I’d loved teaching when I was in graduate school. That was the best part. The least stressful part honestly. It was the research and papers and endless criticism that had done me in. Some people were made for that and loved it but not me. I could take some critiques, but eventually, my head had exploded, and I’d felt like it was doing more harm than good.
“Just think about it,” my mom said as we pulled into the church parking lot.
“Okay,” I said, “I’ll think about it.”
“Good, or else I’d have to start talking about Jensen Wright again.”
I groaned and parked in a spot. “You kill me.”
“I love you, too,” she said. Then, she hurried toward a cluster of her friends standing at the entrance.
I scanned the parking lot for Jensen, but it was impossible. The church was huge, and I would never find him out here like that. I killed the ignition and then checked inside the church to see if the Wrights had arrived yet. No luck.
Then, I planted myself at the front of the church with my arms crossed. I felt like I was staking the place out as I waited, but if Jensen was here, then I needed to talk to him. I needed to figure out what the fuck was happening…or end it. Because I was not going to be toyed with.
Just when I had that thought, a bleach-blonde bob appeared before me.
“Ugh! Are you literally following me everywhere?” Miranda asked.
She was in a skintight blue dress that barely hit her at mid thigh and had a low-cut neckline. She looked good in it, but it wouldn’t have been my first choice for a relatively conservative church service.
“I go to church here,” I responded with a sigh.
“Uh-huh. Oh, I’m sure.”
“Miranda,” Landon said, hurrying to catch up, “let’s just go inside.”
“You knew she was going to be here.”
“We’ve gone to the same church since we were kids, Miranda. I can’t help that.”
“And I get no warning?” she asked.
“You don’t need a warning,” I said, “because there’s nothing going on here, and you’re worrying for nothing.”
“Don’t tell me how I feel. Just stay away from us.”
Then, she sauntered inside, as if she owned the place, and Landon gave me a sympathetic look before following her. I shook my head at her ridiculousness and then looked to see if the rest of the Wrights were following. I wasn’t disappointed.
Little Sutton Wright and her new husband, Maverick, had finally come back from their honeymoon in Cabo. She was a deep olive tan, and his nose was a bit red, but they both looked happy. After them, I saw Morgan and Austin enter. She looked to be scolding him, pointing at his pocket. I narrowed my eyes to try to figure out what she was saying. Then, I noticed the top of a flask peeking out of his pocket.
Oh, eesh!
Then, I couldn’t be bothered. Because walking straight toward me was none other than Jensen Wright himself. He looked…unbelievable. I might be mad at him, but he was undeniably attractive. He was in a tailored charcoal suit that fit him like a glove. He had on a red patterned shirt and a dark tie. His cheekbones were sharp, and his eyes were even fiercer. But I could see underneath it. He looked like he’d lost weight…and definitely sleep. There were dark circles under his eyes, like he’d been living off of caffeine and power naps.
He caught my eye, and I stopped breathing for a second. In that second, I just wanted to forget the last week. I wanted everything to be right. I wanted Wright to be right even though it felt so wrong.
But then that moment passed, and I knew what I had to do.
I marched straight over to Jensen and blocked his path before he could get inside. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Language, Emery,” he said, his voice clipped.
“Don’t do that,” I ground out. “Just answer the damn question.”
“I’ve been in New York.”
“Why haven’t you answered any of my calls or messages?”
“I’ve been busy,” he said simply.
I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out of the way of the entrance. “I’m missing something here. What the hell happened? Is it because I didn’t answer your calls that night? My phone died, and I didn’t see you’d called until I got home. I called you back as soon as I charged it,” I rambled on.
“Not as soon as.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, not following him.
“I really don’t want to get into this with you, Emery.”
He moved to brush past me, but I latched on to his arm. “Was it Vanessa?”
Jensen turned back to face me with confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Do you still love her? Is that why you were in New York?” I knew I sounded desperate and jealous, but I cared very little at this point. If it was going to end, then I just wanted him to do it.