Page 87 of Carry Me Home
Steven didn’t look any more comfortable than Adam. “Adam.”
I sighed as I split a stern look between them. “No fights in Janie’s bar.”
Zack laughed. “Believe it or not, this is actually an improvement. Chloe’s threatening to sign them up for couples’ counseling.”
Adam and Steven side-eyed each other and promptly looked away again. I shook my head. “What can I get you to drink?”
The evil glint in Adam’s eyes told me he had planned his answer in advance. “A lemon drop martini.”
Zack smirked. “And I’ll have a whiskey sour.”
“Assholes,” I muttered. I pulled out my phone to find a recipe. “Dammit, Zack, that has foamed egg whites. I’m not doing that. You both get beers. Whiskey, if you ask nicely.”
Adam laughed. The sound still startled me. There had been years where he only spoke in grunts and growls. “Beer is fine.” His gaze slid to Steven’s glass, which was fully half foam. “You know what, I’ll get it myself.”
“Fine.” I pointed at him. “But you still have to tip.”
Adam rolled his eyes as he rounded the bar. “You want one while I’m back here, Zack?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Zack turned to me, his expression serious for once. “You heard from Janie yet?”
“Not yet.”
And fuck, was that eating at me. I was going out of my mind wondering what the hell was going on. I knew they were meeting at Brax’s office—Senator Dipshit didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing Janie at his office in Denver, so he magnanimously offered to make the drive to Aspen Springs—but that was at nine this morning. Shouldn’t they be done now?
“It’s going to be okay,” Zack assured me. “Brax has this.”
“I know.”
More importantly, I knew Janie had this. Maybe she didn’t trust herself, but I didn’t have that problem. I trusted her completely. She would fix this.
And then maybe, just maybe, we could work on fixing us.
36
JANIE
“Ready?”Brax asked me.
“No,” I said.
He smiled. “Yes, you are.”
We were in his conference room. Behind the closed door, I could hear his secretary, Sharon, greeting someone. I gulped. They were here.
My parents entered first. They shook hands with Brax before Dad squeezed my shoulder. Mom nodded, her voice as crisp and cool as ever when she said, “Hello, dear. It would have been nice if you had returned my calls. I’d like to take Maya shopping for back-to-school clothes.”
My mouth flapped open.Thatwas what she had to say to me? I stared at her, speechless, as she took a seat next to me at the conference table. When Dad sat next to her, I finally found my voice. “I think you’re supposed to sit on the other side.”
Mom’s head whipped toward me, her eyes wide with shock. “Next to Rupert? Over my dead body.”
The venom in her voice made me blink.
“We are always on your side, Janie. If you don’t know that then…” She trailed off, her brow furrowed.
I squinted. Was Momapologizing? I tried to remember if I had ever heard the words I’m sorry out of her mouth. Nope, never. “Then what?”
She folded her hands primly in her lap. “Then there has been a misunderstanding.”
