Page 85 of Unbossly Manners

“I left my phone at the house. It must be on silent.”

We hurled forward, his foot heavy on the gas. I gripped the door handle. The outrage emanating off him was palpable… and totally uncalled for. He’d been holed up with Kat all night and suddenly he was all sanctimonious and worried about my wellbeing. It didn’t line up. Something must have happened with Kat, and I was the unwitting victim of his displeasure.

“Slow down,” I said, my heart matching the speed of the car as we zipped down the road.

He careened around a bend, then took a sharp turn, my body flinging about like a rag doll.

“Slow down, Jackson,” I said with more urgency.

“We have two sets of parties searching for you. We didn’t know what happened.”

“You act like I was gone for days. It’s been a few hours. I’m a grown-ass woman.” I said, my voice tight. “Why are you so agitated?”

He shot me a hot gaze. “Why are you so goddamn irresponsible? Why can’t you stay in one place? Why am I always chasing after you?”

“The road!” I hollered.

Jackson jerked his head to look ahead, the tires bumping over the warning divots on the shoulder. He straightened the wheel and shifted back into our lane. Sweat broke out between my breasts and under my armpits. My feet pressed into the floor as if pushing on imaginary brakes.

“Stop the car, Jackson,” I said through gritted teeth.

He sped up.

“Stop the fucking car! You may want to die but don’t fucking kill me because you hate your wife!” I screamed expletives and all social etiquette went out the window as my life flashed before my eyes.

The car slowed down. Goosebumps broke out over my arms making me shiver. We drove the last half-mile in silence, my heart beating so hard I could feel my chest vibrating.

Jackson pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. We sat there, neither of us exiting.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his low voice reverberating in the quiet of the car, the night a black sheet on our windows.

“What the hell is going on with you?” I said, my nerves buzzing. “You’ve been acting crazy ever since Kat’s phone call.”

He lay his forehead on the steering wheel.

“Everything’s in disarray.” He exhaled long and low. “I’m not used to my life being this jumbled. I feel,” he gestured wildly with his hands, “unhinged.”

I looked up at the sky, the first stars appearing on the inky black canvas.

“Welcome to how the rest of us live.”

Jackson hit the steering wheel with his palm and I flinched. “I’m dealing with a divorce. A daughter who seems cool with it but who the hell knows. A workplace that’s imploding. And then there’s… other stuff. I’ve got more shit than most right now.”

My fingers twitched, aching to reach out and comfort him. Here was a guy who drew up a contract for sexual lessons, which really only needed a verbal agreement from both of us. He loved order that much. And every part of his life was a spinning plate, that could fall and shatter at any moment.

“I don’t think the Kat part of this is hard,” I said, gently.

His face folded in annoyance. “Divorce is like being torn in two.”

“I’m sure it is. I don’t mean it isn’t emotionally hard. I’m the child of a nasty split. I barely saw my father and then he died. So yeah. I understand it in the worst way. Evie is a happy and healthy teenager. Isn’t that what all parents want?”

Jackson shifted, his back resting against the door. He stared at me. Not angry, but not warm either. “And… What else?”

“You’ve been waiting in the wings, waiting for Kat to beckon, and when she calls, you run on stage. Her stage. Not yours. You need to reclaim your show. Stop being on stand-by. I think you know that she’ll eventually leave and start a new show entirely. But you’re scared to accept it. It’s fear that keeps you holding on to her, not love. You’re terrified of the unknown and a life without Kat is unknown.”

His scowl shifted into a frown, and his gaze softened.

“I didn’t know about your father.”

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