natalie, I have a headache. I don’t want to go out to a loud bar.”
“No. Take some damn Tylenol and put your fucking big girl panties on.You promised. You’re not sitting in here on another beautiful fucking Saturday night to do what?” Natalie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she glanced over toward the living room. “Are you fuckingknitting?!”
“Hey, Jodi and Free are having a baby and I wanted to make a baby blanket—” Roxy protested, gesturing to the start of a slightly crooked baby blanket, but Natalie whirled on her.
“Absolutely not on a Saturday night when I look this hot. Let’s go.” Natalie grabbed Roxy’s hand and yanked her down the hallway. Roxy laughed, stumbling behind her friend as she dragged her into the bedroom, shoving her toward the closet. “If you don’t pick something to wear in the next ten seconds, I will. Move it! Our Uber is waiting!”
Roxy laughed again, but said gently, “Nat, I know I promised, but I really shouldn’t go. I can’t explain why. I just… tonight’s not a good night for me.”
“What, do you have a hot date with Travis instead?”
“God no,” Roxy muttered, but her cheeks heated as she turned toward the closet. She didn’t need to know that Travis had in fact asked her to ask him out, though…
“Get dressed, I’m gonna go raid your liquor cabinet for shots. You can wash down the Tylenol with tequila.”
“Oh, good God,” Roxy laughed on a snort. Blowing out her breath, she sighed heavily and nodded in defeat. “Fine. You win.”
Natalie clapped her hands excitedly and disappeared out the bedroom door, off to find them something suitable for pre-game shooters.
Ten minutes later, Roxy clicked the light off in the bathroom and walked down the hall to find Natalie sitting at the counter on one of the barstools, several shots lined up waiting for them. When her friend turned to look at her, her mouth dropped open in a pout and she stood.
“Bitch, how am I supposed to catch anyone’s attention when you’re dressed like that? It’s notfair.”
Roxy rolled her eyes. Her jean jacket was hanging over her forearm. Roxy eyed her friend up and down pointedly and muttered, “Like you’re one to talk. I’ll bet you don’t pay for a single drink all night.”
Natalie tossed her blonde hair over her bare shoulder and shrugged. A Brooks & Dunn band tee was tucked into the front of her short cutoff jean skirt, and a pair of red knee-high cowboy boots covered her feet and calves. Her lips were painted a shocking red.
“You’re just flawless,” Natalie moaned, gesturing to Roxy again. “Those jeans should be illegal.”
