Текст книги "Coming Home"

Автор книги: Priscilla Glenn

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

“What’s up?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Gram just called me. She didn’t have your number. Why did you send her daffodils?”

His tone made her stop in her tracks. It was almost…accusatory. It didn’t make any sense.

“Um,” Leah answered, running her hand through her hair, “I just…I mean, I really appreciated what she did for me that day, so I wanted to do something nice for her.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said. “Why daffodils?”

Leah closed her eyes as she rubbed circles over her temple with her fingertips. She couldn’t understand what was happening. Was he angry with her? For sending his grandmother flowers?

“I don’t know. I saw that she had a bunch of them around her house. I assumed she liked them.” Her stomach dropped as she added, “Did I upset her or something?”

Danny exhaled heavily into the phone, and it was several seconds before he spoke again. “No,” he said softly. “You didn’t upset her. She wanted me to thank you.”

“Okay…” Leah said, trailing off.

“Look, I’m at work, though. I gotta go.”

She shook her head slightly. “Okay.”

“Alright. Bye.”

“Bye,” she managed.

“Wait, Leah?” he said abruptly.

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t…I…” He exhaled again before he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Okay,” she murmured, wishing she could come up with something else to say besides that stupid word.

“Bye,” he said and ended the call.

Leah pulled the phone from her ear and tossed it on the table before she walked through her living room, collapsing on the couch with a huff as she dropped her head back and blinked up at the ceiling.

What the hell just happened?

“Excuse me,” Robyn said, tapping the overweight bearded man on his shoulder. He turned, clearly amused as he looked her up and down. She was wearing a white tank top with the phrase “I’m the Bachelorette” scrawled in pink lettering across the front. On the back was the phrase “Grab my ass before it’s too late!” She wore a veil pinned into her blond curls, and much to her dismay, she was wearing a large penis necklace, a red strobe light flashing in its head.

Leah made a mental note to forbid Holly from planning any party of hers for the rest of their lives.

“Clearly, I’m getting married soon,” Robyn said to the man, gesturing at herself with her half-empty drink. “And I’m a virgin bride. So I was just wondering if you could give me some pointers, or maybe tell me what to expect?”

Leah bit her lip and looked down; as her shoulders began to shake with the force of her stifled laughter, she turned and walked back toward the table where the rest of the raucous bridal party sat.

“Guys, this is so mean. Let’s cut her a break.”

“No way,” Robyn’s sister said. “She did this to me at my bachelorette party. Payback’s a bitch.” She held up the list she was holding, scanning it intently. It was a bachelorette scavenger hunt of sorts. Robyn had to complete a bunch of tasks before the end of the night, one more humiliating than the next. Her sister took the pen out of her back pocket and removed the cap with her teeth, checking off the box next to number seven: “Pretend you’re a virgin and ask a random guy for advice re: the wedding night.”

Leah sat down next to Holly, who held up her drink. She smiled, leaning over to clink her Cosmo against it before she drained the rest of it. On top of the shots they had taken earlier, she was slowly but surely making the transition from buzzed to drunk.

Robyn approached the table, her quintessential inebriated smile in place.

“Okay, so Herb,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder, “said not to be shy, and that I shouldn’t worry if it hurts because it will get better. Oh, and he also said I shouldn’t be afraid to experiment with the balls.”

The entire table cracked up as Robyn shrugged, drinking the rest of her appletini before she sat down on Leah’s lap and rested her head against Leah’s.

“Uh oh! The bachelorette needs a drink! I’m on it,” said Robyn’s old college roommate, and she jumped up and made her way over to the bar.

“Hey,” Holly said, leaning over to them. “Do you realize that in twenty minutes, it will be the year you’re getting married?”

“Peace out, single life!” Robyn shouted, holding two fingers up and waving them in the face of a man who walked past them.

“Peace out to the idea of her not puking tonight,” Holly said to Leah, and they both laughed.

“Alright, girlies,” Robyn’s cousin sing-songed as she approached the table, “I brought us some goodies!”

Leah looked up to see four young guys standing behind her.

“Excellent!” Robyn’s sister said. “We can check off number twelve on the list.”

Robyn sighed. “What do I have to do?”

“You have to take a young man over your knee and spank him.”

“I’ll do it,” two of the guys said in unison, and Holly burst out laughing.

Robyn got off Leah’s lap and sat on a chair, crooking her finger at one of the guys. “Alright, let’s go, naughty boy,” she said, and he swiftly laid himself across her lap, beaming like he’d won the lottery.

She spanked him as the girls counted them off, and in the midst of the shenanigans, Leah glanced up to see one of the other guys smiling at her.

“Bobby,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Leah,” she answered as she reached for it.

“Well, Leah, I know this is going to sound like a line, but you’re the most beautiful girl in here tonight.”

She smirked. “That does sound like a line.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate, because it’s true.”

“Thanks,” she said softly.

“So, can I get you another drink?”

“Oh. That’s okay. I’m good for right now. Thanks.”

“Alright. Maybe later,” he said with a wink before turning back to his friends.

Leah sat back in her seat to see Holly watching her, her brow lifted.

“No good?” she asked, and Leah shrugged.

“That’s okay,” Holly said. “I’m still so proud of you for your not-a-date the other day.”

Her inhibitions having been completely washed away by her third Cosmo, Leah leaned over to Holly and said, “I think it’s because of my not-a-date that I’m not impressed by these guys.”

“What do you mean?”

“I guess I’m just thinking about Danny,” she said, and Holly’s eyebrows shot into her hairline.

The truth was, Leah had thought about him a lot that night. It had been four days since that bizarre phone call about the daffodils, and she hadn’t heard from him again. Not that she expected to. He’d given her no indication that he would call her after lunch that day, and that last phone call certainly didn’t leave her expecting to hear from him again, and yet tonight, she couldn’t get him out of her head. It seemed the more alcohol she consumed, the more thoughts of him would invade her mind.

He was the perfect combination of cute, but sexy. Pretty, but rugged. Exuding a gentleness, but at the same time, radiating a raw sex appeal. But she’d met lots of attractive guys in the past few years, and none of them ever occupied her thoughts the way Danny did.

He was such a mystery to her though, and maybe that was why she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Maybe she was just trying to figure him out.

She could tell he was a good guy—the way he took care of Catherine, the way he was protective of her, proved that. And at lunch, they had gotten along so well. They were comfortable. They made each other laugh. He seemed to enjoy spending the afternoon with her.

And then he left without even the tiniest indication that he wanted to see or talk to her again.

Maybe he has a girlfriend, Leah thought. But then why would he have asked her to lunch in the first place? Unless he really was just trying to be a nice guy.

But then there was that weird, angry phone call.

Leah sighed, reaching to take Holly’s drink out of her hand before taking a sip. This was exactly the kind of thing she didn’t want to deal with. She didn’t want to be vulnerable, especially with someone who was so hard to read.

She decided she should just celebrate her partial victory; she had allowed herself to have some interest in a guy. That was more than she had been capable of for a long time. It was a small step, but the girls were right: it was a step in the right direction. She didn’t have to pursue it for it to be significant. And she wasn’t going to pursue Danny.

With that revelation she suddenly felt ten pounds lighter, smiling over at Holly, who was still staring at her with a shocked expression.

“Do you like him?” she asked, and Leah waved her off.

“It’s not like that. I’m just happy that I’m not completely broken. It makes me think that maybe one day I can have what you guys have,” she said, gesturing to her friends.

Holly’s face contorted with sadness. “Of course you will, Leah. Of course you will.” She stood up and wrapped her arm around Leah’s shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Now give me back my drink, you bitch.”

Leah laughed just as Robyn’s sister yelled, “Another round of shots, ladies!”

Stupidly, she agreed.

A few hours later, Leah and Holly were helping put Robyn into her fiancé’s car.

“Here. The bartender thought this would be a good idea,” Holly said, handing Rich one of the plastic fishbowls the bar used to serve specialty drinks in.

“Gee, thanks,” he said, leaning into the passenger seat and handing Robyn the empty bowl. She grinned up at him and slurred something unintelligible.

“Absolutely, babe,” Rich said as he buckled her seat belt.

“What did she say?” Leah asked.

Rich closed the passenger door and turned toward them. “I have no fucking idea.”

Leah and Holly burst out laughing as Rich pulled up the zipper of his jacket. “How are you girls getting home? Do you need a ride?”

“No, Evan is coming to get us,” Holly said.

“Alright, Happy New Year, ladies,” he said, giving them warning glances before he leaned over and kissed both their cheeks. “Be good.”

Leah and Holly watched them pull away, blowing dramatic kisses until the taillights of Rich’s car were no longer visible.

A few minutes later, Holly’s boyfriend pulled up to the curb, immediately rolling down the window. “Are you guys insane? Where the hell are your jackets?”

The girls leaned into each other and broke into hysterics as if that were the funniest thing they’d ever heard.

“Fantastic.” Evan sighed, getting out of the car and ushering them toward it. “Alright, let’s go.”

Leah crawled into the back seat, and she and Holly spent the entire ride having disjointed conversations and laughing uncontrollably at anything and everything.

“God, I need to go home,” Leah said when she had caught her breath, dropping her head back onto the seat and covering her face.

“We’re almost there, Lee,” Evan said, glancing in the rearview. “You’re not gonna puke, are you?”

“No, I’m not gonna puke, but I might pass out,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.

“That’s okay,” Holly said. “Pass out. We’ll carry you.”

Evan snorted. “You’re not carrying anyone. Maybe you should think about passing out for a bit.”

Leah tried to stifle a laugh, and Holly held up both hands, flipping them off before she crossed her arms over her chest and rested her head back against the seat.

By the time they pulled into Leah’s apartment complex, Holly was snoring lightly, her head lolled to the side, resting on her shoulder.

Evan got out and helped Leah to the door, his hand firmly on her elbow as she wobbled on her heels. He watched until she was safely inside before jogging back down the path to his still-running car and a passed-out Holly.

Leah held on to the wall for balance, sloppily kicking off her heels and tripping over one as she walked down the hall. She still had enough presence of mind to stop in the kitchen and grab herself a bottle of water before she stumbled back toward her bedroom.

She undid the button of her jeans and pulled them down to her knees before she fell back onto the bed, kicking awkwardly to free herself of them. Her arms flopped out to her sides as her eyes fell closed, and then she groaned, remembering she hadn’t texted her father.

Leah sat up quickly; the room spun with the sudden movement, and she squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the edge of the bed until the world righted itself. She leaned down, this time much more slowly, and fished through her purse on the floor until she came up with her phone.

As she flopped back onto the bed, the room began to spin again, and she squinted one eye, sending him a text as quickly as she could. With a relieved huff, she flung the phone somewhere on the other side of the bed and scooted down, draping one leg over the side so she could keep her foot on the floor.

Within seconds she passed out.

Leah felt the horrid pounding in her head before she was even fully awake; it felt like an ice pick being slowly tapped into her brain.

“Owwwwww,” she moaned, pressing her fingertips into her eyes. It was then she realized that the shrill ringing in her ears was not part of her horrific hangover.

Her phone was ringing.

She turned her head slowly and opened one eye. It was a quarter to seven.

Why would someone be calling her so early?

Leah flipped onto her side, grimacing as the pain in her head intensified with the movement, and she closed her eyes, running her hand over the mattress and feeling around blindly for her phone.

“Make it stop,” she moaned just as her hand closed around it, and she tapped her thumb over the screen before dragging it to her ear.

“Yeah?” she rasped.

“Leah, I’m going to focus more on how happy I am to hear your voice, and not on how upset I am with you right now.”

She brought her weight up to her elbows, sitting up slightly and wincing as a sharp pain pierced her between the eyes. “Daddy?”

“Why didn’t you let me know you got home last night? Of all nights, Leah. New Year’s Eve. And you were at a bachelorette party, no less.”

She sat up slowly, pressing her palm to her forehead. “I did. I texted you.”

“You didn’t. I waited.”

Leah rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes, her mind racing back over the night. Everything was somewhat fuzzy, but she could have sworn she’d texted him.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I really thought I did.” She exhaled heavily. “I…I don’t know what to say. You know I always text you when I get home.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said tiredly. “Alright, go back to sleep. I’m just glad you’re home safe.”

“Okay. I’m really sorry, Dad. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Leah ended the call and dropped her phone on the bed, her brow furrowed. After rubbing her hands over her face, she slid from the bed and padded to the bathroom, the pounding in her head keeping time with her feet against the hardwood floor.

After she’d used the bathroom, she opened her medicine chest and dumped three extra-strength aspirin into her palm, popping them into her mouth as she stumbled back out to the bedroom. Leah drank half the bottle of water before she leaned over and yanked the curtains closed.

And then she flopped facedown on her bed, immediately falling back asleep.

When she woke again, it was one thirty in the afternoon. She felt tired and thirsty and in desperate need of a shower, but that was still significantly better than when she woke the first time.

Leah rolled over and stretched with a groan, exhaling heavily as she let her arms fall back to her sides. The phone call with her father crept into her consciousness, and she pulled her brow together as she turned her head to scan the bed for her cell phone.

She sat up slowly when she spotted it, running her thumb over the screen.

She could have sworn she texted him. She definitely remembered looking for her phone last night for that exact reason. Was it possible she fell asleep before she hit send?

Leah pulled up her sent messages.

And there it was. A text sent at 3:49 a.m. to…

“No,” she breathed, her stomach lurching. “Oh, no, no, no.”

She had definitely sent the text. But it didn’t go to Dad.

It went to Danny.

“Shit,” she hissed as she opened the text message, having no recollection of what she’d actually sent.

Jus got home happy newyear I love u.

“No!” she wailed, throwing the phone to the other side of the bed as she brought both hands to her face. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Okay, relax, a little voice in her head cajoled. So this guy has made it clear on two occasions now that he’s not interested in you, and you just texted him that you loved him. No big deal.

“Oh my God,” she groaned, grabbing a pillow and pressing it over her face. If she never talked to him again after this, it would be too soon. But her stupid pride wouldn’t allow her to move on and forget this little disaster ever happened. She felt the need to explain herself so he didn’t think she was some pathetic weirdo.

Leah had no idea why she even cared what he thought of her, but she did.

She sat up quickly, tossing the pillow off the side of the bed as she reached for her phone, staring at the screen for a few seconds before she opened a new text message to Danny.

Sorry about that text last night. I meant to send that to someone else.

She hit send and closed her eyes, dropping back onto the bed as she brought her fingertips to her temples, massaging slow circles. A minute later, the soft double beep of her phone caused her eyes to flip open and her stomach to drop.

It was her text message alert.

Leah held her breath as she opened his reply.

Hold on—you don’t love me? I’m in a jewelry store picking out your ring, so if you don’t love me, tell me now.

A slow smile spread over her lips. This wasn’t angry, standoffish, daffodil Danny. This was Cheesecake Factory Danny.

She hit reply.

Hmm. Well, before I decide, how big is the ring?

Leah placed her phone on her stomach before she stretched her arms over her head, biting her lip to fight the goofy smile she felt forming on her face. The sound of her phone ringing startled her, and she slapped her hand down on her stomach, bringing the phone to eye level as her bottom lip slid out from between her teeth.

He was calling.

She took a breath as she hit the button to take the call, hoping it was still Cheesecake Factory Danny.

“Hello?”

His laughter floated through the phone. “So, I guess size matters to you?”

His voice was playfully suggestive, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat as her stomach fluttered. “Happy New Year, by the way,” he said.

“You too.”

“I’d ask if you had fun last night, but your sloppy texting kind of answers that question.”

Leah laughed, combing through her hair with her fingers. “It really wasn’t as sloppy as you’re making it out to be. I was trying to text my father. Dad and Danny are right next to each other in my contacts, and it was almost four in the morning. Cut me some slack.”

“Ah, so that text was for your father?”

“Mm-hm,” she hummed, wondering if she imagined in the hint of relief in his voice. There was a stretch of silence, and Leah began to chew on her lower lip again.

“So you should probably erase it,” she blurted out suddenly.

“Why?”

“I…I don’t know. I don’t want to, like…get you in trouble or anything.”

“Get me in trouble?” he asked. “How would you get me in trouble?”

“I mean, some random girl, texting you that she loves you…” She trailed off.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

She could hear the amusement in his voice, picture the smirk he was probably wearing.

The one that brought out his dimples.

Heat flooded her cheeks again. He was right; that had been what she was getting at, and she couldn’t believe she’d gone about it in such a childish way. Why didn’t you just write him a note? she thought. Do you have a girlfriend? Circle yes or no.

Leah heard a muted banging through the phone before Danny called out, “Come in, it’s open!”

“Company?” she asked.

“Just a couple of the guys from the shop. We have money on today’s game, which means we all have to watch it in the same place so we can humiliate and degrade each other over it.”

“Sounds fun,” she said with a laugh, reaching over to grab the water bottle off her nightstand. “Well, I’ll let you go then.”

“Alright. Oh hey, Leah?”

She froze with the bottle at her lips. “Yeah?”

“Maybe you should erase that text from your sent messages. You know. So you don’t get in trouble or anything.”

She lowered the bottle from her lips as a smile curved her mouth. “I don’t have a boyfriend, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

He laughed lightly into the phone. “Talk to you later.”

“Bye,” she said.

She dropped the phone to the bed and brought the bottle back to her mouth, nibbling on the rim.

He said he’d talk to her later.

She pressed her lips together, fighting the squeal she could feel building in the back of her throat.

Oh, Leah, she thought. You are so screwed.