The Wrong Side of Heaven

Chapter 16

My mind is a mess. All of the times he has complimented me or flirted with me I've chalked up to it being his personality. Never in a million years did I imagine he'd kiss me. He's so far out of my league it isn't even funny. We were becoming close friends and I loved the bond we were creating. I loved that we could be ourselves while we were together. If I had known this was going to happened, I wouldn't have asked him to stay last night. Oh my gosh. I've been leading him on without even realizing it. All because I didn't want to be alone after yesterday's events. I thought he was being genuinely nice by washing my hair. And maybe he was. But now everything is beyond messy.

For our long flight back, I sit two rows behind him while Anthony sits beside him. It's a change from our usual routine but I welcome it. The awkward silence between Jay and I is unbearable. Neither of us have said a word to each other. We can't even look at each other. I can't even vent to Jade like I need to. No one can know about this. I mentally scream at the idea of keeping this a secret. My eyes are glued to the back of Jay's head but he never looks in my direction. Why did he have to kiss me? My lips tingle as I remember his lips against mine. The sweet makeshift picnic. His soft lips. His minty tongue. Ugh. That tongue.

I shake my head, snapping myself out of it. It doesn't matter that he's the best kiss I've ever experienced. He's my boss and it's not happening. How can I continue working for him after this? Maybe I can get a different job that doesn't require me to be so close to him all of the time. My mind trails to Devin and while I feel a bit guilty, I remind myself that we aren't technically dating. Sighing, I close my eyes and try to sleep but it's useless. I can't wait to get home.

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Jay texted me to let me know I'm not needed today so I happily take the day off to visit my parents. I don't visit them nearly enough. My mom cooks a feast as usual and my father sits in the same chair as always. They both appear to be well. My mind is calm and my heart is full whenever I'm here. I listen as my mom fills me in on every little detail that I've missed since I last visited. "Oh," she exclaims, wiping her hands on her apron. She turns to me with a big smile on her face. "When I went to pay the house bill this month, the lady told me it was already paid. Someone paid off the house for us. The lady said they wanted to remain anonymous. Can you believe it?"

"Oh my gosh, that's great!" I say, hugging her.

I suspect I know the overly generous person that would do that but I promised myself I wouldn't think of him while I was here. Now I'm indebted to him once again. "Yes, it's a relief. Your father doesn't need to work part time anymore," she says as she returns to the stove. "Sit and tell me about your job. Do you like it?"

Do I? It's so complicated thanks to the past week. As of now, the pros still outweigh the cons. I don't want to my mom worrying about me so I force a smile onto my face and nod. "I love it. I've made lots of great friends and I've been able so save up some money. I'm thinking about buying a car. I haven't decided what I want to buy yet."

She glances out the window at Jay's Maserati. "A Maserati?"

I laugh, shaking my head. "No, that's a little too rich for my blood. Just something cheap and reliable."

"I've taught you well," my father mumbles in the next room.

I notice a red car pull into the driveway and lean to get a better look out the window. "Who is that?"

"Your cousin Elena and your Aunt Linda."

I jump up in excitement. I've missed Elena. I can vent to her! We reach the door at the same time and she shrieks in excitement. "Isabel! Where have you been?"

"Working," I chuckle as I give her a hug.

"We have so much to catch up on."

"Yes, we do."