They sucked doubly bad.
“So last night…?” Jemma asked in a leading tone. She was obviously trying to lead Carly’s thoughts away from Nolan. “You and Jesse? I heard you went home with him.” She kept her tone completely flat but Carly could tell she was dying to hear what happened.
She shrugged. “You’d probably be disappointed to hear that nothing happened.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Jemma said with a smile. “You and Jesse? You just have this chemistry.”
“And a really crappy history,” Carly reminded her.
“It’s not all crappy,” Jemma said firmly. “In fact, the way he was looking at you last night?”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Carly said before Jemma could elaborate. “I mean, I went home with him and nothing happened. Nothing at all.”
Jemma shook her head and pointed at Carly’s ring. “Because of that . He couldn’t stop checking out your ring last night.”
Carly glanced down at her hand.
“Did you want something to happen with him?”
“What? No! I mean, I didn’t really think about it,” Carly said.
“Maybe you should think about it,” Jemma told her. “I think a few hours alone with Jesse would be the perfect cure for your broken heart. You should’ve told him you weren’t engaged. I think he’d really like to know that.”
Carly let out a bitter laugh. If anything, Jesse had the power to shatter her already broken heart completely.
“You know, I was thinking,” Jemma said as she leaned forward on her elbows. She pointed to Carly’s left hand again. “That rock you still have on? Maybe you could hock it. That has to be worth at least a few months’ rent.”
Carly glanced down at her hand. The stone sparkled back at her.
“You don’t think I should give it back to him?” she wondered.
Jemma made a face at her, letting her know that no, she did not think Carly should give it back. “That ring is yours . It would be one thing if you’d been the one to call things off. But you weren’t. So no, as far as I’m concerned…Hell, probably as far as any court would be concerned, that baby is yours to do with as you wish. And if you wish to sell it, I say more power to you!”
In seconds, she was twisting it off of her finger. She knew she should’ve taken it off yesterday but until just recently, she’d still kept up the façade with her family. Now, she didn’t need to do that.
“I don’t know why even I still have it on,” she said. She opened her purse and unzipped an inside pocket. She dropped the ring into it and zipped it back up again. “But,” she said as she brought her attention back to Jemma, “that’s actually a really good idea. You’re right. It’s not like the bastard deserves to get it back. And I sure as hell don’t want to keep it.”
For the first time all evening, a look of relief settled onto her face.
Jemma cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure there’s no chance of fixing things? I mean, I know you’re good and pissed right now, and you have every right to be, but what if he was just having a jackass moment? What if he shows up, begging for you to take him back? Maybe you should hang on to the ring for a while. Just in case.”
Carly made a face to let her friend know she didn’t think that was going to happen. She could clearly see the cold, detached way he had looked at her. She could clearly hear his cruel words, ricocheting through her mind. “I do not think that’s going to happen. And even if it did,” she said with a shrug, “I could never take him back after that. I think getting rid of it in exchange for some rent money is a great idea.”
“That thing is enormous,” Jemma said with a great deal of appreciation. “You should definitely get enough for it that you can buy yourself a little more time.”
“You,” Carly said, “just made my night. I wasn’t with when he bought it. In fact, he surprised me with it. I mean, I have no idea what he paid for it . But right now,
“So last night…?” Jemma asked in a leading tone. She was obviously trying to lead Carly’s thoughts away from Nolan. “You and Jesse? I heard you went home with him.” She kept her tone completely flat but Carly could tell she was dying to hear what happened.
She shrugged. “You’d probably be disappointed to hear that nothing happened.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Jemma said with a smile. “You and Jesse? You just have this chemistry.”
“And a really crappy history,” Carly reminded her.
“It’s not all crappy,” Jemma said firmly. “In fact, the way he was looking at you last night?”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Carly said before Jemma could elaborate. “I mean, I went home with him and nothing happened. Nothing at all.”
Jemma shook her head and pointed at Carly’s ring. “Because of that . He couldn’t stop checking out your ring last night.”
Carly glanced down at her hand.
“Did you want something to happen with him?”
“What? No! I mean, I didn’t really think about it,” Carly said.
“Maybe you should think about it,” Jemma told her. “I think a few hours alone with Jesse would be the perfect cure for your broken heart. You should’ve told him you weren’t engaged. I think he’d really like to know that.”
Carly let out a bitter laugh. If anything, Jesse had the power to shatter her already broken heart completely.
“You know, I was thinking,” Jemma said as she leaned forward on her elbows. She pointed to Carly’s left hand again. “That rock you still have on? Maybe you could hock it. That has to be worth at least a few months’ rent.”
Carly glanced down at her hand. The stone sparkled back at her.
“You don’t think I should give it back to him?” she wondered.
Jemma made a face at her, letting her know that no, she did not think Carly should give it back. “That ring is yours . It would be one thing if you’d been the one to call things off. But you weren’t. So no, as far as I’m concerned…Hell, probably as far as any court would be concerned, that baby is yours to do with as you wish. And if you wish to sell it, I say more power to you!”
In seconds, she was twisting it off of her finger. She knew she should’ve taken it off yesterday but until just recently, she’d still kept up the façade with her family. Now, she didn’t need to do that.
“I don’t know why even I still have it on,” she said. She opened her purse and unzipped an inside pocket. She dropped the ring into it and zipped it back up again. “But,” she said as she brought her attention back to Jemma, “that’s actually a really good idea. You’re right. It’s not like the bastard deserves to get it back. And I sure as hell don’t want to keep it.”
For the first time all evening, a look of relief settled onto her face.
Jemma cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure there’s no chance of fixing things? I mean, I know you’re good and pissed right now, and you have every right to be, but what if he was just having a jackass moment? What if he shows up, begging for you to take him back? Maybe you should hang on to the ring for a while. Just in case.”
Carly made a face to let her friend know she didn’t think that was going to happen. She could clearly see the cold, detached way he had looked at her. She could clearly hear his cruel words, ricocheting through her mind. “I do not think that’s going to happen. And even if it did,” she said with a shrug, “I could never take him back after that. I think getting rid of it in exchange for some rent money is a great idea.”
“That thing is enormous,” Jemma said with a great deal of appreciation. “You should definitely get enough for it that you can buy yourself a little more time.”
“You,” Carly said, “just made my night. I wasn’t with when he bought it. In fact, he surprised me with it. I mean, I have no idea what he paid for it . But right now,
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