Page 59 of One Night Stand After Another
“So unblow it.”
“That’s not a thing. He was so amazing to me, and I called him a mistake and basically told him he was only good for sex.”
“In its own way, that’s kind of awesome, but only if you meant it, which you did not. Life isn’t always black-and-white. Find some forgiveness, Clara. For yourself, to be clear.”
Clara looked up from her needles, stung. “What do you mean?”
“You went to that wedding to apologize to Jack, but he was already over it. It took you ten years to forgiveyourself. Let it go. You were young. You wish you’d made a different choice. You didn’t—so what? Most people just move on. Jack was getting married. He didn’t want or need your apology. Why did you go to that wedding?”
“He invited me! That’s what gave me the idea.”
“Yeah—think about that for a minute. Jack wasn’t upset with you. He’d already forgiven you. Why on earth would he invite you to his wedding? Maybe Jack wanted to fix something, too.”
Clara’s hands stopped moving. Zane had told Jack about his feelings for her after that distillery tour. And what had Lila said in the bathroom?Jack’s a planner, so he’s got a reason for doing it, and it isn’t because he’s still in love with you.And Jack had all but shoved her into Zane’s arms with his blessing.
She’d been set up.
And she’d blown it.
She opened her mouth, but she had no words, so she pressed her lips together and returned her attention to her knitting needles, face heating in a combination hot flash and panic attack, just like every time she thought of Zane. The hot flash, she understood. The panic? Not so much.
Brittany sighed.
“I’ll think about it,” Clara finally said.
“Think about what?” Britt asked. “All the potential orgasms you’re wasting by refusing to make the first move?”
Clara looked at her with raised brows. “Are you the same person who claimed she let me come to my own decisions?”
Britt sighed impatiently. “You’re taking too long. I’ve been listening to you say the same damn things for months now, and the designs you keep adding to your Ten-Year Reunion collection are positively maudlin. Embrace Your Biggest Mistake? How about Gimme a Break? Call him, already. Every single one of your followers knows you miss him. I bet Zane knows, too, Clara. The comments have been getting pretty pointed, lately. He reads your blog, right?”
She kept her burning face down and nodded. She’d kind of been hoping he’d text her when he saw that Biggest Mistake post. Or the new store she’d put on her site, but Brittany was right. She’d left him, so she’d have to be the one to make the next move. Zane had tried hard enough already.
She thought of their week together and all the incredible things they’d seen and done: a shopping spree that had given her the raw materials to create while he drove, an alpaca farm that had shown her what one-of-a kind truly meant, and five nights of awesome sex that had unlocked so much inspiration she’d be stitching for years, trying to give shape to the emotions he’d inspired.
Doing that without him seemed impossible.
What was holding her back?
At first it had been anger, but it was difficult to stay mad at Zane when he’d already apologized. Plus, he’d been right about putting a store on her blog and about what kind of a job she should accept at Fiber Kingdom. Maybe he’d been pushy, and he hadn’t gone about trying to help her in the best way, but he’d done it because he believed in her. It didn’t make outing her blog to Jimmy right, but it made it damn hard to hold a grudge, especially when she missed Zane so badly that she thought of him every time she ate, slept, showered, and worked—basically all the time.
“Earth to Clara,” Britt said. “Did you forget you’re on the phone?”
“I kind of did—sorry.” An idea tickled her mind, and her heart began to pound. Ugh—risky, so risky.
But also, perfect.
Jimmy was still goading her about the prime location she’d turned down. How could she have known a space like the one on Venice Beach only went on the market once in a blue moon and got snapped up before anyone knew it was available? Jimmy would know who to call. He knew everyone. Maybe it wasn’t too late?
“Gotta go, Britt. I have an idea.”
“Does it involve future orgasms?”
“Maybe.” She ended the call to the sound of her friend cheering.
A few minutes, one phone call, and a short wait later, Clara had a number—a number with a very familiar area code. She typed into her keypad just to be sure.
Holy crap.
