My Hot Holiday by Kate Crown Read Free Book Online Page B

car, my phone rings and I don’t even look down to see who it is.  Mom can’t even let me get into the building before calling me again.
    “Yes?” I say absently.  “I have my lunchbox, too, Mom!”
    Has she taken the smothering problem to a whole new level, or what?
    “Excuse me?”
    Oh, shit!  The deep voice vibrates through my body like an earthquake.  It’s him!  I’m so stunned that I drop the phone to the ground with a clatter and have to scramble to pick it up.  All the while, my heart is pumping out of control.
    “Oh, sorry about that!”  I pause and wait for the familiar voice to rattle me again.
    This is awful.  What am I going to do?  What am I going to say?
    “I thought maybe you forgot about me,” he says sternly.
    “Ahhh...Jake…I can assure you, I have not forgotten about you.“
    I catch the corners of my mouth lifting and my mind drifting back to the cabin.
    “So, when do I get to see you again?”
    “Oh,” I say, blushing a little.  “Well, it might be sooner than…”
    “Can you hold just a second?”
    “Don’t panic!”  I yell to myself.  The key is to stay calm and to focus on something -- anything!  God, it’s cold out here!  I set my purse down and find a tree near the entrance to lean against.  I can’t go inside now!  What if he sees me?  What on God’s green earth am I going to say to him?  Tick Tock.  Why does this man get so far under my skin?  It’s only as I’m waiting silently for his return that I begin to wonder whether he’s figured out that I am a Wilshire employee.  Oh gosh!  What will I say?  Okay.  I will say that I’m so happy he’s called because I just figured this out myself and I wanted to give him a heads up before the big meeting.  That sounds convincing enough.  Then, he’s back without even a second to breathe, he is ready to end the conversation.
    Wait…is that even considered a conversation when one person does all the talking?
    “I’m sorry -- I’m going to have to call you back.  My meeting is about to start.  We’ll talk later.”
    “Right,” I say, trying to sound calm.  Then I realize there’s no need.  With a click, he is gone.
    My heart starts to pound in a panic.  That’s MY meeting!  I know I’ve had a tendency to go off the deep end a little with my obsession with Jake, but I need to talk to him.  He can’t just hang up just like that.
    With shaky legs I walk toward the entrance, not looking right or left.  This is my nightmare.  I just have to go in there and face reality.  What if I bump into him, as I head into the elevator?  Oh my, the very thought makes me feel sick.
    I exit the elevator and begin to walk to my cubicle in the far corner, looking away from anyone coming into my peripheral vision.  I absolutely can’t make eye contact with these people.  I pause to put my purse down when behind me, somebody sighs loudly.  I can feel my face growing hotter and hotter.  I don’t dare look back.  I don’t dare move.
     
     
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