Don't Let These Boots Fool You

I pushed the door open and straightened my dress as we walked back toward the family dining room waiting to sit down. I slipped between my other brother and cousin while Danny held my hand and followed me through my family.

“You know Nana is going to know you two had sex.” my sister whispered into my ear, I knew I should correct her but didn’t want to bring more attention to her and Danny. I shot her a look that told her to shut her mouth before I did it for her. I knew I had to make it through this dinner then Danny would be headed to Philly and I was headed to the burgh. My mind started wandering off to the fundraiser that I was going to have to put together before Danny flew back two weeks after I got to Pittsburgh.

“So Kelly, how’s the job going?” my Nana asked in her snotty stuck up tone that she used around the rest of the family.

“Good nana, I have to fly out to Pittsburgh because they need more help.”

“Well when are you getting married?”

“No idea Nana,” I sat silently eating my food after her first few questions were asked. I wanted to leave. I watched as plate after plate landed on the table and then got taken back to the kitchen. “Nana, we hate to run but red eye flight, see you at Easter.” I hopped up and walked over to Nana and kissed her cheek before walking toward the door.

Danny followed close behind me and opened the front door and car door for me with a smile. When he got behind the wheel he looked over at me “care to explain why you didn’t tell me you came from money before we got here?”

“Because my whole life has been based on Nana’s money. I got my job on my own and wanted to find true love. Money’s not important to me. I wanted to find someone who didn’t want to use my status when I’m gone.” I looked over at him and realized I’d have to explain to him, “Mike used my status.”

“How”

“He used me, who I knew to play baseball. Talked to my attorney, he was drafting an annulment to get money from me,” I hated admitting to the new information I had heard from my lawyer not even a year ago. “He went into debt two years after he signed and I noticed my money in my account disappearing. He was writing checks for himself. I got him help and it stopped and my aunt put the equivalent amount of money in my bank again. I froze all check usage and went to my lawyer and he told me about the annulment papers. I found out a week after I left him.”

“Kelly, I’d never ask for you to do anything. I clearly like you for you. You didn't like me for my money.”

Those words stung me. I really wasn’t sure what i was about him that I liked at all or if I was truly attracted to him. I knew it wasn’t the money because I had plenty. Did I like him because he caught me while falling? I thought I had finally found someone, but now I was feeling as if I was leading him on. Thankfully we pulled up to the airport and I fell out of my trance of thinking about Danny.

“Bye Danny, I’m going to send one of the guys to get my truck once I get there because I know this mess will require no sleep.” I kissed his cheek and hugged him goodbye.

“Don’t get too attached to the city.” we parted and I walked toward the sliding doors that would lead me into the terminal for my flight.

I felt horrible, I thought I knew why I liked him. I pulled out my phone and looked at it. I didn’t want to call him at all. I wrestled with myself for a few minutes before I finally hit the green dial button.

“Kelly are you okay?”

“Yeah Jord, I need you to pick me up from the airport in two hours. I changed my flight and I’m headed to the burgh. Don’t bring anyone else I need my friend.” I felt the tears fall onto my shirt as I stood waiting to board my flight.

“Sure Kelly, I’ll be waiting outside.” We hung up and I boarded the plane silently.

I wasn’t sure why I suddenly felt that I didn’t love Danny or didn’t find myself attracted to him. I hated the feeling. I had been through this once and didn’t want to experience it again. I got lost in my thoughts until I felt someone shaking my shoulder to wake me up.

I slowly shuffled off the plane and through the desolate airport. I chuckled how fitting it was because I felt so alone, as if no one would understand. I pushed myself through the front doors and stopped. He was leaning against his car outside. I couldn’t believe he actually showed up. I finally gained enough courage to walk the rest of the way out of the door.

His head snapped up when he heard the doors open. His arms immediately opened for me, which let comfort wash over me immediately. I jumped into his arms and the tears that I had thought ran dry on the flight came pouring down my cheeks. I sobbed into his arms. “What happened when you went home Kelly? Don’t lie to me.” He demanded, which absolutely scared me.

“Don’t, not tonight, I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. Can we go home?” I slipped out of his arms and into the truck. My guilt was riding high and I didn’t want any judgment from him yet. Luckily Jordan sat in silence until he drove up to the house.

I pushed the front door open and walked up the stairs that had grown familiar to me earlier in the year. Even though the house felt familiar again something felt different. The walls had pictures on them, the tables had decorations, and this house had been touched by a woman. I stopped walking and felt the smell of sex hit me square in the face. I turned back toward Jordan with my eyes narrowed and my intimidating scowl covering my face. “Jordan Staal, what did you do?”

He ducked his head and looked at the ground, “That girl I mentioned when you got engaged, she used me. Had her stay for two weeks before I caught her with Max, he didn’t know who she was because I hadn’t introduced them yet. He was also so drunk that he came back here without noticing that it was my house. I haven’t been in my room yet.”

“When did it happen?” I asked as my scowl softened.

“Yesterday. I was going to give you the bed and take the couch after I threw the bottles out. I really have changed kel, I only drank here and I asked her to leave kindly.” His stuttering showed me just how upset he was by this which made me feel even worse about yelling at him.

“Just stay in here with me. I could use a drink before bed and a friend.” He pushed the bottle of Jack into the air and sat on the bed.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing. My family loves him, he knows I come from money, and he almost knocked out Mike for me. While I commend that and thought I had picked him for a reason I don’t think its right.” I mumbled as I lifted the bottle to my lips, and passed it back to him. “We almost had sex, Sylvie threatened me and still he’s a great guy but damn it he’s too good. Sid asked me to come back, told Danny and he didn’t even care that I was coming back here. Honestly it’s as if I make him feel young and all he wants is sex.”

Jordan grabbed another bottle and watched me down more of the bottle in my hands. I knew he didn’t want to get drunk because that meant he might do something stupid. He watched me tip the bottle back and empty it. “Jord, I’ve been here,” I looked at the clock and saw that it had been two hours, “two hours and I downed a whole bottle, you trying to get me drunk?”

He took the bottle out of my hand and set it on the floor, “Dear I think you are drunk and have been for a while. Now let’s go to bed.” he pulled a corner of the covers back and waited for me to crawl in. Once I crawled over him and in between the sheets he shut the light off and crawled in beside me. I rolled onto my side facing away from Jordan and let the tears fall down my cheeks.
My life had gone from something I understood to something that seemed foreign. “Kelly, what’s wrong?”

“What if I break his heart? I don’t know if I can do that but I feel like I didn’t because he made me feel important and now I don’t think I’ll ever find the sex good, but I only have two people to judge that off of.” He pulled me into his chest and held me close.

“Kelly, you need to do you. Quit thinking about Sid or me or even Danny. What is best for you?”

“I don’t fucking know right now. I’m only five foot tall and you let me have way more Jack than I should have had. I think you might do something, you wouldn’t right?” I got scared thinking about Jordan doing what had once occurred in my life.

“Kelly, the only way I would have sex with you is if you begged for it. At this point I wouldn’t even kiss you unless you kissed me first.” Even though I was feeling the liquor I knew he was being true to his word.

I wanted to know what it would be like, my drunk mind wanted love. I rolled over and found his lips and kissed him without a that. I noticed he didn’t react but he just laid there. I pulled away blinking trying to figure out why he wouldn’t do it. “Would you kiss me again?” The fear rose in my voice as I waited for his reply.

“If you take of the rock. I can’t kiss you knowing you’re going to leave me in the next few days.”
I looked up at him and threw my ring across t room. I assumed I’d find it eventually tomorrow. I pulled him toward me and looked at him, he looked as broken as I felt. What had happened to us? “Jordan, what did it for you?”

He looked down at me and grimaced, “How’d you know? Don’t answer that it doesn’t matter. The day you called me out on my partying. I quit going out as often after that, then those eyes, that accent. I didn’t want to admit how much I’ve missed until right now.”

“You know I don’t have an accent, you do.” I smiled as he leaned in closer and kissed me. I couldn't help but think that the kiss was vastly different than the kisses they had just shared with Danny earlier in the night. I couldn’t decide whose kiss I liked more, I knew each was different. Danny’s made me feel whole and needed, Jordan’s made my toes curl and my mind turn fuzzy.

“What are you thinking?” He asked as he held me close, “don’t lie, i know something is up.” I looked up at him with eyes that I knew had to be glossed over.

“Why do my toes curl and time suddenly stands still?”

“Well mine do too. Don’t think about it, just kiss me.” he was begging me and as much as I was begging him, “I’m just as broken as you, help me please.”

I pulled his head down and took control of the situation making me feel better. Danny left my mind and became completely entranced with Jordan’s lips. The goofiest guy on the team had made me weak in the knees. I pulled back and looked at him. He looked horrible now that I had gotten a real good look at him. He had to feel extremely betrayed, what kind of friend would do what Max did. I wrapped myself around him and pulled myself into his chest.

“Jord, I have to be at the rink at nine. You have to take me there, can we go to sleep?”

He sat silently until I looked up to see he was already asleep. I knew tomorrow was going to be a bitch already. I wanted to take tonight back because all I’ve done is make this harder on Jordan and myself. I may have been with Mike but I knew I wasn’t ready for a relationship again.

I wrestled with my thoughts until I finally felt my eyes close at 6. I knew the day would be long since I couldn’t go to sleep. “Kelly wake up.” Jordan’s voice was necessary because I wouldn’t have gotten up if he hadn’t said something but I wanted to sleep for a few more hours. “If you don’t get up you’ll be late.”

I rolled out of the bed and grabbed some of the clothes that were in my suitcase from Christmas. I went to walk to the door to find Jordan sitting behind the wheel. I slid across the leather seat of his SUV and looked at him. “Don’t give me that look,” I muttered as I pulled my flats onto my feet.

“When am I picking the truck up?”

“As soon as you drop me off. Take someone to drive yours back because I only trust you with Joe and my car. Oh and if you take Sidney I’ll kick your ass. He’s not welcome in my house,” I searched through my bag to find a piece of gum.

“Uh, kell” I turned to find a scared expression on Jordan’s face, “can I stay with you? I can’t go back home and know Max brought her back.”

“Sure key’s under the door. Don’t break anything please.” I quickly got out of the car and walked into the building with a wave goodbye.

Here I was again, standing outside of the building I had begun working at nearly eight months ago. It seemed hard to believe everything that was happening in my life but I knew I needed to fix what
I didn’t like in my life.

I pushed through the doors and walked straight to my office. I felt at home in this office, everything seemed safe in here, I felt at home for the first time since I had moved out to Pennsylvania. I quickly dialed Max’s number and waited for him to answer his phone.

“My southern Beauty to--”

“You have 5 Minutes to get your ass from the locker room up to my office.” I hung up and waited for him. I tried to simmer my anger as I waited for him. I really hated that I had to have this conversation I leaned against the front of my desk as I watched Max walk through the door.

He had the signature cocky grin across his face and that really pissed me off. Before I could think of my actions I smacked him across the face. “I’m sorry I hit you. Honestly you’re a grade ‘A’ asshole. I thought Jordan was bad when I got here, you good sir are worse. You’ve broken a teammate so badly and you have no idea. Because of this I want you to give twenty hours of community service by January 1st, apologize and inform your teammates we are now going to have a chat about relations and casual hook ups. Leave before I smack you again.” I was furious, part of me was mad because of my situation with the guys in my life.

“I’m sorry I disappointed you.” He mumbled as he walked out of my door.

I decided the meeting was going to have to be that day. I couldn’t stand the rage I had toward this team, meeting in the team room 5 pm you’ll be home by 6 if you don’t force it to go long I sighed and checked my memos as I sat behind the desk. As I got to looking around the events that were coming up and there was nothing about a WAG event. I added yet another point to talk about at the meeting.