KICK IT | JENLISA

41

Jennie

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Lisa insisted.

"You're shit at apologising." I teased over my shoulder, catching her eyes lowered on my backside. "Are you checking out my ass?"

"What?" Her forehead scrunched with her raised eyes. "No. I mean, it's right in front of my face."

"Doesn't give you the right to look."

Her smile wasn't entirely innocent, a tease warming her eyes. "Will you hit me if I compliment it?"

"No." Tipping my head back, I laughed. "But don't waste your breath. You haven't figured out how to properly use it yet."

"Ha ha." she grumbled.

I dropped my bag near my shoes, excused myself to the bathroom, and shook my head at my paint-remnant appearance. Lisa's house had an easy layout. It was large, but not the giant mansion glorifying Lisa's existence that I expected. Neutral greys and oversized furniture gave a cosy vibe. Guess Kendall didn't buy the furniture.

A wall of heat greeted us outside. The distinct smell of smoked meat tugged at my stomach. She set us up for a casual lunch under her covered back porch. Sunlight glimmered off her stone-scaped pool water and our glasses of iced tea. Sweet, of course. "This looks..." I paused at her spread of juicy, seasoned brisket, spinach salad, and fresh fruit mix with a dollop of cottage cheese. "Amazing."

Having seen Lisa's diet plan, I sat across the table from a health nut. I didn't know, until she slid a plate in front of me, that she prepared all her meals. Not a carb in sight, so sad. Eating clean was a challenge here. It wasn't on the same level as brushing your teeth while eating Oreos, but in the land where 96oz steaks came after appetisers and bacon butter was a blood type, I appreciated Lisa's efforts.

Her light pepper flavour melted on my tongue, bursting my taste buds in pure meaty happiness. My eyes fluttered shut, paint-gooey lashes hitting my cheeks. "This is excellent. Is it poisoned?"

"What?" At her dropped-open mouth, I giggled. A smile curled the corners of her lips, but the serious look in her eyes dissolved the lightness in my chest. "No. I'm sorry, Jennie."

"For... poisoning me?" I hovered my open mouth over my incoming fork.

"No." Lisa grunted but held her serious stare at me. "For being an ass. I didn't recognise you in the parking lot, which is no excuse, but I'm sorry."

My jaw dropped so far, I was surprised it didn't hit the table. I flicked my eyes around. Was I being pranked, but her eyes were serious. She was sorry?

"This..." Her hand waved at lunch. "... is my way of apologising. Plus, I know nothing about you, and we should change that."

She what now? Dryness choked my throat, compressing it inward. My stomach clenched so hard that I almost threw up. "What?" She wanted to get to know me. Was I dying?

"Is that hard to believe?" she asked between bites. "I want to know the people that work for me."

"Oh." Work-platonic insight. My shoulders slumped, though not from relief. Why wasn't I relieved? "Right."

All the potential friendliness in this conversation died under professionalism because, of course, that's what she meant. "Not much to tell. I'm twenty-five, you know Jackson. I'm certified in group fitness, and two hundred hours of yoga plus a few specialties."

"Specialties?" Her eyebrows raised, and a glimmer appeared in her eyes. "Like tantric?"

So much for professionalism. "Someone's been googling." I snapped, taking a sip of tea long enough for a camel. "No. I'm certified in Vinyasa, Aerial, and Yin yoga. I can cover for Ashtanga in a pinch of desperation."

I pursued my lips around my straw, holding back the truth. In a perfect world, I ended up as a yoga therapist. That world also involved a positive bank account balance.

Guilt seeped into her eyes. "And YG Accounting? If I called..."

"No. No." I interrupted. "It would've happened eventually." Two weeks out, I understood that now. Remembering being fired was poking an old bruise. I wasn't ready to admit my mistakes there because I hadn't made any.

Raising her eyebrows, Lisa looked unconvinced. "If you need me to say anything, I can."

I shook my head so fast that her large frame blurred. "No. It wasn't ever a long-term thing."

"Yoga, then?" When I nodded, she followed up with, "How did you get into it?"

I needed hard liquor in my tea before the truth came out. Instead, Lisa had to settle for the watered-down version, "I started doing it at home. Seemed to come naturally. I've been with Simi for almost two months."

"Two months!?" She blinked, then slacked her head back and cursed. "Fuck, Jackson sure stuck his neck out for you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I shot back. "What about you?"

"Open book." Expanding her arms, she threw me a smirk. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmm." I chewed for a bite. As much as I wanted to say Lisa's cooking was horrendous, it was quite the opposite. Perfect char on the brisket, and the middle fucking melted in my mouth. "Tell me something I can't read in Bam's report, and don't say you're stubborn because there's a whole section dedicated to that."

'Dealing with Stubborn Lisa' was my favourite part of Bambam's report. It took up three pages, highlighted with personal commentary.

Gullible and easily challenged.

One particular note stuck out because I didn't believe it. I couldn't. Scrawled in blue ink instead of black, similar to the pen I used to sign Mina's NDA, meant it was a recent addition.

Quick to defend those close to her. A good person.

Lisa paused, swiping her thumb over the condensation on her glass. "I'm happier being alone."

So much for being a good person. My eyes widened. Fighting back my opinions about Kendall since they were mostly limited to her tree-climbing Lisa, I scoffed. Nobody wanted to be alone. "You can't mean that."

Her broad shoulders shrugged. "I do. I thought it'd be harder after four years but... I mean, I hope she's happier."

"And you are." I replied in a flat voice.

Lisa wasn't prowling the singles scene. If she was, Jackson's phone would've rung with calls to get into VIP clubs and floods of NDA discretions for women. Whether Lisa brought random women home or not wasn't my business, but the dark circles pressed under her eyes suggested sleepless nights.

"Aren't you happier without your ex?"

Wow. That was... low. I swallowed the lump swelling in my throat. Losing my appetite, I pushed my half-empty fruit aside. It was mostly melon, not my favourite. Strain swelled up in my chest as those green and orange squares blurred. Since any answer for sure prompted tears next, I shook my head.

"Huh." Lisa's voice softened, drawing my eyes to her sympathetic smile. "His loss then."

While she attempted to be polite, Lisa's words struck right into my chest. My heart crumpled, smashed beer can-style. This conversation was beyond over, trailing into the overstaying my welcome territory. Inhaling the rest of my food at a competitive eating speed, I stood up with my plate. "I should go."

I didn't give Lisa a chance to respond, dropping my plate and glass in her kitchen sink and picking up my shit. My truck rumbled halfway down the driveway before she came out and offered a wave. Confusion was written all over her face, but I didn't let it stop me backing up.

Appreciating her apology aside, this was a bad idea.