J
School was back in session. Vacationers and summer people had gone home. The club had a lot less traffic and because of this tips were down. The biggest thing was that Lisa hadn't mentioned the proposing thing again since the night at the condo when she'd said that was what she'd told her mother and sister and my father. She never even mentioned them again. I wondered sometimes if she'd changed her mind or if I'd imagined it.
If it wasn't for Jisoo asking me weekly if Lisa had brought it up again I would think it had been a figment of my imagination. Every time I told her no Lisa hadn't she got more and more agitated. Not to mention my heart hurt a little more. I was afraid she'd thought it through and decided it was a mistake. Before she'd mentioned it that night I hadn't even let myself believe she'd want to marry me. I figured we'd raise the baby from two different homes. If my thoughts went to the future I would block it out. It wasn't something I wanted to hope for.
My hours were being cut back due to the slower season and I wondered if I needed to get a second job. There wasn't a lot to choose from around here. Then it was very likely that Lisa wouldn't take it well.
When I stepped into my bedroom there were two things that caught my attention. There were rose petals on my bed and in the center of them was an envelope with my name written neatly across the front. I picked it up and opened it. The stationery was expensive feeling and Manoban was embossed at the top.
Meet me down at the beach.
Love,
Lisa
Her abnormally perfect handwriting made me smile. I went to my closet and pulled out a white sundress that had two black stripes across the hem. If she had planned a romantic something at the beach I wasn't going to wear my work clothes.
After brushing my hair and touching up my makeup I headed out the French doors that faced the gulf and made my way down to the beach. Lisa was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a button up shirt. I was glad I'd changed. Her back was to me and her hands were in her pockets as she stood there staring out at the water. I wanted to stop and admire her admiring the water but I was also anxious to see her. She'd been gone when I woke up this morning.
I stepped off the walkway and onto the sand. It was oddly deserted except for the two of us. Even though the crowds were down it was still eighty-eight degrees and sunny outside. Glancing down I noticed something in the sand. Someone had written in it. There was a stick lying off to the side.
I stopped and read aloud, "Jennie Kim, will you marry me?" As the words sunk in Lisa walked across the words and knelt down on one knee in front of me.
A small box appeared in her hand and she opened it slowly as a diamond ring caught the fading sun. It appeared to come alive as it sparkled. It was happening. Did I want this? Yes. Did I trust her? …. Yes.
Was she ready? I wasn't sure. I didn't want this to be something she was doing because she felt pressured to. It would be easy to reach down and put the ring on my finger. But was it what Lisa really wanted?
"You don't have to do this," I forced myself to say staring down at her. She hadn't spoken to her sister or her mother in weeks. As much as I disliked them… no hated them, I didn't want to be what came between her and her family.
Lisa shook her head. "No, I don't have to do anything. But I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No one but you."
Her words were the right words. I still felt like something was wrong. She couldn't truly want this. She was young, rich, and gorgeous. I had nothing to offer her. I'd tie her down. Change her world. "I can't do this to you. I can't hinder your future. You can go do anything. I promised you I'd let you be a part of our baby's life. That won't change when you feel like you're ready to leave. I'll always let you."
"Don't say another word. I swear Jennie, I am seconds away from throwing your ass in that ocean." She stood up and her steady gaze held mine. "No man has ever loved a woman as much as I love you. Nothing will ever come before you. I don't know what else I have to do to prove to you that I won't let you down again. I won't hurt you. You don't have to be alone anymore. I need you."
Maybe this wasn't right and maybe I was making a mistake but her words tugged at corners of my heart she had somehow not managed to reach until that moment. I took the box from her hand and lifted the ring free. "It's beautiful," I told her. Because it was. It wasn't too flashy or overdone. It was perfectly simple.
"Nothing less would be worthy of your finger," she replied and took the ring from my hand. Then she went back down on her knee and her eyes met mine.
"Please, Jennie Kim, will you be my wife?"
I wanted this. Her.
"Yes," I said and she slipped the ring on my finger.
"Thank god," she whispered then stood back up and captured my mouth in a hungry kiss. This was real and maybe it wouldn't be forever but it was mine for now. I'd find a way to let her go if she wanted to. But I loved her. That would never change.
"Move in with me," she begged.
"I can't. I have to pay my half of the lease," I reminded her.
"I paid your lease in full for a year. Every dime you've given Mino has gone into a savings account with your name on it. Same for Jisoo. Now, please move in with me."
I wanted to get mad at her but right now I couldn't. I pressed another kiss to her lips and then nodded.
"And please stop working," she added.
"No," I replied. I wasn't doing that.
"You're my fiancé now. You're going to be my wife. Why do you want to work at a country club? Don't you want to do something else? What about college? Do you want to do that? Is there a degree you want? I'm not trying to take away your choices; I want to give you more."
I was going to be her wife. Those words sunk in as I gazed up at her. I didn't have to give up college like I had high school. I could get a degree and have a profession.
"I want that. It's just… let me soak this in. Too much, too fast," I said, wrapping my arms around her.
L
Jennie was determined to work out a two weeks notice with Mino. I wasn't going to argue with her. She'd agreed to everything I asked. I wasn't about to push my luck. I sat at the table with my laptop and a cup of coffee waiting on her to get off her shift.
Mino had stopped by to talk to me for a few minutes but other than that it had been a quiet evening. Most everyone had left town. Bobby was hanging around because of Jisoo but I wasn't sure he was going to make it much longer. I'd seen the restless look in his eyes the other day when we'd played a round of golf. He wasn't used to staying in this town longer than a summer.
"This seat taken?" I looked up to see Meg take the seat across from me. I hadn't seen her much since the golf tournament. I glanced back to see Jennie refilling someone's water but her eyes were on me.
"Yeah, it is," I replied without looking back at Meg.
"I know you're engaged to the girl. Everyone knows it. I'm not here to hit on you," she replied.
Jennie smiled at me and then turned to walk back to the kitchen. Shit. What did that smile mean?
"She has a big ass diamond on her hand. She has nothing to be worried about and she knows it. Calm down, dude. You're freaking out over nothing."
I shifted my attention to Meg. "She knows you were my first. It bothers her."
Meg chuckled. "I can assure you the memories I have from our experience and the reality she is living in are completely different. I got the horny virgin. She has the seasoned pro."
I glanced back to see if Jennie was back out here. I didn't want her hearing this. "Just go sit somewhere else. She's emotional right now. I don't want her upset."
No one knew she was pregnant yet. I was letting Jennie decide when to tell people.
"She's not made of china. She will not break. Does she know you treat her like a damn doll?"
"Yes, I do. We're working on that," Jennie replied as she approached our table and poured more coffee into my cup. "I don't believe we have officially been introduced. I'm Jennie Kim."
Meg took a quick startled peek at me then turned back to Jennie. "Meg Carter."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Meg. Can I get you something to drink?"
This was not what I'd been expecting. Not that I didn't like it, because I did. It meant I was making her feel more secure with me.
"If I ask for a Diet Coke is Lisa going to take a swing at me?" Meg asked.
Jennie laughed and shook her head. "No. She'll be a good girl. I promise." Then she looked down at me. "You hungry?"
"I'm good," I assured her.
She nodded and headed back to the kitchen.
"I might just be in love with her a little bit. She's smoking hot. But then if someone is going to tie you down they'd have to be a complete package."
Smiling I took a sip of my coffee. Then looked back at the doorway waiting on Jennie to walk back through. I couldn't wait to get her sexy little ass home.
Jennie kept leaning over the seat pressing kisses down my neck and nibbling my ear. It was real damn hard to stay focused on driving back to the house.
"I'm about ready to pull over and fuck my horny little fiance if she doesn't stop," I warned taking a nip at her bottom lip when she kissed too close to my mouth.
"That sounds like more of a promise than a threat," she teased, slipping her
hand between my legs and cupping my erection.
"Fuck baby, you're driving me crazy," I growled, pressing into her hand.
"If I suck it can you concentrate enough to drive?" she asked as she started
unbuttoning my jeans.
"I'll more than likely run us into a palm tree but I don't give a shit at the moment," I replied as her hand slipped down the front of my underwear.
Luckily, we wouldn't have to find out. I pulled into the driveway and slammed the car in park just as Jennie got my pants unzipped. My phone went off for the third time. I'd had it on vibrate and private so it wouldn't disturb us by flashing up on the screen. My mother had called me earlier while I'd been waiting on Jennie and I wasn't in the mood to answer it. Once it stopped it started back again. Damn.
I was going to have to either turn it off or deal with her. Jennie had my cock in her hands so I was thinking that off would work best. Glancing down I noticed an out of town number flashing across my screen. The area code was familiar but I couldn't place it.
"Who is it?" Jennie asked.
"Not sure but they're determined."
Jennie stopped touching me. "Answer it. I'll be good for a few minutes."
I pressed answer. I needed to get rid of them and get my girl inside. But before I could say hello my mother started talking and my world was jerked out from under my feet.
J
Lisa's face went pale. I grabbed her hand but she didn't react. She sat there listening to the person on the other line without speaking. The more they talked the whiter she got. My heart was racing. Something terrible had happened. I kept waiting for her to say something. Anything. But she didn't.
"I'm on my way," she said in a flat voice before dropping her phone to her lap and moving her hand from my grasp to grip the steering wheel.
"What's wrong, Lisa?" I asked more scared now than I had been while she was on the phone.
"Go inside the house, Jennie. I have to go. Rosé's been in an accident. Some damn sailboat." She closed her eyes tightly and muttered a curse. "I just need you to get out of the car and go inside. I'll call you when I can but I have to go, now."
"Is she hurt? Can't I go with you?"
"NO!" she roared, still looking straight ahead. "You can't go with me. Why would you even ask that? My sister is in ICU and unresponsive. I need to go to her and I need you to get out of the car."
She was hurting and scared. I understood that. But I wanted to be there for her. I loved her and I didn't want her hurting alone. "Lisa, please let me go with you—"
"GET OUT OF THE CAR!" she yelled so loudly my ears stung. I fumbled for the door handle and grabbed my purse.
She revved the engine and continued to stare straight ahead while her knuckles turned as white as her face from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. I wanted to say more but she was so upset I was scared of what she would do. She didn't want to hear me speak nor did she want to look at me.
I didn't want to cry in front of her. That wasn't what she needed right now. I got out of the car as quickly as I could. Before I could get the door fully closed she threw the car in reverse and spun out of the drive. I just stood there and watched as she drove away. I couldn't help her. I wasn't wanted.
Tears ran down my face freely now. She was hurting. My heart broke for her. Once she got there and saw Rosé she would call me. I had to believe that. I wanted to call her and make her talk to me but my ears still rang and my heart still hurt from her words.
I finally turned to look back at the house. It was large, sprawling and dark. Nothing was welcoming about it without her. I didn't want to stay here alone but I didn't have a car to drive to Jisoo's either. I shouldn't have moved from Jisoo's. It had been too soon. Everything with Lisa had moved so fast. Now, it was all about to be tested. I wasn't sure I was ready for that test. Not yet.
Calling Jisoo and telling her I needed a ride to work and that Lisa had left wasn't something I was up for tonight. She would find something wrong with this and make me feel even worse. I understood Lisa's fear and the way she reacted and left but Jisoo wouldn't. At least I didn't think she would. Lisa had won some points in her favor when she put the ring on my finger in her eyes and I wanted to keep it that way.
I opened my purse to get out the keys when I realized I hadn't brought them. Lisa had taken me to work. I hadn't thought I needed them. Looking back up at the dark house I was almost relieved I wouldn't have to be staying there alone tonight.
The club was only three miles from here. I could walk that. Then Jisoo's was just a short walk from the club. The evening breeze had cooled things down and it wasn't so bad. I slipped my purse back over my shoulder and started walking down the brick paved driveway toward the road.
It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Jisoo's. Her car wasn't in the parking lot. There was a good chance she was staying with Bobby tonight. I guess I should have thought about that. I stopped and looked at the door to the condo. I didn't have the energy to walk back. My stubbornness not to call for a ride was biting me in the butt.
I bent down and lifted the mat. There on the cement slab was the spare key. She must have put it back out after I moved. She'd only stopped hiding it there because I had asked her to. Tonight it came in extremely handy. I doubted she was coming home until tomorrow anyway. I didn't have to tell her about all this tonight.
I carried the key inside with me and then headed back to my bathroom to take a shower. Lisa had insisted she keep the bed she'd bought in the second bedroom instead of taking it when I moved out. Something else I could be thankful for tonight.
I managed to get to work without Jisoo ever knowing I'd needed to crash at her place last night. It wasn't that I thought she'd care but I wasn't ready to answer her questions or hear her opinions.
After changing into a clean uniform from the supply room I made my way to the kitchen. Just before I reached the door Mino stepped out and leveled his gaze on me.
"I was looking for you," he said and nodded his head toward the hallway that led to his office. "We need to talk."
He more than likely knew about Rosé. I was sure everyone in their circle did by now. Was he going to ask me about her? I really hoped he wasn't. Admitting that I knew nothing made me sound like I didn't care. Did Lisa think I didn't care? Was it my responsibility to call her? She was the one hurting. Her reaction last night had scared me but if she needed me I had to get over that.
"Did you sleep at all?" Mino asked looking back at me.
I nodded. I hadn't really slept well but I had gotten some sleep. The three-mile walk had helped exhaust me to the point that I couldn't keep my eyes open once I lay down.
Mino opened his door and held it so I could go inside. I went in and walked over to stand beside the chairs across from his desk. He stood in front of his desk and sat on the edge of it while crossing his arms over his chest.
A frown wrinkled his forehead as he studied me. I was beginning to wonder if this was about something else. I'd thought it was about Rosé but maybe it wasn't. Had I done something wrong?
"I got a call from V this morning. He's at the hospital and he's worried about you. He said Lisa showed up in the middle of the night and was in a rage. Seeing as how for the first time in their life Rosé and Lisa aren't on speaking terms and now she is in this condition, Lisa isn't taking it well. V was concerned as to how she left you and if you were okay."
My heart hurt. I hated to know Lisa was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do. She wasn't calling me and that only led me to believe she didn't want to talk to me. I was the reason for her rift with Rosé. I was the reason she hadn't spoken to her sister in weeks. I was the reason she was going through this. Tears stung my eyes. As much as I didn't want to admit this, I was the reason this was even harder on Lisa. If I hadn't caused their fight then she wouldn't be living with the guilt I knew she was swimming in right now.
This was why Lisa and I would never work. Pretending the fairy tale was real had been amazing. But it hadn't been real. We'd been biding our time until the fact I didn't fit into her world sent it crumbling down. She needed her family right now. I wasn't her family. I wasn't even accepted by her family. How did I fit into this?
"I… I don't know what to do." I choked out, hating that Mino was going to see me cry. I didn't want him to see me cry. I didn't want anyone to.
"She loves you," Mino said gently. I wasn't even sure she believed those words. Not now. Maybe Lisa had thought she loved me but how could she still love me? I'd caused her to turn on Rosé and now she might lose her.
"Does she?" It was a question I needed to ask myself, not Mino.
"Yes. I've never seen her with anyone the way she is with you. Right now… the next few days or weeks however long this lasts it may not feel like it. But she does. I'm not telling you this because of her. She's an ass and I owe her nothing. I'm telling you this for you. It's the truth and I know you need to hear it right now."
I shook my head. I didn't need to hear it. Thinking clearly and deciding what was best for me and my baby was what I needed to do. Could I bring a child into a family that might never accept it? If I never fit then how would my child?
"I can't tell you what to believe. But if you need anything, I'm here. I know Lisa has a garage full of cars but if you don't want to drive one then I can give you a ride to the doctor or the store. Just call me if you need me."
My next doctor's appointment was in five days. How was I going to get into the house? And she'd never shown me where the keys to her cars were or given me permission to drive them.
"I'm locked out of the house. She thought I had my key when she left," I told him.
"Where did you stay last night?" he asked dropping his hands from his chest and standing up. He looked angry. I hadn't meant to make him mad. I was just stating a problem I had. All my clothes were in Lisa's house.
"Jisoo's."
"How did you get there?"
"I walked."
"Shit! Jennie, that is three and a half miles at least. It was dark last night when Lisa left. You have a phone now, use it." He was yelling.
"I wanted to walk. I needed to walk. Don't yell at me," I raised my voice and glared at him.
The tension in Mino' shoulders left and he sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you like that. It's just that you're so damn determined to be independent. Let me make myself clear. Call me if you ever need a ride. I like to think we're friends. I help my friends."
I needed friends. "I like to think we're friends too," I replied.
He nodded. "Good. But as your boss I'm not letting you work today. I'll have you in Lisa's house within the hour. I'll drive you there."
Before I could ask him how he had his phone to his ear.
"I've got her in my office. She's locked out of the house." He paused.
"No shit. She walked to Jisoo's last night. I'm going to take her there if you can get Lisa's housecleaner to go unlock the place." He paused again.
"No problem. Happy to help. Keep me updated, I'm thinking about y'all." He hung up and looked at me. "V's having the housecleaner open the house. You go get something to eat from the kitchen and then we can head that way. He said to give her about twenty minutes."
I wasn't hungry but I nodded. "Okay." I started for the door then stopped and turned to look back at him. "Thank you."
Mino winked. "My pleasure."
