Page 34 of Tempting Eden

“It was our foster father, Papa Reed. I confronted him. He started crying. Kept saying he was sorry, so sorry. He got on his knees, begged me not to do it. He talked and talked. I actually thought about letting him go, turning him over to the cops. But then he said her name. That piece of shit dared to sayher name.I snapped. I shot him. Killed him with one shot to the chest.”

He let go of my hand, but held my gaze. “That’s why I had a late start to college. I was in prison until I was twenty-one.”

CHAPTER NINE

EDEN

“PRISON FOR MURDER,FAIRFAX!”I yelled into my phone the next morning.

“Ms. Rochest—”

“He came to my house,” I hissed. “He met Adele! You hired an ex-convict. An ex-convict! And not just that, I-I…” I trailed off. What was I going to say?I masturbated in front of him and constantly fantasize about fucking him?Oh my God.

“Calm down, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down!”

He sighed. “I hate to do this to you Ms. Rochester, I really do, but—”

“You hate to hire ex-cons?”

“No, I hate to tell you that you’re acting like your mother.”

I slumped down on my bed.No, I’m not. ‘That’s ridiculous.”

“You are, Ms. Rochester. You’re acting like Georgiana. I remember when we were kids, she would get all in a huff just like you’re doing right now. And she still does it. Remember, at the last Christmas get-together, she did the same thing when she saw Kinsey had a nose ring?”

I buried my face in my duvet. He was right. Mother did lose her mind and shriek about how Christmas was ruined just because my teenage cousin had a “facial mutilation favored by peasants.”

“There’s a big difference between a nose ring and a criminal record, Fairfax.”

“What now, Ms. Rochester? I couldn’t quite catch that.”

I rolled onto my back and repeated myself.

“He doesn’t actually have a record. It was a juvenile offense, so it’s not in any records anywhere. He got a fresh start. That’s what he’s supposed to get. And, yes, a nose ring is different than a prison record. But there’s a lot more to Jack than that.” He was silent for a few beats. “And I suspect you know that for yourself. He’s taken a shine to you, and I don’t think it’s one-sided.”

There was a knock at my door. “Mom, you okay in there?”

“Yeah, baby, just working. I’ll be down for breakfast in a minute.”

“Better hurry. You know how Gramma gets when you’re late.”

How would Gramma get if she knew I was canoodling with a murderer?

“Listen here.” Fairfax didn’t seem worried in the slightest. “You go and see Jack’s godmother, okay? Go talk to her; see what she has to say about Jack. If you’re still in a Georgiana-style tizzy”—I winced at that—“then you can cut bait, get rid of him, whatever you want.”

I kicked my feet into the side of the mattress like Adele did whenever she got frustrated. The problem was that I didn’t want to get rid of him. I just wanted himnot to be a murderer.

“Wait a minute. How do you even know Ms. Temple?”

There was some throat clearing on the other end of the line. “I knew her when we were younger. And she, uh, well you know I’m a widower these past ten years, and it gets kind of lonely. I think you take my meaning.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, enough said.”

“Right. Well, she’s a real fine woman. As good as they come. You’ll see. We aren’t exclusive or anything. Anyway, I’ll call her and tell her you’ll be visiting with her today. Let’s say at noon for lunch. She’s a great cook.”

“I don’t know, Fairfax.”

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