The Call: A Psychic Paranormal Romantic Comedy Page 11
"I was in the elevator with him. He's talking to someone about fishing supplies," said Matilda.
"Fishing supplies? Ugh. That's ridiculous. I think they're going to start soon. Let's sit."
✽✽✽
Hank, Sam, Will, Ethan, Jake, and Noah quickly gathered on stage. There were six chairs and a table lined up on the stage with them, and a presentation screen hung from the ceiling. A PowerPoint slide with the Trellis logo and the words "Trellis Industries Expo" with the current year, was on display.
The lights in the room flickered, like the start of a play or musical. People who weren't already sitting found seats. Adrian, Luke, Bethany, Hennessy, and Matthew sat in a row with three additional seats reserved.
After a couple seated hugs and some enthusiastic hand waves, Matty was sitting between Hennessy and Matthew.
"Where's Stephanie-Bella?" Asked Beth.
Darla shrugged. "Not here."
There were general grunts of agreement. Beth leaned over Hennessy to talk to Matilda. "Margaritas and lunch, yes?" she asked with a smile.
They saved a seat for me and a seat for Bella. No one else. They've never been anything but kind to me. Why am I questioning it? They're friends.
"I think I have to go to the beer booth," Matilda said again.
"I think you have to go for tacos and margaritas. You don't look so hot. You OK?"
"Do one of you want to change seats with me?" Hennessy asked.
Beth hopped up. "Scoot it, hot stuff."
Matilda raised her eyebrows at Beth. Hennessy looked decidedly uncomfortable.
Beth shrugged. "It's fun to make him squirm. It's like making Will belly laugh. You feel like you've won a rare victory against their combined premature stodgy old man syndrome."
And that really did make Matilda laugh. Will rarely smiled, let alone laughed. Hennessy was always steady, always calm.
The lights dimmed again and stayed low this time.
✽✽✽
After the welcome presentation and panel were done, a rush of people tried to push out of the room. Matilda waited for the crowd to clear.
"Tacos and booze!" Beth cheered. "I'm starving."
"Didn't you eat this morning? It's only 11 AM." Matilda half-smiled.
"What's up with you, Mat? You look like someone kicked your puppy. I kinda want to find that person and punch them," Beth said.
"I'm not feeling well. If they don't need me at the beer booth, I might go lay down."
"What's wrong?" Jake asked from behind her.
Matilda started and turned so she was able to see both Jake and Beth.
"I didn't realize you were there," Matilda said. "I just have a headache. Not feeling well. I'll go check in at the booth and then maybe go lay down."
"You don't need to go to the booth," Jake said. "Gary and Ellen are there. You're not supposed to be at the booth during the conference, other than to say hi. You're supposed to wander the floor and see all the cool shit we're doing, and then come up with more cool shit for us to do. That's the point of the conference - to share ideas across the silos in our work processes.
"You should go lie down if you're not feeling well, but can I walk with you? I'd like to finish our earlier conversation," Jake asked.
"What? Who's not feeling well? Oh, Matty. You have dark circles under your eyes, honey. Go take a nap," Darla said.
"I'm fine, just tired I think. A nap and some quiet time sound good."
"OK if I walk with you?" Jake asked again.
"Of course, but really, Jake. It's fine. It wasn't my business and I shouldn't have asked," Matilda apologized again.
"No! No. I'm glad you did. I'd like to explain," Jake noticed his mom and sister looking on, interestedly. "Let's walk, OK?"
As Jake and Matilda made their way through the crowd, Beth and Darla shared a look.
"PLEASE tell me that is FINALLY happening. I came close to stabbing Stephanie-Bella in the eye over dinner last night," Beth said.
"Maybe he'll crawl into bed with her and the shrew will be gone before nightfall," Darla said.
✽✽✽
Jake was quiet as they made their way out of the crowd. By the time they were free of it, he wasn't sure where to start.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked.
She's pale. Her freckles look dark against her skin.
"I don't think I've ever seen your hair down before," Jake said. He wanted to slap his forehead. He was fucking this up again.
But her hair was different - a wavy, curly, vibrant orange-red mass, it fell to the middle of her back. He wanted to run his fingers through it. It couldn't be as soft as it looked.
"I don't normally wear it down. It gets in the way."
"It's beautiful, like the rest of you," he said.
Did she just flinch?
"Thank you. I've met your gorgeous girlfriend, though," Matilda muttered.
"About that," he stopped walking again.
When she stopped to look up at him, her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
"Should I get Adrian?" Jake asked.
"No, I don't need a doctor. Thanks, though. Just some rest," Matilda said.
I shouldn't do this now. She's not feeling well and already upset. The conference goes through Thursday. We have time. Maybe I should wait until things are ended with Bella. I'm tired of procrastinating, though.
"Matilda," Jake started.
"Jake, can we talk later?" She asked over him.
"Yes, of course," he replied.
"I'm sorry, I just can't do this right now. Listening to you talk about being with Bella makes my chest hurt. I try to keep things straight in my head, but I keep getting my wires crossed with you," she continued.
"She's just not - a good person. But, you've been with her for a while. You say she's a bitch, but you're still with her. And then, in the garden last night…" Matilda paused for a breath.
In the garden. In The Garden. IN THE GARDEN! She was there. She was actually there. Fuck my life!
The color rose in Jake's cheeks as Matilda got paler.
"I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to spy. I heard people arguing, or at least snapping at each other, as I was walking back to the hotel. I didn't want to interrupt anyone so I was trying to see if I should walk around the long way or if I could pass through. And then it happened so fast and I couldn't look away it was like a train wreck she's really a terrible person and I just-"
Jake was shaking his head faster as she talked faster. "Matilda, stop. Please stop. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry you saw that. I didn't actually think you… Anyway, I'm sorry."
Now she was shaking her head. She opened her mouth to speak.
"No, wait. Let me just explain," Jake said quickly.
A tear dripped down her face.
He sighed. "I'm so sorry. I hate that I upset you. I don't mean to upset you. I know she's a terrible person. I'm a terrible person for staying with her. It… I don't love her. It's a convenience thing. For both of us."
"I'm not judging you and she's absolutely beautiful and I get it - it's a completely different league. But it's hard to keep straight when you and your family are so easy to be around. I just really need a nap. So, I'm going to go take a nap. We can talk later, OK?" And then she was walking away.
A different league? What the fuck does that mean?
I am so confused.
She was in the fucking garden.
I need a drink.
✽✽✽
Five hours later, Sam found Jake sitting in a hotel bar. There were three hotel bars. Jake was in the country-western bar.
Hank had seen Jake walk out of the auditorium with Matilda. When he didn't resurface shortly thereafter, they assumed things were finally progressing. Darla and Beth came back from lunch a few hours ago, both rather tipsy, claiming Jake had been walking Matilda back to her room.
Then Matilda surfaced later in the aftern
oon without Jake. She hadn't seen him in hours. He wasn't answering his phone. He was not in the bar that had pool tables. The search began.
All the while, here Jacob was, working his way through a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue.
"Hey big brother, how are you?" Sam asked.
Jake was drunk. No doubt about it. He turned on his stool to look at Sam and wobbled a bit. "Hey, little brother."
Sigh, Sam thought. They're making this so hard on themselves. They fit together like puzzle pieces.
"You're going to be hurting later," Sam said.
"Samuel, you're my favorite brother. I know I'm not supposed to pick a favorite. But, you're my favorite. Except for when you're pissed. Then Noah's my favorite brother," Jake rambled.
"What happened? You were fine this morning," Sam asked.
"No, I wasn't. You know why? Because this morning I was in a hotel room with a bitch. She sent back the fucking eggs, man. Five thousand people in the damn hotel and she bitched about her egg whites not being hot enough. The egg whites!" Jake snorted. "What an idiot. And I'm an idiot. Eighteen months with an idiot. She was in the garden, man. She saw that."
"What did she see in the garden?"
"Huh?"
"What did she see in the garden?"
"I can't tell you, man. You're my little brother. It's not something you tell your little brother."
Sam paused, then smiled.
✽✽✽
"What did Bella see in the garden, Jake?" William asked.
"Huh?" Jake mumbled. His eyes were at half-mast.
"What did Bella see in the garden?"
"Ha! My dick!" Jake fell off his bar stool, passed out.
"This is why you called me, isn't it? You didn't want to cart his ass back upstairs on your own." William stated. It wasn't really a question.
Sam grinned. Will smacked him on the back of the head.
Chapter 15
The only thing Jake remembered from Tuesday was puking. A lot of puking. Adrian was pissed off at him and told him he was lucky to be alive. Bella was pissed off at him and kept bitching. He'd ruined Will's favorite shoes, but Will thought it was funny.
Damn, I just keep getting dumber.
He ended up telling William and Samuel what he could remember. Sunday was clear. Monday, less so. He remembered Bella sending her egg whites back. He remembered Matty asking if he loved Bella. And then something about a different league.
"You're a fucking moron. You know that, right?" Will asked.
"Of course."
"Who dates someone for a YEAR AND A HALF because it's convenient? Especially when the sex isn't great. I assumed she was a crazy good lay for you to put up with her bullshit," Will continued.
"Meh. Water balloons." Jake made a cupping motion with his hands.
William smacked Jacob upside the head.
"I'm going to talk to Matilda. I'm going to tell her," Sam said. It wasn't a question. He wasn't asking permission.
"Sam, I'll talk to her," Jake said. "It's my life. I need to do this."
"No."
"No?" William asked.
"No," Sam said again.
William and Jake looked at each other. "Why not?" Jacob asked.
"Because you use the wrong words for everything and keep fucking things up," Sam said.
"Who the fuck are you to talk? Actually, why am I talking to either one of you about this? You two don't date. At all. I can't remember Sam ever having a girlfriend. Where the fuck is Noah?" Jake demanded.
Noah knows women. He'll help get this shit straight.
"Is the goal to get in Matty's pants, or is the goal to be with Matty? Noah can be helpful with the former, he's useless with the latter. And you know it, you fucking moron." William was still laughing at Jake's predicament.
"I'm going to tell her," Sam said.
"No, let me try again. The timing was terrible. Better timing, and being rid of Bella will help."
Sam shrugged. The gesture said we'll see.
✽✽✽
While the conference went through Thursday afternoon, most people were on flights by noon. Wednesday night was typically the closing party.
Jake was playing pool and drinking water. Adrian was still on his ass about hydration.
Will knocked in a shot.
I didn't think he had that shot. Huh.
Jake pretty much ran the table from there.
"Next!" He called. There was a queue of people to play against him.
Most of them had no idea how to shoot pool; they wanted a few minutes of attention from one of the family. Playing pool with Jake was easier than trying to have a conversation with Sam or getting a moment with Hank. Will, Ethan, and Noah were at the pool table with him, so they divided the queue among them.
The fishing tackle guy was next. Gary? Greg? Greg.
"Let me ask you this - do you ever lose, man?" Greg was 'scratching' his nose.
Fucking nasty bastard. I still fucking hate you.
"Yup. I get my ass handed to me on a regular basis," Jake said with pride.
"By who? I ain't seen that dude here tonight!"
"She might be five-foot-tall with shoes on and has wild red hair."
"Bullshit! That hot little ass can't even reach to line up a shot."
He felt, rather than saw, his brothers bristle at Matilda being called a 'hot little ass'.
Noah snorted. "I bet you a thousand dollars she can schlep him on demand."
"This I gotta see!" Greg exclaimed. "You're on, Noah. One grand."
"Anyone seen her?" Noah asked. Head shakes all around.
A phone call later, Matilda was on her way down from her room, though Noah had failed to mention what the urgent need for her presence was related to.
That was fine with Jacob. He had been searching for her all day and kept missing her.
✽✽✽
This was either a beer-related question or an urgent need for Matilda to play pool. She was still going downstairs.
I'm an idiot.
Once it was resolved, she could go back to her room and try to sleep before catching an early flight tomorrow.
Matilda made her way through the hotel in a t-shirt and jeans, with basic flats and no make-up.
Fuck it. I just want to get out of here.
She'd spent most of today avoiding Jacob. Sam had told her yesterday that he drank himself stupid over some problem with Bella that was not yet understood.
People don't drink themselves stupid over someone they don't love.
Matilda had no expectation that Jake would ever stoop to getting involved with her, but she couldn't understand why he was so fixated on making sure she understood his relationship with Bella. It was none of her business.
It's time to mind my own damn business. Time to stop this nonsense. I can't keep panting after him as I have been. He's a nice guy. I can accept that and move on.
As she walked into the bar, she saw Will standing by the pool table.
Figures.
She made her way over and found Noah. "What?"
"Woo, are you grumpy?" Noah asked.
"No, I have a 6 AM flight tomorrow," she clarified.
She managed a half-smile for Will and Ethan. She didn't acknowledge Jacob at all, but she could feel him staring at her.
"This gentleman right here," he said as he smacked the fishing guy on the shoulder, "has wagered a thousand dollars you cannot beat Jacob on demand."
Matilda nodded and looked at the table. The balls were already racked. "How many rounds?"
"Best of three," Jake said.
"Break?" she asked a spot over Jake's left shoulder.
"Ladies first," Jake said with a bow.
"House rules or championship rules?"
"That's a new one," Jake said. "House."
"What's the difference?" Noah asked.
"Championship rules have more technicalities. We typically play house rules, but she's never asked this question before. So, I think maybe we're about to se
e a new trick," Jake laughed.
"By the way, Greg. You're going to lose a thousand dollars on this. You better not be shooting blanks," Jake announced amid laughter from the crowd.
"Hey now, no throwing the game!" Greg yelled. "You can get distracted by her ass after the game's over."
Matilda turned and gave Greg a 'fuck-off' look.
Matilda lined up the cue ball. "Eight to left side." Her break shot scattered the balls. The eight ball, and only the eight ball, dropped as called, in the left side pocket.
The crowd cheered.
"Where the fuck did that come from?!" Jake said laughingly.
"One-Zip. Rack 'em," she said.
✽✽✽
She doesn't seem pissed… Withdrawn is a better word. Like she'd rather be anywhere else but here. Did Sam talk to her after all?
Jake re-racked the balls.
"I feel like you've been toying with me this whole time, humoring me," Jake said, still laughing.
"Likewise."
What? What the fuck?
"Jacob! There you are, babe," Bella pushed through the crowd.
Fuck my life.
"I thought you went upstairs," Jake said, tone flat. She was rubbing her body against his side, glaring at Matilda.
"I was going to, but then I just couldn't go to bed without you," she all but purred as she pulled his face over to kiss him. He pulled out of the kiss and away from her, almost dumping her on her ass in the process.
"Interesting. It didn't bother you last night. I slept on the couch. Or the night before, when I stayed in Adrian's room, or for the last several months that you've been traveling," he replied tersely.
"8 Ball Rotation, one-shot, one pocket?" He asked Matilda.
Matilda still didn't meet his eyes, but she snorted. "Now you're just making shit up."
"I need to give myself a fighting chance. Each player gets one shot, regardless of whether or not you drop a ball. We play like that all the time.
"One pocket - we each pick a pocket. After the break, all our balls have to go in the chosen pocket. We've played that before, too.
"8-Ball Rotation would be hitting your balls in the pocket in numerical order, 8-ball last," Jake finished explaining.