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“Go be with your family. Let me know how your dad is after surgery.”
“Jillian?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for trying.”
I sat back against the seat, feeling the car’s trapped heat ignite my skin. Maybe this had all been wishful thinking. Our lives had diverged such different ways, it would take a miracle to get us all in one place again.
A knock sounded at the driver's side window.
My heart seized. Waiting outside was the person I hadn’t seen in almost a full decade. Our last time together being the night before I’d left for college, believing I’d begin my freshman year with him at my side. Until he ended our relationship and disappeared on me without another word.
2
Adam
I couldn’t believe it was actually her. Jillian. After all these years. Here, in person, where we’d made so many memories.
She looked…hot. As in, good looking, but also flushed with heat sitting in a parked car with the windows up during peak summer.
Her car door swung open and suddenly she stood right in front of me.
“I can explain,” I said.
She laughed. That kind of laugh where it wasn’t funny, and you knew something absolutely damaging waited to spring loose. “That’s rich. You can explain.” She folded her arms and stared. “Go ahead.”
I had the distinct feeling this wasn’t only about the house rental.
I cleared my throat. “The renter here—”
“Vincent,” she cut in. “His name is Vincent.”
Crap, this was bad. Steam spewed from her ears. “He, uh, told me just now we double booked. I’m really sorry. I had no idea you were here until I saw you in the car.” Just in case she thought the overbooking was intentional. I didn’t know what she’d think given how we’d left last things. “All I can think is a glitch happened when we switched reservation software six months ago. We de-listed from—never mind. Point is, we only show one record for the weekend and it’s these guys.”
I gestured with my thumb to the guys now tossing a football in the yard.
She glowered at me. “My mom is the one who suggested your rental. At first I told her no. For obvious reasons. But eventually I agreed because, well, I like this place and I haven’t been here since high school and I guess I was nostalgic. Big mistake.”
No way would I tell her my own mother had mentioned something about her reserving the rental for a weekend, but since I hadn’t seen her name on the reservations list, I’d assumed she’d decided against it. She definitely would have if she’d known I was living here for the summer.
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I take full responsibility. My parents retired and now they’re into traveling. They want to sell one of the properties, but it needs a lot of repair, so I’m—”
“You can spare me the explanation,” she said. “Though ironic you have an explanation for this.”
I winced from the dig. She was right. I’d hurt her all those years ago. The guilt dragged at me any time I let it. Here I had a shot at making things up and I’d ruined that too. Or, more like past me’s brilliant idea to switch reservation vendors when I’d suggested the idea to my folks. What were the odds?
“Anyway,” she went on since my own mouth couldn’t figure out how to speak. “I guess I’ll find a hotel for the night. No, you know what? I’ll stay the whole weekend. I deserve it.” She took her phone out and swiped across the screen. “I’ll make this a girl singular weekend. Then if Noah shows up, we can be a party of two.”
Noah. So she had a boyfriend. Not that it should have surprised me. The fact I was disappointed at all meant I needed to deal with the issues between us for good.
I snapped to reality. “Did you say you’re booking a hotel? You’re not going to find anything.”
She shot a lethal glare my way. “I’m sure there’s something available.”
She turned her back on me and focused on her phone.
“It’s Venetian Fest. Everything will be booked.”
