He halted, readjusted his grip, and stared daggers at Knox. His exasperated grunt was probably meant to sound intimidating, but Tayla had to fake a cough to keep from laughing.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem interested at all in her reaction—only the taunting grin on Knox’s face.
“You’re not funny,” he said to Knox. Then he stomped through his puddle and out of the room. Fortunately, without slipping.
Knox fell into an overstuffed chair with a dramatic sigh of contentment. He placed his hand solemnly on his chest. “I just love that kid.”
Jason threw a cushion at him. “Don’t tick him off too much. We need his expertise.”
“I know, I know.” He tossed the pillow back over to the sofa. “So, can I at least get some highlights? What did you learn tonight?”
They both looked at Tayla. Was she supposed to leave? She would if they asked, but she really didn’t want to. “Um, I’d like to know too, if . . . if that’s okay.”
A hint of warmth flit across Jason’s face. “It’s fine. You can stay.” He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “I updated Eric before I left the hotel. He’s considering flying out here. Honestly, I don’t know why. We’ve faced worse odds before. But he said he’d touch base with me again tomorrow before he made a decision.”
He’d discarded his tie at some point earlier in the evening, but he was still wearing his tuxedo. He finally slipped the jacket off his broad shoulders and laid it on the back of a chair. “The real news from tonight is that the fire was set in Frederick’s suite. The rest of the building is fine. We can go back to our rooms tomorrow. I did talk to Frederick tonight, though. He’s convinced the competition is trying to take him out. I told him I agreed.”
“I’m not surprised,” Knox said. “So, is he backing out? Giving up on acquiring his dad’s stuff?”
“Nope. Quite the opposite. He said he wants to meet tomorrow.”
“Meet?” Knox asked. “With us? What about?”
Jason’s face grew taught. “He didn’t give specifics. He said he had something we would want. And that he wanted to make a deal. He said he needed to arrange some logistics first.”
Knox looked equal parts confused and suspicious. “I don’t like it.”
“Me either. But he said I could pick the time and place. As long as it was after ten tomorrow morning.”
Both men stared at each other in silence for a few beats.
“Okay,” Knox said. “We can talk in the morning. I’m going to get some sleep.” He stood and pointed toward the hallway. “Which bed do you want?”
“I’m going to take the couch in here.”
“Okay, suit yourself.” He shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea. You’ll be further from Leland’s snoring.” He gave Tayla a wave. “Goodnight, Tayla.”
“Goodnight, Knox.”
He retreated through the dining area anddown the hallway.
When her eyes found Jason’s, he was already looking at her. They were finally alone and, of all the things she was feeling, ‘sleepy’ was not one of them.
She heard Knox’s bedroom door shut.
Part of her wanted to run into Jason’s arms. But that wouldn’t be appropriate. She decided to unleash some of her questions. “Do you trust Frederick? About meeting tomorrow, I mean? You don’t think it’s some kind of trap?”
He smiled. “I like the way you think. But don’t give Frederick too much credit. No, I think he wants our help with something. And he thinks he can negotiate.” He shrugged. “We may not want to play ball with him, but I feel safe enough to see what he has to say.”
Tayla nodded.
“Listen,” he said. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier . . .” He stepped closer to her, but a chair sat between them. “I wanted to say I’m so sorry for everything Spencer put you through. It’s unimaginable. The fact that you’re living your life with your joy and hope still intact is a huge testament to the kind of person you are.”
She felt color rush to her cheeks. “Thanks. But now, you’re giving me too much credit. The fact that I can getout of bed every day and have some semblance of sanity is nothing but a miracle. God has given me so many reasons not to doubt him. He’s proved over and over that he’s taking care of me, no matter how horrible life gets.”
She tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. “And, hey, I want you to know . . . even though I know I made a huge mistake in marrying Spencer, I didn’t marry him for his money.”
“I didn’t suspect you did.”
