Page 37

Jade

I couldn’t have asked for my lunch with Rhys to go any better. Now, I’m back at the loft, pushing through on my work and counting the moments until I can be with him again. I’m really in excellent shape, I determine as I look through all the pieces I’ve finished. I remain right on schedule for Under the Sea, and I have two more requests in my email, but I don’t feel like working on them right now.

“Everything okay?” Lee asks from his position across the room.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I assure him. “I’m just going to call my sister.”

With a nod, Lee steps outside, leaving me alone to make the call.

“Jade! Did you see Dad’s email?” she answers without preamble, her voice urgent in a way that sets my nerves on edge.

“No, what’s going on now?” I ask.

“He’s called a meeting at the house tonight. You need to check your email,” she says. “And how was your lunch with Rhys?”

“It went so well.” I smile. “I’m moving in with him.”

“That’s fast,” she says. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yes. I think it makes the most sense. I’m going to meet up with him tonight and start moving my stuff.”

“Oh, but I need you at this meeting. You know what Dad is like when someone blows off his requests.”

“More like his demands. Did he name you CEO? Has he said anything about what you presented to him?”

“No. He just asked everyone to be at the house tonight. Should I pick you up on my way?”

“I don’t know,” I reply dryly. “I hate that it’s always a demand and then always a circus. I need to talk to Rhys, but I’ll let you know.”

We hang up, and with a sigh, I open my inbox, the digital missive from my father confirming Alexis’s words. A meeting. Tonight. As if I couldn’t possibly have anything better to do. Still, now I’m intrigued.

I dial my sister again and tap the screen, putting Alexis on speaker as I navigate the clutter of half-finished sculptures and dried clay that is my studio. “Okay, now, I see the email. Do you think JP is actually going to face the music?”

“Mom seems to think so,” Alexis responds, but I can hear the shrug in her voice. “She and Dad met with JP this morning, and she seems to think it did not go the way JP expected. He went too far this time.”

“Wait. I thought Dad and Jim met with JP last week?” I remember clearly that after our meeting with Jim, they were going to meet the next morning at nine.

“No. It didn’t happen. JP was at some golf tournament, so they didn’t meet until this morning.”

“Then tonight is just another round of empty theatrics,” I complain. Our family could put Broadway to shame with the constant drama.

“Maybe, but please come,” Alexis pleads. “If he forgives JP or announces Augustus as his successor, I’ll need you there to keep me from losing it.”

“I can’t. Rhys and I already have plans,” I reply.

“Bring him along,” Alexis suggests.

“Seriously?” I snort, shaking my head. “Alexis, we just got back together. Why the hell would I drag him into our pit of vipers? That isn’t the way to encourage any kind of relationship.”

Alexis laughs. “It’s important,” she insists. “And if you plan on keeping him around, it’s best for him to see us at our worst.”

I smooth my fingers over the edge of a ceramic bowl. “But Rhys has nothing to do with our circus. He doesn’t need to see the clowns in action so soon.”

“Think about it, okay?” Alexis’s voice softens.

“Fine, I’ll think about it.”

But I don’t think I’m ready for this. Even with Rhys being willing to go, I can’t ask him to. Not when we’re still finding our footing again. Not when I’m still basking in the glow of someone choosing me first for once.

“Jade, you know how these things can go,” Alexis pleads. “You need to be there. Dad wants it, and JP might finally get what’s coming to him. Wouldn’t you rather see that in person?”

“Alexis, I—”

“Please, Jade. If Dad throws anyone under the bus, it’ll be me because I gave him the information. I need my sister there, just in case.”

I sigh. I suppose I did get us involved in this in the first place. “Listen, you know I support you. Let me talk to Rhys and see if he’s made plans for us tonight.”

She thanks me, and the call ends with a click.

I head upstairs and shrug off the constraints of my lunch attire and slip into my tube top and overalls—the outfit that signifies the shift from being Jade Allerton, pawn in a high-society game, to Jade the potter, creator of beautiful dinnerware.

I pull out the clear glaze and start dipping the dinner plates. I should be able to fill the kiln once they all dry.

My hands move on autopilot, dipping plates and setting them on the drying rack, but my mind is anything but calm. Going tonight feels like being a pawn again, but maybe that’s just a knee-jerk reaction. It would also be an act of loyalty to Alexis and a way to stand by her when the inevitable storm hits. I know tackling this head on is the right thing to do.

“Okay,” I murmur. “How to approach this with Rhys...”

My phone springs to life in a frenzy of pings as I finish the dip of another plate.

“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath, reaching for the device. JP’s name flashes across the screen, igniting a flurry of anxiety. It’s like he’s here in the room with me, his presence as unsettling as ever.

With a sense of dread, I wash the remnants of bisque dust from my hands, watching the water swirl with sandy hues before disappearing down the drain. Now with dry hands, I take a steadying breath and unlock the phone. JP’s words assault me, vile accusations painting my screen with each swipe.

JP: You backstabbing bitch.

The messages only spiral from there, each one a poison barb aimed at my conscience.

The venom in JP’s words sends a chill through me. He’s always been volatile, but this feels different—more desperate, more dangerous. If he’s unraveling, what does that mean for Alexis? For all of us?

“Lee,” I call, and he peers around the corner.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, approaching.

“Read these.” I thrust the phone at him, my hand shaking slightly.

He takes it, brows furrowing as he scrolls through the tirade. “Jesus. This is your brother? Do you want me to forward these to Jim? The team should see this.”

I nod, unable to muster words. Relief washes over me, knowing Lee’s here. If JP were to have the balls to show up, Lee would immediately step in, and JP would be toast. Lee works quickly, sending the messages off to where they might do some good, away from me.

“Thanks,” I manage as he hands back the phone. A text shows up from my father. I’ve claimed too many times that I don’t read my email.

Dad: You started this firestorm. There’s a family meeting tonight at 7, no excuses tolerated.

“My presence has been demanded at my parents’ tonight,” I tell Lee.

“Will Rhys be joining you?” he asks.

I give a tight-lipped smile. “I’m not sure. This is my circus and my clowns. I’ll text and let him know.”

My fingers tremble slightly as I type out the message to Rhys, my heart a dull throb against my ribcage.

Me: Change of plans. Dad’s called a family meeting tonight at 7. Mandatory.

I hesitate after hitting send. Do I ask him to be my buffer?

Before I can decide, Rhys replies.

Rhys: I’ll go with you. Scott and I will come by at 6:30 to pick you and Lee up.

A rush of gratitude washes over me.

Me: Really? You know you don’t have to, but it will feel good to have you with me. Thank you. And I apologize in advance.

I let out a breath and text Alexis to confirm my attendance this evening. Then I finish dipping the first twenty-five plates. Once they’re dry enough to put into the kiln, I set the timer, grateful I’m not staying here tonight. The kiln’s twenty-seven-hundred-degree heat will soon rise from the studio to make the loft upstairs unbearable, a clear sign it’s time for me to get ready and get out of here.