Sure enough, Anderson replied in seconds, saying he’d be there shortly.
“See,” she said with a satisfied grin, holding out her phone to Jordan. “Safe and reliable.”
He shook his head and resumed his bouncer stance. Looked like she wasn’t getting any more words out of him tonight. Thank God.
She needed to focus on the disaster brewing. She was desperate to check Instagram to see the damage but wasn’t in the mood to stomach more of Jordan’s judgment. She’d wait until she was in the backseat of Anderson’s SUV.
In the meantime, she had no choice but to stand in the cold, stuck next to her least favorite person, wearing his jacket, wrapped in his tantalizing scent.
CHAPTER FOUR
It was bad. She’d experienced worse, but this was still bad. Staying up until four in the morning, doomscrolling through hundreds of images of her and Jordan kissing in the club hadn’t helped.
Eventually, she’d chucked her phone across the room, then tossed and turned all night. At some point, she’d given up caring, and the next thing she knew, morning light cut through her blinds.
When her failed attempt at meditation didn’t help ease the knot in her stomach, she decided to get ready for the day.
Over the past months, she’d taken over her sister and Joel’s Pearl District apartment, above Bowie’s bar. Her visit to Portland started as a quick trip for her sister’s engagement. At first, she’d stayed a few weeks at her Zia Ella’s house in a quiet suburb outside of Portland. But when it became clear she had no job to go back to Vancouver, Canada, or Los Angeles, she moved into the apartment, where she’d been now for almost a year.
It worked out nicely, since Joel and Lucy lived mostly inSan Francisco, only visiting Portland to see family or for work. After their wedding, they’d asked Vanessa to stay at their place to get the mail and water plants, but she wasn’t fooled. They knew perfectly well she could afford her own place. It was a protective older-sister thing.
Lucy was more relaxed knowing Vanessa was there and out of trouble, and honestly, Vanessa was happy to be there. It was familiar, safe…kind of like moving home. She’d offered to pay rent, but they hadn’t entertained the conversation.
On the rare days she missed the lively atmosphere at her Zia Ella’s place, she’d go over and get her fill of the energy and the food. On days when her anxiety had a stranglehold on her, like today, it was a nice distraction to be around the chaos.
Isolating herself when she was feeling this unsteady and panicked was never a good idea. But her aunt was a twenty-minute drive away, and she second-guessed calling Anderson so late last night. Damn Jordan and his guilt trips.
Luckily, she had someone even better a few minutes’ walk down the street. A visit with her cousin Natalie was exactly what she needed.
After taking a shower, dressing in her favorite soft pink cashmere lounge set, and doing her full makeup routine, she felt half human again.
Grabbing her coat, she tugged open the front door and spotted her neighbor across the hall wiping sweat off her brow with the hem of her athletic shirt.
“Oh, hey! Good morning,” Ivy said, taking an earbud out. “I just got back from a run, and funnily enough was thinking about you.”
“Good morning.” There wasn’t much good about her morning, but Vanessa forced out the words along with abright smile. “Hope you were thinking only good things.” Please, not a conversation about the memes, reels, and stories circulating the socials right now. Instinctively, her hand went to her purse and her phone inside.
“Of course, good. I wanted to let you know that Sean and I will be out of the country for a bit.” A giddy smile blossomed across her face. “We’re going on our first big vacation together.”
Sean and Ivy were great neighbors, easy and fun to be around. They’d had many entertaining evenings downstairs at Bowie’s, and they usually came over when Lucy and Joel were in town.
“Oh? That’s exciting. How long will you be gone?”
“A month,” Ivy exclaimed.
“A month,” Vanessa repeated in surprise. That was a hell of a holiday, even for Vanessa.
“My nana is getting older, and hasn’t been home to England in a long time.” Ivy shoved her damp bangs out of the way. “And honestly, Sean and I have been planning it for a while. Saving and organizing a replacement for him at the gym and a locum for me at the clinic. Going that far, the cost, and the jet lag, we figured might as well go for a while.”
“Wow, that sounds like a fun trip. I love England. I walked in fashion week in London a few years back. Beautiful city.” She’d been to Europe numerous times. Sometimes for less than forty-eight hours. Jet lag wasn’t allowed to exist in the fashion world. Everything moved so fast.
“Anyway, I wanted to let you know, since there’s no one else living here but us.” She spread her arms wide to indicate the empty hallway with the two doors facing each other.
“I appreciate the heads up. Do you need me to keep an eye on your place while you’re gone?” Better that thanhaving someone she didn’t know come and go from their apartment.
“Oh, don’t worry. Sean’s brother is doing all that for us.”
Vanessa’s heart slammed into her throat, her smile freezing in place. “Excuse me?” Sean’s brother was?—
