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Cora:He signed the divorce papers!
Cailin:Now it’s time for YOUR comeback story!
47
LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY FOR JAX SLATER AND CAILIN MCCALL
CAILIN
“And that’s everything,”Jax tells me as he concludes the tour of his estate.
“Thank heavens. I need a break after all that walking.” A laugh escapes my mouth, but I’m only half-kidding. “In all seriousness, it’s gorgeous. I love it. But I can see how half of the rooms have never been used. I do have some ideas for the elevator.”
“Which is exactly why I want to sell it,” Jax tells me. “And, I’m taking you up on your elevator ideas later. I’m glad I gave Lily a few weeks off.”
We move to sit out by the lounge chairs at the pool and sip on watermelon sugar lemonade. Hope has discovered a love for swimming, apparently. We each take turns tossing her a rubber ball to fetch in the water. Ever protective, Jax says it has to be a rubber ball and not a tennis ball, because the fuzz can be dangerous.
“Any word on the sale of your apartment yet?” Jax asks. My mom has been maintaining the apartment and preparing it for potential showings.
“Actually, no. What time is it in Jersey now? Around three in the afternoon. I’m going to give the realtor a call.”
I step away from the splashing water for some quiet. When my realtor answers, she delivers frustrating news. Not one person has expressed interest in the apartment. Her theory is that because it was recently sold and back on the market so soon, buyers feel they should beware. I understand the train of thought, but it’s not true. This is a lovely apartment and I need the sale of this to be able to afford to live. I can’t count on Jax paying my way forever.
I’m feeling anxious as I hang up the phone and begin to panic. I have an apartment I can’t sell, and I can’t afford to pay the mortgage on it much longer since I officially quit working for Marisol. For a minute, I debate begging her to take me back. But I won’t sink that low. I firmly decided that I don’t want to work as a tour publicist or spend nights at countless shows now that I am in a relationship with Jax.
Maybe I can rent the apartment. Or I can move back home for a while and go work for Gemma like she offered. I don’t know if Jax wants to go right back to Jersey. He has a lot to sort through here. There’s so much to think about. I walk back to Jax and sulk on the lounge chair.
“Not good news, I take it?”
“Not good news. No interest in the apartment. Maybe I should market it as the place Jax Slater slept in and I’ll get some offers.” I know that was rude and I feel bad for saying it aloud. I’m just frustrated.
“That’s one option. Or we can just not worry about it right now.” Jax lets it slide, but he is also brushing away the real issue.
“I can’t not worry about it, Jax. I have a mortgage to pay and I don’t have a steady stream of income. I feel like, besides you, my life is a mess.”
Jax leans over and takes my hand. “Hey, we’re in this together now. Your problems are my problems. We’re a team.”
But are we really? I don’t have any formal commitment from Jax. We’re not married. There’s no engagement ring on my finger. I have no security other than his word. Yes, I trust him. But I’m also a self-sufficient woman who has never had to rely on a man before. And I don’t want to be in this situation.
“It’s different for me,” I say. A mix of emotions bubble up inside as I try to explain. Before I get any more words out, tears begin to spill out of my eyes. I just need some time alone to clearly think. I get up and run out his front door.
* * *
JAX
Cailin already ran away from me once before and I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. I run after her, making sure Hope follows me inside. She’s soaking wet and shakes her fur like a scene from a home cleaning commercial. Dirty water splatters everywhere. Serves me right for having white furniture, I suppose. It doesn’t matter now. Nothing matters except for Cailin. I shut the door behind me, knowing the future is wide open.
“Cailin, wait!”
She doesn’t look back, but she runs out of steam and stops at my front entry gate. Gasping for air, she puts her hands on her knees and looks up at me with a mascara-smeared face. I’ve seen this look way more than I would like to during our short time together.
“Where are you going, Cailin?”
“I don’t know, Jax. I just need to think. I appreciate everything you are offering me, I really do. But I need to be able to support myself. It’s very scary not having that security right now. There’s so much uncertainty.”
“Come here,” I say, pulling her into a hug and leading her away from the gate. The last thing we need is any paparazzi passing by and shoving cameras in our faces.
As we walk to the front entrance of the house, I lay it on the line. “You’re so used to being the breadwinner and holding the weight of your marriage on your shoulders, that you don’t know what it’s like to have someone to count on. I need you to trust me. I am not going to let you fall. I am here to support you. I want to support you. I want to use the gifts that have come my way to help you build the career you want. To build our life together.”
