Chapter Eight
Jaxson
Shit. Was my daughter telling Ariella I was gay? I was pretty confident Izzie didn’t even know what that meant, let alone what she was saying. I liked women a lot. While I didn’t bring women around because of Izzie, that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy their company.
I put the winter boots down on the ground and bent down to Izzie’s level, hugging her. “I work with Declan and Aiden, Izzie. I don’t think the right term is playing with them.”
Isabella’s brow furrowed. She had no idea what I was saying, and it didn’t matter. I glanced back at Ariella on the sofa and hoped she understood.
“I brought you these,” I said, showing her the fur-lined boots. They’d been gift that had sat in the back of my closet, unopened and unworn. “I hope they’ll fit, I’m not sure what size you are, and I don’t have a lot of spare women’s boots lying around.” I handed her the shoes, and she slipped them on to see how well they fit.
“I must be Cinderella,” she joked and wiggled her feet. “These are super comfy. I will not ask why they were at your house. I honestly don’t care. I’m just glad to have a warm pair of boots again, and I promise to return them as soon as I get mine from the car.”
“Don’t worry about it. They won’t be missed,” I said.
“Where’s the generator?” Ariella asked.
I pointed toward the window on the opposite side of the cabin. “Around back. It needs to stay outside, but I’m going to hook up an extension cord and run it out the back door. I’ll tape the cord down if I need to, to make sure you can shut the door tight.”
“Thank you,” she said and stood coming toward me. “Can I help with anything?”
“You’ve helped enough.” I didn’t intend to come across as harsh, but it was clear she was asking Izzie about me. Why else was my daughter telling her I liked to play with boys? I scratched the back of my neck and headed over to the fridge, hooking up the extension cord before taking it outside.
Ariella stood in the hallway watching me. “I’m sorry if I was out of line.” She kept her voice down so that only I could hear her, which I appreciated immensely. I didn’t want Izzie to have a plethora of questions later.
“Next time, if you want to know something, just ask me.”
“Right. I’ll do that,” she said and pursed her lips.
Already I could tell she wanted to ask me something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Had she asked Izzie while I’d been outside and hadn’t gotten the answer she hoped for? Why was she asking twenty questions about me?
“You’re staring,” I said as I stepped outside. She hung in the doorframe, keeping the back door open while watching me hook up the generator outside and start the engine on it.
“Just watching you work,” Ariella said.
There was more to it than that, but I wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “Listen, I like women. I just try to keep my daughter away from anyone I date.” Why was I telling her this? She hadn’t asked. She was probably just being friendly with Izzie, and I got the wrong impression from what I heard when coming into the cabin.
“Is Isabella’s mom in the picture?” she asked, leaning against the doorframe. She wrapped her arms around herself, her jacket abandoned inside the house. Ariella had to be freezing. I hurried up with the generator and ushered her back inside, where it was warmer.
“No, she’s not. It’s just the two of us.” I didn’t elaborate, not because I didn’t want to, but because we were back inside, and Izzie was within earshot. I didn’t want her to overhear the conversation. “I’m happy to talk about it with you, but it would be better if we had that discussion when it’s just the two of us.”
“Of course,” she said.
I shut the door and locked it; the electric cord pushed to the side. “I’ll secure the cord next time I come by.” I could tape it down, but I needed to get some tape and didn’t have any on hand with me at the moment. I knew what was in the cabin, and I hadn’t left any behind.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thank you again for all your help today, and I will pay you back for everything,” Ariella said.
I wasn’t worried about the money, whether she was good for it. That was beside the point. It was clear she was in a bind and needed help. I hadn’t made her life any easier with the property listing, and guilt weighed heavily on me. Even though it hadn’t been intentional, it still was clear that she struggled to make ends meet. I dug my hand into my coat pocket, almost forgetting the other device I’d brought over from my house.
“For your cell phone,” I said, retrieving a small solar powered charging device. “It doesn’t need outside light. You can put it on a windowsill.” I took a few steps into the kitchen and set up the device with the solar panel facing the window, keeping it on the ledge inside above the sink. “Do you have your phone handy?” I wanted to make sure it was set up before I left.
She headed toward her bed and retrieved her knapsack that sat on the bottom shelf of the end table. Crouched down, she dug through the bag for a moment before finding her cell phone. I hadn’t seen a flip phone in ages, especially with the craze for smartphones.
“Wow. You keep it old school,” I said, taking the device from her before plugging it into the solar charger.
“I’m all about practicality and what I need. Well, that or you can consider me cheap.” She flashed me a wide grin. She was hiding something, but I couldn’t be certain what it was. “Thank you for the charger. I should call my sister once my phone is charged. I’m sure she’s wondering if I made it here safely.”
Everyone I knew had a smartphone, and anyone with a burner style flip phone in my line of business usually had secrets. I tried not to let the nagging suspicion cloud my judgment. “You’re welcome to use my phone,” I said, pulling it out from my pants pocket.