Fallen Woman(58)

“Jase. You can’t do that!”

He chuckled, but it wasn’t really because he was humored. “Sure I can. You won’t say no and neither will they. This way you get what you want—they’ll be occupied and out of earshot, and I get what I want—answers.”

He picked up the bill and folded it in half before sticking it in his pocket. I cringed, wondering what his motivation was.

“One way or another, Gianna, you and I are discussing this tonight.”

True to his word, we stopped and got dinner, fed the kids, bathed them all, and got them in bed. He started to take me to the man cave, but I refused. “I can’t do this in there, Jase. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, my room?”

Even though Jase and I weren’t a couple—we’d never shared any intimate exchange—we always shared a bed. There wasn’t a night I had stayed with him he hadn’t held me all night, but he’d never made a move for more—never taken it beyond platonic. His room was safe. I felt comfortable there, but more importantly, I felt loved. I worried what emotion would come out when I told him what little I knew.

He shut things down for the night, made sure all the doors were locked and the lights were off. Then he led me by the hand down the stairs to his room. He tossed me a pair of boxers and one of his old college T-shirts. Jase changed in his room while I went to the bathroom—we had our version of a nightly routine, as odd as that was. My spot was open on the bed when I emerged, and I climbed in next to him, but for the first time, he didn’t let me pass him to reach the other side. He sat against the headboard and tugged me between his legs—my back to his chest. The envelope sat on his nightstand in plain view. It was a statement.

He pulled his knees up, creating a lounge chair type environment for my body. I settled in with my arms around his legs and waited for him to start the conversation…which didn’t take long.

“What happened the last night you went out with Holland? Twice now you’ve gone out with him and didn’t call me afterward. You always call me after you go out with Drake or Max—so why not with him?” When I didn’t respond immediately, he followed his questions up. “Something tells me the truth lies in the envelope, but I’d rather hear it from you than read it on a piece of paper.”

“Can you promise me to stay calm and not jump to conclusions?”

He laced his fingers through mine and pulled my hands across my chest, hugging me from behind. “Absolutely not. I realize I’m protective, Gia, but it’s only because I care. And my friends can be buffoons. You’re my best friend, and if anything happened to you, I wouldn’t take it well. At all.”

I laughed. “Did you really just say that? Buffoons?”

“I did. We both know it’s true, so start talking.”

“Honestly, Jase, I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know what happened.” It was the truth, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“What do you mean you don’t know what happened?”

“I mean I don’t know what happened.” I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to destroy a relationship between lifelong friends, and I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t think of anything to tell him that he’d believe.

“Then why were you in the hospital?”

Releasing his hands, I rubbed my eyes and then my temples, trying to relieve some of the tension, but it was useless. The longer I dragged this out, the worse it’d get. Part of me wanted to see his face, to be able to judge his reaction, but another part of me knew I needed to be in front of him to prevent him from going off the deep end. If he had to move me, I might’ve been able to rationalize things with him.

“Sometime today, Gianna.”

He wouldn’t wait much longer without getting angry, but I couldn’t say I would’ve had much patience if I thought someone or something had hurt him, either. “Holland and I went to dinner that night. That much you know.”

“Right.”

“After, he said he needed to stop by his house. We did, and he took me into his study. It appeared we’d gone to get the money he was going to pay me. He handed me the cash, and we stood there talking about Emmy. I didn’t know what you had told him, so I kind of talked in circles, not really saying much but still giving him a piece of what he wanted to know.”

His hands stroked the sides of my arms, reassuring me, caring for me. In some weird way, he was trying to calm me, comfort me.

“While we were talking, he started to pour us both a glass of wine. He handed me one while I spoke, and I sipped it as the conversation continued. I know I was drinking it slowly so I didn’t get drunk or buzzed, but Jase…I didn’t even have a full glass. I don’t think I had half a glass and my head started swimming and things got fuzzy. My entire body felt heavy, and I could barely move.”

The fingers on my arms stilled and dropped to the mattress. I felt him shift behind me as he sat up straighter and maneuvered my body. “Look at me, babe.” I shook my head unwilling to meet his stare. “Baby…I need to see your eyes when you continue.” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look into the storm brewing. He knew, but he was going to make me say it. Somehow, he’d repositioned me, still between his legs, but facing him with my knees drawn into my chest and his still on the outsides of me. His enormous paws clutched my sides, keeping me within arm’s reach.