Chapter 33
It was time to end things. Whatever this confusing situation with Derek had become, it needed to stop. Jayna had spent the entire night tossing and turning, the kiss they shared in the parking lot replaying endlessly in her dreams. Was it a dream or a nightmare? The one thing she knew with all certainty was that she was catching feelings for Derek Brennan. And that was dangerous.
She needed to call it quits. If only there was a pill for this, like the DayQuil she took when she had a cold. There had to be something to overcome these unwanted emotions. Maybe there was a vaccine.
As she drove past Patty’s, she noticed both Lance’s Prius and Derek’s pickup parked outside. The time was now. She signaled and pulled in. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out on a slow exhale before stepping out of her truck. She walked straight to the door before she lost her nerve.
Her eyes adjusted from the bright sunshine as she entered the dark interior of the bar. Lance, along with two other paramedics, sat in the far corner. Her gaze flickered to the bar where Derek was seated. He wasn’t alone.
Lucy Bellamy sat on the bar stool beside him. Her hand rested on his shoulder, and she leaned close to him. Derek tilted his head, listening intently to whatever she was telling him. He threw his head back and laughed.
A flash of anger surged through Jayna. Why, though? It hadn’t been real between them. Just when had Derek come to mean something to her? He did matter, she realized. In the past few weeks that they had been ‘fake dating,’ their relationship had become real to her. But obviously it hadn’t for him. Derek met her eyes and didn’t acknowledge her. He turned away and leaned in close to Lucy, whispering in her ear.
The woman was even more flawless than she’d been in high school. It came as no surprise that she’d become a successful model. Lucy was tall, rail-thin, but still had an amazing figure. With her dainty features, the camera loved her. And if the rumors were true, she was also recently divorced and apparently on the prowl.
Why did it have to be Lucy?
Lucy had been the one he dated right after he’d broken Jayna’s heart in high school. That following weekend, at the bonfire, would forever be ingrained in her mind. There had been that one vacant look when he’d met her eyes across the fire pit. That had hurt more than his rejection. He’d looked right past her like she hadn’t been the girl he kissed the weekend before.
She shouldn’t be surprised. Derek was just being Derek. The player. She released a slow breath, letting the anger go with it. Her eyes shifted towards Lance, who glanced between Derek and her. Lance’s eyes locked with hers, and she saw compassion and concern in his.
Now, this was just the perfect scenario. Lance would believe that Derek’s flirtation had hurt her. She brushed away the tears that should have been fake yet were all too real. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. It was the perfect scenario to end things with Derek and make Lance believe she was the spurned party instead of the party girl he once thought she was.
On unsteady legs, she walked toward Derek. Hurt filled her voice as she spoke, and it required absolutely no playacting. She felt it. “Seriously, Brennan?”
He looked up, giving her a half smile. “Hey, Jayna.”
“What’s going on here?” she demanded, hands on her hips.
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing,” she exclaimed and brushed away more tears that fell. “Looks very intimate to me. It’s high school all over again. ”
“High school?” His brows furrowed.
No way he didn’t remember. Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe she was giving him too much credit. Maybe he was that callous.
“At least in high school, you had the guts to dump me before you took up with Lucy. Now, I don’t even get that?”
The V between his brows deepened. “We’re just talking. Just catching up.”
“Just breaking my heart all over again.” More tears escaped. “Derek, I don’t think you even begin to understand how badly you hurt me in high school. Seeing you with Lucy destroyed my confidence. The least you could have done was not so blatantly flaunt your relationship with her. It was cruel.”
She finally said all the things her younger self couldn’t before. “I cared so much for you. I offered you my heart, and you didn’t want it. You walked away. Without a backward glance.”
Roughly, she wiped away the river of tears pouring down her cheeks. Derek stood, but she held up a palm, stopping him. Lance was walking in her direction, concern written all over his face. Standing between the two men, she felt torn.
The expression on Derek’s face looked strained. Why though? Shouldn’t his expression be one of relief now that she’d finally let him off the hook? He was finally free to take up with the stunning Lucy.
Lance moved toward her. Relief should have filled her. Her plan may just have worked. She had Lance’s full attention.
Eyes on the prize, she reminded herself. Lance Roman was the reason for all of this. He was the man she could settle down with. So, why had she gone and fallen for her fake boyfriend? It wasn’t part of the plan. Yet, once again, Derek brought her back to reality.
His feelings for her had not been real. He’d been pretending all along. Now, what did she do?
A good place to start would be by giving her head a firm shake. In front of her stood a man who could offer her a real and stable relationship.
She’d be stupid not to seize this opportunity. It’s exactly what she’d wanted.
Blinking away the remaining tears that pooled in her eyes, she moved toward Lance. “I can’t believe he’s done this to me. Again!”
Lance held out his arm to her. “Why don’t we go somewhere else and talk?”
She sniffled and nodded, taking hold of his extended arm.
“Jayna!”
She heard Derek call after her, but she didn’t turn around. There was no point.
Her plan had worked. This was exactly what she had wanted.