Page 113 of One Last Time
I want to believe there’s a way to get to the bottom of this, but I don’t know if it matters. Noah is leaving, so why do I care? He obviously believes I did this. Each minute that passes without a call or text, my faith in us diminishes. I thought we were building a strong foundation. I believed in Noah enough to risk my heart again. Someone took that from me, and I’m not sure how to get it back. Or if Ican.
“What the hell can we even do?” I askhim.
“Well, first I’m goingto—”
“Jackson!” Nicole squeals from the hallway when she sees him. “It’s been forever, you sexy beast of aman!”
Oh, Lord. “Nic,” Iwarn.
“Oh, shut up.” She smiles and rushes toward him. “He knows I’m only perusing thegoodies.”
Jackson gives her a hug, laughing at her antics. “Some people never change,huh?”
“Nope. Why mess with perfection? That’s mymotto.”
I make a gagging noise. “Sorry, I was just choking on mypuke.”
Nicole slaps my back and then plops beside me. “Anyway, I’m betting you have some master plan to get Kristin’s name cleared, don’t you, bigguy?”
“I need access to your email, phone, and laptop. I’m going to have my guys run a scan and see if we can find anything. You’d be surprised what people can do remotely,” Jackson informs me. “Then, if we don’t find anything there, we’ll dig deeper. All things that are buried find their way to the surface, and I’m one hell of anexcavator.”
“I bet you are,” Nicole practicallypurrs.
I smack her leg and get to my feet. “I’ll give you access to my whole life. I have nothing tohide.”
“Good. Let’s get going,” Jacksonurges.
Nicole pulls me into her arms. “It’ll be okay. No matterwhat.”
“I’ll call youlater.”
“Youbetter.”
We say goodbye to Nicole and head over to Noah’s building to pick up Catherine. I tell myself the entire way that he won’t want to see me, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to run inside and pound on his door. The distance we had a few minutes ago is closing, and the knots in my stomachgrow.
Jackson parks along the curb, and I want to be sick. He’s inside that building. Right through those double glass doors is the only man I’ve ever truly loved, the only man who made me feel like I was worth something. As he puts the car in park, Catherine exits, for which I’mthankful.
I wouldn’t be able to handle sitting here andwaiting.
She looks back to me, takes my hand, and squeezes. “I’m doing what I can. Just know that,okay?”
The tone in her voice is a warning, but not in a threatening way. “What does thatmean?”
She and Jackson share a look. “It means we need to figure this outquickly.”
Realization hits me. Noah is Catherine’s priority. She’s going to do whatever is necessary to spin the story, and I’m going to be the target. “Noah wants you to take me down, and my dirty laundry is going to be used, isn’t it?” I ask without anyemotion.
Jackson pulls away from the curb and drives toward my house. Neither answer me. Their silence is all I need. She’ll have no choice, and Catherine is very good at herjob.
I lean my head back, close my eyes, and allow my mind to shut off. This was how I dealt with Scott’s abuse. I learned how to become numb, hear nothing, see nothing, and become nothing. It’s been months since I’ve done this, but here I am, pretending I don’t exist and this isn’t real. Numbness is a reprieve where nothing can touchme.
“Kristin.” Catherine shakes me, bringing me back to thenow.
I force my legs to move, and the three of us walkinside.
My breathing becomes labored as my mind replays scenes from the last few months. Noah sitting on the couch with Finn and watching Harry Potter. Noah and Aubrey feeding the animals in her play area. The table where he kissed me before we made our way to the bedroom. The kitchen floor where I tackled him. He’severywhere.
I clutch my stomach and double over, needing this tostop.
