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“Enough of this shit. We’re supposed to be hiking, not talking about women,” I said firmly.
“You’re only hiking with me because you’re having woman troubles. And before you deny that, look in the mirror next time you talk about PJ. You’re sulking like a little boy who lost his puppy.”
“Fuck you!”
Jerry laughed. “Prove I’m wrong. Fly down to Florida and see her.”
“How the hell would that prove anything?”
“The fact that you paused long enough to even consider it says something. You want to see her again. Heart men aren’t just stubborn assholes. We don’t sit back and wait for things to happen. We want something, we get it. Now all you need to decide is how badly you want to see PJ again,” Jerry said.
I had no idea why I wanted to see her again. All we’d done was hold hands, which still blew my mind. Yet I couldn’t stop thinking of her. I didn’t want Jerry to be right, but I had to see her. Even if it was one last time, to say sorry.
“You going to make up an excuse for my early departure?” I asked.
“You might as well just tell them the truth. They won’t believe anything else,” he warned. “Remember, these ladies have been around us Heart men long enough to read through the bullshit.”
“Great. Then do me a favor. Pack my stuff and get it back to Boston for me. This way I can leave without having to hear any more about it.” If Jerry’s lecturing me, I sure as hell don’t want to be confronted by the ladies.
While hiking back down, I texted the pilot for the Heart jet and made arrangements for him to pick me up at a small airport nearby. Hopefully when I got to Orlando, she wouldn’t be hard to locate.
How many Philomena Wilsons can there be?
Several hours later, I landed in Orlando. Before I could disembark, my phone chimed. It was a text from PJ.
SORRY WE GOT DISCONNECTED YESTERDAY. THANK YOU FOR CHECKING ON ME. I MADE IT HOME SAFELY.
Was it that simple? If the call had accidently been disconnected, then why didn’t she call me back or pick up any of my calls after that? That excuse wasn’t cutting it for me. She was avoiding me. I needed to know why.
I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU.
That was straightforward. I hated texting–it made me feel like I was twelve and passing notes. Without waiting for a response, I rang her phone. Again, it went to voicemail. What the hell.
SORRY. AT WORK, CAN’T TALK NOW.
PJ seemed to have very unusual hours. Once again, she was at work at six pm. We never talked about what she did, but whatever it was, the dress code was black. Maybe she was a hostess at a restaurant. That could explain the grim attire and the odd hours. It was possible she was in New Hampshire for an interview. Right now, I didn’t care about her employment status, just her availability.
HOW ABOUT AFTER WORK?
A few seconds later she replied. FREE AFTER EIGHT.
That was settled. We could meet, talk, and maybe from there decide if we were going to see each other again. Now all I needed was her address.
I hated to do it, but I had no choice. I dialed Lizzy.
“Please don’t be calling to say you screwed things up with PJ so soon.”
There was definitely a price to pay and listening to this was it. “I haven’t seen her. Which is why I’m calling you.”
“You’re asking me for a favor?” Her tone changed, and I could hear the excitement. “What is it? Do you need help picking out a gift for her, or maybe flowers, or….”
“Just her address,” I snapped.
There was a brief moment of silence and then Lizzy said, “Why don’t you just ask her for it?”
“I would like to surprise her,” I explained.
Lizzy chuckled. “I’m not sure that would work out the way you think. I mean, she left here not wanting to see you. Do you think showing up uninvited is going to help?”
