Page 35 of Cupcake of the Month (Just Add Peaches #2)

“Dinner’s ready, everyone,” Mrs. Sumner called from the kitchen. Guests filed in and she pointed to a seat. “Jordan, you can sit there.”

The comfortably padded chair put her across from Josh.

The dark fake-wood table groaned under the weight of the roast and the side dishes that came with it.

The seasoned aroma of the meat made her stomach growl.

She recognized a plate of Fountenoy Hall leftovers and cut a quick glance to Josh, who studiously avoided her.

Those who hadn’t already met Jordan were introduced as everyone bunched together in the small room and passed dishes around.

They might not share blood, but they were a family, just the same.

A different side of Josh emerged as well.

He was still more like a silent film star than a leading actor, but he seemed more relaxed.

The apartment residents quizzed her about everything from living at an inn to her job and how she knew Josh.

The first one was easy. The other two took more finesse.

The apartment residents had been struck by Mrs. McGraw’s charisma as much as Jordan. That made it easier. Talk turned to her job and opinions of recent measures taken by the state congress. Josh snuck covert glances at her but stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation.

Jordan summed up her plan to enact more Government Talks in common rooms of apartment complexes like this one, and Zach spoke up.

“Do criminals vote?” he asked.

“Zach, let Jordan enjoy her meal,” Josh said.

“I don’t mind.” Jordan was thrilled that someone so young was taking an interest in politics. “Some can. It depends on why they’re criminals.”

Josh’s mouth tightened, and he stabbed a potato.

“What if they’re wrongly convicted felons?” Zach asked. “Like my parents.”

Oh. My. That was a revelation. Jordan stole a glance at Josh, who met her stare with a frank, cold glare. Her skin iced over at his careless disregard.

Until the muscle twitched in his cheek.

Blood pounded in her temples, and she closed her eyes to ground herself. She understood hiding from the past. She had done it herself when fleeing to Fountenoy Hall. But she had trusted Josh with her secrets. And he had given so little of himself, except to fill her physical desires.

On the other hand, he hadn’t been with anyone else in eight years.

She opened her eyes and focused on Zach. “I’m not sure. This might be a better question for a lawyer.”

“I haven’t seen them since I was five.” Zach stuffed a forkful of green beans in his mouth.

The kid must be in his early teens now, maybe a little younger. Jordan faced Josh again and raised her eyebrows. “And when was that?”

“He’s thirteen,” he ground out.

Jordan did the math, but kept her face impassive. “That’s a long time to go without seeing your mom and dad. I miss mine when I don’t see them. I bet you miss yours a lot.”

“I do. And they miss me, too. I know they want to see me.” The last part was directed to Josh. “Like the letter says.”

He didn’t rise to the bait, only took a drink and ate more roast.

Mr. Sumner cleared his throat, breaking the silence that held everyone enthralled. “Jordan, would you like some bread?”

Conversation turned away from illegal activities as Lucy offered an anecdote about her students. Soon Jordan put down her silverware and smiled at her hosts. “Thank you for the delicious meal, but I have to leave.” She rose from the table and turned to Josh. “Walk me out?”

“Why?”

“Don’t be rude, Josh,” Berry admonished.

She cocked an eyebrow and waited. Two could play at that silent-stare game.

“Fine.” He unfolded his lanky body from the chair and bolted for the door. “Let’s go.”

The journey was silent except for Josh’s feet thundering down the stairs ahead of her and the sharp clip of her heels. Jordan took her sweet time, making him wait while she walked at a pace more appropriate for her shoes.

“So now you know.” Josh’s body coiled tightly, like he was expecting a fight. The sun had disappeared, leaving them in the muted glow from the streetlights.

“That you’re a jerk? I already knew that.” She put her hands on her hips. “The only question is why you felt you had to hide this from me.”

His body stiffened, all powerful and ready. “I’m sorry.”

The apology came so swift and suddenly Jordan wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. “For what, specifically? There are so many things.”

“For leaving you that night. For thinking I could clear up everything and keep my sordid family life a secret.” The early-fall air filled with the tension between them. “For using you to be a normal person in a normal relationship.”

“We never had normal, Josh. You underestimate yourself. And you underestimate me.” Hurt gathered in her chest and she rubbed at it with her knuckles. “What do you want me to say? Want me to thumb my nose at you because your parents committed a crime? You weren’t responsible for what they did.”

“Mom and stepdad. And they had accomplices.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kicked a rock. They both watched as it traveled a couple of feet. “Me.”

Jordan let out a harsh laugh, then sobered when Josh didn’t laugh with her. “You?”

“Me.” He cleared his throat and swallowed, his throat muscles flexing. “I liked our life. I never questioned how they got their money, even when they talked about overseas savings accounts. It was all normal for me.”

“Your car. Your apartment.” They had been much nicer than what the average college student could afford.

“That and the vacations we took. The house we lived in. I didn’t recognize it for what it was until investigators came to talk to me. I held back the answers at first, but seeing the evidence they already had...It all fell into place.”

“We were together.” Her stomach clenched and she pushed against it with a fist. “You knew all this was happening when we were together and you didn’t share it with me.”

“Yeah.” His clear blue eyes bored into her. “I knew.”

She stepped back as if he’d slapped her. “Eight years. You told me that’s how long it’s been for you.”

“Eight years of lies, Jay. It’s enough.”

Bitter pain formed in the back of her throat and followed a twisted path to her stomach. It was true. He had kept so much from her. “You didn’t trust me then. You don’t trust me now. You would have kept this all to yourself if your brother hadn’t said anything.”

Josh’s mouth tightened. “Now you’re getting it.”

A thousand pin pricks struck her skin. She couldn’t do this anymore. Trust was everything. “I was wrong. You’re not a jerk. You’re a complete schmuck .”

Josh must have seen something in her face because he nodded abruptly and went back into the building. He didn’t look back. The street light flickered out and shadowed her in darkness.

Well, fine. She’d pick her heart up off the ground and put blinders on to their past. She wiped tears from her cheek, ignoring the rawness ravishing her chest.

Her phone rang as she shuffled to her car. Great. Larry Weinschenk chose a fantastic time to call her. She cleared her throat to rid it of any remaining emotions. “Hello.”

“Jordan. The judge had space open up on her docket. Can you be here in two days?”

***

Jordan peeked out the stable window and eyed Josh’s car in the lot. She had delayed enough. The rumbling coming from her stomach was a clear sign it would mutiny if she didn’t give it some food.

Last night, the emptiness inside her left her unsettled and restless. Even after imbibing in Belle’s fine peach whiskey, sleep had eluded her. Which made three in the morning a good time to pack her stuff, until she fell into bed in an exhausted slumber.

Now her clothes were in her suitcase and her other stuff in boxes. Papers for Mrs. McGraw lay in neat stacks on the table in her room, divided by importance. A courier was coming to pick them up. She had already emailed her electronic files.

Since it was now mid-morning, Josh should be finished with breakfast service and either prepping dinner or washing dishes. Truth was, she didn’t want to face him and the hurt and betrayal that still sent shock waves through her body.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, the bright lights showing off her puffy skin and bags under her eyes. She stuck out her tongue at her reflection as she gathered her hair into a bun. A little makeup helped cover any evidence of her empty heart.

Her phone beeped and she picked it up. The text from Micah was a perfect way to delay, even as her stomach rumbled.

Any updates?

I’ll let you know in a couple of days.

OK. Nate said he told you about our vacation. Did you want to come along?

To the land of hobbits? I’m good. Besides, now it coincided with going to court.

All right. I’ll check in later.

She slipped her phone into her back pocket and stepped outside the stables. A handful of leaves skittered past her feet as she made her way to Fountenoy Hall.

Brandi and Wendy sat at the kitchen island when Jordan walked in, an unfamiliar man on the stool next to them and a laptop on the table.

Josh had the industrial mixer going, filling the kitchen with the sweet scent of apples and cinnamon.

The look he gave her carried a mixture of anger and lust, and sucker punched her in the gut.

What the hell did he have to be angry about?

If her stomach hadn’t staged a protest, she would have gone back to her rooms.

Josh turned off the machine and took a plate out of the microwave, his eyes shaded by the bill of his University of Georgia ballcap. He shoved the eggs, bacon, and biscuit into her hands. “You missed breakfast.”

Jordan had no time to react before he turned his back on her and went back to the mixer. She stood gaping, holding the warm plate in her hands. These little considerations had made her smile before, but now it just pissed her off.

The plate clanked when she placed it on the counter. “I’m having yogurt.”

He didn’t turn around. “Suit yourself.”

Damn right she would.