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Her eyes flash with that impatient light that is so hers. Her lips purse in a way that conjures memories of cold shoulders, nagging, and attitude for days. “No.”
I’m annoyed too now but I manage to keep my tone mild. “Then, why are you here?”
“You don’t pick up the phone or return my calls, Jax. This is the only way I can talk to you.” And that is so her. Though she left me, God forbid I ignore her messages.
“I didn’t think there was anything that needed to be said.” This time, I glance at her belly.
As if by reflex, her hand splays over it but she takes two steps toward me until we are so close a kink breaks on the base of my neck. Something inside tells me to step back.
“I told you I want to stay friends. I care for you. I always will. Just because we’re not together, doesn’t mean we have to be enemies. We went through a lot together. No need to throw it away.” She smiles and places her free hand on my arm.
I step back this time. “How does Bradley feel about this?
“He’s okay with it.”
“That’s cool. He’s a better man than me. I wouldn’t take kindly to the woman who is pregnant with my baby, touching her belly with one hand and her ex with the other.”
She backs away a step. “It’s not like that.”
“You play games and right now, you are trying to play one with me to get your way. But it’s not going to work. Let me be perfectly honest here, I don’t want to be your friend. Why would I want to be friends with someone who turned her nose up at my mom’s house or that never wanted to spend any time with her? Why would I want to be friends with someone who left me because I didn’t buy the house she wanted me to or apply to the job announcements she sent me?”
I’m not yelling or riled up. But the words are just flying out of my mouth.
“You said I don’t have enough ambition. You found someone who has all that, so go enjoy your life and leave me alone.”
Her face is flushed and her nose flares and she stomps her way to the front door. I exhale but then she turns around, her eyes flashing and her finger in the air pointing to me. I brace myself for the epic meltdown in the horizon.
“It’s funny how everything is my fault. I’m the bitch that left you and found someone else. Your mother must be having a field day with that. She never liked me anyway. But did you ever tell her that you left before I did?”
She scoffs. “Was it fair for you to expect me to put everything on hold until you got yourself together or your money was right again? How long would that have been? You’re still working two jobs and this house is nowhere near done. You didn’t take me into account. You bought the house without caring that I didn’t approve and basically told me to live with it. You just expected me to live here and what? Put my money into it too?”
“No, as you can see, I don’t need your money.”
She laughs. “Yeah, because you’re throwing all yours at it. But what about us? When were we going to travel and do couples things, like we used to? Between your two jobs and the work you started doing here, we didn’t have time to do the things I wanted together.”
I think of Saona’s visit last month. I spent the long weekend working in the house. She’d talked to me as I worked and other times she’d gone and done her work in the family room. We’d gone to different spots for our meals and taken walks. We’d even hit the bar. She’d never complained once.
“That wouldn’t have been forever, Josie. Things were going to get better—”
“Have they, Jax? I know you still work at the bar. Was it fair for you to ask me to wait?”
It’s a left hook to the gut and a real good one. Things are not as tight as they were a couple of months ago, nothing unexpected has come up with the house, but they’re far from where I want them to be.
“They’ve gotten better in my book. I know this wouldn’t have been better for you.”
She scoffed again. “I wanted so much more for us. Was that so wrong? I didn’t want to be tied up to an old house. I guess painting me as a demon makes you feel better and justified. Be my guest.”
She walks out of the door, leaving me in the company of her words, which won’t go away.
I finish installing the garbage disposal and call Matt over for a beer. As it turns out, he needs a break from a movie night with Lacey and Kelsey.
“So, what did the resident she-evil want?”
I chuckle. He started calling her that when we broke up. It’s never gotten old.
“Same thing as the last few months. She wants to stay friends and since I don’t pick up her calls, she came to try to force me in person.”
He makes a gagging motion. “She’s always been a piece of work. Always trying to force you to do what she wanted. I’m glad you saw the light and showed her the door.”
