Miranda’s smooth brow furrowed in a frown. ‘What did he do?’
Jaz shifted her lips from side to side. Why was everything suddenly so darn complicated? ‘Haven’t you got heaps of dusty old paintings to restore?’ she said.
Miranda chewed at her lower lip. ‘Is it about that night? I know that’s always been a sore point between you two. Is that what he was apologising for?’
Jaz let out a long breath. ‘In a way.’
‘But he didn’t do anything. He didn’t sleep with you. He’s always flatly denied it. He would never have done anything like that. He thought you were just a kid.’ Miranda swallowed. ‘He didn’t sleep with you...did he?’
‘No, but someone else tried to,’ Jaz said.
Miranda’s eyes went wide in horror. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I stupidly flirted with this guy at the party after I left Jake’s room,’ Jaz explained. ‘I only did it as a payback to Jake. I don’t know how it happened but I suddenly found myself fighting off this drunken guy in one of the downstairs bathrooms. I thought he was going to rape me. I was so shocked and frightened but somehow I managed to get away.’
Miranda’s hands were clasped against her mouth in shock. ‘Oh, my God! That’s awful! Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I wanted to tell you,’ Jaz said. ‘Many times. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. You were dealing with Mark’s cancer and I didn’t want to add to your misery. I felt so ashamed and dirty.’
‘Oh, you poor darling,’ Miranda said, flinging her arms around Jaz and hugging her. ‘I wish I’d known so I could have done something to help you. I feel like I’ve let you down.’
‘You didn’t,’ Jaz said. ‘You’ve always been there for me.’
Miranda pulled back to look at her. ‘So that’s why you only ever dated vanilla men, isn’t it?’
She scrunched up her nose. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You know exactly what I mean,’ Miranda said. ‘Bland men. Men you can control. You’ve never gone for the alpha type.’
Jaz gave a little lip shrug. ‘Maybe...’
Miranda was still looking at her thoughtfully. ‘So Jake was the first person you’ve ever told?’
Jaz nodded. ‘Weird, huh?’
‘Not so weird,’ Miranda said. ‘You respect him. You always have. That’s why he annoys you so much. He sees the you no one else sees.’
* * *
Jaz fingered the velvet-soft petals of the roses once Miranda had left. Why had Jake sent her white roses? They were a symbol of purity, virtue and innocence. Was that how he saw her?
Miranda was full of romantic notions because she was madly in love herself. Of course she would like to think her brother was in love with her best friend. But Jake wasn’t the type to fall in love. He was too much of a free agent.
Not that Jaz had any right to be thinking along those lines. She was on a mission to win back Myles. Myles was the man she planned to settle down with. Not a man like Jake who would pull against the restraints of commitment like a wild stallion on a leading rein.
Myles was safe and predictable.
Jake was danger personified.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t flirt with danger just a wee bit longer.
* * *
Jake had never been so fed up with work. He couldn’t get his mind to focus on the spreadsheets he was supposed to be analysing. All he wanted to do was go to Jaz’s boutique and see if she was still speaking to him. She hadn’t called or texted since they had parted last night. The absence of communication would have delighted him a week ago. Now it was like a dragging ache inside his chest. She was a stubborn little thing. She would get on her high horse and not come down even if it collapsed beneath her. That was why she was still hung up on Myles. She wasn’t in love with her ex. It was her pride that had taken a hit. She hadn’t even told the guy the most devastating thing that had happened to her.
Jake couldn’t think about that night without feeling sick. He blamed himself. He had brought that on her by being so insensitive. Why hadn’t he gone and checked on her later? He could at least have made an effort to see she was okay. But no, he had partied on as if nothing was wrong, leaving her open to exploitation at the hands of some lowlife creep who had tried to take advantage of her in the worst way imaginable.
Jake’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. He picked it up to read it:
Thanks for the roses. Jaz.
He smiled and texted back:
Free for dinner tonight?
Her message came back:
Busy.
He frowned, his gut tensing when he thought of whom she might be busy with. Was it Myles? Was she meeting her ex to try and convince him to come back to her? He waited a minute or two before texting back: