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As much as I hated to admit it, Radleigh scored huge points with me for doing that. He was as aware as anyone of how much Jesse idolised him, and while he could easily have said nothing and hoped the situation would go away, he stepped up and took a little responsibility.
Who would have thought it?
“You know, everyone was worried about you today,” I said. “Between what Taylor did to you and what I did to Miguel, the atmosphere was pretty sombre at work.”
“I’m coming back tomorrow. I want to be back, keeping my mind off everything.”
His green eyes flashed with determination but I could see the doubt behind them. He wasn’t ready. Not at all. He was holding it together but it wouldn’t take much to knock him off his feet again.
“You should take the time off,” I told him. “You don’t need to rush it.”
“I don’t want people to think I’m a wimp. I got hurt, it happens, right? I should get on with my life.”
I smiled and squeezed his hand. “I admire your efforts, but at least give it one or two more days. If you want to play the game, your head really needs to be in it and it’s not at the moment. And that’s okay.”
Jesse nodded. “You’re probably right. But I feel like an idiot for caring so much.”
My mind flicked to Miguel. In my lifelong search for the ideal man, I’d found a string of unsuitable, un-feeling, and un-caring ones. Since I’d been in L.A, I’d met two guys who were both the kind any woman would be lucky to have. I threw away something special with Miguel, and Taylor threw away something special with Jesse.
“Do me a favour, Jesse. Don’t ever stop caring. I’d hate to see you turn into an asshole like McCoy because you got hurt by some girl who wasn’t clever enough to realise what she had.”
“Is that what happened to McCoy?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he might just be an asshole.”
.
Chapter 15: Is Spiderman Here?
The next few weeks passed by in a blur. I threw myself into my work even more deeply than before, at first as a way of keeping my mind off the seemingly endless gossiping, and then to prove to Richard that I was still up to the job. Things were not right between my boss and me and I knew they never would be.
That seemed to be the story almost everywhere. Freya, Jesse, Bryce and Bree were the only people who still treated me the way they always had. Will had got a little better but we were nowhere near as close as we used to be. Even Jude, who I’d always got on well with, wanted to keep Bree away from me just in case I led her astray.
Although I’d stopped being the talk of the team, it was clear that once your name had been dragged through the mud, people never forgot.
Ironically, Miguel was amongst the few who’d softened towards me. Whenever we saw each other things got a bit less awkward and a bit easier to handle. The hurt I'd caused him hadn't gone away. It wouldn't for a while but day by day the rift was healing. Having him as a friend was more than I ever dared to hope for.
And Radleigh? Nothing ever changed there.
****
The time between my brother calling to tell me he was coming to America and the time he actually arrived seemed to stretch on forever. They flew into Tampa, Florida, a few days before I was due to meet them, giving them a chance to settle in and recover from the jet lag.
The rest of the team weren’t scheduled to arrive in Tampa until late afternoon but I woke up early that Friday morning in order to be there by noon. It was a complicated journey, not least because Florida is three hours ahead of Los Angeles. I slept most of the way, and when I landed, I felt sick with excitement.
I was lucky enough to get to the hotel, check-in and shower before meeting my family in the hotel lobby. They were staying in the same hotel as me so we could squeeze in as much extra time together as possible – a feat which had taken a lot of organisation on my part. Thankfully, things went exactly as planned and when I stepped out of the lift into the lobby at twelve-thirty, my heart did a gigantic leap of joy.
“Auntie Leah!” Jamie squealed, launching into a run to greet me.
My nephew threw himself at me and I squeezed him tightly. “Hello my darling!” I said, kissing the top of his head. “It's so good to see you!”
“I missed you, Auntie Leah!”
“I missed you too!”
“Let her breathe,” I heard Josh say as he, Christina and Grace came towards me.
Jamie took a step back and Christina hugged me, and handed Grace to me for a cuddle. She had grown so much since I’d last seen her. I knew she didn't really know who I was, but she grinned at me. “Hi hi!”
