by Robin Kaye
“You’re lucky you didn’t kill yourselves. I suspect Jaime had his hand in this too?”
“No, sir.”
Teddy gave him his I’m-not-buying-your-bullshit stare.
“He was an accomplice after the fact. I didn’t give him much of a choice—he either had to back me or rat me out.”
“That’s not a good position to put a friend in, and you know it.”
“I was desperate.”
“I hope you can live with whatever it was you did. I hope it was worth it. And I hope, for your sake, you can make this right, because if I ever see that look in my little girl’s eyes again and know you put it there . . .” He shook his head. “Get up, and let’s go. Grace is waiting on me, and damned if I know what to tell her.”
The problem was, neither did he.
“And you might want to hide the evidence before we leave, son, because knowing Grace, she and Addie will be up here to clean. There are some things a parent just doesn’t want to know.”
Jax tossed the box of condoms into the drawer with the others and groaned at the expression on Teddy’s face. He’d seen all three boxes. What could he say? Telling Teddy that his daughter bought them and was unsure of the size smacked of throwing Kendall under the proverbial bus, but he didn’t want Teddy to think he was a total horn dog either. “It’s not what it looks like—”
Teddy held up his hand. “I do not want to know.”
Boots hit Jax in the chest none too gently. He didn’t bother saying anything; he just stuffed his feet in them. “I’m going to brush my teeth.”
“Fine. I’ll get some soapy water and go wash down the porch.”
“Teddy, can you please just leave me here? I can’t tell you anything until Kendall does. . . . I can’t break her confidence.”
“No, son. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I refuse to keep anything from Grace.”
“You never told her about the joyride.”
“Let’s just say you and Jaime weren’t the only ones who learned a hard lesson that day. Lies of omission are still lies. And that’s a slippery slope.”
“Yeah, I figured that one out on my own.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kendall threw her Jeep in four-wheel drive and took off, stopping in front of Jaime’s place. She knew he was home; both his trucks were out front. She didn’t bother knocking, and just walked in. “Jaime, where are you?”
“Kendall?” He stepped out of the kitchen, holding a dishtowel. “Hey, gorgeous. What’s up?”
“I came to collect something.” She stepped close and leaned in like she was going to kiss his cheek or whisper in his ear—right before she grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the balls, knocking the air right out of him. “You son of a bitch. I know Jax put you up to it, but, shit, Jaime, we’re not children anymore. I thought you were my friend. What kind of friend would knowingly allow another friend to make a fool of me?”
He croaked something that sounded like an apology.
“I guess friends don’t usually knee each other in the balls either, so now we’re even.”
“Kenny,” he limped over to her and grabbed her arm. “Listen to me, dammit. I don’t know what went down between you and Jax, and I don’t want to know. I really, really don’t.” He shook his head, his face looked pasty, and his voice sounded off. “But, Kenny, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to Jax, and he knows it. He made one mistake. Don’t let one stupid move ruin what you two have together.”
“Whatever we had—past tense—was based on a lie. Jax Sullivan is no different from David. Hell, he’s worse. He knew what happened, and he still lied to me.”
“Bullshit. I know David the Dickhead. The only person David ever loved was himself. It’s different with Jax. Until Jax met you, he’d been in an emotional deep freeze. He hasn’t had a thaw that I know of since his folks died. When they died, it was like he turned into a different person. These past two weeks have been the first time I’ve seen my best friend in more than fourteen years. Kendall, he loves you, and I can’t help but think you had more to do with bringing my best friend back to the world of the living than that knock upside the head did. That was just a wake-up call. You sparked a fire in him I haven’t seen for far too long.”
She couldn’t talk about this anymore. If she did, she’d fall apart like Humpty Dumpty. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Kendall together again. “I have to get out of here.”
“Okay, but you shouldn’t be driving when you’re this upset. Remember what happened last time?”
She remembered, all right, and that meltdown was nothing compared to what she knew was coming. “I’ll be fine.”
“Kendall, promise me you’ll think about what I said. The two of you are like siblings to me. I don’t want to lose either of you.”
She just nodded and then ran. She couldn’t breathe; she might never breathe again. God, her whole body ached from holding herself together. But Jaime was right about one thing: she shouldn’t be driving to Boston. Not now.
Ten minutes later, she pulled up to Addie’s house and banged on the door.
As soon as she saw Addie in her Pepto-Bismol pink footie pajamas, it was as if the floodgates shot open.
“What the H-E-double-toothpicks is wrong? Are you hurt?” Addie’s arms came around her and dragged her inside and into her cozy kitchen. “Sweetie, David’s not worth all this. It’s been two weeks—I knew leaving you alone was a mistake.”
“It . . . it’s not David. It’s J-J-Jax.”
“Jackson Sullivan?” Addie filled the teakettle and turned to face her. “What does he have to do with anything?”
“I didn’t recognize him. He lied to me, even after I told him about David.” Humiliation washed over her like the spray of muddy water from a passing bus after a big thaw. She hiccuped. “And oh, God, I threw myself at him.”
“You did?”
Kendall closed her eyes and nodded. “I slept with him—a lot.”
“You had sex with Jax Sullivan?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Good sex?”
“Better than the best sex you’ve read about. He did things to my body I didn’t even know were possible. Oh, God, I may never have sex that good again.”
“He’s not the only man on the planet with a dick, believe me. They’re all just dicks with two legs and a little, itty-bitty brain.”
“I trusted him. Addie, I fell in love with him. But he’s no different from David.”
“Whoa, slow down. Where was Jax?”
“At the cabin.”
“He was at the cabin all this time? You’ve been together for two weeks, and you didn’t bother to tell me you were ripping up the sheets with the Grand Pooh-Bah?” Addie pulled a half dozen tissues out of the box and handed over the wad.
Kendall started shredding them. “I didn’t know. That’s the whole point. He lied to me. He said he was a tenant fixing the roof for a reduced rental rate. He said his name was Jack. I didn’t recognize him—he has a beard, his hair was longish, he was dressed like a construction worker, he even had callused hands. The Jax Sullivan I know of never did a day of manual labor in his life. What would he be doing reroofing the hunting cabin? I never put the two together in my mind.”
“So, you thought you were going home with a total stranger named Jack?”
“No, I knew my dad would have checked him out. Besides, it was late, and I didn’t want to call you to come get me, so I stayed in the spare room.” She nodded while she blew her nose. “He lied.”
“No, not technically he didn’t. His name is Jack.”
“He’s always gone by Jax or Jackson. He’s never ever been called Jack before. Jack was his father.”
“How do you know? You haven’t seen this man for fourteen years. He lives and works in Chicago. Maybe everyone in Chicago calls him Jack.”
“Well, then, why did he say he was renting his own cabin?”
“You tell me. Why would he
say that? And why was he staying there instead of the lake house? If I knew he was home, I’d have covered for Grace and kept him fed and the pantry stocked, at least.”
She didn’t know how much to tell Addie. She could just imagine what people in town would say, not to mention the impact on his career, if they found out that Jax didn’t come out of the hospital with all his faculties. Maybe Jack went to the cabin to hide; if no one knew he was in town, no one would discover his brain injury. He’d told her, but maybe he didn’t want anyone else to know. It wasn’t her story to tell. “He might have had his reasons for not wanting anyone to know he was in town. Maybe. Possibly. It’s not inconceivable.”
“Reasons you can’t share with me?”
Kendall nodded.
“Were they valid?”
“Maybe.”
“What would have happened if you’d known who he was?”
“I would have called you to come and get me.”
“And I would have known he was in town.”
“You wouldn’t have told anyone.”
“You know that and I know that, but would Jax know that?”
“Maybe—maybe not. You tell me.”
“Jax is an enigma. It’s like he walks around in his own little bubble. You see him sometimes when he comes out—which is rarely. He always comes alone, unless Rocki meets him. And when he’s here, he might go to town, but it’s as if no one ever touches him. It’s—”
“Like he’s in an emotional deep freeze?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s what Jaime said. He seems to think I thawed him out or something.”
“Jaime might be a complete ass, but he’s also pretty perceptive. If anyone would know, it would be Jaime. They’ve been best friends since they were little kids.”
“And now my parents know.” She covered her face with her hands. “God, they probably think . . . hell, I can’t even imagine what they think. Dad caught us, and before I left, he told me to go see my mother. I can’t, Addie. I don’t even know what I’d say. ‘Oh, David broke my heart, and I jumped into bed with the first man I saw—literally’?”
Addie put the tea tray together and started making breakfast. “Well, you’d better think about it, because I’ll bet you all my poker money that your mother will be here within the hour.”
Kendall dropped her head to the table and gave it a few bangs. Damn, it didn’t help this time either.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jaime checked the clock and headed toward the sink to wash off the grease. It was time he took the bull by the horns, or maybe the wildcat by the whiskers. Whatever. He tossed the bag of frozen peas he’d been using as an ice bag back in the shop freezer, and wished he had a steel cup. He had a feeling he was going to need one. At least Addie was small; he could probably deflect her kicks, and it’s not as if he were unprepared. Besides, how much trouble could he get into in a kindergarten classroom?
He drove down to the elementary school and spotted Addie’s car in the lot. He knew the kindergarten had its own play area, since he was the one who bought and installed the little kids’ play equipment. He went around the school, let himself into the gated area, and slipped inside the classroom.
He’d never been in Addie’s classroom before. It contained tables surrounded by the world’s smallest chairs, and all the bulletin boards were covered with colorful pictures. The room was empty of people but neat and tidy. He knew she was still in school, and the lights were still on. He heard humming and followed the sound. The door to a storeroom was open just a little. He found her standing with her back to him, refilling paint containers and humming a familiar tune—something his great-grandma used to listen to, something from the 1930s or ’40s. Then she broke out into song, and he realized she must have been humming the intro.
Her voice shocked him. He was amazed that something that big could come from someone so small. He didn’t know much about music, but he knew greatness when he heard it. Addie wore a green corduroy jumper with a putty-colored turtleneck, matching putty-colored kneesocks, and butt-ugly brown penny loafers. She danced to music only she could hear, belting out the lyrics with such feeling, he felt like a voyeur. The song was about running into an ex-lover for the first time, knowing that he’d moved on when she obviously hadn’t. She sounded hurt and wistful and so damn sad.
Just the thought of her wanting some guy that didn’t deserve her had an unfamiliar feeling crashing over him and his hand tightened on the doorjamb. He waited until she finished the song with “I still love you so.” She held that last note for at least two bars, but he had a feeling she could hold it longer if she wanted to—her voice was just that strong. When the sound of her voice faded, he gave her a standing ovation.
Addie jumped, spilling red paint all over her hand and the table. She spun around, and it looked like her face had paled, but it was hard to tell with that hideous putty-colored turtleneck. She looked almost ghostly, which made the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced.
“Sorry, Addie. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Right. That’s why you failed to go to the office to be announced or even to knock. How long have you been standing there?” Her cheeks were turning pink, which beat the whole White Lady Ghost look she’d been rockin’.
“You were humming the intro and I followed the sound. You’re the most amazing singer I’ve ever heard.”
Her glare was filled with so much fire, he was amazed the school was still standing around him. She swallowed hard and wiped her paint-covered hand on her ugly jumper. “What are you doing here?”
So her voice was off-limits too? Shit, you’d think she’d at least thank him for the compliment. Instead, she looked steamed that her little secret wasn’t so secret anymore. Too bad. “I wanted to see you . . . to explain about the whole Jax-and-Kendall mess. I know you’re probably angry.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Furious?”
She crossed her arms.
“Irate?”
“All of the above. But you don’t owe me an apology—you owe one to Kendall.”
“I already did that, right after she did her best to make sure I would never be able to reproduce.”
That got a smile out of her. It would.
“My hands were tied. There are reasons I can’t go into, but, well, I thought I was doing the right thing for everyone involved. Including you.”
“Me?”
He walked over to the sink and wet a half dozen sheets of paper towel and did his best to clean the spilled paint. “Yeah, you. I didn’t want you put in as uncomfortable a position as I was. I really hated keeping secrets from Kendall.”
He took her by the hand, stood her in front of him, pulled up both sleeves, and helped her wash her hands like only a grease monkey could. It didn’t hurt that he got to put his arms around her and pull her up against his chest, her ass tucked tight against his fly. Okay, tight was probably a bad idea. He stepped back while he scrubbed red paint off her. “But if you’d seen Jax, though, Addison, you’d have gone along with the ruse too. It’s like he’s back. The old Jax. Do you remember what he was like, Addie?”
She nodded. “Kendall’s hurt and upset, but when she told me what happened, it was as if things started to add up. She didn’t share it with me, but it sounded as if she realized he might have had a good reason for his actions.”
“Several.” He turned off the taps and handed her a few towels.
“And you?”
“Me?” He thought her dress should be put in the closest burn pile. “I didn’t have much to do with it, other than to tell him to come clean with her. I don’t know how she found out, but, man, she was pissed.”
“Have you heard from Jax? Is he okay?” Of course she’d be more concerned about Jax than him. Talk about takin’ one for the team; he’d gotten kneed in the balls and didn’t get an ounce of sympathy.
“Nah, you know how guys are. They tend to lick their wounds in private.”
�
�Unfortunately for Jax, that wasn’t an option. He was supposedly sicker than a first-year teacher during a flu epidemic. Teddy took him back to the lake house.”
“Teddy was there? At the cabin?”
“Oh yeah. He walked in just before Kendall left, and after she found out she’d fallen into bed and in love with the Grand Pooh-Bah of Harmony. Teddy knows. I don’t know how he knows, but Kendall knew she was busted big-time. And believe me, Kendall knows her daddy.”
“So does Jax. Hell, so do I.” He’d been on the wrong side of Teddy’s hand once, and he’d never forgotten it. “Maybe Jax being sick wasn’t such a bad thing. Grace won’t let Teddy kill him until he’s better, at least.”
“We have to do something.”
“What in the hell can we do?”
“You can go and see Jax, make sure he knows that Kendall has feelings for him and make sure he’s okay, and report back to me.”
“And what’s your role in this little mission?”
“I’ll work on Kendall. Maybe I’ll go help her pack up her place this weekend. She’s moving home to Harmony. If you tell me what’s going on with Jax, I can let a few things slip . . . accidentally . . . on purpose.”
“Just make sure I don’t have to do anything that’s going to put Kendall on the attack again.”
That got a smile out of her. Damn, but she had a great smile. “You should do that more often.”
“What?”
“Smile. You have a beautiful smile, and you should sing. You would win American Idol if you showed up.”
“I don’t sing.”
“I have to disagree, since I stood here listening to you for about three minutes.”
“I don’t sing in public—ever.”
“Not even karaoke?”
She shook her head.
“Why?” He stepped closer, and as he caught her scent, he was almost happy to find out Kendall didn’t do any permanent damage. But he didn’t think he would ever smell green apple or tempera paint again without getting a woody. Shit.