“Hey, Jada,” he said, his voice low and sexy. At one point in my life, I would have swooned. Now, I fought myself from rolling my eyes.
“What do you want?” I figured we may as well cut to the chase and not delay the inevitable. I blew out a breath, hoping it would take the host of nerves running through me out with it.
“Someone’s had a bad day!” he laughed into the phone. “I sent you something earlier this week and the tracking said it was delivered today. Are you home yet?”
“I got it,” I said dismissively, trying to reign in my emotions.
“And?” he prompted me, his voice sounding contrite.
“And what? I got them. I will dispose of them now.” I felt a war brewing and stood up, needing to be on my toes.
“Dispose of them?” I could imagine his face twisting, his eyes narrowing. “That’s interesting.”
“Not really. Look, I’ve asked you not to call me anymore.”
“I didn’t for a long time.” He sounded annoyed and I didn’t care. “And finding your new number was a pain in the ass, but not impossible. So nice try. Now it’s time to stop these petty games you are playing. You made your point.”
“I made a point?” I should have expected him to say something like that, but it was over the top, even for him. “The only point I am trying to make to you is that I don’t want you calling me!”
“You know as well as I do that you will end up back here again. I wish you would just stop fighting it and get your ass home! You’re wasting my time,” he growled into the phone.
“No,” I said, feeling the disbelief turn into fury, “you are wasting my time, Decker. We got divorced, which should make it clear that I want to never see you again. How hard is that to comprehend?”
“You’re such a brat,” he said, his voice rising. “You are acting like a child!”
I recoiled from the sound of his voice, now booming through the phone. “Decker … Let. It. Go. If you call me again, I will look into a restraining order. Leave me alone.”
He laughed sardonically. “Really? You think that it is that easy?”
“No. I know it is that easy because it is my life now. You don’t have a say in what I do.”
“Ah, I know what’s happening! You have a little boyfriend out there, don’t you?”
“That’s none of your damn business.”
“You do! And he’s filling your head with all of this nonsense.” He laughed as anger consumed me. “He’s probably telling you how awful I am and how he isn’t anything like me at all.” He paused. “He is, isn’t he?”
“He is nothing like you! He doesn’t have to tell me anything because he shows me what he is!” My hand shook as the anger rolled through me. “Don’t call me ever again, you fucking bastard!” I slid the phone off and sat it down before I dropped it. I turned around to see Kari standing with her arms crossed and a satisfied look on her face.
“I’m impressed,” she smiled, nodding her head in agreement. “You did well.”
My phone lit up again on the table and I watched his name flash across the screen. I waited until it stopped before picking it up and turning it off. “I have no idea how to block his number. Do you?” I looked up at Kari.
She picked up the phone and turned it on. “I don’t know how you survive being so technologically challenged.” Kari’s fingers flew across the screen before she sat it back down. “Done. He’s blocked, from that number, anyway.”
My eyes fell back to the box. “Do we have a lighter or matches or something?”
A slow smile slid across Kari’s face. “We do, indeed.” Kari pulled open a drawer and rustled around until she pulled out a box of matches.
“I am thinking it would be a great night for a fire on the patio.” I picked up the box and faced Kari, returning the smug grin she was flashing at me. “Would you care to join me? I have the kindling if you would so kindly bring the matches.”
JADA
“Rise and shine!”
I tugged the blankets over my head, trying to pretend like Cane wasn’t standing at the foot of the bed. If there was one thing I disliked about him, it was his chipper attitude in the mornings.
“Jada,” he said sweetly, “it’s almost noon and I told Max we would meet him and your sister for lunch.”
“Why did you do that?” I mumbled, snuggling farther into my bed. Suddenly, the covers were ripped over my body. “Cane!”
“Don’t hoot with the hoot owls at night if you can’t soar with the eagles in the morning.”
I huffed. “That is so not funny. It’s Saturday!”
Cane smirked. “You are so fucking cute. But you need to get up.”
“You are such a pain.” I rolled onto my side and looked up at him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a grey polo shirt, the collar popped up and looking downright edible. It was as if he had been awake for hours as he stood over me.
“That’s been said before. You are so unoriginal.” He smiled cockily and smacked me on the butt.