Page 26 of Beyond Perfect

“I’m fine.” But she wasn’t. She barely tasted the piping hot layers of noodles and ricotta and cut up meat. But everybody raved about it. She picked at hers. When she glimpsed across the table, Jackson was staring down, picking at his dish too.

Dessert came. Italian cookies. When Jackson nibbled on a biscotti and she couldn’t even try any of them, suddenly she knew she couldn’t let this go on. She couldn’t let him hurt like this. She couldn’t stand it herself. They had to do something before tomorrow, Annie and Diego’s wedding day. So aseveryone was leaving and Caleb went to get the car, she snagged his sleeve. “Jackson?”

His head snapped around.

“Would you come over to our house now so we can talk?”

Relief filled his face. “I will. I want to. Thank you, sweetheart.”

The endearment warmed her.

Turning, she went to find the manager and paid the bill.

Maisy told Caleb she asked Jackson to come to their house and asked him to mediate. He agreed. When they swerved into the driveway, she saw Jackson’s Porsche swerve in behind her. Caleb went ahead and she waited for him to get out and led him into the house. They didn’t talk.

“Let’s sit at the kitchen table,” Caleb suggested.

Maisy got three bottles of water out and placed one in front of each of them. They all sat down. “Maisy asked me if I could facilitate this conversation. Jackson, you have to agree that you want me to do this. But after watching you at the party, I’m not sure either of you can get through tomorrow without a scene.”

“I do. I want this.”

Maisy gave him a sad smile.

“First off, tell each other how you’re feeling now.

“Caleb knows everything, Jackson. So you can be honest.”

He wasn’t sure he could voice his real feelings.

She started. “I’ll go first. I’m so tense around you I can’t stand it. Mostly, seeing you hurt makes me physically ill. Thinking about our fight over Frankie kills me.” Her voice was raw. “I’m not sure we can do anything about us.”

Her brother squeezed her hand. “Hold on. Let’s give this a fair shot. Your turn, Jackson.”

“I hate that I’ve hurt you, too. The stuff with Frankie got out of hand, I think. You can come back to work if you want.” He took a deep breath. “But I’m angry with you, too. After whathappened in the car last night, the connection we had, then you dismiss me? It makes me crazy.”

“Now that’s a good start. Let’s dive into all of it.”

Maisy and Jackson stared at each other.

* * *

Determined to be upbeat, Jackson fumbled with his tie. He hated these things. Laughing, Diego came up next to him. “Here. Let me help.” He tied the purple bow. “What’s going on with you?”

“I still can’t find the boy who ran away from Pathways.”

“Did you call the police?”

“No. I have my team on it. The one that found Annie.”

“All right. What else?”

“Maisy Shepherd’s driving me crazy.”

“Yeah. The sexual tension between you two is almost visible. But you’ll both find your footing and work it out.”

Jackson said soberly, “That kind of ending is not for me, Diego.” He didn’t deserve it.

“You always say that, but it isn’t true.” They turned to the mirror. “We look good,” he said.

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