Now that I know what was wrong with me, I glare at the messages from Julian.
Jamie: I had food poisoning, jerk. Next time leave me to die, why don’t you.
Julian: Food poisoning? In that case, I apologize. Keep yourself hydrated.
I’m not one to curse, but what an asshole.
I slump back on my bed, relieved to know I’m not losing my mind because I can’t remember the night before. Still not feeling a hundred percent, I pull my pillow closer and shut my eyes. All I have to do is sleep this off. I’ll feel better once I’m rested.
Chapter 8
Julian
Feeling guilty for not taking Jamie to the hospital, and instead, just tucking her in bed when she was sick, I stop by the store to grab a couple of bottles of Gatorade for her.
I might not get along with her, but I did promise Carter I’d look out for her.
When I get to her suite, I knock on the door. I wait almost a minute before I pull my phone out and dial her number.
It rings for a while before her groggy voice comes over the line, “What do you want?”
“Open the door,” I say, just managing to not snap at her.
“Get lost, Julian. I’m trying to sleep,” she complains.
Clenching my jaw, I growl, “Just open the damn door. You’re wasting my time.”
“Jerk.”
The line cuts out, and it has me scowling at the phone until the door opens.
“What?”
I’d give her a piece of my mind, but she looks like shit, so I keep it in, and instead say, “I brought you Gatorade.” Shoving it at her, she quickly wraps an arm around the six-pack. “Drink it. Don’t let yourself get dehydrated.”
I begin to walk away, when she asks, “Are you actually being nice to me right now? I can’t tell whether you’re a jerk by nature, or just socially awkward.”
God, help me.
Glancing at her from over my shoulder, I reply, “You just have this uncanny way of bringing out the worst in me.”
Walking away from her, Jamie calls after me, “Aww… glad to hear I get under your skin. Thanks for the Gatorade. It shows you care.”
“I don’t,” I snap as I press the button for the elevator.
“You keep telling yourself that,” she taunts me before I hear her door click shut.
Shaking my head, I step onto the elevator. When I reach the ground floor, the elevator opens, and I nod when I see a janitor replacing one of the lightbulbs in the lobby.
“Morning, Mr. Reyes,” he says, smiling at me.
“Morning.” I walk out of the building and head straight for my car, needing to get to work.
There’s a knock at my office door, and then Mason walks in, followed by Stephanie.
I get up from behind my desk and walk over to the table for the meeting.
Sitting down, Mason says, “I brought the financials for Trinity Academy as well.”
“Good.” When we’re all seated, I glance at Mason. “You go first.”
“Okay.” He shuffles his files in order. “Trinity is bringing in a good profit. Extra staff has been hired to see to the maintenance of the grounds. They have asked for an additional lecturer for the Arts and Culture department.”
“I’m aware of that. If it’s within budget, they can go ahead with advertising for the post.”
“Next, I have a proposal from a shipping company,” Mason continues.
We work through everything on the agenda, and when we’re done, Mason stays behind as Stephanie returns to her office.
“How are you doing?” I ask.
Mason nods slowly, “I’m finding my feet.”
“Good. I remember how hectic it was when I joined the company. It takes time to get used to all the procedures.”
“That’s for sure.” A worried look flashes across his face. “Kingsley called earlier and mentioned Jamie is sick.”
“I’m aware.”
Surprise flickers across his face. “How the hell do you manage to know everything?”
“I’m all-knowing,” I joke, then continue on a more serious note, “I ran into Jamie last night and checked on her this morning. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
She gave me enough attitude to convince me of that.
Mason stares at me, and when I see the question on his face, I quickly add, “I was at Trinity to play the cello. Don’t even think of whatever you’re thinking now.”
“Think what?” he asks, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk.
“Mace, she’s practically a kid. I have zero interest.”
“Yeah?”
He keeps staring at me until I shake my head. “I ran into her. She needed help, so I made sure she got to her suite safely. That’s all there was to it.”
“I didn’t say there was more to it,” he says as he lets out a chuckle.
He leans a little forward, a resolute look settling on his face. I’m well aware of how intimidating most people find Mason when he gets serious, but having known him all his life, it doesn’t affect me in the slightest.
“You should start dating again, Julian. It’s time for you to move on.”
“It’s not because of Jen that I don’t date,” I explain, knowing if I don’t say something, he won’t stop. “I just haven’t met anyone who piques my interest.”
“Jennifer was practically perfect,” Mason boasts, drawing a chuckle from me.
“She was,” I agree.
“And Jamie?”
“What about her?” I ask, not happy he’s brought her up again.
“It might be my imagination, but I could swear I felt some tension between the two of you during dinner on Sunday.”
“Definitely your imagination,” I say, hoping no one else picked up on any vibes between Jamie and me.
“Hmm.” Mason leans back in his chair, a slight smile resting on his face. “She’s beautiful and comes from a good family. No one would blame you if you were interested in her.”
“Mace, what’s with the third-degree about the girl?” I ask, needing to kill the seed before it grows any further.
“I just want to see you happy.”
“Not with some kid. She’s eight years younger than me,” I state.
“So, you did the calculation already,” he jokes. “Stephanie is twelve years younger than your father.”
Surprised, I ask, “Have they made their relationship public?”
He lets out a burst of laughter. “No, of course not. But anyone can see they only have eyes for each other.” Mason begins to gather all his files, and as he gets up, he says, “Age is only a number. You’re both adults. If you like the girl, go for it.”
“I don’t like her. She annoys me,” I say with finality, needing to lay this subject to rest.
As Mason walks to the door, he adds, “Kingsley used to annoy the hell out of me as well, now look at us.”
“Go back to work, Mason,” I call after him, shaking my head.
Who would’ve thought I’d have a heart to heart with Mason about women?
Chapter 9
Jamie
After the bout of food poisoning, I’m feeling much better. I get ready for a date with Layla, Kingsley, and Lee, happy that I’ll be spending some time with them.
When I’m ready, I head up to the top floor. Knocking on their door, I’m surprised when a guy opens for me.
“Oh, hey. Is Layla or Kingsley here?”
He steps to the side. “Yes, let me call them. Come in.” He begins to walk away, then stops and awkwardly turns back to me. “I’m Preston Culpepper.”
“Nice to meet you.” I reach out a hand to him, knowing that if he’s sharing a suite with the girls, he must be important to Trinity Academy in some way. I’ve been learning about how the hierarchy works around here, seeing as students treat me with caution because I have a suite in The Hope Diamond building. When Preston takes my hand, I add, “I’m Jamie Truman.”
Pulling his hand away from mine, he walks toward
one of the rooms and knocking on the door, says, “Kingsley, Jamie is here.”
“I’ll be right out,” she calls from inside.
Turning back to me, Preston gestures to the sofa. “Take a seat while you wait.”
“Thanks.” Before he can head back to his own room, I say, “You share the penthouse with Layla and Kingsley, so I assume you know Falcon, Mason, and Lake.”
Preston takes a seat across from me. “Oh yes, I’m their assistant.”
“Oh, cool, then you’ll know who my family is. That’s a relief, not having to explain it again.”
Preston lets out a chuckle, relaxing a little. “Yes, I know.” He gestures in the air. “The way things work at Trinity is intimidating at first, and it doesn’t help that everyone wants to know everything about you. No such thing as privacy here.”
I laugh because it’s so true. “It’s a different way of life. I come from a small town, so I’m not used to the world of the rich and famous.”
“You do? Which town? I got into Trinity on a scholarship. Luckily, I also got chosen as Lake’s assistant,”
Preston blurts the words out so fast, I have to wait for him to finish before I can answer, “I was born in Saluda and lived there until I was fifteen.”
Before I can ask another question, Layla comes out of her room. “Did he at least offer you something to drink while you were waiting,” she teases, which makes a blush push up Preston’s neck.
He has this whole hot nerd look going on, which makes the blush endearing.
Yep, I can see him unknowingly breaking hearts wherever he goes.
Not wanting Preston to feel uncomfortable around me, I say, “It’s okay, I’m not thirsty.”
Kingsley comes out of her room. “Are you ready? Lee said she’d meet us at the spa.”
“We were waiting for you,” Layla teases her.
“Hey, it takes time to straighten my hair.”
“Don’t I know,” Layla says with a chuckle.
“I see you met Preston.” Kingsley goes to sit next to him and throws her arm around his shoulders. “He’s my hero after saving my life earlier this year.”
“He did?” I ask, surprised by what Kingsley just said.
“Yep, I can’t swim for shit and fell into the pool. If he hadn’t jumped in, I’d be toast.”
Shocked by what happened, I ask, “But you’re okay after what happened?”
“Yeah, I was lucky.”
“Have you heard of Serena Weinstock?” Layla asks as she takes a seat next to me.
“No, should I have?”
“She’s the one who pushed Kingsley in the pool, and she also put me in ICU with an allergic reaction. Oh, for future knowledge, I’m allergic to strawberries.”
“And apples…” Kingsley adds, then waves a hand, “basically just don’t give her anything with fruit in it. It’s safer that way.”
“I’ll remember.” I give Layla’s hand a quick squeeze, then ask, “Where’s Serena now, just, so I know to avoid her?”
“She’s been expelled,” Layla offers the information.
“And she’s serving a two-year community service sentence,” Kingsley adds.
“Only two years?” I ask. “That’s a light sentence if you ask me.”
“She comes from a long line of senators. Money can buy you out of anything in California,” Preston says, a disgruntled look on his face.
“She was also influenced by Clare Reyes. I don’t think Serena would’ve had the guts to hurt us if she didn’t have Clare backing her,” Layla says, surprising the hell out of me once again.
This is information overload, but I’m glad they’re telling me.
“I’ve heard Clare is on trial for attempted murder,” I say, then glancing at Layla and Kingsley, I ask, “So it’s for what she did to the two of you?”
“Just for what she did to Layla. We only have proof that she was the mastermind behind attempting to take Layla’s life.”
“Holy cow. I hope they put her away for life.”
Knowing the full story behind what happened, I feel even worse for comparing Julian to his mother. It must be hard on him and Falcon, having their mother stand trial, and I just rubbed salt in the wound.
“I’ll be happy if she gets ten years with how easy it is to buy yourself out of trouble,” Layla says drily, then getting up, she smiles, “That’s enough talking about all the drama. Let’s get going, or we’ll be late for our appointment.”
Kingsley jumps up and excitedly claps her hands. “Time for mani’s and pedi’s.” Looking at Preston, she asks, “You want to join us?”
A frazzled look settles on his face. “Ah…uhm…no.”
His response makes us laugh. “Poor Preston,” I say as we walk to the door. “It must be hard living with two women.”
“You have no idea,” he mumbles from under his breath, then calls after us, “Enjoy the spa.”
After being pampered at the spa, I feel relaxed and ready for a nap.
When we get back to the dorms and climb out of the car, I say, “Thanks, girls, I really enjoyed the afternoon.”
Kinglsey stretches her arms and yawns, “I’m going to sleep.”
“Isn’t Mason picking you up at six?” Layla asks.
“I’ll set my alarm for five-fifty.”
I let out a chuckle. “I’d never be able to get ready in ten minutes.”
“Neither will Kingsley,” Layla teases. “She’s going to make Mason wait.”
“Well, luckily, I’m single, and I don’t have to worry about things like that,” I say as we walk into our dorm.
“We should find you a man,” Kingsley says, a determined look settling on her face.
“No, thank you. I’m happy with my single status.”
Stepping into the elevator, I can see my words fell on deaf ears.
“It’s a pity Preston just met someone.” Layla looks at Kingsley, then asks, “What about Julian?”
“Hell no,” the words burst from me.
“Why not?” Kingsley asks. “He’s good-looking, wealthy… ah… he’s…” her words trail away as she tries to think of more attributes.
“Exactly,” I state. “I like my men with an actual beating heart.”
“What does that mean?” Layla gives me an inquisitive look. “Did you and Julian have a fallout?”
“No,” I lie as the door opens on my floor. “He just seems cold and arrogant.”
“So did Falcon,” Layla says. “Until I got to know him better.”
The girls walk with me, and I let us into my suite.
“All the Reyes’ men are like that,” Layla continues when we take a seat. “They all put up a front to the world, but once you get past it, you’ll see they’re actually caring.”
Yeah, no way I can see Julian being caring.
He did bring you Gatorade the other day.
And made sure you got safely back to your suit.
Still, that was because he felt obligated to.
“He was engaged to Mason’s older sister,” Kingsley gives me more information about Julian. “She passed away before their wedding.”
What? Holy cow!
Understanding begins to dawn in my heart. Having lost so many of my own loved ones, I know how much it hurts.
“From what Falcon told me, Julian closed off after Jennifer passed,” Layla murmurs, a sad look on her face. “Things have gotten better, though.”
“So, you’re telling me the coldhearted jerk routine is all an act?” I ask, wondering if my first impression of Julian was an actual peek behind the wall he has up around him.
The night of our one-night-stand Julian was a gentleman. We laughed and talked about the most random topics, and later, he was amazing in bed. Remembering the night reminds me of what I felt back then before our fight squashed all the fuzzy feelings like a bug.
“Yep, it’s all an act if you ask me,” Layla confirms. “Don’t let him fool you into believing otherwise.”
“Sti
ll, he’s the chairman of CRC. I think Carter would have a heart attack if I just looked in Julian’s direction,” I state the facts because even if I liked the man, there’s no way we could be together.
“Why wouldn’t your brother-in-law approve of Julian?” Kingsley asks. “I’d think it would actually help solidify the partnership.”
“Kingsley has a point.” Layla pins me with a serious look. “Besides, it’s no one’s choice to make but your own. If I had listened to people, I wouldn’t have Falcon now.”
“I know.”
If I’m honest with myself, I’m only using Carter as a barrier to hide behind. I just don’t want to open myself up for potential hurt. What if I let a man into my life, and we end up separating like Della and Carter did? I might not be as lucky as them to get a second chance at love with the man.
Or what if things work out and I lose him the way I lost my parents, and Julian lost Jennifer?
What if I get cancer like Mom?
There are too many what ifs.
“I’m just not looking for a relationship right now,” I say, needing to end this conversation.
“Well, just say the word, and we’ll help set you up with someone,” Kingsley says as she gets up. “I’m gonna go take that nap now.”
“Thanks for today. It was fun, and I hope we get to do it again soon,” I say as I let them out.
“Oh,” Layla turns before I can shut the door, “remember dinner tomorrow night with the group. You can ride with us.”
“Thanks, it’s at seven, right?” I ask, to be sure.
“Yeah, see you then.”
I wave at the girls before I push the door closed, then walk to my room so I can put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.
Pulling the drawer open, I frown when instead of sweats, I see my underwear.
“Huh?”
Opening the other drawers, nothing is where I put it.
“What the hell?”
Glancing around the room, I notice my alarm clock is on the other stand. As I move around the suite, my worry begins to grow when I find one thing after the other that’s been moved from where I placed it.
“Someone was in here,” I whisper as my anxiety spikes. Grabbing my phone from where I left it to charge, I immediately leave the suite and rush out of the building. Once I’m outside, I run towards the office so I can report it.
Julian (Trinity Academy Book 4) Page 5
