"You mean her?" Jaden replied, flicking his head in my direction. "Eh, just some chick."
I felt like strangling him. Just some chick?
When Darla made no reply, Jaden added, "Jax picked her up last night."
"Hey!" I said. "It's not the way you make it sound."
Jaden said, "How so?"
I glared up at him. "You talk like he picked me up at some bar or something." I turned to Darla and said, "When the truth is, he gave me a ride, that's all."
Darla snorted, "Yeah, I bet."
I felt my eyes narrow to slits. "I know what you're implying, and I don't appreciate it."
"Yeah, well I don't appreciate you getting my daughter fired."
Her daughter?
Oh, crap.
Chapter 36
My gaze darted between Jaden and Darla. I almost didn't know what to say. Had I gotten Morgan – her daughter – fired?
Yes. And no.
I mean, it was pretty obvious that she'd lost her job because of her awful behavior. And yes, much of this behavior had been directed at me, but I hadn't forced her to be awful, and I certainly hadn't forced her to barge into Jax's bedroom this morning.
I lifted my chin. "If she was fired, it was her own fault."
Darla was glaring now. "If she was fired?" Her voice rose. "She was fired. You know it. I know it. And Morgan knows it. And how do I know this? Because she's crying on my damn couch."
Suddenly, the office door swung open, and we all turned to look. In the open doorway stood not only Jax, but Allie too. Allie looked to Darla and said, "Yeah? Well maybe your daughter's a horrible person. You ever think of that?"
Oh, boy.
Just shoot me now.
As I watched, Darla's face grew flushed with anger. "What?"
But Allie wasn't backing down. "Yeah, I said it. Because it's true. Do you know, when I called last night, she told me that my friend was whoring herself out for drinks and gas money."
My jaw almost hit the floor. Now, it was my turn to say, "What?"
"Yeah," Allie said, turning her gaze on me. "And just so you know, the word 'whoring' was hers, not mine."
God, how I hated that word. My gaze slid to Jax. He stood in the doorway like a quiet menace, looking like he wanted to hit something or more likely, someone. Who, I wasn't sure.
When I looked back to Allie, she said, "Last night, I called you right back—"
"But wait," I said. "How could you? I didn't have my phone."
"I know," she gritted out. "That's why I called the number you left that message from."
I blinked. "Oh." Finally, the pieces fell into place. Last night, I'd borrowed Morgan's phone to leave that frantic message for Allie. Apparently, Allie had called back, only to get Morgan instead of me.
Bracing myself, I asked, "What else did she say?"
Allie hesitated. "Nothing."
"No," I said. "Tell me."
She sighed. "Alright, fine." She looked away and muttered, "She said the two brothers would be sharing you."
I gulped. "And you believed her?"
"No. Of course not." Again, she hesitated. "It's not that I believed her, but there's the thing with your mom and, well, you know what I think of her."
Did I ever.
I couldn’t help recall our terrible argument back in Nashville. In the heat of the moment, Allie had called my mom a money-grubbing liar and said that I'd be better off with no mom at all.
Unlike Jax, she hadn't come right out and called my mom a whore, but the implication had been clear enough.
It took me a moment to realize that everyone was staring – I bit my lip – at me.
Obviously, I was supposed to say something in response. What, I had no idea. I mean, what could I say?
Finally, it was Jaden who broke the silence, "So, were we taking turns? Or doing you at the same time?"
God, what a douchebag.
I opened my mouth to tell him so, but Jax beat me to the punch. "Say that again, and you'll be getting a fist in the face."
Jaden shrugged. "Dude, chill. It was just a question."
I looked to Jax. He looked chilled alright, but not in the way Jaden meant. His skin was white, and his muscles were tight. He turned to Darla and said, "Yeah. I fired her. And I should've fired her weeks ago."
Darla's face fell. "But—"
"But nothing," Jax said. "If you wanna do her a real favor, you'll go back and tell her that instead of crying on your couch, she should get off her ass and find a job she can handle."
Darla gave Jax a pleading look. "I'll have a talk with her, okay? Just give her another chance. She'll do better, I promise."
"No," Jax said, "she won't, and she's out of chances." His voice hardened. "You should know, I've already hired her replacement."
In spite of everything, my heart gave a little leap. "You did?"
I looked to Allie, but her expression betrayed nothing. I returned my gaze to Jax. He did mean Allie, right?
I wanted to ask, but I didn't dare – not in front of such a hostile audience.
Jaden said, "Don't I get a say in this?"
Jax didn't even hesitate. "No."
"And why not?" Jaden demanded.
"Because you hired the last one, and you did a shitty job."
From the sidelines, Darla said, "Hey! That's my daughter you're talking about."
Jax turned to look, and his expression softened. "I know. But I'm done. And when you have time to think about it, you'll see it's best for her, too."
But apparently Darla didn't agree. After a few choice words, she turned and stalked away, leaving a trail of profanity in her wake.
Funny, she almost reminded me of Allie – well, Allie in fifty years, anyway.
A moment later, the sound of the front door slamming echoed through the house. I was still wincing when I heard Jaden say, "Hey blondie, you never said."
Allie snapped, "I never said what?"
"With your friend," Jaden replied, "was it supposed to be a three-way? Or were we taking turns?"
I whirled back just in time to see Allie take a flying leap in his direction. I wasn't sure what she was planning, but I tackled her anyway, sending both of us sprawling onto the glossy wooden floor.
She yelled, "What the hell are you doing!"
I was still struggling to get a grip. "I'm saving you."
She tried to squirm away. "From what?"
She was wiry and strong, but I held on tight. "From making a fool of yourself, that's what."
Suddenly, she grew very still.
And so did I.
Probably, Allie and I were thinking the same thing. Rolling around on someone's floor was no way to preserve our dignity.
Allie was squashed face down, with me sprawled on top of her. If I let go now, what would she do? She seemed calmer, but was she really? Or was this only a ruse so she could make another run at Jaden the moment I let go?
From above us, Jaden said, "If they kiss, you owe me a beer."
Oh, for God's sake. I lifted my head to glare at him. "We can't kiss. We're not even facing each other."
Seriously, what a dumb-ass.
Underneath me, Allie muttered, "I'll give him something to kiss."
As I lay there on top of my friend, a horrible thought occurred to me. Even if Allie had been selected for the job, was it all for nothing now?
I was no employment expert, but I did know that this wasn't the best way to end a job interview.
With as much dignity as I could muster, I pushed myself up and then, standing in the quiet hall, extended a shaky hand to Allie.
Already, she'd flopped on her back and was staring up at me with accusing eyes. Her long blond hair was in a messy disarray, and the T-shirt she was wearing had twisted around her torso, making it look crooked and uneven. The hem of her shirt had crept up, revealing her tan stomach and the very bottom of the pink lacy bra she'd borrowed earlier.
Reluctantly, I looked to Jax and then to Jaden.
> Jax gave me a look that I couldn’t quite decipher. As for Jaden, his eyes were focused on Allie, as if he were waiting for her to sprout horns and a devil tail – or maybe just go for his nuts.
Whatever.
I looked back to Allie and nudged my hand a little closer. Finally, she took it and let me tug her up. Once on her feet, she gave me a half-wince, half-smile. In a hushed whisper, she said, "Sorry, I guess I blew it, huh?"
I turned anxious eyes to Jax.
He and his brother were staring at us like we were the most interesting specimens in the whole zoo.
Jaden looked to Allie and, "Who the hell are you, anyway?"
But it was Jax who answered, "She's Allie Brewster." His jaw tightened. "Your new assistant."
Chapter 37
His words hung there for a long, silent moment. I should've been thrilled. But mostly, I was confused.
Jaden's assistant?
Not Jax's?
I looked from brother to brother, wondering if I'd misheard. Or maybe Jax had misspoke? I held my breath, waiting him for him to correct the mistake.
But he didn't.
Jaden sputtered, "What the fuck?" He glared at his brother. "You're joking, right?"
As an answer, Jax looked to Allie and said, "Welcome aboard." And with that, he turned and stalked back into his office.
After a split second, Jaden and I followed after him.
As I scrambled to keep up, I called out, "Wait, I thought she'd be working for you."
Jaden added, "Yeah, what the hell?"
Jax stopped and turned around. He gave his brother a hard look. "I already have an assistant."
I blurted out, "You do?"
"Yes. I do." He flicked his head toward his brother. "Morgan was his assistant, not mine."
I stood in stunned disbelief. Oh, crap. Why hadn't I realized that? Stupidly, I'd just assumed that she'd be working for Jax. I felt my gaze narrow. Jax had to know what I'd been thinking. And yet, he'd said nothing to correct my assumption.
Jaden was telling Jax, "So? We'll switch, not a big deal."
"We can't switch," Jax told him. "You know it. And I know it."
I looked from brother to brother. Obviously, I was missing something, but what? I asked, "Why can't you switch?"
Jax replied, "Ask my brother. He knows."
I looked to Jaden. "Well?"
Ignoring me, he turned hard eyes on his brother. "I swear to God, I'll get you for this."
"No," Jax said. "You won't. Because this makes us even."
Jaden was still glowering. "For what?"
"For hiring Morgan in the first place."
Jaden gave a dramatic groan. "Shit, this again?"
"Hell yeah," Jax said. "I told you not to, but you did anyway."
Jaden practically yelled, "So?"
"So, it's your bed. You lie in it."
Jaden shot back, "No way. She's a fuckin' psycho."
I made a sound of annoyance. "Hey! She is not. She's perfectly lovely. And really smart, too."
In unison, the three of us turned to look at Allie. She was standing exactly where we'd left her. She hadn't even bothered to straighten her clothes, and I swear to God, her hair looked even messier than it had a moment earlier.
Damn it. Was she trying to sabotage this?
If so, it made no sense. Oh sure, she obviously wasn't a huge fan of Jaden, but he couldn’t be worse than her last employer, could he?
I gave Allie a reassuring smile. "Go on, tell him. You'll be great at this."
But she said nothing. Instead, she reached up and scratched her bare stomach, like some drunk at a ballgame.
What the hell?
After a long, awkward silence, Jax said, "By the way, it includes a company vehicle."
I whirled to face him. It did? I didn't recall seeing that on the paperwork. "Really?"
Looking decidedly unenthused, he replied, "Really."
As for Jaden, he looked more irritated than ever. "But Morgan didn't get a vehicle."
"Yeah, well," Jax muttered, "she didn't show the same initiative."
I didn't even know what that meant. From what I could tell, Allie had shown nearly no initiative at all, at least when it came to securing this job.
Once again, I turned to look at her. Now, she wasn't even facing us. Sometime in the last few seconds, she'd turned toward the front door. As I studied her face in profile, it was easy to guess her thoughts.
Somewhere outside was another vehicle, one she'd borrowed without permission. She'd need to return it. But how? And when?
Poor Allie. She didn't even know the worst of it.
But I didn't want her to think about that now. She should be celebrating, not worrying. I summoned up my sunniest smile. "That's great," I said, turning back to Jax. "So what kind of vehicle is it?"
With no trace of a smile, he replied, "An old Ford pickup."
I gave a little shake of my head. "What?"
"Yeah," he said, "Jaden bought it a couple hours ago."
I hesitated. "You don't mean—"
But that was what he meant, which is why an hour later, Allie and I were in that very same pickup, looking for a new place to rent.
Chapter 38
We'd been driving for maybe fifteen minutes, and so far, she'd said nearly nothing. Obviously, she wasn't happy, and it was easy to see why.
I bit my lip. "Maybe he won't be so bad."
From behind the wheel, Allie didn't even glance in my direction. Instead, she kept her eyes straight on the road and said nothing in reply.
I tried again. "And now, you don't need to worry about returning the truck, so that's good, right?"
The truck was so ancient, it was a genuine classic. It wasn't cheap either. I knew this because I had a rough idea how much Stuart had paid for it just a couple of months earlier.
Given how much he loved that thing, I was half-surprised he'd sell it at all, which only fueled my curiosity. How much had Jaden paid for it?
Whatever the dollar-amount was, it had to be a lot. But of course, I knew how this went. The real payment hadn't been for the truck itself so much as a bribe to keep Allie out of trouble.
In spite of how much I disliked Jaden, I had to admit, he'd done Allie a huge favor today.
Then again, he probably didn't know the full story. If he'd known it was for Allie's sake, he might've torched the truck, pointed the police in her direction, and called it a day.
Pushing that distressing thought aside, I looked to Allie and said, "And the pay's pretty good, too, right?"
Her only response was a muttered curse.
The knot in my stomach grew just a little bit tighter. God, I hated this. I'd known Allie for years, and our only big argument had been the one we'd had just before I moved down here.
But the way it looked, our second big argument was just around the corner.
I sighed. I might as well get it over with, or even better, head it off entirely. "Allie, listen," I began. "I'm really sorry–"
"Good," she snapped, "because you should be."
I couldn’t help but cringe. Her reaction stung, even if I did deserve it. Somehow, in the last twenty-four hours, I'd managed to completely up-end her life, even if I hadn't meant to.
But in my own defense, with the whole job thing, I really had been thinking of her. Even when it came to moving to Florida, I'd been so certain that she'd see the transition as a positive thing, not as some sort of punishment.
After all, she'd spent some of her happiest years in Hawaii while her dad had been stationed there. Plus, over the past year, she'd been talking more and more about moving someplace tropical, someplace with a beach and palm trees, too.
With growing desperation, I pointed toward the side of the road. "Look, a palm tree."
She gave the tree a sullen glance, and said nothing in reply.
I forced a smile. "And get this. You know that apartment we're on our way to see? According to Jax, it's almost right on the beach. Pretty neat, hu
h?"
At the next corner, Allie yanked the steering wheel to the right, sending the truck careening onto a nearby side street. She swerved to the curb and slammed on the brakes.
And then, she turned to face me.
She looked as angry as I'd ever seen her, and I fought a sudden urge to run screaming from the vehicle. But I didn't, because she was the closest thing I had to a sister and besides, after everything I'd put her through, I could surely endure the ass-chewing that was coming my way.
Sure enough, she practically yelled, "What the hell were you thinking?"
I felt myself swallow. "I, uh, was trying to make it up to you."
When her only response was a tearful shake of her head, I no longer felt like running. I felt like crying.
Somehow, I managed to say, "Honest Allie, I never would've suggested you for that job if I didn't think you'd love it." I took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's just that, well, the pay was so good, and the job seemed so perfect, and I remembered that you were looking to make a move…"
Allie gave a sniffle, and the sound sliced through me. She never cried. But the way it looked, she was going to break down any moment now.
My own eyes had grown misty, too, and I choked back a sniffle of my own, not because of her angry words, but because I was drowning in guilt and uncertainty.
She was the best friend I'd ever had. I thought I knew her, and I'd been so sure the job would make her happy.
But I'd been so very wrong. Even with the best of intentions, all I'd done was make her miserable.
Blinking back tears, I said, "Listen, as far as the job, the apartment, the state, whatever, if you want to back out, I totally understand."
With an effort, I straightened in my seat. "I'll even tell Jax so you don't have to. Or Jaden or whoever. And we'll find you a job back in Nashville. I'll help. We'll pound the pavement, send out resumes, whatever, okay?"
Feeling beyond desperate now, I swallowed a giant lump in my throat. "I'm just so sorry."
Allie gave a half-laugh, half-sob. "God, will you stop saying that?"
"No. Because it's the truth. I didn't mean to mess up your life."
"You think that's why I'm mad? Because you 'messed up my life'?"
"Well, uh, yeah," I stammered. "I mean, why else would you be mad?"
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