21 Days (Time for Love 2)

“Why didn’t you?” Cal asked.

Scott looked up at Cal and shrugged. “We made a pact. It was a one-time deal, and we weren’t going to tell anyone. We didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and we didn’t want to fuck up the group dynamic.”

“But how the hell did it happen?” I implored. “You guys went to prom with two different people.”

They finally took pity on me and explained that Gaby’s date had gotten persistent when she’d told him she didn’t want to get a room after prom, and Scott had come to her rescue. He’d ended up ditching his date to make sure Gaby was okay. They’d had some drinks and one thing had led to another.

I just couldn’t believe that they’d kept it a secret all this time.

“So … Do you have feelings for her or something?” I asked.

“No, why? It was a long time ago,” Scott replied, the scowl back.

“Because you seemed to get pretty jealous about that kiss, and you get mad every time Brock flirts with her. Is that why you never liked him? Because he likes Gaby?”

“No. Stop,” Scott said, rubbing his hands over his face and taking a deep breath. “Look, I’m not jealous. Why would I be? It was a long time ago. Gaby and I are friends. Period. I’m engaged. You just took me off guard, that’s all.”

I looked at him thoughtfully. Now that I knew about it, he and Gaby made perfect sense, and I would much rather see him with her than married to Victoria. I could see them being happy together. Maybe Scott just needed a little push, to see what he was missing … What he could have.

“So, it won’t bother you to know that she’s going on a date with Brock this weekend?” I asked slyly.

Scott’s eyes narrowed. He jumped up from the table and walked over to his liquor cabinet. I watched as he poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a drink. I looked over at Cal, who was watching Scott with a small smile on his face, and I knew he was picturing Scott with Gaby rather than Victoria, just like I was. All either of us wanted was for Scott to be happy, and we knew that there was no way he could be with a woman like Victoria.

/> Why the hell didn’t he seem to realize it?

Chapter 10 – Sasha

Fuck. It had been a long day. I had a few listings that just would not move, and to make it worse, my father had called to say he’d be in town this weekend and wanted to meet for dinner. To top it all off, I’d been avoiding TJ since my stupid display of jealousy the other night. So, rather than being home in my pajamas, I was sitting in a bar with Clark. Clark was an ass. Hot, but an ass. And I really didn’t want to be here.

I took a sip of my dirty martini and tried to focus on what he was saying.

“I think I’ve got a line on the house on Spark Street. The wife loved it, she’s just got to convince the husband that it’s worth them going over budget,” Clark was saying as he signaled the waiter for another round.

“No more for me,” I told the waiter before he could scurry off. “I’m gonna go after this one,” I said to Clark.

He frowned and said, “Oh, I was thinking maybe we could go to your place.”

Yeah, I knew he’d probably been hoping to get in my pants. His words just confirmed it.

“Not tonight,” I replied. “I have a friend staying with me for a few weeks. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“We could go to my place,” he offered.

I hated it when they were persistent. It just came off as desperate.

I didn’t do desperate.

I shook my head. “No, I’m just going to go home. It’s been a long day.”

Figuring it was better to leave now than wait, I stood up and placed some money on the table for my drinks. The last thing I wanted was to feel like I owed Clark anything.

“Goodnight,” I said before I walked out. I saw Clark checking out the prospects at the bar and chuckled. At least he wasn’t too heartbroken over it.

My drive home was quick, but I found myself lingering outside the door before going inside. I took a deep breath and told myself it was just TJ … We’d been through a lot over the last eight years, and everything was going to be fine. I wouldn’t let it be awkward.

I let myself in and was mildly disappointed that he wasn’t sitting on the couch, watching a movie … or waiting for me.

I put my stuff down and went to the kitchen to grab a glass and pour myself some wine. Once I had a nice hefty glass of Shiraz, I took the wine to my room and got undressed, picking out my favorite flannel pajama pants and a matching tank. I went to the bathroom and scrubbed my face, then pulled my hair back into a loose tail and secured it with a headband.