The Exception(102)

“A park?” Kari asked. “Can I just wait here?”

“It’s not a park like you’re thinking,” Heather explained. “There’s Buckingham Fountain that is the best at dusk—so we should make it for that. And then the bean! You have to see that!”

“Here we go,” Brian muttered. Heather smacked him on the arm.

“Hey! I saw that on TV,” Max said, his interest piqued. “It’s this huge stainless steel piece of art that appears seamless, right?”

“Exactly,” Heather said, obviously happy that Max was interested in her city.

“You’re so hot, yet such a dork,” Kari said, shaking her head.

“Kari!” I laughed. “Be nice.”

“I said he was hot,” Kari said, defending herself.

“It’s okay,” Max said, grinning at Kari. “As long as she wants my body, I don’t care what she thinks about my mind. We do have to see that.” He looked down at her before looking back at Heather and I. “But then we will head to our hotel room.”

“You didn’t have to do that! You could have stayed with me!” Heather sat up, looking disappointed.

“I know. But this is doing double-duty as a vacation and I need some alone time with my girl,” he winked at Kari.

“I’m going out of town for a gig late tonight and I can leave my car at Heather’s if you need it, Jada,” Brian said, looking at me.

I smiled. “I don’t know if I have anywhere to go, but yeah, that would be great!”

“I’ll just have my buddy Matt swing by and pick me up from there and it’s all yours,” Brian said.

I smiled at my group of friends, overwhelmed by their generosity. “Thank you all for helping me through this. You all have sacrificed for me and I don’t know what to say. I appreciate it so much.”

“Hey, I am just lending you my car. From what I hear, Max deserves a real apology,” Brian said, cocking his head to the side, his eyes wide. “Britney Spears? That’s tough, dude.”

Max and Brian exchanged a head nod.

“On that note, all I do ask is that you leave my radio alone,” Brian said seriously, making me giggle.

“I promise.”

My phone began to ring in my purse and, with a heavy heart, I pulled it out. I expected it to be Cane, but when BLOCKED flashed across the screen, I froze.

Max had been watching me and didn’t miss a beat. “Who is it, Jada?”

“Blocked,” I muttered, looking at him with wide eyes.

His jaw set as he pushed his chair away from the table. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

“Max!” I said as he stood.

He looked at me, his phone in his hand, his eyes wary.

“Make sure he’s okay,” I choked out.

He flashed me a small grin. “He is going to be okay because he won’t leave you by yourself. Remember, he’s a selfish asshole.”

Please, God, keep him safe.





JADA

“Jada?” Heather called down the hallway the following morning.

“Yeah?” I asked, my voice giving away the sadness that I felt. It sounded raw, broken … not like me at all.

Well, not the usual me but maybe that was the new me. The me without Cane. The me without any certainty of the future. The me sick with worry, frustration, and anxiety.

“My coffee maker just broke,” she said, coming to the doorway of the bathroom where I was getting ready. “I don’t know what bad karma I spread for this to happen, but it’s not cool.”

“I’ll be fine.”

The only reason I’ll be fine today is because he sent me a text, letting me know that he was fine.

“I’m not worried about you,” Heather said seriously. “I can’t function without two cups flowing through my system. I’m going to jump in the car and run down to the coffee shop and grab a cup. Do you want me to bring you one? Or do you want to go with?”

I sat my toothbrush down on the counter. “Yeah, you know what? Let’s go grab some coffee and doughnuts. Caramel topped doughnuts would make me happier today.”

“I’ll have coffee cake, but okay. We’ll take Brian’s car. He blocked me in, but he left his keys on the floorboard,” Heather said, shaking her head. “It’s like he doesn’t realize that it could actually get stolen. It’s a good thing he’s cute.”

I smiled. “His dimples are adorable.”

“One day soon, I will give you all the details,” Heather said, eyes twinkling, as she led me out of the bathroom.

I scrunched my face. “Not all the details. I don’t want the nitty gritty.”