“Oh, pish. I’m friends with everyone. Though I would have words with her after some of the things you said last night.” Mom crossed her arms and peered over her green framed glasses, looking so intimidating I felt like a five-year-old reprimanded for talking back.
“Oh god. What did I tell you?” I said, praying I didn’t go into detail about our spanky-angry sexy time.
“Nothing terrible,” Mom answered, glancing at Dad, then back at me. “But I’m going to make you squirm and not tell you right now. You need to focus on what direction your life is going to go. Take the drive home and do some deep reflection.”
“That’s the plan, and you’re evil,” I said, snagging one last piece of bacon, then pushing my plate away. She gave me a wink and took another drink of coffee before cinching her robe and taking my plate. My dad stood up and stopped her, taking the plate from her hand and kissing her cheek.
“Go lay down on the couch, babe. I’ll do the dishes.”
“I’ll help, Dad,” I said, standing up and reaching for the bacon plate.
“That’s fine, Jenna-Bean. I’ve got this. Go pack.” He gave me a side hug and a wink, taking the plate from my hand and walking to the sink, humming to himself. It sounded suspiciously like Joe Cocker. I shook my head and walked upstairs, glad to have such amazing parents but already dreading the enormous amount of brainpower it was going to take to decide about what I wanted to do.
25 - JENNA
Iforced out a harsh laugh and tried to hide the guilty expression on my face as we finished our pitcher of sangria on Annaleigh and Max’s rooftop terrace. I never told Olivia and Addison details of the angry, aggressive, spanky, amazing sex that was apparently my kink now. I could have if our epic ending hadn’t been so final and epically terrible. It was enough that I’d completely given my heart away to someone who wasn’t at all available. I didn’t need to relive the night again.
Annaleigh was the only one who knew I’d made a decision about the clinic. Olivia and Addison had left me alone so far, though I knew it was killing them to do it. I still wasn’t sure why I was afraid. It was like saying my decision aloud meant it truly was an end to that part of me. So I laughed as if all was right in the world as Addison followed me down the spiral staircase, asking if we’d made our silicone dick replicas yet. I still wanted to ask her where she ordered those things from because I know it couldn’t have been a prominent place.
“Hmm, never got around to asking Mark before he left,” I said, leaning down to let Baxter sniff my hand as we walked down one more flight and then through her kitchen.
“Oh, I’m sorry, babe,” Addison said, turning around to rub my arm. “I didn’t mean to bring him up.”
“It’s fine,” I said, shooing her hand away. “I mean, not really, but it would have been a nice parting gift. Still, I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. At least this whole ordeal got me over stupid-ass Jason and made me realize he was the problem.”
“Damn right,” Annaleigh said.
“What about you, Liv? I gave you the green dick kit, right? Can we nickname Edwardthe Hulk? Oh! What about theJolly Green Giant?”
“Oh my god, I am not having this conversation,” Olivia said, opening the front door with a flourish of her wrist and a wave. “Bye, y’all.”
“But she didn’t say no,” Addison said in a sing-song voice, waving two fingers and following Olivia out the door, turning around to waggle her eyebrows. “Get you some Hulk dick!” she called after Olivia, who turned around and flicked her off. “Oh yeah. She’s getting Edward and his sparkling green replica. Bye, ladies.”
“Bye,” we called back.
I followed Annaleigh back inside and started to the kitchen to help with the dishes, but she motioned to the living room and sat on the couch. I did the same, pulling my legs underneath me and turning to look at her with a question on my face. She held out a plate of cookies, but I shook my head. Since coming home from Wilmington, I’d been living off of nothing but carbs, and my body desperately craved water and things not made with processed sugar.
“Why didn’t you tell them you’d made a decision?” she asked, kicking off her sandals and crossing one foot over the other.
“I couldn’t without a plan.”
“Like they would care.”
“Yeah, probably not, but I’d feel better.”
“I know you would,” Annaleigh said, looking past me as her eyes lit up. “Which is why we want to help you.”
Max strolled around the corner wearing a navy-blue suit and a matching vest. His crisp white shirt peeked out from underneath, and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His dark hair was perfectly coiffed to one side, and he pushed his round tortoise-shell glasses up as he bent down to run his fingers down Annaleigh’s face and kiss her cheek. She leaned into his touch and sighed. It was hard not to swoon at how sweet they were together.
I was fully prepared to admit I was much more a man-in-uniform type, but something about seeing a good-looking guy in a put-together three-piece suit was a sight to behold. Especially with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. That simple gesture of exposing something as sinfully delicious as the forearm was enough to make my mouth water. Forearms to me were like ankles to eighteenth-century gentleman.
“Hey, Blue. You ready for me?” he asked, using Annaleigh’s nickname and taking a seat beside her and spreading his legs wide, so she melted into his side.
He laid a manilla envelope on the coffee table that I didn’t realize he was carrying because I focused on one thick tattoo that snaked up his arm. I wasn’t staring in a creepy way, but seeing that lone tattoo had me remembering the colors and swirls and miles of ink that seemed to cover almost every available inch of Mark’s skin, and that made me miss him, something I’d been trying not to do.
“Yeah, Broody,” she said, using his nickname as well and picking up the folder and looking at me. “So Jenna, I told Max your decision and, well, I’ll let him tell you. I’m too excited.” She uncrossed her foot and started tapping it on the carpet, practically bouncing up and down.
I understood how she felt, remembering her idea to have the local bands that play at her bar partner with drug rehab clinics, teaching the patients music. If she could take her best friend’s overdose and turn it into something positive, why couldn’t I take the same concept and apply it to an animal shelter?
