Page 70 of Love Unbound
Levi held up his hands in an innocent gesture, though Jodi could see the mirth in his cobalt blue eyes. “I just said come out and say hello.”
“Mmhmm,” Jodi murmured dubiously, eyeing her father shrewdly.
Levi raised his dark brows and smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “Just come by the house, even if you don’t stay for dinner. Let Mom fuss over you, send a plate home with you. She’s worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” Jodi whispered, though she knew it was far from the truth. Then, at the dubious glare her father sent her way, she amended grudgingly, “I will be fine.”
His eyes softened then. “I know you will,” he said gently. He drained his coffee and stood, striding over to the sink where he set the empty cup. He turned to her then. “We’ll see you around six.”
Jodi sighed in defeat, a wry half smile tiling up one corner ofher mouth. It wasn’t up for debate. “Okay. I’ll see you at six.”
She walked with him back to the front door, where he stopped and patted her shoulder awkwardly before lumbering out the door.
Chapter 52
Jodi took a long, scalding shower, letting her tears mix with the water as it streamed down her face. The last two days had been emotionally draining; the argument with Tess, cleaning out Free’s old apartment for some new guy to move into, and now having her father—her father, of all people— playing fucking matchmaker with this new guy. As if her heart wasn’t still laying, shattered, at her feet.
She was angry; at herself, at Freeman. She hadknownwhat would happen if she’d let herself lower her walls for Free when he’d shown back up. She’dknownwith every damn bone in her body, just how hard she would fall. Had known it would leave an aching, raw void in her life when he ultimately disappeared again. How impossibly broken her heart would be. Even though he had said he would come back. She had been an idiot, a great big dumb idiot, to even halfway believe the words that had come out of his mouth.
When she stepped out of the shower, she towel dried quickly, wrapping the fluffy towel around her body and another around her hair. Padding into the bedroom, she stood in front of the dresser for a long time, staring at the clothes in the first drawer she opened.
She ran her fingers over a plain black t-shirt that she had tucked back into the corner, one of Free’s that had been left behind in his hasty departure. She had found it several days later, shoved halfway under the bed after stripping the sheets in a fit of rage and tears, the scent of him on her sheets and on thepillowcase too much for her shattered heart.
Taking the shirt out now, she held it to her face. When she’d found it, she’d balled it up and made to throw it into the trash out of anger, but she hadn’t been able to. Instead, she’d folded it up and tucked it away into the top drawer of her dresser. She hadn’t had the heart to wash it, along with the sheets, to remove the scent of him that still clung to the worn fabric, though it seemed to fade with each day that passed.
Tucking it back into the corner of the drawer, she closed it. Eventually she would get rid of it, but that was a task for another day.
The late September afternoon was mild, cool enough that Jodi decided on a pair of black leggings, opting for comfort, and paired them with a buttery soft, taupe colored long sleeved top that dipped low enough in the back to cover the curve of her bottom.
She applied simple make-up, just enough to disguise the dark circles under her blue eyes and put a smidge of color into her pale cheeks. She shook her curls out of the towel, fingering through a curl cream into her tresses, and then let it air dry in riotous ringlets around her face and down her shoulders.
Staring at herself in the mirror, she sighed, and slid her feet into plain black flats. It was the best she had the motivation to do.
Jodi drove the familiar roads to her parent’s house, pulling into the long, sloping driveway that led to the expansive ranch house. Beyond the drive, she could see the loft apartment over the pole-barn, an unfamiliar dark blue pickup truck and a small u-haul trailer hitched to it parked alongside the barn. Sadness crept over Jodi as she imagined a stranger living in that small apartment.
Pulling up beside her parent’s vehicles parked by the garage, she turned off the Jeep and climbed out, just as Serenity cameout of the front door, wearing her usual well fitted blue jeans and a chunky knitted sweater, a dish towel tucked into one of the belt loops at her waist. Seren met Jodi on the porch as the younger woman climbed the steps to the long, wide covered front porch that was dotted with her father’s handcrafted Adirondack chairs. Levi joined them moments later, stepping out and letting the screen door slap behind him. He stood with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
Her mother clucked her tongue and Jodi cringed inwardly. She had hoped her mother wouldn’t mention her appearance, and had been thankful she hadn’t brought it up the day before. She was well aware she looked… rough. Not like the vibrant, radiant woman from a month ago. Damn Freeman Thorp.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Seren murmured. “Did you even eat anything after lunch yesterday?”
“You sound like Gram,” Jodi muttered dryly, though she didn’t fight the gentle hug her mother gave her. When she pulled back, she said, “I ate a light breakfast this morning.”
Levi cleared his throat. “Coffee doesn’t count as a meal, Jodi.”
Jodi stuck her tongue out at him and he smirked. Jodi motioned toward the strange blue truck and trailer beyond by the pole-barn. “So, who’s the new guy?”
Seren smiled and nodded her head in the direction Jodi just had. “Why don’t we go say hello before dinner?”
Jodi cringed, outwardly this time, making a face of aversion. “Oh, Mom, not you, too.”
“What?” Seren asked innocently, much as her father had earlier that morning, though her mothers blue eyes shone with something akin to mischief. Jodi’s own eyes narrowed when her parents shared a furtive glance. Seren stepped down the stairs with Jodi in tow, who let her shoulders sag, knowing enough that arguing would be futile. Seren squeezed her shoulders between her hands gently, as Levi followed, several steps behind. “Just gosay hi. It won’t kill you.”
Jodi disagreed wholeheartedly, worried it just might. The thought of an introduction to some new beau her parents were trying to throw at her made anxiety claw at her chest.
As if to make sure Jodi didn’t bolt in the opposite direction, Seren linked her arm with Jodi’s as they walked the path toward the pole-barn. With about twenty feet to the main entrance of the barn and the flight of stairs that ran up the exterior to the apartment above, Serenity disengaged her arm from Jodi’s, though Jodi didn’t notice, as the new renter stepped out of the large barn door, dusting off his hands.
His aquamarine gaze met her stunned one, and he stopped. Jodi’s mouth hung open slightly in shock, her heart thundering in her ears.
