She nods as if we’re getting somewhere. “Okay, how do you know for sure?”
I take a drink of my coffee. It’s made perfectly with just the right about of sugar and milk. I set it down on the Honeybee coaster, remembering last night. “Well, he went to take care of all that with Paul, and when he came back, I was a mess worried about him. His knuckles were all messed up, and I don’t know, it’s like he couldn’t believe that I was worried about him. I know my brother and the rest of the team care about him... but I feel like he’s never really had someone that cared about him. Does that make sense?”
She holds her hand up. “Wait! He beat up Paul?”
I nod. “Yeah, his hands were pretty messed up. He said he made him pay... that no one messes with his woman and gets away with it.”
She uncrosses her legs and stomps a foot on the ground. “He said that?”
I nod.
She’s looking at me with a bit of jealousy on her face as she fans herself. “Jenna, give it a day. Two max. He’ll be back.”
I can’t stop the flare of hope that starts to bloom in my chest. “How do you know?”
“Maybe he just needs to get his shit together or something, Jenna. I don’t know. But I have no doubt. He’s going to come back for you.”
I nod, wanting to believe what she’s saying but also not wanting to get my hopes up. My phone dings with a message. I pull it out of my pocket and click the screen, and it says I have an email from Seeking Curves. I know I promised my brother, but I’m not even ready to deal with that. I clear the notification and lay my head back on the chair.
“Go home. I have this covered. Go home, take a hot shower, drink some more tea, and relax today.”
“Madison, I can’t just leave you...”
“We’re fine. Story and Roger are here. Take today off.”
Maybe Madison’s right... maybe I should take the day off... and maybe Dylan will come back for me? If and when he does, he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do.
12
Dylan
This doesn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right leaving Jenna. It didn’t feel right driving to the airport, and it doesn’t feel right sitting in the terminal either. I should have told her things before I left, but like a big dummy, I kept them inside. Maybe it’s my compulsive, analytical need to have everything lined up and perfect before acting on something, but whatever it is, it’s stupid. I’ve tried calling her, but she’s not answering her phone.
I’m staring at my phone wondering what to do next when it dings with an email, and the notification is from Seeking Curves. It’s a dating service that John asked me to check out a while back for him. I never told anyone, but I filled out the application. At the time I told myself it was for research purposes. They guaranteed a hundred percent match, so I wanted to test the theory. But I’d never heard anything from them until today. I should have canceled my membership, but honestly, I forgot all about it.
I open the email to see how to cancel, but the name Jenna stands out. I click on the email to open it and scan it quickly. You have a 100% match. Don’t miss your chance with Jenna. Click here to see her profile. I hold my breath. It can’t be, I tell myself. I click on the link and instantly an image of Jenna opens up, and my heart stops. How! Jenna—my Jenna—is on Seeking Curves. I jump up from my seat and start to search her profile. Reading, it says that we are a hundred percent match, but I didn’t need a matchmaking service to tell me that. I knew it.
But just as quickly as that thought comes, there’s another one. There are probably other men right now being matched to her. There could be other men looking at her profile, hoping to ask her for a date. She won’t go... it will be over my dead body first.
Frustration takes over, and I open my phone. I hit the speed dial button for John, and when he answers, I start right in. “Remember that Seeking Curves you asked me to check out? A few weeks ago? Why did you do that?”
“For Jenna. I wanted to help her find someone so I didn’t have to worry about her. Why? You said the company was legit and completely safe.”
“Fuck!”
John snarls into the phone, “What is it, Riggs? I made Jenna promise to try it out. You better tell me if there’s a problem.”
My heart is hammering in my chest, and my head is pounding. I had hoped to do this face to face, but I don’t have time for that. “She’s not using the service. I’m taking her off of it.” I grab my bag and turn toward the exit. I still need to talk to Nash, but I’m going to have to do it tomorrow. I can’t wait another day for what I need to tell Jenna.