For about three weeks I hadn't heard from Shannon and my life had seemingly returned to normal. I was steadily working and my friendship with Sara was back on track. We had text each other at least a dozen times a day and it felt good to genuinely smile for a change.
Josh swiveled his chair and tapped his pen along the desk. "Are you gonna be back from Seattle by the twenty-third? I scheduled a consultation in Calabasas for nine am on that Monday."
Rolling my eyes, I groaned. I hated when he did that, asked me about a particular date that was weeks away, like I'm supposed to know my schedule by heart or something. "I should be, but if not you can always do the consultation yourself Joshie." I used to be so excited and passionate about my work, but these days I struggled to stay focused on the simplest of things. I still enjoyed it, but it was just different now, more scheduled and routine.
"Mm-hm."
"Mm-hm, what? Let's face it, you're a lot more organized than me lately." I put my hands on my hips and stared at his side of the office. His desk was so clean and tidy and then there was me. Fabric swatches, tile samples, a stack of magazines and the remnants of my lunch cluttered mine.
"That's not just today. You're the messiest person I know." Wow. He really knew how to rub it in.
I delved through my purse, searching for my keys. "Jesus, what the hell did I do with them? Did I lock them in the fucking car? Ugh!" I stormed out and glared through the drivers side window. They weren't in the ignition, that was a good thing I suppose. I didn't leave them in the console or on the seats so they had to be in the office. Rushing back inside, Josh sat there, swinging the keys from his finger as he stared at whatever game he was playing on his laptop. "Hey, Care bear." He was using his extra sarcastic voice to irritate the shit out of me now.
I stamped my foot, my heel clicking loudly on the floor in aggravation of his tone as I snatched the keys from his hand. "How many times have I asked you not to call me that, Joshua?"
"Fuck you too, but in any case, what are you doing on Saturday?"
I unplugged my laptop and put my purse on top of it. "I dunno, possibly running some errands that I keep putting off. Maybe sleeping in late, making a trip to the grocery store and catching up on my laundry. Why?"
"Do you feel like dealing with any company?" He still hadn't bothered to look up from his game.
"Really? Josh, you know that you're welcome to come to my home anytime." Josh was like family to me and he would occasionally pop over for a visit when we were off.
"Not me sweetie, Kimmie says that she, Steve and Lola are coming to LA and will be over sometime after noon on Saturday." He held up my phone that I tossed down on his desk when I was trying to untangle the wires that would forever become knotted up near the outlet on the right side of his desk.
Jesus, someone just kill me now. "Fuck! Why me?" I liked things how they were. Mom and dad never came to LA anymore. They preferred to spend their vacation time with Kim and Steve in Portland and I was happy to never have to deal with any of them. Steve is a doctor and he and my snotty sis have a wonderful life there. Why should my parents pay for a vacation when you can stay at a mansion for free? I get it. My little home in LA is nowhere near as glamorous, and I can't afford to take them out like Steve does.
Josh typed in my password and I rolled my eyes. That's about right, all those times he was standing over my shoulder, he must have paid attention to the numbers I punched in to unlock it. "She says they will be in town until Tuesday and she wants to know which Leto hunk of beef you're dating, Jared or his brother. Oh, wait, she sent a picture. It's one of you and, yeah, that's not Jared. It's his brother. Hmm, Care, do you hold the hand of the brother of all the men you date? Do tell." He glowered at me, resting his chin on his hands like it was fucking story time.
"WHAT?!" I snatched the phone and read Kim's message.
-Hey sis, just letting you know that me and the fam will be in LA this weekend. Steven has a conference on Monday, but we promised Lola and her best friend Casey a trip to Disneyland on Sunday. We will be staying at the Waldorf Astoria, but would love to do dinner with you on Saturday. By the way, I thought you said you were dating that Jared guy again. Why are you holding hands with his brother here? Just seems odd, oh well, talk later. See you this weekend! 😘-
"Fuck my life!"
"That isn't the voice of a happy young lady wanting to see her sister, Miss Taylor." He snickered as he fluttered his lashes at me. He kind of knows exactly why I feel like I do. I was never close to any of them. I felt like the outcast and they sure went out of their way to treat me like one.
"Blow me, Josh!" I dropped everything onto my desk, examining the photo of Shannon and me. It was old, and I remembered the very day it was taken. We were in New York and on the way to the theatre after leaving a restaurant where Jared parted ways with us. After that evening, Jared's PR got a hold of the photo and I assumed it was taken care of, but if my sister was seeing it now, then clearly it wasn't. My stomach churned and I shoved the phone into my pocket.
Josh turned to face me. "You wish. Sorry sweetie, but your body is totally useless to me. However, anytime you want to loan me your hot stud of a boy toy for the night, he wouldn't have to ask me twice."
"Yeah right, you'll have to pry him from my cold, dead hands. He's mine!" I jiggled the keys and picked up my bag and the laptop. Walking to the door, I stopped to shoot him a frown. "It's late, get out of here. I'll catch ya tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight bitch." If anyone heard the way we talked to each other they'd die. We had cute pet names for each other and even though they sounded awful, they were terms of endearment.
"Whatever asshole." I walked to my car, already feeling sick about my sister's visit. All the way home, I desperately tried to come up with an excuse to not see them, but I knew Kimmie wouldn't buy any of them.
Entering my apartment, I stepped inside, instantly tilting my head at the familiar scent lingering in the air. Jared. Just as the realization that he was here hit me, he rounded the corner. I threw everything on the couch and ran to him. My arms slid around his neck and he raised me off the ground. My legs immediately wrapped around his waist, locking me in place. Jared pressed his lips to mine and my heart skipped a beat. It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime. I really hated these separations, but he certainly made up for it by surprising me like this. "I can't believe you're actually here!"
"Don't get too happy, it's only for two days." Closing my eyes, I pressed my forehead against his, inhaling that delicious scent that drove me wild. "I missed you."
"I missed you more." Releasing his tight grasp, my feet slid down to the floor. "You smell so amazing," I admitted, twisting my fingers down the dark fabric of his dress shirt. I loved the way he gave everyone a peek at what was beneath, by leaving the first two buttons open.
"I imagine I probably need a shower after traveling, but thank you," he chuckled. "But as always, you look and smell exquisite."
I slipped out of his arms, backing into the hallway and teasingly unbuttoning my blouse. "You want me?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.
Eyes narrowing, he grinned big. Jared took a few steps toward me and that's when I took off running, down the short hallway and into the bedroom. I have no idea how I was able to leap up onto the mattress the way I did, but he followed and the next thing I knew, he grabbed me and we were jumping on my bed like a couple of unruly toddlers. God, I hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.
