Page 17 of Purr For Me
She resumed working and had just started to get lost in it when her phone rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, she looked at the number on the caller ID, but didn’t recognize it.
She hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“Lexie?”
Lexie pulled in a startled breath. “Jason?”
“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry about the car, but it was mine, you know? I mean, it was in my name, so I had the right to sell it.”
Lexie knew that flying off the handle was useless, so she swallowed her rage and her need to say, “but not my cabin—you had no right to mortgage the cabin.”
“Jason, where are you? Are you in LA?”
“No. Chicago.”
Shit!“When are you coming to LA? We need to sign the divorce papers.”
“Divorce papers? Don’t leave me now—”
“Me leave you? Get real. You left me months ago.” Lexie’s grip tightened on her cellphone and she had to force herself to loosen it, so she didn’t crush it. “Our marriage is over.”
“I said I was sorry. It was the drugs.”
She tried to find her Zen. “You have a problem, Jason. You need to get help before it kills you.”
“I’m trying.” Jason’s voice had taken on the tone that had once melted her heart, but it left her glacier-cold now.
“Kade’s worried about you, too. He’s desperate for you to come home to LA.”
“Kade? Have you been seeing Kade?” Anger filled his tone. “You keep away from my brother!” And with that, he hung up.
Damn. She dialed Kevin. “I just got a phone call. He says he’s in Chicago.”
“I’ll see if I can trace the call. I have a few friends in the force who owe me. I’ll be in touch.”
Looking at the art supplies strewn over the table, Lexie knew the call had broken her concentration too much to do any more quality work that night. With a groan of frustration, she put her art stuff in her big backpack and slung it over her shoulder. As she walked through the office, she saw Marcus at the computer on the service counter.
He flicked a glance her way. “Night, Lex.”
“Night, Marcus.”
Perhaps Marcus was warming to her. He’d actually said goodnight to her.
Pulling onto South Figueroa Street, Lexie gave a sigh of relaxation as she picked up speed and then turned onto CA-110, heading for Echo Park. Driving was another way she coped with stress. She’d put a lot of miles on the Jeep over the past few months, just cruising around LA on nights she couldn’t sleep. Tonight, she’d stop at her favorite bar and listen to some music.
Ten minutes later,Lexie found a parking spot and got out. Even though she could barely hear the throbbing pulse of base, she knew the music would be almost deafening inside. Joe Brady, the owner, had virtually soundproofed the place to cut down on the cops harassing him about noise violations.
Opening the door, she encountered the bouncer assigned to card people as they came in. Lexie knew Tony, and they exchanged hellos before she entered the main bar area. A long, chrome-gilded bar stretched out before her, in the middle of which eight racing car tires were affixed in a row. Fifteen chrome-plated stools were upholstered in red leather. All the metal gleamed in the bright lighting from the numerous headlights situated all around the room.
Diedre Knight, one of the bartenders, waved to Lexie from behind the bar. Lexie smiled and headed over, taking one of the last three empty stools. “Hey, Diedre.”
Diedre’s blue eyes shone with humor as she motioned toward the crowded barroom. “It’s a big crowd tonight, so busy. What can I get you?”
“It’s been one of those days, so a beer is in order. Whatever’s on tap is okay.”
“All right.”
While she waited for her beer, Lexie glanced around the bar, nodding to some people she knew and noticing a few men glancing her way. Even though she wasn’t interested, she enjoyed knowing she was still attractive to the opposite sex. Diedre sat her beer in front of her. Lexie thanked her and took a sip.
