Gulping, I nodded my head.
“How nice for you.”
“Um, it is nice,” I responded, not really knowing what to say.
“I lost mine,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
Was she talking about Rex? She must have been, but were they really that close? I examined the shirt she was holding against her face and saw that it had small splatters of blood on it, making my head want to spin around in a “holy fuck” kind of moment.
“I’m, uh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me too,” she responded, as she tilted her head to the side. “It would be a shame to see it happen to you.”
“See what happen to me?” I asked, as my heartrate picked up.
She just shrugged, and said, “Lose your love,” then she turned back around and walked away, leaving me completely helpless in my thoughts.
Quickly, I ran to the cemetery and pulled my phone out of my holster. I dialed Jett as fast as my fingers allowed and waited impatiently as the phone rang.
On the third ring, he picked up.
“Little One, are you okay?”
“No,” I practically cried in the phone.
“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“No, don’t come get me. I just, I just had to make sure you’re okay.”
“Tell me what is going on right now,” he demanded into the phone.
I recalled my interaction with Mercy and told him about her connection with Rex.
“She looked deranged, Jett, like she was high or something.”
“I’m coming to get you.”
“No!” I practically shouted. “Don’t come get me, I just…I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay? You’re the one who’s out in the open. I knew this wasn’t a good idea,” he mumbled.
“Because she said it would be a shame if something happened to you. I didn’t know if someone was trying to kill you.”
“Don’t be silly,” Jett said into the phone. “I’m not the one to worry about. Goldie, listen to me, I want you to be safe. Can I please send my security detail to watch over you? It would put my mind at ease.”
“What about my mind?” I asked in a panic. “There wasn’t something right about her, Jett.”
“Which is why I would prefer for you to be protected. I can take care of myself. Please, Little One, please let them at least watch over you for a little while until I can get my men to check out this Mercy woman. Please do this for me.”
The strain in his voice had me caving.
“Fine, I’m at the cemetery.”
“I know; they’ll be there shortly. They’ll give you privacy, I promise.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely, grateful he understood my need to talk to my parents.
“I love you; please be careful,” he said softly into the phone.
“You do the same,” I added seriously.
“Say it,” he responded.
“I love you,” I added.
With a sigh, he clicked the phone off, leaving me to spend some time with my parents. Feeling a little bit better, I walked over to their gravestone and sat in front of it. It’s been so long since I’ve come to visit them that guilt washed over me when I saw the dead flowers that sat in front of their grave.
Holding back the tears that threatened to spill over, I placed my hand on the cold stone and said, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a lousy daughter and not come to visit you more often. Things have been a little crazy lately. You guys remember Jett, right? I talked about him a couple of times. Well, I kind of fell in love with him.”
Sighing, I shook my head. “Who am I kidding? I didn’t kind of fall in love with him; I full on threw my heart off the edge and tumbled down the side of Love Lane. I’m so far gone when it comes to that man. I feel like I’ve developed the kind of love you two would have wanted for me. It’s taken a while, and we’ve had our ups and downs, but I feel like we’re in a good place now. I just know he was meant for me.”
A rustling came from behind me, causing me to whip my head around only to see one of Jett’s security people had made himself present. Once I spotted him, he pointed to where he was going to be. That was quick, but the man wouldn’t be working for Jett if he wasn’t quick.
I nodded and waved, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Jesus, I’m losing my mind,” I said to my parents. “Being with Jett isn’t easy, that’s for damn sure. It seems like the more money you have, the more people want to destroy you. You were right when you said money isn’t everything in life. I’m finding that out rather quickly.”
Changing the subject, I traced the outline of their names and said, “I would give anything to have you two back in my life right now. I’m kind of stuck as to what to do with my life. I don’t want to dance anymore. I know I have so much more potential with my art, but I don’t know where to take it. I really want to figure this out on my own, to provide for myself, but Jett has this idea in his head that he needs to take care of me, to provide for me and protect me. Hence, the burly men hovering over our conversation. He kind of offered me a job that…God, it would be so amazing. An art therapy job to work with those looking for a second chance in life. It would be perfect for me, but the only thing wrong with it is it’s just one more handout I would be taking from him. I don’t want to be helpless anymore. I want to be able to provide for myself.”
Shaking my head and looking down at the dirt, I thought about what I was saying. This was my second chance, why was I so opposed to taking it? Because, once again, Jett came to the rescue?
Yes, that’s exactly why, because Jett was involved. I really wanted to do something that didn’t involve him, to prove that I could be self-sufficient.
“Ugh, what do I do? Why is he the one who had to offer the opportunity? Why aren’t you guys here with me?” I asked, as a tear rolled down my face, just as a breeze picked up, wrapping a tight wisp of air around me. Dirt swirled in circles as the wind picked it up and scattered it around the gravestone.
Sun broke out between the tree’s leaves and shined down on me. Warmth spread through my body from the heat, and right then and there, I knew my parents were trying to comfort me, to let me know everything was going to be just fine.
The wind tossed around some more until a twig flew off the tree above me and struck me in the head. I grabbed the twig and looked down at it. It was in the shape of a “Y,” and in my own twisted and convoluted head, I surmised that the twig was from my parents, telling me “Yes” to take the job and not worry about where the offer was coming from, but to appreciate it.
At that moment, I knew no matter what happened to Jett and me, what transpired in the future, I would forever be a Jett Girl.
Damn, twigs were wordy.
I sat there for a while, just experiencing being as close to my parents as I could, something I used to do often when working at Kitten’s Castle.
I clutched the twig to my chest and smiled at the gravestone, just as a whirlwind of fire engines whipped past the cemetery, echoing through the canopy of trees.
My heart stopped in my chest at the blaring and dread filled my gut. Instantly, I shot off the ground and turned to the security guy standing a few feet away.
“I need to get to Jett, now!”
32
“Fire and Rain”
A few moments earlier…
Jett
“Say it,” I said through the phone, as my heartrate started to slow down.
“I love you,” Goldie’s sweet voice rang through the phone.
Those three little words would never become old to me, not when they were directed at me from the most beautiful and sassy woman I had ever met.
Thankful that she allowed me to send security to be with her, I held my finger up at Kace and Lyla, who were waiting for our meeting to start, and called Jeremy.
“How can I assist you, Mr. Colby,” Jeremy asked into the phone.