Page 30 of Jacked and Jaded

“Sorry. Didn’t know you were zoned out.” Jackson passed the dish on to his dad before accepting the salad from Maureen and putting some on Calliope’s plate.

“I could’ve done that.” She frowned, wondering what was up with him. Why was he being so attentive? It was so unlike him. He was always pushing her away, keeping distance between them. Now he was acting like they were best friends or together, which made no sense at all.

She picked up her fork and took a bite of her mom’s lasagna. “Mmm. So good.” She’d closed her eyes to appreciate the taste. As she opened them, she noticed the way Jackson was staring at her. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with his attention. “I’ve really missed this, Mom. I couldn’t find anything close to this in Boulder,” she smiled at her mom. “I really should’ve come to visit more often. I’m sorry about that.”

Her mom patted her hand. “It’s all right, honey. I’m just glad you’re home now. I’ve missed having you around.”

If Calliope had been paying attention, she’d have seen the grim, guilty look that crossed over Jackson’s face.

She waited until everyone was almost finished eating before she spoke up. “So what’s going to happen with Clint? After they arrested him for coming to see me, how long until he gets out?”

Jackson looked toward his dad, a silent communication going on between them. She wasn’t sure what that was all about, but she was getting a little nervous.

“Surely, being arrested twice in one day will keep him behind bars for a little while. If not, the restraining order has to count for something, right? I mean, I can’t stay here forever.” She didn’t realize how agitated she’d gotten until Jackson wiped his mouth with a napkin, then took her hand in his. She looked down at where their hands were joined, liking the sight of his tan skin against her much lighter tone. He gave her hand a little tug to get her attention.

“The truth is he’s already out.” Calliope’s heart skipped a beat and the delicious food she’d just eaten threatened to come back up. “Officer Daniels confirmed what you said about him working for one of the top law firms in Boulder. Apparently, the firm has enough connections, there was no way he was ever going to spend a single night in jail. As for your protection order? He’s not supposed to come anywhere near you.”

“You don’t think it’s going to stop him, do you?” Her grip tightened in his hand.

“No, I don’t. That being said, I think your best bet is to stay with me for the time being until we can figure out if he’s as stupid as we think he is and tries to make a play for you.” His eyes pinned hers, conveying just how serious he was.

“You think he’s going to come after me, don’t you?” Why couldn’t Clint just leave her alone? Even as she asked herself that question she knew the answer was yes. He hated to lose at anything. The two times it looked like he was going to lose an important case, the prosecution’s case fell apart when key witnesses disappeared. She wasn’t completely naive, she knew Clint or someone with his firm had arranged that.

Sighing heavily, he answered, “Yeah, I do. I don’t want you to worry. The club has this covered. He’s not coming anywhere near you.”

She watched him closely for a minute then swallowed hard. “If I can’t go home, does that mean Mom could be in danger if he comes looking for me?”

“Yes.” Jackson never did pull any punches. Most of the time she liked that about him, but right now, she’d kind of like him to beat around the bush a little. Aw, who was she kidding? It was better to know the truth so she could prepare herself for what might come than to live in denial and get caught off guard again.

“That’s why I’ll be staying at Tom’s for a while.” Her mom patted her arm, smiling warmly at her. “I’ve talked to Jackson about how to take care of you and he has the discharge papers with the doctor’s instructions. I’m a phone call away if you need me.”

“I feel like such an idiot. You tried to talk me out of moving in with him.”

“Then why did you?” Jackson asked.

She really didn’t want to get into this right now. As a matter of fact, she didn’t want to discuss this ever. She definitely didn’t want to discuss it in front of his parents, her mom and Tom. Maybe if she pretended she didn’t hear the question, he’d move on?

“Calliope?” He leaned forward, trying to get her attention.

“Tom, why don’t you help me bring Calliope’s things inside?” Her mom, the traitor, was high-tailing it out of Dodge. It was no secret that her mom and Jackson’s always thought she and Jackson would make a cute couple. She had thought that when she moved to Boulder, they’d given up on the idea. Looks like Calliope had been wrong.

As her mom stood up, Jane stood and asked Maverick to help her clear the table. Her mom said to leave it and she’d get it later. That allowed his parents to say their goodbyes and head out.

Jackson scooted her chair so that she was facing him. “Why did you move in with him?”

She shrugged her shoulder. What did he want her to say? That she settled for Clint because she knew she could never have him? Yeah, right. Like she would admit that out loud.

“Okay. Let’s try this. Did you know he was an abusive bastard before you moved in with him?”

“No. Of course not. I would have never moved in with him if I’d thought that.” Her face scrunched up in distaste at the very idea.

“How long after you moved in did it take for him to hit you?” Jackson’s mouth was set in a grim, determined line.

Wow. He really wasn’t letting this go.

“Six months, I guess.”

“Did it ever occur to you that you should’ve left? You could’ve moved out.”

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