Eversea A Love Story

goodbye when the time came. Throw in a few more kisses and feelings , or worse ... ending up in his bed, and I may never get out of my bed again.
    Just then I heard voices. The sound of Jack’s deep and amused voice as well as the lilt of my best friend’s laugh.
    Damn, but I really should have been there to witness Jazz meeting Jack Eversea for the first time.
    I couldn’t help grinning as I stood and threw on my cover-up. Grabbing our towels and seeing Jack’s phone again, I finally gave in and picked it up, careful not to look at the screen. My eyes caught Audrey’s name though, and I glanced down again despite myself. I literally couldn’t help it; it was like a magnet. Words like “fix this,” and ... “thank you,” and ... “I love you too,” swam in front of me not making sense. Too ?
    Either I was having a head rush from standing too quickly, or it was the words I was reading, but suddenly my vision blurred around the edges and I felt sharply nauseous.
    The issue wasn’t helped by the fact that Jack chose that exact moment to come out of the patio door above me. He was in mid-sentence when he saw me with his phone.
    I quickly held it out, swallowing the bile that threatened to come up.
    His face, that had initially flashed with concern, probably due to the fact I looked like I’d seen a ghost, went carefully and swiftly blank. He came down the stairs and slowly took the phone from my hand.
    I needed to leave and think about what I’d just read. Glancing at Jazz, I saw her smile fade, her eyes snapping back and forth between Jack and me in confusion.
    “Uh, Jazz. I was just getting ready to go.” I looked at her pointedly, hoping she would go along with this and not point out I had literally just told her to come over. “And ... uh ... ” I searched blindly for something that was important enough, when Jack stepped in.
    “Yeah, I got a bunch of scripts I need to read through,” he said, his tone polite, but agonizingly cool. “It was nice to meet you, Jazz. I’ll walk you guys out.”
    I tried to catch his eyes, but they skated over mine as he headed back the way they had come. Oh my God, he totally thought I’d been looking through his phone on purpose. I guess he interpreted my reaction as getting caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
    Well, I hadn’t meant to snoop. I wasn’t going to feel guilty about that. I thought maybe I should apologize anyway, but the other part of me was rationally saying he wouldn’t be mad if he had nothing to hide. Then again, this was Jack Eversea, who had to keep everything in his life hidden and private due to the nature of his work. I had a small twinge of understanding for him before my thoughts landed back on the text. He should be feeling guilty right now, and I had every right to feel the way I did.
    We got inside and I headed straight for the front door, pausing only to grab my backpack and shove my feet into my sneakers. My clothes in the laundry room would have to stay. I definitely wasn’t coming back for them. My hands shook. This needed to be over.
    I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but it turned out I had fallen hard and fast for Jack, and that one text had totally punched me in the gut. I was definitely not cut out for this. It would be tough, but I had to end this now. Regardless of Audrey Lane, I would never fit into his life so there was just no point in trying to save this situation. I shouldn’t have let it get this far. It was my own fault. It had been me who closed the distance and crossed the line.
    As I grabbed the bag and swung it onto my shoulder, I turned to him, and my stomach dipped. “I wasn’t snooping, Jack. I was bringing you your phone, but I couldn’t help read the text since it was right in front of my face. I apologize for whatever breach of privacy you think that violates. Clearly, I wasn’t aware of my boundaries as they pertain to you and your girlfriend while you’re trying to patch things up.” My heart squeezed as I made it over those last words. I went on, “So, I apologize for this morning.”
    Jack cocked his head to the side.
    “In the laundry room,” I clarified, in case he didn’t get exactly what I meant. “And in the pool,” I added, and saw his eyes narrow and his jaw tighten.
    Jazz cleared her throat. “I ... uh ... um, Keri Ann, I’ll wait for you outside. Nice to meet you again, Jack,” she said to him and turned for the door.
    “No, it’s okay, Jazz, I’m on my way out,