The Gossip Web (32 page)

             
Erika frowned at me and shook her head. “There’s no reason to lie, Jade. I know why you’re really here.”

             
“You do?” I replied dumbfounded. How would she know? Did my Dad find out that I went through his address book this morning? He couldn’t have! I put it back…

             
“Yes.” Erika told me with a sigh, and she looked over my shoulder as she searched for something. “Is he here with you?”

             
Her question puzzled me. “Who?”

             
Erika stopped searching and met my eyes. “Your father,” she replied simply. “He’s the one who sent you here, right?” She frowned and added, “He knows how upset you are about all this…he shouldn’t have asked you to do this for him. I’m sorry, Jade.”

             
“What? No, he isn’t…he didn’t…” I stammered, trying to explain myself.

             
She held up her hand and shook her head slowly. “It’s alright, Jade. You don’t have to do this. I know how disappointed your father is that I broke up with him, but you don’t have to lie on his account.”

             
“Erika, listen. I---” I shut my mouth hastily, trying to find the right words before I babbled a bunch of nonsense. After breathing in deeply, I continued with my explanation. “It’s not what you think, Erika. My father didn’t ask me to come apologize to you.”

             
Her eyes flashed with suspicion, and I knew she doubted me at that moment. “Really? Why else would you be here if not on his behalf?”

             
“I came here today, Erika, to apologize to you---but not because my father asked me to.“

             
“Then why?“ She asked me softly.

             
I sighed and looked away; I was too ashamed to match her eyes. “Because of how I treated you. It was wrong of me to say those things. You were only trying to be there for me, but

I pushed you away…” I paused, my emotions taking hold of me. “I made some terrible assumptions about you, Erika, and I’m very sorry for the way I behaved.”

             
“But Jade---” she began.

             
“Please let me finish,” I whispered eagerly. Erika nodded and motioned for me to continue.
             

             
My face burned with shame as I resumed my apology speech. “When my mother left, I closed myself off from other people. I figured that if I didn’t let anyone get too close to me, then they couldn’t desert me the way she had. Then, you came into the picture---and I was scared. I didn’t want you to be there filling in for my mother. It felt wrong to me, but that doesn’t excuse my behavior.

             
“I never gave you a chance, Erika. All I’ve ever done is treat you horribly, and I’m deeply sorry if I’ve caused you any sadness.” I chewed my bottom lip and added, “I’ll understand if you can never forgive me, but please don’t punish my father for my childish behavior. He loves you, Erika, and he was heartbroken when he found your letter.”

             
I watched Erika’s eyes grow misty, and I knew she felt just as heartsick as my father did. “I know,” she whispered sadly.

             
“Please call him, Erika. Don’t push him away like I did you,” I begged her.

             
Then, Erika did something unexpected: she wrapped her arms around me. I was shocked; I had never hugged Erika before. The hug was warm, comforting…and her scent was sweet. It reminded me of the way my mother’s hugs used to be, and I realized just how much I missed my mom. I sighed as my eyes welled up at the familiar feeling. I didn’t have a mother anymore, but I had the next best thing: someone who cared about me more than my mother actually did.

             
“Jade, thank you. Thank you so much,” Erika told me before ending her friendly embrace. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

             
“No problem,” I breathed, trying to hide my emotions. I smiled at her, hoping she couldn’t see how red my eyes had become.

             
If she did, Erika overlooked them. After giving me one of her trademark smiles, she asked, “Would you like to come in?”

             
My heart skipped with excitement. I really wanted to see what her house looked like from the inside! Glancing back at car, I assumed Trace wouldn’t mind if I stayed just a little bit longer. I turned back around to face Erika and grinned.

             
“Yes, I would,” I told her happily. “Thank you for asking.”

             
“Great,” she replied, smiling back. “Follow me.”

             
Erika opened both glass doors, revealing a large and beautifully decorated hallway. I gasped softly, overwhelmed by how elegant her interior was. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me. I was actually standing inside Erika’s million dollar house! After sending me another bright smile, Erika lead the way down the hallway and I followed her inside her beautiful home.

36

             
WHEN I RETURNED TO THE CAR,
Trace was leaning against the passenger door waiting for me. I grinned and hurried towards him, my black converse leaping across gravel before I met him with a kiss. As his lips caressed mine, I opened one eye nervously and studied the windows on Erika’s house, hoping she wasn’t watching us. I actually didn’t mind if she saw us kissing…I just didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Trace and I were new at this whole relationship thing, and it might be too soon for her to catch us kissing like we were at the moment. Relief washed over me when I noticed that most of her curtains were drawn.

             
After our kiss ended, Trace smiled down at me and asked, “So, how did it go?”

             
“Great. Erika is one of the nicest people I have ever met, Trace,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I buried my head affectionately against his chest, and added, “She forgave me…and her house is amazing!”

             
“That’s good,” he whispered into my ear, stroking my hair gently. “What about your Dad?”

             
“She’s going to stop by my house tomorrow morning and surprise him before he goes into work. He’s going to be so happy when he sees her, Trace!” I told him excitedly. “I’m glad I could fix things for him…I hated to see him so upset.”

             
“I’m proud of you, Jade, and I’m sure your Dad will be too,” Trace said kindly, and gave me light kiss on the cheek.

             
“Thanks,” I replied with a smile. It felt good to hear Trace praise me, even if I didn’t deserve it.

             
He squeezed me tightly before he asked, “What did you and Erika talk about when you went inside?”

             
“Everything. Erika filled me in on her marketing company---which she said is worth millions. She told me that her company works for some really big brands, but she wouldn’t really go into detail. It’s kind of a secret…” I smiled and added, “She’s the CEO by the way.”

             
“Wow,” Trace muttered, his eyes wide with surprise. “Seriously?”

             
“I know. She’s insanely rich.”

             
Trace grinned and said, “Well, you know who to go to for your Christmas presents. You should ask for a Ferrari this year---or maybe a Porsche.” Trace’s blue eyes widened at the thought.

             
I rolled my eyes and laughed. Leave it to him to think only about the money. “Not going to happen,” I told him seriously. “I don’t need Erika to buy me flashy things---and I won’t use her that way.”

             
“Okay, if you say so.” Trace seemed disappointed and I laughed some more.

             
“Well, did you guys talk about anything else?” He asked me. “You were inside for quite a long time.”

             
I nodded and replied, “Yes. I asked Erika if I could see pictures of her in high school, and she pulled out her senior yearbook and showed me. The funny thing is, is that Erika wasn’t popular in high school like I thought she was.” I told him thoughtfully. “When I saw her senior portrait, it looked nothing like her. It’s like Erika is a completely different person now.”

             
“Why does it matter if she was popular or not?” Trace asked me curiously.

             
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s just…I always thought she was more like Gloria and less like me. But I had her all wrong.”

             
Trace smiled at my confession and said, “Well, now you can get to know her for the person she really is. You can give Erika a real chance. That’s the important thing, right?”

             
“Yeah.” I lifted up my head to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here, Trace---and for supporting me. I don‘t think I could have done it without you.”

             
Trace kissed me back. “I’ll always support you, Jade. And yes, you could have. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Flashing me a grin, he asked suddenly, “How about we get out of here?”

             
I nodded with a smile. “Yes, let’s go.”

             
He dropped his hold on my waist to remove the car keys from his back pocket. After opening the passenger door for me, I slid in and waited for him to join me inside the car. A moment later, he opened the driver’s side and hopped in, turning the key in the ignition. Trace glanced over at me and grinned; his eyes sparkling with mischief.

             
He placed his right arm around my shoulders and asked softly, “Where do you want to go now, Ms. Cannon?”

             
I beamed at him and replied, “Anywhere. I don’t care where we go, as long as I’m with you, Trace.”

             
“Sounds good to me,” he said with a smile.

             
Trace dipped his head down to kiss my lips, and I matched him kiss for kiss. Our lips remained locked together for some time, until we were both left breathless and had to gasp for air. Trace gave me one last peck on the lips before he brought his head to nuzzle my ear.

             
“I love you, Jade,” he whispered to me tenderly.

             
My heart jumped, overjoyed at the sound of those precious, yet simple three words. I gazed steadily into his deep blue eyes and replied happily, “I love you too, Trace.”

THE END