Page 89 of The Other Room

Having seen me cry on less than a handful of occasions, she’d understood the seriousness of the situation and shuttled me straight up to the guest bedroom, grabbing a bottle of wine off the counter along the way. For two hours I sobbed between sips of wine from the bottle, and for two hours she sat quietly at my side waiting for me to be ready to talk.

But I hadn’t been ready. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready to talk about what had happened; to find the words to explain how it felt to have my heart torn in two. Instead, I’d fallen asleep on my tear-soaked pillow with Jenna curled up at my side.

“Come on, Jo. You’ve got to tell me who’s ass I need to kick. I’ve been working out with a punching bag and taking kick-boxing classes. Just give me a name and I’ll put my practice to good use.”

Her good-natured comradery made me chuckle, and I let my head flop on her shoulder.

“A name,” she said again while she ran her fingers through my hair.

With a deep breath, I let it slip out. “Matt.”

She pressed her cheek into my head and pulled me a little closer. “I figured that may be the name going to the top of my hit list. But why? I don’t understand. Two nights ago he told me he loved you and he planned on telling you that night. What happened?”

“Fucking Nikki,” I growled.

“Whoa.” She sat up and turned me toward her. “What do you mean ‘fucking Nikki’?”

“Well, thanks to you,” I paused and gave her the evil eye, “Matt did indeed confess his love to me that night. And then I confessed mine. And for about twelve freaking hours life was perfect. We were well on our way to happily ever after.”

“So, I was right! You do love each other.” A triumphant grin stretched across her face but fell quickly when my glare narrowed. “Sorry, go on.”

“What happened, oh meddling sister, was that after Matt and I had one magical night together, I went to meet him out for a date last night and found him in the parking lot with Nikki wrapped in his arms.”

“Son of a bitch,” she spat.

“Exactly. Son of a bitch.”

She lifted her hand, closing her eyes for a second. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. So, he told you he loved you two nights ago, asked you to meet him on a date the very next day, but then cheated on you with Nikki in the parking lot of the place you were supposed to meet him for a date?”

“Yep.” I nodded, then picked up the water and took a sip.

Her nose crinkled. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, it happened.”

“Maybe you didn’t see things right.”

I scoffed. “Oh, I saw things right. Nikki in his arms, his arms around her waist, her lips against his neck. Trust me. The image is burned into my mind for all of eternity.”

“It doesn’t make sense.” I saw the wheels turning in her mind. “Why would he tell you to meet him where he was going to cheat on you?”

“Actually, he sent me a text to meet him at The Boathouse, so he was trying to keep me away from there.”

Her lips puckered while she kept searching for a rational explanation. “That is pretty incriminating.”

“Oh, you want incriminating? When I took off running after I saw them, I bumped into Aaron who, get this, begged me to talk some sense into Matt for dating Nikki again.”

Her eyes bulged and her mouth fell open. “Okay, yeah. Son of a bitch. Which one do you want me to beat up first? Matt or Nikki?” She glanced down at her hands and clenched them into fists. “Scratch that. I’ve got two hands. I can kick both their asses at once.”

Even though forcing a laugh made my stomach flip over, I couldn’t help but let a few chuckles slip out while Jenna shadow boxed in front of me.

“Both work great.” I smiled, but as quickly as it came, it slipped away, and I felt the tears stinging behind my eyes.

“Oh, shit. Don’t cry.” Jenna stopped her impromptu boxing match and took my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry, Jo. This is all my fault.”

“It is all your fault!” I sniffled. “Why couldn’t you just keep your big yapper shut?”

“Because I knew you both love each other, that’s why. And it’s why this still doesn’t make sense. I know he loves you. It’s my superpower, remember?”