Breaking Point (Drew Ashley 1) (27 page)

"What's up with you?"

"She ain't sweet enough if she and her brother are the reason you chose Kale."

I chose Kale because I'd thought Harvey just wanted to play around. And he was still grieving his ex, anyway. "When I chose Kale, I didn't know I was making a decision between you and Kale."

"You didn't, huh?" Harvey stepped on the gas and overtook some cars that were crawling in front of him. He managed to beat a red light. "Am I taking you to work or home?"

"Take me to Jazz's house." I texted Jazz to tell her I was on my way to her place. "Jazz likes you, you know?"

No response.

"Do you like her?"

Harvey growled as a red light caught him. He pulled to a stop and looked at me. "Don't insult me."

"I'm not."

"You're trying to push me onto someone else. That's insulting."

Okay, you just couldn't win with this guy. "Sorry, that's not what I was doing."

The light changed and Harvey moved off again. The rest of the ride was silent.

Jazz was outside in her pyjamas, struggling to wheel her wheelie bin down the drive, when Harvey pulled up outside her house. Her wheelie bin had a mind of its own. One of the wheels was out of place and it kept careening all over the place. Harvey jumped out to go and help her.

She left him to it and came to the car. "Feeling better?" she asked as I got out.

"Much better."

Jazz touched the skin under one of my eyes. "Why are your eyes all bruised?"

"That's the million pound question."

"Does Drew's mum need a ride to work?" Harvey called. He picked up the wheelie bin like it was just a feather and carried it out of Jazz's gate and set it down.

"Yes, Hercules," Jazz called back.

Humph! And Harvey thought Jazz didn't like him in that way. I winked at him.

"Jazz," Harvey said, giving me an exasperated look. "Can you tell Drew that you don't have a secret crush on me? She's driving me crazy, talking about how you and I should be together."

Jazz turned on me and scowled. "What?"

"Thanks, Harvey," I said, slamming his car door. Harvey should know better. Jazz wasn't going to admit it to his face.

Just then, my mum bounced out of Jazz's front door in a multi-coloured wraparound dress. "Drew. Are you okay?"

"Yes mum," I said as she enveloped me in the kind of hug that only a mother could give.

"I'll bet you are," she said holding me back and giving me a head to toe look. "All that TLC you've been getting from Harvey."

"I didn't get any TLC from Harvey."

"What about the massage I gave you?" Harvey asked with a wicked smile.

My mum's eyes looked like they were going to burst from their sockets. "He's lying," I told her.

My mum looked between us suspiciously. "So nothing happened in the middle of the night?"

"Like what?" Harvey asked.

My mum shrugged. "Like maybe you were trying to comfort her and one thing led to another?"

Jazz and I gasped.

"Men these days don't know how to catch a woman!" my mother lamented. "I was pushing Drew's dad away for months because I was afraid to admit how I felt about him. One night, he just came to the house that I was sharing with my sister under the guise of helping us with some plumbing. Before we knew it, the deed had been done and I decided to accept my feelings."

My mum had told me the story many times. I couldn't believe she'd now told Jazz and Harvey.

"You should have taken her in your arms and told her there's no way the baddies could get her while you were around," my mum told Harvey. "Then when she's feeling all safe,
bam!
You move in for the kill!"

Why were we all standing here listening to this? My mum was crazy. There had to be a pill out there for whatever it was that she had.

Even Harvey, who normally took my mum's shocking anecdotes in stride, looked appalled now. "As riveting as this conversation is," he said dryly. "I wanted to get to work for half seven." He strode toward his car.

My mum hopped in with him. I cringed to think what else she might say on their way to work.

Jazz turned toward her house and I followed her in. "It's too early for the conversation we just had. Your mum cracks me up."

"She thinks she's funny," I mumbled, shutting the door behind me and heading up the stairs after Jazz. "It's a wonder I turned out so normal."

"Who says you're normal?" Jazz quipped.

"Honestly, I can't wait till my dad gets back in August so that she can get out of our business for a while."

"I can't wait to meet the man who married your mum," Jazz said. "What's he like?"

"The exact opposite of my mum. I'm more like him."

I sat on Jazz's bed. I'd been sleeping in her room while my mum slept in the room that had belonged to Jazz's mum.

Jazz sat down on the bed, too, and crossed her legs yoga style. "Drew, can you please stop trying to match-make me and Harvey? It's embarrassing."

"Do you like him or not, Jazz?"

"We're just friends. He's taken your place a little recently."

"Why?"

"Because you're never available."

"That's because of work."

"And your boyfriend," Jazz added rolling her eyes.

I wasn't sure what she was getting at. She couldn't begrudge me having a job or a boyfriend. "You'll get a job soon too, Jazz. Harvey told me you had an interview yesterday."

"Yeah, they said they'll call me today but I'm not holding my breath. I don't have the experience required."

"Neither did I for my job."

Jazz looked bored. "Yeah, but you have a PhD. I don't."

Okay, I couldn't say anything right today.

Jazz sighed. "Sorry, Drew."

"It's okay. You're nervous about the phone call."

"It's not that."

The way she said it made my antennae perk up. "What is it?"

Jazz looked down at her hands, and her curly hair tumbled forward. "Nothing."

"Jazz?"

She exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, Drew. I wasn't going to tell you, but…"

"But what?"

She looked at me. "I don't want you to think I'm saying don't be with him or anything…"

"Don't be with Harvey?" I asked. "I'm not. He's all yours, babe."

Jazz shook her head, tears gathering on her lower lashes. Okay, whatever she wanted to say must be pretty big.

"Not Harvey," she said quietly. "Kale."

I felt my jaw drop. "You like Kale?"

The doorbell rang, and Jazz wiped her eyes.

"I'll get it," I said.

"It's Destiny. She said she was coming over."

"Okay." I went to get the door. Destiny was standing on the doorstep, holding a big bag. It looked like she'd come prepared to sleep over for a few nights.

She hugged me. "You poor thing, Drew. How are you keeping up?"

"I'm okay today. Why aren't you at work?"

"Jazz is nervous about her interview yesterday so I took time off. Has she heard from them yet?"

"No." I lowered my voice. "Jazz likes Kale."

"Oh, so she told you?"

"She's upstairs crying right now."

Destiny looked concerned. Before I could ask any more questions, she'd bounded up the stairs. I wondered what I was supposed to do now. If Jazz liked Kale, so much that she was crying, that really complicated things.

Destiny was stroking Jazz's back when I entered the room. Jazz lifted tear-filled eyes to me. "I'm sorry, Drew. I didn't want to tell you, but Destiny and Harvey have been saying that it's not right not to let you know."

"That you like Kale?" I asked, hoping she'd tell me I'd misunderstood.

"No, there's more. I used to go out with him. It was two years ago so it doesn't matter," she said waving her hand.

"They got engaged," Destiny said.

I was shocked. "How could you not tell me this?"

"You don't talk about things that still hurt," Jazz said. "Well, I don't, anyway."

"You should have told me, Jazz."

"I didn't want you thinking you can't be with him, just because of our history."

Destiny handed her a tissue and she wiped her eyes.

"Well, I can't. It would be too weird knowing that you were engaged to him."

"I'm over it," Jazz said, taking in a shaky breath.

She wouldn't be crying if she was over it. "Why did you break up?"

Jazz smiled grimly. "That's for him to tell you."

Chapter 17

Somehow I managed to sleep after Jazz's little revelation. Well, it wasn't a little revelation. It was a big one. And I had no clue what to make of it. I was awakened by Kale's voice sometime later. It sounded like he was talking to Destiny outside the room. I checked the time on my phone and was surprised to see that it was half five. I'd slept all day.

Jazz's bedroom door swung open, and Kale sauntered in. "Hello beautiful," he said, sitting on the bed and planting a kiss on my forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." I sat up.

Kale reached for my hand. I drew back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me about you and Jazz?"

Kale frowned.

"She told me you were engaged!" I felt tears welling in my eyes. I hadn't even known I was close to tears, but now that Kale was here I was angry. I really liked Kale. He wasn't the mysterious enigma that Harvey was, but he was a great guy. The kind of guy I imagined myself spending my life with. I couldn't believe he'd kept this from me.

"What?" I demanded, when he remained quiet. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I wanted Jazz, I'd be with Jazz," Kale said simply. "But I don't want her. I want you."

"I can't. We can't. If I'd known you'd been engaged to her, I would never have started anything in the first place."

"Why?" Kale asked. "Would it be right for me to dump you because you lived with Travis for six years?" Kale asked. "I assume you slept with him more times that you can count. Should I let that bother me?"

"Travis is not your best friend."

"It's the same principle," Kale ground out. I'd never seen him annoyed before, but it looked like that side of him was coming out.

"Why did you and Jazz break up?" I asked, refusing to be intimidated.

"As far as I'm concerned, we broke up because we weren't right for each other. What did Jazz say to you?"

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Nothing."

Kale stood. "I'm going to speak to her."

"No, Kale. Don't."

Kale's eyes had darkened until they almost looked black. "She has no right to be stirring up trouble."

"You'll just make things worse, Kale. Leave it."

"She broke up with me!" Kale raged. "I followed her around for months trying to get her to take me back, but after a while I moved on. Does she expect me to never move on with my life?"

"Kale, you need to stop shouting."

Kale's chest heaved with a sigh of frustration. He looked into my eyes. "I love you, Drew. God took Jazz away so that he could bring me someone better and I'm not going to let her ruin it."

But I couldn't ruin our friendship either. "Kale, I need time to think about it."

"What is there to think about?"

"She's my best friend," I said firmly. "It's over."

I thought Kale might argue, but he just looked at me for a moment then walked out. I listened to his footsteps on the stairs. I hoped he didn't go to speak to Jazz like he'd threatened. The front door slammed seconds later and I heaved a sigh of relief. He'd gone.

***

I felt more like myself on Wednesday morning. Physically, that is. On the inside I was cracking up. Jazz had been really stiff with me all yesterday evening, despite me breaking up with Kale. This morning, she was trying to be nicer, but I could tell it was forced.

It was obvious that she still loved Kale. When Kale and I started getting close, she'd practically shouted at me for not opting for Harvey. I should have known there was more to it than concern for Harvey.

I left for work with my mum. We caught the Tube then went our separate ways. I walked to work from the Tube station feeling like a dark weight was lodged in my heart.

When I got to work, I went to the toilet to hide out for a few minutes. Kale had called me all yesterday evening. I hadn't answered. Breaking up with him had shown me just how much I liked him. I hadn't expected to be this upset about it.

I pulled myself together then went to my department and got to work. I was behind on a piece of work that Rosie had given me to do last week. Harvey needed it by next Tuesday at the very latest. I worked on it all morning and made a little headway with it. It was all statistics and data analysis about how many people were tuning in to watch News24 programmes—nothing whatsoever to do with my job as a journalist.