****
Picking up the small white hand towel, Jordan wiped away the beads of sweat that clung to her forehead and turned to smile at the muscular blonde man next to her. “Thanks for coming on such short notice Nate, I really appreciate it.” she stated, her tone sincere as she held his gaze.
“It really was no problem…I had the afternoon free.” he shrugged, handing the slender brunette an unopened bottle of water from the small fridge. “Besides, how can I resist when a beautiful woman calls me over to help her sweat out her frustration?” Nate teased, his blue eyes sparkling as he laughed.
Jordan joined in his laughter and took a sip of water. “Well you definitely helped…I feel a hundred times better than I did when I called you in a panic earlier today.”
“See, I knew pushing you to do those extra crunches would pay off in the end.” Nate stated knowingly as he gathered up his things and the pair exited the room, heading for the front entryway.
Snorting, Jordan groaned. “Yeah well I’m not sure if it was the crunches that did it, or if it was the twenty extra minutes I spent on the treadmill…no thanks to you.” she said, shooting a sideways glance at the man next to her.
Patting Jordan on the back as they reached the front door, Nate smiled widely. “You’ll thank me later.” he replied knowingly. “Until then…I suggest a warm bath to ease cramping and discomfort.”
“Very funny.” Jordan returned, opening the front door to let Nate out into the sunshine. “Thanks again Nate…I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you next week okay? Have a good weekend and tell your husband I said hello.” the young man stated, leaning in to give Jordan a quick peck on the cheek.
Jordan smiled as Nate pulled back, “I’ll do that. You have a good weekend too, and stay out of trouble. I’ll see you Monday.”
With a quick nod, the muscular blonde turned and made his way to the car parked alongside Jordan’s SUV in the driveway. With a quick wave and a spoken “good-bye”, he slid into the driver’s seat before starting the vehicle and backing out of the paved driveway as Jordan shut the front door to the sprawling home.
Making her way up the carpeted steps, Jordan pulled the ponytail holder from her messy chestnut strands and shook out her locks as she started down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with Justin. Flopping down tiredly onto the bed, she glanced at the clock, noting it was only one o’clock. Her mind wandered back to the conversation she’d had with her sister earlier that morning and her heart wrenched at the mere thought of it. After hanging up with Rachel, she had very nearly driven herself to insanity as she paced the floor, her mind agonizing over every memory. Every detail of not only her relationship with her husband, but also with April…her best friend, floated through her wandering thoughts, tearing at her emotions, ripping at her trust. Finally she had called Nate and pleaded with him to squeeze her in as soon as possible, figuring exercise was one way to get her mind off of everything that had seemingly overtaken her.
Lying on the bed motionless, Jordan suddenly sat upright and reached for the telephone. Surprised she hadn’t thought of calling him earlier, a smile slid easily across her golden features as a familiar male voice picked up after only a couple rings.
“Hello?”
“JC? Hey it’s Jordan…how are ya?”
“Jordan…hey! I’m alright…tired…I haven’t slept well the past couple nights. How about you, how are things?” he inquired curiously.
Jordan sighed, “Things are alright…I uh, meant to call you earlier in the week but I thought you’d be busy…catching up with April.”
“Yeah well, she’s been really busy with work so we haven’t done as much catching up as I’d like.” he retorted dryly.
“I understand…it sounds very familiar actually.” Jordan began, then changed her mind, not wanting to get on that topic of conversation over the telephone. “But anyways, I called because I just found out April’s in New York with Justin and you’re all alone over there…”
“You just found out?” JC questioned, sounding puzzled.
“Um, yeah. We can talk more about that later…anyhow, the boys are with Lynn and Paul for the remainder of the day and I was just wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with me or something.” Jordan said hopefully.
There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line as JC cleared his throat, and then spoke. “Of course…what time?” he agreed.
“How about one thirty?” Jordan suggested.
“Alright, I’ll just come to your house around one thirty then. Bye Jordan.”
“Sounds good. Bye!”
Hanging up the telephone, Jordan headed for the large bathroom that rounded out the master bedroom. Slipping out of her exercise clothing, she turned on the water and stepped into the steam filled shower, letting the warmth flow over her body and wash away her worries for the time being.
****
“You’ve got to be kidding me! When are they planning to move back?” Jordan inquired as she walked up the paved driveway alongside JC.
JC ran a hand over his dark locks and shook his head, “I’m not sure…I think Lance mentioned something like after the holidays.”
“Oh, well that’s still a long ways off…six months or better anyways. Why did they decide to leave Mississippi?”
The man shot Jordan a look and the pair shared a laugh before the slender brunette keyed their entry into the extravagant home. “Shouldn’t the question be why did they decide to stay in Mississippi instead of the other way around?” JC argued playfully as he followed Jordan inside.
“Point taken.” Jordan admitted, walking into the airy living room and gesturing for JC to have a seat. “Do you want something to drink?”
Shaking his head, JC shooed her hospitality away with a wave of his hand. “Jor…I’m fine. Stop babying me and have a seat…if I’m thirsty I know damn well how to open a refrigerator and pour myself a drink.”
Arching a brow, Jordan plopped easily into the leather recliner adjacent from JC. “Are you sure? Cuz if I remember right, you’re a spoiled popstar and they usually have someone hanging around for the sole purpose of pouring them drinks…answering their phones…wiping their ass.” she teased with a brilliant grin.
“Yeah yeah, keep talkin’…because if I remember right, you were a popstar once too.” JC returned.
“I know silly. Why do you think I kept April around after I quit Eternity and had Zachary?” Jordan replied with a wink as JC chuckled slightly and shook his head.
With the mention of his girlfriend’s name, JC suddenly grew quiet. His thoughts spun back to her voice reaching through the phone line in Justin’s hotel room, taunting him as he pictured the worst in his mind for what seemed like the thousandth time. Jordan’s voice suddenly yanked him back to the conversation at hand, but the look on his face expressed things a thousand words couldn’t possibly explain.
“Are you okay Jayce?” Jordan inquired a second time, her dark eyes growing concerned as she watched her friend transform from a joking, happy man…into a thoughtful, worried stranger. Her heart fell as her eyes remained transfixed on JC, and the feeling of familiarity came over her as he met her gaze. What she saw in those deep pools of blue was the uncertainty she had been feeling for some time. The uncertainty that had buried itself deep in her subconscious, and single-handedly toppled every assurance of love Justin had ever given her.
Biting his lip thoughtfully, JC finally spoke in response to Jordan’s queries. “I don’t know Jor…I thought I was alright but lately I’m not so sure.”
“Well I’m here if you want to talk about anything, you know that.” Jordan stated calmly, trying desperately to push aside her own worries and fears that had suddenly risen to the surface of her consciousness.
JC sat, watching Jordan carefully before leaning forward to place a reassuring hand on her knee. “I know you’ll listen Jordan, but I’m not sure what I’m thinking is something you really want to hear.”
Jordan’s heart sank even farther as she moved her hand down, placing it atop JC’s, which still rested comfortably on her denim covered leg. “Please talk to me Jayce…I feel like I’m going crazy here.”
Glancing up, the dark haired man saw the hurt and frustration in his friend’s eyes. Knowing that what he had to say was only going to bring her more pain, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Jordan…I don’t even know where to start really…” he began, sinking back into the couch and sighing deeply. “Well, on the phone you said that you just found out today that April was with Justin in New York…right?”
“Yeah, Rachel called and said she saw him at dinner with April last night.” Jordan confirmed.
“Can I ask why you didn’t accompany Justin to the city?”
Jordan dipped her head in a slight nod, “Yeah…um, he just said he was going alone. That it would be a short trip, and he didn’t see the point in me or the boys coming along.”
“Then I don’t really understand what would make April tell me that you couldn’t go.” JC retorted.
“What?”
“We were at dinner on Monday night and she mentioned the New York trip…” he started, “I told her that I was upset she wasn’t going to be around to spend any time with me, and I asked why you couldn’t go in her place. She just shrugged and said Justin told her you couldn’t go.”
“He never even asked me!” Jordan protested, her suppressed anger rising to the surface. “Justin didn’t even tell me about the trip until I walked in on him packing…and that was Tuesday early afternoon. I remember I was upset because he didn’t tell me in advance, ya know, so I could pack up the boys’ things ahead of time…and he was just like, ‘I’m going alone’.” she explained.
JC sat quietly as he watched Jordan‘s emotions displayed plainly over her delicate features. She sat in the nearby leather recliner, one leg tucked under her body, the other bent at the knee in front of her. Her dark hair tumbled loosely out of the topknot she had hastily put it into on the drive home, and fell down into her eyes as she looked back up at her companion. “I don’t know what I should think anymore…Rach told me that it’s nothing. That they’ve made the trip a million times without me…but I can’t get past the fact that he felt he had to lie. Why couldn’t he just have told me?”
Her question ringing in his ears, JC spoke. “I don’t know either Jordan…I mean, why is it so important that she works eight or more hours a day? Why does she have to go on these trips with him anyways? You said they’ve gone a lot…when did that all start?”
Jordan shrugged, “Well, it started around the time Justin made her a partner.”
“Partner?” JC inquired, sitting up straight as he looked questioningly at his friend.
“Yeah…you didn’t know?”
“She never told me.” he stated, “Go figure.”
“I’m sure that she didn’t intentionally keep it from you Jayce…” Jordan soothed. “I mean, maybe she mentioned it in passing and you forgot?”
“Maybe…” he conceded.
Jordan smiled comfortingly at JC, who looked back at her with hurt dancing across his face. “Jor…um…have you talked to Justin since he went to New York?” he asked, not sure of how to bring up the phone call from two nights earlier.
Thinking back for a moment, Jordan finally nodded. “Yeah…he called me from his cell phone when they got into New York, and he called yesterday afternoon between meetings to say hi to the boys.”
“You haven’t called the hotel at all to talk to him?” JC prodded.
Shooting him a strange look, the dark haired woman shook her head. “No. I don’t think I even have the number or the name of the hotel he’s staying at. He’s usually so busy with meetings on those trips that the easiest way to get ahold of him is his cell…JC…what are you saying?”
“Well…it’s probably nothing…” JC began.
Jordan interrupted, her eyes searching JC’s features inquisitively. “What do you mean…what is it?”
Taking a deep inward breath, the blue eyed man met Jordan’s gaze as he spoke. “Before April left she wrote down the hotel and room number she’d be staying at…so I called her the other night. I waited till it was late, cuz I figured she’d be gone most of the day and early evening with meetings or whatever.” he explained.
Jordan nodded, biting her lip nervously as she listened to her friend. Her head swam with worry and suspicions as JC continued on. “Anyways, Justin picked up…he sounded really sleepy, like the phone had woken him. I apologized and explained that April had given me that room number and she had probably just gotten the reservations messed up, or they switched rooms when they got there…whatever. He said it was no problem and that if I wanted to wait a second, he’d go get her…she was just in the other room.”
Locking his eyes with Jordan’s, JC shot her an apologetic look. Seeing the flicker of hope that glimmered momentarily in her eyes, his heart tumbled in a downward spiral. He remembered how it felt to question someone he loved so much, and he knew by looking in Jordan’s eyes, something like this would shake her already rocky foundation of trust. “I said that would be okay, and a few seconds later he said that he heard the shower running, so she couldn’t come to the phone. I was in the middle of telling Justin to let April know that I called and all that…when her voice drifted over the line. She wanted to know who was on the phone.” he finished simply.
“So what did you say? Did Justin explain why she was in his room so late?” Jordan asked, her expression hurt as she processed the information JC had just relayed to her.
JC shook his head. “No…I hung up before he could reply to her, or explain anything to me. I didn’t know what else to do, I was in such shock that she would even be in his room so late that I just hung up the phone.”
Jordan’s thoughts spun wildly out of control as she struggled to get a grasp on the emotions that were weighing heavily upon her. “I’m…I’m sure there’s a good explanation for that though Jayce.” she stammered, desperately clinging to excuses and reasoning as memories flooded her mind, causing her suspicions to grow.
Nodding resignedly, JC spoke softly and with hesitation evident in his tone. “You’re right Jordan…I’m sure there’s a good explanation.” Standing from the sofa, he turned toward the brilliant light filtering through the enormous windows, trying to shake the uneasiness that had overtaken him. “At least I hope so…” he muttered under his breath as the smiling family photo perched on the nearby table caught his eye.