Chapter 28
Ethan
THANKSGIVING HAD COME and gone. Jenna was back home after spending the entire weekend, and I was missing her like crazy, trying to adjust to being without her. I was hoping to get enough writing done during the week so we could spend time together over the weekend, but as I sat in my office, staring out the window, writing was the furthest thing from my mind. Jenna had silenced the ghosts in my head over the past few days, but now that she was gone, they were becoming loud and clear once again. I opened my desk drawer and pulled out the crumpled letter I’d hidden away. I read it over once again, wondering exactly who –M was, and how long he’d been a part of Darrah’s life. Was he just a means to get back at me for being unfaithful to her or was he in her life prior to that? I crumpled it back up and tossed it in the drawer. It didn’t matter now anyway. I’d never know the answer and would always bear the burden of my son’s death. I stared at the blinking cursor on my screen until my eyes crossed, jumping at the sound of my ringing phone.
“Great,” I muttered under my breath when I saw it was Edward, no doubt to get on my case about something.
“Yeah, Edward,” I answered.
“Just checking in, and I wanted to let you know you were sorely missed at the dinner over the weekend.”
“Oh well, I’m sure they’ll get over it. After all, they’re the ones placing this deadline on me, so I can’t be wasting valuable writing time going to their functions.”
“Okay, that’s a good excuse, but something tells me you didn’t spend the weekend writing.”
“You’ll never know. Will you?” I replied, bending the paperclip in my hand in half.
“I suppose I won’t, but I hope you did take some time to come up with a kickass zombie story like we discussed.”
“Nope. I told you my idea, and I’m sticking to it. I’ll send you the first few chapters after Jenna looks at it.” I put my feet up on my desk and leaned back in my chair.
He let out a loud chuckle. “Excuse me? After who looks at it?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I don’t think I did because I could have sworn you said that you, one of the best damn writers around, is going to pass off your work to a peon, out-of-work editor who knows nothing about what’s trending or nothing about your writing style for that matter. My God, Ethan, just because she’s good enough to stick your dick into doesn’t mean she’s worthy of giving you advice on your writing.”
My face heated as my fury heightened, and if he were standing beside me right now, there was no doubt he would’ve have been laid out. “Fuck you, Edward. She’s worthy of more than you’ll ever be.”
“Really, Ethan? This is the thanks I get after taking you to the top?”
“You didn’t take me anywhere, Edward.”
“Look, I’m sorry if I offended your girlfriend. It’s just...how well do you really know this girl? There are a lot of people out there trying to make a quick buck or get somewhere in life based on who they know.”
“Yeah, and I’m finally starting to realize you’re one of them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have writing to do.” I hung up the phone, wanting to hurl it across the room, but then thought better of it. Edward wasn’t worth the hassle it would cause to replace it. Instead, I channeled all the frustration and anger he’d just caused into words—lots of them. Three hours later, I had four more chapters done and was fast approaching the halfway point. I laced my fingers together and stretched my arms over my head as I stared at my computer screen. I needed to get pissed off more often. I kicked ass. I ran my hand over my desk and closed my eyes, remembering what took place upon it just a few days ago. My body awakened with just the mere thought of her beautiful body and the safety of being inside her. I squeezed my eyes shut, chasing any more thoughts that would require me to take a cold shower. I got up and headed into the kitchen to grab something to eat, texting Jenna in between bites of my sandwich.
Me: Do you have time to read?
Jenna: Do I!!! You don’t even need to ask. I’ll drop whatever I’m doing for that.
I smiled over her enthusiasm, wishing I could be there next to her instead of communicating through a text.
Me: Okay, I’ll email it to you in a bit.
Jenna: K. I’m super excited to read it.
I stared at her text, thinking back to the nasty things Edward had said about her earlier, and my anger began to spike once again. Just like always, Jenna was right on cue to make me feel better.
Jenna: PS. I miss you...
I shook my head and stared at her words a little while longer. “I miss you more,” I whispered.
Lost in thoughts of Jenna, I jumped when my phone vibrated in my hand with an incoming call from my sister. “Hey, Helene,” I answered.
“Ethan, please don’t be mad at me for calling to tell you this, but it’s Dad...”