Acts of Desperation(27)

“Come on, I’ll be fine. I just need a glass of water,” I said.

“Umm…I think you’re going to need a little more than water.” He chuckled.

“Let’s go out to the fire pit. The air is cooling off a bit and it’ll do me some good.” I leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head and stepped back.

“No,” he said.

The shock was instant, but the embarrassment took a second to sink in. “What? Fine,” I said and got in to the car. This was when loose-lip-drunk-girl turned into angry-defensive-girl. The drive home was tension filled and tortuously quiet. As soon as he pulled up in front of my house, I let myself out of the car.

“Thanks,” I said, shutting the door. I walked up the front steps and stood on our concrete porch, pissed off at the world. He called to me, but I ignored him. Then, I heard him trotting behind me. “Just.” I sighed. “Good night. I had a great time.” I fumbled with my keys, trying to get the right one in the lock.

“Here, give me those,” he said, taking the keys from my hand.

“I got it,” I said.

He reached for my hand and turned me toward him. “Sember.”

I took another deep breath, and we stood silently looking at each other. He put his hand on the small of my back, and pressed his body against mine. The smell of his leather coat mixed with him was dangerous and suddenly I felt dizzy. I thanked God that I had him there to steady me. He leaned in, and just as his lips touched mine, he pulled back. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this now,” he said with closed eyes, taking a step back.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing’s wrong, but you’ve had too much to drink, and I don’t want to start something tonight that we can’t finish…and I’ll want to finish,” he said.

“I give you my permission,” I said, smiling.

He smiled. “No. There are some other things on my mind too,” he said. “It’s not right. I should call it a night.”

“Ok,” I said, slightly confused.

He used my keys and opened my door.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Get some rest, and I’ll see you Monday,” he said then leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I enjoyed being with you tonight.”

A few seconds later, I was inside by myself and heard the quiet purr of his engine as he drove away.





Chapter Twelve


Jax and I had left things on a weird note so I hoped to speak with him before Sarah arrived at the firm on Monday. I went into my office to drop my things off, but when I walked in, I found a bag of gourmet peanuts sitting in the middle of my desk tied with a red ribbon. I took my coat off and threw my stuff down. I grabbed the bag and read the label. It said, “Mabel’s Gourmet Peanuts—The Perfect Snack.” I laughed, feeling slightly more at ease, and walked down the hall to Jax’s door. Then, as I stood outside, I heard him on the phone—the whole floor could have practically hear him on the phone.

“Yeah. That’s original!” he said then there was a pause. “Let. It. Go.” There was another pause. “You’re fucking crazy!” Then there was a loud bang, and I jumped back as something shattered against the door.

I waited a moment then knocked. “Is everything ok?” I opened his door and peeked my head in.

“By all means, come in,” he said. He quickly came around his desk and gathered up what remained of his phone off the floor.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I’d rather not discuss it right now. I need to prepare for the meeting with your sister,” he said.

“Ooo-k.” I scowled as he threw the remains of his phone in his garbage can.

He sat down at his desk and organized some papers into a neat stack. “And, so we’re on the same page, I’d like to meet with your sister one on one,” he said.

“What?” I said. “I thought I’d—”

“It’s nothing personal.” He rubbed his temples then looked up at me. “You’re too close to the case, and if you’re in here, it can complicate things. Right now, I need facts, not emotions.”

His remarks hit me like a slap in the face. “Sure. Whatever,” I said and walked out.

As I made my trek back to my office, I ran into Dee and my sister in the hallway. Sarah had on her slinky black slacks that had grown baggier over the last several months, the stress of the divorce likely killing her appetite. Despite that, her hair was down and cascading loose waves over her shoulders and onto her delicate white cotton blouse.

“You alright, honey? You look a little frazzled?” Dee asked.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.” I half-heartedly smiled. “Stop by and see me when you’re finished,” I said to Sarah.

“Ok. I will,” Sarah said, smiling nervously.

Dee led Sarah down to Jax’s office, and a little over an hour later, Sarah stopped by before heading out. She sounded optimistic for the first time in a long time, which was great, but we all knew it was going to be an uphill battle all the way. She left to go fire Chuck and to have her file sent over so Jax could start reviewing everything.

Meanwhile, I struggled to get any work done. There were too many things that were unsaid between me and Jax. My mind was swimming and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.