In the Crease
Page 19
“Yeah, it’s gonna set Wells and me up.”
“Wow.”
“Stop looking at me like that,” she laughed, and Brie smiled.
“Really, though, no one has met me. I can so go do some of that special effects makeup and look like a guy. It would be easy peasy!”
“You’re such a dork,” Wren snorted as her phone went off. Reaching into her bag, she pulled it out to see it was a text message from Jensen. Her heart picked up speed before she slid the notification over and read his message.
Jensen: Can we meet? Today, if possible? I can come by your office or your place. I don’t want to do this in public, though.
Shit. What did that mean?
Hovering her fingers over the keyboard, she felt her heart beating so hard that it made her vision fuzzy. Brie was going on about growing a beard or something, but Wren couldn’t pay attention. She read the message once more and then swallowed hard before typing back.
Wren: I have an opening at one, but it’s only for about thirty minutes.
Jensen: That’s fine. I’ll see you then.
Wren: Okay.
She went to tuck her phone back into her purse but then paused, bringing it back up.
Wren: Okay, I lied. I have a full hour, but I figured I’d need some time if you said no before my next client.
Jensen: I’m not gonna say no.
Oh! Yay!
Jensen: But I’m not saying yes either.
What? What the fuck?
Wren: Oh, okay, so I guess I’ll see you in a bit.
Jensen: Yup.
Pursing her lips, she sucked in a deep breath as she started to gather her things. Brie looked up at her expectantly, and Wren exhaled. “Jensen is coming to my office to talk.”
Brie nodded. “Cool.”
“Though, I’m sure you already know what he’s going to say.”
“Actually, I don’t. So call me later?”
Wren glared. “I thought you knew!”
“No, they talked, I listened, and then Jenny went to his room for like nine hours. No one knew what he was doing.”
Wren thought that through. What in the world was going on? “Well, I guess I’m about to find out.”
“Well, good luck, and don’t forget my offer.”
Wren snickered. “I’m not kissing you with a fake mustache.”
Brie held her hands up. “Then, no mustache. I can contour the shit out of my face to look like a dude.”
Shaking her head, Wren sent a quick wave to Rodney before leaving the coffee shop. But the grin on her face was gone once she reached outside because in a matter of hours, she’d know what Jensen had meant.
And she wasn’t sure she’d like it.
Jensen was punctual, unlike the day before.
The knock on her office door came right at one, and she called, “Come in.”
He opened the door, and she swore she had to look away to keep from drooling. Though that only lasted a second before she glanced back up to drink him in. He was wearing a tee with fitted shorts that hugged his thighs and some sneakers. His head was covered by an Assassins ball cap before he pulled it off, tucking it into his back pocket the way he had done when they were kids. “Hey.”
“Hey, come on in.” He nodded, coming toward her desk and to the seat she was pointing to. “Have a seat.”
But he ignored her, coming around the desk to kiss her cheek softly. “You look pretty today.”
Her lips curved. “Twice in one day. I must be on a roll.”
He smiled. “Who else was complimenting you?”
“Rodney, after he called me fat.”
Jensen scoffed. “You’re not fat.”
“I feel huge.”
“You don’t look it,” he said simply, walking back around, but before he sat, he pulled out a little yellow sheet of paper, holding it loosely in his hands. He looked nervous, and he was chewing on his lip before he inhaled sharply. “You’ve done absolutely nothing with this office.”
She laughed. “I have pictures of the people I love,” she said, pointing to her desk, and he shook his head.
“Elli Adler’s office is a shrine.”
She nodded. “I know. Maybe when I have the baby, I’ll be like her.”
“I thought you hated the yellow in here.”
“Oh, I do. I want to change it to white, but they won’t let me. Says it bores people,” she said with a grin.
“Better than black, which I’m sure you’ve considered.”
“So many times.”
He laughed. “I remember when you painted your bedroom black. Man, Elaine was pissed.”
“I thought she was gonna skin me alive.”
“And then when she found out we helped, I feared I wouldn’t be fed.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but you were.”
“And you’re still alive.”
“Thank God.”
A silence fell between them as they both stayed locked in each other’s gaze, small smiles on their faces. “So, I’ll get to it,” he said suddenly, moving to the edge of his seat.
She did the same, holding her breath as he unfolded the paper. As he ran his hand over his mouth, she said, “Okay.”
He nodded. “So I basically hate all your terms.”
Her brows came in as she let out the breath she was holding in a whoosh. She hadn’t expected him to say that. Sounding like there was a frog in her throat, she croaked, “Okay?”
“So here are mine.” His hands were shaking, and he wouldn’t look at her as he started to read. “I want six months.”
“Six months?”
“You had said two weeks after the baby comes, that’s not okay with me. I want a full six months.”
“For what?”
“To make you fall for me.”
When he looked up, she was sure he found her gawking at him. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want another failed marriage. If I do this, we do this for real. I want us to move in together, I want us to make love as husband and wife, and I want us to try to make this work.”
Did he say make love? Her head cocked to the side, and then she started laughing. “You’re kidding. You’re funny. Wait…you’re not kidding?”
“No. I’m serious.”
“Jensen—”
“If I’m going to lie to my second family, to my own family, I want it to be worth something.”
“Wow.”
“Stop looking at me like that,” she laughed, and Brie smiled.
“Really, though, no one has met me. I can so go do some of that special effects makeup and look like a guy. It would be easy peasy!”
“You’re such a dork,” Wren snorted as her phone went off. Reaching into her bag, she pulled it out to see it was a text message from Jensen. Her heart picked up speed before she slid the notification over and read his message.
Jensen: Can we meet? Today, if possible? I can come by your office or your place. I don’t want to do this in public, though.
Shit. What did that mean?
Hovering her fingers over the keyboard, she felt her heart beating so hard that it made her vision fuzzy. Brie was going on about growing a beard or something, but Wren couldn’t pay attention. She read the message once more and then swallowed hard before typing back.
Wren: I have an opening at one, but it’s only for about thirty minutes.
Jensen: That’s fine. I’ll see you then.
Wren: Okay.
She went to tuck her phone back into her purse but then paused, bringing it back up.
Wren: Okay, I lied. I have a full hour, but I figured I’d need some time if you said no before my next client.
Jensen: I’m not gonna say no.
Oh! Yay!
Jensen: But I’m not saying yes either.
What? What the fuck?
Wren: Oh, okay, so I guess I’ll see you in a bit.
Jensen: Yup.
Pursing her lips, she sucked in a deep breath as she started to gather her things. Brie looked up at her expectantly, and Wren exhaled. “Jensen is coming to my office to talk.”
Brie nodded. “Cool.”
“Though, I’m sure you already know what he’s going to say.”
“Actually, I don’t. So call me later?”
Wren glared. “I thought you knew!”
“No, they talked, I listened, and then Jenny went to his room for like nine hours. No one knew what he was doing.”
Wren thought that through. What in the world was going on? “Well, I guess I’m about to find out.”
“Well, good luck, and don’t forget my offer.”
Wren snickered. “I’m not kissing you with a fake mustache.”
Brie held her hands up. “Then, no mustache. I can contour the shit out of my face to look like a dude.”
Shaking her head, Wren sent a quick wave to Rodney before leaving the coffee shop. But the grin on her face was gone once she reached outside because in a matter of hours, she’d know what Jensen had meant.
And she wasn’t sure she’d like it.
Jensen was punctual, unlike the day before.
The knock on her office door came right at one, and she called, “Come in.”
He opened the door, and she swore she had to look away to keep from drooling. Though that only lasted a second before she glanced back up to drink him in. He was wearing a tee with fitted shorts that hugged his thighs and some sneakers. His head was covered by an Assassins ball cap before he pulled it off, tucking it into his back pocket the way he had done when they were kids. “Hey.”
“Hey, come on in.” He nodded, coming toward her desk and to the seat she was pointing to. “Have a seat.”
But he ignored her, coming around the desk to kiss her cheek softly. “You look pretty today.”
Her lips curved. “Twice in one day. I must be on a roll.”
He smiled. “Who else was complimenting you?”
“Rodney, after he called me fat.”
Jensen scoffed. “You’re not fat.”
“I feel huge.”
“You don’t look it,” he said simply, walking back around, but before he sat, he pulled out a little yellow sheet of paper, holding it loosely in his hands. He looked nervous, and he was chewing on his lip before he inhaled sharply. “You’ve done absolutely nothing with this office.”
She laughed. “I have pictures of the people I love,” she said, pointing to her desk, and he shook his head.
“Elli Adler’s office is a shrine.”
She nodded. “I know. Maybe when I have the baby, I’ll be like her.”
“I thought you hated the yellow in here.”
“Oh, I do. I want to change it to white, but they won’t let me. Says it bores people,” she said with a grin.
“Better than black, which I’m sure you’ve considered.”
“So many times.”
He laughed. “I remember when you painted your bedroom black. Man, Elaine was pissed.”
“I thought she was gonna skin me alive.”
“And then when she found out we helped, I feared I wouldn’t be fed.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but you were.”
“And you’re still alive.”
“Thank God.”
A silence fell between them as they both stayed locked in each other’s gaze, small smiles on their faces. “So, I’ll get to it,” he said suddenly, moving to the edge of his seat.
She did the same, holding her breath as he unfolded the paper. As he ran his hand over his mouth, she said, “Okay.”
He nodded. “So I basically hate all your terms.”
Her brows came in as she let out the breath she was holding in a whoosh. She hadn’t expected him to say that. Sounding like there was a frog in her throat, she croaked, “Okay?”
“So here are mine.” His hands were shaking, and he wouldn’t look at her as he started to read. “I want six months.”
“Six months?”
“You had said two weeks after the baby comes, that’s not okay with me. I want a full six months.”
“For what?”
“To make you fall for me.”
When he looked up, she was sure he found her gawking at him. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want another failed marriage. If I do this, we do this for real. I want us to move in together, I want us to make love as husband and wife, and I want us to try to make this work.”
Did he say make love? Her head cocked to the side, and then she started laughing. “You’re kidding. You’re funny. Wait…you’re not kidding?”
“No. I’m serious.”
“Jensen—”
“If I’m going to lie to my second family, to my own family, I want it to be worth something.”
