“About ten minutes. I’ll go start the fries.”
Lexie snagged a piece of cheese off the plate as he left to tide her over. She walked out from under the awning, enjoying the cool water on her bare feet. Last night was largely a blur, and she barely remembered sitting on the deck with Kade. They’d talked about her grandmother, or at least she thought they had.
Now that she was sober, she looked around, curious about Kade’s home. Several yards from the deck, a small lake shimmered in the weak rays of sun that were poking through the clouds. The water was choppy from the storm and lapped at the shore in a soothing rhythm.
She did a double-take when she looked to the left. An enormous gray, two-story house with white columns along the front and a balcony that ran the whole length of it sat on a higher point of the property than Kade’s house. At least she assumed that the two were on the same property. Even from this distance, the elegance of the place was quite intimidating.
Kade came back outside. “Okay. We’ll be eating as soon as the bell dings.”
Lexie flapped her hand in the mansion’s direction. “Kade, whose house is that?”
Kade looked where she’d gestured. “Oh, that’s mine.”
Kade’s writing career must be successful, but then hadn’t his parent’s had money? “Um, then why are you living here?”
“It’s being renovated. This is my guesthouse.”
Perplexed, Lexie asked, “It must be nice to be so rich.”
“I worked hard for everything I have.”
His reply confused Lexie even further. “But your family was rich.”
Kade flashed a grin. “I gave most of my inheritance to Pastor Sal and the mission. I wanted to make my own money. Or maybe I was scared what that privilege would do to me. Look at Jason…”
“Everything did seem to come very easy for him. I don’t think he knew the word no.”
“Thinking I was above everyone else almost destroyed me. Pastor Sal showed me it’s not money that makes a man, but his actions, and what he does in life,” Kade said. “I think that’s why my books sell so well, I’m grounded in the real world.”
“Unlike Jason.”
“Yeah,” Kade replied.
“We couldn’t avoid talking about him forever,” Lexie said.
Kade started taking the burgers off the grill. “Let’s not spoil dinner.”
Lexie blew out a breath and nodded. She also realized that she wanted to get to know Kade a lot better. It became clear to her that other than sharing DNA and a love for car racing, Kade was very different than his younger brother. His brother thought of nothing but his own pleasure.
“Okay, we’re ready. Let’s eat.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Lexie followed Kade like a rat following the Pied Piper. They ate at his kitchen table, which sat near the French doors, giving them a nice view of the lake. Throughout their scrumptious meal, she marveled at how much she was coming to care about Kade. It made her nervous because she’d been shying away from the idea of falling in love again. But deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she was fast approaching the danger zone with Kade.
Shoving away such troubling thoughts, Lexie was perfectly content to just enjoy being with him and living in the present.
Chapter Eighteen
A week later, Lexie was up early. She was picking Kade up to go running. She wore a new red and white sports bra and matching shorts that she’d splurged on since her other set was looking dingy.
She was getting her water bottle ready when someone knocked on the door. Thinking Kade was surprising her, Lexie smiled as she pulled the door open. “What are you…”
Her words died away when she saw Jason lounging against the doorjamb. The lopsided smile that had once made her heart race made her stomach curdle.
Pure fury swept through her, and before she knew it, her hand connect with Jason’s cheek in a loud slap. A red splotch appeared on his cheekbone, satisfying Lexie’s bent up anger and pain a bit.
“What the fuck?” His blue eyes blazed with anger and confusion.
Lexie forced herself to keep her hands at her sides so she didn’t hit him again. “What? Were you expecting a warm welcome after all the shit you pulled on me? I can’t stand the sight of you! All I want from you is my money and a signature. Sign the divorce papers and give me back my money, or I’ll—”
Lexie slammed the door in his face and stood shaking with rage and pain as all the misery he’d put her through resurfaced. She knew she couldn’t report him to the police, so best she not threaten that.
There was another knock, and Jason’s voice came through the door. “Lex, I know I screwed up, but I’m not the same guy. Give me a chance to explain. I have some money for you.”
Lexie wanted to tell him to go to hell, but the possibility of getting some much-needed money from the asshole made her reconsider.
She yanked the door open and glared at him. “How much money? Enough to save my cabin?”
Jason’s triumphant smile made her want to punch him again. “I knew that would get your attention. I can give you a check for twenty-five hundred, and I’ll talk to Kade about getting your loan repaid.”
That wouldn’t come close to paying the mortgage backlog, but it was better than nothing. Lexie crossed her arms. “No check. Cash only. I don’t want to take a chance that it’ll bounce. And you need to sign the divorce papers.”
His expression darkened. “I’m not signing anything. I want to work things out.”
Lexie let out a sarcastic laugh. “There’s nothing to work out. It’s over. I’m over you. I want to make a clean break and get on with my life.”
Giving her a coaxing smile, Jason stepped closer. “C’mon, Lex. You don’t mean that. I know you still love me.”
She really didn’t. Tears burned behind Lexie’s eyes, but she didn’t let them show. Tears never moved Jason. “You’re wrong. You killed any love I ever had for you. I see now that I had stars in my eyes when we got married. It didn’t take long before I discovered what kind of man you really are, though. But I put up with it because I loved you so much and thought you would change for me. I was an idiot. I tried to ignore all the times you cheated on me, but the drugs and you draining our bank accounts to support your habit was just too much.
“And when you stole from me by mortgaging the cabin,” she swallowed hard, “any feelings I had left for you died. So there’s nothing to work out except the terms of the divorce. Pay me back my money, sign the papers, and we can go our separate ways.”
“Look at me. Can’t you see?” Jason’s eyes filled with regret. “Lexie, I know how much I screwed up, but I’m not the same guy. I’m clean. In fact, I just got out of rehab, and I haven’t gotten high once or even touched booze. I have a sponsor and everything. That’s what I spent the money on, the best rehab in the country.”
Lexie said, “I’ve heard you sing that tune too many times, so forgive me if I don’t sing along this time.”
Jason moved closer, and the only effect he had on her was that she wanted to back away from him.
“This is different,” he insisted. “I OD’d and almost died. It was a hell of a wake-up call. I decided right then to go to rehab.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sober, and that’s the way I’m going to stay, no matter what it takes.”
Lexie eased out from under his touch. The sincerity in his eyes and voice was unmistakable, and she wanted to believe him this time—for his sake and Kade’s. It didn’t matter, though. She wasn’t the same person, either. The woman who’d been in love with Jason was gone, replaced by a stronger, wiser one, who was too smart to ever go back. It was too late.
“Jason, I’m glad you really seem to want to turn your life around, but I don’t want to stay married to you. It’s too late for any kind of reconciliation. I’ll never forget about all the cheating you’ve done, all the pain you’ve put me through. So please, really hear me when I say it’s over.”
Jason backed off and nodded. “I hear you—but your thing with Kade factors into this, right?”
Lexie’s breath hitched and her eyes went wide. He’d caught her off-guard.
He laughed, and the sarcastic sound raised her ire. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Kade and I have mutual friends, remember?”
Lexie’s temper spiked higher. “My life is none of your business. You gave up that right the day you left me.”
He waggled a finger at her. “Last I checked, we’re still married.” His smile turned snarky. “Isn’t it weird, screwing my brother?”
“And you wonder why I don’t want to take you back,” she said through clenched teeth. “We don’t want to hurt you, but my relationship with Kade is none of your business.”
Jason laughed again, apparently amused by her reaction.
“You haven’t changed at all. You might not get high anymore, but you’re still as much of an asshole as you always were.” Yet his words had found their mark, goddamn it. She felt guilty.
Jason’s smug expression infuriated her even more. “Have a good day, Lexie. See you around.”
Lexie watched him walk to his car with her stomach churning. She should warn Kade.
Jason peeled away from the curb and Lexie went inside. She stood in her living room, shaking with anger over the encounter. Hating herself for giving him the satisfaction of rising to his bait.
She glanced at the clock. She’d be late meeting Kade now. The happiness of spending the morning with him faded. They both knew this day would come. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but not Jason sober and wanting her back in his life. He didn’t love her. To him, she was merely a possession.
She walked to her car, wondering if she’d been wrong to get involved with Kade, but deep in her heart she was glad. Being with Kade was the only time she’d been happy in years.
She just hoped he didn’t lose his brother over her. Would he resent her in the future?
Kade tapped his pen against his kitchen table as he reviewed the outline he’d just finished for an article on a new NASCAR model that Ford was working on for next year. It needed some tweaking, but that was nothing new. He never wasted a lot of time on detailed outlines because he always ended up switching the order around.
Although it took longer, he often preferred doing rough drafts old school. There was something about working with pen and paper that stirred his creative juices. He grabbed a clean sheet of paper and started on a second draft of the outline.
A knock on the doorjamb of the kitchen door interrupted him. Looking up, he saw Lexie standing there with an odd look on her face. He hadn’t heard her arrive.
He got up and warily approached her. “Hey, babe. I lost track of time. I’ll be ready in a sec.” He tried to kiss her, but she avoided him. “Is something wrong?”
“That depends.”
Kade cocked an eyebrow at her cryptic reply. “Okay. What’s going on?” He motioned towards the living room, but Lexie stayed put.
She lifted her chin, her gaze guarded. “Jason showed up at my place this morning.”
A jolt of surprise ran through Kade, but he just frowned. “Is he okay? And what did he want?”
Lexie sighed. “He seems fine—good health, too. He claims he’s been in rehab. He changed after a near-death experience. The funny thing is… I believe him this time. But he’s just as much of a tool as he ever was. He’s refusing to sign the divorce papers. And of course the money is gone.”
Kade pulled her into his arms, but she held herself stiffly. “I told you I’d give you the money.”
“He knows about us. And he’s pissed.” She looked into his eyes. “I don’t know why. He doesn’t really love me. I suspect he’s terrified of the ‘where to go from here’ and I’m familiar.” She pushed out of his arms. “I think we should cool things down while we get this sorted. I don’t want our relationship used as an excuse to push him back into drugs.”
Going to the fridge, Kade got out a bottle of water and twisted off the cap. “If he is clean, I want him to stay that way, too, but I don’t want to put my life on hold or deny my love for you. I’ll talk to him. Did he say where he was staying?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Going to her, Kade slid his arms around her waist. “You’ll see. I’ll talk with Jason and get everything sorted. I won’t let him hurt you ever again.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Let’s go for that run. Burn off all this nervous energy. We can’t do anything more until Jason gets in touch again. Let me go to the bank and pay the loan off. Once this situation is done and dusted, I’m looking forward to you and I spending a long week in this cabin. I’d love you to share your memories of your time there… and we could make some of our own.”
Thankfully, his words pacified her. But as he was getting changed into his running gear, he wondered if it would be as simple as he made it sound.
Chapter Nineteen
A few days later, at work, after finishing up changing brake pads and rotating some tires, Lexie took her tools to her rolling tool chest. On a table next to it, there was a small basin of Dawn water and another that held rinse water. The guys teased her about it sometimes, but Lexie was fanatical about keeping her tools clean since she couldn’t afford to buy more.
She started washing her socket wrench, concentrating on removing the grease from each of the grooves. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see Marcus standing there. Unease slid through her veins because it was rare for him to approach her except in passing.
“You busy?” he asked.
“I’m cleaning these, and then I’m helping Sully with a couple things, so, yeah, I’m busy.”
One side of Marcus’ mouth lifted. “Sully can wait. I need to talk with you.”
Lexie’s heart rate went up. “Why?”
His small smile disappeared. “In my office would be best.”
He turned and walked away, and Lexie hurriedly finished washing her socket wrench and let it sit out to air dry. Refusing to trot after him like a little puppy, Lexie walked at a regular pace while watching him enter the office. When she went inside, he had his butt perched on his desk.
“So, we’re gonna talk about your job performance.” He held up a silencing hand when Lexie bristled. “When Tom hired you, you know I wasn’t happy.”
“Pffft! Not happy? You were pissed as hell. I’ve worked my ass off to justify him hiring me,” Lexie responded.
Marcus’ gaze intensified. “I know.”
Lexie glared at him, but she remained silent.
He sighed and motioned to the chair that sat by his desk and then took his own. Once Lexie sat down, he said, “You’re right. I wanted to kill Tom for bringing you on, but I’m glad now that he did.”
Did she just hear him correctly? Her expression must’ve said it all because Marcus let out a shout of laughter. “Wow, I totally shocked the shit out of you.”
“That’s like the mother of all understatements.”
“I like keeping you on your toes.”
Lexie’s temper rose. “I know.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll get on with it,” Marcus said, pulling open one of his drawers. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and slid it across the desk to her.
Lexie glanced at it and then at him. “I guess it’s not a pink slip. It’s the wrong color.”
Marcus smiled. “Look at it.”
As she reached for it, Lexie was as leery about what it contained as she was about touching a snake. She unfolded it to find the numerals for twenty percent written in large letters on the page.
She shook her head a little. “What does this mean?”
“It’s your raise. Twenty percent more a year, starting two months ago.”
Lexie’s heart lurched, and she felt so faint she put a hand on the desk to keep from falling off her chair. “What?” Her voice came out in a hoarse squeak, and she cleared her throat. “What did you just
say?”
“And that ain’t all, folks,” Marcus said in a game show host’s voice. “Let’s see what else Lexie has won!”
In a daze, Lexie watched him set an envelope on the desk.
“Open it.”
Somehow, she kept the trembling in her hands to a minimum as she picked it up and ripped the envelope. She pulled out a Bad Boy Autos check—and gasped at the amount printed on it. “Te—ten th—ousand dollars?” She counted the zeroes, sure that her eyes were doing funky shit. “Ten thousand dollars?”
“Yeah. You netted us some serious profit over the last three months with not just your mechanical work, but your detailing work, too. In fact,” his TV host voice came back, “let’s go see what’s behind door number three!”
Lexie couldn’t move at first, but Marcus’ order to get off her butt and follow him did the trick. The smell of stale coffee hit as they moved through the break room into the cavern of grease-monkey heaven that was the supply warehouse. She almost ran smack into Marcus’ back because he’d stopped.
“You wanted to show me the supply closet?”
He opened the door and turned on the light. “Welcome to your new office.”
Peering around him, all Lexie saw was brooms, buckets, cleaning supplies and other odds and ends. “It’s the supply closet, not an office.”
“True, but it will be an office soon, and you’ll help design it.”
She put a hand on his arm. “I don’t understand. Why do I need an office?”
Marcus turned the light off and shut the door. “Day after day, I watch you draw in the break room or in the garage on that table. The designs you create are freaking amazing. I’ve seen my parents buy art that’s supposedly worth thousands of dollars that doesn’t come close to what you do. You need a proper place to do your work, Lexie. That’s how good I think it is. I always have.”
“Okay, you are super freaking me out right now,” Lexie said.
Marcus’ grin drew a smile from her. “I can see that.”
Purr For Me: Bad Boy Autos (Drive Me Wild Book 2) Page 15