Everything about their relationship had been a series of unfortunate events from day one. She didn’t even know the real him. At this point he wasn’t sure he did either. He’d gone from eight years of service in the navy to months of chaos dealing with his mother’s illness.
Jodi had met him in the midst of a crisis. He’d been unfair to her from the start. Would she even like him after she got to know him? Would he even like himself?
He was no good to her right now. He was worn out, stressed, and extremely sad. He needed time. A few days to regroup before he went to her. If he dragged her into his life in six hours, the entire beginning of their barely existent relationship would be filled with sad memories, death, a funeral, him dealing with bills, the fact that he didn’t have a place to live or a job.
He was a mess. No woman would want this on her plate.
Yeah. He totally needed to take care of his problems and get a handle on his emotions before he faced her again. The fact made him sad enough to swallow back another round of tears, but life wasn’t always fair. This would eventually pass, and she would understand if she truly cared about him.
Finally, he fell into a fitful sleep, bolting awake every hour or so until he gave up fighting his nightmares, took a shower, and headed for the funeral home.
Chapter 25
“You’re going to wear out that screen, Jodi.”
Jodi shot her dad a glare and dropped her cellphone on the kitchen table.
“He’ll be here when he can. I’m sure he has things to wrap up.”
“He said he’d pick me up at noon. It’s twelve thirty.”
Her dad set down his coffee and gave her his full attention. “He’s a good man, Jodi. If he’s not here, I’m sure he has a good reason. He was probably so tired when he left that he overslept.”
“I should text him,” she decided, picking up her phone.
“No. You should not. Leave him alone. There are probably far more loose ends than he expected dealing with that show.”
“You’re the one who said he shouldn’t need a divorce. He didn’t even have to go to the courthouse this morning. He was never married to her in the first place.” The elation Jodi felt over this fact had left her grinning all night long. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours, keeping half an ear aware of every noise. Secretly, she’d hoped he would come to her last night after the show ended. Or texted. Or both.
She’d been slightly disappointed that he did neither. Now, she was far more disappointed and growing worried. “What if something happened to him?”
“Nothing happened to him. Fate is not that cruel. Give the man time. I don’t blame him for needing to regroup. He probably suspects you’re going to pounce on him the second he arrives, and he’s not ready.”
Jodi took a deep breath. Her dad was right. She fully had intended to throw herself at him the moment he arrived. It had seemed like a great idea yesterday and two days ago when she’d made it clear that she fully intended to have sex with him the first chance they got. Lunch be damned. Had she been too pushy? Too forward?
She picked up her phone to check for a text again. Nothing. No messages. No texts. She didn’t even know where he might be.
“Don’t do it, Jodi,” her dad warned. “The last thing he needs is for you to pressure him. Trust me. He has his reasons. And when he gets here, he’ll explain them, and you’ll feel foolish.”
“How did you get so wise?” she asked.
He smiled broadly. “I’m a guy. I know what guys think. I also know he’s been head over heels for you for weeks. He’ll be here,” he repeated.
“What if he changed his mind?” She worried again she’d been too forward. Maybe he was the kind of man who preferred to make the first move. Maybe he was turned off by her telling him in detail what she wanted from him this afternoon. The ink wouldn’t have even been dry on his divorce filing yet. It was rude of her to suggest they fuck like bunnies before he caught his breath.
“I can see your mind working. Stop it. Watch TV or something. Go for a run.”
“Go for a run? Are you out of your mind? What if he comes while I’m gone?”
Her dad laughed. “I’ll be here. I can tell him you needed to blow off steam.”
She groaned. “Not a chance.” Finally, she dropped onto the sofa and stared at the ceiling, her phone gripped in her hand.
Seconds later, it buzzed.
She nearly jumped out of her skin flipping it over to see the text.
It was from him. Thank God.
Jodi, I’m so very sorry. Something came up that I need to handle. Can I please have a rain check for our date? I promise I’ll make it up to you as soon as I can.
She was shaking as she read and reread his message. Something came up? What the hell does that mean? Nothing made sense. She thought she might actually pass out from nerves.
“Well, what did he say?” her dad asked.
“He’s not coming,” she whispered.
“What?” Her dad got to his feet and came to her side. He took the phone gently from her hand and read the message himself. Afterward, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. “Honey, I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but like I said, give the man some space. He didn’t say he wasn’t coming ever. He said he needed a rain check.”
“He’s gonna ghost me,” she murmured, fighting back a sob.
“What the hell does that mean?” Her dad pulled her back a few inches to meet her gaze.
She rolled her eyes and almost laughed through her tears.
