“Yes, I do.”
“Good, we’re leaving tomorrow night.”
“I can’t do that, it’s such short notice, and leaving to go where?”
“Jamaica, just for a few days. I have to check on my property out there and need to get away for a minute. We need to get away for a minute, so I want you to go with me.”
“Property?”
“Yes, property. Don’t look at me like that. I told you I own shit. You just didn’t believe me.”
“I believed you, but didn’t expect you to own property in Jamaica. How do you even do that?” I asked, curious.
“You buy it.” He looked at me, shook his head, and laughed.
“I know that, but how did you even know about it?”
“I went a few years ago and loved it, so I purchased a house there. My realtor told me I could rent it and make a lot of money, but I didn’t want people all in my shit, so I purchased a small villa and rent that.”
“A villa? That sounds expensive.”
“It is, well it was. It’s paid for now because I’ve owned it for a few years, so it’s just maintenance. I go a few times a year to check on things and I want you to go with me. I have money, Sophie, a lot of it too. And just because I don’t move in the circles you’re used to doesn’t mean I don’t have business sense or like nice things.”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” I said lowly, even though I was shocked by his confession about his property in Jamaica.
“Yes, you were, and it’s cool. I know what you see when you look at me, but I’m a lot deeper. Stay with me long enough and I’ll prove it. Now, are we going or what?”
“Umm, I need to make a few calls, and I might have to do work while we’re there, but yes, I’m going. Wait, for how long?”
He looked at me and smiled. “You’re the one with the nine to five, so you tell me. I’m good with whatever.”
I pouted a little at the thought, but it didn’t matter, I’d make it work. I worked hard, so I should be able to play hard. The crazy thing was, I wouldn’t have ever thought about this with anyone other than Trooper. He was changing me too.
Iwoke up the next morning feeling like a weight had been lifted. Trooper and I stayed up most of the night just talking. That was the most he and I had talked in the months we had been together, but we needed it. After that, I wrapped my body around his and fell asleep feeling like nothing in the world could affect us. So when he walked into my room and tossed the file Lincoln had given me my way, my heart almost stopped.
“What the fuck is this?” Trooper growled as he stared at me from the foot of my bed. His eyes were dark and his expression was hard. I could tell he was angry simply by his posture.
“It’s not what you think, let me explain,” I said, pushing the papers aside, climbing from my position on the bed toward him.
The look he gave me made me stop before I reached him.
“I didn’t do that.”
“Fuck you mean you didn’t do that? I went into your office to make calls so I wouldn’t wake you and this shit was sitting on your desk. So obviously you did.”
“I have it, but I’m not the one who requested it…”
“Sophie, I don’t give a fuck if you paid somebody to do it for you or not. The fact is you’re looking into my life like you couldn’t open your fucking mouth and just ask me. I don’t have shit to hide, I would have told you. You already know where I come from, so why the fuck would you think I would lie about that? I’m not ashamed of it. It’s part of who I am.”
“Stop yelling at me.” My voice raised just as much as his but I didn’t care. He just assumed things and didn’t give me a chance to explain. “I didn’t request that or pay anyone to do it. My ex did, probably because of my father. He was here waiting for me yesterday and gave it to me.”
We just stared each other down for what felt like forever before Trooper finally spoke again. “So he pulled my shit and brought it to you?”
“Yes, and I told him I didn’t care. I knew who you were. He wanted me to be surprised and maybe feel like I needed to be with him instead of you. But I don’t care about that.”
“You sure about that, Sophie? The people in your world see me one way.”
“Yours and mine, that’s the only vote that counts, right?” I said, looking him right in the eyes. It took him a minute, but he relaxed.
