Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)(88)

“That does sound nice,” Bailey admitted, although she still sounded a little doubtful. “I’ll see if there’s a class somewhere I can try.”

They walked into Jo’s.

It took Larissa’s eyes a second to adjust to the dimmer lighting after being out in the bright afternoon sun. When she’d blinked a couple of times she saw the familiar bar, the specials on the chalkboard—pulled pork nachos today—and the tables and booths.

Speaking of which, several of the tables had been pushed together for a large party and several of the guests were already there. She blinked again as she recognized Taryn and Isabel, along with Felicia, Patience, Dellina, Fayrene and Ana Raquel.

“You’re late,” Taryn said as she approached them. “We’ve all been drinking and it’s not even one in the afternoon.” She hugged Larissa. “Hey, you. How are you feeling?”

Jo carried over pitchers of margaritas. “Nachos are coming up, along with chips, salsa and guacamole.” She gave Larissa a sympathetic smile. “Some men are jerks. The next one won’t be.”

Patience gave her a hug. “She’s right. I’m so sorry about Jack. Taryn says I can’t ask my husband to shoot him, but if that changes, let me know. Justice is an excellent shot.”

One by one Larissa’s friends welcomed her and offered words of support, threats to Jack or both. She was seated in the center of the group with everyone around her. Margaritas were poured.

She turned to Bailey. “You did this?”

“I put out the word that we’d be coming here for lunch,” the redhead told her. “The rest of it just sort of happened.”

Taryn grabbed her hand. “We love you. Where else would we be?”

Larissa felt a slight easing of the pain in her heart. Healing, she thought with relief. Finally there was going to be a little healing.

* * *

JACK WALKED INTO Taryn’s office and put the envelope on her desk. She barely glanced at him as she typed on her computer.

“What?” she asked.

He pointed to the letter. “That’s for you.”

She kept her attention on her screen. “I’ll deal with it later.”

She was ignoring him. He got that. He even liked it. But this was different.

“That’s my letter of resignation. I’m leaving the firm.”

He waited for her to react. Because they’d been together a long time. He couldn’t just go off on his own.

She glanced at the paper, then back to her screen. “Okay. Like I said, I’ll deal with it later.”

“That’s it? That’s all I get? I tell you I’m quitting and you’ll deal with it later.”

She sighed, then turned to face him. “What do you want, Jack? Should I cry? Should I beg you not to go? You’re a grown man. You can make your own decisions. If you want out of Score, fine. We have plenty of clients. Bringing in new ones isn’t that important. Kenny can handle that himself. So go.”

He genuinely didn’t understand. “Just like that? I deserve a hell of a lot more.”

She rose and faced him, her desk between them. “Do you? I guess I don’t agree. The Jack I used to know, the great guy who saved me from sleeping in my car when we first met, he deserves more. The man I married all those years ago, yes, I would ask him to stay. But you’re not that guy anymore. You haven’t been for a while. So no, I don’t feel a whole lot of obligation.”

Her violet eyes snapped with anger. “You’re a self-indulgent bastard who’s trying to ruin himself. I have no problem with that. What I object to is your attempt to take the rest of us with you. You were my friend, Jack. My best friend in the world. I trusted you more than I trusted anyone except Angel, and you betrayed me. You were deliberately cruel. But I can deal with that because there’s nothing you can do to me that can compare with what I’ve been through before. But not Larissa.”

He held himself steady as her words attacked. Each one was a cut or a body blow. Each made him a little smaller and if he stayed here long enough he would cease to exist. But he couldn’t move. He deserved this. All of it.

“Her only crime is loving you,” Taryn continued. “Loving all of us. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And you wanted that. You wanted her to be your front, so you could look like a nice guy. You wanted her causes because watching her take care of everyone around you made you feel alive. But you’re not. You haven’t been since Lucas died. You’ve been going through the motions.”

She leaned toward him. “You know why Lucas got sick and died? Because he still had a heart. You never did. You fooled us all. Well, not anymore, Jack.” She picked up the envelope. “You want to quit? Great. Because we want you gone.”

She lowered herself to her chair and returned her attention to her computer. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

LARISSA HELD HER brand-new certification in her hands. She had to admit, it looked really good. She had a frame waiting for it at the day spa. She was going to meet Bailey there and together they would hang it.

The past couple of weeks had been a lot of work. She’d chosen a paint color and learned what it was like to patch, sand, primer and paint. She’d ordered linens and oils, and arranged for the massage table to be delivered. She’d gone to her first estate sale with Isabel and Ford and had found a beautiful antique desk that would be perfect for any paperwork she had to do at her new location. She would officially be open for business on Monday.