Chapter 17
“Where’s Chelsea?” Jagger had made a beeline for the shower when he’d gotten back from the stables. Once dressed, he prepared to take Kaden to his visit with Tanya. But as he walked through the house, there was one glaring missing piece. Chelsea.
“She left, sir.” Grayson stood in the foyer.
“Left? Where? We have to take Kaden to his visit.” Jagger tried to wrap his brain around Chelsea’s behavior.
She wasn’t one to run off, especially if she had an appointment.
Granted, she didn’t need to go with him and Kaden, but he liked that she did.
She had a way of keeping him centered. Even when she let him brood, just knowing she was there kept him from veering off too far into the darkness.
“She didn’t feel the need to tell me, sir.” Grayson’s voice held condescension that irked Jagger. Was the staff still mistreating her? He was so preoccupied with Kaden’s case and work, he hadn’t paid attention.
“What did she say?”
Kaden trotted down the steps with Mrs. Stanton behind him.
“She didn’t say a word.”
“I think she was sad.” Kaden jumped from the last two steps to the foyer floor.
“Sad?” Jagger turned his attention to Kaden.
“Yep. People were saying mean things.”
“What people?” But Jagger knew. He looked at Grayson, who avoided eye contact with him. Mrs. Stanton stopped short, her eyes wide with surprise and perhaps guilt.
“Miss Z said she ate too much and would get fat like a pig. And she didn’t wear shoes and then they said something about the sheets. I didn’t hear that part very well.”
“Miss Z!” Jagger bellowed from the foyer.
Fury erupted from deep within him. How dare they say awful things about Chelsea?
Especially since the complaints they had about her were the characteristics that drew him to her.
He loved that she ate what she wanted. She was the first woman he met who enjoyed food as much as he did.
She wasn’t glitzy or fussy with her dress or appearance, which he appreciated.
Especially since she didn’t need to worry about how she looked.
She had a natural, earthy beauty he found refreshing and so sexy, it was often hard to keep to his “no touch” rule.
He didn’t want to think about what the sheets comment was about.
It couldn’t have been good and Kaden had heard it all.
More than that, Jagger hated that his staff, people he’d trusted, had hurt her.
She was kind and gentle. She was sacrificing a lot, living in a home that wasn’t hers, pretending to be something she wasn’t, which was hard enough.
To learn, she’d been mistreated made him feel guilty for not noticing and angry at his staff. “I’ll go—”
“You’ll stay right here.” Jagger pointed to Grayson. “Both of you.”
Miss Z hurried in. “What’s all the commotion?”
Jagger whirled on her. “Did you say Chelsea ate like a pig?”
Initially, Miss Z’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she pulled her expression back to nonchalance. “Eavesdropping is rude.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Jagger roared at her. He’d never yelled at his staff, but then he never thought he’d have to.
“What’s eavesdropping?” Kaden looked up at Miss Z with wide inquiring eyes.
“It’s listening to conversations that don’t concern you.” Miss Z was unfazed by Jagger’s anger, which pissed him off more.
“We weren’t listening. We were getting ants on a log for a snack. We could hear them in the dining room.”
“Did you say she ate too much?” Perhaps it was the low menace in his voice, as opposed to loud anger, that caused Miss Z to step back.
“We didn’t know she was there.”
“Why would you say that? What’s wrong with you? Mrs. Stanton? You were a part of this?” It was one thing for Grayson and Miss Z to be mean, but Mrs. Stanton was better than that. Wasn’t she? She’s the one who had taught him right from wrong, about respect and kindness.
“It was an unfortunate—”
“It was more than that. Why are you talking about her in the first place?”
Grayson finally made eye contact, but Jagger didn’t think he looked nearly guilty enough. In fact, Grayson’s narrowed eyes appeared to be accusatory. “We have always been of service to you, Mr. Talbot. So there’s no reason for you not to trust us.”
Jagger studied Grayson, completely stumped about what the man was saying. “How can I trust you when you hurt my wife?”
Grayson huffed out a breath. “You can tell us the truth. About this marriage.”
“What are you talking about?” Except, Jagger knew what he was talking about. Chelsea had already suggested his staff suspected something fishy about their marriage.
“We know you didn’t marry her for love. Since it was right after Miss Gilson showed up, we think you wanted a mother for Kaden to help your case.”
“Even if that were true, wouldn’t that give you more reason to be nice to her?”
Miss Z scoffed.
“You have something to say, Miss Z?”
Her lips drew into a fine line.
“I’m waiting.” Jagger realized that he’d never even talked to Kaden this tersely. He certainly never thought he’d have to speak to his staff like they were children.
“She took your money and does nothing.”
Jagger put his hands on his hips. “Really? She puts up with you.”
Miss Z had the good sense to jerk back.
“She spends time with Kaden, and she’s been an invaluable support in dealing with Tanya. She keeps me grounded, so it’s too bad she’s not here now because I’m about to go off.”
He stepped away and paced the foyer. That was when he noticed Kaden still standing there. “Get in the car. I’ll be right there.”
Kaden bit his lip and looked to everyone with uncertainty in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to get anyone in trouble.”
“You didn’t. They got themselves in trouble. It’s okay. Go get in the car.”
Jagger waited until Kaden was out the door before turning back to his staff. “He heard you. You’re supposed to be role models.”
Finally, all three dropped their heads in shame.
In some ways, it angered Jagger more. They didn’t feel bad about hurting Chelsea.
Only that Kaden had overheard them. He took a deep breath.
“I know it was a lot to ask you to move down here. It’s been an adjustment for us all.
If you want, you can go. But if you stay and continue to treat Chelsea poorly, I will fire you. ”
All three heads shot up, shock widening their eyes.
“I can always hire new help. Chelsea is irreplaceable.” His words weren’t just to prolong the marriage ruse.
In that moment, Jagger believed them and would follow through.
He let his statement sink in for a moment.
“I’m taking Kaden to his visit with Tanya and then I’m going to look for Chelsea.
You better hope I can convince her to come back. ”
The only thing that prevented Jagger from getting too heated about dropping Kaden off at social services for his visit with Tanya was his worry that Chelsea wouldn’t continue to help him.
As usual, Meg Carter met him at the door for the handoff.
He told Kaden to have fun and that he’d be back in two hours.
Then Jagger was in the SUV, driving to where, he didn’t know.
He considered going to Lexie’s. If Chelsea needed a friend to talk to, Lexie would be the one.
But as he entered the historic section of town, he wondered if a woman who’d left her life and was in pain would return to the safest place she knew. She loved her home.
As he made her way to her house, a new worry popped into his mind.
If she’d gone home, she’d see the renovations he’d arranged.
She’d be seeking refuge and instead would find a mess.
He cursed that his good intentions would cause her more pain.
When he pulled behind her car in the driveway, he steeled himself for her anger at his staff and the condition of her house.
He was relieved that most of the debris was gone. The landscaping and exterior painting hadn’t been done. He could only guess at the condition inside. Then he wondered where the workers were. Had she sent them home?
He stepped up onto the covered porch and rapped on the door. “Chelsea?” The house was quiet. Testing the handle, the door opened. He stepped into the entryway, the scent of paint and varnish heavy in the air. “Chelsea?”
He wanted to tour the home to see how it looked, but that could wait. Hearing movement upstairs, he made his way to the second floor. He headed straight to the master bedroom. She sat in the window seat, her eyes scanning the room until they stopped on him.
“Are you mad?”
“At you?” She shook her head.
He nearly did a face palm. Of course, she’d be mad at his staff. But he’d been asking about the house. “I mean about the house. The renovations.”
She scanned the room again, her features unreadable. Then she stood and walked toward him. He prepared for her anger or disappointment, which was why she nearly knocked him over when she launched herself in his arms, wrapping him so tight he thought she might not let go. He hoped she wouldn’t.
“Thank you.” Her words were hoarse in his ear and he wondered if she was crying.
He’d been able to go most of his adult life without having to deal with a woman crying, and he wasn’t sure what he should do. Because he didn’t know what to say, and because he was just so glad she was in his arms, he dipped his head to her neck, inhaling her sweet floral scent.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“You did.”
“In a good way. Not by having my staff send you running.”
She leaned back and now he could look into her deep chocolate brown eyes. “This makes up for everything they’ve done or will do.”
The tightness in his chest finally loosened. “There won’t be a will do, Chelsea. I promise. I’ll fire them before I let them hurt you again.”
Her eyes watered. “You don’t know how good you are, do you?”