I opened my eyes and looked around me. What the h.e.l.l was I going to do about the floors? "Yes, he is a d.i.c.kwad!" I grappled around in my pocket and pulled out my phone.

I pressed send on his number before Jazz realized what I was doing. She made a grab for the phone, and I scooted away just as it started ringing. I realized I'd never called him before. A voicemail clicked on, and Jack's voice caressed my ear and said simply, "Leave a message."

Grrr.

"You can't growl at him!" Jazz said, her eyes wide, before slapping a hand over her mouth.

I hadn't realized I'd done that out loud.

"Yes, I can. Grrrr," I said loudly for good measure. "Grr, Jack. I am p.i.s.sed. I am beyond p.i.s.sed."

I got to my feet and paced around the bare floors, my temper rising. "What the h.e.l.l was all that Jack? And what on earth did you hope to accomplish by getting my floors done? Seriously? Did you think I would be so indebted to you I would do whatever you wanted? Sweet, innocent, little Keri Ann can be your bit on the side while you figure your G.o.dd.a.m.n life out? Buy her affection with an extravagant gift? I am going to pay you back every last cent. I don't owe anyone. I won't owe anyone, ever. And don't tell me it's just a gift, Jack. That's the kind of gift I can't accept."

I started laughing hysterically. "Perhaps you thought you could buy my virginity? Is that what kinky fetish is big in Hollywood these days?" I laughed again, though it sounded like a howl, and I realized I had tears running down my cheeks.

"Give me the d.a.m.n phone!" Jazz hissed, practically tackling me to the ground. "You're not making any sense!"

But I wasn't done. Apparently I still had one last humiliating arrow in my quiver.

"You don't just walk around the place paying people to fall in love with you so you don't have to be lonely. Be lonely Jack. It's character building. G.o.d knows you need it." And I hung up.

Jazz was staring at me with her mouth open.

"My G.o.d, I hope you dialed a wrong number."

I looked at her, probably with a similar look of dawning horror on my face.

"Oh s.h.i.t," I managed.

"Oh s.h.i.t is right. You just pulled a major psycho stunt. On the up side, you're drunk, and I think that'll be pretty obvious to him, so perhaps he'll just chalk it up to ... you being drunk."

"And on the down side?" I asked. The up side was looking pretty dire to me right now. But the down side was that I had pretty much insulted him in every way I could.

A huge crack of thunder sounded outside making us both jump.

"Well, on the down side, you basically admitted to him you're in love with him."

Oh, that down side.

The lights flickered on and off.

"Oh f.u.c.kity, f.u.c.k. I think I'm going to need another margarita."

"Honey, you need a hot shower and some pj's before the power goes off. You're going to feel like s.h.i.t tomorrow when you wake up anyway, no need to make it worse. I'm going to fix us some hot chocolate." Jazz pulled me into a quick hug, and then collected the offending margarita pitcher and gla.s.ses and stumbled her way to the kitchen. How did that girl keep a straight head on her shoulders? Oh man, I couldn't believe what I had just done.

T W E N T Y.

The shower had done wonders. And the huge dollop of vanilla ice cream I was currently dumping into my hot chocolate would do a lot more. The power had gone out just as I went to blow dry my hair. So now Jazz and I were sitting in the dark living room in front of the crackling fireplace on a blanket eating all the available ice cream before it melted. My wet hair was sc.r.a.ped back, and I wore my most favorite flannel pajama pants in pink tartan and a black tight t-shirt with a huge skull across the front.

I loved Jack Eversea. I really did. Not Max, but the actual guy. This was really s.h.i.tty. Maybe it was the way he took my nervously barbed insults with such amus.e.m.e.nt, or maybe it was the fact we traded movie quotes perfectly, or maybe because he was so d.a.m.ned hot ... except I liked to think I was a little less shallow than that. But for the sake of honesty, it was fairly clear even Mother Theresa would have gotten a twinkle in her eye when it came to Jack. Or perhaps, it was that I ... saw him. The frightened and lonely boy who had put himself in the limelight with a fierce pa.s.sion for his craft, despite the fact he could have hidden in shadows after whatever it was his mother had run from. I wasn't a child psychologist, and I didn't know for sure what he or she had endured, but I knew whatever had happened would have crippled most people with a life long fear.

But he was flawed. Majorly flawed. Not flawed enough for me not to love him, but flawed enough I would be staying away. Very far away.

He didn't have the kind of bravery I needed if he was willing to lie to his girlfriend and keep a relationship alive for the sake of his career, if that was truly what was going on. And if it wasn't-he had lied to me.

I handed the tub of vanilla back to Jazz. "I really wanted him to deny it, Jazz. He should've seen the text and realized why I was upset and denied it. He should've told me it was a big mistake. Except it wasn't, was it?" I wasn't sure why I was stating the obvious.

"I know, hon. I'm sorry."

I took a long sip of rich hot chocolate and cool vanilla ice cream. "Do you have any magazines in your car still?" She literally couldn't buy a pack of gum without buying a tabloid magazine, too. I would bet the last scoop of Turtle Tracks she had picked up the latest one tonight while buying the tequila.

She nodded. "But I ain't going out there to get 'em."

Another rumble of thunder punctuated her words.

"Never mind. It was a dumb idea and will only prolong the agony. I just realized I've never really paid much attention to his life, and it's all out there." I thought of how private he claimed to be, and the secret he'd shared with me. "Well, most of it. The public stuff anyway."

"Yeah, don't start getting m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic. This is a worst case scenario for a break up to have all that tantalizing information out there."

"Break up?" I snorted. "Apparently, we were never together."

"The only things I do know are that people are still wondering where he is, and Audrey put out a public statement."

"Really? What did it say?" I hated my weakness, but I was curious.

"Something along the lines of how sorry she was, and that it was a momentary indiscretion, and that she loved and respected him deeply etcetera, etcetera. But I am a.s.suming she put out a public statement because she doesn't know where he is either."

I mulled that over a second before another thought occurred to me. "Dare I ask what the book is for book club tomorrow? I'm a.s.suming the reason you forgot to tell me is because I've read it already?" I rubbed my temples at the tequila headache slowly coming on.

Jazz grimaced. "Yes, well the older ladies hadn't read them yet ... and with the movie coming out soon ..." She trailed off.

Tomorrow would suck. "Look, it's not like you knew we would actually meet the guy when you picked them, so don't worry about it," I said, instantly forgiving her.

"Yeah, but at this stage I wish we were reading Anna Karenina."

"Me too."

Jazz let out a huge yawn. "Wow, margaritas plus ice cream. I am going into a carb coma."

I yawned too, and then we both jumped at the sudden pounding on the front door.

"s.h.i.t, who's that?" Jazz said. "Should we get it?"

My heart lurched from the sudden fright. "It could be Mrs. Weaton, perhaps they didn't fix her roof properly today." Or not. Jazz grabbed a poker from the fireplace, and we both skidded on sock feet to the front door. I looked out of the peephole, but with no lights on I couldn't really see a thing.

"I can't see anything," I whispered, and then jumped back as another round of banging started.

"Keri Ann?" Jack's voice shouted over the wind and rain.

"Oh my G.o.d." I mouthed to Jazz.

Her eyes were wide.

"Do you think he got my message?"

"s.h.i.t, I don't know," she whispered back, her shoulders hunching up.

"Keri Ann? Please ... please open the door. I really need to talk to you."

What the heck was he doing out there in the rain? Obviously, I was going to have to let him in. I could feel mortification and it's crimson tide crawling up my chest to my neck.

Jazz shrugged with an apologetic 'this is your mess, I have no clue how to help you here' look on her face.

"Thanks!" I hissed at her.

"Keri Ann! Open the G.o.dd.a.m.n door ... please?" Jack's voice broke over the last word and my shoulders slumped.

Jazz rolled her eyes.

I opened the door as a huge gust of wind blew in and wrenched it out of my hands. It swung back hard banging against the wall. And there stood the tall, looming, shadow of Jack, hands on either side of the doorframe, in jeans and a dark wet t-shirt that clung to his body. Water streamed down his beautiful face.

"For the love of shrimp n' grits, girl," I heard Jazz murmur next to me as we both took in the archangel standing on the threshold. "Good luck."

I shivered.

"Jazz." Jack acknowledged her with a nod as he took a step inside the door.

"Jack," she returned, her chin up and arms crossed. She couldn't have screamed, 'Don't mess with my best friend' any louder than if she'd said the words.

He seemed to get it because, as I closed the door quickly against the rain that followed him in, he directed his next statement to her. "I just need to talk to her."

"Don't move," she said to him and pushed me back through the arched opening into the living room.

I glanced at him to see his shadowed green eyes boring into mine.

Jazz and I stopped in front of the fireplace and she pulled me in close. We were far enough away from Jack, but she still whispered. "I am going to go upstairs and sleep in Joey's room. Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I whispered back, fiercely.

"If you decide to give up your vajayjay tonight, keep it down, okay?"

"Jazz!" I squeaked and practically choked on my own tongue.

"I'm just sayin'..." She shrugged with a wink.

"Well, don't 'just say'. I'm mad at him, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But look at him." We both turned to look at Jack who was standing with one hand on the back of his neck and the other on his hip, his head tilted down at the floor he was dripping all over. His dark, wet hair was flopped over his furrowed brow, his jaw grim.

"You could always dump him in the morning," she murmured.

He looked up at us staring at him from the other room.

"What?" he asked.

We both started.

"Nothing," we chorused and turned away again.

"I can't believe you are encouraging me." I dropped my voice back to a whisper and thumped her on the arm. "Some good friend you are. You're supposed to be protecting me from my mistakes."

"I am. Can you imagine how p.i.s.sed you'll be when we're old dames and you blame me for talking you out of having s.e.x with Jack Eversea."

She made a good point.

"Are you still drunk?" I glared at her. "Anyway, I don't know why he's here. Probably to let me know about the restraining order after my phone call."

"Yeah, right. Guys don't just show up like this, especially after a phone call like that. And if he was really in love with Audrey, he would definitely not have come over here. You gave him the perfect out, and he's still here."

"Maybe it's just a booty call."

"Maybe it is ... " Jazz winked. "Lucky you."

"You do realize it will be you mending the pieces of my broken heart in the morning?"

"I believe we were doing that anyway."

"Good point."

Jazz then stood tall, laid a hand over her heart and hissed out the corner of her mouth like some r.e.t.a.r.ded ventriloquist, "I, Jessica Fraser, hereby grant my good friend, Keri Ann Butler, permission to embrace her inner strumpet, and I do so with the utmost promise of confidentiality and lack of judgment."

"Lack of good judgment you mean." I rolled my eyes at her, but inside, thinking about going to bed with Jack, my stomach twisted and turned in nerves, and not a little heat. However, he and I had some s.h.i.t to sort out, so the chances of that ever happening were remote at best. I frowned.

"If you're done ... " I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.

She grinned wickedly. "Just be safe about it, I am not ready to be a G.o.dmother." And with that effective cold bucket of water dumped on my stirring libido, she made a hasty exit, brushing past Jack and up the stairs.

Ugh! I stomped my foot. I couldn't believe she would encourage me, then scare the s.h.i.t out of me in the same nanosecond. Typical.

"Uh ... do you think I could borrow a towel or something..." Jack asked, his eyebrows raised in bewilderment at the long hissing exchange he'd just witnessed.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Uh, go sit by the fire, I'll bring you one."

"Here ya go!" came Jazz's voice down the stairs as a huge white bath towel flapped to the bottom.