He hadn’t texted her. She assumed he was back in town and he hadn’t texted or called her to see how she was.
But he’d texted Jason asking about her.
That son of a bitch. That coward. How dare he?
Fury boiled inside of her. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and her keys and opened the door. Agatha and Puddy came in so she put on Agatha’s leash.
“Whoa,” Jason said as he came into the kitchen. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes. I’ve . . . gotta go.”
“So fast? I was going to make us breakfast.”
She couldn’t even find the words to tell him how upset she was right now. “I’ve gotta go, Jason.”
“What’s wrong?”
She was already at the door, but he followed. “Check your phone. You’ll figure it out.”
“What?”
“I glanced at the message on your phone when it buzzed. I just can’t deal with that right now. I’ll talk to you later.”
She was out the door before he could say anything else, tears pricking her eyes as she got Agatha into the car and started it up.
No. She would not cry another tear over that bastard.
She turned onto the main road, focusing her attention on driving.
Of course Owen would have texted Jason instead of her. He couldn’t even face her to break up with her in person. Why did she think he would do that now, even with something as simple as a text?
Was he back in town? It had been over two weeks since their non-wedding. He was likely back and had been back. Had he come to talk to her, to explain his change of heart? No. He hadn’t. Maybe he never would. He probably intended to leave her wondering forever what the hell had happened to make him change his mind.
She turned onto the highway, shoving Owen out of her mind. She would not think about him. Not now, not ever. It was over. Why did she even care that he texted Jason?
Because his text had been about her, asking if she was okay.
No, she was not okay, dammit.
The display on her car brought up a call. It was Jason. She ignored it, knowing he wanted to talk to her about the message from Owen.
She couldn’t do it. Not now. Later, after she’d calmed down. Because she was most definitely not calm right now.
She pulled off the highway and made a turn, her stomach still in knots, her emotions a mess. She still had Jason’s scent on her, could still feel his touch and the warmth of his body against hers. And with one text, all the deliciousness had been wiped away.
They’d had such a perfect night together. And Owen had ruined it.
Damn that bastard.
JASON DRAGGED HIS fingers through his hair as he paced the kitchen and stared at the message from Owen. He couldn’t imagine what must be going through Erin’s mind, knowing she’d seen that.
Obviously, Owen hadn’t called or texted Erin. That had to be what had upset her.
And why the hell was Owen asking him how Erin was doing? If he wanted to know he should find out for himself by going directly to Erin.
He was still so damn mad at his best friend that he wanted to kick his ass. He grabbed his phone and typed out an angry reply, then immediately deleted it.
“Shit.” He tossed the phone back on the kitchen island.
He was torn, felt stuck in the middle between his two best friends, one of whom he’d slept with last night.
He needed to hear Owen out, figure out why Owen had done what he had. But doing so felt like a betrayal of Erin.
He didn’t know what to do.
So, instead, he went to grab a cup of coffee. The rest of it he’d figure out later.
CHAPTER
seventeen
WAIT. SO HE texted Jason but not you?”
Erin nodded, taking two very long sips of her margarita, so happy that Alice Weatherford had called her today and asked if they could have dinner. She needed a night out with someone she could be honest with and sort her feelings out with, and Alice was the perfect friend for that.
“But why?” Alice dug a chip into the guacamole.
“I have no idea.”
“Did you ask Jason if he’d been in contact with Owen?”
“I didn’t. I was so shocked and pissed off I ran out of there like my hair was on fire.”
“And this was after the night of hot sex?”
“Yes. And now I’ve let an entire week go by without talking to him. I was so embarrassed after what happened that every time I picked the phone up to call or text him, I just couldn’t do it. And now he probably thinks I’m not worth the trouble.”
Alice tilted her head and gave her a sympathetic look. “Oh, honey.”
“I know. It was stupid. But just seeing Owen’s name come up on Jason’s phone made me . . . I don’t know. Temporarily lose my mind, I guess.”
“And you haven’t talked to Jason at all this week?”
“No. He called and texted several times. I just felt so idiotic after running out of his house I didn’t know what to say.”
Alice tilted her head. “You have to talk to him. If nothing else, to find out what Owen had to say.”
“I don’t care what Owen has to say. I do care that I probably hurt Jason’s feelings. We had such a good night, Alice. And I ruined it by bailing.”
“I doubt you ruined anything.” Alice took a sip of her drink. “But you should still talk to him.”
“I will.” As soon as she developed some courage. She ate some chips and dip, then polished off her margarita, signaling her server for a refill. “Anyway, enough about me. Tell me what’s going on with you. How was your trip to LA?”
“It was good. I picked up a new client and I’ve already got him set up to meet someone.”
“That’s fabulous.”
“Thanks. I think the two of them have so much in common. They’ll make a great match.”
“When’s the date?”
“Saturday night. He’s a musician and she’s a graphic artist.”
Their server brought her margarita, and she ordered more chips and salsa along with guacamole. Erin turned her attention back to Alice. “Okay, so they’re both creative types. That gives them something in common.”
“Exactly. They both work very hard, sometimes too hard. Neither of them have taken enough time to work on their personal lives. So I think the idea of both of them looking for someone at this time is kind of like . . .”
“Kismet?” Erin asked.
Alice smiled. “Yes. I mean, even on paper I could feel it. It’s like I know they’re going to hit it off right away, that their match is going to be like lightning in a bottle.”
“I see that Clay has convinced you of that chemistry thing you used to object to.”
She offered up a serene smile. “Don’t tell him he was right. I’ll never live it down.”
Erin shrugged. “I saw the chemistry between the two of you from the first day you met.”
“He proposed last weekend.”
Erin’s heart did an excited flip. “Wait. What? Oh my God, Alice. He did? Why didn’t you tell me that first thing?”
Alice’s face blushed a peachy pink. “I don’t know. I’m still getting used to the idea of being engaged.”