“You say this was an accident.” Once again I tried to open my right eye and when I still had no success, I swiveled around and found I was face to face with Vera. “Oh sweetheart,” she offered me a sympathetic look. I knew then that I wasn’t going to like what I saw.
I remembered the night, feeling bored and needing some fresh air. I remembered sitting on the front porch listening to the party going on inside as I remained in the quiet of the darkened front porch. Then I remember hearing someone approaching and looking up to find a very attractive guy sitting down on a bench only a few feet away from me.
His smile was one I knew I will never forget.
“Jay,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
“Yeah.” I heard the humor in Darcy’s voice and understood that the good memory that I’d just had was about to be darkened by something I’d only wish to forget. “Jay Grady, and you ralphed on his bed.”
Hanging my head, I wished with everything inside of me that this was nothing but a horrible nightmare.
“This Jay person hit her?” Vera’s voice was fierce.
“No way!” The two of them carried on next to me while I fought the mortifying rage of embarrassment battling inside of me. “He was so sweet with her, no way did he hurt her. However he did punch the guy that hit her. Granted it was an accident, but he didn’t care. He looked furious.”
“What?” Just speaking made my head throb. “He what?” Pushing past the pain, I needed her to repeat herself.
“I said Jay Grady punched some guy for you. It was very heroic.” She wagged her brows. Had my face not hurt unbelievably bad, I would have smiled. “Even when you puked on his bed he didn’t flinch. Who’d have guessed he had it in him? He’s normally so quiet and standoffish. But not last night. He was ready to kill someone after you got yourself in between the two guys that were fighting.”
“Why would you do that?” Vera truly needed to bring her high-pitched mother tone down a few notches. She was killing me slowly.
“It was an accident.” Believe me, I would have never inflicted this pain on myself intentionally.
“You look like you’ve been in a cage fight with a gorilla. What is your father going to think?” And there it was, the worst part of it all. This pain, it was nothing compared to the mess I’d endure the second I had to face my father. What would I say?
Chapter Seventeen
Jay
“How’s the hand?” Isaac chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to me.
I flexed my fingers and stared down at my cracked knuckles. “How’s Rob’s face?” Did he deserve it? No, but fuck, it was an unstoppable reaction. The second his fist connected with Ruby I flew into defensive mode.
“You chipped his tooth and he had to get four stitches in his lip. The scar could look badass one day but right now he just looks like he got his ass handed to him. The other guy came out looking like a king, and from what I’ve heard, he’s taking credit for your handiwork.”
Part of me felt bad, but it was a very small part.
“Who was the girl?” When I didn’t answer him right away he chuckled and I knew that even if I tried to recover he’d already picked up on my interest in her. “She looked a little too innocent for our parties, never seen her around her before.”
Again I say nothing.
“Her friend Darcy’s one a few of the guys know well.” To be honest I wasn’t a big fan of her friend. After she left Ruby alone at a party she obviously didn’t want to be at, my opinion was instantly formed.
“Ruby.” Her name suited her, so pure.
“Clay said she threw up all over your bed.” Again he laughed. “Rob feels bad, you know he’d never hit a girl.” Maybe not, but he did, and it was the wrong one. “Have you checked on her?”
I’d scoured Facebook, looking for any Ruby that might be her, and had come up empty. After I led her to her friend’s car, I tucked her inside and stood back while they drove off. My anger was still overshadowing my judgment and by the time I’d realized I hadn’t gotten her number it was too late.
“Don’t have her number, or her last name.”
Isaac said nothing, but his movements at my side gained my full attention. Lifting his ass up off the couch, he reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone. I watched as he tapped away and then lifted it to his ear.
“How is she?” He paused and waited while listening to whoever it was on the opposite end of the phone. “Big lug is worried about her, but realized he never got her number.” What the fuck?
“Stop being a bitch and give me her number.” I arched a brow and waited. “Why?”
He glanced in my direction and I could tell by his sour look that whatever he was hearing was going to cause me a bump in the road. Of course, nothing is ever smooth sailing for me.
“All right, well, would you at least tell her that Jay is asking about her and would like to talk to her?”
My stomach was in knots but I tried not to show that I was nervous.
“Okay and―” Before he could finish the call ended and he pulled the phone away, laughing. “Darcy will tell her.”
“Darcy?”
I should have known already that when Isaac said some of the guys knew her well that he was one of those guys.
“She doesn’t like me much.” He shrugged. “I forgot to call her after.”
“Great,
