Jewell couldn’t possibly imagine a world without her brother in it. But wasn’t his happiness far more important than her own? Of course it was. And if he managed to find a family that would love him for the rest of his life, wouldn’t he be happy? Maybe. But wouldn’t he be happier with her?
Not if she couldn’t provide him with a stable environment.
“I can’t give him the home he needs, can I?” she asked Mr. Sharp. Even though this man didn’t know her, sometimes it took a stranger to tell you the truth in a way that you could actually hear it.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Ms. Weston. I don’t know you. From the look in your eyes, I can see that you love your brother very much, but unfortunately love isn’t always the answer, and love certainly doesn’t put food on the table, or offer a roof over anyone’s head.”
“Ah, but love can turn mountains into molehills,” she replied with more than a trace of sarcasm.
“In theory,” he said with the slightest of smiles.
“What would your advice be for me to do next?”
The attorney paused for so long, she figured he was giving up on even talking to her. She was sure he wanted nothing more than for her to leave his office. At least this man hadn’t led her on and taken her money.
He finally leaned forward and looked her in the eyes.
“If you can’t lose him, do whatever it takes.”
And those were the words with which she carried with her as left his office. No, he wouldn’t represent her, and she had no doubt that, no matter how many attorneys she visited, her situation wouldn’t change.
So she was now left with a simple choice: to give up or to fight. Which was she going to do?
She made her way back to her new apartment. But it wasn’t hers, was it? Nothing was. No matter what she seemed to achieve, she kept getting kicked back down.
Stop this right now! Jewell told herself. You’re not the kind of person to think this way.
She wouldn’t drown in her own defeat. There were some calls she needed to make. And when she was done, she knew she would feel a whole heck of a lot better.
Full of purpose, she stepped into her sitting room and then drew back a step. Sipping a cup of tea while sitting elegantly on Jewell’s couch — well, Blake’s couch, to be more accurate — was Ms. Beaumont.
“Hello, Jewell. I was expecting you to be here when I arrived.”
The woman’s face didn’t tell Jewell a single thing; it was closed and almost blank. Jewell wished she could be as sophisticated as this woman. Maybe it wasn’t sophistication, though; maybe Ms. Beaumont was just a woman who had seen it all and was beyond feeling interest or excitement.
“I had an appointment,” Jewell said, sitting across from her, wondering what this visit was about. Maybe Blake had changed his mind after their altercation the previous night and was sending her back.
“You seem upset, Jewell. Is everything okay?”
“I’m just fine,” she told Ms. Beaumont. Why not? There was nothing the woman could do to make her feel better.
“I don’t believe that, Jewell, but I won’t pry. I value my privacy too much to invade someone else’s.”
“I appreciate it,” Jewell replied. Then she couldn’t take the suspense any longer. “Why are you here?” To any other person the words might have sounded rude, but Ms. Beaumont, Jewell knew, preferred it when people got right to the point.
“I have the first half of your payment,” Ms. Beaumont said, and held out a check.
Jewell’s heart raced, but she tried not to seem too eager to snatch the check up. “Why only half?” is what she asked instead.
“You will get the other half in thirty days.”
“And what if he’s not willing to let me go in thirty days?”
There was a very long pause, and Jewell could see that McKenzie knew more than she wanted to tell, but she also knew the woman would speak if she was given time.
“He only paid for thirty days, Jewell,” McKenzie finally said.
“That wasn’t my question,” Jewell pointed out.
McKenzie sighed before looking Jewell in the eye. “Ultimately, the choice is yours at the end of your time,” she began before giving Jewell a sad but sympathetic smile. “But, as you know, men like Blake hold a lot of power, and they tend to get what they want.”
“I’m only too aware of that,” Jewell responded. “Just tell me what he’s said to you.”
“He told me that he might not ever let you go.”
Chapter Nine
What the hell was she doing? Jewell stared at the front door of Blake’s penthouse. She’d stayed there for a week only, and that was months ago, yet the doorman had remembered her, and he’d allowed her up without hesitation.
That meant that Blake was either expecting her or he’d never told them she was no longer allowed in. She didn’t know which would be better for her right now. But at the moment she couldn’t think, she was so filled with worry and rage. Would she come off as stark staring mad? Probably. And maybe being hauled off to jail or a mental hospital was exactly what she needed. Then she could say she’d done everything she could for Justin, but it was now out of her hands.
No. She wouldn’t do that. She wasn’t one to give up, not without one hell of a fight. Still, she didn’t know what this visit was going to accomplish. All she knew was that she was furious right now, and the person she wanted to take her anger out on was Blake.
When she heard the knock on his door, she jumped, then was surprised to see her fist raised. She had been the one to knock. It almost felt as if she were a separate person, or a disembodied brain, watching this bizarre scene unfold.
What was wrong with her? Maybe a person really could snap. One too many kicks backward on the path of life and you just couldn’t take it anymore.
When the door opened and she saw Blake right in front of her, she froze. If she’d worked out a script for what she’d do or say, she couldn’t remember it now. He stood there in all his incredible glory, wearing a low-slung pair of gray sweats but no shirt, and with his strong fingers gripping the towel hanging around his neck. He waited for her to say the first words.
She nearly stumbled backward and wasn’t sure how she’d mustered the strength to keep from falling on her ass. She hated how breathtaking this man was, hated how he made her heart skip a beat even when she considered him the enemy, even when she knew he was the one in control of her life — at least for the next thirty days.