Chapter Eleven
Ariella
My lips still tingled from the recent kiss. When I’d told him I wanted to go slow, he seemed onboard with the idea. I hadn’t intended to hurt him, but I needed to be honest. I wasn’t ready for a commitment, and I suspected he wanted a wife. He had a daughter and was probably looking to finish his family. I wasn’t sure I could be that for him, ever.
I sat on the sofa, lost and flustered as he gathered his coat and boots. “You don’t have to go.”
“Yes, I do.” He zipped his jacket, put his beanie back on, and then secured Isabella’s jacket around her little body before carrying her to the door. “I’ll call Declan and have him give you a ride to pick up your car when it’s done at the shop.”
Great. Now he didn’t want to see me again. “Okay. Thank you.” I stood and headed toward the kitchen to check my cell phone that sat on the windowsill. The battery had just about fully charged. I unplugged his solar charger. “Here, take this.” He wouldn’t be back for it, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to face him again either.
“I’ll give you my number. Text me, so I have your number, and I can forward it to Declan.”
“Okay.” I punched in his digits and texted him.It’s Ariella. I didn’t send anything special. I didn’t know what to say. The heated moment between us had turned as cold as ice.
I’d really screwed up.
“I’ll see you around,” Jaxson said and headed with Izzie to the truck.
I watched from the door. I stood awkwardly with my arms crossed in front of me. The chilly wind made me numb.
He backed out of the driveway, and I shut the door. How was I going to make this right? Could I fix what I’d done? He didn’t know my secrets, that Ben had stolen millions from investors in a Ponzi scheme, and we both had been charged with dozens of crimes. He’d been convicted of several felonies. I’d stood trial, and while I’d gotten off with no convictions, I had been threatened countless times back in New York. That had been one reason why I’d left.
I wanted what happened to be forever in the past, buried. I had done nothing wrong. I didn’t know what he’d done, but my name had been on the company papers because we were married. I’d signed forms I didn’t understand, and that made me an accessory. I should have been more careful, but I trusted him. I wasn’t involved with the company. I never saw the financial records or accounts. That had been how I’d been able to get off without a single conviction. I truly was clueless.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the chilly afternoon air as Jaxson had already pulled away and down the road out of sight. I hadn’t meant to hurt him. I didn’t want him to think less of me or blame me like every one of Ben’s investors had. While I hadn’t been convicted, I still held the weight of guilt, dirty of his crimes. I should have known what was going on.
My eyes burned with tears. The only person who I’d gotten close to since my divorce and the trial, and he knew nothing of my past. I’d ruined my clean slate without him even knowing the truth. Should I have leaped in heart first and taken a chance with Jaxson? I couldn’t lie to him. After everything he’d done for me, I would not hurt him. At least that hadn’t been my intention.
With a resigned sigh, I dialed my sister, Delphine. I wasn’t expecting a warm greeting, but she had insisted I call her when I got settled in my new home.
“Hello?” Delphine’s soft voice resounded through the phone.
“Hey, Delphine, it’s me, Ariella.” I paused, unsure what to say. We hadn’t been close in years. She blamed me for what happened with Ben. When I was charged and searching for a lawyer, she’d shut me out and told me she wanted nothing to do with me. I wasn’t looking for a handout or a free pass. I just needed help, and she turned her back on me. She was a paralegal and knew plenty of defense attorneys but didn’t want any association with me. I hated her for that year, but then I saw her at the trial when I was put on the stand. She’d been in the back row. That had been the beginning of our reconciliation.
“Hey,” her voice was soft, and her single word of greeting sounded hesitant.
“Is this a bad time?” I asked. I collapsed onto the sofa and stretched out my feet to rest on the coffee table.
“It’s never a great time,” Delphine said.
“Right.” Why was I bothering to call her when she wanted nothing to do with me? “Well, you said to let you know when I got my feet planted in Breckenridge. I’m here. Everything is great.” I gritted my teeth. When we were younger, she could see right through my lies. Had that changed?
“Good. Listen, Marcus is home. I can’t talk right now.” She kept her voice low, hardly above a whisper. Marcus hated me, and she wasn’t telling him I called. I’d have done the same had the situation been reversed.
Marcus was her husband of ten years. He was the king of assholes, well, maybe the prince. He narrowly was behind Benjamin, and while Marcus hadn’t cheated on Delphine or stolen millions from his clients, he was more than just a bit of a snob. He acted like he was untouchable and could do no wrong.
“Okay. Bye,” I said and hung up the phone. I don’t know why I bothered. While I was expecting a frosty greeting, a part of me hoped we could reconnect. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Ending the call, I glanced down at the missed voicemail and hit play.
“Hi, Ms. Cole, this is Bridget Sanders with Blue Sky Resort. We met yesterday at my office. We’d like to formally offer you the flex position. We wanted to let you know that we’ve started the background check, and assuming everything goes smoothly, we’d like you to start first thing Monday morning. Please call us back if you have any questions. Otherwise, we’ll be in touch with you later this week.”
I hung up the phone, my stomach in knots, waiting to hear if I’d cleared the background check. I texted Jaxson. He probably didn’t want to hear from me, but I didn’t want him worrying about me and getting food for dinner or groceries. If the ATV in the shed could get me into town, I could take my backpack and get some food for the house. While I had little money, I had a credit card that would have to suffice.
Thanks for the help today and for everything. Taking the ATV out to the store.I texted.
Remember to stay on the orange triangle trail. Be careful.