chapter 10
Scarlett
JAXON ARRIVES BEFORE JOSHUA does, and I’m grateful to have him in the house while a random man walks around it. I made some ham-and-cheese croissants for both of them, along with a fruit platter, just in case they got hungry.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Jaxon says, as Joshua helps himself.
“It’s no problem,” I say quickly, appreciating having someone to actually cook for. Jaxon takes one, and I like watching him enjoy eating it. Is that weird? Probably.
“The place is pretty secure,” Joshua tells Jaxon. I don’t know why he tells him and not me, but I stand next to Jaxon and listen anyway. “Just a few windows I’d put new locks on, and remember to change the password regularly on the system.”
“When can you do the locks?” Jaxon asks. He’s in all black , pants and a T-shirt. He looks more casual than usual and I wonder if it’s because he’s going to try to talk with Valentina again I really hope she’ll help us.
“I can do them today, I just need to head to the store and grab a few things,” Joshua says, then looks to me. “Will you be home? I can be back here in an hour.”
I nod. “Yes, I’ll be here.”
“Perfect,” Jaxon says. “Just send the invoice to my office.”
“You can just give it to me,” I tell Joshua, wondering why Jaxon would want it sent to his office when I’ll be right here as he does the job.
Joshua smirks and leaves, getting into his truck and driving off.
“Will you be okay with him, now that you’ve met him and know what he looks like?” he asks me, scanning my face. “I can stay if you like, but he’s a good guy. You can feel safe around him.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say, smiling gently. “Thanks for being here.”
“No problem, call me if you need anything,” he says, then flashes me a smile and leaves.
I’m not going to lie, I check out his ass. It’s a good one—tight, round, and totally grabable.
Except then he turns around and catches me looking.
Crap.
I awkwardly wave, grimacing as he smirks and slides into his car.
“JAXON IS TAKING CARE of the bill,” Joshua states, refusing me as I bring my purse out.
“What do you mean?” I ask, wrinkling my nose, and shifting on my feet. I open my purse and grab my checkbook. “Don’t be silly. Please, let me know how much it will be.”
“It’s taken care of, sweetheart,” he says, smiling and walking out the front door.
I’m still standing in the open doorway in confusion when my phone rings. I don’t even check who the caller is. “Hello?”
“Scarlett,” comes the smooth tone on the other end. “Did everything go okay?”
Jaxon.
Just the man I need to have a word with.
“Yeah, besides the fact he didn’t let me pay,” I say, closing my front door and locking it. “Any idea why that is?”
Jaxon ignores my comment and says, “Good. I have some news.”
“You spoke to Valentina?” I surmise, moving to sit on my couch. “And are you going to ignore everything else I just said?”
He hesitates, and then says, “Yes to the latter, and not exactly to the former. Valentina doesn’t want to talk, and the MC is making it impossible to reach her without going through all of them first.”
“Then what?” I ask, wondering why he’s calling if nothing has transpired.
“I came up with a plan B.”
“You going to tell me what this plan B is?” I ask, eyebrows rising. “Or are you going to leave me in suspense?”
I don’t know when the two of us became partners in crime, but I like it. I like knowing what’s going on, and being a part of the decisions. I trust Jaxon and the choices he makes, he knows what he’s doing after all, but he didn’t have to call me and update me. The fact that he treats me like an equal, not a criminal, means more to me than he will ever know.
“I’ll tell you, but it has to be in person. Come to my office tomorrow?”
“I’ll be there,” I tell him.
Not like I have anything better to do.
EVER SINCE I LEFT Darren, I’ve tried to hide who I am, to be invisible. I’ve dressed in loose-fitting clothes, and at the start I even stopped wearing makeup or putting any effort at all into my looks. I never wanted people to notice me. I didn’t want any attention. I learned that blending into the background was safe, and even after I left Darren that kind of stuck with me.
After more than two years now I’ve finally started becoming who I was meant to be. A woman who makes her own decisions, an independent woman. One who controls her own destiny. Today, though, is the first time I’ve worn a fitted dress in a very long time. It’s black and ends just below the knee, but it shows off my chest and slim waist. I don’t question why I’ve put it on today, but I feel good in it. My hair is down and has a slight wave to it. I haven’t put much makeup on, just some powder and a little blush on my cheeks. I’m learning to love who I am, and accept myself, flaws and all. Before, I used to think about my flaws. But I’m proud of myself, I really am.
It would really be hell if I was sent to prison, just when I’m getting my first taste at freedom, at what life can truly be. Deep inside, I know somehow justice will prevail and I’ll be acquitted. I’m holding on to that, and that’s what is getting me through, and why I’m not freaking out as much as I could be right now. I’m slowly becoming stronger, more outgoing, and coming out of my shell, and it’s an indescribable feeling. I’m like a butterfly, just breaking free from its cocoon. One that happened to be stuck in there longer than others.
“Is Mr. Bentley in?” I ask the woman at the desk as I walk in, my car keys still in the palm of my hand.
She lifts her head and smiles. She has platinum-blond hair, but her eyes are dark and mysterious. “He is. What was your name, ma’am?”
“Scarlett Reyes,” I say, listening as she picks up the phone to call Jaxon.
“I have a Scarlett Reyes here for you at the front desk,” she says into the line. “Okay, no worries.” She hangs up and says, “He said to go straight in.”
“Thanks.”
I walk toward his office and am about to knock when the door opens. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I say, flashing him an easy smile.
He’s in a blue shirt today, another one that’s rolled up at the elbows. I don’t know what it is about that that makes him so much sexier. He shuts the door while I take a seat.
“What are you up to today?” he asks, claiming his own chair and studying me. “You look . . . nice.”
I smile at the compliment, which turns into a smirk when I catch him staring, as if he’s unable to look away. “I thought I’d donate some of Darren’s money and belongings to a charity today, and then I’ll probably go home and finish the garden. I want to turn it into a nice outdoor area where I can read and hang out. My own little space.”
Anything to keep me busy. It’s sad that this is what my life has become, one huge distraction to get me through, and that I have to spend the day dealing with Darren’s things. However, if a charity can benefit from it, if I can do a little good in the world, at least that’s something.
“That sounds nice,” he says, tilting his head to the side. “You could put some furniture out there, or maybe one of those seat swings.”
“That’s the plan. What news do you have to tell me?” I ask, getting to the point.
“Right,” he says, rubbing his hands together. “I pulled a favor and I have something in the works for your case. I’m going to need a few days, so I don’t want you to worry or think that nothing is happening, okay? Try not to stress, I know it’s hard, but as soon as I find out any information, I’ll give you a call, okay?”
“You wanted me to come all the way here to tell me that?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“No,” he says, sliding me over a file. “I actually need you to read and sign these. As you know, our family-law attorney, Hunter, has been working on your case as well. We need you to sign these to move probate along.”
“Oh. Do you want me to do it now, or can I take it home and bring it back?” I ask, wanting time to read through it all.
“You can take it with you.”
“Anything else?”
“Just one more thing.”
He grins, a smug look plastered on his face. I don’t know why he looks smug, until he reaches down and pulls out a bouquet of beautiful white flowers.
“Happy birthday, Scarlett,” he says, handing them to me.
I take them, my eyes widening. I was going to ignore my birthday. I have no one to celebrate with, and nothing to celebrate about, so I was just going to pretend it was any other day.
“How did you know?” I ask softly, smelling the beautiful flowers. Peonies are mixed into the bunch, and those are my favorite flowers in the world.
“Came up on my file,” he says, shrugging. “I was going to get them delivered to you, but I wanted to see your face.”
“Thank you, Jaxon,” I say, leaning over the table and kissing his cheek, the light stubble on his face prickling my lips. “Today was just another day until now.”
“You’re welcome, Scarlett,” he says, gray eyes as gentle as I’ve ever seen them.
“I’m going to go home and put them in a vase,” I say, knowing he has work to do. And I have somewhere to be: today is my first day of volunteering at the animal shelter. I’ve been wanting to do something productive while I’m waiting for this trial to be over and since I have a soft spot for animals, and I couldn’t think of anything better to do than give back to animals in need. They told me that they needed help walking and transporting dogs to foster and prospective adoption homes.
“I’ll be in touch,” he calls out after me.
I turn and flash him a happy smile, then head back home to drop the flowers off before driving to the shelter.