Pulling out her phone, I watched as Tally replied to whatever text she got while smacking on the bright pink bubble gum she had consumed at some point. “Shit. Becca, we need to get unpacked. Jesse wants us to meet for food.”
“Oh-okay,” I said, not really looking forward to it. “I thought we were going to eat here.”
“I can order food,” Mr. Valentino said happily as he glanced between Tally and I.
“No, no,” Tally scoffed. “We are just going to go out.”
I felt bad about the situation overall. Mr. Valentino didn’t know we were going to be here so soon, and Tally was acting childish. Even if I loved her dearly, the way she was acting was unacceptable.
“Okay then,” he smiled. “It’s really nice to have you home, sweetie. I hope we can spend some time together while you’re here.”
The notion warmed my heart and made me miss my own father. But in true Tally fashion, she didn’t hold the same sweet sentiment I did.
“I’ll fit something in,” she replied as she made her way towards the stairs. “Can Rosa bring our things upstairs, please? I need to unpack and take a shower.”
As Tally disappeared from sight, I shook my head, jumping off the barstool.
“Thanks for letting me stay for the summer, Mr. Valentino. I appreciate it.”
His eyes drifted from where his daughter had disappeared to me, and as he looked at me, I couldn’t help but feel small under his gaze. “There is no need to thank me, Becca. Also, will you please call me James?”
First name basis? Oh, shit… Becca, stop, you’re reading too much into it.
“If that’s what you would like… James,” I replied softly, fluttering my eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. “I better get going. I guess I’ll see you around.”
Raising a brow, his smile never faltered as he nodded, “Oh, you definitely will.”
Going out with Tally had been more of a headache than I wanted it to be. What started out with dinner turned into an all-nighter at a local club. The stench of stale cigarettes littered my clothing from earlier in the night, as well as, the few droplets of puke Tally had managed to get on me when I was holding her hair.
It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise how the evening turned out. Yet, once again, I was left to babysit her while she dabbled in the fun.
I wasn’t the party girl Tally had become, and even though she knew that, she still tried to drag me around. Sometimes I wondered if that was simply a way to make sure she had a designated driver or if she genuinely enjoyed my company.
By the time we had arrived back at her home, the lights were off, and it was dark. Tally’s drunken form was unable to carry herself up the stairs, which meant that it had been my job to do so.
Lucky me!
After I had gotten Tally undressed and in bed, and a hot shower had washed away the remainder of the night from my body, I lay on my bed, trying to find the will to go to sleep. Too much had happened over the past few weeks. My mind still reeled from my breakup with Chad, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about James.
James was different. Not only was he incredibly sexy, with lips so plump I wanted to kiss him for days, but he was old school. He seemed like the kind of man who knew how to wine and dine a girl. Treat her special, and never cheat on her with some mystery girl like Chad did to me.
I didn’t know James that way, but my mind constantly wondered. I wondered how he would treat me and about all the wonderfully sinful things he could do to me.
I didn’t understand the rush of emotions he brought over me. I wasn’t the bad girl type, and yet everything about him wanted to make me submit on my knees.
I’m an idiot to think a man like James Valentino would be interested in me though. Allison, Tally’s mom, is beautiful and classy. She has taste and is sophisticated… I can never be her.
Tally had plenty of male friends in this city, and even though I didn’t want another relationship, I couldn’t help but wonder if one of them would settle my needs.
Picking up my phone, I scrolled through social media and took in the various photos of Chad and I that were posted on my account. I hadn’t had the courage to get rid of them yet, and looking back at it now, I felt even more pathetic.
With a push of a few buttons and much-needed courage, I deleted the history of my relationship with Chad. I welcomed the hollow feeling in my chest when I was finished, but at the same time, it hurt.
“God, why can’t I sleep,” I groaned as I looked at the clock, realizing I had spent two hours laying awake instead of sleeping.
Slipping from bed, I padded my way out of my room and towards the stairs. The idea of hot tea and a snack to settle my mind seemed more enjoyable with every step I took.
Through the darkness, I made my way to the kitchen. The dim light over the stove was enough for me to see what I was doing, and yet, not disturb anyone in the home.
Not that anyone would likely wake. It was 3:00 in the morning, and normal people slept at this hour.
As I moved around the kitchen setting the kettle, I hummed a tune from earlier in the night that had gotten stuck in my head.
“Having fun?” a voice called from behind me, causing a small scream to leave my throat as I spun around, coming face to face with James himself. His dark, brooding eyes stared at me with amusement.
As much as I wanted to form a coherent sentence at that moment, my thoughts were lost in the realization that James, my best friend’s father, was standing before me in nothing but a towel.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus. “Uh-oh, hey. Sorry, just making tea.”
“I see that,” he hummed with amusement. “Couldn’t sleep either?”
Shaking my head, I shrugged my shoulders. “Not lately. Plus, after all the excitement tonight, I had to wind down.”
There was a moment of awkward silence that fell between us as James stood by the counter, simply staring at me.
Clearing my throat, I turned back towards the kettle that was now hissing and poured the hot water over the tea bag so it could steep. Motion out of the corner of my eye made me freeze as I realized he had taken two steps closer towards me.
“You really have changed over the years… haven’t you, Becca?” he whispered softly, causing me to turn around and notice only a few feet between us.
My heart raced with anticipation of what the hell was happening. Was this what I hoped it was? But I couldn’t do that to Tally, could I?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.