CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Chapter Thirteen
Vanessa
Somehow, I slept, although I did wake early, hearing Sophie thudding about the apartment and not for the first time did I wish I'd stayed at Jackson's. I missed his large body curled up against mine and the lazy way he would hold me against him. I missed his house, and the space, and how comfortable I felt there, but I had done the right thing last night by coming back to Sophie's. Staying there and inevitably sleeping with him would have added to my confusion, which, in the daylight was alleviated. Sophie had listened to my tale of woe involving Richard over coffee and had then whisked me to the nearest police station before I'd even applied makeup, making me file a complaint and fill in the forms for a restraining order while we were there.
"You should disappear for the weekend," she said while we were sat in Starbucks, drinking coffee that was nowhere near as good as Amelie's. "Get away from London. Is there any work that needs doing?"
I shook my head. "Nothing that Alice isn't chomping at the bit to do. She's asked that if – when – I buy Richard out she could invest. I've no reason to say no. She's excellent; her creativity, especially with the events, is better than anyone I've worked with and she's good with the clients."
"It's better than going it alone," Sophie said, and I knew she wasn't just referring to Cole Henderson. "You need to be more of a team player."
"Do you think that's where it went wrong with Richard?" I asked, desperately needing to know.
"No, I think it went wrong with Richard because he was a dick," Sophie said. "Move on. You're almost at the end of it now that Jackson and Seph are dealing with the legal bit and yes, Richard is going to be obnoxious about it so make yourself scarce."
My phone started to ring in my handbag. "You're right. I hope to God this isn't him. After spending a night in the cells he'll be looking for someone to blame."
It wasn't Richard, but Jackson. I smiled as I saw his name, relief escaping as part of me was worried that last night had scared him off.
"Hey," I said. Sophie smiled knowingly. "What are you up to?"
"Just finished at the gym. Do you want me to come to the police station with you?" he said. I could hear traffic in the background.
"Sophie dragged me there about an hour ago. I've lodged a complaint against him. Do you still want to grab breakfast?" I said, Sophie, giving me the thumbs up, then checking her own phone.
"If you're free. What are you doing for the rest of the weekend?"
"I have no plans. Other than what you suggested the other day, if they still stand?" I still had reservations, but the greatest part of me was pushing to see where it went with this man and if I got a little burned, then it still put me another step away from the non-relationship I'd had with Richard.
"They still stand with a difference. How do you feel about a night away?" he said, the background noise fading. I wondered if he'd just got back home.
"Weirdly, Sophie's suggested I get away for the weekend as Richard is more than likely going to contact me." There was a dramatic hand gesture from Sophie and I realized I'd said the wrong thing. "But, I was hoping you'd still want to do something after last night."
There was a laugh, probably at me, I realized. "Can you pack a bag for the weekend?" he said. "If you do want to get away that is."
"Do I get to know where?"
"No, but bring something smart casual for a meal and normal stuff for the day. And maybe something to stay at mine Sunday night, just in case. But we can talk more about that later." He was direct and I found it a relief after so long of it being just me to make decisions or arrangements.
"What time?"
"How soon can you be ready?"
We had nearly finished our coffee. "Forty-five minutes?"
"See you then. We'll skip breakfast though."
"Looking forward to it."
Sophie looked up from her phone. "You need to take decent underwear. And that baby doll nighty you bought in the sale. You know, the one that doesn't hide anything."
"Let's go pack."
I was ready in less than forty-five minutes, a small bag stuffed. Sophie sent me out of the door before I had a chance to question if I needed to pack anything else, reassuring me that I wasn't likely to need much underwear at least.
Jackson was waiting outside the apartments in an SUV. He got out as soon as he saw me and grabbed my bag, then leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Is this it?"
"Sophie wouldn't let me pack anymore, otherwise I'd have looked like I was taking enough for a week," I confessed. "Where are we going?"
"Out of the city," he said, putting my bag in the boot then opening the door for me. "I'll tell you more as we drive there. It's only around an hour and a half away but we'll be out in the country."
He started the car and London fell away as we talked about the week at work, mercifully staying away from the subject of Richard the dick. It was an easy conversation and I felt as relaxed as I ever had in recent memory. There was no need to try and impress or having to keep up the conversation to suitable topics.
"I need to tell you about Kirsty," Jackson said as we hit the motorway. "She caught herself out on Friday." He explained how she'd tried to pass off the idea about the children attending the retirement ball at the start. I laughed at how she'd come unstuck and figured it was a better reaction than being annoyed.
"In all honesty, Jackson, she's out of her depth," I said, trying not to feel mean. I didn't want to put the girl out of a job but she wasn't doing herself any favors. "I'm not sure what she had on her resume but she's not up to speed for someone who claims to have worked fairly extensively in marketing. I'm not saying she couldn't learn, but..."
"HR is checking her out extensively next week," he said. "We had references, obviously, but we should've double checked those as I now have my doubts about the validity. I think she may have been trying to hijack me onto a date as well."
Now that I didn't like. "Pardon?"
"She was desperate that we go for drinks on Friday after work so she could talk me through her ideas about the rebrand. Maxwell thinks she's interested in me as something other than just her boss." He didn't look embarrassed and I suspected it was somewhat normal for him to be crushed on.
I laughed.
"What? You think it's ridiculous that someone like Kirsty would be interested?" I could see by the enormous grin on his face that he was enjoying himself.
"Well, you're so old in comparison. Maybe she has a thing for older men."
"You're calling me old? Why am I taking you away for the night again?"
"Erm, maybe to prove you're not past it yet and that you're not in need of any, let's say, additional medication to help you perform." I couldn't resist, especially while he was driving and powerless to retaliate with anything other than words.
He clenched the steering wheel and his jaw at the same time. "I'll change my plans for this evening then, shall I? Make sure you know that I'm more than up for it." He glanced at me and I creased laughing.
"Jackson, you should see yourself now. You look more determined than a child wanting the last games console in a shop. After last weekend, you have nothing to prove, but I'm happy for you to try," I said, moving my hand to his thigh. The contact sent a shiver through me, thrilling and scaring me simultaneously.
He put his hand over mine. "I've always got something to prove," he said, intertwining our fingers. "At the moment I want to prove to you that life after your fuckwit of an ex is going to be exceptionally good, professionally and personally."
I smiled and watched the scenery go by, content with the warmth I felt from him. My phone began to vibrate in my bag. "Shit, I forgot to turn it off."
"Don't worry. Mine's on too. Work doesn't understand the concept of weekends," he said as I let go of his hand to get my phone.
"It's Richard," I said, my hands shook slightly and my stomach turned.
"Answer it and put it on speakerphone. Tell him you've applied for an injunction. Be as calm as you were last night because there's no need for anything else. Treat it like a business."
I answered, heeding his advice.
"Vanessa," Richard said, his voice smooth, like too sweet chocolate. "Thank you for answering; I thought you were going to play games."
"I'm not sure what we have to discuss, Richard," I said, digging my nails into my hand.
"These charges you've brought – I understand I may have upset you by becoming involved with Charlotte but you need to realize the damage you're doing to your own reputation and that of our business," Richard said. I recognized the tone; he was trying to patronize me into complying with him.
"You should be aware, Richard, that I've filed for an injunction against you so I'd appreciate it if any further correspondence can go through our lawyers. As our relationship has been over for more than a year and you have not been involved in Cole Henderson for a similar period of time, there isn't any need for you to contact me whilst the courts settled ownership of the business and the sale of the apartment," I said, surprised at my level of formality and the resoluteness I felt. I could do this; I knew I could.
There was a deep sign on the other end of the phone. "This is all very unnecessary, Vanessa. Maybe we should meet and discuss this as I tried to last night..."
"I'm sorry, Richard, but I'd appreciate it if all communication can go through my lawyer. It isn't appropriate or needful for us to be talking. I hope you have a good weekend." I terminated the call and then took several deep, cleansing breaths. "Fuck."
"You haven't done anything wrong," Jackson said. "And you don't need me to tell you that you handled that really well. Disengage with the situation because worrying about it won't get you anywhere."
I nodded. "I know. But I was in a relationship with him for more than six years, Jackson..."
"Were you?"
I sat up in my chair as we came off the motorway. "What do you mean?"
"What sort of relationship were you in then?"
His question was a good one and one I had dwelled on since I'd moved out of our shared apartment. "Not a healthy one. We stopped socializing together unless it was necessary, such as dinners with his parents or extended family, basically to keep up appearances. I could go a week without seeing him as he'd be away to meet clients, or so he said. And before you ask, we stopped having regular sex almost a year before I moved out."
"And you didn't end it sooner because of the complexity," Jackson said. "And you probably weren't ready. I'm no relationship expert but I know when I have been in a relationship and it's ended I've felt like I've failed at something."
"That's what Sophie said. She was married for a few years; her ex-invested heavily in her spa business initially and they're still really good friends. When they split she wasn't devastated like I thought she would be; she said the relationship had run its course for both of them. I asked her if she felt like it had failed and she was, well, just Sophie," I said, laughing at the memory. "She said she was being led by Henry VIII; the sex just didn't cut it anymore and there was more to life than the missionary position once a fortnight. No one had failed and the biggest failure would be trying to resuscitate something that had less life in it than a corpse."
Jackson laughed. "So what was last night about?"
"You mean my midnight flit from your house?" We needed to discuss it. I needed to explain. "I'm used to fighting my own battles, Jackson. I've been doing it since I was eighteen and I left my dad and gran to go to university. I'm not used to being reliant on anyone and I worry it makes me weak."
There was silence and I wondered why he didn't respond.
"Where are we going?" I sought to change the subject.
He laughed softly. "Just outside a place called Waltham St Matthew's. It's where my father and step-mother live. In fact, I should warn you about the house."
"It's hugely big and opulent," I offered. "Remember I've done some research on your father and I might have checked."
"It's big," he said. "The house, that is, and you know the other thing's huge..." he gave me a sly glance so I knew exactly what he was referring to. I clenched my legs, feeling decidedly warm in between them. "It's not opulent. Marie likes being comfortable and given she's got seven kids and is anxious for grandchildren at some point, it's designed for living it. There's even a games room which is where Seph sometimes hides. Not a fancy one, it's more something a big kid would be envious of."
"I'm looking forward to seeing it," I said, putting my hand back over his. I was also looking forward to seeing the bedroom we'd be staying in. "Are they back from Toronto?"
He shook his head, slowing down to avoid a rabbit running across the lane. "No, I'll give you due warning before you meet them. They are back earlier than originally planned though, but we have the house to ourselves this weekend."
I wondered about meeting them. Obviously, I would do so in a professional capacity for the retirement ball, but I hadn't considered meeting them as anything other than part of Cole Henderson. Part of me thought it was far too soon to be meeting parents and that sort of thing, not that I was, but then another part wanted that and it felt strangely right. "Thank you for bringing me," I said. "What made you think to do so?"
"Marie's had some work done in the garden while they've been away and she wants me to take photos to send her. She's had some already sent when they'd finished the work, but she wants the warts and all pictures," he said, his eyes twinkling. "She asked all of us who was free and I thought it'd be a good chance to escape the London grime."
"Good move," I said as we turned off the main road. Fields filled with barley and rape painted both sides of the road, picture-perfect English countryside. "How long have your family lived here?"
"I grew up here. In fact, Payton and Seph were born here. That was terrifying," he said, sounding distant.
"Was it a planned home birth?"
"No. She went into labor early, about three weeks early I think. It was June and we were in the middle of this huge storm with high winds. A tree blew over and blocked the road completely so my dad had to become midwife and me and Max were the orderlies, fetching towels and the phone. He had instructions from an operator and kept his cool, although afterward he said it was the most nerve-wracking situation he'd ever been in." He went suddenly quiet and a look passed over his face that I didn't recognize. Although I was curious I didn't press. "We're here."
He turned off the road and up a tree-lined driveway that became landscaped as we approached the house. The house was double fronted with a series of attached buildings perpendicular to it. The driveway curved round and although the house looked big, it wasn't imposing.
"It's lovely," I said. "What a place to grow up."
He parked the car, grabbing our bags. "Where you grew up is just as lovely," he said. "Derbyshire's so different to around here; it's far more dramatic. I've only been a couple of times though."
"Maybe you should come with me one weekend. Visit the peaks. It's a good escape from London, although this place is amazing. My home was nothing like this," I said, picking up my handbag. I realized I'd pretty much just invited him home and mentally kicked myself.
We headed to the main door where Jackson put our bags down and dug around for keys. "To be fair, Van, most people don't grow up in places like this. Marie especially made sure that we knew we were lucky. Dad tried, but as it was similar to how he'd grown up he wasn't as in touch with what was 'normal' as Marie."
The door opened into a reception area, decorated in pastel blues and greys with a light wooden floor. A staircase headed upward to the left, carpeted in a thick grey carpet, the walls decorated with occasional artworks.
"Where do you want to start?" Jackson said. "Bedroom?" He raised his eyebrows and gave me a grin which made my legs feel boneless.
I smiled shyly, or a shyly as I could muster. "Is that just to put our bags away? Is my room next to yours?" I made my eyes grow wide and innocent.
He headed up, taking the bags, muttering something under his breath.
"Shall I follow?"
He stopped halfway up and looked down at me. "If you don't I'll come back down and carry you up," he said, eyes blazing.
I kicked off my shoes and followed him up, the carpet squishing between my toes. It felt new and plump and I wondered how it would feel against my back and the likelihood of burns.
"What was that sigh for?" Jackson said, opening one of the doors on the corridor upstairs.
"The carpet," I said, "It's amazing."
"Seriously? That little sex moan was over the carpet?" he paused at the door. "Do I need to get that carpet throughout my house?"
I dug my toes into the carpet and half closed my eyes. "Maybe we should test out how comfy it is first?"
I stepped into the room. "Your bedchamber, madam," he said and ushered me through, surprising me by not taking me up on the offer to test out the carpet for purposes other than standing on.
And then I knew why.
The room put most hotels to shame: the same thick carpet, a huge super king bed, feature wallpaper with a seaside theme and French doors leading out onto a decked area that dropped down into the gardens. I followed Jackson to the balcony and saw a hot tub that he was inspecting, taking photos with his phone. "What do you think?" he said. "Is Marie going to be happy with the room?"
"This was what was being done?" I noticed the en-suite, the door slightly ajar.
"All the bedrooms have been redecorated with new bathrooms. And this and the master bedroom have had hot tubs installed. I think she's hoping it'll encourage us to come home more," he said, heading back inside. "Want to see the rest?"
I followed him around the top floor of the main house, into each of the bedrooms, all decorated subtly, each slightly different. I felt a pang for my apartment, now in Richard's care, and how I'd decorated it, missing my furnishing and curtains but not him and I knew it was time to move on. I needed my own place as soon as the apartment was sold, which could still be a few months away.
Three bedrooms were in the annexed buildings, all on the ground floor, two with their own living areas and kitchens.
"How long has all of this taken?" I asked.
"Four weeks, I think. Marie handed keys over to a project manager the day before they flew to Canada. It was a big team of people though. Looks like they've done a good job," he fidgeted on his phone for a few seconds and I heard the sound of an email being sent.
"You sent her the photos?"
He nodded. "Job done. I was worried if we started testing the carpet I'd forget." I eyed him up and down, desire suddenly streaking through me and pooling between my legs. I was coming to terms with the lack of battle between us and how easy he made everything feel, like there was always a solution and right now, here, with no one around us for what felt like miles, I wanted to drown in him for a little while.
"Where do you want to start?" I said. We were in the largest of the annexed bedrooms, this one decorated with grey striped wallpaper and teak furniture. It was masculine and screamed Maxwell.
"Here?" he said, trapping me against the walls with his arms. I put my hands on his chest, inhaling his scent. He felt firm and rigid. Solid.
"This is Maxwell's usual room, isn't it?"
"How did you guess?"
"It's very him. And you want to christen this room before him, don't you?"
He made a non-committal sound, one hand pushing my hair away from my face. Then he leaned in and kissed me, his mouth demanding and my hands looped around his neck. I let myself be powerless to his plundering, enjoying the feeling of letting someone else have control. His body pushed against mine and I felt the ridge of his erection through his jeans, pushing myself against it. His fingers glided across my breasts and flicked my nipples, biting my bottom lip.
My own hands had developed a mind of their own and had undone his belt, sneaking into the space between us. "Eager?" he said with a smile.
"I want you to fuck me," I said, whispering even though no one could hear.
I laughed dirtily. "Up against this wall?" It was a painted wall; I wouldn't have risked the wallpaper.
I pushed down his jeans and found no underwear. His hand was undoing mine, pushing them to my knees. I kicked them off and his fingers slipped into my briefs, finding my wet heat.
Then he was on his knees, and I was naked from the waist down, his mouth buried between my legs, his hands cupping my ass and pulling me closer into his mouth. He licked and sucked and it took all of three seconds before I'd came, and then my legs were wrapped around his waist and he was inside me, thrusting hard, his eyes on mine.
The sounds were unrecognizable; I didn't know my own voice as I begged him to fuck me harder, my pussy still pulsating from my first orgasm. His mouth latched onto the side of my neck and he sucked, leaving what would be a mark for the next few days.
"Fuck, Van, you feel so good. Love being in your pussy," he said but his words barely registered. He was hitting the spot inside me, the holy grail of erogenous zones and I was barely able to hold onto him.
"I'm coming!" I screamed, not caring now if there was indeed anyone to hear. I watched his eyes as I came, clenching his dick with each spasm and feeling him come deep inside me, filling me up.
He still held me as our orgasms subsided, his hands underneath my ass, my back against the wall and arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers still holding onto his hair.
"Let me carry you into the bathroom," he said when he had regained his breath. I looked at him, questioning. "The carpet. When I pull out it'll be messy. I think I just entered the Guinness Book of records for the most jizz in one go."
I started to laugh, my face creasing and I hid myself in his shoulder as he walked us the shower before pulling out of me, the mix of our fluids trickling down my leg. "Sex is messy," I said, pulling off my top and bra. He stripped out of his shirt.
"In many ways," he said, turning on the shower. "Let me clean you up." He did so, washing between my legs, keeping the water away from my hair, his hands confident and caring, working their way around my body. "How do you feel?"
I wondered where his question came from. "Do you really need your ego inflating after that?" I said, laughing.
He gave me an amused smile. "Other than just having had two spectacular orgasms, how do you feel?"
"Relaxed, happy, safe," I said, taking the towel he passed me. He flung a towel around himself, water still running over his chest and biceps. He then started to dry me down, softly, carefully, as if I was the most precious, delicate creation. "I can dry myself, Jacks."
"I know," he said quietly. "But I want you to let me look after you. Doesn't mean you can't do it."
I brushed my hands through his damp hair as he went again to his knees to dry my legs and in between them. He was half hard again, but his ministrations were tender rather than trying to turn me on, not that it wasn't having that effect anyway. "Who looks after you?"
He looked up at me, his hands drying my feet. "Maxwell, Claire. The rest of my siblings. Marie and Dad in his own way. And my friends – Amelie especially. I like being in control and having power, Vanessa, it's who I am. But I'm strong enough to know that I can't do everything on my own, unlike Max."
He was making a point but I decided not to dwell on it. "Will you tell Max you christened his room first?"
Jackson lightly kissed the inside of my thigh and I realized I was getting wetter rather than dryer in a certain spot. "No. I'll make sure I'm here the next time he visits and I'll just smirk when he comes in here."
"He'll get revenge."
"Eventually." He stood up and kissed me, his towel slipped and he pressed his body against mine. He was fully hard, his cock pressing against my stomach. I moved my hand down his body and cupped his balls, hearing his sharp intake of breath.
"I want you again," I said.
"Carpet? Check out the softness?"
I took his hand and guided him out of the bathroom; as soon as I found the soft carpet I lay down, guiding him over me and positioning his cock so it was ready to enter.
"Are you ready for me?" he said, his hands either side of my shoulders.
I shifted, angling myself so his cock was close to where I wanted it. "So ready. I don't get how you turn me into this pool of raging horniness."
He moved a hand and checked me, brushing my clit. "As long as it stays that way," he said, pushing into me deeply again. This time he was rougher, harder, his fingers pinching my nipples, teeth biting my neck. He went onto his knees, pulling my hips further up so he was balls deep and at that point, my mind wasn't lost, it was well and truly drowned in the Pacific Ocean, too deep for any search party to even attempt to find.
I felt Jackson's weight on top of me as he groaned and I wrapped my legs around his waist, keeping him close, keeping him inside me. "I think my body's addicted to your semen," I said, managing to find words eventually. "It's clearly mixed with a cocaine-like substance and I'm going to need it to keep me sane."
He nuzzled into my neck. "You can have as much of it as you want. Just ask. And you don't always need words to ask." He stretched an arm out and pulled a towel to us. "Lift your hips." He pulled the towel under me and pulled out, watching between my legs. I should've felt vulnerable, being so open, my body there for his viewing. "You look fucking beautiful, lying there, dripping with me." His eyes then met mine and I knew that if he suggested we never returned to London and just stayed here forever I was likely to agree, which in itself, was somewhat of a problem as I really needed to eat.
"I'd look fucking beautiful eating lunch too," I said, sitting up, thankful for the towel underneath me. "Bathroom, change of clothes and then lunch maybe?" I stood up as he laughed and headed for the toilet, closing the door.
"There's a decent pub about a mile away through the fields if you fancy a walk there?"
"Sounds good. A different form of exercise would be nice too." I opened the door and Jackson handed me my briefs and jeans.
"Or you could stay like that and I'll order in," he said, his eyes flicking to my breasts.
I stepped into my briefs and then my jeans. "No, Jackson. We need to do something else other than screw each other's brains out."
He pulled on his top. "Fair enough. I need some recovery time anyway."
I agreed. His balls must've been pretty well emptied.
We toured the rest of the house before we left to walk to the pub in the nearby village. The house belonged in a magazine; it was full of discreet touches that made it seem stylish without losing its warmth. Jackson explained what the rooms used to look like when his dad and Marie had seven children running around the place and for a stupid moment I felt the pull of a large family, something I'd never had, with someone always there to play with or talk to.
My phone had been ignored for the latter part of the morning. When I checked it I saw three missed calls from Sophie and a voicemail.
"Everything okay?" Jackson said, putting the keys to the house in his pocket after locking the door.
"Not sure." I listened to the voicemail. "Shit."
"What is it?"
"Richard's been round to Sophie's"
"Is she okay?"
"Sophie would dismantle him limb from limb before he ever hurt her," I said, dialing her number. "He was looking for me."
"Vanessa," Sophie said as she answered. "What possessed you to ever go out with that dickhead in the first place?"
"I don't know," I said. I'd been asking myself that same question for more than a year. "What did he want and are you okay?"
"I'm fine. He wanted to lament on how you were screwing him over. He no longer has that viewpoint. I put him straight on several matters. On a positive note, he was sober and ended up taking full responsibility for his night spent in the nick." There was a pause. "And then I phoned his dad."
Holy shitting baby moles. "Why in the name of chocolate would you do that?"
"You're that mad you can't swear?"
"Sophie!"
Jackson looked concerned. "Is she okay?" he said quietly. "I can send Max round to check on her."
"She's fine. And she'd most likely end your brother's dry spell if you sent him round," I said, knowing full well she could hear me.
"That would be a great way to say thank you if he's anything like your man toy," Sophie said, her tone of voice lightning. "Look, I did the right thing. Richard's father had no idea about you having split up. He was going to find out sometime and I called under the pretense I was concerned about Richard. He said he would speak to Richard about agreeing on terms quickly over the business and apartment to avoid any further scandal and he apologized for his son's behavior. It won't make any difference to negotiations, Van, but it may speed things up."
I felt frozen, lingering doubt pushing out of the box where I'd kept it like a serpent trying to choke me. "Did he say anything about me, how I was out of my league..." The words stuck in my throat and I saw Jackson's glare.
Sophie laughed. "He said: 'I'm surprised she's stuck with him that long, she had too many brains for him.' From what I've gathered, Richard's cocked up a lot of business deals recently, and his father has reigned in a lot of the responsibility and passed it over to his cousin to firefight. I'm totally ignoring your attempt to belittle yourself, by the way."
I inhaled deeply. "Thanks, Soph. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Van, I eat men like Richard for a snack before breakfast. I'll see you tomorrow – actually, make it Monday or Tuesday and I hope you're walking like you've been riding a horse non-stop for days. I'm going shopping with the ex's new piece. I'll send you a selfie." She hung up, leaving me listening to silence and Jackson's muffled laughter.
"Sophie's got more balls than all my brothers combined. We should introduce her to Max," he said, standing behind me and putting his arms around my waist.
"You clearly don't value your brother's manliness," I said, leaning into him. "She'd chew him up and spit him into the Thames. Sophie had a part-time job as a Domme at a BDSM club once."
This time he doesn't muffle his laughter. "Why doesn't that surprise me? She seems to have dealt with your ex okay and she was right, as was his dad."
"I know," I said, and I did. "It's just – I was the poor girl from the country and being with Richard did give me a lift up into circles it would've taken me years to breach."
Jackson shrugged. "But you had to have the skills for those people to take you seriously and the knowledge and talent to keep them with you, which you did. I think you need to move on from that doubt and stop thinking you're in a world where you don't belong." He took my hand and we started walking, the conversation changing onto lighter matters until we reach our destination.