Page 68 of One Reckless Night

“Different isn’t bad,” he said.

“Don’t explain,” I said and shook my head. “I don’t need an explanation. I understand. I’m good enough to fuck, but that’s where it stops.”

“Wait, that’s not⁠—”

“No. Goodbye.”

“I can’t give you what you need,” he said. “This is my version of trying.”

I shook my head, feeling tears prick at my eyes. I blinked them away. “No,” I said softly. “This is your version of hiding.”

He didn’t respond, his expression closed off. I felt my heart break a little more.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I supposed that was something. He was sorry.

“Goodbye, Jared,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t stop me. I turned and walked out. The warm, humid air was a stark contrast from the cool air-conditioning in Jared’s house.

I took a couple of deep breaths, pushing down the sadness that tried to cling to me. It was better this way. I was smart. I had a lot on my plate that he didn’t know about and the last thing I needed was to deal with a man who couldn’t make up his damn mind about what he wanted.

It would have been a shitty relationship anyway. Jared didn’t trust me or anyone else. I wasn’t going to burden an already broken man with my problems. I’d always dealt with my problems by myself. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to stay. It was easier to move through life without having to worry about someone else’s feelings. I had to worry about my mother. That was enough.

Plenty of women stayed single their entire lives. That was going to be me. I felt it. I had grown up watching Kate Middleton get her prince. But now, I was thirty-one with no princes on the horizon. It was time to accept the fact I was well on my way to spinsterhood.

I would just have to be grateful for the great sex I did get with Jared. It was tempting to accept his offer for more great sex, but I couldn’t do it. My DNA wouldn’t allow me to have a fling. Maybe it was because I watched my mother mourn my father in her own brain-damaged way. Her brain refused to allow her to let him go.

But I didn’t dwell. That was not my thing. Life moved on. Dwelling just made it harder for me to move on with it.

The campus was quiet, the only sound the faint rustle of palm trees in the breeze. I felt sticky. I was getting used to the humidity, but the stickiness was still annoying. I spotted a bright red flyer on the bulletin board where various announcements were posted. It was for the Fourth of July party. The flyers were everywhere on campus. There was a clear box with a stack of them. I pulled one out and scanned it. I tucked it into my pocket and kept walking. I wondered if staying here, living here, working here at my dream job was ever going to stop feeling like a dream. When I had been in Miami with my mother, I had missed the campus. I couldn’t wait to get back to my lab and back to work.

But now, I wondered if I was really in the right place.

I walked back to my condo with my eyes burning with unshed tears. I’d let him take advantage of me, let myself believe that there could be something more between us. And now I was paying the price. I should have known there was never going to be a relationship. I had no one to blame but myself. When I met him at the awards dinner, I knew exactly who he was. I walked away that time; I should have walked a second time.

In my condo, I sank onto the couch. My phone rang, startling me. Jared?

I quickly pulled it out, expecting to see his number. But it wasn’t him.

My heart sank when I saw the number. It was the care facility.

“Hello?”

“Dr. Pritchard,” the nurse said.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to call so late, but… well, we think it’s best if you come as soon as possible.”

I closed my eyes, the tears spilling over. “I’ll be there.”

I hung up the phone and took a second to just remember to breathe. My mom. Jared. Everything was falling apart.

I got up and went to my bedroom to quickly pack.