She looks back at the house. “I should go. Jackson wasn’t expecting me. Tell him I’ll call him later.” She hurries off, and I watch as she gets in a silver BMW convertible.
I go back inside and find Jackson coming down the hall, wearing only a towel on his lower half, making my eyes linger on his perfectly sculpted abs.
“Who was that?” he asks, walking toward me.
“Your girlfriend,” I say, although she never confirmed that.
“You mean Kristen?”
“Yeah. She’s really pretty. Does she model?”
He goes to the door and opens it. “Where’d she go?”
“She left. She seemed kind of upset I was here. I told her I’m just a neighbor. I offered to leave but she took off. Sorry. I hope I didn’t mess up things with your girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” He slams the door shut. “Stop calling her that.”
“But didn’t you—” I stop before I tell him what I saw that night. He’d be angry I was on his beach, and even angrier that I was watching him through his windows.
“Didn’t Iwhat?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” I walk to the door. “I think I’ll go.”
“You don’t have to. If you need to hide out here longer, it’s fine. I’m going to get dressed.”
He returns to his room while I remain at the door, trying to decide what to do. Going home will mean fighting with Brock, but staying here feels awkward after that unexpected visit from Kristen.
Maybe I’ll stay just a little longer, but I really need a restroom. I go down to Jackson’s room and stand outside his door.
“Jackson, can I use your bathroom?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Jackson?”
I’m about to knock but then hear him talking.
“She’s not — that’s not what happened. Kristen, don’t be this way. We had an agreement.” He continues to talk, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. He must’ve walked away from the door.
Turning around, I see the bathroom just across from me. I’m sure Jackson won’t care if I use it.
“Nothing happened!” I hear Jackson say, his voice raised. “We’re not doing this again.” He pauses. “Kristen, listen to me. I’m not getting in the middle of that shit. I’ll still help you, but I can’t do what you’re asking. I’ve already done more than I should. And leave Rumor alone. She’s not part of this, and she’s not staying. She’s leaving at the end of the year.” He’s quiet, then says, “Yeah, see you then.”
As I turn to go to the bathroom, his door swings open. “What are you doing?”
I turn around. “I was going to use your bathroom. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Go ahead.” He goes past me, still only wearing a towel, and seeming angry.
My heart’s racing, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m agitated by his sharp change in mood or because of what I just heard.
What was he talking about? What agreement does he have with Kristen? What is he helping her with? And why did he tell her to leave me alone? What did he think she would do?
After I use the bathroom, I go find Jackson in the kitchen, staring at the open fridge.
“I’m gonna head out,” I say.
“Yeah, okay.”
