Page 64 of Reaching Gavin

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jess was home from Mexico,tanned and freckled. She hadn’t told me, thinking it would be a fun surprise, and I’d met her in tears.

“I hope those are happy tears,” she said as I rushed to give her a hug.

“I wish,” I croaked, my throat swollen and raw.

She didn’t push me for details, she just let me cry on her shoulder for who knows how long before I finally sat back, feeling completely drained, and ready to spill my guts.

“Pizza?” she asked, but it wasn’t really a question. She ordered while I went to the bathroom and cleaned up.

Looking into the mirror, I discovered I was a hot mess with raccoon eyes and mascara streaks down my cheeks. My hair had gone flat as though the day’s events had deflated it, too. I washed off all my makeup, put my hair into a bun, and slipped into my bedroom to find something more comfortable to wear. When I reemerged in my pajama pants, Jess had changed into hers.

“Where’s your husband?” I asked her, looking around as though Roman might appear at any moment.

“He headed back to Olympic Falls. I told him I would take the ferry tonight,” she said, quickly tacking on, “or tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” I confirmed. I was going to need a few hours to work through this and I’d rather face it with her.

Of my two best friends, Jess was the reasonable one. It was the reason why it had been such a shock when I found her hooking up with our former professor. She was living proof that love didn’t always make sense. But while she might have taken a gamble on love, she knew how to keep a cool head. She planned to become a doctor, which meant she knew how to listen and then cut to the chase. It was exactly what I needed.

“Tell me what happened.” She settled onto the couch, crossing her legs underneath her, and waited.

The story came out of me in fits and spurts. Some of it she already knew, but I repeated anyway. I needed to remind myself how I had gotten here. The pizza arrived about the time I got to his parents showing up at Friday Harbor. We took a short concessions break, grabbed some plates and she dug into a slice while I dug back into the story. When I got to today and Gavin’s big announcement, she gasped.

“So, he told the entire office that you two were seeing each other?” She tossed her pizza on the plate as though she’d lost her appetite. “I can’t imagine.”

“You mean, you wouldn’t have wanted Roman to announce to the entire faculty that you two were sleeping together?” I asked dryly.

“No, I wouldn’t.” She scooted closer to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “But both Roman and I were kind of stupid about our relationship. Not being honest almost got us both in trouble. Remember?”

She had a point, one I didn’t want to consider. Not while I wanted to be mad at Gavin.

“When the school found out, the disciplinary committee considered kicking me out. His department head spoke to him. It could’ve been really bad.”

I read between the lines. “So, you’re saying I should understand why he told everyone?”

She was the rational one. I knew she was right. That’s why I was confiding in her now. That didn’t change that I didn’t like her response.

“He should have talked to you about it first,” she conceded, “and he definitely shouldn’t have agreed to keep it a secret and then told everyone anyway.”

“Agreed! What is up with that?” At least we were on the same page there.

“Did you ask him why he chose today to tell everyone?”

She’d made another excellent point. I remembered for a second that she had considered being a lawyer like her sister before settling on medical school. She would’ve made a damn fine attorney. She could really cross examine any situation.

“I didn’t,” I admitted in a small voice.

“So, I guess you didn’t give him a chance to explain why he thought it was really important for everyone to know?” she pressed.

“No.” Now she really had me.

“Look, I understand why you’re upset. I would be, too. He blindsided you. But I think one of the reasons you’re so angry is that things are just moving really fast. Somewhere deep down, I think you wanted to put the brakes on. You just have to figure out why that is.”

“I love him,” I said in a soft voice. It was the first time I’d said the words out loud.

“I know,” Jess said soothingly. She hugged me close to her. “Don’t freak on me, but I think that scares you.”