Chapter 43

Her body softened towards his, before pulling away. She ran a few steps away and threw up in the alley. “Wes, what the actual hell?” she yelled. 

“I needed closure. I never got a goodbye kiss.”

“Well, you got one, now GOODBYE! Justin and I are engaged. Did you really think kissing me was going to change that? I may be drunk, but I’m not stupid. Goodbye Wes. Forever. I never want to see you again.”

She walked into the hotel and up to the room. Justin was reviewing performances. “How was the party?”

“Fine. I drank, a LOT.  Like, a LOT.” Jenn admitted.

“Everything ok?” Justin asked. 

“I don’t wanna talk about it. I wanna chug some water and crawl into bed.”

“Jenn?”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking we could go to that Winchester Mystery place tomorrow. You could show me around. We can go first thing in the morning.”

“Sounds great. Sorry, I threw up outside the hotel, I really just need to sleep,” Jenn sighed. 

“OK. I love you.”

“I love you too.”  He pulled her close for a kiss. She sunk into him, and he carried her to bed. She passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. 

…

The next morning, Jenn wasn’t the first of them awake. Justin ordered some breakfast sent to the room. Jenn woke up to the knock on the door from room service. She was slow to sit up in bed, her head swirling from last night. 

“Good Morning, sunshine,” he whispered. She made a grumpy face at him. “Just how much did you have last night?”

“I think 6, no, 7 BIG cups,” she said

“Whoa. I’m surprised you’re awake right now.”

“Yeah. Thanks for breakfast. Hopefully this helps.”

“I’m telling Angela you get a two drink max tonight to pace yourself,” he said. “Why drink so much? Were you ever a big drinker?”

“No. Last night? Yes. Drama, lots of drama. Ugh…”

“Everything ok with the girls?”

“Yeah. Someone else.”

“What happened?”

“Followed me, I didn’t want to talk, still followed me, hard to remember everything. I don’t even remember getting here. I was relieved when I saw where I was, that you were here.”

“One of the girls must have walked you back, I’m sure.  Well, eat up and let’s go see this famous Winchester House.”

She had honestly forgotten what had happened last night. That was the most she’d ever had to drink, and it did what she’d wanted it to do. Black out her memory after she’d drank so much. She could remember just a couple drinks in, but not the end of the night. 

She ate her breakfast, slowly. She was still sobering up, drinking tea and lots of water. She had a quick shower and was soon ready to go. Justin drove while she gave directions. It was like she’d never left, giving directions perfectly. 

“So how does this work?” he asked. 

“We buy tickets for a certain tour time. We stay with our guide for the whole tour. You pay extra for access to all the tours. You can just do the garden tours, but it’s self guided and doesn’t go inside. It’s ok, but nothing compared to the tour of the house,” she explained.

Justin bought the mansion tour, the first one of the day. They were led into the gift shop before walking to where the tour started. Justin had on a hoodie and baseball cap to try and keep his identity hidden. When they got to the tour area, and saw it was a handful of people, he eased up. 

“Being here early on a weekday was probably the best choice you could have made, babe,” Jenn said. 

The tour started, he actually enjoyed the house, the detail she put into it just to please spirits. He appreciated the craftsmanship and overall design, even down to getting smaller stairs put in because she was old and short. He didn’t like the shorter doorways though, but he managed. 

The tour finished, and they went to the arena. 

Jenn’s phone buzzed. When can we come to the arena? Where do we go?

“It’s the girls, wondering when and how to get backstage.” Jenn said. 

“They can come any time, down this street here, I think it’s Autumn? There’s a driveway towards the back of the building.”

“Oh yeah. I’ve stood out here after Sharks games to get autographs,” Jenn recalled. “I’ll let them know.”

They got settled in the dressing room, Angela was already there making sure things were ready. The girls were brought in by security, confirming their approved clearance. 

“You girls hungry? I’m gonna hit craft services for some food,” Justin offered. 

“I’ll take some. You know the stuff I like,” Jenn said. 

“Are you ok after all your drinking last night?” Leah asked. 

“I mean, I got home alright, thanks to you.”

“None of us got you home,” they said hesitantly. 

“Well, I’m here safe and sound, so couldn’t have been too bad.”

“I just want to know who invited Wes,” Michelle fumed. “As if he deserved to be there like nothing had happened.”

“Wait, your EX was there last night?” Angela gasped. 

“Aren’t you Justin’s assistant? How do you know that?” Kelly asked. 

“We’re friends. She’s going to be a bridesmaid too,” Jenn stated firmly. 

“Oh god. It’s all coming together. Wes walked me to the hotel. He held my hand so I didn’t end up walking in the street. He said he wanted me back, he still missed me.”

“As if he has any right to be NEAR you.” Kelly sneered. 

“Then, he kissed me.”

“WHAT?!” Justin roared as he walked into the room.