“He has no right, Linda. You didn’t have the right to call him. I’ve been doing fine on my own.”
She stopped speaking when Linda burst out laughing. “You are doing fine? Are you fucking kidding me?” Linda folded her arms over her chest. Jennifer watched as she leaned up against the sink. “You call that fine?” She put her hand out and raised it up and down.
Jennifer folded her own arms. She knew she’d lost a lot of weight. Eating held little to no appeal to her. “This is none of your business.”
“We’re the best of friends, Jen. I love you like my own sister. You’re going to make yourself sick if you continue on the way you are.”
Staring across the room Jennifer looked at her friend. She hadn’t listened to what Linda had to say in a long time. The last few months had gone by so fast. It had been easier to push the pain aside and deal with everything else. When she thought about what had happened it hurt too damn much. She’d lost too much and refused to let more pain rule her.
“You shouldn’t have called him.”
“When it comes to you I’ll do whatever I think is right.”
She looked at her friend and then walked away. Jennifer went to her room. She took a long shower before climbing into bed.
Her thoughts returned to Patrick. He was the only man she’d ever cared about. When she’d lost the baby she’d known in her heart that she’d lost him as well.
****
Patrick stood outside the kitchen and listened to them argue. They were the best of friends, yet they argued like they hadn’t known each other long. When Jennifer walked up the stairs he let himself in quietly.
“You can’t stay here,” Linda said. “I thought seeing you would wake her up or something. She looks like hell.”
“She’s been through hell. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be at the coffee shop every day. I’m not walking away from this one.”
Linda nodded staring at the spot where Jennifer had stood. “She loves you, you know?”
“I ruined the love she felt for me.”
“No, you didn’t. Love like that never goes away. She’s hurting, Patrick. Don’t let her win this fight.”
She gave him a sad look before disappearing. He let himself out, locked the door, and found a motel to spend the night. Jennifer’s parents had given him their blessing to try to win her back. His friends were now part of his past. He intended to make his life work to suit his and Jennifer’s needs.
He stared down at the picture he kept of her. They’d been on a vacation to Italy, and the shot was taken outside their villa. She wore a pastel pink sundress with her hair around her shoulder in curls.
For the last few weeks the photo of her had been all he had. The scent of her had long since gone from his house. He couldn’t even bear to sleep in the bed without her.
He’d cleaned the house up that night and seen the sheets. The evidence of what he’d lost that night.
Patrick closed his eyes and refused to let the tears fall. He’d spent many hours crying and grieving for what he could have had.
Closing the case he was more determined than ever to win her back.
The following morning he sat at the same table he’d sat in the previous day. When Jennifer saw him she hesitated before serving him.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“Whatever you won’t spit in, Jennifer.”
She glared at him. “I wouldn’t be so crude.”
“It was a joke. Black coffee and sweet would be a great start.” He watched her walk away. The curves of her ass swayed from side to side. The fullness of her ass was gone. He missed her added curves.
She put the cup of coffee on the table then made to move away.
“May I have a breakfast muffin as well? I’m hungry.”
Again she left his table and then brought him a muffin.
For the remainder of the morning Patrick watched her working. At the start of her shift she was nervous, and he put it down to his presence. The day progressed. He ordered coffee and then some lunch. Patrick left his table to go to the bathroom. He left his coat to let others know his table was taken.
He noticed she didn’t stop for lunch. Jennifer was working herself to death. He saw it clearly the next day and the day after that. She nibbled a pastry on the way home, stopped off at the beach, and she ate nothing at home. She was surviving on the smallest amount of food.
By the third day she finally joined him at his table.
Chapter Twelve
Jennifer had tried to ignore him at every possible turn. He followed her home and watched her while she walked the beach. She wanted to hate him for his overprotectiveness, yet she found his presence soothing.
Last night she’d gazed in the mirror and saw a person she didn’t like. Her body was no longer her own. She’d never thought there would come a point where she wished she wasn’t thin. The body she now possessed wasn’t right.
Linda had talked to her, and they’d made up.
Patrick put his paper away. He’d been reading the same paper, on the same page, for the last three days.
“That must be an interesting article,” she said.
He frowned.
“You’ve not changed a page since you started sitting here. If you’re stuck on a word I could help you.”
He burst out laughing. The sound sent pleasurable goose-bumps up and down her arms. The sensation startled her.
“You and I both know I wasn’t reading the paper.”
“No, you were watching me.”
She sipped her milkshake with a straw. Her lunch consisted of a cheese and pickle sandwich and a chocolate milkshake.
“This is new,” he said, gesturing at the meal.
Heat filled her cheeks as his words registered.
“I haven’t been eating properly.”
“I noticed. Your curves have faded. I’ve been sitting here wondering when you’d start eating.”
She sucked on her milkshake and finally looked up into his green eyes.
“I didn’t deal well with what happened,” she said.
“I know. For the first couple of weeks I rarely left my home. I, erm, I assembled all the furniture you bought for the baby.”
Jennifer paused as his words connected in her brain. She watched him lift a cell phone from his pocket.
“I think it looks good. What do you think?” he asked.
She stared at the picture he showed her. The nursery looked exactly as she imagined it would.
“I was an asshole,” he said.