Page 79 of Cupcake of the Month
“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 completeschmuck.”
Josh must have seen something in her face because he nodded abruptly and went back into the building. He didn’tlook 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.
