Ginnys crush, p.7
Ginny's Crush, page 7
“Daddy, are you going away again?” Rose sniffled, her ice blue eyes still shimmering with tears.
Those eyes shot to his heart every time. They were the image of her mother’s, only lighter and more startling. It had been Ashlyn’s eyes that had first drawn Justen to her. He had been an idiot to fall for her. But he had gotten these two miracles out of the deal.
He pulled Rose tight against him. “No, I’m not going anywhere.”
He needed to let these crazy thoughts about Ginny go. They would only lead to heartache, not only for him, but for his girls.
Ginny might be the only woman who was less suited for him than Ashlyn.
Ginny sighed, as she slipped off her jacket and hung it on the hook by her parent’s door. It had been a long day at work, and she hadn’t wanted to come over, but she had promised she would stop by and help with the planning for their fortieth wedding anniversary. So, here she was.
What she really wanted to do was go home and try to shut off the part of her brain that had become Justen obsessed. She should have forgotten about him by the time she had gotten home from Tofino last night, instead, she had spent her entire day at work fantasizing about him. It could have made for an amazing Tuesday, if it wasn’t so messed up.
It was driving her mental, especially when what she should be doing was trying to figure out what to do about Luke.
The drive back from Tofino had been tense. When she had gotten back to the hostel just before dawn, Luke hadn’t been there, and he certainly hadn’t appreciated her getting upset about that. He couldn’t seem to understand that she wasn’t angry about him spending time with Leo before his wedding. She wasn’t angry about him crashing in Leo’s hotel room. She was upset that he hadn’t bothered to text her and let her know he was alive and well—or check to make sure she was.
Of course, if she examined the situation carefully, some of her anger might actually be her own guilt. She should have gotten a cab the moment she had finished with Isla, instead of sitting under the moonlight with Justen.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Ginny’s mom met her at the door, pulling her into a hug. “How was your weekend?”
“It was a weekend,” Ginny groaned.
“I thought you and lover boy were taking things to the next level,” Spencer quipped, coming in from the kitchen with a beer in his hand.
“Don’t be a dick, Spencer,” Stephanie said, as she came around the corner after him, carrying what looked like green swamp juice. “You want one of these?” Stephanie held up her drink. “It’s got kale and spirulina.”
Ginny smiled at Spencer’s girlfriend. “No. I think I’m going to have something a little less healthy, and a little more take-the-edge-off.”
“Weekend not what you dreamed it would be, huh?” Spencer asked, sarcastically.
“It was good,” Ginny said, her tone defensive.
“Right, let me guess—lover boy ditched you to go surfing, and that’s how you ended up on the beach with Justen.”
“No… What?” Ginny’s cheeks heated up. “How did you—?” The answer hit her so suddenly, it left her reeling. How had she been that stupid? Of course, Justen had called Spencer. ”—my weekend is none of your business.”
“Well, I certainly hope it was worth ditching us for the weekend, Genevieve.”
“Spence,” Stephanie chastised.
Ginny bit her lip. Spencer had started calling her “Ginny” when she was a baby, because he hadn’t been able to pronounce Genevieve. Now, their mom was the only person that called her Genevieve, except Spencer when he was being a dick.
“That’s enough, Spencer,” Elaine said, bustling towards the kitchen. “Let’s get you that drink, Genevieve.”
“Mom, I can get it myself.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Elaine said, smiling sweetly.
Ginny reluctantly followed her mom to the kitchen, leaving Spencer and Stephanie behind in the living room. She couldn’t help but feel guilty about the way her mom fussed over her and her brother. They could certainly do things for themselves. Especially Spencer. He seemed to think that their mom had been born to serve him.
“Why don’t you sit at the table and have a little of this.” Elaine held up the brimming teacup that she had just filled from the pot.
“Mom. Tea isn’t exactly what I had in mind. And we’re supposed to be planning your party.”
Elaine waved her hand at her daughter. “Tea is exactly what you need, and I would like a little time with my daughter, thank you very much. I don’t see you enough these days.”
Elaine held up her hands to stop the angry words that were about to pour out of Ginny’s mouth.
“It isn’t a criticism. You’ve got your life, and it’s natural to focus on a new relationship. I just miss you.”
Ginny pinched her lips together to hold back all the things she wanted to say. Her parent’s opinion of Luke was already pretty low, and she didn’t want to add any fuel to that. They just didn’t understand that she didn’t want what they had.
Elaine let the silence stretch between them, calmly taking a sip of her tea and letting Ginny work through the struggle in her head. It was exactly what her mom excelled at. She knew when her kids had some trauma to work through, and she just let it work itself out.
“This weekend didn’t exactly turn out as planned—“
Elaine took another sip of her tea, giving Ginny the space to get to what was really bothering her.
”—I guess I’ve read too many fairy tales. I thought it was a big romantic gesture, when it turned out I was just the fourth wheel on Leo’s bachelor weekend. And to top it all off, I ran into Justen Barrett. Can you believe it? Leo’s fiancée is Justen’s sister.“ Ginny let her head fall into her hands. “How does this stuff happen to me?”
“I would’ve thought you would have enjoyed seeing Justen,” Elaine said, rubbing her hand down Ginny’s back. “There was a time when you would’ve done anything for him to notice you.”
Ginny flinched away from her mother’s hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, Genevieve.” Elaine chuckled. “I know a girlhood crush when I see it.”
“Yeah, well, that girlhood crush grew up to be a smoking hot man who is just as unattainable as he ever was.”
“Which is okay, because you’ve got Luke—“
“He’s got kids, Mom. I don’t want kids.”
Elaine tipped her head to one side, appraising her daughter. “Maybe you just don’t know what you want.”
“I know what I don’t want. I don’t want to lose my identity.”
“Is that what you think having kids is about?”
“Yeah, Mom. Look at you.”
She was being spiteful, and she knew it. But she was frustrated, and her mom made for an easy target.
“What makes you think I gave up my identity? I chose to be a stay at home mother. You don’t have to make the same choice, sweetheart.”
“Can anyone join this party, or is it women only?” Charles asked, strolling into the kitchen and giving his wife a kiss on the forehead.
“Hi, Dad,” Ginny said glumly.
“You sound like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“She’s just gone and been stupid again,” Spencer said, following his dad into the room.
“Spencer,” Elaine said sharply.
“Seriously, Mom. She volunteered to be the maid of honour.”
Ginny shot up from the table, spilling her tea. “How do you know about that?”
“Justen told me,” Spencer said, shrugging nonchalantly. “He couldn’t stop going on about how grateful he is to you. You basically saved the day. It’s like one of your fairy tales, except you’re the prince and Isla is the damsel in distress—kinda messed up, if you ask me.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you,” Ginny said, her hands on her hips.
Elaine and Charles exchanged a look, and suddenly Ginny wanted to run from the room.
It was always the same. She was always disappointing them, while Spencer remained the golden child. It didn’t matter that he went through girlfriends like they were candy; he wanted to get married one day and have kids, and she didn’t.
Suddenly, she was angry at Luke too. Why was she always at these family things by herself? Luke should be here, supporting her. She was tired of having to face off with her family on her own.
“How about we focus on what we’re here for?” Elaine asked, always the peacemaker. “I think it would be nice to have some toasts, kind of like a wedding. Would that be weird to plan that? Should it just be spontaneous?”
“You can have whatever you want on that day,” Charles said, putting an arm around his wife. “I’m sure the kids would love to give a speech.”
“I’m already planning mine,” Spencer winked.
“What about you, Genevieve?” Elaine asked.
“I haven’t started anything…”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Spencer cut her off. “We’ll do it together. Won’t we, lil’ sis?”
Ginny smiled awkwardly. She had actually had the beginning of a plan to write her parents’ story as a fairy tale, but she didn’t need to shout that out to know what Spencer’s response was going to be.
“Yes, we’ll do it together.”
Ginny could feel her mom’s eyes on her, but she didn’t turn to meet them. She didn’t want to deal with the questions she would find there. Ginny had never been able to stand up to Spencer. It was just easier to go with what he wanted.
“Maybe we should get Justen to give a speech,” Spencer said grinning.
“Why is Justen coming?” Ginny gulped.
“Because Spencer was chatting with him and he invited him. He’s family,” Elaine said, giving Ginny a quizzical look.
“Maybe at one time he was, but he hasn’t shown his face around here in an awfully long time. He hasn’t exactly got honorary family status anymore.”
Ginny regretted her words the second they were out of her mouth. She could feel the eyes of all her family on her. Even Stephanie was looking at Ginny with shock.
Elaine’s forehead bunched. “I’m not sure I understand where you’re going with this, Genevieve.” The disappointment in her mom’s voice was clear. “Once you’re family, you’re always family. Doesn’t matter how far you stray or how long you’ve been gone for. That’s just the way it works. You know that.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Her face heating up at being scolded like a child. “I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
And terrified of what might happen the next time I see him.
But she couldn’t say that out loud.
CHAPTER 12
Sitting in the café Thursday after work, Ginny impatiently checked her watch again. It wasn’t like Shelby to be late, and after the craziness of the Tofino weekend and the tough week she’d had, Ginny needed some girl time with her best friend. It had been four days since she had left Justen sitting on the patio, and it had been two days since she had found out that he was attending her parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary party, and it was making her crazy.
She had known she was going to have to see Justen again. She was now Isla’s maid of honour; there was zero chance she could avoid him, but she had thought she would have more time to sort through her feelings. With her parent’s fortieth being on Saturday, she was running out of time.
She needed Shelby, so she could figure this out. Actually, first, she needed to reconnect with Shelby and check in with her about her separation from her husband, Blake. And then they could get down to discussing the Justen debacle.
Shelby would give her the perspective she needed and hopefully tell her how to handle spending an entire day with him when all she really wanted to do was get in his pants.
Ginny didn’t know how she managed before she met Shelby. They hadn’t been friends for long, but that didn’t change how close they were. They had met at work and quickly become inseparable over Shelby’s man drama. Or at least they had been until Shelby had her accident at the Survival Spa week and everything exploded. It had been a mess, but one tearful call from Shelby and one sleepover had fixed it all.
The simultaneous vibration of her watch and her phone jolted Ginny back to the present. She grabbed the phone, answering it without looking. “Is everything okay?”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Uh. Sure, babe. I’m all good.”
It wasn’t Shelby; it was Luke. Ginny closed her eyes to gather herself.
“Hey. Sorry. I thought you were Shelby. I’m supposed to be meeting her, and she’s really late.”
“I’m sure it’s all good,” Luke drawled.
“I know, but I’m worried about her. Blake can be a huge jerk.”
“Well, maybe she just needs to chill.”
“Wait, what?”
“That girl’s a drama queen. She needs to get out of her head and just chill.”
Normally, Ginny loved the way Luke drawled his words out, like he had all the time in the world and nothing to worry about, but right now, it was making her want to throttle him.
“He’s an asshole. That’s why she left him,” she said, emphasizing each word.
“Oh, for real. It’s good. I’m just saying she puts off a vibe that’s all. Remember how stressed she got over building her fire? And the way she wouldn’t speak to you?”
Ginny was speechless. Shelby was the least prone to drama of anyone Ginny knew. Sure, she had left the Survival Spa Week early, but she had almost died in the river. A person was entitled to a little drama after that, weren’t they?
“Hey. You still there?”
Reeling from his words, Ginny fought to find something to say. “Um. Yeah. Hey, I see Shelby. I’ve got to go.”
Without waiting to hear his response, Ginny ended the call. She placed the phone face down on the table, as if it would somehow negate the call. Sometimes Luke really could be frustrating. He saw the world so differently than her. Which was mostly good, but occasionally, she just couldn’t come around to his side.
She was saved from the cyclone of her thoughts by Shelby’s arrival.
“Sorry I’m so late,” Shelby breathed. She gave Ginny a peck on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you. Sorry I had to bring these monsters. Blake’s working and my mom isn’t exactly speaking to me right now.” Shelby waved a hand to indicate her two sons.
Disappointment dimmed Ginny’s excitement. It wasn’t that Ginny minded Shelby’s kids; they were actually pretty fun. But you couldn’t exactly discuss your love life in front of them.
As if reading Ginny’s mind, Shelby said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already bribed them with their tablets. They’ll be plugged in and won’t even hear a thing we say.”
“It’s all good.”
And it was. Ginny didn’t know why she was being so ridiculous. It wasn’t the first time Shelby’s kids had hung out with them. She was just messed from Luke and Justen. She smiled, reaching out to ruffle Kevin’s hair.
“Hey, buddy, you being good for your mom?”
Kevin smiled back shyly. “Sure, Aunt Ginny. Mom said we could have a float.”
“That sounds great,” Ginny said, smiling brightly. Then she turned to Shelby, cocking her head questioningly. “You’re not having dinner?”
Shelby smiled awkwardly. “Sorry. I’ve got to get these guys to their games. It’s okay. We can talk just the same over floats.”
Ginny sighed. She knew she shouldn’t be frustrated by the plans changing, but she couldn’t seem to help it. She was just off. Had been ever since a certain muscular chest and pair of smoldering grey eyes had started haunting her dreams. Then she caught Shelby’s gaze, and she could see Shelby’s bravado beginning to crumble. Ginny jumped up and gave Shelby a huge hug.
“It’s all good. I’m just so glad to see you. How are you?”
Shelby squeezed her back, and then slowly sat down in her own seat, taking a quick look to make sure her boys had their headphones on before she spoke.
“It’s been really tough. Harder than last time somehow. Everyone thinks I’m an idiot.” Shelby’s hands shook as she took a drink from her water glass. “Or at least, my family does.”
Ginny gave Shelby’s hand a squeeze, noticing the dark smudges under Shelby’s eyes.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there this weekend.”
Shelby smiled. “It’s okay. Ian’s been a big support.”
“Ian? I thought he was persona non grata.”
Apparently, there was room for Ginny to add more shock to her already overloaded system. When Shelby had left her husband the first time and started taking survival training, she had fallen for her instructor, who had turned out to be Ian McLean, Spencer and, incidentally, Justen’s other long-time best friend. A lot had happened since then, but the last Ginny was aware, any chance of a relationship between Shelby and Ian had been firmly squashed.
Shelby’s smile deepened, her cheeks pinkening like a love-struck schoolgirl. “Oh Ginny,” she sighed. “You’ve missed so much. My brother-in-law, Wes, had a heart attack, and I did first aid on him—successfully. And then when I was at the hospital having a nervous breakdown because my mom was being her regular self, Blake was there. And Ian came to the rescue. We’re together now.” Shelby stopped to catch her breath.
“Hold on; back up. You’re together?”
Shelby nodded, her smile brimming over.
“I don’t get it. What was Ian doing at the hospital? Ian doesn’t like hospitals.”
“I called him.”
“You called him?” Ginny raised her hand to flag down their server. She needed something stronger to drink than water. “I go away for one lousy weekend…”
“Yes. After I did the first aid, my family abandoned me to be with Wes, and I just needed to talk to someone who would understand how big a deal it was. And I couldn’t call you, so, I called Ian.”
