Page 95 of The Other Room

“Yeah. This is exactly where Nikki comes in, and I wanted to come here and tell you in person before it got back to you in a bad way, which is what happened with Jo. But apparently you already know.”

“Oh, boy.” Cassie said. “What happened?”

“Nothing! I swear! But Nikki showed up in town, as you know. I was meeting Jo out for our first official date, and while I was waiting for her at Stabbur, Nikki appeared. And she was wasted. Darling Nikki was so drunk she almost puked on my shoes. I swear to God I tried to get away and avoid her. I would not get tangled up with her again. You’ve got to believe me on that. Okay?”

“Okay.” He kept cranking his reel.

“But when I was getting in my truck, she showed up and blocked the door. And she was totally hammered. I tried to convince her to get away, but she stood behind my truck and blocked me from backing out. When I went to move her, her drunk ass fell, so I caught her. And that’s when Jo appeared. Right when I had Nikki in my arms.”

“Mother...” Cassie whispered. “That’s not good.”

“No. Not good at all. But I swear on a stack of bibles I was just trying to be a decent human being and make sure she didn’t die on her way to the hotel. I never make the same mistake twice.”

“Matt, I believe you. You screwed up once, and I know you wouldn’t do it again. And that sounds exactly like something Nikki would do. She has a way of bringing drama with her everywhere she goes.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, she does. So, here’s the dilemma. I can’t find Jo. When she saw us together, she bolted. But I couldn’t go after her because Nikki and her pals were so wasted I couldn’t leave them wandering around in that state, so Aaron, Tony, and I had to carry them up to their hotel.”

“Ah, that would explain the pictures of you outside The Bowl with Nikki in your arms.” Jake twisted his face into a grimace. “Man, people really know how to spin shit up here.”

“Yeah. They should all be screenwriters or novelists with how imaginative they can be with things. I knew they would be spitting out rumors like a dirty game of telephone.”

“Pretty much,” Jake said on a chuckle. “I’d heard a handful of strange ones when I woke up this morning and saw the texts.”

“Great. That probably means Jo has too.” I slapped my head. “I didn’t even get a chance to talk to her. By the time I got back to our cabin, she was gone.”

“She must be so heartbroken,” Cassie said, and I turned to see her hugging Poppy to her chest.

“Yeah. I’m sick about it. Not only did she see Nikki in my arms, but Aaron’s dumbass assumed the same thing and as she was running away from me, he told her to have a talk with me about not dating Nikki.”

“Shit,” Jake mumbled. “Jo’s gotta be wild. I’m surprised you’re still alive, to be honest.”

“She won’t take my calls and she said she’s going out of town for a few days. Can you two try calling her? Maybe she’ll pick up for you?”

“Of course,” Cassie said, then pulled her phone out of her jean shorts pocket. I held my breath while she dialed, but after pressing the phone to her ear, she shook her head. “Straight to voicemail.”

“Damn,” I grumbled. “I love her so much you guys. I’ve always loved her, and it turns out she’s the freaking reason I got myself mixed up with Nikki. Years of trying to convince myself I wasn’t in love with Jo led to the whole shitshow last year. And the worst part? Turns out Jo’s been in love with me all these years, too. All these years we could have been together, but we were both too stubborn and scared to admit it.”

“Matt, this is awful.” Cassie stepped forward and rubbed my shoulder while I cranked on my reel. “We’ll fix it.”

“We have to. I can’t lose her, guys. I can’t.”

“It’s Jo,” Jake said, then cast his line again. “She runs hot, and she runs... like away.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it. My whole goal was to never give her a reason to doubt me ever, and it lasted all of twelve hours.”

Jake shook his head. “Well, she may be able to avoid your calls, but she can’t avoid you forever. You just need to push your way back in and force her to listen. You, my friend, have the truth on your side.”

“She’s stubborn as hell,” Cassie added, “but she’s also not crazy. She’ll listen. Just stalk her at the cabin and JJ’s until you can make her listen. You two love each other, and there’s no way we’re letting Nikki blow up another relationship.”

“You think I should just wait around at JJ’s and catch her at work?”

“Yep.” Cassie nodded. “Go there every night and look for her. I had to force this guy to listen to me last year, and I’m so glad I was persistent.”

The two of them exchanged a smile, and I hoped that someday Jo and I would share the same love they had.

If only I could find her.

“Thanks for listening, guys. I just needed to let you know to ignore any rumors you hear about me and Nikki and get your advice on Jo. I can’t believe this happened at the worst possible time.”