Overtime(42)

It killed her not knowing where he’d been and what he had been doing. She knew she could ask him, but she was sure it would lead into them “talking,” something she was not ready for. She wasn’t ready to hear about all the reasons why he couldn’t love her but that he was sorry for all the pain he caused. She knew that was what he would tell her. It was the same story, yet she always fell into his tangled web of lies and deceit. And somehow, she still loved him!

She needed to go therapy or something because she was downright pathetic. No one should feel the way she did when she looked at him. She was like a sick little puppy, begging for a home and family, thinking Jordie was the answer to all her needs. She felt so many emotions that she found herself struggling to contain them. One minute, she was happy to see him, she missed him. But then she was instantly mad because he’d left her in his dust. Desire filled her belly because she wanted him more than her next breath, but then she felt stupid for feeling anything for him but a need to kick him in the balls. She just didn’t understand any of it.

Most of all, why was she still with Liam when she continued to feel all of this for Jordie?

God, Liam was a whole other issue. After walking her out to the car that night because, of course, he had waited for her to get done with her meetings, he’d given her a kiss on the cheek and told her he’d see her the following day. She’d actually stood there, shocked. Jordie would have thrown her on top of the car and done her right there. No cares that anyone could find them, because his desire was so great. She missed that. The anytime, anywhere kind of longing that hit her straight in the core. She had no clue what she was going to do, but she needed to figure it out. It wasn’t fair to anyone. Especially Liam. But still, her fear was that if she did break up with Liam, would she fall victim to the whirlwind that was Jordie Thomas?

She was clueless, but maybe he had changed his ways. Maybe he could love her because, hello, he cooked and did laundry. Two things Jordie had never done before…which again made her mad. Where had he been? What had he been doing? And why hadn’t he wanted her there? It was so frustrating, but Kacey was quickly learning that her life was a big ball of maddening things.

Shaking her head, she parked her car beside Lacey’s and headed in with her gym bag hanging loosely on her shoulder. Entering through the back like she always did, she found Lacey at the island, making a bottle.

“Hey,” she said happily as she shook the bottle.

It was like night and day with Lacey. If anyone had said Lacey would be grinning while making a bottle a week ago, Kacey would have laughed in their face. The girl was screwed up and had been since about day three of Mena being home. But according to Karson, she was finally taking her meds. She had even texted Kacey that she went to her After Breast Cancer meeting that morning, which was huge. After Mena arrived, she claimed she didn’t need the group, when really, she did. So the fact that she was going made Kacey’s heart a lot happier and her nerves a bit calmer.

“Hey, you. You look great. Did you shower?” Kacey teased, throwing her gym bag down.

“Yeah, I told you I went to my meeting today,” Lacey reminded her and Kacey nodded.

“Oh yeah, did you take Mena with ya?”

“I did, and they all just gushed over her. It was wonderful,” she boasted before turning just as Karson entered with Mena in his arms. Taking the bottle from her, he kissed her cheek.

“You’re superhot,” he muttered against her lips. “Better be careful, I might try to make another baby.”

Kacey gagged as Lacey giggled. “Um, we can practice, but we aren’t having another one till Kacey has one,” she said with a huge grin at Kacey. “So get busy, lady.”

Kacey scoffed. “Gotta find a man first.”

Karson rolled his eyes. “And I’m out. Mena Jane, boys are stupid, but please don’t end up like your aunt with a billion cats watching a stupid movie about a hill,” he said as he walked away.

“It’s Notting Hill, *, and I don’t have any cats ’cause I don’t like them!” Kacey called at him, but he was too busy cooing to Mena Jane. “Your husband is a dick.”

“Hey, he was your brother before he was my husband,” Lacey pointed out with a grin before grabbing the sweet tea out of the fridge. She offered a glass to Kacey, but she shook her head.

“Hand me a beer, please,” Kacey said, pulling out the chair and sitting down, letting out a long breath.

“We don’t have any,” Lacey informed her, and Kacey’s head whipped up just as the tea was placed in front of her. “We have tea, water, and Gatorade.”

Kacey made a face. “Where’s the beer?”

“Gone. No beer or any kind of liquor in the house.”

“Why?”

“Because there is a baby here,” Lacey said simply.

“Okay? I promise I won’t feed it to her!”

“No alcohol in my house,” Lacey said sternly. “Now drink your tea, it’s classier anyway. We are Nashvillians now. We have to be classy Southern bitches.”

Kacey glared as she swigged her tea. “Classy girls don’t say classy bitches.”

“This one does,” Lacey said and she took a sip of her tea with her pinky up just to show she meant what she said.

“Dork.”

“Hag,” she said with a wink. “So how was your first official day?”