Page 9 of Attraction & Repulsion

She snorted. “Mr. Hoover had a last-minute emergency. He asked that I take over this consultation. I didn’t know it was you when I agreed.”

“Are you still able to do it?”

“Yes. Although there may be a conflict of interest meeting with the person who assaulted me.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Jax leaned back in his chair. “Does that mean you’re going to press charges?”

She spun her pen on the stone tabletop. “Maybe . . . depends on how much you’re willing to bribe me.”

Jax smirked.

“If you would like to reschedule with Mr. Hoover you are welcome to. I would not be offended if you’re uncomfortable with talking about personal matters with me,” Carson said.

“I don’t mind. Are you uncomfortable?”

“Nope.” A lie, perhaps, based on her heart rate. “It’s my job.”

“Good.” He surveyed her, his eyes trailing her up and down. “So, you’re a lawyer, huh?”

“Yep.” Carson popped thepat the end.

“Do you like it?”

“I do. There’s enough drama that I don’t have to pay for Netflix anymore.”

“Then you’ll appreciate my ex-wife’s drama,” Jax grumbled.

Carson’s eyes flitted to his left hand. There was no ring or indentation. Not even a tan-line. Maybe not a recent divorce, or maybe he’d never worn a wedding ring.

She crossed her legs. “Is that what brings you in? Mr. Hoover mentioned spousal support.”

“I’ve been paying for a year, since the divorce. But I recently found outthat she moved in with a guy and got a job. My previous attorney told me if either of those two things happen, I could stop paying.”

Carson pinched her pen between her fingers and tapped it on her palm, recalling her law school education. “In simple terms, yes. There must be a substantial change in circumstances in order to amend your support payments. Do you mind me asking why you’re not using the attorney who represented you in your divorce?”

“He retired a few years ago.”

“Alright. Do you have anything that shows she’s got a new job and is living with someone?”

Jax opened the folder that was in front of him, pulled out a piece of paper, and slid it across to her. It was a screenshot of a webpage for a local hair salon, Modern Locks, and it displayed images and short bios of their hairstylists.

“Kristen at the top is my ex-wife.” He pointed her out.

The name Kristen Miller was written in creamy calligraphic letters. Underneath she was described as Modern Locks’ newest stylist. A picture next to the name showed a poised woman with long, white-blond hair and an oblong facial structure, showing off two rows of perfectly white teeth.

“Don’t let her looks fool you.”

Carson glanced up at Jax, whose demeanor had changed. A scowl had taken over his face, and his chin was raised a bit higher than she had remembered it.

“Let’s just say she was”—his fist clenched then relaxed—“unfaithful for our entire relationship.”

Carson detected Jax’s anger in the stiffness of his shoulders, the twitching of his jaw. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It took me a long time tofigure out that it wasn’t my fault either. I’m just the naive dumbass that didn’t recognize what was happening.”

She grimaced, not liking the idea of him feeling guilty about Kristen’s transgressions. “Cheating isn’t typically obvious.”

A corner of Jax’s lips turned up. “So I’ve been told. At first I didn’t . . . handle it very well, but I eventually got my life back to normal.”

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