“Five, not counting when she swallowed my cock all the way down her throat.”
Rex’s jaw drops with a look I can’t quite decipher but it’s Chase’s mumbled, “So I guess she finally chose after all,” that has the satisfaction I was feeling replaced by anger as I turn on him.
“I used to think you were the smartest person I knew but now I know you’re dumber than the dirt you’re standing on, Chase.” I give him a look of disdain. “Rain didn’t choose me. I fucking chose her. I choose her happiness. I choose to be hers no matter what. I don’t care if she wants to be with Rex or you or all three of us. As long as she’s happy, as long as she loves me, that’s all that matters.”
I shoulder past him and make it halfway to the house before I hear Rex yell out,
“Five fucking times?”
Rain
It’s been a few days since I had sex…a lot of sex with Luke. He’s checked in on me a few times since but always during the daylight hours. He hasn’t come to my window since we were together or tried to pressure me into anything more. I think he’s trying to prove his words to me that he’ll take anything I’m willing to give to him right now. I don’t know how long that will last but I hum a contented little song under my breath as I pack the last box of my dad’s things.
I’ve kept myself busy filling out paperwork, studying up on local business tax regulations, and finally completing the packing. I’m at the point where I can’t go any further without help and I’m loath to ask the one person who can give me it. I quit stalling, shower the sweat off and slide into a burnt orange razor-back jersey sundress in hopes of staying cool in the oppressive heat dome that’s settled over the region and head to town with my file folders.
I’ll be sad to let go of my dad’s place. I really will - but it feels like it’s a part of finding my place in the world and this trailer is in my past. The one thing I won’t miss is the lack of air conditioning. One of the first things I checked on in that apartment is that there was working air conditioning. I grin and add paint and blinds to my mental shopping list for the place. There’s just a few more forms that need to be completed before I get the keys to the building and then I’m moving in. The bank was more than accommodating to get me a quick possession. It also helped a lot that I didn’t have to fuss with funding to buy it.
I pull into a parking spot on the square and walk down the street to Chase’s office. I pull in a bracing lungful of humid air, straighten my shoulders, and lift my chin before pulling the door open. He’s bent over the receptionist desk looking at some papers and it has a flash of Jason bent over his assistant crashing through my mind, erasing the cool attitude I was trying to project.
“Rain? What are you doing here?” He asks with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
“I need to make an appointment. I have to hire a lawyer.”
His brows go up as questions flit across his face but he just nods.
“Sure, I have time now if you do.”
I nod with a tight smile and follow him into his office. I settle into the seat he waves to as he goes around the desk and takes his own seat. I don’t waste any time with chit-chat. We’ve said all we needed to say the other night. I place the folders on his desk and start sorting through the ones I need his help with.
“Um, I wanted to tell you that you’re welcome to stay in your dad’s trailer for as long as you want or need to, now that you’ve decided to stay in town.”
I look up at him in surprise. Maybe our fight jiggled that stick a little loose if he’s making an effort to be halfway nice to me. I appreciate the offer but…
“Three days. I’ll need to stay for three more days but thank you.”
He frowns but nods slowly.
“You found another place already? Wow, that was fast.”
“Yes, well, that’s part of what I need your help with.”
“Oh, do you need me to look over a rental lease?”
I decide to let the paperwork talk for me and slide the agreement to purchase across to him. He picks it up, starts reading, and then his expression morphs to shocked surprise. Those eyes flash from the paper to me to the paper.
“You bought the entire building up to the Spur?”
I send him a smirk. “Yeah, I decided with the money Daddy left me to think bigger than centerpieces.” He scoffs at the heavy sarcasm and the words he threw at me when I first came into this office.
“Do you have plans for the empty retail spaces or is that where you plan to move into?”
I send him a don’t be dumb look. “There’s an apartment on the second level I’ll be moving into. Maggie is opening a café in one of the spaces and I’m opening a boutique in the other one. The third space has yet to be decided on.”
He leans back in his chair and rubs his jaw while shaking his head.
“In this economy, starting a small business is a risky venture that will probably fail. In my opinion, you should instead invest…”
I cut him off by snatching the paper from his hand and slamming my folders closed, pushing to my feet.
