Finally Finding Out (Completed) ✅

Three months later

“Yes…yes, Mom…I KNOW, Mom…I’m gonna say something to him about it today,” Steph promised. “Look, Mom…I gotta go…long distance and all. Bye.” She sighed as she hung up the phone and flopped onto a chair. Did mothers never change? She needed to take him at face value .She looked at the clock. Four-thirty. She sighed again. Jordan’s flight wasn’t due in from Los Angeles for another forty minutes, and then he had a good twenty-minute commute from the airport. She got up to grab a soda from the fridge, and noticed the answering machine light was blinking. She pushed play.

“Hey, Jordan how are ya?” A female voice asked. Steph froze. “I just wanted to say that it was great seeing you again last night. Just like those old crazy times, huh? Too bad you had to get up so early to leave this morning…I was sorry to see you go. Nina loves ya, baby.”

She stared at the phone, a sob building in her throat. Nina…his ex…the one he had been with all those years off and on. She grabbed her purse and ran out the door. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to leave. 

Jon groaned as the phone rang at seven. Why did telemarketers always seem to call at dinner? He was just eating a cold roast beef sandwich in front of the TV, but it was the principle of the thing. He answered it with a cold, “Hello?”
“Is this Jonathan Knight?”
“No, this is his butler. Who wants to know?” Jon asked guardedly.
“My name is Bill…I work at Duffy’s in the city.”

“Yeah, I know it,” Jon said warily. Duffy’s was a bar and grill downtown.

“I got a lady here who’s had a bit too much to drink and I don’t want her driving home. She says she ain’t got no money for a taxi, and you’re the only person she knows in the city.”

“What’s her name?” Jon jumped to his feet.

“Steph something.”

“I’ll be right there.” 

Jon made his way through the smoky room over to the bar. “You Bill?”

“Yeah,” a burly man behind the counter answered. “You looking for the lady?” Jon nodded. “Over there.” He pointed to a corner table where Steph sat, staring at her empty glass dejectedly.

Jon walked over. “Steph…hey sweetie.”

“He won’t fill my glass anymore,” Steph pouted. “He’s so mean. I told him I could give him the money later.”

“Let’s go to my house. I have all you can drink for free.”

“Goodie!” Steph’s face lit up. “Let’s go.” She struggled to her feet, and Jon half-carried her through the room. He stopped at the bar and slipped Bill a twenty for his troubles.

Jon managed to get Steph out the door and into his car, praying she wouldn’t decide to get sick on the way home. She laid her head on the window and sighed. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong? Where’s Jordan?”

“I don’t care where Jordan is,” she muttered. “Fuck Jordan never loved him anyway…only wanted his money.”

Stephanie!” Jon gasped. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing…leave me alone,” she snapped. Jon said nothing more as they drove onto his large estate and he parked in his garage. He helped her out of the car but she pushed him away as she stumbled into the house. He led her upstairs.

“You need a hot bath. Go into my bedroom and grab a robe while I run the water,” he ordered. She meekly obeyed and soon came back out in his favorite black robe. He sighed. She looked so lost and alone. “I’m gonna wait outside until you’re done,” he told her.

“Don’t. I don’t want to fall asleep,” she said. “You put tons of bubbles in…I’ll hide under them.” She slipped the robe off before he could look away, and he couldn’t help but look a long moment before finally glancing away. She smirked. “Besides…it’s not like you haven’t seen a pair of boobs  before.” She sank into the bubbles with a sigh.
“Tell me,” he prodded gently.

“There was a message from Nina on the machine when I got to the apartment,” she whispered. Jon’s mouth fell open. “Sounds like they had a great night last night.”

“No, Steph, I’m sure you misunderstood,” Jon began.

“Oh, sweetheart I’m sure it’s a big mistake.” Jon reached over and stroked her hair. “Jordan loves you.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she said wryly. “You men are all the same.”

“Don’t even start that shit,” Jon said. “We are not.”

Steph sighed and said nothing. She closed her eyes, feeling sleepy. “I should get out of here. I feel…awful.”

“I guess you do, if you were drinking as long and as much as I think you were,” Jon said. “Let me find you a towel.” He got up to get a towel from the linen closet and froze with it in his hand. He heard someone thumping up the steps. He went out into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. “Jordan?”

“Sorry,” Jordan panted. “I wouldn’t have just come in but you let the door open downstairs. That’s pretty dumb.” He tried to catch his breath. “I can’t find Steph, Jon. I can’t find her anywhere, and there was this message on the machine…I’m sure she heard it.”

“Look, bro, let’s go downstairs and talk about this.” Jon nervously glanced at the bathroom. Jordan blushed.

“Oh, man, do you have someone here? I’m sorry,” Jordan said.

“No, it’s fine.” Jon started shoving him towards the door.

“Jon? Who’s out there?” A female voice called from the bathroom. Jordan stared at Jon, then marched over to the door.

“Jordan, wait,” Jon said, but Jordan threw the door open. Steph gasped as the cold air hit her.

“What the hell is going on here?” Jordan demanded. Steph got to her feet slowly trying not to fall.

“Jordan, go home. Go home to Nina,” she said, swaying.

“Will you cover yourself?” He snapped, grabbing the towel from Jon and trying to cover Steph’s body with it. She smacked him.

“Do NOT fucking touch me, okay? 
“Steph…” Jon said weakly.

“Shut up, Jon,” she said angrily. “Jordan…please go away. I never want to see you again. You’re a lying sack of shit and I hate you!” She screamed.

“Will you let me explain?” Jordan said.

“Jordan, don’t. She’s drunk and she won’t listen to you. The bartender called me to come get her because she mentioned my name. I thought she needed a bath and she asked me to stay so she wouldn’t fall asleep. I swear that’s all that happened. Let her stay here and sleep it off.”

“Fine!” Jordan snapped angrily. “Nothing happened between me and Nina, Steph. I will explain it all to you tomorrow.”

“Don’t bother.” Steph leaned on Jon to get out of the tub. “Nothing you have to say can change it. You slept around on me…and I never want to see you again.”