CHAPTERELEVEN
Jessica steeled herself against Mark’s words. He’d promised not to shut her out this time, and yet, here he was, running out on her anyway. It was barely lunchtime. She’d hoped they could at least enjoy a meal together before he had to leave.
He gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m supposed to be at work right now.”
And…she felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions. “Really?”
He slid out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. “Didn’t have much on the schedule this morning, and I needed to see how you were doing, but Ethan and Ryan may be wondering where I am by now.”
She wrapped the sheet around herself and hugged her knees. “What will you tell them?”
He buttoned his jeans and then straightened. “I don’t…why would I tell them anything?”
Right.Because he was a man, a man who preferred not to communicate at all whenever possible. But maybe he was right this time. Their relationship felt too delicate to share just yet, especially given their history together. “Maybe it’s best if we keep this between us for now.”
He nodded, gave her a quick kiss, and headed for the door, still pulling his shirt over his head. After he’d gone, she lay back in bed, waiting for it all to sink in. She and Mark had just had sex. Really, really great sex. And he’d even opened up a little bit afterward.
Wow.
He was still holding back, and that might not ever change. His concern for her was real. She had no doubt of that. And the chemistry between them was scorchingly real. Beyond that, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t help feeling excited at the possibility of a second chance.
Her head ached. What else was new? But today her fatigue was compounded by the very real fact that she hadn’t slept well last night, fretting about receiving her MRI results. And now that she had them, she was no closer to figuring out what was wrong with her, but she couldn’t think about it anymore right now without getting frustrated. She’d missed her last training session with the girls because of a migraine so she really needed to sneak in a quick jog this afternoon or they were going to leave her in the dust at the Adrenaline Rush next weekend.
She grabbed her phone to check her messages, but a glance at the calendar on her screen stopped her cold. She had appointments scheduled this afternoon with two more contractors, and she’d nearly forgotten all about it. Groaning, she climbed out of bed, took a shower, and headed to the spa.
The first contractor was someone she knew—he’d done some work for her at the spa a few years back. He was reliable, and he did good work. The second contractor was the daughter of one of her father’s friends, and Jessica was so smitten with the idea of a woman building her spa cabins that she’d nearly hired her on the spot. But in the end, she had to make a responsible decision, and Melissa Gormier’s quote might not be competitive. Still, as she climbed back into her car, Jessica found herself looking for an excuse to hire Melissa.
It was just past four, andoops, she’d forgotten to grab lunch in her rush to get to the spa after Mark left. That might explain the buzzing in her ears.
Food. Stat.
Her cell phone chimed, and she found a flurry of text messages from Carly, Gabby, Mandy, and Emma. Apparently, an impromptu meet-up was happening at the bakery to look at photos from Gabby’s wedding. And while a sandwich would be better, a cup of coffee and a slice of fresh apple pie might just hit the spot too.
Jessica turned her car toward downtown and parked by the town square near the bakery. The memorial gardens Emma had designed this past summer bloomed to her left with red, orange, and purple mums, a beautiful splash of fall color in the town square.
She pulled open the door to the bakery, and the warm, sweet scent inside put an instant smile on her face. She saw Emma and Mandy already seated at a table near the back, looking at something on Mandy’s phone. Emma spotted Jessica and waved.
“Be right over,” she called. First, she needed sustenance. Her stomach gurgled in agreement.
“What can I get for you?” Carly asked with a smile from behind the counter.
“Coffee, definitely. And I was thinking pie, but those apple turnovers look amazing.”
“They are,” Carly confirmed with a nod. “I’ve got appleeverythingthis month while they’re fresh. Baked those this morning.”
“Perfect. Coffee and an apple turnover.”
“Coming right up.”
Jessica checked her phone again while Carly dished up her coffee and turnover to see if Mark had called or texted. He hadn’t, and it would be ridiculous for her to read anything into it. He’d been at work, probably out on the zip-lines all afternoon. But hopefully he’d text her later…Grumbling at herself for being so needy, she paid, gathered her food, and made her way over to the table where Emma and Mandy were sitting.
“Hey,” Emma said, scooting over to make room for her. “How are things?”
“Okay.” Jessica took a big sip of her coffee, feeling it burn all the way down to her stomach. “And you? How’s the baby?” She glanced down at the baby bump rounding out the front of her friend’s blouse.
“I think she’s having a dance party right now,” Emma said with a giggle, rubbing her stomach. “It’s like I’ve been eating sugar or something.” An empty plate in front of her at the table confirmed she’d been doing just that. “Want to feel?”
“Um, sure.” Jessica held her hand out, and Emma placed it on her stomach. Almost immediately, Jessica felt a little tap from inside, like a tiny hand giving her a fist bump. “Whoa. That’s so cool.”
