Page 21 of Love Unbound
“Good night, Jodi,” he said roughly, then turned on his booted heels, heading back to the door through the darkened room. She heard the front door close with a soft click, and then the tears started to fall.
Chapter 12
Jodi washed her face in cool water, then looked up into the bathroom mirror at her reflection. It was a dismal sight.
She looked like hell.
Shefeltlike hell.
Her eyes were red, puffy, and gritty from crying all night long. Her head was pounding, a mixture of the alcohol she had consumed and the night of tears. She looked pale and much older than her twenty-five years. She was grateful that it was Tessa’s morning to open the store. It gave her several hours to recover before going in for the afternoon to close. Fishing for a Tylenol out of the bottle in her medicine cabinet, she swallowed it with water, praying it gave her some much-needed relief from her headache.
Fresh tears started in her eyes as Free’s rejection the night before played through her mind again. He had rejected her more times than she could count, and her pride had taken a debilitating blow last night.
At what point was she going to learn her lesson? At what point was she going to remember she wasn’t interested in dating, period? Especially Free, who had admitted to only being here for a short period of time.
She sighed and forced her tears back. Starting the shower, she climbed in and washed away Free’s smell on her skin, scrubbing until her skin was pink. She stayed in the shower until the water began to cool, then climbed out and wrapped a towel around herself. She dressed in a comfortable pair of lounge shorts anda white tee shirt, then put in her earbuds, choosing a playlist off Spotify as background noise. Wrapping a fluffy blanket around her legs, she sat down at her desk to write, quickly losing herself in the work.
She was so engrossed in the scene she was writing that she didn’t hear Shaun pull into the driveway or knock on the front door. She didn’t hear anything until Shaun walked into Jodi’s office and tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump.
Minimizing the screen and taking out the earbuds, Jodi turned and smiled feebly at her sister. Tears started anew, much to her dismay, and she tried to swipe them away without Shaun seeing them. Shaun gripped Jodi’s shoulders in her hands, holding her so she couldn’t hide away.
“Whose ass do I need to kick?”
Jodi laughed through her tears, reaching up to swipe at the fresh tracks down her cheeks. “Nobody’s, Shaun.”
“Bullshit. Is this because of Josh or Free?”
Jodi sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping. “Free. We went out for drinks last night.”
“So… What happened?” Shaun asked when Jodi didn’t elaborate.
“We came back here. Made out. Then in the middle of it, he just stopped and left. I don’t even know what happened,” Jodi whispered. Scrubbing her hands over her face, she blew her breath out. “I know I can’t keep doing this back-and-forth thing. It’s exhausting. I think I was naïve to imagine anything would actually happen if he ever came back. It hurts too much.”
“Well, in my personal opinion, most men are dumb. And they smell bad.”
Jodi laughed gustily, and it felt good to smile. Though she wouldn’t tell Shaun how wonderful Free smelled. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” Shaun said and squeezed Jodi’s shoulders tightly with her hands. “Have you gotten a head count forThursday yet?”
“Yes. Myself, you, Cassie, her three bridesmaids, Zoey, and I invited Kit and Tessa, too,” Jodi said, ticking them off on her fingers as she named them.
“Awesome,” Shaun sing-songed, then stood in one fluid motion. “I have the strippers scheduled for eight thirty. I need to get back to work, lunch break is over. You should probably get a job, slacker.”
Jodi didn’t miss the not-so-subtle mention of male entertainment and threw a highlighter pen at her sister as she sashayed toward the open door, missing by a mile. “No strippers, Shaun!”
“I can’t hear you!” Shaun sing-songed back, laughing. “Later, sis!”
Jodi rolled her eyes. Checking the time, she sighed. It was a good thing Shaun had stopped over; she had been writing for so long she’d lost track of time. Standing, she hurried to the bathroom and washed her face once more. Quickly applying her make-up, she raced out to the bedroom to get dressed. Today she chose something simple and comfortable, a pair of black leggings and an oversized, off the shoulder top in a rich olive-green color. Securing her curls on the top of her head in a messy topknot, she slid her feet into black low-top converse. Racing out the door, she made it to the bookstore just in time.
Flying through the door, Tessa eyed her up and down, her brow furrowed. “Spidey sense is telling me last night didn’t go well.”
Jodi sighed and begged out. “Please, I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to cry anymore today.”
“Eww, that bad, huh? Bummer,” Tessa said and made a face. Reaching behind her, she grabbed a coffee cup and poured Jodi a hefty serving, sliding it toward her. “You look like you could use this.”
“Thank you,” Jodi murmured, taking a generous swallow. “I was up all night, and then got caught up writing this morning. I’m sorry I was late.”
Tessa laughed and gave her another side eyed glance. “Late? You’re still ten minutes early. And progress is progress. Take it any way you can!”
