wanted her there.
“I’m back. Well, for awhile at least. It’s nice to see you…” she said.
“Okay,” he said as he turned around and gathered up his tools. Walking past her, he headed straight for his office leaving her standing there feeling like an idiot. Not exactly the warm welcome she was hoping for.
Danna followed him and found him sitting behind his desk adding something up on a calculator. Fuming mad at the cold welcome, she crossed her arms and glared at him from the doorway.
“Excuse me?” she said in her snappiest tone.
“What?”
“What kind of welcome was that after not seeing me for all these years. I came all the way over here to see you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to clap or bow at your feet, Princess?”
“Why are you being such a jackass? Your sister said you’d be happy to see me, but I can see this was a big mistake,” she said.
“My sister? When did you talk to Katie?”
“This morning. I ran into her at the grocery store.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have said anything about me. I am none of your business, Danna.”
It became obvious that he had nothing to say to her, so Danna opted to retain some of her dignity and leave. Turning to walk away, she tripped over a piece of lumber that was sticking a little too far into the pathway and went tumbling to the ground.
“Ouch!” she yelled as she grabbed her ankle and fell to the ground. “Crap, crap, crap!” she said as the tears welled up in her eyes and fell over her cheeks.
“Danna!” Jack said as he quickly ran out from behind his desk and knelt beside her on the ground. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry…”
“It really hurts…” she said with tears escaping her eyes.
“Let me take a look,” he said carefully lifting the leg of her jeans. “It’s not swollen yet. Do you want to try walking on it?” His touch sent shivers up her spine which only made her angrier at herself for being in this position.
“Just help me get to my car, and I’ll get out of your hair,” she said avoiding eye contact.
“Come on, don’t be like that…”
“Don’t be like that? You mean don’t be a jerk? Because you were a really big jerk to me a few minutes ago!”
Jack slid down to his butt and leaned against the wall, sighing as he ran his fingers through his thick hair.
“I know I was. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t sue you,” she said trying not to laugh.
“Danna, I really am sorry. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you intentionally,” he said looking at her.
“I know. But you did.”
“I am used to stepping over that piece of wood. I totally forgot…”
“No. I’m not talking about my ankle,” she said searching his eyes.
“Oh.”
“Jack, you never gave me an opening to say how sorry I am about the way things ended with us.”
“It was a long time ago, Danna,” he said.
“Then why do I get the feeling you’re still hurt?” she asked softly.
“Because I guess I am. I wish I could say it doesn’t matter all these years later, but it does. You were my life for years, and then you were just gone. That was bad enough, but then you went and married some guy in Vegas. What was that about?”
“Stupidity. My normal spontaneous nature. I don’t know really,” she said shaking her head.
“That hurt me more than anything because I always thought you’d come back to me at some point. If I just waited long enough…”
“And then I showed up out of the blue today…”
“Why are you here, Danna?”
“Because I lost my job and wanted to get a fresh start.”
“There’s nothing fresh about Dallas Springs. Everything here is from the past.”
“Then why does it feel like it’s exactly the place I need to be?” she said softly as Jack slowly looked up.
“It
“I’m back. Well, for awhile at least. It’s nice to see you…” she said.
“Okay,” he said as he turned around and gathered up his tools. Walking past her, he headed straight for his office leaving her standing there feeling like an idiot. Not exactly the warm welcome she was hoping for.
Danna followed him and found him sitting behind his desk adding something up on a calculator. Fuming mad at the cold welcome, she crossed her arms and glared at him from the doorway.
“Excuse me?” she said in her snappiest tone.
“What?”
“What kind of welcome was that after not seeing me for all these years. I came all the way over here to see you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to clap or bow at your feet, Princess?”
“Why are you being such a jackass? Your sister said you’d be happy to see me, but I can see this was a big mistake,” she said.
“My sister? When did you talk to Katie?”
“This morning. I ran into her at the grocery store.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have said anything about me. I am none of your business, Danna.”
It became obvious that he had nothing to say to her, so Danna opted to retain some of her dignity and leave. Turning to walk away, she tripped over a piece of lumber that was sticking a little too far into the pathway and went tumbling to the ground.
“Ouch!” she yelled as she grabbed her ankle and fell to the ground. “Crap, crap, crap!” she said as the tears welled up in her eyes and fell over her cheeks.
“Danna!” Jack said as he quickly ran out from behind his desk and knelt beside her on the ground. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry…”
“It really hurts…” she said with tears escaping her eyes.
“Let me take a look,” he said carefully lifting the leg of her jeans. “It’s not swollen yet. Do you want to try walking on it?” His touch sent shivers up her spine which only made her angrier at herself for being in this position.
“Just help me get to my car, and I’ll get out of your hair,” she said avoiding eye contact.
“Come on, don’t be like that…”
“Don’t be like that? You mean don’t be a jerk? Because you were a really big jerk to me a few minutes ago!”
Jack slid down to his butt and leaned against the wall, sighing as he ran his fingers through his thick hair.
“I know I was. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t sue you,” she said trying not to laugh.
“Danna, I really am sorry. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you intentionally,” he said looking at her.
“I know. But you did.”
“I am used to stepping over that piece of wood. I totally forgot…”
“No. I’m not talking about my ankle,” she said searching his eyes.
“Oh.”
“Jack, you never gave me an opening to say how sorry I am about the way things ended with us.”
“It was a long time ago, Danna,” he said.
“Then why do I get the feeling you’re still hurt?” she asked softly.
“Because I guess I am. I wish I could say it doesn’t matter all these years later, but it does. You were my life for years, and then you were just gone. That was bad enough, but then you went and married some guy in Vegas. What was that about?”
“Stupidity. My normal spontaneous nature. I don’t know really,” she said shaking her head.
“That hurt me more than anything because I always thought you’d come back to me at some point. If I just waited long enough…”
“And then I showed up out of the blue today…”
“Why are you here, Danna?”
“Because I lost my job and wanted to get a fresh start.”
“There’s nothing fresh about Dallas Springs. Everything here is from the past.”
“Then why does it feel like it’s exactly the place I need to be?” she said softly as Jack slowly looked up.
“It
Similar Books
My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road
David Powers King
After the storm
Osar Adeyemi
Senn (A Cocky Cage Fighter Novel Book 5)
Lane Hart
Laura Jo Phillips
The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga
Beckham
David Beckham
All of It
Kim Holden
Stuffed
Eric Walters
Looking for Alibrandi
Melina Marchetta
Packing Iron
Steve Hayes
Stranger Danger
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy