Chapter 24
“You’re awfully quiet.” Morgan arrived at Locke Pointe early the next morning and found Ronni already seated at the desk. Instead of greeting her with her usual chipper quips, she struck Morgan as being subdued and distracted.
“I have a lot on my mind.” Ronni absentmindedly fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug.
Morgan took the seat across from her. “Like what? Something to do with Locke Pointe?”
“No.”
“Jax?”
“Maybe.”
“I thought you and Jax were getting along great.”
“We were,” Ronni said. “Were being the key word.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?”
“He’s avoiding me.”
Morgan’s brows furrowed. “It doesn’t seem like it to me. You two have spent a lot of time together lately.”
“Something is going on.” Ronni ran her fingers through her hair. “I called him last night. The call went to voicemail. Same thing this morning.”
“He’s not calling you back?”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm.” Morgan reached for her phone. “I hope everything is all right. Maybe I should check on him.”
Ronni stopped her. “My guess is he’s having second thoughts about us.”
“I don’t believe it for a minute,” Morgan said. “I’ve noticed the way Jax looks at you. He’s in love.”
“Call it women’s intuition, but I swear he’s been acting differently toward me these past couple of days.”
Morgan sprang from her chair. “I’ve been meaning to swing by and talk to him about Jason. While I’m there, I’ll try to feel him out.”
“Jason. I almost forgot about him. Has the PI finally located him?”
“He’s in Florida, or at least he was.” Despite having received confirmation her ex was over a thousand miles away, Morgan couldn’t shake the feeling Jason had something up his sleeve, and not in a good way.
Ronni trailed her to the door. “Please don’t tell Jax what I said.”
Morgan placed an imaginary lock on her lips. “Not a peep. I’ll bring your name up in casual conversation and see how he reacts.”
“Thank you. I just…” Ronni’s shoulders sagged. “Things were going so well. It feels like we’ve hit some sort of speed bump in our relationship.”
During the drive to Easton Estate, Morgan mulled over what Ronni had said. Although not privy to the ins and outs of the couple’s relationship, it seemed to her they were a perfect match. Maybe some sort of incident had occurred that was making Jax take a step back to reassess.
Despite the early morning fog, Morgan reached the estate without incident and pulled into her parking spot alongside the garage.
Ben spotted her and made his way over. “Morning, Morgan.”
“Good morning, Ben.”
“I talked to Greg last night. He told me what happened.”
“Between Hailey and Grady?”
“Yeah. He called Grady again this morning to apologize.”
“I’m glad. Emotions were running high.” Morgan slung her bag over her shoulder and fell into step. “You’ve met Hailey. What do you think of her?”
Ben tipped his hand back and forth. She seems a little…quiet. I guess I don’t know her well enough to have an opinion. Hopefully, she’s not trouble with a capital ‘T’.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Morgan looked around. “Is Jax here?”
“He’s in his workshop.”
She thanked him and trekked across the parking area.
Thud. Clunk. Loud noises echoed as she drew closer.
She stepped inside Jax’s spacious shop filled with an array of gadgets and gizmos.
Shiny red toolboxes, some of them taller than Morgan, lined the back wall.
A long, low butcher block counter sat in the center of the room, while racks of bins and baskets, filled with everything from drill bits to door locks, hung on the corkboard wall.
It reminded Morgan of an old-fashioned variety store that sold a little of everything.
Jax stood at a small counter on the other side of the room, his back to her.
“Hey, Jax.”
He pivoted, his eyes lighting when he noticed her standing there. “Morgan.”
She hovered in the doorway. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all.” He set the screwdriver on the counter, giving her his full attention. “I was finishing up. Elizabeth has already told you we were finally able to locate Jason. He’s in Florida, at least he was.”
“She did. Thank you for the update. I would like to say I’m relieved to know he’s a thousand miles away from me, but to be honest, he could be on our doorstep in a matter of hours.”
“Agreed. I forwarded the investigator’s price sheet, including his hourly rates if you want to continue tracking Jason. He’s not cheap.”
“Nope.” Morgan wrinkled her nose. “As much as I would like to keep tabs on Jason, I can’t afford to have this guy follow my ex around forever.”
“I hesitate to tell you what to do, but to be honest, you’re right. Unfortunately, Jason is a free man. We can’t stop him from going wherever he wants, including Easton Island.”
“Even with the restraining order in place, no law can stop him,” Morgan said. “I guess the best thing to do is for me to stay alert.”
“And armed,” Jax added. “You could continue staying at Wyatt’s place.”
“He’s offered, and I appreciate it, but I’m ready to go home. As crazy as this may sound, I refuse to let Jason run my life and for me to live in fear.”
“It’s not crazy, or stupid.”
Morgan crossed her arms, casually leaning her hip against the door. “How are you and Ronni?”
“Fine. Why do you ask?”
“I take my role as matchmaker seriously,” she teased. “I have a vested interest.”
Jax started to say something and abruptly stopped.
“What?”
“I’m working on a project, but you can’t tell her.”
“I won’t breathe a word.”
Jax led her around the butcher-block countertop to a bench in the corner. A thick blue tarp covered a bulky frame. He slowly removed the tarp, revealing a coat rack with slots near the top to hang keyrings. Carved out inside the wooden frame was an oval bronze-colored medallion.
Morgan squinted her eyes and studied the metal artwork—a cottage overlooking a garden. “Is this…”
“Wisteria Way Cottage, Ronni’s home. I’ve almost finished it.”
She ran her fingers along the smooth metal, admiring the details, identical to the actual cottage, right down to the rocking chairs on the front porch. “This is so cool. Ronni will love it.”
“You think so? She’s always tossing her keys and jacket wherever she finds an empty spot.”
Morgan laughed out loud. “And then tears the place apart trying to find them.”
“Exactly. Her birthday is coming up, and I wanted to make her something special.”
“I almost forgot. Yes, it’s right around the corner.” Morgan straightened her back. “Ronni has no idea you’ve been working on this?”
“Nope. I’ve been busting my butt trying to get it done in time.”
“How sweet. She’s going to love it.”
“I hope so.”
Morgan impulsively hugged him. “You’re the best, Jax Robinson.”
The two made small talk until an estate employee showed up to ask a question, and Morgan headed out. She climbed back in her vehicle and dialed Ronni’s cell phone.
“Well?” Ronni asked as soon as she answered.
“You have nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to worry about,” Morgan reported.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
A clicking sound on the other end of the line ensued. “He seems so distracted,” Ronni finally said.
“He is,” Morgan agreed.
“Do you have any idea why?”
“I do.”
“Does it have anything to do with me?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re talking in circles,” Ronni groaned.
“I am and I’m sorry. I wish I could say more, but I can’t.”
“You’re positive he’s not intentionally avoiding me.”
“Absolutely, one thousand percent.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. Thanks, Morgan.”
“I’m happy I could help ease your mind.” She told her goodbye and turned her SUV toward home. Ronni and Jax might be on the right track, but her nagging concern over Hailey Varnum lingered.
Greg had come a long way in the past year—finally finding a job he flourished in, not to mention a home of his own. He was more than an employee. He was part of her extended family.
She needed to get more information about what had happened that day at the hotel. Morgan knew of one person who might be able to shed a little more light on the woman’s background. The only question was…would he be willing to talk?