Page 29 of Corrupt Idol

“Well,hiiii,” Reese drawled and gave her a pointed look. “I’m Reese, Violet’s roommate.”

He shook her limp hand. “Jesse.”

Reese looked a bit dazed as her eyes moved over him.

“This is my step-brother,” she said and Reese jolted. “He’s here to help.”

“Oh.” Reese looked disappointed for a moment before she asked, “Lynne’s your mom?” When he nodded, Reese’s pretty face softened into sympathetic lines. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I,” he said.

“Well.” Reese clapped her hands together. “What do you want to do, Vi?”

“Might as well start now,” she said and headed to her bedroom, which was the only one on the ground floor.

“Let me change,” Reese said and gave Abel a kiss before she headed upstairs. “Meg and Trent are coming this afternoon and they’re available tomorrow if you need them.”

She nodded as she rounded the kitchen and approached her lair. She should have been prepared, but she wasn’t. Her bedroom looked like it had been ransacked. Meg and Reese had emptied everything out of the drawers and the closet so she could see everything and decide whether or not she wanted to take it.

Jesse came up beside her and examined the room for a moment before he asked, “What kind of car do you have?”

“A Jeep,” she said faintly.

“You won’t get much in there.”

“I didn’t think I had this much stuff.”

“We may need to rent a truck if you want to take even a quarter of this stuff home.”

She scrubbed her hands over her face and resisted the urge to turn around and walk out.

“All right!” Reese slipped past Jesse and held up both hands. “Don’t freak out, okay? I have a system.”

“Thank God.”

As Reese explained the method to her madness, Jesse left the room. She heard the rumble of male voices in the kitchen and hoped Abel didn’t disclose any more information about her. The less Jesse knew about her life post-high school, the better.

With Reese’s help, the room began to look less like it had been hit by a tornado and more as if she really was moving. They made piles for things to donate and what she wanted to take. It became clear pretty quickly that she would have to rent a truck, but that wouldn’t be too expensive, right?

The guys made several trips to the Salvation Army, but it didn’t seem to be clearing up the space. She kept unearthing things from the closet or under the bed.

“Maybe I shouldn’t move,” she said as she stared at the room, which looked worse than it had when they arrived.

“Tomorrow we’ll pack what you want to take and figure out what size truck you’ll need,” Reese said as she brushed sweaty tendrils from her eyes. “Whatever you leave behind, Meg and I will take care of.”

Thankfully, Meg and Trent arrived with food. She gave them quick hugs before she dug into the Chinese food and retreated to the living room, which had three couches around the fireplace. Everyone grabbed their plates and joined her. Most of the focus was on Jesse, no surprise. Her friends gave her odd looks, but refrained from asking why she hadn’t mentioned him in the past. Jesse was doing his impression of a well-mannered Southern man and honorable soldier.

Her stomach churned as she watched her friends fall under his spell. He would have excelled as a politician or businessman. If he was looking for a career outside of the military, he could take his pick. His facade of open honesty made people trust him instinctively. She had, and it cost her everything. Listening to the familiar timbre of his voice made her want to curl up in a ball and cry. When she was seventeen, she experienced a betrayal so deep, she still hadn’t recovered. He violated her love and trust for him and it had tainted every relationship since.

Her friends offered funny stories about her, which only reinforced what a fuck up she’d become—her ever-changing jobs, failed relationships, and lack of direction. She inwardly groaned when Trent revealed that they met on the job and after a week of dating, she had introduced him to Meg. Even though she wanted to tell them all to shut up, the atmosphere was light and teasing and they wouldn’t understand why she wanted to keep this from Jesse. To them, this was harmless information, but for Jesse, it revealed how much he changed her. The cold, unaffected facade she wanted to project was now in tatters. She felt the weight of his gaze, but refused to look at him. She didn’t want him here with herfriends—good people who loved and supported her when she had no one. She wanted to hide beneath their protective wings, but it wasn’t their job to care for her. She had wasted enough time and Lynne was reminding her how short life truly was. She had to learn to stand up and move forward.

“Is he for real?” Meg asked out of the side of her mouth.

“Really,” Reese breathed and elbowed Violet who slouched between them. “Tell me there’s something wrong with him.”

She had a vivid memory of him pinning her down in the back of the SUV.“There’s a lot wrong with him.”

“Really?” Reese sounded intrigued.

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