by Reese Ryan
She nods. “She knew I was looking for work. Our finances were a mess. I didn’t want to tell you guys, but we were weeks from losing our house.”
I knew Marcus wasn’t having much success with his job search and that his internet business hadn’t panned out. But I never imagined things had become so precarious for my sister. “Why didn’t you say anything? I could’ve helped.”
“I know, but we really needed to do this on our own.”
I can’t help but think that by “we” she means “she.”
“I’m a grown woman with children of my own. I didn’t want to go running to Mommy or big sis for a handout.”
“I get it,” I say.
Mimi knows we’d do anything for her and the kids. But the assistance would have been accompanied by a healthy dose of criticism of Marcus. Maybe that’s why she didn’t ask for our help. She doesn’t want us to think any less of him. I admire her strength and loyalty to Marcus, though right now I’m not sure he deserves it.
“So, Jaxson found out I needed a job desperately,” she continues. “He called and asked me to meet him for lunch. I refused, but he was insistent. He said he really needed my help. We met for coffee, and he gave me this song and dance about how he had to have someone he could rely on to fill an HR position, and didn’t I do an HR internship in college? He asked me to do it as a favor to him. He never mentioned talking to Miranda.”
“That was uncharacteristically selfless of him.” There’s a twinge in my chest. Mimi and Jax were about as fond of each other as Tom and Jerry. The thought of him going out of his way to do something so amazing for my sister melts the ice from my heart the tiniest little bit. “So how’d you find out Miranda lobbied Jax to hire you?”
“She spilled the beans after I’d taken the job. She didn’t realize he hadn’t told me.”
“Does Jaxson know?”
“I confronted him about it after Miranda told me. He was disappointed I knew. Said he didn’t want me to feel indebted or to change the dynamics of our relationship.”
“What relationship? You’ve always hated him.”
“He’s aware of that. He said he did it out of his love and respect for you.” She says these words carefully, gauging my reaction to them.
I shift uncomfortably, unsure what to say. I’ve put so much energy into my hatred of Jaxson. It’s unsettling to have the scales tip in his favor twice in one day.
“I took him at his word,” she continues. “I treat him cordially, but not like a friend. He’s a decent boss and he’s good at what he does.”
“Do you believe him?” I ask her. “About doing it for me?”
Mimi sighs and fiddles with the ruffle of her sleeve. “I think he did this as a way to say he’s sorry for screwing you over. I also think he hoped he’d be able to keep tabs on you.”
“He’s been asking about me?”
Mimi rolls her eyes and nods. “I give cryptic responses. I didn’t even tell him you were back in town. I never told you what he did for me because I didn’t want you to forgive him. He doesn’t deserve it. Maybe that makes me a heartless bitch, but I can’t help how I feel. You don’t fuck with my sister and get away with it.”
I’m satisfied with my sister’s apology. Besides, I can’t stay mad at her. I need her right now.
I shift in my seat and fold my legs underneath me. Mimi sits there patiently. Waiting. She places the melting ice pack in a ceramic bowl on the side table.
“It’s been five years since we were together. I thought I was over him. But the moment I saw him...” I pause, blinking back tears. Mimi puts her arm around me and I bury my face in her shoulder. Tears drip onto her blouse. “It was awful. Every ounce of pain...it was all there.”
Mimi rubs my shoulder and wipes away tears. She kisses the top of my head, like Dad used to. “It was a devastating breakup. It’s only natural you’re still feeling some anger and resentment.”
“I wanted to take a chair and slam it over his head. Instead, I let him walk me back here.”
“Jaxson was here? Today?”
I nod, wiping tears away with the back of my hand. “This deal is an incredible opportunity for me, for our firm. I can’t let my personal feelings get in the way. I have to show Damien he made the right choice by selecting me for this job.”
“You sure you can handle this, Mel? It’s a lot to ask of anyone.” She frowns.
I cross the room and take a handful of paper towels from the kitchen. “Every meeting with Jaxson will not end like this. He’s a means to an end for me. It’s just that...I can deal with hating his guts. What I can’t handle... What I didn’t expect is that I still have feelings for him.” Tears sting my eyes. I swallow hard, trying to fight them back. “He held my hand, and all these feelings came rushing back.”
I sit in the chair across from Mimi and wipe my face with the rough, brown paper towel. “I knew I could keep it together if I just held on to my resentment. But he apologized—a sincere apology, not the bullshit excuses he used to give. I lost it. How could I still have feelings for him after everything he’s done to me? Now he wants to apologize, and I melt into a fucking puddle.”
Mimi sits on the edge of the couch. “You’re going to scrape your skin off with that thing.” She squeezes the rag out into the bowl and then tosses it to me. “Wipe your face with this.”
The cold cloth soothes the irritated skin on my face, nose and eyelids. I look across the room at my sister. She’s silent, her face etched with concern.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not going to do anything stupid.” She looks unconvinced. “Nothing is going to happen between us. Jaxson is married, and I respect that—even if I hate that skeezoid.”
Mimi raises an eyebrow.
I stand and pace the floor. “Okay, so I haven’t always made good decisions where he’s concerned. But I’m not going to have an affair with him. What happened between us is over. I’m grateful to him for helping my little sister, no matter why he did it. But our time has passed. He’s married and I’m—”
“Still in love with him,” Mimi interrupts.
“I am not in love with him. I said I still had feelings for him. I didn’t say I plan to bed him down. Everything’ll be fine. He has his wife, and I’ve got my work.”
“What if he didn’t? Then what?”
I turn to look at her. “What’re you saying?”
Mimi wrings her hands. “I’m saying he’s no longer married.”
“What?”
“I didn’t know until today. Not that it matters because you’re not in love with him anymore, right?” Her gaze is hopeful.
I sit down again and put my hand to my forehead. The swelling has gone down, but suddenly I feel foggy.
“He scheduled that vacation almost a year ago. I knew he’d been looking rough lately. Not his usual, happy-go-lucky self. I figured they were just having problems. Apparently they’ve been separated for six months. Their divorce was finalized last month.”
“He’s divorced?” My head is throbbing. “I mentioned his wife twice today. Why didn’t he say anything?”
“Maybe he intends to win her back or something. I don’t know. What I do know is this guy is kryptonite for you, always has been. You’ve got so much going for you, Mel. I don’t want to see you end up a basket case or run off to God knows where again.”
“You’re being melodramatic.”
“No, I’m not!” Mimi slaps the couch then purses her lips and crosses her arms. “You’re home. We’re a family again. Please don’t let him ruin it.” Mimi crosses the room, kneels and hugs me.
“My relationship with Jaxson will remain strictly professional. I promise,” I say, almost believing it.
I look down at my sister. She’s completely unconvinced. I bite my lip and let out a deep sigh. I�
��ve kept my relationship with Raine from her ’til now, but it’s the only card I have left to play. “There’s something I need to tell you, but you have to swear you won’t blab to Mom.”
“What is it?” Mimi furrows her brow and wrinkles her nose.
“Promise first.”
“Okay, I promise,” she says begrudgingly but then adds, “unless it’s something life and death or completely insane.” She slides onto the couch. “So what’s the big secret?”
“I’m seeing someone. Well, not exactly seeing him—”
“What do you mean, ‘not exactly seeing him’? You aren’t involved in some prison pen-pal thing are you?”
“Oh my God, you are so Mom.” I sigh. “No, Mimi, things haven’t gotten quite that bad yet.”
“Sorry. I just saw a special about women who get caught up in prison romances.” She lets out a sigh of relief. “Go ahead. Explain.”
I narrow my eyes at my sister. The switched-at-birth theory suddenly seems quite viable. I rub my forehead and sigh. “I was seeing someone right before I left San Francisco. We’ve decided to try a long-distance relationship.”
“You’ve got a boyfriend?” She moves to the edge of her seat.
“We’re not sure what this is yet,” I admit. “We’re taking things slow, trying to see where it goes.”
“So who is this guy? Tell me about him.”
“His name is Raine. He runs the nonprofit organization I refer candidates to who aren’t right for J&G.”
“I remember him!” Mimi claps her hands together, excited about any romantic prospects for me that don’t include Jaxson Payne. “It’s too bad about the move,” she says. “Not that you came home. I’m glad you did. Just the timing, I mean.”
“Serves us both right. Jamie always says I should go for something if I really want it. I guess I never realized how much I did.”
Mimi hugs me. “I’m happy for you. And if this thing with Raine is meant to be, you two will find a way to work it out.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Mimi puts on her biggest smile for me. “I do.”
I force a smile, glad to see my sister relieved. Maybe now she’ll be more comfortable with me working with Jaxson.
At least that makes one of us.
Chapter Fifteen
The past two weeks have been slightly insane. I’ve had countless meetings with potential clients, trying to entice them with my history of successful candidate placements and woo them with overpriced lunches at some of the best restaurants in town.
Jaxson’s boss is the owner of both the Monarchs and the Cavaliers. Jax offered to let me use his primo Cavs seats to woo clients. I hated to use them, but I had to. And it was those tickets that sealed the deal with two of my newest clients. Our office has doubled new placement contracts over the past several weeks. Damien is pleased, but I find myself increasingly indebted to Jax.
While I’ve been wining and dining potential J&G clients, Jax has been wining and dining me. I won’t lie, those first few meetings were painful, like walking on jagged shards of broken glass. Each time I’d return home feeling bruised, bloody and raw. But eventually the knot in my stomach loosened and the fingers that seemed to grip my heart slowly unclenched. Almost imperceptibly, my feelings for him began to shift. I no longer see Jax as a fanged werewolf. He’s a savvy businessman and a devoted father. And he still possesses that dangerous, four-alarm sex appeal that often requires one to fan herself. Or maybe that’s just me.
Jax and I have had several working dinners over the past month. Yet we manage to spend a lot of time just talking, which is what we find ourselves doing over a meal at one of his favorite restaurants, a local steakhouse.
He leans across the table and scrolls through his phone, showing me the latest pictures of his two daughters—Casey, who’s five, and Madison, who’s three. They’re adorable. Jaxson talks incessantly about the girls but rarely mentions his wife, Gina, and has yet to admit they’re divorced. I pretend not to know. It’s safer this way. He sighs. “Casey wants to become a cheerleader for the neighborhood peewee football team.”
“They start that young?” I spear some field greens and shove them in my mouth.
“Unfortunately.” He cringes as he takes a swig of his cognac and cranberry juice. “It’s insane. They’re little girls. They should be playing with dolls and riding a Big Wheel.”
“Do they still make those?” I laugh, remembering how I’d fly down the street on mine, four puffy braids streaming behind me, and Mimi screaming for me to slow down so she could catch up.
“Yes, and they’re as loud now as they were then.” He frowns. “My mom bought them for the girls last Christmas. I think that’s her way of paying me back for trampling her garden with mine when I was seven.”
My shoulders shake with a quiet snicker. “God, that sounds like Alice,” I say.
“It certainly does,” he agrees. “By the way, Mom sends her regards. She also asked me to give you a hug and a—”
I hold up my hand. “Just tell her I said hello and return the favor for me.”
“She’s still mad at me, you know. About you.” He takes another sip of his drink. “If I hadn’t finally given her grandkids, she’d probably have written me out of her will by now.”
“Your mom’s a wonderful lady.” I give him a restrained smile. “And she always was a very good judge of character.”
His deep chuckle resonates throughout our section of the restaurant, and I can’t help but smile. I’ve always loved that laugh.
“So are you going to let Casey be a cheerleader?” I take the lemon off the side of my glass and squeeze it into my water before replacing it.
“Not if I can help it.” He scrolls through the pictures again and lands on one of his daughter in a little cheerleader outfit. “But it’s pretty hard to say no to that face.”
I peer at the photo of Casey and smile. She has her father’s gorgeous brown skin and determined eyes. “She’s beautiful,” I say.
“Thanks—”
“Braised beef short rib osso bucco.” A server places a large, steaming hot plate in front of Jax then offers him fresh pepper. Another server sets a plate in front of me. “Chilean sea bass with mashed cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.”
“Thank you.” I nod.
“I still can’t believe you like those things.” Jax wrinkles his nose and nods toward the Brussels sprouts. “They smell nasty.”
I laugh, remembering how he’d complain when I cooked them. “They’re an acquired taste. Not unlike beer.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” He smiles broadly. “Are you sure I can’t get you a drink? A meal that lovely deserves an equally impressive pairing.”
“Your drink does look good.” I look longingly at his glass.
“Try it.” Jax thrusts the glass toward me.
I don’t raise my hands to accept it. My eyes linger on the rim where his lips were moments ago. Drinking from his glass seems too intimate. I don’t want to give him the wrong impression. But when I glance up and see that broad smile and those gleaming white teeth against his gorgeous skin... I sigh. I’m putting my lips where his have been, not directly on them. I’m being silly. Wrapping my fingers around the cold, highball glass, I take a sip.
“Mmm... This is good,” I say. “I’ll have one of these.”
“Just keep that one.” One corner of his mouth turns up in a mischievous grin. Then he licks his bottom lip and nods at the glass, not quite two-thirds full. “We both know you can’t handle much more than that.”
God, I hate him for knowing me so well. And for wearing that fucking adorable smirk while he’s doing it.
He calls our server over so he can order another drink. She stares at him like he’s the last slice of apple pie on t
his side of the Mississippi, or like she’s going to hump his leg. I can’t really be sure which. However, there’s no mistaking the look she gives me. It’s pure contempt served with a side of “fuck you.” It may not be safe to eat my food, but this sea bass is orgasmically delicious. At least I’ll die happy.
Broomhilda—the name I assign our server in my head—returns with another drink for Jax and one last sneer for me. We go back to chatting about his girls, my family and what I miss about San Francisco. We even manage to squeeze in some actual work.
“Your sister has really come into her own since you’ve returned home,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
Jax looks at me, head tilted, one eyebrow raised. “Her interior design consulting.”
“Oh, that.” I certainly wasn’t going to tell Mimi’s boss that she’d been taking on design jobs. Since he apparently already knows, there’s no point in lying about it. “It keeps her busy on the weekends, and she’s pretty damned amazing. She designed my place and our office.”
“She did that?” He sounds impressed. “Hmm... She does do good work. Of course, I haven’t seen your place.”
I ignore his comment and the accompanying smirk that makes his eyes gleam. “How’d you know about Mimi’s interior design consulting?”
“It’s all the rage at the office. She’s done some work for a couple of the players and one of the coaches.”
“And why do you think this has something to do with me?”
“Doesn’t it?” He raises an eyebrow, smiling.
I redirect the conversation back to his daughters, since I doubt Mimi would appreciate me chatting with him about her blossoming business. Jaxson’s eyes seem lit from within as he tells me a story about Casey and Madison bringing frogs home from the creek behind their house. Who is this man and what’s he done with the real Jaxson Payne? The man who called children a nuisance and rolled his eyes when our friends pulled out pictures of their kids.
Jax’s transformation from a narcissist jerk to a doting father is stunning. When we were together, he acted as if he were the center of the universe. It was one of the primary reasons my mother disliked him. “What kind of father would he be, honey?” she’d say.