Chapter Thirteen
Ariella
A loud, forceful knock pounded against my front door. I wasn’t expecting visitors. “Just a sec!” I called, coming to the door. I pulled it open, surprised to see Jaxson on the opposite side. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” I said. He’d left yesterday in a huff after a few kisses we’d shared.
“You lied to me about who you are. Your actual name is Ariella Ryan.” His eyes narrowed, and his hands bunched in fists at his sides. He looked beyond pissed. The tips of his ears were red, and they matched his cheeks.
I took a step back as he entered my house. I kept space between us, even though I didn’t sense I was in physical danger. “That was my married name. I’ve taken my maiden name, and I am legally Ariella Cole. I never lied to you.”
“The hell you didn’t!” His voice thundered.
I shivered and jumped from the intensity of his rage. “I was acquitted. I didn’t know what my ex-husband was involved in,” I said. Didn’t he believe me? I wasn’t a thief or a monster. I wasn’t the one behind bars doing jail time for stealing millions.
“The hell you didn’t! You owned a yacht, a mansion, and had a vacation home in the South Pacific!”
“I didn’t know about those purchases,” I said. It was the truth. I didn’t know about the additional bank account or luxuries that Benjamin had indulged in. While we were married, he had signed my name and forged it to further involve me in his illegal affairs.
He stalked closer, hovering within my personal space. “I don’t believe you,” he seethed.
“I’m telling the truth,” I whispered, staring up at him and into his icy blue stare. “I knew the business had done well, but I didn’t know where the money came from. I was naïve, and I trusted a man who took advantage of me.” I took a step back, the heat radiating off his body and onto mine.
“Where’s the money you stole?” He followed me, my back against the wall with nowhere to go.
“I didn’t steal anything,” I said and stood my ground. “I’m not a thief. My ex-husband was responsible, and he’s in prison for what he did.”
One hand came up against the wall, trapping me. His body was inches from mine. “I was one of your ex-husband’s clients,” Jaxson said, his breath hot against my cheek.
“I’m sorry,” I said, quick to apologize. “I don’t know what you want me to do.” My voice was barely above a whisper, staring into his icy gaze. It didn’t take a genius to see he was angry, but it wasn’t my fault. Didn’t he realize that? “The government froze all our accounts. They took the money that he’d stolen and redistributed it.” At least that’s what I thought happened.
His nostrils flared as he huffed. He was still pissed at me, but didn’t he realize that’s why I left? He wasn’t too fond of me getting a fresh start. “Tell me why that’s my problem.”
I opened my mouth and quickly shut it. I had to tread carefully so as not to further antagonize him. “It’s not your problem. It’s mine. I will get you the money for the refrigerator. I swear I will pay you back.” As soon as I landed a job, the first thing I would do was return him the money that he’d loaned me.
He pulled back, pacing the length of the cabin. “It’s not about the money for the stupid refrigerator. It’s the fact you lied to me, Ariella. Do you not see how that makes me look? I had to hear about it from Mason that you’re a liar.”
“I’m not a liar.” I had neglected to give him information on my history, but we’d just met. Why would he think I’d have confided in him about my past? I pushed myself away from the wall and folded my arms across my chest, coming to sit at the edge of the mattress. “You’re an asshole,” I said, glaring at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” My hands trembled, but I shoved them further into my arms so that he wouldn’t notice. Anger raged through me. How dare he not believe me? Was he planning on interfering with me getting the job at Blue Sky Resort? That had to have been how he’d found out, through the background check. Shit. Was that reason enough for it to disqualify me for the position?
“All I did for you, and I’m the asshole.” His jaw was tight, and he headed for the door. He pulled the door open and allowed a cold gust of wind to blow into the cabin.
I refrained from shivering, not wanting him to see my discomfort.
“Good luck at your new job and your new life,” he shouted and slammed the door shut on his way out.
“Fuck!” I screamed and stood in the middle of the cabin, infuriated. I could see him outside, hurry into his truck and speed off down the road. I couldn’t keep running, no matter how hard it got.
* * *
I started my new job and orientation at Blue Sky Resort on Monday morning. While Jaxson knew about my past and my history, my employer hadn’t been made aware. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had something to do with that or the fact my record had truly been expunged since I was exonerated.
I wasn’t the only new employee, which was a relief. Emma and I spent the first month getting to know the routine and shared lunch every afternoon. It was nice to have someone to talk to, and who didn’t know about my past.
“Do you want to grab drinks after work?” Emma asked. She worked behind the front desk while I had spent most of the first month handing out ski and snowboard equipment. It wasn’t too bad, except for the occasional smelly boots that were returned and needed to be sprayed with disinfectant.
While I had little money, it was also payday, which meant I could afford to splurge on a drink. I needed to make friends and wanted to spend time some place other than my cabin or the resort.