Chapter 3 #3
“No, I don’t.” Lexie set the pot on the counter.
“Look at me.” Chelsea turned and held her hands out to the side. “I’m short and frumpy and I ate three pieces of pizza in front of him last night. Plus dessert.” Chelsea shook her head and turned back to her scrubbing.
“You’re not frump—Wait. What? Last night?”
Chelsea winced, knowing her friend would read more into her dinner with Jagger and Kaden than there was. “Kaden has a little crush on me so he asked me to go to pizza with him and Jagger.”
Chelsea tried to remain nonchalant as she set the pan on the counter, but she swore she could feel Lexie’s scrutinizing gaze boring into her.
“I bet you charmed him.”
“It’s not hard to charm five year olds.” Chelsea dove deep into the suds, wishing for more items to wash but apparently she was done.
“I don’t mean him, I mean Jagger.”
Chelsea bit her lip. “It was pizza, Lex.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m pretty sure I did.”
“If he walked in here and offered you a good time, would you take him up on it?”
“It wouldn’t happen. Pigs would fly first and that would be a disappointment because it would mean less barbecue and bacon.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “If.”
“If he offered me a good time, I’d say no. You know I’m not built like that.” She wasn’t a virgin. But, she wasn’t “good time” material. She’d never had a one-night stand or even a short-term affair. She’d only slept with the two men she’d been in a relationship with.
“What if he wanted to date you?”
“Who wants to date you?” Mitch appeared behind Lexie with another pan.
“No one.” Chelsea took the pan from him.
“Get out. This is girl talk.” Lexie pushed him toward the door.
“You’re not talking about Jagger, are you?” Mitch maneuvered out of Lexie’s reach.
“None of your beeswax. Now go.”
“You need to stay away from him.”
“Why?” Chelsea and Lexie asked in unison.
“It’s Jagger Talbot.” He rolled his eyes like the reason was obvious.
“Yeah. Sexy, rich—”
“And incapable of loving or committing to a woman.” Mitch interrupted Lexie.
“There was a time people thought that about you. In fact, you thought that about you.”
“She’s right.” Lexie nodded.
“Tell me you’re not involved with Jagger.”
“Great day, Mitch. What bee has buzzed up your butt?” Lexie’s green eyes flashed with annoyance.
Chelsea didn’t understand Mitch’s dislike of Jagger either. “I thought you were friends.”
“We won’t be if he’s messing with you.”
“First, you’re not the boss of me. And second, there’s no way Jagger would be interested in me.” She knew that firsthand after he’d used the excuse of getting her a glass of wine to leave her at Mitch and Sydney’s wedding.
“Just stay away from him.”
Chelsea turned back to the pan in the sink.
“Go away.” Lexie shooed him out of the kitchen. “By the way, you’re wrong about being frumpy. You’re just tired and don’t try very hard, which is nice of you because all the women in Charlotte Tavern, including me, would have to hate you if you looked any prettier than you already are.”
Chelsea laughed, feeling grateful to have a friend like Lexie, who could lift her spirits with a positive word, even if it wasn’t true. “Well, I’d hate for all y’all to hate me.”
There were a few minutes of silence and Chelsea wondered if she was going to continue to push her about Jagger.
Instead, Lexie picked up the final pan to dry. “Now that school is out, are you picking up more hours at the diner?”
“Yep. But I took off until the weekend, so I don’t start full-time until Saturday.”
“Chels?”
Chelsea knew that tone. The one that said Lexie pitied her and wanted to fix her life.
“I wish you’d let Drake and me help. We really want to.”
Chelsea set her hands on the side of the sink, inhaling deeply before turning to Lexie. “I know you do and I appreciate it. But I can’t take your money. We’ve been through that.”
“Great day, you’re as stubborn as a mule, you know that? And you have too much pride.”
Chelsea bit her lower lip. “Pride is all I’ve got, Lex.”
“Oh.” Lexie’s eyes watered and she pulled Chelsea into a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too. And thank you. I just have to do this on my own.” She wasn’t sure how she’d do it. But she wouldn’t stop until she succeeded or failed.
Chelsea turned her car toward downtown Charlotte Tavern, where her home sat in the oldest neighborhood.
She was glad she was able to get Mitch and Lexie off her case about Jagger and her financial woes.
Of course it wouldn’t last. At least their continued offer to help her financially wouldn’t.
The Jagger issue would fade when they realized her contact with him was over now that Kaden was off to first grade.
Thinking of Jagger brought concern. Jagger had called Mitch because Kaden’s mom made a second visit.
While she thought Jagger could have done better to get involved in school activities, it was clear from what she saw in her class that day that he was a good guardian.
He wasn’t just committed to Kaden, he truly loved him.
He’d changed his entire life to give Kaden a stable, normal home.
He’d done it in a place that continued to hold preconceived notions about how Jagger lived his life.
It made him an outsider who was unable to find acceptance.
The thought of that renewed her guilt that she and her friends hadn’t done more to bring him in.
She, Mitch, and Lexie had known him from his summer visits during their teen years.
He shouldn’t have been an outsider to them.
Chelsea jerked out of her thoughts as she realized she’d passed her home and was heading out toward Jagger’s estate. With a shrug, she continued on. She was worried about him and wanted to help. She wasn’t sure what she could do, except be a friend.
As she turned up the long drive toward the Talbot estate, she felt like she was driving through history.
Her home was old, but it sat near town, which had evidence of progress all around.
Jagger’s home stood at the end of a long, tree-lined drive.
Lights burning in the house were the only indication that the area had entered the modern age.
Because the home looked formal, she was surprised when Jagger opened the door instead of a butler.
“Chelsea.” His expression was startled, but not displeased or annoyed.
“I’m sorry to just drop in like this. I know it’s rude—”
“No. Please. I’m happy for the company.” He opened the door and stepped back to let her in. “Can I get you some wine? Seltzer water? Milk? I’ve got lots of milk.”
She smiled. “Water would be nice.”
“Come on in. I was just on the back terrace. It’s my bubble of solitude.”
“I don’t want to disturb you in your bubble.
” She followed him, noting the clean, shiny white marble floors trimmed with black.
Every doorway off the foyer was arched, the trim a crisp, bright white.
The walls of the foyer were painted with murals of the Virginia countryside circa the mid-1800s. “Did you fix up the house?”
“Cleaned mostly.” He stopped near the stairs, which technically were in a separate area from the foyer.
Chelsea stood with him, looking at the hunter green walls. She glanced up and realized the stairs continued beyond the second floor and were capped by a dome. Moonlight shone through the windows circumnavigating the dome.
“A few floors were refinished and walls painted. My grandmother had the home furnished back when they first bought it.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“We don’t use the rooms up front too much. Back here is where Kaden and I spend most of our time.”
She followed him through another arched doorway into a living area. While the decor still said 19th century, there were clues that it was lived in. A large-screen TV hung on one wall, with a series of gaming devices at the foot of it.
“Miss Z always yells at us for leaving the games out, but we’re just going to use them again.” Jagger grinned. “The kitchen is this way.”
Chelsea was surprised that the kitchen felt more cramped than she expected, but it was still a lovely area.
It was painted in a sunny yellow, with light-colored wood cabinets and white countertops, giving it a country feel.
Jagger opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of sparkling water.
“I guess I’m supposed to offer to put it in a glass.”
“The bottle is fine.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make a bad impression. Kaden would kill me.”
She laughed. “Where is Kaden?”
“He’s in bed. He’ll be disappointed to know you stopped by. Maybe you can come over again sometime.” He watched her for a moment and then nodded toward the set of French doors near the eat-in section of the kitchen.
She followed him out onto a terrace overlooking a grassy yard. Green trees and colorful plants trimmed the terrace. He motioned for her to sit in one of the bright white wicker chairs.
“How much land do you have?” It was rude to blurt out questions like that, but she found herself enchanted by the home. Or maybe it was jealousy. Her home wasn’t quite as old but it was close. It could have the same beauty and charm, if only she had the money to fix it up.
“Over five hundred acres. Over that rise there are the stables and pastures.” Jagger pointed with his water bottle toward the left side of the property. “And over there is the pool, and just beyond that are the tennis courts.” He pointed to the right.
“This is a lot for just you and Kaden.”
“We make do.”
“I understand you’ve brought horses back. You’ve got a full plate.”
“I’ve got help. And I’ve got time when Kaden’s in school.”
She nodded and sipped her water. They sat in the quiet for a moment. It was just long enough that Chelsea began to rethink her visit.
“Why’d you stop by?”
Now she really did wonder what had gotten into her to show up unannounced. “I saw Mitch earlier and he said he’d been out here this afternoon because Kaden’s mom showed up again.”