“Shop closed?” I ask, sitting next to him.
“Nah, Willow and Gage both have clients. Gage is going to close up. My last appointment had to reschedule, so I came home.” He pauses the show he’s watching and turns to face me. “How was career day? I take it by the way Sky was talking, Celeste showed up.”
“Yeah.” I nod absently, unable to get Celeste’s accusation out of my head.
“So, what’s up?”
“Celeste and I were talking and things got a little heated. She mentioned Amaya… I don’t even remember all that was said now. But what’s got my head reeling is that for some reason Celeste is under the impression that Amaya and I slept together.”
Jax snorts. “You and Amaya? Where the hell would she get that from?”
“I don’t know.” I scrub my hands over my face. This is going to drive me nuts until we finish our conversation. “Hey, would you mind watching Sky for me?”
“Sure.”
Not having the slightest clue as to where Celeste might be, I decide it’s best to take my own vehicle. About halfway to her house, I figure showing up unannounced probably won’t go over well with her, so I give her a call. She answers on the third ring.
“Hello?” Her voice is timid, unsure as to why I’m calling.
“Hey, it’s Jase,” I say stupidly. She obviously knows it’s me.
“Yeah, I know. Is everything okay with Skyla?”
“Yeah, but I need to talk to you.”
“Now?”
“Yeah, are you at home? I can come by.”
There’s a sound of papers shuffling. “I’m about to leave the office. I can meet you there.”
“See you in a few,” I say before I hang up.
After finding a parking spot, I pay the meter, then head inside Celeste’s building. The doorman must recognize me from when I brought Celeste home because he says, “Sorry, but she’s not home.”
“I know. We’re meeting here,” I tell him as the door opens and Celeste saunters inside.
“Mr. Walters, how are you?” She gives her doorman a sincere smile.
“I’m good, Miss Leblanc.” He tips his hat to her.
Celeste walks straight to the elevator and the doors open. We both step inside, neither of us saying a word. When we arrive on her floor, I follow her to her door and then inside.
“Coffee?” she offers.
“No thanks.”
“Wine?”
“I’m good.”
“Cognac?” She holds up a bottle of brandy.
“How about a beer?” I counter, and she scrunches her nose up.
“I’m just kidding,” I say through a laugh. I knew she wouldn’t have any beer. Celeste rolls her eyes.
“Thank you for coming today,” I tell her, sounding like my daughter. I think between Skyla and me, we’ve now thanked Celeste at least ten times.
She pours herself a glass of white wine and takes a sip. When the glass leaves her mouth, her tongue swipes across her fleshy bottom lip, tasting the wine. It makes me want to swipe my own tongue along her lips to taste what she’s tasting.
“I didn’t do it for you,” she says, taking another sip.
“I know, but I’m still thankful.” We’re both standing in her living room, facing each other. She hasn’t offered me a seat, and I’m pretty sure she’s not going to.
“You asked to come by… So, how can I help you?” I guess we’re getting straight to it.
“What you said at dinner, about me sleeping with Amaya. I never slept with her.”
Celeste scoffs. “It’s been over ten years, Jase. There’s no reason to lie. I saw you.”
“You saw me in bed with Amaya?” I ask slowly. There’s no way. It never happened.
“Well…” She shifts from one foot to the other. “I didn’t see you in bed with her. You were coming out of the shower and she was naked in your bed.” What the fuck is she talking about? Has she lost her damn mind?
“And when was this?”
“The day before…” She swallows thickly. “I came to see you. I came over to talk to you, and when I opened the door, I saw Amaya in your bed. She was naked, and you were in a towel, stepping out of the bathroom. Your hair was wet like you just got out of the shower.” And suddenly it all comes back.
“So, let me get this straight. You saw Amaya in my bed, and because she was naked and I was in a towel, you assumed I had fucked her?”
Celeste releases an exasperated sigh. “Yes, it was obvious.”
“Wow.” I shake my head slowly. “You must’ve had zero faith in me. You saw the first thing that might’ve looked like I was cheating and you ran.” I step closer to Celeste. My body is on fire. All these years and she just assumed I cheated on her. She didn’t even have the decency to confront me. She was right fucking there. She could’ve spoken up. Yelled, screamed. And I would’ve explained. Instead, she ran.