Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Weird that thought comes to mind, but I shake it off, sliding out of my stupor. “Emily… what are you doing here?” I manage to say, confusion evident in my rough voice.
“Can I come in for a moment?” she asks.
It’s then that I notice there’s something a little off about her. Her voice sounds clear and not trembling with emotion like when we met in Chicago, but her eyes are troubled, swirling with what looks like a heavy weight. More bad news about her mom?
No matter the reason, I can’t refuse her admittance. It would be beyond rude so I invite her in to figure out what’s going on and then I will quickly but politely extricate her from my place. “Yeah… sure.”
She scans my condo with wide eyes as she steps inside. “It’s so much nicer than our old apartment when you first got into the league,” she comments, trying to break the awkward silence between us.
She’s not wrong. Our first apartment was small and only half-furnished. But I’m not interested in reminiscing and if she is, I need to nip that. “Emily, why are you here?” I ask again, a mix of emotions bubbling inside me.
Tears well in her eyes as she takes a deep breath. “I’ve been worried about my mom, Jack. I needed someone to talk to who understands,” she reveals, her words striking a nerve.
I don’t buy it for a moment. Anything to do with her mom could have been accomplished with a text or phone call. You don’t just show up on someone’s doorstep over four hundred and fifty miles away about something that could be handled by phone. “I don’t believe you.” My voice is firm and without yield, causing her chin to jerk inward. “What’s really going on?” I press, my voice growing more urgent.
She bites her lip and then looks up at me with pleading eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Jack. I miss you. I still love you,” she confesses, her words causing my heart to sink. “I came to see if we could talk about reconnecting. Maybe as friends at first, but then that could evolve into something deeper. It’s taken me a few years, but I see now that you were the best thing to ever happen to me and I thought, surely you still have some feelings, right? We were each other’s first. We were together for a very long time.”
Every word out of her mouth makes me cringe even though those were the words I gave her in an effort to keep us together. But now… it’s too late.
I shake my head. “We can’t go back. I’ve moved on.”
“But have you really?”
“I’m with Willa now and what we have is strong.”
I don’t elaborate. I don’t tell Emily that Willa offers me so much more than she ever did, because I don’t want to hurt her feelings. I believe that I was set on this crash course with Willa because we were destined to be together, and that means my chapter with Emily has closed for good.
“Just think about our good times, Jack,” she implores, desperation creeping into her tone. “Remember how happy we were? Please, let’s just talk about it.”
Before I can respond, the door swings open and Willa walks in. Her hands are indeed loaded with three bags of groceries in each.
She doesn’t spot us at first, kicking the door closed and taking two steps toward the kitchen before her head pops up. She sees me, smiles and then catches sight of Emily.
Her smile dims, confusion in her eyes, but I can see she’s going to give me the benefit of the doubt. Willa dumps the groceries on the island and glances back and forth between me and Emily before introducing herself.
“Hi. I’m Willa,” she says, offering her hand with a warm smile.
Emily takes it, no smile returned, and says, “I’m Emily.”
I can see that Willa makes the immediate connection and the shock on her face tells me that I’ve made a severe mistake in not sharing my recent interactions with my ex. Especially as I see Emily looking Willa over critically. I know what she’s seeing—an incredibly beautiful, confident woman who just walked into my house without needing to knock.
I can literally see Emily’s hackles rise and the tension ripples through the room. I wince as Emily says, “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Really,” Willa says, her eyes cutting briefly to me and her voice flat. “I’ve not heard much about you at all.”
Willa’s just landed a dual cut—to Emily, so she knows that she’s not important enough to me to really discuss, and a slice for my benefit… a backhanded chastisement that she didn’t know I’ve been talking to Emily.
Feeling ashamed and guilty for not being completely honest with Willa, I attempt to set the record straight. “Emily’s mom has cancer and she reached out to me a few times. We had dinner in Chicago.”