Chapter thirteen. Jay stomped across the drop cloth, her mood still as sour as it had been on Sunday

Jay stomped across the drop cloth, her mood still as sour as it had been on Sunday. And if she'd had a can of paint opened, she very well might have flung it against the wall.

" What is wrong with you? "

Jay glanced at Connie. " Nothing."

" I think you should let me do the painting today. You're in some kind of mood."

Jay whipped around, angry. But Connie simply stood there, a concerned look on her face. " God, I'm sorry, " Jay said. " I really am."

" Bad weekend? "

" Yeah."

" Relationship hell? "

Jay laughed. " Something like that. But I think you're right. I should let you work. I'll make a run to the paint store. Get what

I need for the bedroom. How does that sound? "

Connie waved her away. " Take your time. The AC is working today. I'll be fine."

Jay left without another word, going through the front door and standing on the stoop, looking out over the yard, watching as Drew's guy Johnny gave instructions to the five young men with him.

" Hey, " she called, waiting until Johnny turned around. " Where's Drew? "

Johnny shook his head. " She won't be out until this afternoon. Had a meeting with a builder this morning."

Jay nodded. Okay, at least Drew wasn't still avoiding her. She jogged down the sidewalk to her van, starting the engine and turning the AC on high. She sat there, hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel. Yeah, relationship hell.

Katherine had made it about halfway through dinner before exhaustion—and alcohol—claimed her. She practically had to be carried up the stairs to bed. And at midnight, when Jay had ventured into their bedroom, Katherine woke, wanting to make love. Jay had given in to the familiar touch, trying in vain to conjure up those old feelings. Katherine's kisses were soft, gentle... like she remembered. Her touch was light across her skin. But that was all. There was no passion, no urgency in their embrace. And before either of them had even come close to orgasm, Katherine had fallen asleep again, forgetting all about their lovemaking, stopping in mid-stroke and rolling over to face die wall.

Jay had never been more humiliated in all her life. She withdrew her fingers from Katherine and slipped from the bed, going back outside to sit by the pool. It was hours later before sleep claimed her.

And the next morning, Katherine had cuddled with her in bed, whispering how wonderful the sex had been the night before. Thankfully, Katherine was invigorated and had practically run down the stairs and into her office, working the morning away until Jay had called her for lunch. A lunch Katherine only picked at before dashing away to the firm, saying she had files she had to work on.

And when Jay awoke at two the next morning, Katherine had been sleeping beside her. And at six, Katherine had been gone.

She sighed. So much for their weekend together.

She pulled away from the curb, her tires squealing. And yes, she was in some kind of mood.

Drew stepped out of her truck, disappointed that Jay's van was nowhere in sight. She slammed her door, squinting into the sun as she watched Johnny and his crew unload grass pallets from the trailer.

" About time you show up, " Johnny called.

Drew pointed at her clothes. " Don't think I'll be helping you today."

" So you just stopped by to supervise then, huh? "

" Of course."

" And I know you're lying. You just missed her." He pointed down the street. " She went that way. Was in a bit of a hurry too. Left tire marks."

Drew looked at the street, seeing the faint mark of tire treads. She nodded. " Be right back."

She went to the door and knocked once, then went inside. She found Connie on the floor in the living room, her head bobbing to a silent beat. Drew frowned, then noticed the white wires going to each ear. She walked closer, then nudged Connie with her foot. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin.

" Jesus Christ! " she yelled, ripping both wires from her ears. She touched her chest. " Christ, Drew, you nearly killed me."

" Sorry, kid. Where's Jay? "

" She left."

" So I heard. What's up? "

" I don't know, but she's in some kind of mood. She had a bad weekend or something."

Drew raised her eyebrows. " Where'd she go? "

" She went to the paint store. Shopping cures all ails, you know."

" Does it now? "

" Well, for most women, " she said. " You may not fit into that category."

Drew laughed. " I think I'll take that as a compliment." Drew turned away and pulled out her phone, dialing Jay.

" Hey."

" Hey, yourself, " Drew said as she moved back outside. " Where are you? "

" At the paint store, arguing with Tim over color mixes."

" I see. Is everything okay? "

" Of course." Then she paused and Drew waited. " Not really, no."

" Wanna talk about it? " She heard the sigh, felt the hesitation.

" I'm okay, Drew. Just had a bad weekend. You know, Katherine and I aren't used to spending time together. And it didn't go so well."

" Okay. I was just checking on you. Johnny said you left tire treads when you pulled away and Connie said you were—"

" In some kind of mood, " Jay finished for her. " I know." Another pause. " How was your weekend? "

" Not bad. Okay."

" You had a date Friday night. How was that? "

It was Drew's turn to hesitate. She looked up into the clear sky, trying to form the words. How was it? Well, it was okay as far as blind dates went. And she liked her well enough. It's just, well, there wasn't that spark, that interest. And she didn't have blue eyes that captivated her. They were neutral brown. So how was it? " It was better than some, " she finally said. " Not too bad."

" Great." Another pause. " Are you going to see her again? "

Drew smiled at Jay's attempt at showing polite interest, all the while fishing for information. " Yes, I'll probably see her again."

" Wonderful."

" Yeah."

" Good."

" Uh-huh."

" I should go, " Jay said quickly. " Tim is glaring at me."

" Okay."

" Will you be at the house? "

" No. I'm not dressed for work. Had a meeting."

" So I heard. Then I guess I won't see you."

" I'll be around tomorrow, Jay."

As soon as she hung up with Drew, Jay smiled apologetically at Tim, then turned her back to him, dialing Audrey's office. She paced, waiting for her to answer.

" You called the secret hotline. Something must be up."

Jay smiled. " Hey. Sorry to bother you at work, but I need you."

" No problem. What's up? "

" I need a therapy session. Can you do lunch? "

" Lunch? Must be serious."

Jay bit her lip. " Audrey, I think I'm losing my mind."

Audrey laughed. " You're just now realizing that, huh? "

" I'm serious. My life is a total mess. I had an awful weekend, just awful. And now Drew is avoiding me, I know she is. Just because, you know, we had the talk last week."

" The talk? "

" You know, the I'm attracted to you talk, but there's Katherine."

" Oh, that talk. Okay, let's do lunch. Meet you there at one? "

" Thanks, pal."

" So she actually fell asleep during sex? "

Jay blushed. " Yes. I mean, right smack in the middle of it, then couldn't remember it the next morning. How sad is that? "

" Let's get back to this Hawaii thing. That sounds like fun."

" That's another thing. She wants to get away for a couple of weeks. Hawaii? We couldn't spend one weekend together. How the hell are we supposed to spend two weeks? "

" I think she realizes how far you've drifted apart. Maybe this is her way of trying to get you back on track. And Hawaii, well, you'll both be removed from your work and friends, it'll just be the two of you. This could be the either sink or swim part of your relationship. After two weeks together, you'll know whether you should try to salvage it or just let it go."

" Oh, and I didn't tell you this. She met an old friend of hers at lunch one day last week. At lunch. I didn't think she ever took a lunch because every time I offer, she's too busy. But that's another issue. Anyway, this friend—an old girlfriend—they're going to do lunch this week to catch up, and she thought it'd be nice if we invited her over to dinner. I'll cook, of course. And Katherine will make it a point to get home early that evening to entertain. Can you believe that? And she had no clue how hurtful that was to me. I was floored. I mean, I don't think she did it on purpose. Surely she wouldn't do it intentionally. But it hurts to know she'll make time for someone else, but doesn't make the effort with me."

" I agree, that is cruel. But she's just not thinking. You know what they say, you always take the one closest to you for granted."

Jay rubbed her temples. " Part of me feels like a spoiled brat, wanting attention, you know. Like Apathetic spoiled brat, I might add."

" Oh, don't be silly. Anyone would be pissed off."

Jay looked up. " Audrey, how did it get like this? Two years ago, I was happy, wasn't I? "

" You were... content, I think. That's a better word. I don't know that I'd use the happy word."

" Of course I was happy. We still saw each other, we still did things together." She tilted her head. " Didn't we? "

" Let's see, two years ago, she took that trip to New Zealand with a friend because you couldn't get away for three weeks. Remember? "

" Well, yeah, but that wasn't her fault."

" And wasn't it around that time you started complaining that the only time you went out was with friends of hers? That the two of you never took the time to go out alone? "

" Jesus, Audrey, what'd you do? Store away information for later use? "

" Hey, you asked."

" So you think after eight years Katherine is tired of my company? "

" I think after eight years, the shortcomings of your relationship have become more glaring, that's all. The newness is gone. The need to please has subsided. Differences now become more apparent."

Jay leaned forward. " So exactly how many psychology classes did you take in college? "

" Oh, Jay, when two people quit working at a relationship, this is what happens. Doesn't take a degree in psychology to figure it out."

" I don't think I've quit working at it, " Jay protested.

Audrey stared at her. " Can you honestly say you're still in love with her? "

Jay opened her mouth to say just that, then closed it again. Was she? After eight years, love evolves, feelings change... emotions shift. Was she still in love with Katherine? She finally dared to meet Audrey's eyes. " I don't think I am, " she whispered.

Audrey reached across the table and squeezed her hand. " Which brings us to Drew."

Jay slowly shook her head. " I can't deal with Drew right now. I think it was too ambitious of me to try to be friends with her. I... I get around her and I just lose all sense, you know."

" That's because you're attracted to her."

" Well, I can't be attracted to her right now." Jay rubbed her temples again. " Do you think I should talk to Katherine about this? Do you think we should have a heart-to-heart? "

Audrey grinned. " I'd wait until after the Hawaii trip."