It's All Relative(25)

Jessie quickly nodded. Yes, please believe that. Kai vaguely looked Latin enough that, seen from a distance, it was plausible. “Yeah, his name was Spanish. Something like…” She racked her brain for something good, something sexy. Unfortunately, only one name popped up, and she immediately spat it out. “Ricardo.”

April started uncontrollably giggling. “Seriously? I’m sorry I missed hot Ricardo, your almost Latin lover.”

Shaking her head at the woman, Jessie stood to leave the room; she’d given them enough tidbits for now. As she was walking away, April said, “I made out with a Javier once.” Harmony laughed at her comment while Jessie meandered into the kitchen. Going slowly was difficult; she really wanted to run. As she walked she heard April add, “Yeah, that whole myth about them being amazing lovers—not true.” Harmony laughed harder at that, and Jessie, finally out of their view, leaned over the kitchen counter and took some deep breaths.

Had she successfully thrown them off Kai’s trail? She was sure April wouldn’t remember him; hot guys were a dime a dozen to her, but Harmony…well, she hoped the fake name and ethnicity kept her from connecting anything. Even so, Kai was going to have to stay away from Jessie’s place for a while. At least until the details of that night faded from her friends’ minds. She wished they would fade from hers already. What she wouldn’t give for that night to be blacked out.

Gathering herself, Jessie grabbed a protein bar and a yogurt smoothie from the fridge. Since she couldn’t appear antisocial to her friends, for fear someone would ask her what was wrong, she headed back to the living room to eat her meal. As she ate, her eyes drifted over the knickknacks in the room: photos of her family, a framed print of the Rockies, a cluster of candles. Everything in her house was tidy and organized. It screamed—Three girls live here!

As she listened to April and Harmony discussing the various men April had slept with, Jessie noticed something she hadn’t before; she had a lot of stuff. Idly looking around, she decided to box up some extra things and give them to Kai. He might like having a few candles, maybe the woodsier scents that she kept in her closet. And he might like the picture of Seven Falls that she’d tucked away in the bathroom. The famous waterfall might remind him of home. Jessie was softly smiling to herself as she ate, thinking about which things she could give him.

“You so did sleep with that guy!” April suddenly exclaimed.

Jessie snapped out of her reverie to see both girls staring at her. “What?” she cautiously asked.

Harmony raised an eyebrow at her. “We’ve been talking to you. Where have you been?”

Jessie felt her cheeks heat as she opened and closed her mouth, searching for an answer. April snorted. “You did sleep with Ricardo.” She giggled incessantly. “I knew it! You totally had that freshly-f*cked glow when we picked you up.”

Jessie gasped and chucked a pillow at her friend. She completely missed, and April doubled over with laughter. Jessie stuttered again, then shook her head. “Grams got hurt yesterday,” she ended up sputtering.

April immediately stopped laughing. “Oh, God. Is she okay?”

Jessie inwardly smiled, happy to distract them. For their benefit, she let out a troubled sigh. “She fractured her hip. She’s going to be in the hospital for a couple of days. I was just thinking about what to bring her, to cheer her up.” This diverted all of the girls’ attention away from “Ricardo,” and they spent the rest of her breakfast thinking of things to do for the sweet woman.

An hour later, Jessie was arriving at the hospital to visit her grandmother. She knocked on her door and opened it when she heard her cheery greeting. Grams was chatting with a nurse when Jessie stepped into the room. They were shooting the breeze so easily that anyone observing them would probably think they’d been the best of friends for years. But knowing Grams, she’d probably just met the woman.

Mid-chuckle, her grandmother looked over as Jessie approached her bed. Smiling at the nurse, she brightly said, “Oh, Susan, this is her, this is my granddaughter, Jessica Marie.”

Jessie smiled at the woman and raised her hand in a wave. “Hello.”

Susan smiled at her. She was around the age of Jessie’s mom, but short, blonde, and round as could be. “Millie, what a beautiful family you have. Between her and the boy, you’re very lucky.”

Grams raised an eyebrow at Susan. “You just wait until you actually see Kai. He’s quite a looker. Do you have any single girls?”

Jessie instantly wanted to protest, but she couldn’t find a reasonable excuse. Luckily for her, Susan shook her head. “Nope, all boys.” She glanced over at Jessie. “Are you single, dear?”

Jessie’s eyes widened at the implication. “I…uh…”

Susan laughed as she patted her on the shoulder. “I’m just teasing, dear, don’t panic. I’ll check on you in a little bit, Millie. You let me know if you need anything.”

Looking around Jessie, Grams cheerily said goodbye to her nurse. Jessie watched the woman leave, then turned her attention back to her grandmother. She patted the edge of her bed, and Jessie sat beside her. Putting an arm over her grandmother’s frail shoulders, Jessie noticed some new magazines, a warm blanket, and a bag full of knitting needles and yarn. “Did someone bring you some stuff, Grams?”