Page 51 of Room Service

She wasn’t picking up.

“Did you speak to her?” I asked, looking up at Emily. “Did she tell you she was leaving?”

Emily scowled at me. “I had to hear she was leaving from another source. I called her, and she must have been on her way there in her car already. That was an hour ago. I would have come here immediately, but I was at home and I wasn’t properly dressed.”

“What did she say?”

It didn’t sit well with me that Jessi was closer to Emily that she would talk to her instead of me, but if there was a way to change things…

“She didn’t say much,” Emily admitted. “To be honest, I don’t know a lot of what went down between the two of you. I just have a bunch of rumors, most of which she confirmed. She sounded fine over the phone but I know that she’s not, and it’s because of you. She ran because she thought you would put her through more heartbreak.”

Jessi…

“Why didn’t she just talk to me…?”

It hurt to think that she would rather run from me than talk to me. Just what did she think last night was? Or the other night? I hadn't exactly clarified anything myself, but surely she knew my words from yesterday were sincere? I might have tried to lie to myself after our first time together, to convince myself I felt nothing for her. I knew that wasn’t true anymore. If she had just asked me yesterday…

I never did give her that apology, though. And I didn’t say everything that I should have, just what I thought she needed to hear to get her to stay. I should have asked if she was going to stay instead of assuming she would just because I said so.

“Fuck,” I muttered, dropping my face into my hands. I’d made a lot of mistakes with Jessi.

“I guess you finally realize that you were in the wrong,” Emily said, though her voice was completely sarcastic. “Well, that’s good, but what I want more than you realizing is you doing something. Whatever it is you’ve broken in my friend you will fix it, or else. I don’t know or care what’s happened between the two of you since you’ve been back here, but dammit, you will fix it!”

Her voice rose as she spoke until she was shouting at me, and I leaned back in my chair, feeling chastised. I was more than a little stunned at her vehemence, though there was still a small part of me not over the shock that Jessi was gone.

“I haven’t done anything to hurt Jessi,” I started, trying to defend myself. “She probably just got the wrong idea because we haven’t talked about anything—”

I cut myself off at her laugh full of derision as she folded her arms and cocked her hips to one side. She arched an eyebrow at me as she smirked.

“Oh, big brother. Don’t tell me that along with a black heart you happen to have a selective memory as well? I know I just said I didn’t know or care what happened between the two of you, but I’ve heard rumors from reliable sources, and we both know you’ve been mean to her in the past.”

That was more than enough to shut me up. I didn’t have to think back to know what she meant. I’d put Jessi down plenty of times, and it wasn’t like I’d cared if other people heard.

“On your first day at the hotel,” Emily started, “I heard you picked a fight with her. You didn’t think she could have got her job here fairly. And don’t think I missed what happened when you came to the mansion. When you left me to go running after Dad and ran into her. I heard the words you said about her, making a snub about the help using the front door. Oh, and there’s plenty more if we start digging into the past.” She gave a snort and sneered at me, tilting her head back so she looked down her nose at me. “Wow, big brother. I knew you were a douche, but to that girl? You were an absolute bastard.”

My fists clenched on my thighs where she couldn’t see as she listed out all the callous words I’d thrown at Jessi. She was right, our past was even worse. Back then Jessi had been around me a lot more than she was now.

“You know nothing about what’s been going on between me and Jessi,” I said, sounding a little defensive even to my own ears. “And it’s none of your business anyway; I don’t give a damn what you have to say. Now, please get out.”

She didn’t. Little sis was done listening to me. Forever, it would seem.

“That woman,” she said, pointing a finger at me. “Jessi? She loves you. She fucking loves you, Trent! She’s always loved you. I didn’t tell her this, but even before you left and I was a little kid, I would see how she would make eyes around you every time you walked into a room. And you have always, always, thrown it back in her face. I kept silent then because I didn’t know how to talk to you before, but I am fed up. I’m not just going to keep watching it anymore.”

I was stunned, once again. In my mind, I wondered just what my sister had seen all those years ago. I tried to find some sort of defense for myself, some protest. Could there really be anything to find? I couldn’t blame my family issues on it because it was my choice to be an ass to Jessi.

Hell, if I was honest with myself, I was an ass to them all and something of a tyrant, or Emily suddenly treating me so harshly wouldn’t be so shocking. Her temper had never been aimed at me, but that was more because she didn’t know me, and partially feared me, than that she had nothing against me.

I had a lot of making up to do. And not just to Jessi.

The question now was even if I wanted to try, could I? I looked up at Emily, the sister that I never knew, that I always thought was nothing but a meek, spoiled child but was now showing me colors I hadn't seen before. Had my brothers ever felt the same way, that they didn’t know how to talk to me? My father, who was always trying to get me to come home, and my stepmom who made attempts to get close to me I always rebuffed… what about her?

I hadn't treated them much like family at all, and here Emily was, telling me to get her friend back.

“You better go after her, Trent,” she said, voice suddenly quiet like she’d blown off all her anger while she’d screamed at me. “I don’t care about whatever else you do, and you’re going to have to figure out how to do it, but please bring Jessi back home. Soon, if you don’t mind.”

Home… this was Jessi’s home. And I’d been the one to run her off. I watched Emily turn and walk out of my office, closing the door behind her especially gently.

I should go after Jessi. Not just for my sister’s sake, but for my own.