A Perfect Distraction(93)
His silence couldn’t be good.
“I’m sure there’s a good explanation.” The hint of uncertainty in Jenny’s tone wasn’t reassuring.
“He’s probably decided I’m not worth the bother.” She couldn’t blame him; she’d never been good enough for Lee, either.
Tracy snorted. “After everything he’s done over the past few days, why would he suddenly change his mind about you?”
“Because it hasn’t made a scrap of difference.”
Jenny shook her head. “Jake will be as frustrated as you are.”
The mantel clock chimed. Eleven-thirty.
Her phone remained silent.
“If that’s true, why hasn’t he called, or even texted?”
“I guarantee Jake hasn’t changed his mind about you.” Jenny eyed the sole remaining brownie wistfully, then pushed the plate away. “He thinks you’re perfect.”
A chill went through Maggie. “I keep telling you, there’s no such thing. I’m not perfect.”
“All right, he thinks you’re perfect for him. He won’t walk away because your situation is too challenging.”
Maggie wished she had her friend’s confidence. “We’ll see.”
Jenny rose, stifling a yawn and hugged Maggie. “If you haven’t heard from him by morning, I’ll go to his house and beat some sense into him.”
Once Jenny had gone, the sisters tidied up the kitchen.
“I can’t believe Jake will let you down.” Tracy wiped the counter.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am. This rubbish will die down. Your solicitor will sort Lee out. Life will return to normal. You and Emily will get residency.” Tracy grinned. “You’ll live close by, maybe even with Jake, and everything will be perfect.”
There was that bloody word again. Perfect.
Maggie knew better than to count on everything working out. Still, that little flicker of hope hadn’t been extinguished yet. Maybe this time would be different.
When Tracy went to bed soon after, Maggie returned to the living room. The clock marked midnight. As each chime echoed through the quiet house, a dark prescient feeling hovered over her like a gathering storm cloud.
“Enough.” She grabbed her mobile and dialed.
No answer.
When it clicked through to voice mail, she hung up and tried again. Still no answer. This time she left a message asking him to call.
After ten minutes, she tried again. When she still had no joy, she called Tru.
“Hey, Maggie. What’s up?” His cautious tone sent an uneasy shiver down her spine.
She bit her lip. Whatever was wrong, she had to know. “I’ve been trying to reach Jake but keeping getting his voice mail.”
“Uh...he didn’t feel well and left.”
So Jake didn’t want to speak to her.
“I see.” She tried to sound calm, though she was close to shattering.
“We’re sharing a ride to practice tomorrow. Can I give him a message?”
Unwilling to appear needy, she declined. She snapped her phone shut. She wanted to toss the bloody thing against the wall, but switched it off and laid it on the table before heading upstairs to bed. That way, she wouldn’t spend all night waiting for the phone to ring and dying inside when it didn’t.
After a restless night, during which she’d slept only fitfully, Maggie made herself wait until she’d seen Emily off to school before turning the phone back on.
No missed calls.
“Nothing?” Tracy stood in the doorway.
Maggie shook her head, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
“Go over there.”
“I will, later. He has practice shortly, and I have work to do.”
“Don’t worry about work. I’ll cover for you.”
“Thanks, but I’ll face him in my own time. On my terms.” Maggie hugged her sister, then went upstairs.
She deserved better than Jake’s silence. Had the right to the truth, delivered in person. If their relationship was over, so be it. Her heart ached, but she stiffened her resolve. Better to know than to cower with dread. She was stronger than that.
Squaring her shoulders, she switched on her computer.
Maggie worked until the early afternoon, skipping lunch because she couldn’t face food. Unable to focus, she did routine tasks that required little thought. Ibuprofen kept her throbbing temples from becoming a full-fledged headache.
By two, she’d had enough.
Arriving at Jake’s house, Maggie was surprised to see the reporters had gone. Another juicy story must have broken.
There was no answer when she rang the doorbell.
She checked her watch. He should have returned from practice by now. Should she leave or let herself in? Not prepared to let him keep avoiding her, she used her spare key to open the front door.