Page 92 of Only You

Twenty-Four

Jack was driving to his appointment when the receptionist called and cancelled it. The woman apologized profusely, but Jack was relieved since he wouldn’t have been able to concentrate, anyway. He wanted to return home and speak to Kayla, but she’d practically pushed him out the door this morning. Why does she keep pushing me away?

Feeling the need to talk to someone, he called Ryan.

“Hey, Jack. What’s up?” Ryan was a contractor, and Jack heard pounding in the background.

“Hey. Do you have time to meet for coffee?”

“No can do. I’m waiting for an electrician to show up, but I have a few minutes to talk.” Ryan must have moved off because the noise receded.

“I need some advice.”

“Is this about Kayla?”

“Good guess.”

“What’d you do now?”

Usually, Jack didn’t kiss and tell, but he was desperate. “We did it,” he blurted out.

“It’s about damn time!”

Jack was unsurprised at his friend’s reaction.

“Why don’t you sound happier?” Ryan asked.

“She practically kicked me out of the house this morning.”

“I’m going to need a few more details.”

“Last night, everything was great, but this morning she barely looked at me and was anxious for me to leave. It was like last night never happened.”

“Ouch. Are you sure it was as good as you claimed?”

Jack had a flashback of Kayla on top of him, sliding up and down his length, her breasts filling his hands. “Pretty sure.”

“Did she give you any clues as to what might be bothering her?”

One thing stood out. “After we—you know—she said she was going to sleep in the guest room. I had to convince her to stay with me.”

“Why? Do you snore?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “She knows I don’t usually do sleepovers, and she thought that applied to her, too.”

“There’s your answer,” Ryan said. “She doesn’t want to be lumped into the same category as your other … conquests.”

Jack squirmed. “Kayla isn’t a conquest.”

“You need to convince her of that, not me.”

“How?”

“You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.” The pounding started up again. “Sorry, buddy, but I have to go.”

After they hung up, Jack realized he’d automatically started driving home. Kayla might not be happy to see him, but it was still his house. He had every right to be there. When he opened the garage, her car was parked inside. Funny how he’d gotten used to seeing it there. Jack went inside, expecting Kayla to be working in the living room or at the kitchen table. Instead, he heard the whir of a blow dryer. Taking a deep breath, Jack went down the hallway and entered his bedroom. The bathroom door was open, and the blow dryer was loud, so she obviously hadn’t heard him come in. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wanted her to know he was home. Jack poked his head into the bathroom, and his eyes widened. Kayla stood in front of the mirror, drying her hair naked. Suddenly, she spotted him and screamed like she’d seen a ghost.

Jack held up his hands. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”