Over You (16 page)

Jessica’s eyes widened as her gaze met those of the person standing in front of her.

Chapter Nineteen

“Alex,” Jessica said, shock evident in her voice.

“Hi, Jessica.” His smile showed his uncertainty.

“What are you doing here?” Jessica glanced over his shoulder to see if Kyle had arrived yet. That’s all she needed—to have her ex-fiancé and ex-boyfriend show up at the same time.

“Are you expecting someone?” Alex said, following Jessica’s line of vision before turning back to her.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, right.” He hesitated. “Your mom told me she came out for a visit last week.”

She waited for him to go on, but he seemed to be formulating his story. She was surprised he hadn’t already come up with something.
Maybe he had expected me to rush into his arms
, she thought. “And?”

“Did she say anything about me?”

She frowned. “I think you know she did.”

“Jessica,” he said, a pleading look on his face. “Don’t you have any feelings for me at all?”

As she opened her mouth to speak, she heard the crunch of gravel and saw Kyle’s truck pulling up in front of the house. Sudden panic engulfed her as she watched Kyle in the cab of his truck.

Alex turned to see who had arrived. After staring at Kyle for a moment, he turned back to Jessica. “Who’s that? Your new boyfriend?”

Jessica dragged her gaze away from Kyle, who was climbing out of his truck, and met Alex’s eyes.

His expression hurt, he said, “Well? Is he?”

“No,” Jessica said with a calmness that belied her racing thoughts. “No, he’s just working on my aunt’s house. He’s a contractor.”

Relief swept across Alex’s features. “Oh.”

Jessica’s gaze shifted to Kyle, who was walking up the porch steps. She tried to look at him through Alex’s point of view. Muscular and handsome, Kyle carried himself with confidence. Jessica could understand why Alex would feel threatened. She only wished Kyle was her boyfriend. As her eyes met his, her heart pounded, images of him with the little girl and Melanie flashing through her mind. He looked away from her and seemed to be sizing up Alex. Something in Kyle’s expression made Jessica think he was not pleased to see Alex there. A thrill rushed through her.
 

“Hi there, Jessica,” he said as he stepped toward the door as if he belonged there, ignoring Alex. “Can I come in?”

She began to open the door wider to allow him to enter, but suddenly stopped. “Kyle, this is my, uh, friend, Alex.”

“I think we’re a little more than friends, don’t you?” Alex said, glancing at Kyle before staring at Jessica.

She was about to argue the point, until she saw the look on Kyle’s face. His sea-green eyes seemed to darken as his brows drew together. Jessica allowed a hint of a smile as she spoke. “I guess that’s what you’re here to talk about, isn’t it?”

Alex suddenly reached out and stroked Jessica’s face, apparently thinking she was reconsidering the break-up. “That’s exactly right.” He smiled warmly and gazed at her.

She held his gaze, but her mind was on Kyle and what he was thinking. After a moment she looked at Kyle, who was watching her, his expression unreadable. Jessica stepped back to allow Kyle to enter.

“Best of luck,” Kyle said to Alex, then glanced at Jessica as he moved past her and into the house.

She watched him as he climbed the stairs, wondering if she had taken things too far.

“Jessica,” Alex said.

She turned around, almost surprised to see him there.
 

He smiled, a look of hope on his face. “Can I come in?”

Confused about what to do, she hesitated.

“Please. Just let me come in and talk to you. I’ll leave if you want, but at least give me a chance.”

Not able to sort through the conflicting emotions washing over her, Jessica nodded and walked toward the sunroom. She heard Alex close the door, then follow her into the room, which was flooded with natural light. She sank into one of the chairs and curled her legs underneath her.

Alex sat in the adjacent chair. “This place is great.” He looked around the room “So much character.”

Jessica smiled despite herself. “Yeah, I love it here.”

“How come you never brought me here?”

Jessica knew exactly why. This place was where she and Kyle had spent so much time. It had never felt right to bring another man there. “I don’t know,” she said instead. “I guess I was waiting for the right time.” She paused. “How did you know where I was, anyway? Did my mom tell you?”

“Well, not in so many words. But she told me enough about where you were that I was able to figure it out.”

Jessica nodded, not even caring that he had basically tracked her down and shown up uninvited. She had more pressing concerns on her mind. Like whether Kyle had a child, and whether he even cared that Jessica might have a serious boyfriend.
 

What had he meant when he’d told Alex “Best of luck”? Was he being sarcastic, or did he really mean it? Maybe he’s glad to know I have a boyfriend, she thought. Then he won’t need to feel guilty. Maybe I just imagined that look of jealousy when Kyle first saw Alex.

“Jessica,” Alex said. “What are you thinking about? You look so far away.”

Shaking her head, Jessica sighed. “I just didn’t expect to see you here. You really caught me off-guard.”

“But you’re glad I’m here, right?”

That depends, she thought. Will your presence push Kyle farther away or make him realize I’m desirable? “Honestly, Alex, I don’t know yet.”

“Well, I want you to know how much I’ve missed you.” He stared at the ground for a minute before looking at her. “Ever since you broke up with me, I haven’t been able to think of anything but you. I decided I had to come talk to you.” He reached out and took her hands. “I love you, Jessica. More than you’ll ever know.”

Jessica let him hold her hands. “Look, Alex, you have to understand that it’s not that easy. I can’t just forget that you cheated on me.”

“I know I made a mistake. I completely admit that I was wrong and stupid. I should never have asked Mikayla to go to dinner with me. But please, Jessica, please. Please forgive me. Give me another chance.”

Though Jessica wished it was Kyle begging for her to come back to him, she knew she had to let go of that fantasy. The hope of him wanting her back was taking too much of her energy. Especially since the odds of that happening were so small. He was with another woman now, a very beautiful woman. He may even have a child with the woman. As she considered all the obstacles to Kyle having any interest in her, she felt deflated.

Maybe she should give Alex a second chance. They had been considering marriage just a few weeks before, after all. And she couldn’t deny that the way he so clearly wanted her made her feel good. A feeling she hadn’t had recently. Plus she could tell he was truly repentant for what had happened, making her believe that he had learned his lesson and wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
 

“I’m just not sure, Alex,” she finally said. “I need some time to think it over.”

Alex’s face lit up at the fact that Jessica was even considering it. “If it’s all right with you, I’m going to stay in town this week so we can spend some time together.”

Jessica wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. “What about your law practice?”

“I can work remotely, so that’s no problem.” He paused. “You’re more important to me than anything. You need to understand that.”

“I have work to do too. I have, uh, very limited times that I’m available to spend with you.”

“That’s okay. I’ll take whatever I can get.”

Though reluctant to commit to anything, she found his eagerness hard to resist.
 

“Are you available for dinner this evening?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said after a moment, deciding to allow him to try to coax her back. Even though she was wary about getting back together with him, she knew it would be better to go out with him than to sit home and feel sorry for herself. “But on one condition.”

“Okay.”

“You have to promise that you won’t pressure me to get back together with you.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay. That’s fair. We’ll just spend time together.”

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to spend energy pushing back against any pressure to reunite, she found herself looking forward to going out that evening. “Okay.”

“What time would be good for you?”

“About six o’clock.”

Alex smiled and stood. “I’ll come pick you up at six then.”

She followed him to the front door and closed it behind him after he left. She went to the window and watched him get in his car and drive away. Once he was out of sight, her gaze went to Kyle’s truck.

Do I want him all the more because he doesn’t want me? Or is it because I know another woman wants him? She imagined him being available and wanting her back, and realized she would still be drawn to him.

Why can’t I want to be with the person who wants to be with me? Yes, Alex made a mistake, but he’s sorry about it and he drove all the way here to prove it to me. And he’s crazy about me. Why can’t I fall head over heels in love with him? We were talking about getting married just a few weeks ago. I was all in. Can I get back to that place? All I want is to be happy, to be with a man who adores me as much as I adore him. Is that asking too much?

If only I hadn’t run in to Kyle and stirred up all the old memories and feelings, I’d be fine right now. I’d be choosing between forgiving Alex and getting back together with him, or choosing to be on my own. But with Kyle in the mix, everything is so complicated.

Jessica sighed loudly, frustrated with the situation as much as with herself, and not knowing what the best course of action should be.

“Everything okay?”

Jessica spun around at the sound of Kyle’s voice. Her eyes met his and she immediately felt drawn to him. Forcing her gaze away from his mesmerizing eyes, she found herself looking instead at his chest. His tight t-shirt emphasized his muscular build, and sudden heat swept over her. She turned toward the window again to gain control of herself.

“Jess?”

Squeezing her eyes closed at the sound of her nickname coming from his mouth, she dredged up the frustration she’d been feeling moments before so she could push down the attraction. Opening her eyes, she turned back to him. “What do you want?” She hadn’t meant for it to come out sounding so angry, but felt a moment of satisfaction to see the surprise on his face—she was glad she wasn’t the only one who could feel less than confident.

“Nothing. I . . . I was just coming to get something out of my truck and . . . Never mind.”

“What? What were you going to say?” She succeeded in sounding less confrontational that time.

“Well, I saw you standing there and . . .”

“Kyle, just say it.”

He pressed his lips together for a moment. “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Because of your . . .boyfriend.”

“Everything’s fine. In fact, Alex is taking me out to dinner tonight.”

Kyle nodded.

Did I imagine it, Jessica thought. Or did Kyle clench his jaw for a second—the thing I remember him doing whenever he felt frustrated or upset.
 

“Well, that’s good, right?” he asked. “That’s what you want?”

She had no idea what she wanted, and his asking didn’t help. “I’m sorry, but why do you care?”

He flinched slightly and Jessica felt guilty for being so mean.

This time his jaw did clench. Then his eyes narrowed. “I don’t.” He turned away from her and walked out the front door.

Any feelings of guilt fled as Jessica felt the sting of his words. Of course he doesn’t care, she thought. Why should he? He stopped caring about me five years ago when he walked out on me and our relationship.

Turning back to the window, she peered out at him, not wanting him to know she was watching. With his back to her, he placed both hands on the side of the truck bed and stared into the distance. After a moment, he reached into the bed of the truck and picked up a tool, then turned back toward the house.

Jessica hurried away from the window and into the kitchen, listening for the sound of the front door. After a few seconds the front door opened, then closed. It sounded like Kyle paused in the entry for a moment before climbing the stairs.

Jessica poured a glass of water, and as she lifted it to her mouth, her hand shook slightly. Ignoring the unsettled feeling, she gulped down the water, then set the glass in the sink. Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remember what she had planned on doing that day.

The diner, she thought, opening her eyes. I was going to see if Thomas Naylor was at the diner so I could pick his brain about Charles and Teal Harrington.
 

Now that she had a purpose, Jessica felt better. She grabbed her purse from the desk in the library and headed out the door, glad to have an excuse to be nowhere near Kyle.

Chapter Twenty

Jessica parked her car and walked into the diner, her eyes scanning the people inside. She didn’t see Thomas Naylor anywhere. Jessica slid into a booth and ordered orange juice, eggs and toast. Recognizing the waitress from when she’d been there on Saturday, Jessica asked if Thomas had been there yet.

“Come and gone, honey,” the waitress said. “You just missed him though.”

“Okay, thanks.” Jessica smiled, then ate her breakfast, irritated that Kyle and Alex had gotten in the way of her plans.

After she finished eating, she drove to the long-term care center to visit her aunt.

“Did you find out anything new about Teal Harrington?” Ellen asked as they walked through the garden, Ellen using Jessica’s arm as a support.

“No. I went to the diner this morning to talk to Thomas Naylor, but I missed him.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I suppose you’ll have to get there earlier next time.”

“I would have been there on time today, but. . .” Jessica hesitated.

“But what?” Ellen smiled. “Did you have trouble with Kyle?”

Jessica shook her head. “Things have gotten complicated.”