Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lorelei
Climbing into bed, I placed my fingers on my lips, still feeling the tingling sensation of his soft kiss. I forgot to take my last antibiotic pill for the night, so I climbed out of bed and went downstairs, where I saw Jack sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, holding a drink.
“I thought you went to bed.”
“Why are you up?” he asked.
“I forgot to take my pill.”
I walked into the kitchen and took a pill from the bottle sitting on the counter. Jack followed behind, opened the refrigerator, and handed me a bottle of water.
“Thanks.”
He nodded and went back to the living room, pouring himself another scotch.
“What’s wrong, Jack? I can tell something is bothering you.”
“Nothing. Go to bed, Lorelei,” he spoke in a harsh tone.
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
He took in a sharp breath. “Fine. Sit down.”
I sat on the couch, and he told me what his mother had done. I was in shock, to say the least.
“Now I have to tell Coco tomorrow, and I’m not sure how she will react. Unfortunately, she’s in love with that asshole.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You and me both.” He paced around the room, throwing back his drink. “Listen, I’m sorry for kissing you earlier. It was a mistake, and I got caught up in the moment. I’m just happy you’re feeling better. I’ll see you in the morning.” He set down his glass on the bar and walked up the stairs.
A mistake? Another mistake he made with me. I pulled away because I couldn’t let myself get wrapped up in him again. If I had kissed him back, I would have. I was still trying to deal with the fact that I didn’t tell him about Hope from the beginning. I’d never forget the look on his face that night he came to my apartment. The disappointment that his eyes displayed as they stared at me played over and over in my head. I fucked up, but so did he with the things he said, and I wasn’t sure if we could ever get past that.
The next morning, I showered and threw on a pair of leggings and a long t-shirt. When I walked into the kitchen, Hope sat at the table eating waffles, and Jack poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, baby.” I kissed Hope on her head.
“Morning, Mommy. Jack made me waffles.”
“I see that.”
“Coffee?” he asked in a bitter tone.
“Yes, please.” I walked over to where he was standing.
“Would you like breakfast? I make some pretty mean waffles. Just ask Hope.”
She giggled. “He burnt the first two waffles and had to throw them out.”
“I can make my own breakfast. You’ve done enough.” I lightly touched his arm, and he pulled away.
“Let me. You go sit down, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“You better do as he says, Mommy.” Hope smiled.
I sighed and took my coffee to the table, where I sat down next to Hope. After setting the plate of waffles down in front of me, Jack took a seat across from us.
“Coco may be here before I get back,” he spoke as he sipped his coffee.
“All right. I’ll be on the lookout for her.”
As soon as Hope was finished eating, I kissed her goodbye and walked her and Jack to the elevator.
“Have a good day, baby.”
“I will, Mommy. You too.”
I stood and watched as Jack took Hope’s backpack from her and placed his hand on the top of her head. A feeling washed over me that I couldn’t describe. For a brief moment, it felt like we were a family. He was still angry with me for last night, and his attitude still carried on this morning. He wasn’t happy when I pulled away from him. I shook off the feeling, went back to the kitchen, and poured another cup of coffee. A few moments later, I heard the elevator doors open, and Coco walked in.
“Lorelei, so happy to see you out of the hospital.” She walked over and lightly hugged me.
“It’s good to see you, Coco. How’s everything going?”
“Meh. As well as could be expected, I guess.”
She took down a cup from the cabinet and poured some coffee into it.
“Where’s Jack?”
“He took Hope to school. He’ll be back soon.”
“Ah. Okay. Do I smell waffles?”
“Yes. Would you like some?”
“I would love some. I haven’t had waffles in years.” She smiled.
I took two waffles from the freezer and placed them in the toaster.
“I must say, it’s nice to see you here in Jack’s kitchen. The only woman I’ve ever seen here is Madeline.”
“Really?” I cocked my head in disbelief.
“Yeah. Jack never let the women he was with spend the night. It was always sex and goodbye. A swift kick out the door.” She smiled.
“We aren’t having sex anymore. I’m just a guest in his home.”
“You may not be having sex now, but I’m sure you will be again.” She winked.
I could feel my cheeks redden as she stared at me.
“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetie. Between you and me, I think you’re a breath of fresh air for Jack, and he knows it.”
Putting the waffles on a plate, I took them to the table.
“Well, Jack screwed up when he found out about Hope and told me that he had made a terrible mistake and to forget about what happened between us.”
As I said that, I heard the elevator doors open, and Jack walked into the kitchen.
“Hey, Coco.” He walked over and kissed her cheek.
“Hey, Jack. So, tell me what’s going on.”