Jaxon shrugged, flipping a patty. “It was great.”
Trevor raised a brow. “Great? You hate traveling.”
“I do.”
“Then what made it great?”
Jaxon paused for a moment, watching the flames flicker beneath the grate. “I ran into an old friend.”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed. “Man, don’t tell me Claire’s back in the picture. Took you forever to get past that.”
Jaxon laughed once—dry and easy. “No, not Claire. Sara.”
“Wait—Sara? Seriously?”
“Yeah. She owns the catering company that handled the promotion event. Then I saw her again at the restaurant that night.”
“Y’all had dinner?”
Jaxon gave him a look. “Did I say that? No. I was with the partners. She was with who I think were her parents. And Claire.”
Trevor’s drink paused halfway to his lips. “Wait. Claire was there? What did she say?”
“Nothing. She didn’t see me.”
“Damn.”
“She was wearing a ring,” Jaxon added, quieter this time. “Not a wedding band—just engagement. But still.”
Trevor didn’t say anything for a second. Then, “That had to sting.”
Jaxon shrugged again. “It didn’t. Not really. I thought it might. But when I saw her, she looked… happy. And you know what? That was enough. For the first time in years, I felt okay. At peace with it.”
Trevor looked at him, genuinely surprised. “So what happened? You just walked out?”
“Paid for their dinner first.”
Trevor choked on his beer. “You did what?”
Jaxon smirked. “Yeah. I figured—it felt right. Sara was the reason I turned my life around. She helped in ways she’ll never know. Seeing her again, even for a second, was like… closing a chapter.”
Trevor studied him, and for a moment, he saw it—Jaxon’s posture was different. Lighter. His eyes clearer. Like something had finally loosened in him.
“Well damn,” Trevor said. “Look at you, all grown up and emotionally evolved.”
Jaxon laughed, flipping another burger. “Don’t get used to it.”
But under the laugh, there was something else—something deeper.
It wasn’t regret. Or longing. Or even grief.
It was gratitude.
And maybe—just maybe—a new beginning waiting in the quiet.
54
Three Days
