Chapter 16
“Can I take your new car to pick up groceries?” Jasper called out.
Jemma glanced up from the floor where she and Jayla were playing. “No way, dude.”
Jasper’s teenage groan was immediate. “Come on, Jemma! The store’s only a mile away!”
“Take the grocery cart,” she said, smiling as Jayla attempted to stuff a toy into her mouth—too big to fit, so she just transferred it from hand to hand, studying it intently.
“No way. I look like a dork with that thing.”
Jemma laughed. “Last time you left it behind, you whined about carrying all the bags back.” She lifted Jayla into her lap. “Besides, the new car is for business only. It’s registered to Overlock Corporation, so legally I can’t use it for errands. Just meetings and work.”
Jasper flipped the apartment keys around his finger. “How is he?”
She didn’t have to ask who he meant. “Saif is… good.” Better than good, she thought, remembering that last smoldering look he gave her before leaving the conference room.
There was a pause.
“Did he ask about me?” Jasper asked, voice lower now.
Jemma’s heart clenched. “Yeah. He did.”
She hadn’t told him about the mess he’d caused—how she was now under Saif’s thumb because of that “prank.”
“I’m really sorry,” Jasper said, walking over and plucking Jayla from her arms like a human shield. He sat down, holding his niece protectively.
“About what?”
“You know what.” He sighed. “I messed up, Jem.” He didn’t look at her.
“Yeah. Ya did.” She tilted her head slightly. “Why did you do it.”
“You know.” He took Jayla’s hands, smiling slightly when her little fingers curled around his bigger one.
“Not really.” She could guess, but Jemma wanted Jasper to admit it, to talk about his anger and the emotions roiling inside of him.
He groaned and shut his eyes. “It was stupid. I know. But I’ll pay him back. I swear.”
She exhaled. “He said the payment for the graffiti is me turning Sinstack Designs around. If I can make it profitable, he’ll take the cost out of the profits.”
Jasper looked down at Jayla’s tiny fingers, then back at Jemma, frowning. “But… you got a huge promotion, right? And you like your job now. So… it’s all good?”
Ah. the logic of a sixteen-year-old. Still, she wasn’t about to pile guilt on him. “Yeah,” she said gently, tousling his hair. “It’s all good. And yes, I love my new job.”
She crossed the room and pulled out Jayla’s stroller from the coat closet. “Grab the baby and we’ll go together. I’ll push the grocery cart so you won’t be embarrassed. Sound fair?”
Jasper grinned with relief and stood up, cradling Jayla. “Have I told you what a great sister you are?”
“Not lately.”
He smirked, bouncing his niece in his arms. “Huh. That’s a shame.”
He snapped the stroller open with one hand and tucked Jayla inside, bundling a blanket around her legs. “Ready to get some food?” he whispered to her.
Jemma poked his ribs with her elbow. Not hard, just enough to say I see you. Jasper snorted, checked his pockets for the keys, and headed for the door.
“Come on, moneybags,” he called out, pushing the stroller toward the elevators.
Luckily, the elevators were working today. A small, but significant win.
Outside, the crisp fall air greeted them. The sidewalk bustled with weekend life, but Jemma and Jasper were in their own little world—bantering one minute, talking seriously the next about their future now that the weight of medical bills was finally gone.