On the other side of the table, Madeleine looked shocked for a moment, silently regarding Jenna with eyes full of surprise and maybe a little concern.
“If I’m being completely honest, I’d have to admit that I don’t,” her friend said softly. “In my experience, it takes time for love to develop and for people to truly get to know each other so they can learn if they’re compatible. That way, you can find out if you share the same goals and if your hopes and dreams match up. To know if this other person is going to cherish your heart even above their own. How can all that happen in a moment?”
“Oh,” Jenna said, deflating a little in her seat. Madeleine had slammed the door pretty frigginghard on that naive question. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
“But hey, that’s just me,” her friend added quickly, reaching across the table to take Jenna’s hand, as if she’d only now realized that maybe she’d been a little too blunt with the complete honesty thing. “I’m not saying it couldn’t happen for you. Anything is possible, right? You know me. I like to overanalyze every angle when a man is involved. It could be totally different with you and Trevor.” Though Madeleine was smiling, there was still a hint of that same concern on her face that had been there before. Maybe even a little more than earlier. “Do you think that’s what’s happening between you and Trevor?”
Jenna didn’t miss the doubt still being expressed in that question, regardless of what Madeleine had said about anything being possible.
“Trevor is absolutely the most amazing man I’ve ever met,” Jenna said, searching for the right words but knowing she wasn’t truly doing him justice. “I don’t know how else to say it, other than to tell you that it seems he’s perfect for me. Like he’s the man I was meant to be with without realizing I was even looking for someone.”
Madeleine didn’t say anything for a long time but instead sat there regarding her thoughtfully.
Crap. Maybe she’d made a mistake by being so completely open about her feelings.
“I feel bad that my first instinct is to tell you tobe careful,” Madeleine finally said with a sigh. “But you’re my best friend in the whole world, and I never want to see you get hurt, which is what I’m afraid you’re setting yourself up for by falling for Trevor so fast.”
Jenna wanted to argue with Madeleine’s logic, but there was a part of her that wondered if maybe her friend was right. She had a fleeting thought that falling for a guy this fast couldn’t be normal. She could certainly see her therapist saying that she was simply confusing Trevor’s friendship and acceptance for something completely different. Jenna felt her heart constrict down to the size of a pea at the thought.
“You don’t think there’s any chance that what I’m feeling for Trevor could be real?” she asked quietly.
The words felt wrong the moment they were out of her mouth. Like she was lying to herself by even saying something like that.
For a moment, Jenna thought Madeleine would agree with her, but instead, her friend shook her head. “I know it sounds like that’s what I was saying, but I’m not. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re my best friend and I care about you. But at the same time, you deserve happiness in your life more than anyone, so instead of doubting and being the voice of reason, I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader and tell you that if this thing with Trevor feels right, go for it with all your heart.”
Jenna couldn’t help but laugh, tension she hadn’t been aware of slowly slipping off her shoulders like a heavy weight. It was silly. It wasn’t like she needed permission to feel the way she felt. But still, it helped somehow having Madeleine in her corner on this.
Her friend squeezed her hand harder, smiling even wider. “Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, have you thought about discussing this same thing with Trevor and telling him how you feel?”
Time seemed to freeze then, Jenna nearly vapor locking at the idea of coming out and telling Trevor everything she’d told Madeleine. It might be how she felt, but could she be that open with him? Allow herself to be so vulnerable in front of him?
“Okay, breathe, hon,” Madeleine murmured, squeezing her hand hard enough to pull her out of the tailspin she’d dropped into. “Maybe we can put that idea on hold for now. It probably would be a good idea to have sex with the guy first before you make any declarations. Nothing kills a budding romance like finding out a man sucks in the sack.”
Jenna laughed again, even though the idea of Trevor not being beyond amazing in everything he did—even in bed—was too ludicrous to take seriously. Considering how hot she’d gotten simply from kissing him, she had no doubt he’d be scrumptious once the two of them finally made love.
She opened her mouth to tell Madeleine as much when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye of two people slowly coming toward their table, like they were hesitant to intrude. Jenna looked up to see Esme and Maya from HOPD standing there looking guilty as hell.
“Can we help you?” Madeleine asked, giving them a look that suggested she was willing to be polite, but only to a point.
“Hey, Jenna,” Esme said slowly, twisting her hands together in front of her anxiously. “Sorry to interrupt, but Maya and I were hoping to talk to you about what’s going down in the Skid Row district today.”
Jenna wasn’t sure about having any kind of conversation with the two women in front of Madeleine, but both Esme and Maya looked pretty worried about something. Knowing that Trevor, Connor, and the other guys were down in the Skid Row district right now was enough to make the conversation worth the risk.
“Have a seat,” she murmured, motioning them toward the table.
There was a moment of hesitation, both of the paranormal investigators eyeing Madeleine curiously. But after a moment, they slipped into the two empty chairs.
“This is my friend Madeleine,” Jenna introduced her friend. “She’s familiar with the situation withmy sister and the fact that Trevor and I saw the guy who kidnapped her when we were in the Skid Row area a couple nights ago. Madeleine, this is Esme and Maya. They’re with a private investigation firm called the HOPD. I hired them to help find Hannah.”
She didn’t know whose eyes widened more—Madeleine’s or the two women’s. Now, she was definitely wishing she’d been a little more honest with her best friend. There was nothing she could do about it right now, but if Esme or Maya let something slip about monsters and the paranormal, Madeleine was going to lose it.
“Wait. You hired a PI firm and didn’t tell me?” her friend said, her expression a cross between surprised and pissed off. “When?”
“It was a few months ago,” Jenna said. “I didn’t bother mentioning it because nothing ever came of it. They were never able to find any leads on the guy who grabbed my sister, and I haven’t seen them again until the other night after Trevor and I saw the guy in that alley off Winston Street.”
Jenna glanced at Esme and Maya as she said that last part, hoping they understood what she was trying to get across—that they couldn’t say anything about being paranormal investigators.
“Okay.” Madeleine looked at the two women. “So how did you two end up working in the PI field?”
