Chapter Nineteen – Jenna’s Lie #2
One of the plans we’d drawn up on the whiteboard had stuck out to her.
After some workshopping, she leaned into it and pivoted her career to not only building businesses but helping other women do the same.
It seemed overnight she had come up with funding not only to invest in these businesses, but to help secure grants to help the women she would work with.
Every new piece of information she shared with us only made me feel prouder.
She was going to change the lives of so many!
And then, there was Tayvion, who was absolutely glowing.
I knew there was more to it than just the topical report she’d given us about her job and weight loss.
She insisted she wasn't trying to lose too many pounds, but she wanted muscle, she wanted to be stronger, and I agreed with that.
I was never going to be thin, but I prioritized strength.
When I asked her about the trainer I had assigned her, she tried to change the topic after a quick comment about him being ‘alright’. That alone told me all I needed to know. Whatever secret she hid from us had something to do with him. I wouldn't burst her bubble, though. At least, not yet.
“I really should get home. I have some early meetings tomorrow and another TV spot to prepare for.”
“When is it?” Tayvion asked. “Maybe we can be there this time. I’d love to see you in action, live and in person!”
“A few weeks, but I'll still want to plan things out. The last one was major, and I think it was so successful because we marketed it ahead of time. We're going to be going over strategies tomorrow to figure out how we can get an even better turnout for this one.”
“I'm so proud of you.” Cadence beamed.
“I'm proud of all of us. Look at us, setting goals and reaching them,” I said. “That’s the magical result of having a solid sisterhood.”
“Yeah, but just don't work too hard,” Cadence warned me. “I know you said you felt okay, but still. Have you heard from Likosa again?”
“No, I haven't, and my abilities are just fine. It could last for months. It's been less than two weeks.”
“If you feel okay about all this, I’ll drop it. But make sure you keep us posted.” Cadence glanced at Tayvion, who nodded in agreement.
“You know I will.”
At home, I was accosted by Sire the moment I walked through the door. She was still being just as clingy.
“Girl, I need to take a shower. You’re going to have to back off!” As Sire fussed over my request for space, the doorbell rang.
“Please don't be Lyra,” I muttered as I went to the door.
Things had been increasingly awkward with the neighbor.
Every time I saw her, I could tell she was holding back something.
The initial arousal she had was no longer there, and I wondered if it was because I ripped it away from her and gave it to the driver.
She shot strange looks at me, and I felt an underlying sense of anger from her. It was strange, but I had bigger things to worry about than a neighbor being weird.
When I checked the security camera, I saw someone else I’d been avoiding.
“Jenna?” I opened the door, immediately questioning her presence. “What are you doing here?”
How the hell did she know where I live?
I tried my best to push away the echoes of Tay calling her a crazy stalker as those eyes that seemed a little too wide looked up at me.
“Shontae, hey. Sorry, I hope you don’t mind my popping up on you.” She fiddled with the thin strap of the purse across her chest.
“Nah, um…it’s cool. How did you find my address?” A sense of paranoia crept up my spine, and I scanned the street behind her.
“Oh, uh, Milton… You know our old friend. He slid me your details.” She smiled. “Don’t be mad at him. He owed me a big favor, and I cashed in.”
“I see.” I made a mental note to kick Milton’s ass for that. “But why are you here?”
“I just wanted to apologize. It didn’t feel right to just send a text.” She took a deep breath. “It shouldn’t have taken me this long to do this.”
“I told you it’s fine. You’ve been through a lot. Falling asleep isn’t a big deal.” I hadn’t faced Jenna at all since everything happened, and looking at her trying to steady herself, I felt like shit for it.
“But it felt like we were—I don’t know—going somewhere.” Those wide eyes locked on me, and it felt like every red flag and alert system in my head went off at the same damn time. She was not there just to try to convince me to be friends again.
“Yeah, Jenna, I actually meant to reach out to you about that. I know where things were going, but it’s probably best they didn’t get there.” I tried to deliver the message as gently as possible.
“Oh.” She took a small step back.
Looking at her wide eyes lower and well with tears, I couldn’t help myself.
I jumped to make her feel better. I couldn’t stand there and watch her blame herself for what took two people to make happen.
Neither of us should have been in that space.
We were playing with fire, and I was grateful I stopped before either of us got burned.
It would have been so much worse for her.
No more space left in your pocket.
“Jenna, I can already see you blaming yourself, but seriously, don’t do that.
I wasn’t in the right headspace when you hit me up, and if I had been, I would have turned you down.
There is just so much going on with me right now, if we had been together, it would have been a false start to something I have no intention of continuing.
It would have been me using you as a distraction, and that’s not right. ”
“Right. I see.”
For the first time in days, I tried to use my power. I imagined that blanket of energy, calm and cool and blue, like the shallow waters on a warm beach. I pushed it out from me until it reached her. Carefully, I folded it around her until I saw her body relax.
“Look, come in. I can get you something to drink. How’s tea?” I stepped aside, creating space for her to enter the house.
“That would be nice.” She nodded, perking up some as she entered.
You should send her ass home and call the cops!
Having Jenna in my home made me feel uncomfortable for so many reasons. As she examined everything she passed, I wondered what she thought about my home. Was she judging me? Was she imagining herself living there? I couldn’t tell, because I’d already worked my magic on her to calm her energy.
Instead of speculating, I led her through the house to the kitchen, where I pointed at the small table for her to sit.
She watched me carefully as I navigated the space, putting the kettle on and pulling out two cups for us to drink from.
A few minutes later, I sat across from her with two cups.
“Careful, that kettle is quick, but it gets really hot.”
“Thank you.” She nodded. “Your home is beautiful. It’s exactly what I imagined for you. Uncomplicated.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean, it’s clean, not cluttered. Minimalistic, but there is still so much of you here. Like the jersey hanging on the wall in the hallway, and the way you have about six different pairs of sneakers littered by the front door.”
“Littered is harsh.” I snorted. “They’re organized.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” She chuckled nervously. “Should have used a better term.”
“No, I get what you mean. I like my space simple. And yeah, I got through a lot of shoes with my job.”
Just then, Sire flew into the kitchen. I could tell she recognized Jenna because she made a snorty noise of disapproval before landing on my shoulder.
She turned her beak up at Jenna and then tightened her hold on my shoulder—not enough to hurt, but enough to let me know she wasn’t on board with Jenna being there.
“This bird was always so strange. Did you ever find out her species?” Jenna’s hand twitched with the urge to pet Sire, but prior interactions made her think otherwise.
Sire always snipped at her whenever she tried to make contact.
“Actually, I stopped trying,” I lied. “After a while, it just didn’t seem that important. The vet says she’s perfectly fine. That’s all that matters. It’s okay that she’s unique.”
“Hmm. Well, good she is still alive and well, I guess.” She peered at Sire, who, for the first time, felt uncomfortable with the added attention. She hopped down from my shoulder and left the room by foot, making sure to tap her talons loudly against the floor with each step.
You better get Jenna out of here before she comes back and sets her ass on fire.
“Are you sure?” Jenna asked me after a long sip of her tea.
“Am I sure what?” I watched her carefully, her aura flickering from yellow to gray and back.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try it, Shon?”
“Jenna, you’re being vague.” I chuckled.
You know damn well what she’s talking about. Red flag! Sound the alarms! Call the cops! Get her out of here!
“Shontae, I didn’t come all this way to be your friend. I wanted more with you.”
“I thought you came all this way because of your mother. She needs you. That’s what you should be focused on now.”
“About that,” she sighed and pushed the cup away from her. “My mom is fine.”
“What?” I frowned.
“She’s fine, healthy as ever. Actually, she doesn’t even live here anymore.” She waved off the comment, as if she didn’t sound insane. “She moved to the islands a while ago.”
“So you lied about your mother being sick? Why would you do that? Don’t you know that brings bad energy?”
Oh, she crazy, crazy! Tay is going to eat this up!
“Shontae, you know I’ve never believed in those silly superstitions. So, I told a little lie to get closer to you. Shouldn’t that make you happy? You should be even more pleased to hear my mother is okay.”