Chapter Nine Jaxson

W hen I woke up this morning, I had anticipated a busy day. But honestly, I hadn’t anticipated spending hours on the phone with my work back home trying to make sure my life didn’t completely fall apart. Which is why I’ve always been so hesitant about actually leaving. Because as soon as I did… suddenly no one knew how to do their job.

One by one, I checked on the various restaurants that I own, both in New York and Paris. Checking the inventory lists. Making sure the menus were ready for their seasonal changes. As well as checking in with Sous Chefs and other employees, making sure that we were in line for any major players who were booked to come in for a bite to eat. Majority of them run well and can hold their own. But my recent partnership with Eric, with a restaurant in New York, is taking a toll on me. The inability for things to run smoothly is becoming more problematic than I would like .

I’m supposed to be a silent partner. Helping this man to create what he always dreamed of, and while I helped to set up the menu and made sure that the grand opening was a massive success it’s quite obvious that Eric doesn’t want to follow the guidelines I set for him. Because now he’s making changes that don’t sit well with me. Like cutting the menu in half, and trying to organize events so that the place runs more like a bar that sells food.

Not a restaurant that happens to have a bar.

All of which would normally be fine, but with my name attached to this place, it isn’t okay with me. The bad reviews that recently came in, as well as unlisted spent money, is a problem. I refuse to have my name tarnished because he has his own views on how he wants things.

If my name had not been attached, and I hadn’t given him a large amount of money to start the place, I probably wouldn’t care. But, with the contract in place—if he doesn’t get it fixed.

He won’t have a place at all, and I’ll be able to assume full control.

Not that it’s what I want to do. The man is the reason I got my shot to begin with.

“You told me you were going to have this fixed,” I tell him, as I head towards Mrs. Kendall’s house to help my friends with some of the packing; the conversation with Eric seemingly going round and round in circles.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replies, his French accent heavy and lined with a small amount of carelessness to its tone. “Everything will be fine.”

“Eric, I want the reports sent over to me before the end of day. I’m not taking this don’t worry about it statement from you anymore. When I have our suppliers calling me because you’re not making the payments… that’s a problem. That’s my money and my name on the line, and if we can’t get things actually sorted out, then I’ll be heading back to New York to deal with it in person. Do you understand?”

There’s a low groan on the other end followed by silence before Eric replies, “You got it.”

Pulling into the driveway, I spot the living room lights on and the figure of Madi and Kylie huddled over what I can only assume are boxes. My eyes instantly latch onto Madi’s gorgeous, curvy figure. The short black bike shorts she’s wearing leaving nothing to the imagination. How is it that I never realized how gorgeous she is? I mean, looks-wise she is everything I would have chased after back in the day… and now I can’t keep my eyes off her. I wonder if she’s still flexible.

“See something you like?” Knox’s voice startles me slightly as I step out of the car. A cheshire grin spreads across his face from ear to ear as he gives me a pointed gaze with a raised brow. “I see you checking her out. You know… she’s single.”

“Who?”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Madi…”

Just hearing her name and the implication makes me clear my throat as I walk towards him. I already knew she was single, but it didn’t change a thing. “I wasn’t checking her out, Knox.”

Stopping before him, he puts his hands on his hips and scoffs with laughter. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you have to tell yourself, Jaxson.”

“We’re just friends,” I reply, gritting my teeth. As much as I’m trying to play it off, it’s harder than it looks. Because my eyes betray me every time I’m around Madison.

“So, you both keep reminding me.”

She’s talked to him about me?

I open my mouth to ask him what he meant, but he turns and gestures for me to follow him into the house. The mounds of boxes already in the garage are a dead giveaway to how hard they are working and just how much shit Mrs. Kendall has in her house.

“Looks like you guys have been busy,” I say to Knox once we step into the kitchen.

He shrugs, glancing around as he moves a few empty boxes out of the way for us to walk by. “The funny thing is, we haven’t even started upstairs yet.”

“Shit… really?”

Glancing back at me he shrugs again. “Really, really. I was actually going to suggest you and Madi tackle the upstairs while Kylie and I finish up down here. That way we can accomplish getting a lot of this done tonight.”

After the comment you just made, of course you would.

“Yeah, man. I’m happy to help with whatever you want. ”

As soon as we step into the living room, I frown with disappointment. Madi’s nowhere to be seen, and Kylie, whose face is beet red as she lifts a box, looks completely overwhelmed.

“Kylie, I told you to leave them and I’ll lift them,” Knox scolds her, quickly taking the box from her arms as he sets in on top of another.

“I’m not a weakling—” Her eyes meet mine and she smiles. “Jaxson! You made it.”

“Yep, I’m here to slave away at your command,” I tease, glancing around the room as I take in the utter chaos that is Mrs. Kendall’s living room. “Knox said to start upstairs?”

When I look back at her, she’s looking at Knox with a raised brow and questionable stare. “Yeah… In fact, Madi’s already headed up there. Why don’t you grab the stack of empty boxes by the stairs, and the white Target bag next to it? It’s got tape and other stuff in it Madi will need. If you guys can take care of things up there, Knox and I can wrangle the rest down here.”

“Sure,” I agree, before turning to grab the things you told me. “There’s nothing else that needs to go up?”

Kylie and Knox both shake their heads quickly, like little children up to no good before I make my way up the stairs to find where Madi is hiding.

I find Madi in the guest bedroom, her dark gorgeous hair pulled up into a high ponytail as she shuffles through an open closet. The dip and curve of her hips covered by those tight leggings she’s wearing leaves nothing to the imagination. And it takes everything in me not to run my hands over them.

What the fuck is wrong with me? It’s just fucking Madi.

Taking a deep breath, I clear my throat and watch her spin to face me with her hand over her heart.

“Jesus Christ,” she exclaims, shaking her head. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry,” I reply, hesitating for a moment. “Uh… Kylie said to bring this stuff up for us to use.”

I’ve never been a man to hesitate in life. Always so gung ho about getting shit done and making something of myself. Probably to prove a point to my parents, as well as myself. Though standing here before Madi, I’m suddenly more nervous than I have been my entire life.

Get yourself together, man. It’s just Madi, for fuck sake.

As if she knows I’m arguing with myself, she raises a brow. “You can just set them wherever.”

Setting down the boxes and the target bag full of tape and other supplies I turn to find Madi back at it in the closet. The round perk of her ass shakes slightly when she moves from kneeling to standing. And as much as I probably shouldn’t be gawking at her, I can’t help it.

I can’t help wanting to walk up behind her just to grab her ass, perhaps bend her over… or wrap my hand around her throat from behind while I make her pant for me.

My cock twitches at the thought and I move. Making my way over towards the large brown dress drawer on the far side of the room. If I don’t and I keep watching her, I’m going to make more of a fool out of myself than I probably already have.

“You don’t have to work in this room if you don’t want to,” she says, my eyes locking with the hazel depths of her own.

“I’m okay helping here.” I turn back to the dresser. “Plus, it means we will finish this room quicker.”

The drop of an item catches my attention and I glance at her once more. Only this time she’s staring straight at me, one hand on her hip and a scowl on her face. “Are you trying to say I can’t finish this room on my own?”

The fuck?

“No… I’m just saying we would finish it quicker together.”

“Is that right?” she replies, rolling her eyes. “I’m honestly surprised that you decided to come help. I didn’t really take you for someone to do manual labor like this.”

Moving a step closer to her, I raise my brow. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. Her eyes cast off towards the open bedroom door before landing on me once more. “You’re just a busy man?”

Her statement comes off more as a question, a sudden shift in her confident behavior as she swallows deeply. Her throat bobbing slightly before she gives me a small smile .

“I’m not as busy as you think,” I finally reply. “I always make time to go on an adventure or enjoy the finer things in life. Regardless of being heavily involved in my work.”

“I see. So, you don’t mind being here then… with us, I mean?”

I don’t miss the hesitation in her voice. The way her big eyes stare up at me from under dark lashes as if inviting me in. Almost tempting me to touch her, maybe even kiss her. The thoughts of even taking that step jolts me as if to remind me of who the hell is actually standing in front of me.

Madison, a girl I grew up with. A girl, that’s no longer a girl, but a grown woman, far surpassing all expectations I once had of her. “I don’t mind being here at all. Especially helping you.”

“Uh, huh,” she remarks, rolling her eyes with a small smile. “Keep it up and I might start thinking you like spending time with me.”

Her comment puzzles me for a moment as I let it replay in my head a few times. I can’t understand why she wouldn’t think I want to be around her. Growing up, our entire group was inseparable. And honestly, I was glad for that. It was only during senior year that things got weird with us, Madi and I.

And honestly, I don’t know why.

One day, we’re laughing and hanging out. I’m considering what kind of future I plan to have after graduation. All of us made plans for one last gathering at the lake… and then all the sudden, she was distant. It had bothered me a little back then, but I chalked it up to her simply having a lot of shit on her plate. I mean, all the girls back then were all over the place.

Unsure of her motives, and curious to know where her mind is after all this time, I decide to call her bluff. “And what if I do?”

Taking a bunch of old coats off the rack, she turns and places them into an oversized box before taking me in once more. “I’d probably ask you what drugs they have you on or if you hit your head. Because not many people can handle being around me.”

“Is that right?” The laughter escapes with my words and I watch her straighten.

“Yep. In fact…” She smiles, her eyes casting up towards the top of the closet. “If anything, I’m more demanding now than when I was in high school. Now if you’re done talking… Can you grab this big ass box off the top shelf for me? I don’t know what she has in there, but it’s heavy as fuck.”

Laughter burst from my lips at her playful comment. She was indeed demanding back then. Always taking the lead and the first to jump at anything to prove herself against us boys. If I recall, the teachers back then called her our ring leader more than once.

“Yes, master. Let me get that for you.”

I maneuver through the boxes towards the closet. Her eyes meet mine for a brief second to catch the smile on her face, and her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Seeing her bite that lip, I internally groan at how sexy she looks before I push it away to focus on the present. As soon as I look at the top shelf and take in the large white wooden hope chest, I regret having cut back on my workouts the last few weeks.

Fucking hell, I’m gonna feel this in the morning.

Stepping around her, I grab the large wooden trunk and pull it down. The antique painted leaves and florals upon it cause Madi to run her fingers across it in admiration. “Kylie would love this.”

She’s always thinking of others over herself. Hell, I remember when we were kids how her mother would bake cookies for her and she would always share them with the rest of us. Especially when we were having a bad day. She never wanted to see anyone upset.

“Yeah, she would. You should show it to her. Maybe she wants to keep it.”

It takes a moment for me to realize just how close Madi and I are. The sweet smell of her vanilla perfume, the soft gentle curves of her face. I can’t get over just how beautiful she really is, and to be honest, I can’t help but wonder if she even realizes it. With little more than a foot between us, she seems to notice our closeness as well and clears her throat to get around me as I set down the trunk. The only problem is that she miscalculates the boxes beside her and starts to tumble.

Reaching out, I snatch her to me. My arm around her waist, her body pressed tight against mine as I hold her. Everything about having her like this feels right. And as much as I expect her to quickly pull away, she doesn’t. She stares up at me, her breath coming out a little faster than normal as her eyes widen slightly .

“Thank you,” she whispers, my arm pulling her closer to me so that our faces are only inches apart.

My mind seems to come to a halt. My body, unwilling to release her as she stays pressed against me. I’d never once thought about her in a romantic way when we were younger, but since I came home it’s like my mind can’t stop thinking about her. As if the fates have drawn me to her, and she’s all I can see.

Temptation stirs and with only a breath between our lips—my phone rings.

What the fuck…

I have no doubt who it is. Eric is supposed to call me back if there are issues, and the ringtone playing in the room around us right now means there are issues.

“I have to take this…” I say, watching her nod slowly.

“You don’t… but that’s up to you.”

As much as I want to agree with her, I can’t. I pull back, straightening myself with irritation as I pull my phone from my pocket while making sure Madi won’t fall.

“Hello,” I snap, listening to Eric's voice chime through on the other end of the phone.

“Hey, so I ran into a few problems with the money situation. I’m sending you over the information now, but I need to get it fixed right away. I don’t know what happened with the accounts.”

Of course, he fucking doesn’t.

“Fine, give me twenty minutes. I’m not in front of my laptop right now.”

When the call ends, I turn to find Madi busying herself within the closet again. I was so close to kissing her, and it was ruined by a prick from France who can’t get his shit together.

“I have to go…” I mutter softly, hoping she understands. But also hoping we can pick this up later.

She doesn’t bother to look at me though as she nods. “I heard. It’s okay, I can finish by myself.”

“About what just happened…”

“Don’t worry about it, Jaxson,” she replies, cutting me off mid-sentence with a soft laugh as she turns to glance at me. “Life happens and we are all very busy. Go and take care of what you have too. We can always catch up another time.”

Every part of me wants to stay and talk to her. To finish what we had started, but it’s clear the moment we shared is over, the situation with my business has to come first—it’s my name on the line.

“That sounds good… maybe we can meet up tomorrow.”

She nods at me again, before turning around. My feet move me from the room as I hurry from the house, calling out to Knox and Kylie as I pass by them.

As I climb into my car, I can’t help but lash out, smacking the steering wheel with a loud roar before leaning back against the headrest and closing my eyes. Trying to calm down, my mind instantly begins to drift.

Soft singing pulls me from my tears as I gaze up to meet the big eyes of a brown pigtailed girl peeking at me through the entrance to the treehouse I’m hiding in. It’s Madison. Her head tilts to the side slightly before she moves into the open space and closer to me.

“Why are you crying Jaxson?” she asks, not skipping a beat. “Did someone make you cry?”

“I wasn’t crying,” I snap, curling my fists in my lap as I look away from her. “I got something in my eyes, is all… What are you doing here? I want to be alone.”

Moving forward a little more, she takes a seat next to me and shrugs her shoulders. “I always come here. It’s our treehouse…”

Lifting my eyes slightly I take in how she’s still watching me. The smile on her face grows with every second that passes. She isn’t like my siblings. They only like to take things and break them. Then Mama gets onto me and yells at me for it. Every day, I’m getting yelled at. I hate it.

“You can talk to me if you want to,” she says softly. “I’m a really good listener.”

Sighing, I nod. “I’m hiding from my family.”

“You are… but why? Don’t you like your family?”

“Sometimes…” I shrug. “They don’t seem to like me much.”

“That can’t be true!” she exclaims. “They’re your family. They have to like you.”

“Nu-uh,” I reply, tears forming in my eyes again. “I don’t think they would even notice if I ran away. ”

This makes her quiet for a moment, her hand reaching over to grab mine as I look into her eyes. “I would.”

“You would?”

“Of course I would!” She laughs. “You’re my friend.”

Her words bring a smile to my face as I watch her pull a plastic container from a bag at her side. I don’t know what she’s doing, but when she pulls off the lid and there’s cookies inside, excitement fills me.

“Do you want one?” she asks.

I nod, taking one of the cookies she holds out to me. “It’s good to know I have you as my friend.”

This makes her giggle before quickly placing the cookies in between us as she stuffs one into her mouth. “Do you want to play ‘would you rather’ while we eat?”

“Okay.” I nod quickly. Her first question fires off as the laughter began to flow between us and the sweetness of her mother’s treats filled our bellies.