Indecent Exposure: The Academy by Tessa Bailey

Author:Tessa Bailey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy, General
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-01-30T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Katie

Is it a trait exclusive to women where the slightest thing can make you second-guess everything? Or it is just me who is now obsessively replaying the last twelve hours and wondering what went wrong? Each time I think I’ve landed on my potential misstep, however, I remember the way Jack looked at me while leaving my hotel room this morning. Like it was tearing him apart just to walk out the door. So where is he now?

I didn’t start worrying until an hour ago, when Sunday afternoon turned to evening and the sky dipped from eternal blue to butterscotch gold. My phone is deadly silent on the bedside table. Not that I’ve been sitting here all day, waiting for Jack to call or anything. No, I showered and brought myself out for a bagel, ate it while wandering along the East River, dodging joggers and bike riders all the while. I’ll never apologize for the frivolous shopping spree for knickers that followed, because purchasing silky underthings and having them wrapped in tissue paper is simply good for the soul. Calls to my parents were made to assure them I’m still breathing. My mam detected in my voice that I’m keeping a secret, but she didn’t hassle me about it too much, since my da was standing within ear shot.

Remembering the conversation with my da causes my shoulders to sag. Before leaving Dublin, I was so sure we were past any talk of the Olympics, but he’d brought it up this morning, mentioning some new equipment he bought. Just in case I want to work on my competition technique when I come home. His attempt at casual had failed miserably, however, stretching a long silence between us. Am I being selfish? Refusing to give my father the outlet of training me again? My goal for this trip was to begin remembering Sean for his life, not his absence, but maybe it will take my father longer to get here. Like another four years.

Laughter in the hallway outside my room jolts me back to the present, making me realize I’m sitting in the dark. Night is creeping in, the sun having set. How long have I been sitting here thinking? I move to turn on a light, shifting the knots in my stomach. Was I a one-night stand for Jack? I want to call him and make sure he’s all right—at this point, I’m worried—but what if he ignores my call? Or worse. What if he answers and explains that his whole spiel about seeing me again later was nothing more than standard protocol?

I eyeball my phone, my fingers itching to dial. Don’t do it. The unknown is better sometimes, isn’t it? If Jack wanted to see me, he knows where I am.

Resolved to make the most of the night, I begin shoving items into my purse. Hotel room key, cell phone, credit card, ID—

There’s a knock at the door.

My heart bottoms out at my feet like a plunging elevator. Jack.

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