Who knows, maybe Jaden did want to know that Bob's tie was "seriously ugly."
I was nearly finished with the notes when a loud knock sounded at the door. I looked up and saw Darla glaring at me through the glass.
Damn it.
Still, I tried to smile as I called, "Come on in."
She pushed open the door and said, "I'm not coming in. I'm just letting you know that I'm leaving for the day."
On instinct, I glanced toward the clock and felt my eyebrows furrow. It wasn't even four o'clock.
Darla said, "What, you're checking up on me?"
"Sorry, what?"
"I saw you look at the clock."
Oh, for crying out loud. "Was I not supposed to?"
She pursed her lips. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised."
I sighed. "Okay, what am I missing?"
"I’m just saying, I know you're a tattle-tale."
"A tattle-tale?" I had to laugh. "What are we? In grade-school?"
She crossed her arms. "Did you, or did you not tell Jaden that I was causing a ruckus?"
"I didn't tell him anything."
She gave me a look. "You sure about that?"
"I just mentioned that you were here – and only because he asked."
She gave a little sniff. "Likely story."
I'd had just about enough. I pushed myself up and said, "If you've got a problem with me, why don't you just say so?"
"Alright," she said. "I've got a problem with you." She gave me a smug smile. "There, you happy?"
"Thrilled."
"Yeah, and you're a little snot, too."
I so didn't want to argue with her. "Listen," I said, "I know we got off on the wrong foot—"
"You're telling me," she snapped. "And just so you know, my daughter's not a 'horrible person.'"
"Okay, fine, I'm sorry, but what she did was pretty terrible."
Darla lifted her chin but made no reply.
I tried again. "She lied to me about my friend. I was worried sick. Don't you think that's at least a little terrible?"
"No," Darla said. "What I think is that you and your friend are all hot and heavy for my boys."
I blinked. "Your boys? You don't mean—"
"Who? Jax and Jaden? Yeah, that's exactly who I mean."
Now, I was seriously confused. "So, you're their mom? Really?"
"I might as well be," she said. "And just so you know, they were doing perfectly fine before you and your hussy friend showed up."
I felt my gaze narrow. "Cassidy's not a hussy."
"Yeah? Well, my daughter's not a terrible person. So now you know how I feel."
"But that's totally different," I said. "Cassidy hasn't done anything to you."
"Wanna bet?" Darla gave snort of disgust. "She got my daughter fired."
"That's not true," I protested. Or at least, I was pretty sure it wasn't true.
"Sure it is," Darla said. "If it weren't for your friend, Morgan would still be here. And you wouldn't be in her seat."
Cripes, again with the seat?
This time, I didn't bother pointing out that I was actually standing.
As Darla launched into another series of complaints, I recalled what Jaden had told me on the phone, that if anyone gave me trouble, I should let him know. But I hated the idea of letting him fight my battles.
As it was, he'd already fought my battle with Bryce.
And with Stuart.
Plus, there was the little matter of him being in Miami with, holy hell, his sister?
As Darla went on, I desperately tried to assemble the pieces of their family puzzle. Thanks to Cassidy, I knew that Jaden's brother had actually dated Morgan for a while.
So they couldn't be real siblings.
What did that mean?
Were they step-siblings?
If so, where did the Miami trip fit into all of this? Was it romantic? Or some sort of family getaway?
The questions were still swirling in my head when Darla said, "You're not gonna land him, you know."
"Who?"
"You know who," she said. "I see the way you look at him."
Okay, this was beyond ridiculous. "If you're talking about Jaden," I said, "there's nothing to see. And besides, you've only seen us in the same room one time for like five whole minutes."
"Yeah, and I heard how that went."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, after I left, you tried to jump him."
Obviously, she was referring to the scene at his house, where I'd taken a flying leap in his direction. But it wasn't the way she made it sound.
And besides, that was mostly for show anyway.
When I made no reply, she gave me a smug smile. "I see you've got no answer to that."
"What do you want me to say?" I threw up my hands. "It was just a misunderstanding, that's all. And honestly, it's not like I was throwing myself at him."
"Says you."
"No. Says everyone who was there."
"I'm just saying, he deserves a nice girl."
I didn't bother hiding my disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"Why not?" she demanded.
"Because…" I almost didn't know how to say it. I had to remind myself that Jaden was my boss, and she was his, well, I didn't know what, but I did know that she wouldn’t appreciate my insights on any of this.
Finally, I muttered, "You know what? I'm not discussing it."
"Good," she said. "Then you can listen."
"To what?"
"To some friendly advice."
I gave a bark of laughter. "Friendly? Seriously? You're one of the least friendly people I've ever met."
"Yeah, well you're no prize yourself. At least I don't go around jumping people."
Well, there was that.
But in my own defense, I really wasn't the violent type. That whole spectacle at Jaden's house was unlike anything I'd ever done. And even then, I'd been motivated mostly by concern for Cassidy.
I felt my gaze narrow. "Yeah, well you would've done the same thing in my shoes."
She straightened. "Honey, your feet are too big for my shoes."
I looked down. My feet were actually on the small side. With the desk between us, I couldn’t see her feet, but judging from her height, our feet were probably similar in size.
But what did this have to do with anything?
I muttered, "Better big feet than a big mouth."
"Yeah, well you've got one of those, too."
"What?"
"I'm just saying, I heard you were yelling so loud, you rattled the windows."
Gee, you flip out one time…
I gave her a look. "Is there a point to all this?"
"No point," she said. "I'm just warning you, that if you think you can weasel your way into his pants, you're wrong."
"His pants?" I sputtered. "Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
"Trust me," I said. "His pants are safe."
"They'd better be," she said. "He's a nice young man. And he deserves a nice girl." Her gaze narrowed. "And honey, you're not it."
And with that, she turned and strode toward the exit, leaving one final parting shot in her wake. "See you tomorrow."
Chapter 30
Cassidy was laughing. "A nice young man? Seriously?"
I nodded. "Swear to God."
I'd been home from work for only twenty minutes, and I'd spent most of those minutes griping about my crappy day at the office.
On the sofa, Cassidy was still laughing. "Oh, my God, I can't even imagine."
"Can't imagine what?" I asked.
"Jaden being nice or young. He's one of the most jaded people I've ever met."
"Yeah, well, according to Darla, I'm even worse." I kicked off my shoes and sank deeper into the armchair. "Can you believe, she called me a snot?"
Cassidy snickered. "No."
I gave her a look. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing," she said. "But you've got to admit, you were pretty
snotty when you met her."
"Well yeah," I said. "But she totally had it coming. And now, she's acting like I'm the crazy one, when it's so obvious that Jaden is ten times crazier than I could ever be."
Cassidy leaned forward. "Hey, if you ever want to make him really crazy, you know what you should do?"
"What?"
"Mention marriage."
"What do you mean?"
As I listened, Cassidy went on to tell me a little more about the night she'd met both brothers for the first time. They'd been wearing tuxes, and she'd assumed they were on their way to a wedding.
But it wasn't until Cassidy had mentioned the possibility of it being Jaden's wedding that she'd gotten a real rise out of him.
Now, sitting on the sofa, she did a fairly decent imitation of him, saying, "Marriage? Me? God, no." She laughed and continued in her own voice. "Or however he put it. I'm just saying, he was so horrified, like I suggested he have sex with a donkey or something."
I frowned. Well, that was an image I didn't need.
Still, I saw what she meant. "You want to hear something really horrifying?" I said. "Think of the poor gal who does end up with him." I gave a little shudder. "I can't even imagine."
And yet, I could imagine other things, like the honeymoon. To my extreme annoyance, the thought induced a shiver of a different kind, a warm shiver that went all the way to my toes.
I tried not to think about it.
On the sofa, Cassidy was saying, "It's a good thing he's so against it then."
"Yeah. No kidding." But the topic did remind me of something. "Hey, a question… Is Darla their mom?"
Cassidy's brow wrinkled in confusion. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Because, get this, Darla called both of them 'her boys.'"
But already, Cassidy was shaking her head. "No. They can't be related."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because Jax and Morgan were a thing."
"I know," I said. "But maybe they're step-siblings."
Cassidy gave it some thought. And then, after a long moment, she said, "No. Definitely not."
"How can you be sure?" I asked.
"Because neither brother referred to Morgan as their sister. And even with Darla, it's not like she told Jax, 'You fired your sister.' She said, 'You fired my daughter' -- or something to that effect."
I saw what Cassidy meant. "If you find out," I said, "will you let me know?"
Cassidy laughed. "You'll probably find out before I do. I mean, you work for them. I don't."
At the reminder, I felt that all-too familiar pang of guilt. "Yeah, but you could've."
"Oh, forget that," she said with a happy smile. "Guess what?"
"What?"
As I listened, she went on to tell me that she'd just found a job. Starting tomorrow, she'd be working as a waitress at a bar and grill located within walking distance of our new apartment.
She looked glad, which made me feel glad, too. After congratulating her, I said, "But why didn't you tell me right away?"
"Because," she said, "the Jaden thing was a lot more interesting."
On this, she had a point. It was interesting, like a train-wreck, with lots of screaming and twisted metal.
As we chatted back and forth, Cassidy also mentioned that she'd gotten the job out of the blue, without even applying.
I asked, "But how is that possible?"
She shrugged. "I've been making the rounds. I'm guessing someone knew someone. Funny how that works, huh?"
It was funny, even more than Cassidy realized – as I learned later that same week.
Chapter 31
It was late Friday afternoon, and I was beyond eager for the week to end. The last few days had been quiet, but stressful, with both brothers out of town and Darla working in the neighboring office.
By unspoken agreement, the two of us weren't talking – not even a basic good morning to start off each day.
Obviously, she wanted me to feel unwelcome and was doing a pretty good job of driving the point home. She still had visitors, but there was no cake, and no large, noisy crowds. And yet, it was pretty obvious that she'd told everyone far and wide that I was someone to be avoided at all costs.
By the end of the week, I was almost anxious for Jaden to return. Oh sure, he was rude and unpleasant, and a giant smartass, but at least he never acted like I didn't exist. And for that, I was grateful.
How pathetic was that?
Each day, he checked in by phone. And each day, I told him that everything was fine. Whether he believed me or not, I had no idea.
I didn't ask what he was doing or if he was having fun in Miami with the horrible person who may or may not be his own step-sister.
Instead, I gave him a daily rundown of his messages, along with notes from the meetings that he'd asked me to attend on his behalf.
It was funny in a way. When I'd first met him, I'd assumed that he was just as shallow as he looked. But now, after only a few days on the job, it was beyond obvious that he was a real driving force in the company's success.
I could tell by the messages – from suppliers, from advertisers, from distribution centers, and on and on – that he was more than just some figurehead or namesake. Already, I felt slightly embarrassed that I'd assumed he was some muscle-bound pretty boy with no ambitions other than to drive people crazy.
Still, I had to admit, he was obnoxiously good at that, too – driving people crazy, that is. Or maybe it was just me.
Even from Miami, he delivered little pokes and prods over the phone – the crack about me being pint-sized and the veiled references to trucks, sandwiches, and psychos on doorsteps.
Maybe I was a psycho, because I was almost starting to look forward to his calls. I liked sparring with him, and I had a sneaky suspicion that he felt the same way – probably because everyone else seemed so afraid of him.
It was no wonder.
I had, after all, seen how he'd acted with my ex-boyfriend, and more recently, my old boss. In truth, he had been a little scary.
It was nearly five o'clock when Darla appeared suddenly in my doorway and said, "How's your friend?"
I almost fell out of my chair. She'd been utterly silent – to me, anyway – for three whole days, and now she wanted to pass the time?
I wasn't buying it.
Even now, she had several visitors hanging out near her office. If she only wanted to make conversation, she wouldn’t be bothering with me.
So obviously, there was something more to her simple question. But what?
Carefully, I said, "If you mean Cassidy, she's fine. Why do you ask?"
Darla gave me a look that was all innocence. "Do I need a reason?"
No. What you need is a giant kick in the pants.
But I didn't say it. For one thing, she was wearing a dress. And for another, I'd been working here for only one week, including today. It seemed a little soon to be joking about violence in the workplace. Plus, knowing Darla, she wouldn't take it as a joke.
Rather, she'd use it as one more thing to make everyone avoid me. I could practically hear it now. "She threatened to kick me. Can you believe it?"
At the door to my office, she demanded, "Are you gonna answer or not?"
I gave it some thought. "Nope."
She was glaring now. "Why not?"
"Because I figured the question was rhetorical."
She placed her hands on her hips. "Well, it wasn't."
I sighed. "Alright, fine." Using my overly patient voice, I said, "No. You don't need a reason to ask about her, but I know that you're not fond of her, so it is a bit curious."
Darla gave me a thin smile. "Yes. It is curious, isn't it?"
Something in her tone was setting off warning bells. I asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," she said, "it's really curious that your friend was offered a job when she didn't even apply. Don't you think?"
I leaned forward in my chair. "Wait, how did you know that?"
She smiled again. "I know lots of things."
My gaze narrowed. "Like what?"
"Well, for starters, I know who owns the place where she works."
"Really? Who?"
Darla made a show of looking around. "Who do you think?"
Oh, no. "Don't tell me…they own it?"
"Maybe. But you didn't hear it from me."
"But…" I was trying to think. "…how'd you know that Cassidy was hired?"
"Oh, I know lots of things."
No doubt, she did.
"Great," I snapped. "Are you gonna share any of them?"
With feigned innocence, she asked, "Like what?"
I gave her a look. "Like whatever you know about Cassidy's job."
Darla said, "I know she didn't get it on her own."
"So, how did she get it?"
"From a phone call."
"Sorry, what?"
"Jax called the manager on her behalf."
I sat back. "He did?"
"And not only that," Darla said. "He ordered the guy to give her a job." With her thumb, Darla pointed over her shoulder to Jaden's office. "They fought about it, you know."
"Who fought?"
"Jax and Jaden."
"But why would they fight?"
"Because," Darla said, "Jax wanted to find your friend an even better job, something here at corporate."
I felt my gaze narrow. "And Jaden didn't?"
Darla was smiling again. "No. He didn't."
What a jerk.
Against my better judgment, I said, "But why?"
Her smile vanished. "Because Jaden knows what I know."
"Which is…?"
"That your friend is trouble, and so are you." Her chin lifted. "If you ask me, she's lucky she got any job at all."
I pushed myself up from my chair. "No. They're lucky to get someone so qualified."
Darla made a sound of disbelief. "Is that so?"
"Definitely." My voice rose. "Cassidy's incredible, and really nice, too – which you'd know if you gave her half a chance."
"Why would I bother?" she said. "She'll be gone before you know it." Her eyes narrowed to slits. "And so will you."
My jaw tightened. "Is that a threat?"
"Oh, please," she said. "I don't need to 'threaten' either one of you. You're a psycho, and your friend's a hussy. You'll be sinking your own ships without any help from me."
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 13