I was royally confused. Beyond confused. And sick as a dog.
Why call and text and show up, only to ignore me when I tried to get in touch with him again? Is he trying to punish me or something for not answering?
That didn’t sound like Jensen. That sounded petty.
With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my keys and cell, which was fully charged, and left the house.
The Buddy Holly Center was empty. The construction crew from Wright Construction wouldn’t show up for another ten minutes, which meant I had a few extra minutes to try to recuperate and not to throw up again. I didn’t have anything left in my stomach. I’d packed a few snacks that would be easy on the stomach, but the thought of doing anything but sipping on water made me feel nauseated.
A knock on the door broke me away from staring aimlessly at my phone, hoping for a text message. I couldn’t think that Jensen was sleeping. He didn’t sleep unless we were together. The insomniac would rear its ugly head when we were apart. I couldn’t imagine that he was ignoring me.
I unlocked the door and allowed the crew to come inside. Once they were all inside, I could go back to the office and dick around until someone else came to take over at lunch. We really didn’t have to stay the whole time, but some of the artifacts were pretty priceless, and no one liked to leave the place empty. Even if we’d hired the people.
I lay back down on the couch in Betty’s office and took another sip of my water. Feeling slightly up to par, I found the number for Jensen’s office and pressed Call.
“Mr. Wright’s office,” his receptionist said. “How can I help you?”
“Hi. Um…this is Emery. I was wondering if Jensen was in.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Wright is out of the office today, but I would be happy to take a message.”
I furrowed my brow. Jensen isn’t at work? That seems…wrong.
“Do you know when he’s going to be back in?” I pressed.
“Mr. Wright is away on business right now.”
“Away on business?” I asked in confusion.
“Yes. He had to go to New York at the last minute to take care of some business. I’m not sure when he will be back in the office, but I could get him a message if you like.”
New York.
My brain stalled on the word.
What is in New York?
The only thing I could think that was in New York was what he had told me. Vanessa had lived there. He and Vanessa had been together in New York. Did she still live there? Was he on his way to see her?
No, that didn’t make any sense. He had said that he divorced her for cheating on him. That definitely could not be it.
I was just trying to freak myself out.
Or I was just freaking out, period.
Why wasn’t he returning my calls?
What kind of business could he possibly have in New York the week of Christmas right after he had gotten back from purchasing Tarman? And what kind of business would he have where he had to disappear so quickly without telling me…or responding to any of my messages?
By the time lunch rolled around and I was off my shift, I felt like I was going insane. Jensen and I had had an awesome weekend. I’d left him alone with Landon to clear my head. Jensen had called and texted, and then when I’d responded, he’d gone radio silent.
What the hell had Landon said to him?
Before I could second-guess my train of thought, I canceled my standing lunch date with Heidi and swung by Jensen’s house. I rang the doorbell and impatiently tapped my toe.
When no one answered, I rang the bell again and again.
Finally, a bleach-blonde appeared at the door. Miranda’s gaze dropped to mine, and then she pursed her Barbie pink lips. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Fuck. I hadn’t counted for on seeing Miranda. I hadn’t even thought about her. I just wanted to talk to Landon about Jensen.
“Um…hi,” I said. This is not going to be fun. “Is Jensen here?”
“You can’t fool me,” Miranda said.
She eased the door open more, and I could see she was in some kind of tennis getup. But I didn’t know if she had been playing or what because her hair and makeup were still perfect.
“I know why you’re really here, and if you get near my husband, I’ll file a restraining order.”
I held my hands up. “No interest in your husband. Just trying to find Jensen.”
Right then, Landon’s face appeared. He looked green when he saw that I was talking to Miranda. “Emery? What are you doing here?”
“Came looking for Jensen. I haven’t seen him since last night. He’s not answering my messages, and his receptionist said that he was away on business.”
“Landon!” Miranda cried. “Why the fuck are you talking to her right now? I thought we discussed this before we left Tampa. I would come if you didn’t go anywhere near her!”