Ch. 51 - Jax
“ M eeeeeow!” squeaked the tiny white kitten as it awkwardly trundled over Jax’s legs.
Jax looked up from her book and quirked an eyebrow. “Come on, Lucky, I’m on the last chapter. I’ll pet you in a second.”
The minuscule white meatball—full name Lucky Charm—was not satisfied. The kitten wobbled over Jax’s thigh and launched her tiny body at a tassel hanging from Jax’s hoodie.
“Fine.” Jax closed Exit Wounds and set it on the floor next to the slightly deflated air mattress she sat on. “I’m not going to be here much longer, so I suppose I should get all the pets in now.”
She plucked Lucky up and cuddled the roly-poly kitten into her lap.
“Mrw?” asked Cap’n—full name Cap’n Crunch, a shy tuxedo kitten—as he scrambled onto the air mattress.
“Fine. You too.” Jax added the second kitten to her lap. “I suppose I owe you some pets for letting me share your space.”
After her triumphant march out of Haley’s chaotic orbit a week ago, Jax could have moved back into her old room at home with her mothers and brother. But Everly had offered her kitten foster room, and who could say no to sharing a room with adorable, squeaky, slightly stinky kittens?
It wouldn’t be for long, anyway.
As if on cue, Jax’s phone dinged.
Willow: What do you think?
Jax clicked the link embedded in the message and scrolled through the apartment listing with her thumb while tugging Lucky off the front of her shirt. Kitchen with a dishwasher, niiiice. Looked to get a lot of natural light. And it was only a 10-minute drive to school. Cap’n released a tiny, adorable purr. Cheerio, the third kitten of the litter, practically belly flopped onto the mattress and slowly made his way over.
Jax texted a reply to Willow.
Jax: Looks great. Rent a little high, but I think we can swing it.
Three dots immediately appeared. Last week, it’d taken most of Jax’s courage to ask Willow if she might be interested in having a roommate. Willow had surprised her with an enthusiastic yes.
Willow: I like it too. I’ll book an appt to see it. You available tomorrow?
Jax: Winery shift from 1 to 6. Any time b4 or after works.
They’d already looked at three places together. The first was a definite no due to the weird stench and massive brown ceiling stain in the shared laundry room. The second apartment had been so close to the train tracks that Jax’s teeth had rattled when the train came by. She’d liked the third apartment, but Willow had put the kibosh on that one. Something about how the steps to the loft could be a tripping hazard.
Willow was unusual to be sure, but Jax was warming to the shyest member of the Crazy Cat Ladies Club. Willow might be quiet and a little overly worried about nearly everything, but she was also incredibly thoughtful, reliable, and kind. Jax had even discovered that Willow possessed an understated but keen sense of humor. Jax hoped she could help the timid girl emerge from the foot-thick shell she currently existed within. Perhaps interacting with Styles would even give Willow the courage and confidence to finally adopt her own cat.
One step at a time, though.
Her phone dinged.
Willow: Showing tomorrow at 10:45 AM
Jax: [Thumbs-up emoji] C U then.
Willow: [Smiley Face Emoji]
Jax put her phone down. Cheerio had joined the party and was now munching on the shoelace of Jax’s boot.
“Mamma, any help over here?” Jax pleaded.
Fruit Loop, a small brown tabby with white-mittened feet, gazed at Jax from her cat bed in the corner of the room with a dubious expression. Those honey-colored eyes said, They’re all yours.
“Fine, I suppose you deserve a break,” Jax grumbled. Juggling the two kittens in her lap, she picked up Exit Wounds once again. She made it three sentences before Cap’n tumbled off her lap and cried for help. Jax grumbled and set the book down.
“Last chapter,” she repeated to Cap’n as she scooped him up and put him on her lap again. Naomie and Vince had finally worked things out between them and managed to solve Abigail’s murder. (Not without some dramatic gunfire and noble sacrifice, though.) The villain had been the town mayor all along. Go figure. Maybe all mayors were evil garbage people.
Vince had finally apologized to Naomie and given up alcohol. Naomie had forgiven both Vince and her sister. She’d opened her heart to the possibility of love again. And as soon as Vince was discharged from the hospital, they were all over each other, leg cast be damned .
After a few minutes, Jax turned the last page and laid the book in her lap. Romances were silly of course . . . and she’d loved the book heart and soul. Maybe because the happy ending was guaranteed.
Not like in the real world.
Rico.
The tender smile slid off Jax’s face and she felt the familiar throb of her bruised heart. It’d been a week since Rico had revealed his true colors and shattered her budding feelings for him.
Okay, major lie.
Her feelings hadn’t been budding. They’d been in full bloom. For the first time since the Andrew incident, Jax had felt attraction, hope, and comfort. Rico had seemed so thoughtful and kind. A person she could even spend her life with. As insane as that sounded now, the thought had whispered across her mind more than once.
But it’d all been a lie. Rico had always been a selfish narcissist at his core. He’d played a good game, though. She’d thought she’d seen a different man beneath all his layers of defense. A wonderful, beautiful man with an incredible heart.
She’d been wrong. It hurt.
And it still hurt. How long would her heart ache in the morning? How long would she feel flairs of anger when couples entered the winery holding hands? How long would a gentle breeze or ray of sunshine make her feel unconsolably sad for no reason at all?
Who knew. For the time being, though, her romantic life would be words on a page.
Jax leaned over and set the completed book on the nightstand. At the next Crazy Cat Lady Club meeting, they’d start a new book. Her stomach dropped at the thought of the upcoming meeting. She’d have to tell Layla the truth about Cal and Breanna. Jax knew she should have already dropped the bomb on Layla, but everything else in her life had been so chaotic. And, truthfully, a small part of her hoped Cal would man up and do the deed himself.
At least Breanna had followed through on her promise. She’d broken up with Theo the day after Jax had discovered the tryst. Surprisingly, Theo had taken the breakup hard. Jax had assumed he’d be relieved to finally be rid of the Breanna-shaped albatross around his neck, but her boss had spent the last week morose and somewhat dazed, mostly hiding in the back—a shaggy-haired Phantom of the Winery.
Breanna had managed, in the end, to do the right thing by Theo. Cal, not so much. Which meant it was up to Jax to break the news to Layla. The Crazy Cat Lady Club meeting was in a few days, as evidenced by the increasing volume of wedding planning questions and updates Layla added to the group chat.
Jax grimaced. How could she possibly find a way to crush her friend’s heart in a gentle and supportive way? Did Hallmark sell cards that said, So sorry, but your fiancé is a cheating piece of shit ? Jax sighed. She’d just have to gird her ovaries and tell Layla the truth, plain, simple, and agonizing. In the meantime, she’d give Layla a few more days of blissful ignorance.
Jax’s phone dinged. Had Willow found another apartment listing? She caught Cheerio just before he toppled off her boot, then picked up her phone. No new messages, but an email had come through.
Jax tapped on her email app and almost choked on her tongue. It was from Rico.
What did he want now? To try and take credit for the profile on Elena she’d written? That story had garnered a lot of interest and had even been picked up by several Southern California news aggregate sites. In spite of her skepticism, a small ray of hope bloomed in Jax’s chest .
Hesitantly, she opened the email. He’d only written a few sparse lines.
Jacklyn,
First, I’m sorry. For everything. You are one of the most talented journalists I’ve ever met. We need more reporters like you. The story is yours. Just be aware that Bishop will fight back. He’ll threaten you and try to dig up dirt on you. I know you can handle it. You’re stronger than you know.
Make the bastard pay.
R
Stroking Lucky’s tiny head, Jax re-read the message a dozen times. Her stomach sloshed. Her heart fluttered. She felt like a rainbow was arcing out of her vagina. Then she noticed the link at the bottom of the email.
It took her to an encrypted folder that contained all their shared research on the Bishop story. There was more. Rico had done additional research, finding other examples of Bishop shoving through local rules and laws that directly helped his biggest campaign contributors. Rico had also conducted interviews with business law experts, ethics professors, and tax attorneys to highlight all the mayor’s ethical breaches.
The whole story was there, down to every dirty detail. Bishop may not end up behind bars, but he’d have a lot of explaining to do to the residents of Yucca Hills.
The story is yours.
Jax read that line from Rico’s message again and again. One of the kittens climbed up her arm. She barely noticed. What did this mean? Was it an olive branch? Was he just trying to get into her pants? Or was Rico really the person she’d always hoped he’d be?
Before Jax could even begin to untangle any of these charged questions, the door to her room swung open .
Everly grinned at her like a loon. “The news is on, and I think you’ll want to watch.”
In a daze, Jax carefully lowered the three chirping kittens to the floor and, making sure not to let any of them escape, slipped out of the room. She followed Everly’s swishing hips to the living room. On the television, two polished news anchors greeted their audience.
Jax dropped onto the couch, and Styles immediately jumped onto her lap and began sniffing at her jeans. The Bengal kitten was hardly a kitten anymore, having grown into a long, lean, and gorgeously handsome cat. In seconds, he rubbed his cheek aggressively against her arm, dousing her with the imperceptible scent glands in his cheeks. It was a declaration.
This is MY human, he seemed to be saying.
Jax stroked his head. “And you are my cat,” she whispered to him in reply. It was useless to pretend otherwise. Just a few months ago, she would have rolled her eyes at the thought of owning a cat, much less enjoying that fact.
But she was a crazy cat lady now, through and through.
All thoughts of crazy ladies and cats immediately swept out of her mind as the camera panned to another figure sitting at the news desk.
Rico was handsome as ever.
No. More handsome than ever, if that was even possible. Jax’s heart went into double flutter mode as she stared into those endless dark eyes. At that perfect jaw. That gorgeous smile that could probably pull the sun from behind a bank of storm clouds.
Oh, she still had it for him bad, bad, bad.
“And now, we’d like to turn it over to our head investigative reporter, Rico Torres, who will be introducing a new segment for our broadcast,” the pretty female anchor said.
Jesus, even his hair was perfect .
“Thank you, Rachel.” Rico smiled into the camera, but it wasn’t his usual confident smile. Jax leaned forward unconsciously. He looked a little nervous.
“A lot of my friends say I talk about myself too much.” He chuckled a little. “But in order to explain this new segment and why I think it’s important, there’s something I have to tell you about myself.”
“Ooooh, you’ve piqued my curiosity,” the male anchor said.
Rico put his elbows on the news desk and looked down at his hands. “Growing up, I had a secret. Something I hid from my teachers, my friends, everyone. I was ashamed of it.” He looked up into the camera. “But I’m not ashamed anymore. I am the son of undocumented immigrants.”
“Oh. Wow,” said the female anchor.
Next to Jax on the couch, Everly gasped.
Rico nodded. “My parents came to this country to give their children a better life. They were never able to get traditional jobs. My father picked crops up and down California. My mother managed a day care from her home. They both worked under the table and never made more than minimum wage. It was hard work. I’m sure many would consider it shameful work. But I see it now as noble. Because of my parents, my sister and I both went to college. And we’re both making a positive difference in our communities. Well, I hope I am, anyway.”
Everly sighed and put a hand to her chest. Jax had stopped petting Styles. Her eyes were glued to the television.
Was Rico really doing this? Baring his soul to the public? Showing everyone who he really was?
“A lot of people have very strong views on immigration.” Rico stared straight into the camera as if daring Jax to look away. “And I know my parents broke the law. But I’ve come to realize that in many ways, I represent the American dream. Almost all of us are the children of immigrants. Somewhere down the line, our ancestors took a risk. They left their home to try and build a better life, and we’re the beneficiaries of their bravery. We are, at the end of the day, a nation of immigrants.”
He paused and swallowed. Jax’s heart was now at level four flutter.
“My father worked in the shadows. His labor put food in our grocery stores and on the tables of the people watching this program. In my new segment, I’m going to highlight people like my father, those who are often overlooked and underappreciated in our society. The ones who keep the gears of our country turning.”
Everly sniffled. Jax turned, surprised to see tears welling in her friend’s eyes.
“Next week, on my first segment, I’m going to showcase Miguel Hernandez. He came legally to the United States from Guatemala at age twenty-two. He started mowing lawns and pulling weeds to make a living. Now, twenty years later, he owns his own lawn care company, employs over thirty people, and is responsible for some of the beautiful outdoor spaces in San Diego. Many of you walk past his work every single day. I can’t wait to introduce you to him.”
“Wow, Rico. Just . . . wow,” said the male news anchor. “That’s such an incredible story. What made you want to share your big secret now?”
Rico gave the camera a self-deprecating grin. “A girl.”
“Of course,” said the female anchor, laughing.
“Not a girl, really,” Rico corrected. “A woman. A wonderful, smart, amazing woman who challenged me to be a better version of myself.” He looked straight into the camera. “Jax, thank you.”
Jax didn’t hear the response from the news anchors. That would be on account of the blood rushing to her ears. Oh, and Everly rocketing up from the couch and hollering, “HE DID IT! HE DID IT! OH, THAT BOY DID SO GOOD!” Everly sashayed her hips. She paused. “Though, really, the on-air proposal I planned would’ve been much better.”
“No, it was perfect.” The words popped out of Jax’s mouth. First, the email. Rico had given her the story and allowed her to take all the credit. Then he’d shown her, had shown the world, that he was ready to be his true self. All she’d ever wanted was for him to be brave enough to simply be himself, the man she loved.
“It was perfect,” Jax said again. Hope bloomed. Roses filled her chest.
Everly grabbed Jax’s hands and pulled her to her feet. “And that, my dear, was a grand gesture! If you don’t take him back, he’s all mine!”
Jax grinned. She laughed. She danced with Everly. And then she started to cry.