Page 68 of This for That (The Edge of Retaliation 1)
Maybe he has a right to feel the way he does.
“How are things with you?” I ask Jo.
We’re waiting for Celia’s parents to come home. As we pulled up, they were leaving. I said we’d wait a while, see if they came back. Hopefully they don’t. I want to do this now, because the longer I leave this, the more it eats away at me. We’re still at a dead end with Chase, and so far, I’m all out of options.
Jo shrugs. “Okay, I guess. I have something to confess . . .”
I look to her, eyes wide. “What is it?”
“The other night after the bar, when we went to their place and you and Tanner disappeared to the room, I was hanging out with Tatum . . .”
“Oh, God. Jo, you didn’t sleep with him did you?”
She scoffs. “No, Jesus! But we talked for hours. Gosh, we talked until morning and he took me home. The thing is . . . I don’t know . . . there was something there. Something really strong. Something I’ve never felt in my life. I can’t stop thinking about it, Cal. I can’t stop thinking about him.”
I wondered how long it would take Jo to find someone who tugged on her heartstrings the way they were supposed to. She’s wasted so long with Patrick, it’s hard for her to know what she’s missing out on. Anyone with two eyes can see that her and Tatum have something.
“What are you going to do?” I ask her, getting straight to the point.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I mean, it happens, right? Besides, I’m not getting out of this easily. I’m sure it’ll go away; I’ll just make sure I stay away from him.”
I exhale. “Jo, honey, does that make you happy? Honestly? Because it seems to me like you’re miserable. I think it’s time you really consider what you’re going to do about Patrick, and get yourself out of this situation.”
“There is no just getting myself out of this situation—believe me, I’ve thought about it. It’ll cause an uproar I’m not sure I’m ready for. I’ll be entirely cut off, which, in the scheme of things, isn’t the end of the world, but I have no money saved and divorces can get messy . . .”
“There is a way—there is always a way. I’ll help you. We’ll work it out together.”
She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I love you for loving me like that, but I just don’t think it’s that easy.”
“And Tatum?” I question.
She shrugs. “I’ll have to stay away from him. It’s just a crush; it’ll go away. It doesn’t help that I gave him my number, and he’s texting me. I really can’t help but reply, but then I feel like I’m doing the wrong thing to Patrick, you know?”
“Yeah, I get you,” I tell her. “I wish you weren’t in this situation, so that you could be happy. You deserve to be happy. Especially with someone as hot as Tatum. The chemistry between the two of you is off the charts.”
She sighs. “I know. When he texts me, I smile like a giddy little girl. I never felt that with Patrick; it’s crazy.”
“I feel you.”
“Oh, look!”
I turn and see she’s pointing towards the house. Celia’s parents have returned. They only must have popped out for something simple. I stare at them as they drive their car into the large garage, and the door closes.
I turn to Jo. “Are you ready for this?”
She frowns. “No, not really. I’m terrified they’ll lose their minds at me, or even worse, they’ll be lovely and I’ll feel guilty.”
“I’m not going to steal or break anything in their house, Jo. I just want to look. I’m not going to hurt or bother anyone.”
She sighs. “You’re right; I’m sorry. I know you have to do this. Okay, so I’m going to go up and tell them I was in the car that night, and scope the place out as much as I can, see if there is any security?”
“Yes.”
She takes a deep breath. “Okay, here goes nothing.”
She gets out of the car and walks across the road to the front of their house. She glances back at me, then walks up the steps and knocks on the door. I wait, nerves twisting my stomach. The door opens and Celia’s mom appears, smiling at Jo. Jo says something, her hands moving as she speaks, and I see Celia’s mom lose her smile. Then, she steps forward and hugs Jo. She hugs her.
My heart aches.
It really aches.
That poor woman.
I took her daughter.
Jo hugs the woman back, and then pulls away and they continue to talk.
While she’s doing that, I glance around at the large house. I study the windows, the doors, the fences, the neighbors houses. It looks fairly easy to navigate. It’s on a large block, so the neighbors aren’t close, and there are no front fences, so I can get to the front of the house fairly easily. The windows seem to have screens, but often garage windows or bathroom windows don’t have any—those would be my best bet.
