Chapter 24
Carter
I circled through the restaurant, skirting behind plants and people eating. Veronica had chosen a booth near the back of the restaurant, hidden from the one beside it by a decorative divider.
“May I help you, sir?” A waitress halted in front of me.
“You can bring me a menu, please,” I said and gestured to my chosen table. I walked past her with confidence and she followed me, muttering under her breath.
Veronica and Jayne hadn’t arrived yet – I’d come down ahead of them. This event didn’t sit well with me. I understood Veronica’s need for this, but it took all my strength not to call this off. Jayne deserved to be cut off. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say about any of it.
The waitress handed me a menu and I scanned it, once. “I’ll have the calamari starter and a glass of water, please.” I handed the menu back to her, then settled in to wait.
I didn’t have to wait long. Voices traveled toward the table beside mine.
“This is great,” Veronica said and slid into the booth.
“It’s okay, sissy. At least it’s private. I didn’t expect you to meet me in the lobby, though,” she said.
“Oh, I thought it would be fun to surprise you,” Veronica replied.
I sank lower in my seat, though there wasn’t a chance they could see me unless I stood up. All in good time.
“What can I get you, ladies?” a waiter asked.
The shuffle of handbags, a cough. “I’ll take a glass of white wine,” Veronica said.
“Surprise me,” Jayne said. “Money isn’t an issue.”
I massaged my temples at that. Money would be a huge issue for Jayne in the future until she found another sucker. A couple moments silence passed, and I leaned closer to the carved divider, straining my ears. I tried not to make it too obvious, but the woman at the table next to mine gave me an odd look.
“How have you been?” Veronica asked. “You look great, sissy. I mean, Italy must have changed your life.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s great. What’s this about Carter? You said he had a plan for me?”
Straight to the point then.
“Oh,” Veronica said. “Right, if you want to talk about that right away, sure. I guess we can do that.”
“Sorry, sissy,” Jayne replied. “It’s just got me on edge. I’d hate to think that my vacation in Italy has come to an end. Honestly, there’s not much Carter can do to hurt me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Veronica asked.
“Oh, yeah. He’s a billionaire and that’s why he thinks he can always get his way. That’s not going to happen this time,” Jayne said. “I told you about how this all started, right?”
“No.”
“Well, Carter and I eloped, it was perfect, and then he left me to go on some business trip. Except it wasn’t a business trip.”
“What?” Veronica’s response was tinged with confusion.
God, she couldn’t believe any of this shit that came out of Jayne’s mouth. The woman was treacherous.
“Yeah, he wasn’t on a business trip. He was in Milan with his hookers.”
I clenched my fists and held onto my anger, white knuckled. I couldn’t explode at her. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to do this in person.
“Hookers.” Veronica didn’t buy it, I could tell from her tone. Thank God for that. If she really thought I was capable of –
“Yeah, hookers. He has sex with them all the time. I guess it’s easier for him since he can afford it. I think he got bored of me because I wouldn’t do what he wanted in bed.”
“That’s horrible,” Veronica said.
“Tell me about it. And –”
The waitress arrived at my table and I lost the conversation, accepting my calamari with a smile. She wavered a little. Perhaps she thought it was weird I’d decided to eat on my own and at this specific table. Or she’d seen me leaning toward the divider and clearly eavesdropping.
I tapped my fingers underneath the table and watched the waitress retreat, then homed in on the conversation again.
“– the plan?” Jayne asked. I’d missed whatever horrible rumors she’d spread about me.
“Before I tell you about that,” Veronica said, “I need you to have this.” A rattle and clink on the table. I resisted the urge to peek over the divider. “Do you remember it?”
“Uh, yeah, sure, it’s –” Jayne trailed off, clearly she had no idea what it was.
“It’s the heart locket I gave you. It was supposed to be our sister locket, remember?” Veronica asked. This was a little off script. I picked up my fork and speared one of the squid tubes, then lifted it to my mouth. “Open it.”
A click. “Okay? It’s my picture? Big deal.”
“It’s your picture alone, Jayne. I took mine out. I know about Jackson. I don’t know how it started but I know that somewhere along the line, you had him spy on me. Did you put him up to the break-ins, too? The robberies?”
A hush and then, “This is so typical of you. You’re always trying to steal the limelight. This lunch is supposed to be about helping me, not about your ex,” Jayne said.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Veronica choked out a laugh. “I’m telling you I know about Jackson and what you two did, and you’re actually trying to turn it around on me and make me look bad?”
“Is this what you wanted to meet for? You lied to me about Carter.”
“No, I didn’t. There really is a plan, and I am going to tell you about it,” Veronica said. “But not because I’m your sister and I love you.”
I put down my fork again. The food smelled great, and I really should’ve faked eating to avoid the stares from that lady in the corner, but the tension had risen. I’d have to make my appearance soon.
“Then why?” Jayne asked
“Because you need to know that this is over. You’re never going to be with Carter again, and you’re never going to use him again. It’s over.”
“Are you having a stroke or some shit? High on drugs? That’s the only way you could possibly believe that.”
“Carter,” Veronica said.
That was my cue. I stood up and met the gazes of the two women. Veronica, cool, collected and in control, and Jayne, whose head swiveled back and forth between us.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s the end,” I replied and fell into step with the conversation. “We’re not married.”
“I don’t see any divorce papers.” Jayne smirked. “And you know what will happen if you divorce me, Carter. You can fuck my sister all you want, but you won’t take my paycheck away.”
People in the restaurant turned in their seats and stared at us. The back of my neck heated. “Our marriage is invalid according to Italian law. I spoke with my attorney here. You’ll receive a letter about it shortly. I’ve also contacted my bank and had all of your cards canceled. You’ve been removed from my accounts.”
Jayne’s face flushed, then drained of color. Her mouth opened and shut again. “You’re lying.”
“And we know about the art gallery,” Veronica put in. “It was for Jackson, wasn’t it?”
“Shut up,” Jayne hissed.
“Well, it will be on you to speak with the IRS about evading taxes on that purchase,” Veronica continued. “You bought it with Carter’s money but not in his name. Congratulations. You played yourself.”
Jayne swept her glass off the table. It fell and shattered on the floor. “You bitch,” she uttered, trembling from head to toe. “How dare you!”
“Typical. You’ve used and abused and finally been caught, but you blame others for it. So typical Jayne.”
“Fuck you.” She lurched across the table and wrapped her hands around Veronica’s neck.
I launched out of my seat and sprinted down the aisle, past customers and the manager of the restaurant himself. Everyone craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the commotion. I rushed around the corner and up to the table.
Veronica had already freed herself from her sister’s grip and sat back, rubbing her throat. Two waiters held Jayne by either arm, both frowning.
The manager rushed up. “What happened?”
“This woman attacked me,” Veronica said.
“Bitch,” Jayne spat. “You’ll both pay for this. I’ll make you pay!”
“You can’t make anyone pay,” Veronica replied. “You’re officially broke.”
I drew the manager aside and leveled him with a gaze. I recognized the guy’s heavy brow, the stern attitude and he recognized me, too – I’d eaten at this hotel before. I’d stayed here with Jayne and spent weeks in the honeymoon suite. “I’m sorry for the disturbance,” I said. “This woman is unstable. Is there any way you can remove her from the restaurant?”
The manager nodded. “Yes. I’ve already called the police, and they will arrive shortly. They take this seriously. This is assault. It besmirches the name of the hotel.”
Veronica rose from her seat and walked to my side. I drew her close and checked her neck, but Jayne hadn’t bruised her. Perhaps, there hadn’t been real heat behind the attack. Jayne was all for showmanship.
“Your money is mine, Jones,” she howled, from the table. “I’m going to get a lawyer and take you to court.”
It was a bluff. She might not realize it yet but she didn’t have a leg to stand on. She didn’t have two cents to rub together or a hope of finding any money anytime soon. I didn’t rejoice in that fact that she was at the start of a downward spiral.
It took the cops five minutes to arrive and by that time, Jayne had gone from mad to absolutely furious. She spat at one of the officers and they put her in cuffs, then marched her out of the restaurant.
“What’s going to happen to her?” Veronica asked.
“I can’t say. She’s broken the law and it’s up to the courts here to deal with that. I figure it’s going to be a while before –”
Jayne’s screech from the lobby sliced through my words. “Jackson! Where are you, you piece of shit? Help me. Jackson, help me right now.”
But Jackson didn’t miraculously appear to help Jayne out of her sticky situation. Whatever bond they’d shared couldn’t have gone deeper than money and sex. We walked out of the restaurant and to the lobby.
Jayne had already been escorted out of the hotel and to a waiting car.
“That’s it?” Veronica asked. “It’s finally over?”
“Looks like it. She can’t do anything to either of us, now.” We were free and safe. We could be together without fear of repercussion or guilt dragging us down. It was a strange sensation.
“Wanna go get something to eat?” Veronica asked. “Somewhere else?”
“Absolutely.”
We left the hotel arm in arm and walked down the cobbled street together. What would our future bring? We’d have to head back to New York sometime soon, and then we’d return to business as usual except we’d have each other.
“Hey, do you want to move in with me?” I blurted. Shit, that wasn’t the best way to ask a serious question.
“What? I – Carter,” Veronica said and rubbed her cheeks. She stalled on the sidewalk. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Things are complicated, right now. Maybe a little later on. In a few months? A year?”
“Sure,” I said. “I can wait.”
I could wait for her forever. She was the only woman I’d ever loved, truly. She’d taken the dull colors in my life and injected vibrancy into them. I loved her. For now and forever.
A plan unfolded in my mind. An idea that would change both our lives for good.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Me? I’m perfect, thanks to you.”