12. Hazel
The headache I woke up with pounded harder and I winced as I rubbed my forehead. I’d unexpectedly woken up at Jess’s place with her cat, Reina an inch from my face. I was pretty sure the bengal kitty hated me after I screamed and she jetted off the bed and out of the room.
I groaned as I checked my watch one more time. I was going to be late to work. I finished brushing my teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste Jess had in a little basket on the counter.
One of my shoes was still missing and there was no way I was going outside in the freezing cold with one shoe. The first one had been by the guest bedroom door so I assumed the other one was still in here. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled around the deep-pile cream carpet and checked under the bed and dressers to no avail.
This had been an awful idea to sleep here. I vaguely remembered Jess insisting I come to her house for the night even though I’d been in my own home. Well, not mine. Jareth’s, I reminded myself.
Jess must have dropped off clothes I found on the dresser before we both passed out for the night. The gold sequined pants and cream silk top were a little much for the office today, but so close to the holidays, no one would think anything of it.
I sat on the floor, rubbing at my temples. This is why I rarely drank.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” I said in a whisper-shout, not wanting to aggravate my head any more than I had to.
Alden, Jess’s boyfriend, who she called by his given name James, popped his head into the room. “I thought you might want this.” His hulking 6’4” body towered over me as I sat on the floor. I gave him the widest grin I could muster when he held out a glass of water and painkillers.
“Gimme, gimme. My head is pounding, and knowing Jareth, he won’t let up today just because I have a hangover.”
Alden frowned. “Jareth is a dick most of the time, but he seems to have a soft spot for you. I think it’ll be fine.”
I popped the pills into my mouth and swallowed them with a chug of water. “Any chance you know where my other shoe and phone are?”
“You took off a shoe at the front entrance, and Jess took your phone for safekeeping based on the mumbling she did last night.”
I laughed. “We had way too much to drink.”
“I think it’s okay to let loose sometimes. Until recently, Jess hasn’t had an easy time finding girlfriends she can trust. You’re one of the good ones, Hazel Finley.” He was a stoic guy and this was the longest conversation I’d ever had with him. His intimidating size and stature had originally made me nervous, but once I saw him around Jess I realized he was a big teddy bear.
“Thanks, Alden.” I scrambled up off the floor and checked the bedside clock. “I really need to check in with Jareth. I can’t remember if I let him know I wouldn’t be home last night.” A faint memory of Jess telling me she took care of Jareth floated through my mind. I walked toward the door, grateful I only had a headache today.
“About that… ”
I stopped mid-step and slowly turned around. “What do you mean about that?”
“Jess has been in contact with Jareth,” he answered. “I just want you to remember that when Jess ‘helps’ you, it’s because she loves you.” The air quotes only made his words worse.
“No, no, no, no, no. What did she say to him?” Oh, God, I let Lacey set me up on a date for tonight. I wanted to be the one to tell Jareth. “Forget it. Where is she?”
“Kitchen.” I took off running the moment Alden answered.
I made my way down the hall that seemed far longer than it normally did and then into the living room. I was huffing partially from the panic building in my chest and the unexpected run. Just before I took the corner into the kitchen, my attention caught on Jareth standing by the front door, arms crossed over his broad chest, eyes staring daggers at me. “Hey, Jareth, I just need to… ”
What the heck?
I slid on the tiled kitchen floor, my stocking feet ensuring a sudden stop was impossible. I wheeled my arms for balance and squeaked in surprise. Jareth? At that exact moment, I noticed Jess sitting at the large granite island sipping her coffee.
“Morning, Hazel. I guess you saw the fucking statue by the door.” Jess’s voice grew louder with the last sentence, clearly hoping Jareth would hear.
The loud grunt from the other room only confirmed it.
“What is happening right now? Why is Jareth here?”
She shrugged, a guilty look flashing across her face. “It might have to do with this.” Jess then slid my phone across the countertop.
My hand shook as I reached for it and tapped the screen. I started scrolling through my notifications, going faster and faster as I saw the number of messages Jareth had sent me the night before. I quickly looked toward the entry on the other side of the wall past the living room. “Oh crap, Jess.”
Each message became more frantic than the last, but they all held a similar theme and a variation of the following.
JARETH
Hazel, where are you?
JARETH
I’ve been home for thirty minutes, and you’re nowhere to be found.
JARETH
Answer me.
JARETH
Where the hell are you?
JARETH
Are you hurt?
JARETH
I’m calling Jess.
JARETH
I’m tracking your phone.
What? He wouldn’t. Yes. Yes, he would and why did I find that so hot?
JARETH
I see you’re with Jess.
Then nothing until this morning.
JARETH
I will pick you up this morning. Be ready.
“He’s pissed,” I whispered to her.
“So what? He’s a total dick. Maybe now he’ll appreciate you.” She shrugged.
“He appreciates me just fine. Oh, God. I have to go.” I pointed my finger at her. “Is there anything else I need to know before I face him?”
She winced.
“Seriously, Jess.” I threw up my hands. “You know what. I don’t want to know.”
“Call me later, boo. Everything will be fine.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter right now. I just need to get through my workday and then get home and ready for my date tonight.” Even saying the words in the light of day didn’t make me feel like I was cheating on Jareth any less than it did last night, which was ridiculous. Romantically, he and I were nothing.
Jess gave me a finger wave and a broad smile goodbye.
I straightened my spine and walked into the living room. “Hey,” I said and gave Jareth an awkward wave. Why did this feel so weird? Most likely because Jess wasn’t far off in her description of him. It wasn’t only the stillness in which he stood there but the tight tension evident in his biceps under the suit jacket, his crossed arms only accentuating them, his pursed lips, and the perpetual tick in his jaw.
I inwardly groaned at seeing my other shoe on the floor only a few inches from him. I placed a hand on the wall to hold myself up and slipped on both shoes. The heat of his body reached for me, and I so badly wanted to wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his shoulder.
“We have a tight schedule. Let’s get a move on, Hazel.” His clipped tone rubbed my heart raw. Although, it was good he was acting this way. His behavior would make it easier to go on this date and solidify in my mind we didn’t have a future together. Not in the way I wanted, anyway.
We stood side-by-side in the elevator, and the silence was killing me. “I’m so sorry if I worried you. I had too much to drink and didn’t have my phone on me… ”
He flicked his gaze to mine for a quick second before he turned to stare straight ahead.
Anger churned in my gut, threatening to spill over and explode through my body. I moved to stand in front of him. “You can’t ignore me all day, Jareth.”
No response.
How dare he behave like I did something wrong! “This is absolutely ludicrous. We’re adults, you’re not my father or my boyfriend. I can do whatever I want with my free time. I don’t answer to you.”
“Are you finished?” He raised an eyebrow. No way was I going to let him make me feel like I was overreacting.
“No, I’m not.” I poked my finger into his chest a few times for good measure. “I want you to know I’m over you.”
I ignored the chill that entered his eyes. He’d never directed it at me before, and even though I’d often seen it on his face before he took down a business opponent or an enemy, I didn’t fear him.
“Is that so?” His tone of voice matched the look in his eyes.
“Yes, it is.” Maybe if I said it enough, even I’d believe it.
“You will be over me when I say you are.” The second we reached the lobby, he snapped his jaw shut until we got outside.
“That is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard you make. Are you even listening to yourself?” What was wrong with him?
I shivered as the cold air hit me, realizing I’d never grabbed a coat. Jareth shrugged off his suit jacket and placed it around my shoulders. The instant his accumulated body heat that was trapped inside the fabric wrapped me in its warmth, I sighed in pleasure.
He opened the car’s back door, and I couldn’t help the tiny sniff I gave the lapel as I shimmied into the backseat. I loved his spicy scent.
“Let’s go,” Jareth said to Elias when he was seated and the door shut.
“We are not done with our conversation.” I snapped on my seatbelt and twisted to face him.
He leaned in, towering over me, saying nothing.
I shoved at his chest. “Get back on your side. And don’t think these stupid intimidation tactics work on me, you big idiot.”
A tiny smirk ticked at the corner of his mouth.
The downtown buildings whizzed by, the morning sunlight reflecting off many of the windows in each tall structure. When we turned onto the ramp to Rte. 95 South and not toward the building where we worked, I yelped.
“Elias, what are you doing? You’re going the wrong way.”
“Jareth, is there something you might want to share with Hazel before we get to our destination?” Elias grinned through the rearview mirror.
My eyes widened as we sped down the slightly congested highway. “Sugar honey iced tea. What did you do, Jareth Vizier? I’m not ready for any super important business meeting this morning. My laptop and purse are at home.”
“We’re not headed into a meeting, and I grabbed your laptop and purse. They’re in the trunk.” He sat back sinking into the supple leather and continued to ignore me.
I rubbed my forehead with the tips of my fingers. This felt like a weird Twilight Zone episode-type thing where nothing made sense, but to everyone else, nothing was wrong. “Where are we going?” We’d just passed the exits for Cranston and the first few for Warwick before I noticed we were taking the one for the airport.
I heaved in a shocked breath so fast I choked on my spit. As I sat there hacking, Jareth at least thawed enough to rub my back until I stopped gasping for breath. I hated when I did that.
“Clearly, you’ve noticed we’re heading to the airport.” His dry retort had me rolling my eyes at him.
“Is this just a day thing?” Please, please, please just be a day thing, I silently chanted in my mind.
He shook his head. “We’ll be gone for at least a week. Maybe more.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I can’t just leave for a week or two, Jareth. My grandmother?—”
“Jess and Alden will look out for her while you’re gone and give us updates. I also hired one-to-one care for her through a reputable agency.” An agency that I was sure cost an arm and a leg. Not that it mattered.
“But Christmas is in three days. I’m supposed to spend Christmas Eve with my friends. Christmas with my grandmother.” This couldn’t be happening. He knew how much I loved the holiday. Why would he do this to me?
“Your friend, Niki, will be informing them that you are unable to make it. She also agreed to take care of your grandmother on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.”
My heart beat an unsteady rhythm along with my eyelashes as I tried not to cry. “But Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday,” I finally whispered.
I loved spending time with my family and friends, opening gifts together, reminiscing about the year, and discussing plans for the new year. And now, because of Jareth, I was going to miss all of that.
A pained expression crossed Jareth’s face before he hid it behind a mask of stoicism. “You can celebrate with them when we get back.”
“You don’t get it,” I muttered and looked out the window.
We’d pulled into the part of the airport for private planes. He’d never understand what he’d taken from me today. And right now I hated him for it. Lacey would never understand and neither would Gran. We’d never missed a holiday since I moved in with her.
Another thought hit me. Lacey set up the blind date for me tonight. She was afraid that if we left too much time in between, I’d back out. I needed to make sure she canceled with him. I groaned. “Not only am I missing Christmas, but I had a date tonight.”
Jareth’s eyes flashed fire. “It’s been canceled.”
My eyebrows drew together. “How did you even know I had a date? I need to call Lacey, and tell her I need to reschedule.”
“I’ve already informed your date that if he comes anywhere near you, I will destroy him,” Jareth growled.
“Wait, what did you do?” He had clearly ignored my question about how he knew about my date.
My mouth opened and closed, not able to find words to address his high-handedness. A weird volley of emotions raced through me. Relief that I didn’t have to go on a date I wasn’t ready for. Then guilt because I should be and Lacey had gone to all the trouble to set it up. Then the anger built up, starting in my stomach and racing up through my chest.
How dare he?
His spine straightened. “I told him you were unavailable for the foreseeable future,” he said with absolutely no remorse.
“You. Can’t. Do. That.” My hands sliced through the air as my outrage forced the words out crisp, steady, and staccato-like. I couldn’t believe the audacity of Jareth.
“I can, and I did.” He got out of the car.
“You don’t own me Jareth. You can’t just make these decisions without my input,” I was practically screeching, I’d gotten so worked up.
My gaze helplessly went from Elias back to the door that stood wide open. Jareth leaned in and held out a hand for me to take.
I ignored it.
“Hazel,” he sighed, letting his hand drop.
I shook my head. We didn’t need to talk. Actually, I didn’t need to speak to him right now. I was still stunned at his revelation. First Christmas, and now a date I’d finally worked up the courage to accept?
“We need to go to Bali.”
I stared straight ahead. There wasn’t any way he could force me out of the car. I’d scream bloody murder.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Terri reached out to me this morning. There’s a lead I need to follow about my dad.”
The rage still sizzling in my gut died down the slightest bit. How could I say no to that?
I got out of the car and faced him. “I’m still furious with you about railroading me. If you’d just explained… ”
“Hazel—”
I threw up my hands, making a concentrated effort to lower my voice, “The reason for this doesn’t excuse what you’ve done. I’ll go because it’s important to you.” He was finally including me in this aspect of his life. Yet the joy I thought I’d feel was dampened by the way he went about it. And a small part that had hoped he canceled my date out of his desire for me fizzled fast.
I pulled his jacket tighter around my shoulder as the cold winter wind whipped past me. I needed some time to myself right now even if it was only boarding the jet a few minutes before him.
With a heavy sigh my heart ached. I wasn’t just mad at him right now. I was disappointed, and that was so much worse.