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"You want to know something I never told anybody?"
I definitely do. "Sure," I answer.
He sighs. "I inherited all my money from them. After they died, I got it all. And I'd give it all up just to have them back. Sometimes, I wish I could just rewind time and redo everything starting from when I was sixteen."
"Why sixteen? You said they died six years ago?" Which would have made him twenty at the time.
He clenches his jaw, his eyes glossing over, focusing into the past. "Oh, I don't know. I was just a stupid kid in high school."
Does he remember how he was back then? He still doesn't even know we went to school together. Would he tell me if he did? Or is this him implying that he does remember? I want to hear him say it, so I pick my next question carefully. "What do you mean?"
He smiles his sad expression again. "Oh, nothing, just that if I had a chance to go back, I would have been nicer to my parents in high school. Especially if I knew they only had a few years left."
Well, that was a short-lived hope. I'm an idiot for giving him credit that he might think of someone other than himself. But of course not. He's still the same Jamie I knew back then. I was invisible to him then, and that's why he doesn't remember me now. But I'm not the same Lara. The Lara today refuses to back down. I kiss him softly on the lips. "Well, all you can do now is try to be the person you wish you could have been back then."
He kisses me back. "I'm glad I have you."
"I'm glad I have you."… Exactly where I want you.
"All right, time to rally before work. Gonna hop in the shower." He smirks. "Do you want to join?"
I fake a yawn. "I'm going to relax here a little longer if that's okay. You kept me up all night."
"Hey, that's your fault." He stands up and leans over to slap my ass. "How am I supposed to sleep with this lying next to me?"
"Ha-ha."
He crosses the room to the shower, and I hold my breath. Close the door… close the door. Shit. He left it half-open, his profile visible as he shimmies out of his boxers. "Hey, so I know we haven't made a formal announcement at Eden's about our relationship, but maybe it's time. What do you think?" The shower turns on, and as he steps inside, he is blocked from view. And if I can’t see him, then he can’t see me.
"I think it's up to the boss." My response hides the squeak of the mattress as I roll across it and grab my purse from the nightstand. The gold key I took from Jamie's office is in my front pocket. As quietly as I can, keeping my eyes on the bathroom door, I remove the key and open the nightstand.
Please work.
I slide the key inside the lock—it fits. I twist the key in my fingers, my heart racing in anticipation. Will it turn or is it the wrong key?Click–a flood of relief washes away my tension as the door of the safe swings open. A thousand possibilities have already crossed my mind about what Jamie is hiding in here. More bogus tax returns? Stolen money? Drugs? Blackmail documents? The possibilities are endless. I can only hope it is something I can use.
I lean over the edge of the bed so I can reach inside, nearly falling off the edge. There’s nothing inside!
Wait… Swiping my hand along the bottom of the safe, I discover what feels like a paper card. I scoop it up with my fingernail, and as I look up to double check Jamie is still in the shower, I pull it out.
It’s a photograph.
I take a few seconds to process the image before it comes to me. It’s the Sawyer High School Football team. Jamie is front and center. A couple of the other faces are familiar and as I skim the names typed across the bottom of the image, a wave of memories and emotions flow through me. Seth Waters, Mark Rockwell, Clyde Day.
Why would Jamie keep this in here? In a locked safe? It’s not worth anything.
On the far-right side of the photo is a smaller guy posing next to an orange water jug. The photo is wrinkled and crumpled directly over his face, so much so that I can barely make out what he looks like. His name isn't listed either.
The sound of the shower stops and Jamie hollers, "Do you want to grab lunch before work?"
Fuck! I whip my phone out of my purse, snap a quick picture of the photo, and drop it back inside. I hastily close the door and turn the key.
"Sure, babe. Lunch would be great," I shout back as I drop the key into my purse and hastily place it back on the nightstand.
Just then, Jamie's phone vibrates on the nightstand, and a text by ‘Mark’ pops up. I bet it’s the sameMarkfrom the photo. I know Jamie's password, so I quickly type it in and read the text.
(Mark)Drinks tonight? 10PM, Wesley’s on 4th?
I type in a response without thinking.Yeah. See you then.
