In spite of Allie's claims, he obviously hadn't volunteered for this little excursion. Rather, he'd been guilted into it or something, no doubt by Allie, who probably thought she was doing me a favor.
Some favor.
What on Earth had she been thinking?
As my thoughts churned with all kinds of uncertainty, I had to remind myself that it wasn't really her fault. In a way, it was Jaden's. Like the douchebag he was, he'd decided just two days ago that she had to work today, regardless of our plans.
And Allie – no doubt with the best intentions – had convinced Jax to help me in her place.
Now, I was kicking myself for not realizing it sooner. Of course he hadn't volunteered. I mean, who would?
I gave Jax a sideways glance. Allie had called him a brooder, and now, I could totally see it, because whatever he was thinking, it was eating him alive.
I heard myself say, "You know what? On second thought, I'll just pick up my stuff later, like maybe next Saturday or something."
His gaze snapped in my direction. "The hell you will."
"Or I won't pick it up at all." I tried for a casual shrug. "Really, it's not a big deal."
"Is that so?"
"Sure. Definitely."
I tried to say it like I believed it. And maybe part of me did. I mean, sure, I'd be abandoning most of my clothes, not to mention my cheap notebook computer, along with a few other essentials.
But it wouldn’t be the end of the world. And besides, I didn't truly plan on giving up. Instead, I planned on doing this on a different day, when it would be Allie in the driver's seat, andnotthe brooding billionaire who suddenly seemed like a stranger.
Jax said, "I've got a better idea."
"What?"
"You stay.I'llgo."
Well, this was just terrific.Apparently, the wayhesaw it, the only thing worse than running this stupid errand was running this stupid errand together.
Was my companythatterrible?
If so, it made no sense. I'd seen Jax at the coffee shop twice earlier in the week. He'd been fine with my companythen. In fact, both times he'd lingered longer than I might've expected. And we'd had a great time. Or at least, I'dthoughtwe did.
Now, I asked, "Is that a hint?"
"I don't hint," he replied. "I'm telling you straight up, you should stay here."
"Oh yeah?" I made a scoffing sound. "Why?"
"Because I don't want you near those people."
Well, that was unexpected.
"Those people?" I said. "Who do you mean? My mom?"
"Yeah. Her. And that Tabitha chick. And what about Dominic?"
"What about him?"
"You shouldn’t be in the same room with that fucker." His mouth twisted. "Especially alone."
What exactly was he implying?I scoffed, "Like I'd evenwantto."
