Girls You Marry Read online

  “Sabrina, is that you?” Moose Johnson asked.

  I nodded reluctantly as the once buff football player ambled over to hug me. His beer belly banged into my chest as his beefy arms circled around my back. Just when I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, he released his grip. “You didn’t tell us Sabrina was here, Dan.”

  “Sabrina’s here, Moose,” Dan said, deadpan. Then he explained, “She’s my physical therapist.”

  I heard a chorus of “holy hell”, “no shit” and “get outta here” before Dan spoke again. “We’re actually heading out to dinner so—” Their collective protests cut him off.

  “Dan, come on,” Moose said, looking like a pouting child.

  Another of Dan’s chums from college chimed in, “You gotta be kiddin’.” John Levecchi was a mere inch taller than me and in college had been thin and wiry. The guys had nicknamed him “Chugger” because of his ability to drink more quantities of beer than any of them, despite his small stature. From the looks of John’s distended abdomen, all that beer had finally caught up with him.

  Moose—who if he has a real name, I don’t know it—and John were starting to whine when what sounded like the voice of reason spoke up. “There’s no need to go out. Murph is bringing pizza,” Kent “the Kentster” Ainsworth said.

  Kent had been Dan’s roommate freshman year and that fact is his only claim to fame. I met Kent a few months before Dan and I started dating and even then I thought he was a snake, but for some reason, Dan took a liking to him.

  He was the bane of my existence for the two years Dan and I dated, and is the person who told me about Dan’s philandering. Not out of the goodness of his heart, you understand. No, no, when he told me, Kent had me pinned against the wall, trying his best to get into my pants. He had been slightly drunk at the time, but not so far gone that he didn’t know exactly what he was doing.

  At first, I tried to treat the whole thing as a joke, which I had hoped it was. When that didn’t work, I got down to some serious pushing and shoving. “Kent, cut it out. You know I’m seeing Dan,” I’d said. Although I wouldn’t have touched him with a ten foot pole, regardless. But I didn’t feel the need to be cruel. Apparently he did.

  He snorted. “Yeah, I know, but it’s not like he’s not out enjoying a little variety.”

  “Get out, Kent,” I’d said forcefully. I didn’t believe him, but my stomach knotted at the thought.

  His laugh had sounded evil and his sneer actually scared me. “You actually think Dan is being faithful?” He looked at me with mock pity. “Oh God, you do, don’t you?” He laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Dan’s been getting some of the best pussy on campus while he has plain little Sabrina to escort home to Mom and help him with his homework. Did you actually think someone like you could keep Dan happy?”

  That was about all I could take. I actually fled from my own room so Kent wouldn’t see me break down. His words had cut clear to my core and released every doubt I had ever had about myself and my relationship with Dan.

  I’d never understood why Dan was with me instead of the walking Barbie dolls that drooled over him as they followed him around campus. But, as Dan later confirmed, he was having the best of both worlds, just as Kent had said.

  “Sabrina,” Dan’s voice broke into my sour thoughts. “Are you okay?” He used his crutch to push himself up from the couch and make his way toward me.

  Kent slapped his hand against Dan’s chest. “She’s fine. Aren’t you?”

  I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to blame him for everything that went wrong between Dan and me, but in my heart I knew I couldn’t. Kent is a weasel and I certainly don’t trust him, but Dan is the one who cheated on me all those years ago. I just can’t help but wonder how Dan would react if he knew how I found out. He had asked, but I never told. It didn’t seem important at the time. I guess it still isn’t.

  “I’m okay, Dan.”

  “See, told ya. Why don’t you sit back down, Dan the Man? Murph should be here any minute with the pizza and a couple of girls to go with it.” He glanced at me as he spoke the last few words, a smirk playing on his thin lips. “You’ve been cooped up way to long buddy.” He bobbed his eyebrows. “You’ve got a reputation to keep up, don’t forget.”

  “Sabrina?” Dan looked like a drowning man.

  If he was looking to me to look like the bitch and demand we go out to dinner, he was looking to the wrong person. I’ve been the party pooper more than once with these guys when Dan didn’t have the guts to tell them he couldn’t go out because he had to study or some such thing. I’m not doing it now. If he doesn’t have the balls to say no to his friends, let him suffer the consequences.

  “Actually, I’m not all that hungry.”

  Dan was about to say something when Murph barged through the front door, his arms laden with pizza and five of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen trailing in his wake. I didn’t stick around to be introduced.

  Chapter Nine

  The sun had barely cleared the horizon when I made my way down to the kitchen. After leaving Dan to the mercy of his friends, I went for a long walk around the grounds before retiring to my room to finish the novel I’d brought with me. It was a love story with a happy ending so, needless to say, it didn’t lift my spirits much.

  Empty beer bottles and pizza boxes trailed from the family room to the kitchen and dirty dishes and discarded napkins littered most every surface. I looked at it all with disgust and took pity on Mrs. Evans, who undoubtedly would be the one to clean up the mess.

  I tried not to think of the events of the previous night as I scooped coffee into a filter. The smell of ground beans filled my senses and my mouth watered in anticipation of my first cup. Normally one cup would be my limit, but after my restless night, I figure I might need at least two or three to keep me going today.

  The coffee had just started brewing when I heard the back door knob jiggle. Expecting Mrs. Evans—who is very protective of her kitchen—I prepared to hide. Imagine my surprise when Jeff walked through the door.

  “Hey Sabrina.” He was obviously surprised and a little embarrassed to see me. “What are you doing up so early?”

  I laughed and took in his slightly disheveled appearance. “I could ask you the same question.” I watched in amusement as a blush crept up his neck, finally turning his entire face crimson. I can’t believe he actually blushed.

  “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Sounds good.” He settled onto a stool at the breakfast bar. “What the hell happened here?” he asked as he threw a dirty dish into the sink.

  “Dan had a party last night,” I answered, retrieving two mugs from the cupboard.

  “Dan had a what?” He looked around at the evidence. “I thought you two were going out to dinner.”

  “We were, but then some of his friends showed up.” I attempted to sound nonchalant, but don’t think I was very successful.

  “And?” he asked pointedly as I set a steaming mug in front of him.

  “And what?” I took a sip of the potent brew.

  “Don’t ‘and what’ me, Sabrina. I know how much Dan was looking forward to having dinner with you.”

  I did not want to process that last bit of information. “They brought pizza,” I said as if that explained it all, but just in case it didn’t, I added, “They brought girls, too.”

  Jeff cursed under his breath and took a long drink of coffee, then gritted his teeth as if he just downed a shot of whiskey.

  “That Kent guy, right?”

  “Moose, Murph, and Chugger, too.”

  “I never liked Kent,” he said.

  “Yeah,” I snorted, “join the club.”

  “He’s a wannabe. It’s like he’s riding Dan’s coattails through life.” He looked me in the eye. “Was it always like that?”

  I nodded and swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “Pretty much. Kent used to leach onto Dan every weekend because he knew he couldn’t get i
nto any good parties without him. Once Dan and I got together, he’d arrange for Kent to get into places without him just so we could have an actual date.” I shrugged. “And speaking of dates, I don’t think Kent ever had one that Dan didn’t either arrange or date first.”

  “What about you?”

  My eyes widened at his question and I nearly choked on my coffee. “What about me?” I asked although I knew what he was asking.

  “Did you date Kent after you broke up with Dan?”

  I crinkled my nose in disgust. “Please Jeff, you’re making me nauseous.”

  “I’ll take that as a no.” His blue eyes twinkled.

  “That’s an absolutely, positively, gag me, not in this lifetime…no.” I shuddered at the thought. “Not that he didn’t try.” I have no idea why I added that, but once it was out, there was no taking it back.

  Jeff stilled and placed his mug down with a dull thud. “Kent hit on you?” I nodded. “After you and Dan broke up?” I shrugged. “What does that mean?”

  “Jeff, I don’t want to talk about this. It’s ancient history.”

  “Yeah right,” he snorted. “Before or after Sabrina?”

  I blew out an exasperated breath. If Jeff is anything like Dan…and I can see now that he is…he won’t quit until he gets an answer. And I’d much rather answer him now than later, in Dan’s presence.

  “Before, during, and after.” I crossed my arms over my chest and flashed him an are-you-satisfied-now look.

  “Does Dan know?” He took a sip of coffee.

  “No.”

  “You know that the shit would hit the fan if he did, don’t you?”

  I had to resist the urge to snort and say, “Yeah right.” Instead I carried my mug to the coffee maker and refilled it. As I added cream I said, “Like I said, that was a long time ago.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You were important to Dan, still are. He cares about you more than he’s ever cared about any other woman.”

  “And God knows he’s had his pick,” I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately, Jeff heard.

  “Like you said, Sabrina, that stuff happened a long time ago. Dan’s changed a lot since then. This,” he waved his arm around the room pointing out the mess from the impromptu party, “isn’t Dan anymore. I don’t know if it ever really was.”

  I remembered many quiet evenings at either Dan’s apartment or mine wrapped up in each other’s arms. Sometimes we’d watch a movie, sometimes not, but regardless, the quiet times were always the best.

  Sure, we’d go to parties and out to dinner, but Dan seemed more relaxed at home. However, that didn’t stop him from going out with or without me, didn’t stop him from…

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  “You just don’t want to face the truth.”

  “You want truth? Huh?” I felt my temper rise and couldn’t control it. “The truth is that your sainted cousin and I dated for two years in college. He gave me a pre-engagement ring, talked incessantly about the future…our future…and all the while he was boffing every girl who came along.”

  “Every girl but you.”

  All the blood drained from my face. Those very words had been on the tip of my tongue. Can Jeff read my mind too?

  “That. Is. Irrelevant.”

  “Regardless.” He shrugged. “It obviously bothers you.”

  I wanted to deny it, but couldn’t. “Hell yes, it bothers me,” spilled out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  He smiled. He actually had the gall to smirk at me while I stood in front of him, my chest heaving. The thing that bothers me most is that it’s not just an ordinary smirk. Oh no, it’s one of those I-know-something-you-don’t-know smirks.

  “Well,” he started in a cheery tone, “it’s a good thing you don’t care about Dan anymore.”

  I was about to respond when I heard the topic of our conversation making his way down the hall. I shot Jeff a look that warned him not to say another word on the subject. Apparently he got my message loud and clear because he held his hands up as if in surrender, then grabbed his mug and leaned back in his chair.

  Dan ambled into the kitchen wearing only a pair of loose gym shorts, looking better than anybody had a right to this early in the morning. His eyes were bloodshot, but other than that, he looked amazing with his slightly rumpled hair and shadowed jaw. I know from experience how that stubble would feel against my fingers, my own skin and my stomach flipped at the thought.

  “Morning.” His voice sounded raspy. “What are you guys doing up so early?”

  “I just got in,” Jeff said.

  Dan gave him a “way to go” look before turning his attention to me. “What about you?” Dan settled himself onto a stool. “Why are you up so early?”

  The sight of his bare chest was very distracting, and I had to make a conscious effort not to stare. Only the rest of him was just as bad. His cheek still held the crease from his pillow and his hair was adorably mussed, like someone ran their fingers through it. I froze. Maybe someone had. There were girls here last night after all. That thought cooled me off fast.

  “I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.” I dumped my now-cold coffee into the sink and rinsed out the mug, setting it on the drain board before turning around. “Come downstairs whenever you’re ready. I wasn’t expecting you up this early and planned on getting a workout in myself.”

  “Lexi usually bounces in on me at the crack of dawn.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “The one day I get to sleep in and I wake up early anyway.” He pointed to the coffee maker and looked at Jeff. “Did you make that?”

  “No. Sabrina did.”

  “Good, then it’s safe to drink.”

  “Hey, mine’s not so bad.” Jeff sounded offended.

  “Jeff, your coffee could double as paint stripper.”

  “Wimp.”

  Dan chuckled but didn’t comment.

  “Let me down a cup of coffee and change.” Dan pushed up from his stool and made his way around the island to the coffee maker. I backed out of his way. “I didn’t sleep too well last night myself. Hopefully some caffeine will give me a jump start.”

  I bet you didn’t sleep well.

  What I actually said was, “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  Chapter Ten

  I concentrated on my workout. Breathe in. Lift the weight. Breathe out. I repeated the mantra in my head through my thigh and bun reps, then altered it slightly for my stomach crunches. My riotous thoughts distracted me from keeping a count, so I simply kept doing crunches until my muscles ached.

  After stretching and mopping off my face and arms, I walked across the room and snagged two five-pound weights off the rack. I braced my legs shoulder width apart and started working on my routine, but no matter how hard I tried to concentrate, my mind wandered back to the things Jeff said.

  No matter what he thinks, or how smug he acts, I do not care about Dan anymore…not in that way anyway. Sure, as his therapist, I’m concerned about his wellbeing, and I have to admit that we’ve had some pretty good conversations since I’ve been here. I suppose I’d consider him a friend more than an enemy at this point, but it’s not like I want a relationship with him or anything.

  Then why were you so upset at the thought of him with another woman?

  I wasn’t.

  Yeah right.

  I shook my head and laughed out loud. Now I’m fighting with myself. I must be going crazy.

  Straddling the bench, I laid down, my feet still on the floor. Stretching my arms out alongside me, I slowly raised them until the weights touched then lowered them to the side again. I’ve been doing these exercises for over a year now, and I haven’t noticed any lift to my boobs, but I figure it must be doing some good somewhere. My mind started wandering shortly after I finished my first set of ten.

  I can’t believe I was actually starting to believe Dan changed. Last night just proved he hasn’t. Sure he spends most of his time with Lexi now, but as soon as sh
e’s not around, he reverts back to his old ways.

  But he didn’t invite them over. They showed up on their own. He made plans with you, not them.

  Yeah, he made plans with me, but he didn’t hesitate to cancel them.

  He didn’t cancel, you did. If you said you wanted to go out to dinner, he would have sent them packing.

  I don’t need any favors from him.

  He wanted to go with you and you know it.

  Then why didn’t he say so instead of just sitting there like a moron?

  Ask him.

  I shook my head again and tried to concentrate on my weights, deciding that I must be schizophrenic because having arguments with yourself inside your head is just not normal.

  “Don’t you know that you shouldn’t lift without a spot?” Dan shot my own words back at me.

  I paused, my arms raised straight out over me and tilted my head back to look at him. Big mistake. He’d cleaned up all right. His face was clean-shaven to a shiny softness and his hair still looked damp from a recent shower. The old gym shorts have been replaced by newer nylon jogging shorts and his magnificent chest was covered with a white Nike t-shirt that read Just Do It on the front.

  Not wanting to be at a disadvantage, I stood and faced him. “It’s okay. I’m a professional.” My smile felt stiff.

  Instead of commenting, Dan let his gaze roam over my body. “You look cute.”

  In old shorts, a sweat-soaked tank top, my wet hair half-in and half-out of its ponytail, and my face as red as a beet…I don’t think so.

  I turned away from him and went to place the hand weights back on the rack. That done, I did a few cool-down stretches. Dan’s eyes tracked my every move.

  Removing my ponytail from its holder, I finger-combed my hair and once again pulled it off my face into some semblance of order. “Let me grab a drink and we can get started.” I felt his eyes on me as I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed an orange juice for myself, and an ice cup for Dan’s leg.

  When I turned around to make my way back across the room, I nearly fell down when I crashed right into the solid wall of Dan’s chest. I didn’t even hear him come up behind me. How can a man wearing a leg brace and using a crutch move so quietly? His right hand clamped around my elbow in order to steady me.