Bad Luck or Fate?

Chapter 17

48 HOURS AGO

I awoke to knocking on my office door. "Jimmy? You awake?" I heard Higgins say from the other side of the door. 

"Yeah, Higs, give me just a second. I opened my eyes and winced. The sunlight was blinding. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I looked down at the office floor and stretched. My back was killing me from sleeping on the couch. I stood up and looked at the clock on my wall. 8 in the morning. Steve was here early, man. I popped my back and walked over the door and unlocked it. I turned around and walked back to the couch. "Come in, my man." I said as I sat back down. 

Higgins opened the door and wolf whistled at me. "Ooh, you looked sexy in those boxers, Jaaaaames." He said as he walked in. He had two coffees in his hand. I looked down at myself. I was only wearing my red boxers from the night before.  "You know it." I said back in a feminine voice.  I grabbed the coffee from him as he held one out to me. Higgins sits down in my chair behind the desk. "I figured you might need a pick me up today since it was a long night last night." He spins around in my chair. "Dude, you don't even know the half of it. I didn't get to bed until at least 3 or 4 this morning. Breckyn called me last night. That's who called when I left Lorne's office." I took a drink of my coffee and then walked to my closet. I grabbed my black and green plaid shirt I had on the day before. I smelled it, it still smelled okay. I really didn't have anyone to impress before the show anyways. I put it on and then threw on my khaki shorts. 

"Really? How did that conversation go? Is she ready to go public?" Higgins asked as I slipped on some shoes and sat back down on the couch. I gave a fake laugh. "Hardly. Apparently there was a nasty TMZ segment of us on last night. Look at my laptop, its probably still pulled up on there." Higgins refreshed my laptop page and pretty soon I heard the segment start up. He finished watching it and then looked at me. "Ouch, man, that's got to hurt." 

"No kidding, she called and ripped me a new one, man. She thought I actually said those things about her and that I was seeking therapy with Nance. She was really hurt, too. She said that it was hard to trust what I was saying because she had just met me, and I mean, she's right Higgins. If I had the past that she had, and please, don't ask me to repeat it, because its not my place to tell anyone. Besides, if I have to repeat that story, I might lose my mind. Let's just say a woman like her, or any woman for that matter, should never have to live with anything like that. But, if I had the past that she had, I would have a hard time trusting ANYONE, let alone someone you just met." I finished my coffee and walked back to my closet. I grabbed my Brooklyn Nets hat off a shelf and threw it onto my head, wearing it backwards. I wasn't in the mood to deal with my bed head at the moment. Let hair and make up fix me up later. 

"Did you tell her the truth? Did you tell her that it was all a load of bull?" Steve asked as he stood up and began walking towards the door. 

"Of course I did. I told her that they hadn't even contacted me, which by the way, remind me to get a hold of those assholes at TMZ and let them have it, please. I told her that I would never say that about anyone, let alone her. I mean, "crazed fan?" I would never talk about my fans like that. I certainly wouldn't talk about Breckyn like that. I mean, I kissed her, clearly. It was just  TMZ trying to turn the tables to make themselves look good." I said as I led Higgins out the door. I closed the door behind us and Steve walked into his office.  "Then she asked me to do her a favor." Higgins walked over to his desk and sat down and began to go through his emails. I sat in the chair across from him. He looked at me. "What was the favor, Jim?" 

I was messing with the buttons on my shirt when I looked up at him. "She wants me to take some time and think about what I really want. She said she doesn't want to be responsible for keeping me away from Win or keeping a family apart. She said she doesn't want to be the reason why I lose my job. I mean, I understand where she is coming from, I do. If it were the other way around, I would feel the same way, but she's not breaking up a family. We were already divorced before she ever fell into my lap, literally. Nancy would never keep Winnie from me either. She's not like that. I mean, I suppose I COULD lose my job over this, but I mean, this is my choice. She isn't responsible for that, you know? She told me she was going to leave me alone for a few days to make my choice. She didn't want me making any rash decisions, I guess." I took my hat off and ran my hand through my hair, sticking my hat on my kneecap.