I recognize it for what it is. Like most in the clan, she’s still mourning Seamus. Cooking big meals is part of how she escapes her grief.
My appetite is unparalleled. I scarf down two plates of eggs and sausages and eat half the damn pan of baked beans too.
After the fight I had last night, fueling my battered body is crucial.
I find Jhene in the foyer once everybody’s cleared out of the dining room.
She’s stubbornly dressed in her own clothes again, the same worn and distressed ones she was wearing when wepulled her out of Fedorov’s estate. Her hair’s pulled back in a messy, curly bun at the top of her head.
Admittedly, she seems more rested than she did last night. As if she actually got some sleep.
I come up beside her, hands shoved in my pockets, and nod toward the front door.
“Let’s take a walk.”
She follows me outside, and we end up on the front steps of Callahan House, the morning air warm and breezy against our skin.
Only a few employees wander the grounds in the distance. People like the gardener trimming the hedges and a couple buttonmen working a security shift at the front gate.
We’ve got a moment of privacy to ourselves. Hopefully to pick up where we left off after last night.
“You seem ready to leave,” I say. “I can drive you. Wherever you need to go.”
She shakes her head, gaze fixed on some point in the distance. “I appreciate that, but... I think I need some space from you… and everything. Some time to figure myself out.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting after last night. But it didn’t include Jhene telling me she’d like space from me… and our relationship.
It could be things are too broken. More than I realized.
This issue between us isn’t something she can just get over.
I scrub a hand over my face and bite back the urge to disagree. Even though I do, if Jhene says she needs space, then that’s what she needs. That’s what she deserves.
…but I’ll be damned if I let her return to the streets.
“You can’t do that if you’re at shelters or living on the street,” I say. “If you’re gonna clear your head and figure things out, then you need to be somewhere stable. Somewhere safe.”
Her lips part as if she’s about to argue, but I’ve alreadypulled out my wallet. I slide out the folded check I’ve been carrying around for a while now. I push it into her hands, watching as her brows knit and she stares down at it as if it’s a foreign object.
“Killian…” she says slowly. “I don’t get it. What is this?”
“It’s a check from Dez. He wrote me one for all the money he’s been skimming off the top for years. I held onto it because I want you to have it.”
Her eyes double in size, and she vehemently shakes her head. She tries to shove it back at me. “I can’t accept this. Are you crazy? Do you know how much this is?”
I let out a gruff laugh. “Yeah, stray… I do. I might struggle with numbers, but occasionally I can read ’em. You’re the one who discovered the fraud. You’re the one who needs it more than I do. I’ve already got more fucking money than I know what to do with.”
She can’t even bring herself to answer, openly staring in shock at the check and more zeros than she’s probably ever conceived of having.
A sense of pride fills me up watching the realization sink in. It’s rewarding to know I’ll be able to help her out in this way. Give her what she’s always deserved, even if we might not be together anymore.
“Use it to start over,” I say. “Arealnew life for yourself. For the first time.”
Her gaze flicks up to meet mine, mistier than a second ago. A shaky laugh follows. “I don’t even have a bank account.”
“Looks like now you’ll have to open one. Deposit all the money and start fresh. It should be enough to get you on your feet and let you live comfortably for a very long time.”
“That’s… that’s an understatement.”
