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“Go away, Jaxson,” I muttered angrily.
I heard him gasp. “So, you know?”
“I know too much, but not enough,” I said belligerently. “By the way, your brother may be a little upset at you for not letting him know you’ve been in contact with me.”
He said an expletive, then sighed. “That’s him now.”
Then he was silent.
I decided to skip school for the rest of the day. I was an emotional wreck and my exhaustion probably didn’t help. The library in town had a nice reading nook tucked into the back of the building; it had oversized bean bags and was dimly lit. I decided to ride the bus there and take a nap. I was relieved to find the reading nook empty when I arrived. I set my messenger bag beside me and pulled out a textbook so it appeared like I was studying. I then set the alarm on my phone and fell asleep.
I woke up feeling physically better, although emotionally I still felt raw. I scrubbed a tired hand across my face and stretched as I stood. I looked down at my phone and saw that I missed several calls. I had quite a few text messages from a number I didn’t recognize.
I opened it up.
Unknown number: Hey, where are you? J
Unknown number: You weren’t in my class, and the other teachers haven’t seen you. J
Unknown number: If you don’t respond soon I’m swinging by your place. J
I sighed and texted him back.
Blake: I’m fine.
Unknown number: At Ella’s school. Want us to pick you up?
I was angry at his audacity but replied.
Blake: Sure. I’m at the library in town.
I gathered my things and left the library to wait out front. I didn’t have to wait long before his sleek, black Audi pulled up in front of the library. Ella was clearly excited as she sat in the back seat. I could see he wasn’t alone; one of his friends from the bar the other night was sitting in the passenger seat.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked without preamble as Mr. Jace got out of the car to let me slide into the back seat.
The man in question gave me a smirk. He was wickedly handsome in a rugged way. I thought Mr. Jace was tall at six feet plus. But this man was huge and built like a brick house. His hair fell to his shoulders, much like a skat
er’s, in a honey blond color and his eyes are a blue-grey color.
Mr. Jace cleared his throat and said, “I had to stop at your stepmom’s and decided I shouldn’t go alone. Remy volunteered to come along.”
I snorted. “I’m sure that went over well.”
He grinned as he put the car in drive. “Actually, it did. I convinced your stepmom that your sister should start taking lessons with me five days a week. She seemed reticent until I said it was a part of a scholarship program and she wouldn’t have to pay anything. She said somethings that I found…interesting.”
“Really! I get to learn how to play the piano?!” Ella asked excitedly. “Can I Blake? Can I?!”
I sighed knowing she would despise me if I denied her, but I wasn’t sure I wanted Mr. Jace to ingratiate himself further into my life. I felt like he still had so many answers to questions I had, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for them. It was like if I denied the truth it didn’t exist.
I shrugged, not even able to feign a smile for her. “If that’s what you want.”
“Yes, please.” She could barely sit still with the excitement coursing through her.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I realized we were headed out of town.
“Back to my place,” Jace replied. “I have a few people meeting us there.”
“Like who?” I asked warily. “I have to be at work in two hours.”
