Maybe Now (Maybe #2)(72)

I wait for the beep. And then I stutter my way through.

“Hey, Jake. It’s Maggie. Carson. Um…call me if you can. Or if you want, rather. If not, I understand. I just…yeah. Okay. Bye.”

As soon as I hang up, I groan and then fall onto my mattress. I can’t believe he pushed me through to voicemail. But then again, I can. And now the only thing he has that could change his mind is a nervous, embarrassing voicemail he’s probably listening to right now.

I wallow in self-pity for a few moments, but then I push myself off the bed and walk to the living room. Sydney is still at the bar, but Ridge is now back in the room. He’s showing her something on his phone, but Sydney gives her attention to me as soon as I walk out of my bedroom. I wave off her curiosity.

“He pushed me through to voicemail.”

She makes a face. “Oh. Maybe he’s busy?”

I shake my head and fall down onto the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. “Or maybe he realizes what a psycho I am for kicking him out of my house before he even finished cooking the bacon.”

“Yeah, that could be a possibility as well,” Sydney says.

I throw my arm over my face and try to come up with all the reasons why Jake isn’t worthy of this much regret.

I come up with nothing. He is absolutely worthy of my regret.

???

It’s been two hours. I’ve showered, put on my pajamas, and have looked at my phone five thousand times. Ridge left to go pick up dinner for everyone. Bridgette and Warren are here now and are actually sitting on the couch with me. Warren is in the middle, and Bridgette is on the other side of Warren. I’m playing Toy Blast on my phone, but not because I’m interested in the game. I’m just obsessed with staring at my phone screen now. Waiting. Hoping.

“Lesbian Libidos?” Warren asks.

“Not even close,” Bridgette says.

I glance over at him, wondering why the hell he keeps spouting off weird titles that sound like porn. He’s scrolling through a list on his phone.

“Babes in Bali?”

Bridgette actually laughs at that one. “If I got to go to Bali to film a porn, I wouldn’t be working at Hooters.”

Warren turns to her. “Wait,” he says. “How long have you worked at Hooters? Is it a Hooters-related porn?”

Okay, now I’m staring at both of them. What in the hell are they talking about?

Sydney is at the kitchen table doing homework. Apparently she senses my confusion because she offers up an explanation. “Bridgette kissed a girl in a porn film, and she refuses to tell Warren the name of it so that he can watch it. It’s become his life mission.”

Wow. “That explains so much,” I say.

Warren looks at me. “How many porn movies do you think are filmed every year?”

I shrug. “I wouldn’t even know how to make a guess.”

“A fucking lot. That’s how many.”

I nod and then give my complete focus back to Toy Blast. I don’t even want to think about how much porn Warren feels forced to watch.

There’s a quick knock at the front door before it swings open. Brennan walks in and I immediately jump up, excited to see him. I don’t think I’ve seen him since Warren’s birthday party.

“Maggie?” He immediately wraps his arms around me and hugs me, then puts his hands on my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length. “What are you doing here?”

I wave my hand toward Bridgette’s old bedroom. “I’m staying a few days until my apartment is ready.”

He shakes his head. “Apartment? Where? Here?” His confusion is genuine. It surprises me Ridge hasn’t mentioned it to him. He glances over at the table and sees Sydney. He releases my shoulders and takes a step back, eyeing me. Then he looks around the room. “Where’s Ridge?”

“He went to grab dinner,” Warren says. “Tacos. Nom nom.”

I walk back to the couch to reclaim my seat and immediately check my phone for missed calls, even though the ringer is on. Nothing. I look back up at Brennan who is scratching his head in confusion. He’s literally scratching his head. It makes me laugh.

“You’re moving into the same complex as Ridge?” he asks. Then he looks at Sydney. “And you’re okay with that?” He looks back at me. “What is happening?”

I look at Sydney, and she’s fighting a smile. “Welcome to maturity, Brennan,” Sydney says.

“Breasts of Burden?” Warren asks Bridgette. We all look at him. He shrugs innocently. “Hey, I’m not the mature one. Don’t look at me.”

Ridge walks through the door with tacos, and Brennan immediately forgets about the odd arrangement that just threw him for a loop, and Warren is off the couch with a one-track mind that has nothing to do with porn movies.

Tacos can alleviate pretty much any issue. I’m convinced of that now.

I’m making my plate when my phone starts to ring. “Oh, my God,” I whisper.

Sydney is standing next to me. “Oh, my God,” she says.

I rush to the living room. Jake’s name is flashing across the screen. I look at Sydney, wide-eyed. “It’s him.”

“Answer it!” she yells.

I look down at the phone.

“Who is it?” Bridgette asks.