She sat back, startled by his blunt words. Folding her arms across her chest, she didn't say anything for a long moment, then said, "That's according to the press. I don't care what they say, I want to know what you say. Are you a liar, a thief, a fraud? Are you dangerous to me? Are you going to hurt me?"
"If you have to ask those questions, then you already know the answers."
Anger flashed in her eyes now. "I don't know the answers, because you don't want to tell me exactly what happened. Complicated implies there is more to your story than the public knows. I think you're protecting someone. Maybe it's Wren. Maybe it's someone else." She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then continued. "I'm good at reading people. It's a necessary skill for my job. I have to know when they're lying or telling me the truth because it could mean life or death. This isn't that. At least, I hope it's not. But the adjectives the press is using to describe you don't fit the man I see in front of me."
He couldn't believe that the unconditional faith and trust he'd been seeking most of his life was coming from a stunning redhead he'd only started talking to a few days earlier. She wasn't completely right, but she also wasn't completely wrong. "If someone tells you who they are, you should believe them," he said.
"You didn't tell me. You just repeated what the press is saying about you. Because you still don't want to tell me the complete story. But even without words, I've seen your actions, the way you took time to help an old man, the reverence you showed to a dusty piano, the energy you put into helping me get Walter into that dressing room, and the way you played your guitar the other night was soulful, and honest. Your music really got to me. You're a talented musician, and I don't believe you just stole a song and got a lot of people into trouble. That doesn't add up."
He shook his head, both touched and exasperated by her refusal to back down. "Do you always argue this much?"
"Only when I think I'm right."
"Do you ever think you're wrong?" he challenged.
"According to my brothers, rarely. But you can find out for yourself. Look, Jax, I'm not talking about any real commitment here. I just want to spend time with you, hang out, have a few drinks, whatever…"
It was the thought of whatever that made his body tighten because God help him; he liked her smart mouth, her passionate fire, and her oh-so-tempting body.
He didn't want to bring her into his messy life, but trying to keep her out of it wasn't working either. Maybe he was making too big a deal out of it. Like she said, there was no commitment. He could leave at any time. And in a world where all his other decisions seemed far more serious and overwhelming, he decided this was one he could make.
"Okay," he said. "I'll check out the barbecue on Friday night."
She laughed. "I almost forgot this was about the barbecue."
He grinned back at her. "You got a little carried away."
"I tend to do that when something or someone matters to me."
"I don't want you to get hurt, Kaia. You put yourself out there, and that's incredible, because most people aren't willing to do that."
"Yourself included."
He tipped his head. "Yes. I'm at the top of that list. But bravery can make you vulnerable."
"Of course it can. But without it, can you ever really get what you want?"
It was a question he wasn't going to stop thinking about. As she let out a breath that turned into a yawn, he said, "I think it's time for you to go to bed."
"I think so, too. Arguing with you is tiring."
"Then maybe you should stop."
"I would…if I didn't care."
"I wish you didn't care, because like I said before, I don't want to hurt you."
"Then don't."
"It's not that simple."
"Yes, it is. Hurting someone is always a choice. Rarely does anything just happen, Jax. People make decisions, or they don't make decisions, and that's a choice."
"Life isn't that black and white."
She tipped her head. "You might be right. I do tend to see things that way, but I also don't think life is as cloudy as you think it is. The clouds come from uncertainty, from wavering, from overlooking the simple answer because it isn't what you want it to be." She paused. "I've been in that place, too, which is why I try not to linger there. It's not good for me. And it's probably not good for you, but only you can decide when to get out."
Her words hit him hard, and he was still thinking about everything she said as they left the restaurant and headed home. Unfortunately, his clouds were still swirling when they got back to Ocean Shores. Maybe that's because the answer wasn't what he wanted it to be.
