I didn’t add the final thought.
“Not with my heart.”
She stood. “Come with me.”
Four hours later, my mind was full, and so was Jaxson’s briefcase. Documents, lists of the copyrights and trademarks. Which sibling was responsible for what innovation within the company’s holdings. So many answers to the myriad of questions. Enough evidence to disprove the sister-in-law’s false claims and to ensure the family’s legacy. There was even a signed legal document that the company would remain with the siblings unless they all agreed. The sister-in-law’s claim that Brian had said she would get his share of the company could be disputed now.
Jaxson smiled grimly. “She’ll get nothing other than the life insurance and his personal holdings. He had a lot, so she is hardly destitute.”
“What a shame,” Helen spat. “She shouldn’t get a penny.”
Jaxson shrugged. “Not my area of expertise. She married him, so she gets what he had left. At least she isn’t getting more.” He frowned at her. “You could have made this easier.”
She shrugged, not at all put out. Jaxson’s charm had worked on her. “It was too fun. And they deserved to sweat a little. I was always going to help them—but on my time. Not theirs.”
“Would you consider joining with them again?” I asked. She had taken us to her office. It was full of drawings and prototypes of her own creations. The family members were all talented. Her toys were creative, her games educational, and her eye for detail amazing.
Thank god her filing system was as organized as she seemed to be.
Helen got a faraway look in her eye. “We will see what the future holds. For now, I have done my part.” She stood, brushing off her slacks, indicating her time was done.
We thanked her, and I couldn’t resist giving her a hug. For a moment, she was stiff, then she relented and hugged me back. “Thank you, young lady,” she murmured.
I drew back with a smile. Jaxson got a handshake, then she turned and walked into the house.
He slid into the car and looked at me. “You did it, Grace.”
“We did it.”
He glanced at his watch. “I thought we’d be at this all day. You have hours until your flight.”
The thought of the long hours sitting around the hotel didn’t thrill me.
“Oh,” I mumbled.
He turned in his seat. “Just for the afternoon, Grace.”
“What?”
“Can we call a truce? We have some free time. Neither of us has been to Vegas. Let’s see some of the town.”
“Together?”
“I hoped so, but I suppose it is too much to ask.”
I was as shocked as he was to hear the words that fell from my mouth. “A truce. For this afternoon only.”
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Great. Let’s go.”
I tried not to notice how warm my skin was where his lips touched. How his mouth still thrilled me.
It was for the afternoon.
Then we would once again be strangers.
Chapter 20
Grace
I woke up, my head aching and my limbs heavy. I blinked in the darkness of the room, my mouth feeling like the Sahara Desert. The room was unfamiliar, and it took me a moment to recall I was in a hotel room in Las Vegas.
Why did my head ache so badly?
I searched through my memories of the day before. The morning with Helen. The truce with Jaxson. Spending a carefree afternoon in Vegas with him. Having fun at the slots, sampling a couple of buffets. Seeing the sights. Throughout it all, Jaxson was polite, fun, and a perfect gentleman. Then I got a call before we left for the airport to inform me that my plane was canceled due to a mechanical malfunction and the earliest flight I could get out was the next day. I had cursed him, saying I never should have let him talk me into going on this trip. He had apologized. But after that, nothing was clear.
What the hell happened to me after that phone call?
I racked my brain, trying to remember, to grasp some minute detail of yesterday, but nothing appeared. I groaned as I shifted, the pain in my head changing from a dull ache to a constant pounding. As I moved, I stiffened as I realized the weight on my hip wasn’t that of the blanket, but of a hand.
My stomach rolled when reality hit me. Someone was in bed with me. I had slept with a stranger. I got drunk in Vegas and slept with a stranger. How clichéd.
Ignoring the ache in my head, I shot out of bed, yanking the blanket with me. I fumbled around, finding the light and switching it on. I squinted as the pain shot through my temples, and I gasped when I recognized the man lying in the bed beside me. Not looking upset at all, Jaxson pulled himself up into a sitting position and had the nerve to smile at me.