Chapter 36
JACQUELINE
Iwas not going to think about Jesse tonight. That was the plan. Instead, I was going to take a long, hot shower, open up my laptop to get some more work done, and not drink any wine.
While I definitely wouldn’t have minded a glass, wine led to poor decisions. Like texting or calling a man who hadn’t been taking my calls or texting me back. Which meant no wine and no Jesse.
Just peace and work.
After I stepped out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and reached for another to twist my hair up, desperately trying to stick to the plan. The apartment was quiet though, and it was making my thoughts as loud as they always got at this time of night.
This was normally when I’d think about him. When I’d try calling or texting just like I had been since Jane had come to see me, but after I’d missed that last call of his at Miranda’s cabin, I hadn’t heard so much as a peep in return.
My heart ached at the thought, so I shoved it away, but reached for my phone on the bathroom counter anyway. Not to check for anything from him, of course. I was waiting on a call from a client, so when the device suddenly started ringing right on cue, I smiled and instantly accepted the call.
This client would be the exact distraction I needed right now. “Hi, Melissa. I’m so sorry. Just give me one moment—”
I shot toward the bathroom door to prevent her hearing the echo, but before I’d even reached the door, a completely different voice spoke up. “Did you miss me?”
Every muscle in my body seized. That voice did not belong to Melissa Rupert. Instead, it was warm, smooth, and infuriatingly familiar, the sound of it doing ridiculous things to my heart.
Slowly, I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at the screen like it might’ve lied to me, but it hadn’t. I simply hadn’t checked it before I’d answered.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered into the microphone before bringing my phone back to my ear.
“That bad, huh?” There was a smile in his voice. I could hear it. “What are you doing right now, Jacque?”
I adjusted the towel around my chest like it might somehow give me control of the situation. “Why do you want to know? You’re in France and we broke up.”
“You might want to rethink that.”
Genuinely surprised, I paused just past the bathroom door, but at least I’d made it into my bedroom. “What am I rethinking?”
“All of it,” he said. “Where I am. What I’ve been doing. Whether we are, in fact, broken up.”
Suddenly very aware that I was in nothing but a towel, I went to my wardrobe and pulled out a shirt and some panties. “That’s rich coming from a guy who hasn’t been taking my calls or answering my texts.”
“I missed this.”
“Missed what?”
“You being mean to me,” he said, like it was obvious. “Look, I know our timing has been off, but I was traveling.”
I sighed and pressed the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I slid on my panties and a pair of sweats. “I’m not being mean and I’m pretty sure you weren’t traveling without your phone.”
While he chuckled, I hit the speaker button and dropped the device on my bed to pull on my shirt. “Well, yeah. I had it with me, but time zones and whatnot.”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see it, leaving my bedroom and making a beeline for the kitchen. Since my plan had already imploded, I was getting that wine now. “What do you want, Jesse?”
“There are a few things we need to talk about,” he said after a brief pause. “Actually, that’s an understatement. We have a lot to talk about.”
I let out a quiet, incredulous laugh. “That might be true, but you’ve been ignoring me.”
“I haven’t.”
“Then why haven’t you called me back?” I reached my kitchen and went straight to the wine rack to pull out a bottle of red. “Don’t give me that bullshit about traveling. We both know that’s not why you didn’t pick up.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, sarcasm slipping into my tone. “Did running off to another continent take up a lot of your time?”
“A little,” he said easily.
I uncorked the bottle and tried to ignore the way my heart was going ballistic right now. “What were you doing there anyway?”
“Long story.”
“Jesse.”
“I’ll tell you everything soon,” he said, his voice frustratingly calm. “I promise.”
“Why do you sound like this?” I asked, pushing up on my toes to get a glass off the shelf. “Why are you pretending nothing is wrong?”
“A lot’s wrong, baby.” He let out a quiet chuckle. “I’m just trying to focus on the positives.”
“What are the positives? They must be pretty fucking terrific for you to sound like you won the lottery.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Look, it will make sense soon, okay?”
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady myself before I shook my head, my voice suddenly coming out a lot quieter and a lot less defensive. “What are we doing right now, Jesse?”
“I’m building suspense.”
“For what?” My heart couldn’t take suspense on top of the intensity of the emotions swirling around inside at hearing his voice again. “Just tell me why you called. Please.”
There was a brief pause. “Are you home?”
The question caught me off guard, my response coming a few seconds slower than it should’ve. “Yes, why?”
He didn’t answer, but my buzzer went off, and my heart started pounding. “Jesse, what did you do?”
“Go check,” he said, still sounding far too happy.
Anticipation barreled through me as I abandoned my wine and rushed to the door, every step faster than the last. I hit the button on the wall without even thinking, unlocking the door at the base of my building.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. My brain cycled through a dozen possibilities in the few seconds it took to get from the intercom to my front door. I thought he might be here, looking either furious, wrecked, or completely fine. I even considered some grand gesture.
What I absolutely did not expect when I pulled the door open was the blur of dark brown that launched itself at me.
I barely had time to react before I was knocked backward, my foot slipping on the hardwood when something solid and enthusiastic collided with my body, throwing me completely off-balance.
The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, flat on my back, being licked on my face, my neck, and even my hair.
“Oh my God.” I choked out the words, laughing as I tried and failed to push the dog away from my face. “Stop. Just wait.”
A familiar bark rang out and my hands immediately stilled, no longer trying to push him away. My heart stuttered. I blinked hard, trying to focus on the face in front of me rather than the shock.
“Hubert?”
He barked again like he’d been waiting for me to catch up. I was laughing and crying at the same time, sitting up to wrap my arms around him. Naturally, he continued his full assault on my face, his tail wagging so hard, his entire body shook with the force of it.
“Oh my God,” I gasped again. “It’s you. It’s really you.”
I buried my face in his fur, a sob tearing out of me as I held him.
All the tears I hadn’t let myself cry before suddenly came streaming out, all the hurt I’d shoved down rising to the surface.
Everything I’d felt since that evening I’d walked into my London flat and found him gone came crashing into me at once.
“I missed you,” I whispered into his fur. “I missed you so much, boy.”
He whined softly, pressing closer like he’d missed me too. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed on the floor like that, crying into his neck while he licked whatever tears he could reach, but eventually, a shadow fell over us.
My vision was blurry when I finally lifted my head and looked up, seeing Jesse standing in the doorway. He was looking down at us, his eyes brighter than I’d ever seen them, but not in that joking, teasing way I was used to.
Instead, those blue eyes were rich with something deeper and warmer. Happiness, if I had to venture a guess. Real, unguarded happiness.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice still shaky. I pushed myself up but kept one hand buried in Hubert’s fur.
I couldn’t risk losing contact with him. Jesse, on the other hand, didn’t seem emotional or shaken at all. He just shrugged, like delivering my dog back to me out of nowhere was a perfectly everyday occurrence.
“I might have a warrant out for my arrest in France. Dognapping,” he said casually. “If there is one, though, my lawyers are already on it, so don’t worry.”
“You might have a what?”
“Don’t sweat it. I doubt he’ll go that far.” He smiled. “Seriously, I wasn’t planning on going back there anytime soon anyway. If you liked escargot, we might’ve had a problem, but you don’t, so there’s really no reason for me to ever go there again.”
I let out a breath that was half laugh, half disbelief. “I don’t think I even want to know.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“It’s definitely for the best.” I finally let go of Hubert to wipe my eyes. “I can’t believe you did this. Whatever it was you had to do.”
Hubert moved with me when I took a step, pressing against my side like he had no intention of leaving. I wrapped my fingers into his fur once more, still trying to process the fact that he was actually here.
He was here, with me, finally home. Except…
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. “What time do the pet stores close around here? I don’t have anything for him. No food. No bowls. No anything.”
Jesse jerked his head toward the door. “You can go tomorrow. Hell, you could probably even leave it until next week. Check the duffel bag.”
My gaze snapped to where he’d pointed and my jaw dropped. Sitting neatly by the entrance was a bag I definitely hadn’t owned five minutes ago.
When I glanced back at him, he smiled. “I told you not to worry. I’ve got you covered.”
Of course. Obviously, he even thought of that. God, all the planning that must’ve gone into this. For me.
The reality of the past few weeks apart settled over me, all the missed calls and the distance I’d put between us. The assumptions I’d made that might’ve been incorrect.
A lump formed in my throat as I looked back up at him. “What are we doing, Jesse? You flew across an ocean to steal my dog back, but you haven’t taken my calls. I jumped to conclusions about your family, but I’m still not convinced I was wrong. We’re a mess.”
“Yeah.” He slid his hands into his pockets, but those eyes never left mine. “Well, I don’t know what you were doing before we arrived, but I am hoping, since I’m already here, that maybe we could talk for a minute?”