"Yeah, and that's exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want a job out of pity." I hesitated. "Or because you think I'll do something worse if I don’t get an 'honest' job."
Let's get one thing straight," he said. "Whatever you think I believe, you're wrong."
I muttered, "And I'm not homeless either."
He gave me a dubious look. "Alright."
Obviously, he didn't believe me. And in truth, I didn't quite believe myself.
I started to squirm under his penetrating gaze. Apparently, it wasn't lost on either of us that last night, I'd been only a few steps away from sleeping in the gutter.
I cleared my throat. "I was just waiting for a ride, that's all."
He looked far from convinced. "From your roommate."
"Right."
"Who lives where?"
"What?"
"Where does she live?"
I glanced away. "Um, Nashville, actually."
"Right."
Right? Again? I gave a confused shake of my head. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I know more than you think."
I was almost afraid to ask. "Like what?"
He leaned forward. "I know you've been living in Nashville. I know you used to work in Bestie's Pub. I know you were employee of the month five times and that your boss cried when you quit."
My jaw almost hit the table. "How do you know all that?"
"I've got my sources."
"Yeah. I just bet." I straightened in the booth. "But maybe they're not as good as you think."
"How so?"
Actually, his recitation had been pretty spot-on. Grasping at straws, I said, "Well, like my boss, she didn't really cry. There might've been a sniffle or two but…" And then, way too late, my thoughts caught up with my emotions. "Wait a minute. You pried into my business?"
"No," he said, "I checked your references. Big difference."
"Not to me."
He shrugged. "Hey, it was all public."
"It was not," I insisted. "It was private."
"You want some advice?"
"No."
He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "If you want something private, keep it off the internet."
I stared at him from the other side of the booth. "That's a sorry defense, and you know it."
"I'm not defending anything," he said. "If you ask me, you should be more careful."
"Except I didn't ask you, did I?"
"Yeah, well you should've."
My gaze narrowed. "You went through my wallet, didn't you?"
He had to. I mean, how else would he know my last name? Or where I'd been living?
He didn't deny it, and by now, I was almost quivering with righteous indignation. "Is that why you agreed to hold it last night? Because you wanted to snoop?"
"No," he said in a tone of infinite patience. "I went through it because you were missing, and I wanted a place to start."
"To start what?"
"Looking." His gaze didn't waver. "For you."
I wasn't sure I believed him. "What else did you do? Go through my phone?"
"No."
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, he added, "You've got a password, remember?"
"What?" I sputtered. "So you actually tried it?"
"Hell yeah," he said. "And I'd do it again."
I was glaring now. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Really. The way you disappeared? Without your stuff? What, you think I wouldn't?"
"But—"
He held up a finger. "Hold that thought."
I didn't want to hold anything. But like the sap I was, I waited while he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked at the screen and frowned. After a long moment, he looked up and said, "We'll talk more later."
"Why later?"
He set his phone on the table and picked up the check. "Because we're leaving." He pulled out his wallet and peeled off several bills while I stared in growing disbelief.
Okay, I realized that he'd just treated me to breakfast and yes, he'd done me a ton of other favors, too. But it seemed pretty darn cruel of him to drop that bombshell – hell, multiple bombshells – and then leave when the questioning got tough.
And besides, there was something else I wanted to know. "Morgan – that's the redhead, right? The one who claimed to be your girlfriend?"
It had to be her. This morning, the voice had sounded eerily familiar.
Jax nodded. "Yeah. That's her."
I didn't like her. And yet, as the pieces fell into place, I realized something awful. The way it sounded, she was about to be fired because of me.
She and Jax had a history. She wasn't over him. That much was obvious. No wonder she was a little crazy. Hell, I'd be crazy, too.
Jax said, "Is something wrong?"
"That job you mentioned, does she have it now?"
"Yeah. But not for long."
I rubbed at my wrist under the table. "She's not getting fired because of me, is she?"
"No. She's getting fired because of herself. And if you decide to feel guilty, I've got something for you to remember."
"What?"
"Last night, she's the one who didn't give you the message."
I sat back in the booth. "Wait, you left the message with her?"
When Jax nodded, I felt my teeth grinding together. To think, while I'd been standing there, begging Allie for a ride, Morgan – who'd listened to the whole conversation – had known that Jax was coming back and that he didn't want me to leave.
Talk about cold.
I was just about to ask for more details when his phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up and took a look. After the briefest glance at me, he gave a half-scoff, half-laugh and then shoved the phone into his pocket.
I asked, "What's so funny?"
"Jaden – he's having it out with someone at the house."
"Really?" In truth, I wasn't that surprised. The guy really was a tool.
"Oh, yeah." Jax gave a low laugh. "And the way it sounds, he's getting his ass handed to him."
I didn't get it. "And why is that funny?"
"Because," he said, "it's your friend doing it."
Chapter 27
When we pulled into the driveway, I could hear the yelling as soon as I opened the car door.
I had to give Jax some credit. The drive to the restaurant had taken us twenty minutes. But the drive back? Thanks to some creative maneuvering on his part, it had taken only ten.
Ten terrifying minutes.
But I couldn’t complain. It was, after all, at my urging.
I slammed the car door and practically sprinted up the front steps. I had no key, but that didn't even matter. The front door was wide open, which explained why they'd been so easy to hear.
Somewhere in the house, Allie was yelling, "Where the fuck is she?"
Jaden replied, "I already told you. Out."
"Liar!" she yelled. "What have you done with her?"
"Me?" Jaden said. "Shit, I haven't done anything. But my brother? Eh, I can't promise you anything there."
Standing just inside the front door, I glanced wildly around. I could hear them, but I couldn't see them. Where were they? Upstairs? In a house so big, it was hard to tell.
Allie was saying, "I'm not afraid of you, you know."
"Yeah? I wish I could say the same."
As they bickered back and forth, I heard the sounds of doors slamming one after another. I listened more closely. Yup, they were definitely upstairs. I made for the stairway and took the stairs two at a time.
Somewhere down the hall, Jaden was saying, "If you think she can fit in that dresser, you're nuts." He paused. "Well, unless we chopped her up or something."
"I swear to God," Allie said, "if you did anything to her, I will kill you. Slowly."
"Hell, you're killing me now."
I found them in the second bedroom on the right. Allie was in the closet, shoving aside bunches of clothes that were hanging inside.
From the open doorway, I stopped to stare. What on Earth was she doing? Looking for a secret passageway or something?
Searching for some clue, I looked to Jaden. He was wearing jeans, but no shirt, and his torso was covered in tattoos. I hadn't seen a hint of them last night, but then again, he had been wearing a tux.
Now, he was leaning against the nearest wall, eyeing Allie with open contempt. "Hey Velma," he told her, "you wanna check the bookcases, too?"
Velma?
Allie didn't even pause. "You don't have any bookcases, dumb-ass. I checked for those first."
At this, Jaden looked nearly insulted. "That's not true," he told her. "We've got a whole library downstairs." He gave her a smug smile. "So who's the dumb-ass now?"
The smile was a total waste. Allie didn't even look. She was still focused on the clothes. She shoved aside a row of hangers and muttered something about shoving a Scooby Snack up his ass.
A Scooby Snack?
Oh. Of course.
Obviously, they'd been referencing that classic cartoon. Probably, I should've figured that out at "Velma." I heard myself mutter, "Ruh-roh."
Jaden's head swiveled in my direction. Unsure what else to do, I gave him a little wave. He didn't wave back. No surprise there. Instead, he looked to Allie and said, "Found her."
"Oh shut up," Allie said. "I'm not falling for that again."
Jaden shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you want me, I'll be in the library." And with that, he sauntered out, walking past me without so much as a hello, not that I could blame him, all things considered.
From inside the closet, Allie yelled, "As if you can read!" Under her breath, she added, "Idiot."
I wanted to say something soothing, but words utterly failed me. The room was a total mess, with drawers pulled out and clothes falling off the hangers. Plus, at this point, what could I say?
Even for Allie, this was a bit much. But I knew who was to blame. It wasn't Jaden. And it wasn't Jax.
It was me.
Damn it.
Trying not to startle her, I tiptoed toward the closet until I was standing just outside its door. In the most soothing voice I could muster, I said, "Allie?"
With a little yelp, she whirled around. Her eyes widened at the sight of me. But then, a split second later, they narrowed to slits as she demanded, "Where were you?"
I bit my lip. "Um, out?"
From somewhere down the hall, Jaden yelled, "Told ya!"
Allie turned toward the sound and hollered back, "Oh, fuck off!" She looked back to me and said, "You weren't here."
"I know. I was getting…" I cleared my throat. "…uh, pancakes, actually."
She was staring now. "Pancakes? Are you freaking kidding me?"
It wasn't just pancakes. It was bacon, too. But I'd be stupid to mention it. And besides, I felt so awful, I could hardly speak at all.
Allie's long blond hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was on the petite side, but today, she looked even smaller than usual in clothes that appeared to be a few sizes too big.
Confused, I looked down at her shorts. They were long, black and loose, the kind that tied with a drawstring at the waist – not that I could see the drawstring now, since she was wearing an oversized grey sweatshirt that fell well past her hips.
Were those clothes even her own?
I didn't think so.
And why was she wearing a sweatshirt? It was a sunny afternoon, in Florida no less. Unlike last night, the temperature right now was definitely on the balmy side.
I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I did know who was to blame. I looked up to meet her gaze. "Gosh, Allie. I'm so sorry."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "You're okay?"
"Uh, yeah," I stammered. "I called. Didn't you get my message?"
"Of course I did." She made a sound of frustration. "Why do you think I'm here?"
I cringed. "Actually, I meant the second message, the one telling you that I was alright."
She gave a confused shake of her head. "What?"
"Yeah. In fact, I left two second messages – one at the apartment, and then another on your cellphone. You didn't get either one of them?"
She made a scoffing sound. "Do I look like I did?"
No. In truth, she looked like hell. Oh sure, she was still as cute as a button, but now, the button looked like it had gone through the wash cycle a million times too many.
I asked, "But how did you get here?"
"How do you think?" she said. "I drove."
"But I thought your car was in the shop."
"Yeah. It is." She looked away and mumbled something that I couldn’t quite make out.
I shook my head. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
She looked back to me and sighed. "I borrowed a pickup. You didn't see it when you came in?"
I didn't recall seeing a pickup. "In the driveway?"
"No. On the street."
"Honestly," I said, "I was pretty focused on the house."
She gave me a look. "Yeah. Me, too."
A noise near the bedroom door made me turn to look. It was Jax, standing in the open doorway. He was eying us with an expression that I couldn’t quite decipher.
I tried to smile. "Oh, hi."
His voice was flat. "Hi."
I glanced around. The room was totally trashed, with open drawers and clothes scattered across the floor. I didn't even know whose room this was, but I was pretty sure that it wasn't the private domain of either brother.
After all, the clothes in the closet, not to mention the things littered across the carpet, included plenty of things that were decidedly feminine.
I zoomed in on an open drawer, overflowing lacy undergarments. Some of them still had the tags attached, which made me wonder something. Was this where Jax had gotten the clothes that I was currently wearing?
If so, whose clothes were they?
But that was a question for another time.
I gave Jax an apologetic smile. "Don't worry," I told him. "I'm gonna clean everything up. You won't even know we were here, honest."
He didn't smile back. But he didn't frown either. He replied, "I wouldn't count on it." He looked to Allie and asked, "You need anything?"
She glanced around, as if noticing the destruction for the very first time. After a long awkward pause, she replied, "No. I'm fine." Under her breath, she added, "Now, anyway."
But Jax looked unconvinced. "You sure about that?"
"Sure." She cleared her throat. "I mean, what would I need?"
"I dunno. A shower, breakfast, clean clothes?"
Allie looked down at the ill-fitting clothes that she was currently wearing. As I watched, a slow blush crept across her cheeks.
My heart went out to her. If anyone should be embarrassed, it was me. This was all my fault, and I was determined to make it right somehow.
I asked Allie, "Are you sure? There's a private bathroom, and…" I hesitated. "I have some things you can borrow."
Technically, these things belonged to someone else, and I felt a little awkward to be offering them up when they weren't even mine. But this was Allie, and she'd come so very far for a rescue that, as it turned out, wasn't even necessary.
Allie murmured, "I, um. No. But thanks." She looked to Jax and said, "And I guess I should apologize for barging in." She winced. "And I might've been a little rude."
"Forget it," he said. "Knowing my brother, he had it coming."
From somewhere down the hall, Jaden called. "I heard that!"
Jax turned his head and called back, "You were meant to hear it, jackass, so quit your bitching."
Allie and I exchanged a look. I whispered, "They're brothers."
"I know," she replied. "He just said so."
"Oh. Right." I'd heard him with my own ears. But I was so surprised by all of this, I hardly knew what I was saying.
From the doorway, Jax told Allie, "Let me know when you change your mind."
When? Not if?
I might've asked what he meant, but already, he'd turned and disappeared to who-knows-where. I looked back to Allie and said, "Come on. Let's talk in my room, okay?"
She frowned. "Your room?"
"Just for last night. But it'll give us someplace to talk." I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle tug. "Now, come on."
With a sigh, she let me lead her away from the closet. As we picked our way through the mess, I tried not to cringe. I meant what I'd told Jax earlier. I'd definitely clean it up. Just not right now.
First, I had a friend to take care of, and not just because she was the closest thing I had to a sister. I owed her, bigtime.
She'd just driven through the night and borrowed a vehicle to do it. This was a lot more than I deserved, especially after we'd parted on such awful terms just a week earlier.
But when I finally got the full story out of her, I almost wanted to cry. Apparently, things were a lot worse than I realized.
Chapter 28
I was still staring. "You stole it?"
"No," she said. "I borrowed it, just like I told you."
I almost didn't know what to say. We were sitting in the same bedroom where I'd slept last night. Before leaving for breakfast, I'd made the bed and straightened up as best I could. Now, Allie was sitting in a small armchair facing me, as I perched on the edge of the bed wondering if she'd lost her mind.
She muttered, "Hey, I left a note."
I tried to laugh. "Well, that's good. What did it say? 'I'm taking your vintage truck to Florida'?"
As I'd just learned, the truck belonged to Allie's ex-boyfriend. They'd been together for nearly six months until their breakup just a few weeks ago. Correction – their bad breakup.
Unless something had changed, they weren't even on speaking terms.
For this, I was glad. The guy really was a douchebag. Still, he didn't deserve to have his truck stolen, especially on my behalf.
Allie still hadn't answered my question, and I had a pretty good idea why. I gave her a no-nonsense look. "He doesn't know the truck's here, does he?"
"Not exactly." Her chin lifted. "I mean, I didn't tell him specifically where I was going, just that it was an emergency." She glanced away. "And besides, he was sleeping. I didn't want to wake him."
I rolled my eyes. "How thoughtful of you."
One Good Crash Page 11
