And that’s how she came to the conclusion that Leo’s in love with me?
I grab the hair on the top of my head and shrug.
“Your evidence is circumstantial at best.”
“Maybe,” Gladys agrees. “But I also happen to be an expert at this.”
“Since when?”
She sighs. “Jodie, why are you so against the idea of the man falling in love with you? Is he such a terrible man? He strikes me as reckless, yes, but I don’t think he’s dangerous.”
“I didn’t say he was,” I tell her.
Yes, reckless. Honest. Stubborn. Not as mean as he thinks. Lonely. That’s how I’d describe him.
“Then why? Because you still believe his father killed yours? Since when do you blame sons for the sins of their fathers?”
I don’t answer. I don’t know what to say. I haven’t given any thought to the way I feel about Leo or how he might feel about me. I’ve just been going with the flow.
Now that Gladys has brought it up, the gears in my head have started moving. What are Leo and I doing?
“Jodie,” Gladys speaks. “If you’re just fooling around with him, using him to help you feel alive or just having fun with him right now, that’s fine. Just… be open. You’ve never been in a relationship before, so the fact that someone’s in love with you might be scary and your first instinct may be to push him away. But don’t. Allow yourself to be loved. Allow yourself to love.”
I let out a deep breath.
“Labels aren’t important,” Gladys adds. “Connections are. Once you connect with someone, don’t take it for granted.”
I pick up my phone and hold it against my ear. “You really are an expert on this, aren’t you?”
“Only because I’ve had my heart broken several times.”
So she’s saying that in order to love, you have to take risks. You have to put yourself out there. I sort of knew that already. Still, am I ready to do it?
“Listen. I got to go. But I’m glad we had this talk.”
“I’m not sure I am,” I admit.
She chuckles. “You’ll thank me later. Take care. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She hangs up. I let my arm fall to my side and the phone slip from my fingers as my eyes bore holes into the ceiling.
Allow myself to love and be loved. Is it really that simple? Maybe for someone who’s not going through a mess, it is. Maybe for someone who’s been in a relationship before. But like Gladys said, I haven’t. I’ve never been with a guy as much I’ve been with Leo. And not just the times we’ve had sex but the quality of the time we’ve spent together, the experiences and secrets we’ve shared.
The connection is there for sure, but what does it mean? What to do about it?
This is all new. And complicated. And scary. And…
My stomach suddenly spasms. I sit up and cover my mouth as a fresh wave of nausea washes over me.
Shit.
I run to the bathroom. I manage to get to the toilet in time to throw up but I still feel dizzy after. I rest my head against the cold tiles as I sit on the rug and close my eyes.
What am I doing getting all sentimental when I’m suffering from food poisoning?
~
Fortunately, I’m feeling better by the time Leo comes back. I’ve showered, too, and changed into clothes I bought from the hotel boutique – a rust-colored silk blouse and dark gray pants. Not too casual. Not too formal. Just ready to get down to business, even if that means hunting down a murderer.
“Wow.” Leo whistles when he sees me. “You look… all cleaned up.”
I have a feeling that wasn’t the description he was initially going to go with, but I let it go with a grin. A compliment is still a compliment.
“That’s exactly the image I was going for.”
He chuckles as he takes off his tie. “Hungry? We can order room service again.”
“No,” I answer at once.
Leo’s gaze narrows.
“I’m not hungry,” I add as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I see.” Leo nods. “What? Did you go have lunch with someone while I was gone? Is that why you’re all dressed?”
My eyebrows furrow. “What?”
He thinks I was out on a date? How can he think I’m seeing someone else while I’m having sex with him? I’d never do that. Then again, we never said anything about being exclusive. Wait. Does that mean he’s seeing someone else?
“You’re the one who’s all dressed up in that fancy suit,” I point out. “I bet the women at your office were throwing themselves at you again.”
Just like the ones who were shameless enough to send seductive pictures to his email account.
“Jealous?” Leo teases me.
My eyebrows arch. “No.”
I can feel my cheeks getting warm. Shit.
“Don’t worry,” Leo tells me. “None of them hold a candle to you.”