Where Loyalties Lie

  “No.”

  Jessica sat down at the table and watched Olivia as she deveined shrimp like a professional chef. Although they’d had nearly identical childhoods and had grown up together their lives had gone in completely different directions after high school.

  They’d both taken a couple of years off to find themselves, Olivia had gone to college and gotten a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree while Jessica had wandered around working one dead end job after another.

  “So… what happened last night?” Olivia asked.

  Jessica sighed and shook her head.

  “He went crazy,” Jessica said.

  “Is that typical of him? Has he ever hit you before?”

  “I mean, he goes out and drinks but he’s never acted like that before.”

  “What triggered it?”

  Jessica looked down at the table.

  “He accused me of having sex with one of his friends.”

  Olivia’s eyes darted away from Jessica and onto the floor.

  “I didn’t,” Jessica stated. “I told him that I would never do that but it was like he couldn’t hear me. I don’t know what got into him,” Jessica explained.

  Olivia was quiet for a long time, thinking about the Jessica that she’d known. She didn’t know whether she believed Jess or not.

  “So, are you just taking a break or are you planning to leave him for good?” Olivia asked.

  “The one thing that I learned is to walk away at the first sign of abuse,” Jessica replied.

  “That’s true.”

  Jessica and Olivia had both seen abuse and knew that it only got worse over time. When they were younger, before they ever started dating, they each promised to never stay in an abusive relationship.

  “Well, let’s go shopping since it looks like you’re going to need a new wardrobe!” Olivia said, sitting the knife down on the counter.

  “You don’t have to spend money on me. I’ll call Ryan and once he calms down maybe he’ll send me some of my things.”

  Olivia waved her hand.

  “To hell with him. You’re starting a new life and you need new clothes to match!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. But first, let’s cover up that bruise on your cheek.”

  Olivia led Jessica upstairs and into one of the rooms that they’d passed earlier. The room had been converted into a beautiful closet with a huge vanity set against one wall and a big, robin’s egg blue chaise on another wall.

  There were heels with red bottoms and purses worth more than Jessica’s entire wardrobe for as far as the eye could see.

  “Sit down. This will only take a minute,” Olivia said, pulling out the bench at the vanity.

  Jessica sat down and not even fifteen minutes later she looked like a model ready to grace the cover of a fashion magazine. It was amazing what Olivia could do with makeup.

  “Beautiful,” Olivia said, looking down at her handy work.

  While she was looking down she noticed a gold chain around Jessica’s neck. The necklace was tucked into the front of her shirt but Olivia already knew what was dangling from the thin rope. It was half a heart. She had the other half on a matching chain but had stopped wearing it years ago.

  Chapter 4

  Jessica was in much higher spirits as she and Olivia pulled up to the house. They’d gone shopping and had laughed more than either of them had laughed in months. Olivia had even added Jessica onto her cell phone plan and had gotten her a brand new IPhone.

  “You have to let me cook dinner to say thank you,” Jessica told her as Olivia opened the garage door.

  “Oh my goodness,” Olivia nearly whispered, noticing Darren’s new BMW in the driveway.

  “What’s wrong?” Jessica asked, realizing how shook her friend now was.

  Olivia rushed out of the car and Jessica followed her up to the house.

  “What’s wrong?” Jessica asked again as Olivia fumbled with the keys.

  Olivia was literally shaking and seemed to have forgotten that Jessica was even there as she fumbled to get the key into the lock. When she finally got the front door opened the women were greeted by the aroma of sea food being cooked.

  “Baby, time slipped away from me. I got the shrimp cleaned but—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” the tall, handsome man in the kitchen stated, cutting Olivia off. “I saw that you’d gotten things started, so I finished,” he said, placing a lid over a simmering skillet.

  “You must be Jessica,” he said looking over at her.

  Jessica blushed.

  “Yeah. And you’re…” Jessica trailed off, unsure of what to say.

  She’d figured that Olivia had a man, she never stayed single for long, but this man was so damned sexy standing over the stove that she’d momentarily been left speechless.

  “Darren, this is Jessica. Jess, this is my husband, Darren,” Olivia introduced the two, her eyes trained on her friend.

  She felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched their eyes saying what their mouths couldn’t and the hatred toward Jessica that she’d pushed down over the years was starting to resurface.

  Jessica could have stared at Darren all day but she could feel Olivia staring at her so she forced herself to look away.

  “It’s really nice to meet you,” Darren said with a smile.

  Jessica was blushing and in desperate need of an escape. If she stayed in the same room as him she’d be forced to drool.

  He was the definition of fine. Standing 6’3”, maybe 6’4”, with smooth dark skin, and a muscular build he looked like he could have been a professional athlete. His dark eyes seemed to be undressing her, but that could have been her own lust.

  “You, too. I’m going to wash up a bit,” Jessica said before hurrying up the stairs.

  “Don’t take too long. Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes,” Darren told her, still smiling.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Darren watched Jessica until he could no longer see her.

  “I shouldn’t have to make my own dinner. You know better than that, don’t you?” he asked, approaching Olivia who was stiffly standing in the archway between the kitchen and the living room.

  She winced as he grabbed her arm near the elbow and leaned in so that his lips were nearly touching her ear.

  “Yeah, babe. The mall was crowded and Jess had absolutely nothing when she arrived and I just wanted to make her comfortable. I’m sorry.”

  “You are sorry, but that doesn’t help the situation.”

  “I know, babe. It won’t happen again,” Olivia replied as she heard the stairs creak, alerting her that Jessica was headed back downstairs.

  “Don’t make me have to tell you again,” he told her.

  Jessica was still smiling as she walked back into the kitchen and saw the couple sharing an intimate moment. She imagined herself being Olivia as Darren kissed her on the cheek before walking back over to the stove.

  “Can I help with anything?” she asked, avoiding Darren’s gaze.

  “No, thanks,” Olivia quickly replied.

  She opened the cabinet next to the stove and grabbed three place settings. She quickly set the table.

  “So, how long have you guys been together?” Jessica inquired, taking a seat at the table.

  “Four years,” Olivia replied.

  “And married for how many of those years?”

  “Two and a half,” Darren said, smiling at Olivia.

  Jessica felt sad that she’d missed such an important moment in Olivia’s life, but she’d decided not to dwell on the past.

  “What about you?” he asked. He’d never heard of Jessica and was very curious about the pretty young woman that would be staying in the bedroom down the hall from him. “How do you two know each other?”

  Jessica looked to Olivia, not sure what she’d told Darren about her past.

  “Well,” Olivia started. “We actually met at a foster home as kids.”


  “Ollie was the first person that I met and we were inseparable for years,” Jessica added.

  “We kind of went in different directions in recent years, but the love has never changed,” Olivia attempted to assure her friend.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you. How long will you be in town?” he asked.

  “Uh, I’m not sure.”

  “Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Olivia said with a nervous smile.

  Darren pulled out Olivia’s chair before retrieving a bottle of wine from the refrigerator.

  “Thank you, baby,” Olivia said, beaming.

  “What do you do? Besides cook delicious meals?” Jessica asked after a couple of bites of perfectly cooked paella.

  “Liv did all the prep work. I just warmed it up,” Darren replied. “But, I’m an attorney,” he went on.

  “And how’d you guys meet?”

  “At work. Liv was working as an intern.”

  “And he seduced me,” Olivia said with a smile.

  “Is that how you remember it?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Something like that.”

  Darren laughed and shook his head at Olivia.

  “I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her, I swear,” he said, looking over at Jessica.

  “That’s sweet,” Jessica said with a forced smile.

  She wanted to be happy for Olivia but she found herself feeling envious as she watched the couple interact with one another. It was like they were pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. Finishing each other’s sentences and gazing into each other’s eyes. It was almost sickening.

  Jessica chimed in from time to time but didn’t say much as she finished off her meal. Olivia looked the same, her voice was the same but Jessica felt like she didn’t know her at all.

  “That was delicious, but I’m exhausted,” Jessica said with a fake yawn. “I’ll see you guys in the morning,” she said before heading up to bed.

  Chapter 5

  Jessica lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. It had only been a little after eight when she’d gone to bed and now, at five AM, she was wide awake. Her mind was running a mile a minute with thoughts from how Olivia had changed so much since they’d last seen one another to how she missed Ryan.

  Not to mention the fact that she was attracted to Darren and could have sworn that he was attracted to her. Of course he hadn’t said anything in front of Olivia, but Jessica was pretty good at sensing when a man was drawn to her.

  She groaned, rolled her eyes and climbed out of bed. She quietly made her way to the bathroom then downstairs. She was quiet as she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She sat down at the table and sipped from the glass, wondering if Darren slept in the nude.

  Ever since she’d laid eyes on that man she couldn’t stop thinking about him. His smile, his body, his smooth deep voice. It was so… perfect.

  “What’s got you up so early?” Darren’s asked, his deep voice startling her.

  Jessica abruptly tried to swallow the water that was in her mouth and chocked on it. Her eyes watered as she coughed and was embarrassed now that she realized that it was only Darren, not some strange intruder, standing behind her.

  “I guess I went to bed too early,” she replied, turning to face him.

  She hadn’t expected him to be shirtless and her skin flushed with heat as she admired his big, sweat covered chest. She licked her lips as her eyes moved from his nipples, which resembled chocolate chips, down over his six pack abs. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes up to his.

  “Something on your mind?” he asked, walking over to the stainless steel refrigerator.

  “Not really.”

  “I get it. You don’t want to talk to me about it,” he said while cracking open a bottle of water.

  Jessica laughed softly.

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, her eyes back on his abs.

  “Then what is it?”

  Darren recapped the bottle of water and sat it down on the countertop before leaning back against it.

  “It’s just…”

  Jessica looked up toward the ceiling.

  “I miss Ryan. I know that I shouldn’t but I do,” she confessed.

  “Is that your boyfriend?” he asked. “The one that hit you?” he went on, pointing at the left side of her face.

  She nodded her head while touching the area where the bruise was.

  “How long you been with him?”

  “Two years.”

  “So you love him?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then it only makes sense that you miss him.”

  “I feel stupid.”

  “Why? Because you fell in love?”

  “Because I fell in love with the wrong man. Again.”

  “I’ve heard that that happens to the best of us.”

  “Yeah? How many times did you fall for the wrong woman before meeting Ollie?” she asked.

  “Who says she’s not another on the list?” he quizzed.

  “Ollie’s the one. She’s the best woman any man could be lucky enough to have love him.”

  Darren nodded his agreement.

  “I was kidding,” he told her. “Liv is the one. But I’ve also fallen for the wrong one, more times than I care to admit.”

  “What made you keep trying?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I really wasn’t looking for love when I met Liv. It just happened.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes and groaned.

  “What?” he asked with that gorgeous smile of his.

  “Everybody says you’ll find love when you stop looking, but that is some bull.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because it’s easier to believe that than to accept the truth.”

  “Which is?”

  “That some people will never find true love, no matter how long they wait or how long they stop looking for it. And how could you ever really stop looking for the one thing you really want? How can you stop wanting it when it means so much to you?”

  “It’s hard to wait for something you know might not happen, but it’s even harder to give up when you know it’s everything you want.”

  “Which greeting card did you steal that from?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I saw it online or something, but it’s true.”

  Jessica and Darren talked for a long time. They were so enthralled in the conversation that they didn’t notice the sun rising and neither of them heard Olivia coming down the stairs.

  “Babe, you’re already up?” Olivia asked once she’d made it into the living room.

  “Yeah. I’m in the kitchen,” he replied.

  The moment she walked into the kitchen Olivia’s eyes darted from a half-naked Darren over to Jessica who was sitting at the table. They were more than five feet away from one another but Olivia still had an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “I got up and worked out a little bit and found Jessica in here looking like a lost puppy,” he said, still leaning against the counter.

  “Oh. How long have you been up? You okay?” Olivia asked before giving him a kiss.

  “I’ve been up for a while now, but I spent most of that time downstairs,” he told her, not wanting to arouse any unnecessary suspicion.

  “You’d better get ready for work,” Olivia said with a forced smile. “You know you have that meeting.”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you ladies later,” he said before heading upstairs to shower.

  Olivia waited until she heard their bedroom door open then close before addressing Jessica.

  “What in the hell were you doing down here with him dressed like that?” she demanded.

  “Like what?” Jessica asked, looking down at her night gown.

  She was wearing a gown but it came down to the middle of her thighs, which she didn’t think was at all inappropriate. It was no shorter than a dress that she might wear outside.

  “Like that
! Are you wearing anything underneath there?”

  “Look Ollie, I didn’t know he’d be down here when I came to get something to drink. We just had a conversation. Nothing else!”

  “I forgive you for what happened with Mitchell but—”

  Jessica lifted her hand to silence her friend.

  “Nothing like that will ever happen again,” she said.

  “Well, make sure you wear pajama bottoms whenever you come out of the bedroom,” Olivia told her.

  “Okay.”

  Jessica could understand why Olivia was upset but she wanted to leave the past in the past. She wasn’t the same person she used to be and she didn’t do the same things that she used to.

  Olivia placed Jessica’s glass into the sink before starting on breakfast. She effortlessly prepared sausage links, hash browns and scrambled eggs. She made Darren’s plate and sat it on the table before heading up to their bedroom.

  She thought about going to apologize to Jessica as she walked past the guest bedroom. Maybe she’d overreacted, but she knew that she hadn’t. There was certain etiquette that should be used in particular situations and Jessica knew that better than anyone else. Olivia continued into her bedroom and closed the door.

  “What are you two going to do today?” Darren asked while placing a tie around his neck.

  “I need to talk to Jess and figure out what her plans are,” she replied, taking the tie into her hands.

  “You’re looking to get rid of her already?” he inquired.

  “Of course not. I just want to keep her distracted and show her the area a bit.”

  “Is she planning to stay in town for good?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but what do you want for dinner?” she asked as she adjusted his tie until it was just right.

  “Surprise me.”

  Olivia smiled like the dutiful wife that she was.

  “Will do.”

  She picked up his briefcase and gave it to him.

  “Have a great day,” she told him as he headed out of the bedroom.

  Chapter 6

  Jessica skipped down the stairs, still wearing her night gown, and into the kitchen. She’d thought that both Olivia and Darren had left so she was a little surprised to find her friend loading the dishwasher.