Story of my life. Jade couldn’t watch Buffy’s heartache a moment longer—she had enough of her own pain to deal with—and she flicked it off.
As she rose from the couch to go in search of more ice cream a knock sounded at the door. She paused. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Now that the media finally got sick of watching her uneventful house and a famous actor checked themselves into rehab, they’d packed up and moved on. It would piss her off if some journalist was still hanging around and had the audacity to come to the door. Maybe if she ignored it, whoever it was would go away.
The knock sounded again, and a muffled voice called through the door. “Jade, open up.”
Nate. She’d told him she wouldn’t be home. Why would he come over?
She wasn’t emotionally prepared to see him. Or dressed for that matter. How could she open the door and pretend her life was wonderful when every time she looked at him her heart died a little? If she ignored him, he’d think she wasn’t home then leave.
“Jade, open up. Why are you just standing there?”
What the hell? That door was solid timber; did he have x-ray vision?
Then she saw a dark silhouette at her window. She’d forgotten to close the blinds, and he had his hands to the glass, peeking through the venetians.
Crap! Now she had to let him in.
She trudged to the door and opened it. Nate stood on the veranda wearing faded jeans and a gray t-shirt that clung to his chest. His hair was a little tousled, and he was sporting some sexy afternoon stubble. He held a pizza, and her mouth watered. But not because of the cheesy aroma coming from the box.
Frowning at her, he said, “Were you ignoring me?”
Jade nibbled her bottom lip and shook her head. “No.”
A dubious eyebrow rose. “Yes, I think you were.”
She capitulated at his suspicious perusal. “Only because I look like a mess.” She pointed to the chocolate stain on her Bugs Bunny pajamas. And because my heart can’t cope. But she kept that to herself.
“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. You seem to wear a lot of your food.” He smirked, referring to the mess on her shirt when he came to the school for the first time. Thankfully, he’d bought her excuse.
“How did you know I was home?” she asked.
“I didn’t for sure. It was getting late, I didn’t think you’d be with Ava all this time.”
Jade averted her gaze for a beat, hoping her face didn’t give away the lie.
“I bought a pizza and took my chances. Am I going to stand outside all night, or can I come in?” he asked.
She moved away from the door and gestured for him to enter. “Put the box on the coffee table. I’ll get napkins.”
In the kitchen, she took a moment to take a few deep breaths. She hadn’t planned on seeing Nate tonight. And now that she wasn’t teaching at school anymore, she had no reason to see him again. She was hoping the old saying out of sight out of mind would kick in. How was she supposed to forget him when he showed up at her door with pizza? A hot guy with food was too good to turn down.
After a few moments to calm her racing heart, she found napkins and went back into the living room. Nate sat on the couch with the remote in his hand. He’d turned the TV back on.
“She’s in love with a vampire?” he asked. “What kind of dumb show is this?”
Jade held a hand to her chest. “Don’t criticize a classic.”
“You watch this?”
“And love it. So be careful what you say,” she playfully warned.
Laughing, he turned the TV off and opened the box of pizza.
Jade sat in an armchair on the opposite side of the coffee table to Nate, not trusting herself to sit too close. The closer he was, the more her body wanted to climb all over him, and that would not help in her crusade of forgetting him. When he left, so would all the feelings she had for him. It would be that simple. It had to be, or she’d collapse in a heap.
For now, she’d enjoy the pizza and pretend it was only friendship between them. Well, it was on his part. So as long as she kept it that way on her end, she’d eventually believe it. Yeah, right.
They sat in silence as they devoured the first few slices. Then Nate wiped his mouth with a napkin, slumped back on the couch, and said, “Jade, what’s wrong?”
