Page 19 of Ruthless Financier
Technically, she’d checked in without calling me first, but the front desk recognized her as my family. Not that she needed a reminder right now. Instead, I quickly said, “When you’re feeling up to it, maybe you can help the other women there, like my mom used to.”
“I’m not ready for that.”
“No pressure,” I said. From my experience, battered women shouldn’t be pushed for work. “Totally fine.”
I heard talking in the background where she was and I perked up.
“Is that Ridley I hear?” My sister, the nurse, was great at fixing people.
“Yeah, do you want to talk to her?”
Questions about what I’d done today would follow. I stood up from the floor and said, “No. I’ll call everyone tomorrow with news. Take your son and go.”
“And Indigo … thanks for not calling my brother.”
Joseph had already threatened Arthur and gotten into a major fight with him because he’d thought Arthur was abusing her. Mary didn’t know that yet. Now my sisters would handle that reunion. I said, “Your life is your life.”
“I never lived it by making smart choices before.”
“Time to start. Your son deserves better,” I added, and glanced at the door. I needed to follow my own advice.
We said goodbye and I put my phone back on charge.
Then I closed my eyes and told myself I’d be fine.
Jacob was a sexy man, but so what? I’d had sex. Now, my exes didn’t stir anything inside me like he’d done with his mind-blowing kiss. My hair had never stood on its ends before. But this was good.
I nodded to myself in the mirror and stepped out.
He stood up from his seat at his desk, where he’d been reading papers, and asked, “Who were you on the phone with?”
This was how I’d felt when the teacher called on me and I saw other students giving me the side-eye for talking too much. I glanced down as I said, “A cousin. She was in trouble, but my sisters have her now.”
“I’m glad she’s safe, then.”
I had a trembling inside me, and I patted his muscular shoulder as I said, “I’m slightly nervous.”
“We’re just talking.”
He pointed me to his dining area, which was much larger than mine, but I redirected us to the living room.
I was a big girl and a couch was fine, even if our thighs touched. Once we were both seated, I said, “I’m nervous about what happens next.”
He patted my knee and stood. He walked to the dining area and picked up glasses as he said, “We don’t know each other. Let’s have more champagne and talk.”
He brought the glasses and the bottle back, popped it open and poured me some champagne while I held out my glass.
“Okay,” I said.
“Why was your cousin in trouble?”
With what Jacob had already told me of his life, I thought he’d probably understand a little. I said, “My cousin was with the wrong guy. He hit her and she went to a shelter. Her face was in bad shape when I left for this trip.”
“I’m glad she had the courage to leave, but living in a shelter is not easy.”
“Did you?”
“We stayed in a few homeless shelters, yeah. Counselors always got legal aid involved, like some poor lawyer might be able to make my father bleed. No one ever helped us.”
