Chapter Twenty-Two
Ridley glanced behind her as she crossed the yard to her sister’s house. She’d left through the back door and hadn’t bothered to rush. Anger made her bold. She almost wished Eli or Nick would try to stop her when she was in this mood.
After punching in the security code, she pushed open the door to Raina’s house for the second time that week. After her argument with Jackson, the quiet in the house was unnerving. The air in the kitchen smelled a little stale, so she crossed to one of the windows and pried it open. The breeze was a little too warm to be refreshing but at least it would air things out a bit.
The back edge of the property was dotted with chrysanthemums and there was a pitiful clutch of tulips in a circular bed in the middle of the yard. She smiled to herself at the sight of the tulips. Raina knew they were one of her favorite flowers.
Planting flowers had always been one of the first things Ridley did when they moved to a new place. They’d usually been in small apartments or sharing space in someone else’s home, but even the smallest place had room for a window box. Staying in Florida while she finished her master’s had been easier than she’d thought due to the beautiful weather and her part-time job at the local nursery.
Just one more thing in her life she’d been forced to leave behind.
I should just go back, she thought as she stood at the window. I should leave now before I get in any deeper.
It hurt, being in love with someone who clearly didn’t trust her, much more than she could have ever guessed it would. You’d think after being lied to and stolen from by David that this wouldn’t even register. But somehow it was worse with Jackson, more personal.
Because you thought he felt the same way you did, you idiot.
Raina’s house was done in a clean, modern country style, similar to what Ridley herself would have picked out. She settled at one of the oak chairs at the long farmer’s table in the kitchen and looked out into the backyard. It was already close to dusk and it was more than a little weird to think that people outside could look in and see her. Although, knowing Raina, the windows were probably treated with some kind of reflective glass.
A prickle of awareness made the hair on her neck stand up. If she lived here full time, she’d definitely get window treatments. It would obscure some of the view, but at least she could sit on the main level at night without feeling like she was in a fishbowl.
She needed to call Raina. Her sister was going to be pissed, but she also had resources that could be extremely helpful. Whatever other “proof” Elliott had found was clearly damaging. Raina’s security team could probably get access to it.
You’ll also need a lawyer.
She shuddered. It was crazy that the thought of hiring a lawyer was the final straw that broke her. She swiped at her cheeks angrily. The past month had been overwhelming and instead of things being better, they were worse than when she’d started. Crying hadn’t solved anything. Running hadn’t solved anything either.
“It’s time to stop running and start fighting.”
She thought of everything she’d experienced in the past week. Images of Mara holding up the sheer nightgowns at the mall merged with images of discussing business ideas with Katie and digging in the dirt with the kids. She’d finally found something worth fighting for. Friends. Community. Love.
And she wasn’t giving it up.
She had friends here now. Her sister was here. Those were good reasons to stay. But most importantly, she liked it here. It would be difficult to be so close to Jackson. It would be difficult to be near him and not be with him. Not love him.
But staying in Virginia didn’t have to be about Jackson. The Alexanders had shown her the beauty of community and putting down roots. Not everyone at their family gatherings had been blood relatives, but they were still a part of the clan. Maybe she couldn’t find the perfect family she’d always wanted.
But if she was strong enough, maybe she could create one.
* * *
“Iwouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the evidence for myself. I still don’t want to believe it. But there it is.”
Jackson closed his eyes and tried to tune it all out. His brother was still talking but nothing else he was saying really mattered, did it? Not when it all circled around to the same thing.
The woman he loved was a thief.
“I wish I didn’t have to be the one to show you this.” Elliott sat on the couch next to him. He didn’t say anything else.
They both looked up when Nick came in the room. Jackson tensed. Irrational as it was, he especially didn’t want to see Nick right now. He didn’t feel like hearing what an idiot he was for believing she’d loved him.
“I brought you some water.” Nick put the glass down on the coffee table and then sat down behind the piano. He played a string of broken notes.
Jackson took a big gulp of the drink, then coughed violently as it burned all the way down. “What the hell was that?”
“It’s water. Tonic water.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, I might have added a bit of vodka,” Nick conceded. “I figured you could use it.”
Jackson took another sip. Then drained the entire glass. His brother could be an ass but he could also be useful at times. He definitely knew how to nurse him through heartache.
He’d done it before.
“We don’t really have to do this now.” Elliott picked up the folders he’d brought with him. They’d been sitting on the table mocking him ever since they’d gotten there.
In those folders was more evidence of what a fool he’d been. Pages and pages of transactions, Elliott had said. Evidence of all the scams Ridley had been a part of.
Just the thought made him sick.