Something to Talk About(46)

She was actually looking forward to the workweek by the time she got back to her apartment. Her shower was refreshing, and she smiled as her phone buzzed with a text from Phil.


Is your girlfriend cheating on you?!



There was a shocked emoji and a link to a TMZ story. Emma tried to hold on to her good mood, but its tendrils slipped through her fingers. She clicked the link.



JO JONES AND SAM ALLEN:

REUNION OR ROMANCE?

There were pictures of Jo and a former costar. Emma of all people should have known better than to judge a relationship based on pictures, but they sure seemed cozy, first leaving a restaurant together and then sitting on the same side of a booth in a coffee shop. Jo’s eyes sparkled. Her smile was wide. Whether she was dating the guy or not, she certainly hadn’t spent her weekend worried about how Emma might be feeling.

Emma locked her phone and climbed back into bed. It wasn’t worth crying over, but Emma cried anyway.



* * *



—

As Emma stepped out of her apartment building Monday morning, she heard shutters click. Paparazzi. The first time they’d been around since before hiatus. Of course it was the week after Jo had been seen out with someone else. Emma probably looked exhausted, and she hadn’t expected the cameras, so she was grimacing. It was going to be an all-around terrible photo. It would look like she’d just been broken up with.

Just like there had been on Friday, there was an iced chai waiting for her when she picked up Jo’s coffee. She hadn’t taken it then, but she did today. She could be mad and enjoy a free drink at the same time.

Just like she had on Friday, she slid Jo’s coffee across her desk when Jo got in without bothering to look up.

Just like she had on Friday, Jo stopped beside Emma’s desk after picking up her coffee.

This time, she actually had something to say.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” she said. Emma’s pulse shot up. “I should have told you I was spending time with Avery.”

Emma looked up at her. That was apparently the end of her apology.

“Okay,” Emma said.

“Okay?”

Jo admitted she did something she shouldn’t have. That had no effect on Emma.

“Just because you apologize doesn’t mean I’m not still hurt,” Emma said. Her voice wavered, but she held eye contact. “Just because you apologize doesn’t mean you suddenly have my trust again.”

Jo’s face fell so much, Emma almost took her words back. Her boss looked crushed, and Emma hated it. But she was right. Hurt didn’t go away with an apology. And trust was earned. Emma deserved to be treated better.

“I understand,” Jo said quietly. “I hope you’ll let me earn your trust back.”

“That’s really up to you,” Emma said.

She wasn’t quite sure where the steel in her blood had come from. Jo probably didn’t know, either. She probably expected to be easily forgiven and they’d move on. She didn’t look prepared for Emma to actually stand up for herself. Jo opened her mouth, but Emma didn’t want to give her a chance to try to further apologize.

“Everything is ready for Barry Davis’s visit tomorrow,” Emma said. “I appreciate you letting me go for the day so I can learn from him.”

She did. She knew it was all business, and that was fine. She could be professional.

Jo nodded, head hanging like there was an albatross around her neck.

“I hope it goes well,” she said, and disappeared into her office.



* * *



—

After lunch, Jo leaned against her doorjamb and looked at Emma. Emma tried to stay focused on her email. She considered asking what Jo was doing, but she wanted to see where this was going to go.

Finally, Jo said, “You have your inhaler, right?”

Emma opened her desk drawer, picked up her inhaler, and waved it at Jo.

“Good,” Jo said. “Good.”

She went back into her office.

There was a part of Emma that wanted to make this easy on her, wanted to forgive and forget and make Jo smile again. But as Emma kept reminding herself, she deserved better. She appreciated the apology, but it didn’t matter if Jo was sorry that she hadn’t considered Emma’s feelings unless she wasn’t going to do it again. Sorry meant nothing without changed behavior. That was what Emma had told herself, months ago, her mouth accidentally landing on Jo’s at the wrap party. She hadn’t had to apologize out loud then, because her apology was changed behavior, never letting anything like that happen again. Jo needed to do the same. Emma had forgiven too many people in her life too easily. She was finally learning to stand up for herself.



* * *



—

Tuesday morning, Emma handed off Jo’s coffee.

“Is your asthma worse in this heat wave?”

“It’s fine, Ms. Jones,” Emma said.

“Okay,” Jo said. “Good.”

Emma managed not to roll her eyes. She was sure Jo wasn’t really that hung up on her asthma—it wasn’t what she intended to keep talking about. But if she couldn’t come up with the words of a better apology, couldn’t figure out how to promise Emma she’d be better, Emma wasn’t going to help her.