The Wright Brother(61)

“She seems a bit…controlling,” I ventured as we joined Heidi at the pool table.

“I really do not want to talk about her.”

I held my hands up. “Okay.”

“What don’t we want to talk about?” Heidi asked. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Landon. She had this little worried tilt to her mouth.

She was seriously confusing me.

Was she…vibing on Landon?

No way. That couldn’t be it.

It had to be that she was just concerned about me and Landon being in the same vicinity after everything that had happened with Jensen.

“Miranda,” Landon said gently.

“Is she coming here?” Heidi asked, her voice rising an octave.

“God, no.”

“We’re trying to make sure everyone makes it out of this alive. I mostly want to see you kick Landon’s ass in pool. So, hop to. Make this happen for me,” I said to Heidi.

Heidi grinned devilishly. Her eyes swept to Landon. “You rack, and I’ll break.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” he said as he got to work.

And, suddenly, the three of us were back in high school. We’d spent countless nights at Heidi’s dad’s bar playing pool and having a good time. Half of the time, one of Heidi’s boyfriends would show up. There was a lot of making out in back booths and trying to convince someone to get us drinks and a whole lot less actual pool.

So, this felt normal and comfortable.

I never thought I’d feel like this around Landon Wright again.

And it was nice.





Twenty-Four



Jensen


One more call couldn’t hurt.

I’d told myself that after the last five calls.

But Emery still hadn’t picked up.

After Landon had stormed out of my house, I’d called Morgan, and she came over. She hadn’t known that Landon was coming in early either. So, she hadn’t been able to warn me. Though she thought the whole thing was poetic justice.

I thought she was full of shit. I had been planning to tell Landon. That wasn’t bullshit, as Morgan kept insinuating. But a part of me had known he would freak out. I’d told myself that I never would have gone after her if I’d known who she was. I’d told myself I never would have touched her if I’d thought she was staying in town. I’d told myself I’d stay away from her when I knew she was here for good.

With Emery, I couldn’t seem to keep my promises to myself. And I didn’t want to.

I didn’t believe in coincidences. If I kept running into her, it was for a reason. Not on accident. And I wasn’t about to walk away from someone just because of what might be.

But I hadn’t wanted to face Landon. That much was for sure. And it had gone much worse than I had anticipated.

I didn’t know what he was doing. I didn’t know what Emery was doing. And I just wanted to make this all right.

Landon was wrong about me hiding my problems. I’d fixed one problem this weekend when I bought Tarman Corporation out from under Marc’s nose. I could fix this one with Landon a lot quicker if I could talk to my girlfriend.

Except she wasn’t answering her phone.

Morgan gave me a worried look. “Maybe you should let it go.”

I wanted to throw my phone across the room. “I can’t just let it go. Landon is out there, pissed off at me. Emery isn’t answering my calls. What the fuck am I supposed to do, Morgan?”

“I don’t know. You made this mess.”

“Well aware of that. Thanks.”

“Look, I’m not patronizing you. But you knew this was going to happen. You knew that you would have to tell Landon.”

“And I planned to,” I told her for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Then, you should have just done it.”

“You’re right,” I said with a sigh. “Do you have Heidi’s number?”

Morgan frowned. “I might.”

“I need it.”

“No.”

“Why not?” I asked tersely.

“Emery is not answering your calls for a reason, Jensen. Give her some time. I’m sure that she is freaking out about all of this. No one likes to be ambushed.”

“So, I should let her walk?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying, give her space. If you were the one freaking out, would you want her to bombard you?”

I closed my eyes and sighed. That was how I had reacted with every other woman post-Vanessa. I hadn’t liked to be bothered. I’d wanted my space. I hadn’t slept. I’d just worked. That had been my life. I didn’t know what it was like anymore.

“Normally, no, but right now, I’m considering going to her house to see if she’s there.”