“It was honest.” I turned onto Lorraine’s sidewalk and pulled Brey into a hug. “Baby girl, get past me not calling. We’re family. I’m sorry, okay?”
She snuggled into my hug and nodded. “Don’t do it again. I’m going insane worrying about you. I mean it. Jax is about to flip out on us both for how anxious I’ve been lately.”
“My brother’s an asshat. Remind me why you chose to be with him.”
“Because you were sleeping with half the cheer team?” she teased me, but we both knew we’d never clicked that way. She was like a kid sister to me, a complete pain in my ass half the time and a necessary person in my life all the time.
“I slept with the whole team.”
She laughed and jogged off, leaving me wondering again about my lack of commitment to any of the cheerleaders or other women in my life.
When I walked inside, I found Lorraine and Mikka enjoying tea. Mikka was laughing at something Lorraine had said as the sun streamed in through the windows. Her shining black hair lay straight against her back, and her small frame was dwarfed by the massive wooden table.
“Honeys, I’m home,” I announced, sliding off my tennis shoes.
Lorraine blew a raspberry. “We saw you out there hugging other women. We’re not at all interested in your arrival now.”
I fumbled at her statement. “That was Brey out there.”
“So? You left us to go jog with a beautiful woman. I, for one, never did and never will stand for that in a man.”
I glanced at Mikka who had a small smile on her face and shrugged at me. I wasn’t sure of Lorraine’s angle, but I suddenly felt a need to explain myself. “Lorraine, you know Brey’s my sister-in-law.”
“I know what she is. I’ve also read the tabloids over the years. Someone like Mikka might not know your history.” She harrumphed and wide-eyed me as if I had better explain.
In the span of my jogging, Mikka had won over Lorraine and Lorraine had switched to matchmaker. I saw this for what it was: Lorraine trying to explain away any misunderstandings because Aubrey and I were old news in this town. No one actually believed we had an underlying relationship.
“Lorraine, Mikka knows my history with Brey. She’s my PA. She knows the magazines have printed lies for ages. Right, Mikka?”
Mikka waited for a second longer than I expected. “Yeah, I know.”
The extra hesitation was enough for me to jump on it. “Why did you wait to answer?” I glanced at Lorraine and she lifted her eyebrows as if to say, ‘See, explain yourself.’
“I didn’t wait,” Mikka denied and got up to put her empty tea cup in the sink. Lorraine joined her and started washing dishes. Lorraine made no attempt to leave the room; she leaned in to make sure the conversation was going her way.
“You did. You know Brey and I have never had anything, right?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter if you have or haven’t. I think the press honestly believes you never did now, so that’s all that’s needed.”
I stalked up to her. “No, that’s not all that’s needed. You need to be aware that I would never have slept with her. She’s like a damn sister to me.”
“I don’t care one way or the other, Jay,” she mumbled, but she didn’t meet my eyes.
“Well, you should.”
Lorraine gasped, and Mikka’s eyes snapped to mine with something very close to hope.
“At the very least,” I continued, “I’d like you to know I have a better conscience than that. You’ve been friends with me all this time and wondered if I was sleeping with my brother’s wife?”
“No,” she blurted and stepped back like she needed the distance. “I don’t know. I just… she’s beautiful and the pictures in magazines are…”
“Lies,” I spat.
She nodded with conviction. “I assumed that. It’s just…”
“Well, I put a bug in her ear,” Lorraine admitted over the dishes, not at all embarrassed about her eavesdropping. “I told her to look on out that window at the pretty woman and man hugging. Someone needs to lay out all your quirks. Mikka needs to be aware.”
“She’s aware. Don’t stir the pot when there’s nothing in there to stir, Lorraine. You know how this town talks,” I chastised her.