Page 58 of The Run Option

“Shepherd plays,” I say, earning a heatless glare from my brother-in-law.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Kingsley,” Grayson says with a grin.

With visible reluctance, Shepherd goes and takes Jasmine’s place at the coffee table. She doesn’t move away entirely though, instead opting to watch from nearby. Grayson makes quick work of resetting the board before gesturing to Shepherd to make the first move.

They dive into a much more silent, though no less intense, game. Conversation picks up surrounding them, with the occasional glance over at the game to see progress. “Willow, would you mind coming to help me get the desserts out?” MJ asks.

Nerves twist my stomach. “I’d love to help.”

Jason smiles at me, seemingly unaware of my inner turmoil. I hadn’t planned on being alone with MJ. I trust Jason’s words that she’s not malicious, but that almost makes it worse. I wanther to approve of me. Even though I know it’s foolish to care when this marriage is short-term, I can’t help but feel nervous as I follow her into her large kitchen.

MJ opens the fridge and begins to pull boxes out. They look to be from a bakery, which surprises me, given her reputation for homemade everything.

“My brother Maverick owns a bakery, so he tends to take care of dessert for parties like this,” MJ explains as if she can read my thoughts. Maybe she can.

“That’s wonderful. I wish I had a baker in my family. My granny can hold her own, but she’s more into cooking than baking.”

Am I babbling? I feel like I’m babbling. I force myself to stay quiet and not give in to the urge to fill the silence. MJ seems to be in no hurry to. She makes two stacks of the boxes. It becomes abundantly clear that she brought me in here to talk. She doesn’t need my help at all.

Her lips quirk up in a hint of a smile. “You don’t have to be nervous. I hope Jason didn’t scare you too much talking about me.”

“He actually had nothing but nice things to say about you.” I pause, then decide on honesty. She’d see through anything else. “But I know that he values your opinion, and I want your approval.”

She hums. “That’s interesting. You think you need my approval when you’re already married? Logic says it doesn’t matter what I think.”

“You’re his family,” I state, and her features soften. “In a perfect world, we would have met before Jason and I got married, but it didn’t happen that way. I know it matters to him that we get along.”

And though Ialsoknow I’ll be gone once our divorce won’t look suspicious, I still want Jason to have a good life in themeantime. If the people he calls family hate me, that would make things difficult.

“So this is entirely about Jason? You don’t have a need for people to like you?”

Her blunt question makes me smile. After dealing with the vindictive ways of the media lately, her straightforward nature is refreshing.

“Not particularly. I can’t afford putting too much weight into others' opinions of me, given that much of my job is based in social media.”

She nods. “Good. Because while you might have been well-known in your own right before, this is a whole different level. You will be beloved by some and hated by many.”

“Has that been the case for you?”

She laughs. “Oh yes. But I’ve never cared much about what others think of me.” She picks up one of the stacks. I grab the other. Her hazel eyes zero in on me. “I like you. I think there’s something going on beneath the surface, but you and Jason are good for each other. Take care of him–so long as he’s doing the same–and you’ll always be welcome in my house.”

Relief washes over me like a hot shower after a long day. I can finally breathe, knowing that I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I’ll take care of him,” I say, and I mean it. The conviction doesn’t fit in with what I thought this arrangement would be like, but it’s undeniably there, blaring like a foghorn in my soul.

MJ merely nods in response as we re-enter the living room. As we enter, I notice Shepherd moving from his spot in front of the chessboard. Grayson stays seated, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“I can’t believe he beat me,” he says, barely loud enough to be heard by everyone.

“I told you he’s a prodigy,” Jason says, giving his brother a high five when he returns to the couch.

“He’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. I’d say he was one of a kind, but I’m also handsome, athletic, and great at chess.”

I laugh as I set some of the boxes down on the table. Maybe this family is where Jason learned his teasing ways.

As soon as MJ and I spread out the boxes on the coffee table, everyone converges. I open one of the boxes and the scent of peanut butter makes my stomach drop. My head whips over to find Jason about to eat a chocolate chip cookie.

“Wait!” I shout over the chaos, making everyone, including Jason, freeze. All eyes are on me. My face burns, but this is too important to risk. “I just smelled peanut butter. I didn’t want you to accidentally eat anything contaminated,” I say to him.

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