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The Exception Page 13
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“Whatever makes you fucking happy.”
“What’s making you happy these days, man? Because from over here, you look pretty sad. And I don’t mean heartbroken—I mean you look pretty fuckin’ pathetic.”
“It’s too early for this shit, Max,” I groaned.
“Nah, it really isn’t. I’m fixin’ to tell you a few things and I think you should listen. First, that stunt you pulled last night was bullshit. Straight up, Cane—that was bullshit. You know it.”
I closed my eyes as I recalled the fuck-up from the night before. “I know. Trust me, I know.”
The country music in the background died out. “So here’s the thing—you either like her or you don’t. But you don’t fuck with her. She’s Kari’s sister, so I will make sure she’s fine. That’s my responsibility to Kari, not my responsibility to you. If you want to go fuck the Lesley’s of the world, no one is going to stop you from that. But you have to let Jada go.”
“I don’t want to let her go.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. I grimaced at the thought of actually admitting that out loud.
Max was silent for a second. “Well, that says something coming from you.”
“Yeah. Fuck, I don’t know what to do. Every time I try to talk to her, she gets pissed at me.”
“I feel her pain.”
“Fuck you, too.”
Max laughed. “So make up your mind. Either be with her and be good to her or let her find someone else. I’ve got the Simon angle covered, so don’t worry about that if that’s what’s going on.”
I sat up in bed and kicked off the blankets. “I don’t think Simon is much of a threat anymore. He’s buying Solomon Place, which amazes me, but once that’s gone through, it will be over. He doesn’t seem to have called or bothered Jada and he hasn’t fucked with me any. So I think we can relax a little bit.”
“Let’s hope.”
“I am going to get up and grab a shower. There’s a property I want to check out today. I think if we buy it, we can flip it really quickly. Then I need to go check on the expansion plans for Benjamin Estates.”
“Want to grab a beer afterwards? Kari gets off around six tonight and I told her I would drop off her laptop when she gets home.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Yeah. Just come by when you’re done?”
“Will do.” Max paused before continuing. “You think you’ll call Jada today?”
“She’ll just be pissed.”
“No doubt about it. But if you don’t want to let her go, you better start making shit right.”
JADA
I slammed the dryer closed a little harder than necessary, the force sending one of Kari’s coconut scented candles off of the shelf; I caught it before it exploded against the tile.
At least I can avert some problems. It’s the little things, like relationships, that I can’t do.
I rolled my eyes at myself.
I had spent the most of the morning catching up on errands and chores, trying to keep my mind off of the night before … specifically of Cane walking out with the bar whore.
I had gotten worked up and pushed him away, but his arrogance mixed with the alcohol I had consumed proved to be a dangerous combination.
As much as I hated to admit it—I was angry.
I was angry that he came to get me and left with her. I was angry he showed up at all. I was angry that he acted like I was unimportant. I was angry he was so confusing. I was angry I allowed him to get to me.
I was angry that I couldn’t stop being angry.
He clearly doesn’t want me, but why is he so hell-bent on making sure I know it?
I grabbed the mop from the broom closet, deciding that the kitchen tile could use a nice sheen when my cell buzzed in my pocket. Annoyed, I answered the call even though I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Jada! It’s Simon Powers.”
I leaned the mop against the door as confusion swept over me. “Hey, Simon. What’s up?”
“I’m sorry for calling you on a Saturday afternoon, but I talked to my loan officer at the close of business yesterday and she had some questions. I got busy and worked late last night, so I hope you don’t mind me calling you today.”
“I don’t mind,” I said hesitantly, “but Zack is handling everything now.”
Although I still don’t know why …
“Oh. Well, I guess I will try him then. She really needs the answers on Monday morning and Monday’s are crazy in this line of work, you know? I hoped to get everything straightened out today.”
“That works. I’m sure he’ll take care of everything.”
“How have you been, anyway? I haven’t talked to you in a while.” The change in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by me.
“Good,” I lied, thinking back to Lesley’s hand touching Cane’s stomach which, in turn, made my stomach a little sick. “How about you?”
“I’m fine, always fine,” he said. “Hey! You had to bail the last time we tried to grab a bite to eat. Wanna try again tonight?”
I paused for a second, my chest compressing as I remembered Cane’s warning to stay away from Simon. I recalled Lesley leaning her head into his side and wrapping her arms around his waist and my blood boiled.
Don’t mow the sidewalk …
“Sure, Simon. That sounds good. Where do you want to meet?”
I knew he was smiling on the other side of the line. “There’s a great little restaurant over here by me. I can come and pick you up?”
Cane’s words rolled through my mind again and I was a little uneasy.
Was his warning because he was jealous or was there something else going on?
I hesitated, chewing on my fingernail. “You know what? I will just drive over there. I don’t want you making a trip all the way over here and back again tonight. If you text me the address, I’ll meet you there around seven?”
“Sounds great! Can’t wait to see you.”
“See you soon, Simon.”
I spotted Simon’s Avalanche at the rear of the parking lot and pulled in beside him. I checked myself in the mirror before exiting the Jeep. My hand trembled slightly as I wiped my fingertip beneath my eyes, pressing away the puffiness that I couldn’t see but could feel.
I had worn a pair of black pants and a really cute silver top I found in Kari’s closet. I was a little nervous about this date, or whatever it was, and I felt like the extra bit of fabric covering my body would help put a little barrier between Simon and I, should that be necessary.
Not that he had ever done anything to make me feel like that was necessary. I had felt slightly uncomfortable the first time we met. Looking back, that was probably because of my anticipation of seeing Cane again. The only thing that had me slightly on edge at this point was Cane’s little spiel, but that was probably just his arrogance coming through.
I grabbed my purse and was about to toss my phone into it when it lit up. Cane’s name flashed across the front.
Fuck you.
I sent the call to voicemail, set the phone to vibrate, and squared my shoulders. I marched into the little restaurant. It wasn’t a large, corporate affair, but a more intimate place. I pushed open the doors and was taken aback at the beauty of the decor. It looked like a scene out of a vineyard in Tuscany.
I put on my prettiest smile when I spotted Simon sitting at a table in the back. He slowly rose when he saw me, raising his eyebrows.
He had on grey dress pants with a white button down shirt. He wasn’t breathtaking like Cane; Simon was more attractive in a plain kind of way. He was above average in appearance, but there was nothing striking about him. And while Cane had an inherent charisma, something that pulled you to him, Simon was just the opposite. He seemed to be on guard at all times, calculating. It was a little off-putting, but I figured it was just one of his quirks.
His shirt was a little wrinkled, his hair just a touch disheveled as he pulled out my chair. “You
look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I placed my purse on an empty chair and sat down. “You look very nice yourself.”
Simon took his seat across from me and immediately, I felt on the spot. His eyes searched every inch of me and as a sly smile fell into place, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear nervously.
I’m only overthinking everything because this is my first real date in forever. Breathe.
“I’m surprised you came tonight, if I’m being honest. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I haven’t really been able to get ahold of you since the night at the diner.”
I blushed, embarrassed at being called out. I couldn’t tell him that I had been blatantly ignoring him. “I was assigned a few different projects that have been keeping me pretty busy. Have you been here before?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Ah, once or twice. I don’t take a lot of people out to dinner, so I don’t have a reason to come here. But I’d love to come here more often.”
I pretended to not pick up on his innuendo and scanned the menu, twirling my ring around my finger.
“Good evening. My name is Jennifer and I’ll be your server tonight,” said the pretty brunette waitress that arrived, a notepad in hand. “Can I start you off with something to drink?”
I went the safe route. “Water for me, please.”
“Same here.”
“Great. I’ll go get that and be right back.”
“What do you suggest?” I glanced at Simon over the top of my menu. “Everything sounds delicious.”
He studied the information in front of him. “If you like fish, the mahi-mahi is really good here. I’ve had the sirloin before and it was great.”
“Sounds good to me.” I sat my menu down on the table as Jennifer came back with our drinks.
“Do you know what you would like or should I come back?”
Simon glanced at me. “I’ll have the mahi-mahi.”
“Make that two.”
“Very good. I’ll be back shortly,” she said, picking up our menus and walking away.
“So,” Simon began, folding his hands on the table. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. How have things been going for you?”
“Really good, actually. I have a lot of balls in the air, so that’s been keeping me busy.”
“Better to be too busy than bored,” I shrugged.
An unsettling silence descended between us and I fidgeted in my seat. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know him well enough to even be able to start a conversation. That, coupled with the fact that I felt like I was under a microscope, made me feel hesitant to say anything.
“True, although I would like a little more time to relax and go to dinner. What have you been up to outside of work?” He watched me closely and I couldn’t tell what he was fishing for, although it was pretty clear he was searching for something.
“Just working and hanging out with Kari. I’m getting ready to look for an apartment, things like that.”
“I thought maybe you were seeing Cane Alexander.” I swallowed a lump in my throat as he said his name. “He seemed a little strange when we met him the other day, even for Cane.” He chuckled, never taking his eyes off of me.
I swallowed hard, my ring spinning like a top. “No, I’m not seeing Cane.” I smiled as innocently as possible. “His friend is dating my sister, so we run into each other a lot.”
“I see. How has he been?”
“I have no idea. I wasn’t aware that you knew Cane.”
“Oh, it’s a small world.”
“He didn’t say anything about knowing you.”
Simon bit his bottom lip, scrutinizing my face. “We really don’t know each other. We’ve just ran into each other a few times. No big deal.”
“I see.” I had the incredible urge to grab my purse and bolt for the door.
Simon rearranged his silverware on the table before looking at me again. “Do you see him a lot?”
“No,” I said, becoming increasingly annoyed. “What does it matter?”
Simon laughed, leaning back in his chair stiffly. “It doesn’t. I am sorry for pressing. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s really not.”
The air between us was tense as Simon looked everywhere but at me. I grabbed an advertisement off of the table and pretended to be immersed in the upcoming events at the restaurant.
Why am I even here?
I felt stupid. I only agreed to this because I was pissed at Cane. Now I was paying the price for it. I didn’t want to be there and it didn’t seem like Simon cared that I was there either. It was like being with Decker but with no bond at all, nothing to even pretend to talk about.
Simon tossed his napkin onto the table. “I’m going to run to the men’s room real fast, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” I was relieved that he needed to get up.
Simon got up and walked to the front of the restaurant and I relaxed back into my chair, watching the sweat drip down my water glass. My chest felt heavy and I knew it was going to be a really long night.
I sat for a long time, replaying Simon’s words, trying to figure out what was going on. Something wasn’t right, but I wasn’t sure what. Baffled, I grabbed my phone from my purse and turned it back on. I saw a text from Kari and a voicemail from Cane.
Ignoring the voicemail, I opened my texts.
Kari: Hey! Where are you tonight!? I want to watch Sons of Anarchy! Charlie Hun-yum, baby!
Me: I’m out for a little while. Definitely having a movie night when I get back!
Kari: What are you doing?
I shoved my phone back in my purse, ignoring the last question.
I would so rather be home right now with Kari and a bunch of rowdy motorcycle men than in this restaurant, apparently alone. But alone is better than having Simon across from me.
“Is everything all right?” Jennifer asked, setting down our plates.
“Yes, thank you.” I looked at her face. She had wide, friendly brown eyes and freckles. She seemed like the type of girl that I would be friends with. I half wished that I knew her and could ask her to tell Simon I had an emergency and had to leave.
“If you need anything else, please just let me know.”
I need a lot of things, but nothing that can be fixed by the mark of a waitress’s pen.
I watched her walk away before turning my attention to the delicious looking entrée in front of me.
“Hey! Sorry about that,” Simon said with a spring in his step. He pulled his chair out and sat down. “This looks really good.”
“Yeah, it does,” I said, watching him suspiciously. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is great,” he said, smiling and digging into his food with a vigor he didn’t seem to have before. His pupils were dilated and something just seemed strange about him.
We ate quietly for the most part, Simon talking pretty much nonstop. I was having a little trouble following along from topic to topic. My appetite had vanished, so I pushed my fish around on my plate, breaking it into tiny pieces and mixing it in with the vegetables. Simon rambled on and on and I tuned him out.
“Fuck!” Simon snapped. I jumped in my seat at his exclamation. “I dropped my fork on the floor.”
His reaction seemed a little much in light of the situation and I watched him closely. There was a small sheen of sweat across his forehead and his eyes were darting around the room.
“I’m sure we can get you another one,” I offered, looking around for the waitress. I sat my fork down, my hand shaking slightly.
“I’m done with this anyway.” He flashed me a wicked grin and I tensed. “Are you finished?”
I nodded slowly, feeling my senses go on alert.
“Can I get the ticket, please?” Simon asked Jennifer as she walked by.
“Thank you for dinner tonight. It was very nice.” I quickly grabbed my purse off of the chair next to me, ready to get out of
there; I had never been happier to see a date end in my life. I just wanted to go home.
Jennifer returned with the check and Simon paid the bill. He escorted me out of the restaurant, the warm air hitting us in the face as we stepped outside. Despite the temperature, I wrapped my arms across my chest and picked up the pace towards my car.
The parking lot was busy near the entrance to the restaurant, but as we neared the back, it became almost vacant. The sky was pitch black, not a star in sight.
Simon walked beside me, not saying anything until we reached my door.
“So, do you want to follow me back to my place?” He placed his hand on my lower back and I instinctively pulled away.
“You know, Simon, Kari sent me a text and needs me to come home. So I think I’ll pass.” I hit the unlock feature and grabbed the handle.
“Excuse me?” he asked, wedging himself between me and the door.
I took a step back. “I need to get home. So, if you’ll move, I’ll be on my way.” I mustered all of the courage I could find within me and looked him directly in the eye, trying to portray strength even though I felt weak.
“Your sister needs you an awful lot,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s the thing about having a sister,” I said, taking another step back. “You have to be there for them whenever they need you.”
“So, maybe another time?”
“Sure.” I opened the door, hoping he would take the bait of an empty promise. I started to step in and he grabbed my arm.
Hard.
My eyes bugged out as my breath caught in my throat, the feeling of his fingers searing into my skin causing my heart to race. “Simon! You’re hurting me!” I exclaimed, reaching over to pry his fingers off with my other hand.
He leaned into my face, a sick smile crossing his features, his face contorted in anger. Everything inside of me seemed to speed up and the world around me seemed to slow down at the same time.
I glanced helplessly around the parking lot, looking for someone to help me. But there was no one. I was on my own.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic!
“I’m sorry,” he said, easing his grip a little, but his features not softening a bit. “Does Cane not typically grab you this hard?”