My Hookup Girl Read online

  “I’m taking you to your apartment.” That’s all he says.

  It seems that that was the nail in the coffin on this relationship, if you can even call it that. I nod in understanding. Jake’s saying goodbye. I can tell through his body language; he’s over this. Through the drive I go through mixed emotions, finally settling on anger. By the time we reach my apartment, I jump out and slam his car door. He gets out, but stays between his car and the door.

  I turn abruptly feeling his eyes on my back. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. “So, this is it, because I won’t tell you about my ex? Pressuring someone into revealing their past is not the way to go about trusting someone. I told you how I felt about it. You wouldn’t let up, and now you’re being immature, because you didn’t get your way. Well, fuck you! That’s not how relationships work.”

  He shakes his head. “This isn’t a relationship. You’re just someone I hooked up with a couple times.”

  My face crumbles. Before I race up the stairs, I see remorse reach his face. I don’t care. How could you say that to someone you care about? It’s just a hookup for him and that was it. I was nothing but a booty call, just someone to warm his bed. Nothing more. I get to my door and realize I don’t have my purse or my keys. With the twist of my wrist I pray that Maggie is home.

  The door is unlocked. Thank God. I rush in. Maggie says, “Hey.” I give her a quick hello and barrel toward my bedroom. Once the click sounds on the door, the tears run a constant stream. I fall face first into my bed to muffle the crying wails that are now wracking through my body.

  I cry for my job that I no longer have. I cry for my future. I cry for another doomed relationship. I feel more demolished than I ever have. Jerry’s fists might have broken my bones, but only one man has broken my heart. I can’t even say his name. It doesn’t stop my mind from whispering it repeatedly through every thought.

  There’s a soft knock on my door. I pull my face from the pillow. “What is it, Maggie?”

  She doesn’t wait for me to tell her to come in, she just does. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Normally, I’d be in my car on the way to Lee’s, but since I’m stranded here without my keys, purse, and my car, I have nowhere to go. Surprisingly, I crave a hug from Maggie. I reach out for her. She rushes to me and holds me. I cry into her shoulder and she just lets me. “It’s okay. Just let it all out. Guys are assholes.”

  I raise my head. “How did you know?” I wipe at my tears.

  “Let’s just say, I’ve had experience.” It makes me sad. I cling to her, and then Maggie says those magical words. “Let’s go have a margarita.”

  12

  After recounting my tale to Maggie, she sits across from me and nods her head. “Assholes, the lot of them. God, you lose your job because your boss can’t keep his hands to himself and then your boyfriend totally freaks out and abandons you in your time of need. I wish I was into chicks. It would make things much easier.”

  I play with the stem on my margarita. We’ve been attacking this salsa and chips like it’s our last meal. I take a break from the chips and rebuff her account. “Jake was never my boyfriend, Maggie.”

  She laughs at my comment. “Then you don’t know what a boyfriend is.” She grabs a big chip and gobs an obscene amount of salsa on it and shoves it in her mouth. I don’t know how she can eat like that and still have curves in all the right places. Maggie’s a little bigger than Lenora and me, but she’s voluptuous. I envy her rack. Her hips also have sensual appeal. I wish I liked chicks instead too. Guys are assholes. I think I’m starting to feel this second top-shelf margarita. “You were exclusive, eating together, he’d pick you up for lunch and you’d stay at his place. I know it was for a short time and you might not have called it a relationship or each other boyfriend and girlfriend, but that’s what you were.”

  The waitress brings our food and we dive in. I contemplate what Maggie said about us. She’s right. We didn’t label what we had, but that’s essentially what we were doing for the past two weeks and it was working, until he was an asshole. I stab my enchilada with my fork.

  Through dinner, Maggie cheers me up as best as she can. She’s really funny and sweet. I can tell she’s had some hard times with guys too. She’s mentioned a few ex’s, but I have a feeling she’s keeping one secret. The one that really hurt her. Now, I can commiserate with her. I’m starting to feel warm from the liquor. It makes me sleepy. By the time we leave, we’re arm in arm giggling.

  “You’re okay to drive, right?” I ask Maggie.

  She waves a hand at me. “Yeah, girl. I can handle my liquor. I didn’t drink as much as you anyway.” I believe her. I’ve seen her drink; she can knock them back without a hitch.

  We drive back to our apartment. It occurs to me that I need to go back to the office and get my keys, purse, and pick up my car. My keys are in my office, which is already locked up for the evening. I’ll have to brave the trip alone. It unnerves me, thinking about going back to that place unaccompanied.

  “Mags?”

  “Yeah?” Maggie squints through the dark windshield. Headlights pass across her face.

  “Tomorrow, could you come with me to my office to grab my stuff?” I don’t want to put Lenora in that position, especially since she’s pregnant. She doesn’t need to be stressing over this kind of stuff right now in her condition. Maggie doesn’t take shit from anyone. At least, I would have some backup.

  “Sure. Don’t you worry about it. We’ll get all your stuff tomorrow morning. Barret is opening the salon for me tomorrow, anyway.” She says it all with a smile and I can’t help feeling relieved I have a friend like Maggie I can depend on right now. Lenora has her own stuff going on and I don’t want to bother her with my problems.

  “Thanks, Maggie. You’re the best.”

  The next morning Maggie and I head over to the dreaded office. I want to avoid Trent at all costs. Maggie offered to go inside to get my stuff, but I couldn’t let her do that. There would be too many questions regarding who she was and what she was doing there. It would be quicker and more efficient if I just did it myself, with her as backup. We’re able to park close to the door. The office is quiet at this hour and I’m grateful I don’t have to answer any questions or wonder if Trent’s said anything. I go directly to my office while Maggie surveys the building behind me. I swiftly pick up my purse from the floor next to my desk and grab my keys from the top right drawer.

  “We’re outta here,” I whisper to Maggie. She smiles and we slink out the front before anyone sees us. “Thank goodness, Mags. I don’t think that could’ve gone better.” I jingle my keys in my hand. “I’ll send them my resignation today. I have no idea what Trent told anyone. Probably figured I’d be back today, business as usual.”

  I hear Maggie mumble “douche.” It makes me smile. She’s got my back.

  “Where’s your car?”

  I look around and point at it. “It’s in the far back corner.”

  She squints in the morning sun and puts a hand over her eyes. “Uh, Evie. I think someone did something to your car.” Maggie strides to my car. I follow close behind.

  “What do you mean?” I find out when I reach the driver’s side of my car. It’s been spray painted and the side mirror has been broken off. “What the hell? Oh, my God.” I cover my mouth in shock.

  “Who could have done this?” Maggie rubs at the number painted on the door of my car.

  “I have one guess. My boss is such an asshole! I’m pressing charges right now.” I grab my cell phone from my purse and see I have two calls missed from Lenora and one voicemail from Becky, Trent’s secretary. I dismiss all my alerts and call 911.

  Maggie stays with me through the entire questioning by police. Trent is nowhere to be seen. I don’t know if he’s in the office or called in sick today. The police aren’t giving me much information either. They take fingerprints and ask about security cameras. There are none, of course.

  “Do these numbers painted on your car mean any
thing to you? Could they be dates?” an officer asks me.

  Maggie grips my shoulders and yells at the officer. “She already told you, she doesn’t know what those mean. Look, my friend is shaken up and was assaulted yesterday. We’re leaving. If you need any other information, you can call or email. I’ll be happy to give a statement if needed later.” With that, Maggie shuffles me inside her car and we leave the crime scene.

  “Thanks, Mags. I’m in a bit of a daze. I can’t believe Trent would do this.” I rub my forehead. I have the worst headache. It’s turning into a migraine.

  “Are you sure it’s Trent? Do you think Jake could be capable of this?” She looks at me cautiously. I haven’t thought of that name all morning and suddenly there it is. All the heartbreak back again.

  “No, he wouldn’t go to all that trouble.” Plus, I know Jake would never break the law. He’s not the type.

  “Well, Jake is a numbers guy and that was what was found on your car.”

  I know she’s just looking into different options of who could’ve done this. I’m pretty sure Trent did this. Even bored teenagers could’ve done something like this. I know for a fact that Jake would never do anything like this. I tell Maggie as much and she finally accepts it.

  The numbers on the car did seem like dates. There were four sets written across the body of the car in red spray paint: 12/20, 2/14, 8/19, and 11/11. The very large block numbers couldn’t be missed. I have no idea what any of those could mean. I know Valentine’s Day could be referenced, but Trent and I never spent a Valentine’s Day together. None of this makes any sense. Maybe they were in reference to files? I have enough on my plate; I don’t have time to decipher Trent’s idiocrasy.

  “Sorry, I don’t really trust anyone very easily.”

  I nod at Maggie’s statement, which only makes me think of Jake again. Trust. I trusted Jake. Without even knowing it, I trusted him with my heart. I’m so stupid. I knew better than to give my heart to anyone.

  I spend the rest of the day trying to keep Jake off my mind. I send in my resignation letter to DFW Designs. I talk with police, insurance companies and eventually, I delicately tell Lee a little bit of what happened. Mostly, that I quit my job and someone spray painted my car. I don’t give her any specifics. She’s beside herself and I feel bad. I knew she’d be mad if I didn’t tell her what was going on with me. I play it down, saying that some kids were probably just being little shits.

  She finally calms down after I tell her I’ll come visit her later this week. She’s due any day now. I can’t wait to meet her little girl. It probably would do me some good to visit her on the farm, get away. I’ll drive up there tomorrow.

  Maggie’s gone the rest of the day to the salon, Shear-Lock Combs. I’m left with my thoughts. I think for a second about calling Jake, but he said we’re nothing. He doesn’t need to hear anything about me or deserve to. All because I wouldn’t tell him what happened in a previous destructive relationship. I didn’t want to go back there. I feel grateful to know his story, but I’m not there yet. It’s still fresh, and if anyone should be understanding, it should be him.

  I spend my evening looking at positions open at design firms. I haven’t found anything. There aren’t many firms, or jobs for that matter, for this field. I have no idea how I’m going to pay rent. After I told the police officers about the assault by Trent, they notified the firm and he was swiftly fired, but I wasn’t offered my position back.

  13

  Morning light beams in through my bedroom window as I hear Maggie singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” from the kitchen. I smile. She’s a riot. I know she’s doing this to cheer me up in her own way. My curvy, beautiful, quirky friend. I don’t know what I would have done without her yesterday.

  I wrench myself out of bed. It’s a new day. I have a new career ahead of me, I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll find it. I have good friends and a roof over my head. Last night, my car was towed back to my apartment. The paint is still apparent on the driver’s side. Maggie mentioned to me that I can use WD-40 to get the spray paint off my car. I don’t know how she knew that.

  Trent was questioned last night and he had an alibi. I don’t trust it, this is just something else he’ll probably get away with. At least the assault is on his record. I do intend to press charges, especially after the whole car defacing.

  I slink out of my room in my most comfy robe. I need comfort today. I plan on staying in all day and looking for a job online. I need to find something; I can’t depend on Maggie to cover the rent for me. She’s not in the best financial situation either since her salon has taken a few hits lately. She won’t talk about it though. I’ve overheard conversations with her assistant Barret. I grab a power bar and boot up my laptop on the dining table.

  “Hey, sweetie. How’d you sleep?” I know what Maggie is really asking. Did you toss and turn over that asshole, Jake?

  “I slept like a rock.” I smile triumphantly.

  “Good, that’s what I like to hear.” She grabs a box of Cheerios and shoves her hand in, digging out a handful, which she stuffs in her mouth. I don’t know anyone past the age of four who still eats Cheerios. It makes me smile. That’s Maggie for ya. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  I quirk my head. “Are you off today?” She nods as she takes a sip from her hot tea.

  “Huh, I thought you weren’t off until Friday.” I have a sneaking suspicion that Maggie’s babysitting me. She took off work to do it too.

  “I needed a break. Barret wanted more hours at the salon anyway. It worked out for everyone.” She leans against the counter checking to see if I’m buying what she’s putting out. I’m not.

  “Maggie, I don’t need someone to watch over me today. I’m fine. I’ve already got everything sorted out. In fact, I was thinking of visiting Lee today. She wanted me to come out to the farm.” Maggie looks sad for a moment. I feel bad. I know Maggie wants to be included and be closer to Lee and I. “Look Mags, if you want to come with me, I’m sure Lee would be really excited to see you. She misses you.”

  Maggie rocks on her heels debating. “Yeah, she hasn’t been into the salon lately.”

  “She’s embarrassed about her swollen feet. She doesn’t want to get any pedicures out in public. I think Lee asks Hunter to paint her toes. Isn’t that cute?” I think of big, burly Hunter painting her little toes. I would pay good money to see that.

  “Cute,” Maggie says simply.

  “So, you wanna go with me? I’d enjoy your company on the drive there. It takes a while.” I sincerely hope she comes with me. It would be fun to have all three of us together. I could use the support and Lee could use the entertainment. There are only so many hours in the day Hunter is available to her. I know she gets lonely sometimes. Of course, with a baby on the way, that will soon be a thing of the past.

  “You sure I’m not imposing?” Maggie grabs her long red hair and gathers it up into a ponytail.

  “Positive. Let me just get dressed and we’ll be on our way. Lee wakes up at the crack of dawn now that she lives on the farm. She says shit like, burning daylight.” Maggie giggles at that.

  I get dressed quickly and we take Maggie’s car since mine is still defaced. It might cause Lee to go into early labor seeing my car in its current state. It’s hard to be in a bad mood around Maggie. She grooves to all the songs in her car. We eventually have a dance off with the windows down. She knows all the words to “My Sharona” by The Knack. We simulate microphones with our hands and belt it out. I haven’t felt this carefree in so long.

  We drive up to Sleepy Hollow, and we’re giggling like school girls. A twenty-minute drive with Maggie and my spirits are lifted. I’m not thinking about getting a job or my car and least of all, Jake.

  Lee opens the screen door to the farmhouse and steps out on the covered porch. She waves us in. The sun is shining on her golden locks and her skin is glowing. She rubs her belly like it’s going to burst any minute. I smile and softly hug her round body. Lee
looks over my shoulder.

  “Hey, Maggie girl. Come on up here. Let’s get some sweet tea.” Lee waves Maggie inside and rubs her back. “I swear this little girl is going to come out any second. She’s been kicking up a storm.” They hug and we head to the screened-in porch Hunter made Lee last summer. There’s a small bistro table set out with a big pitcher of sweet tea waiting for us.

  “You know how much I love tea, Lenora.” Maggie smiles and takes one of the chairs. “Let us know if we need to take you to the hospital.” Maggie munches on a shortbread cookie.

  “Yeah, if you feel any contractions or your water breaks—” Lee cuts me off.

  “If I go into labor Hunter is right outside. He’s been able to hire another hand on the farm to help out and he’s sticking very close to the house. Watch.” Lee winks at us and then calls out, “Hunter.”

  I swear not even two seconds later, Hunter appears on the other side of the screen. “Yeah, baby?” He looks anxious and tired. He must be on his toes all the time. Poor guy.

  “Maggie and Evie are here.” Lee smiles. I wonder how many times she teases poor Hunter a day. I laugh to myself.

  “Hey!” Hunter waves and wipes some sweat off his brow. It’s then I notice he isn’t wearing a shirt. I check out his physique and realize what I’m doing. I’m checking out Hunter to see how he compares to Jake. Damn, he’s still on my mind. Where Hunter is lean and strong with a six-pack, Jake is taller, bulky, and has some hair on his chest. Then I think about what he said to me when we were together last. All warm fuzzy feelings drift away like snow melting on fresh spring grass.

  Hunter leaves us to our girl time. Inevitably our discussion turns to the events of the last few days.