The rest of the day passed in a blur as Bella tried to accomplish everything she could think of via phone call from her hotel suite.
Rather than waiting for Monday, Bella called Nathan about extending her leave. He gave her the same run-around, failing to flirt with her and refusing the requested time. After she'd hung up, she said, 'The hell with it' and called Robert instead.
Robert, Nathan's boss, was far more understanding of her having legal obligations to remain where she was. When he asked why she needed to go over Nate's head for such a simple request, she told him the truth about Nate's behavior in the office.
"Start calling other female employees in for interviews, Robert. Directly ask them how many of him he's sexually harassed in the last six months."
He'd sputtered into the phone at first, asking if she was filing a formal report against Nathan. To that, she answered, "I will if they will. My dad is a police chief, sir. I know how sexual harassment cases go. If others aren't willing to speak up, it's just me against him, and it rarely works out for the victims. I'll have them all sign a statement when I return if you'd prefer. Believe me, it's discussed. Better yet, try eavesdropping on the lunchroom once in a while. You'll see."
Robert said, "Bella, I'm sorry you've been experiencing this. That is not the environment we aim for in this company."
"I know. I've reminded Nathan of the workplace dating rules several times, Robert. He simply doesn't care. I told him he needs to learn to accept no and that it'll do him some good. That was the day before I took my leave of absence, and he wasn't too happy with me about it. I want to be clear that I'm not trying to get him fired, Robert. He needs to be educated, or he'll just go do the same crap at the next job."
To her surprise, Robert laughed. "We'll deal with this issue when you get back, Bella. Try to enjoy the rest of your leave."
Bella hung up the phone feeling a little better, knowing she'd done the right thing regardless of the outcome.
She tried reaching Jack several times, to no avail. She called the office where he worked, asking to speak with his boss and her lawyer, Thomas Dangler.
One of the best-prosecuting lawyers in Florida, Tom's logo looked like an antique scale from a distance. Up close, it was a fishing pole with handcuffs dangling off the hook. It instantly reminded her of her father. She'd sent Charlie a picture of the logo once, and he'd thought it brilliant.
Just as the other line came off hold, she wondered where in the hell Jack was. Bella quickly collected herself as Tom answered her call, and she began asking him questions about wrongful termination while dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace. Bella wanted to prepare herself in case the little birdie let loose shit right on her head. She didn't need the job, but she'd be damned before letting Nathan win if he tried to get her fired.
Tom redirected her to a different lawyer in his office to discuss setting up a trust for the council and another for Jamie. Particularly one the foster system or government couldn't touch or confiscate, but Paul could access when necessary.
And then, they discussed what needed to be done to pay someone else's adoption fees. If there was anything Bella accomplished before going home, she wanted Jamie and Paul's situation to be secure. The woman she talked to promised to call back on Monday after looking further into the Washington State adoption regulations. She felt a little better once she hung up the phone and took a hot shower to relax.
Tomorrow was her ten-year reunion, and Bella couldn't wait to get it over with. She reconsidered hiring a lawyer to handle her court date and simply going home instead, but she had already made promises. And Bella had broken too many promises in the past. Now, stubborn, like her father, she was determined to keep the ones she'd made since coming home. Bella owed them that. She owed everyone that.
As Bella turned off the shower, she heard, "You better have saved me some hot water, Honey. That flight was brutal!"
Bella shrieked, "Jack!" She reached for her towel, wrapped it around herself, and flung open the bathroom door. She squealed as he yanked her into his arms and hugged her, instantly soaking his expensive shirt with her dripping hair. They both laughed at the mess as they pulled apart.
He sighed. "Now I really need a shower. No sense in wasting a clean shirt."
"What are you doing here? I tried calling you like ten times today."
He threw up his hands. "Duh, woman. I was on a plane? Then a cab, and let me tell you. I needed all the GPS signals for that man that I could pick up out here in this fucking wilderness. Good God!"
"Do you love it?"
"Oh, I so love it." He nodded, entirely serious.
"I knew you would." She laughed and shook her head. "How did you get in my hotel room, sir? Or even find me, by the way?"
"I used the lost phone chime thingy we installed just in case, remember?"
Bella laughed. He could never remember the name of the phone app they installed for emergencies - just in case one left on a date and disappeared.
"The security here is lacking, honey. I told those fuckers I'm your husband, gave your full legal name, and Tada! Spare key." Jack held up the spare key card and wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Yeah, they let my step-sister in, too," Bella grumbled. "I might have to say something to the people at the front desk."
"Something like, anyone who should know where I am already does. Quit letting people in my suite?"
"More or less." She laughed as he started unbuttoning his wet top shirt. "Are you actually going to take a shower?"
"Hell, yes! You were right. That flight… and then the cab here. Sonofabitch was burning incense in the car. I'm pretty sure he was high as shit. I thought I was going to die like eight times."
Jack scoffed as he pulled off his top shirt and unbuckled his belt.
"Go do that in there!" Bella pointed to the bathroom. "So I can dress and won't see your bits."
"Do you even remember what bits look like, honey?"
Laughing, she nodded. "I had a lovely bits refresher course all night last night."
He gasped dramatically and made a loud snapping sound with his belt that startled her, but she giggled as he said, "Kibbles and bits."
Oh, that's ironic… "Sure, Jack. Sure. Kibbles and bits. Precisely." She shoved him toward the bathroom. "Now go shower, and I'll tell you about yesterday before we sleep."
Jack gave her an exaggerated pout. "Are you gonna make me sleep on the couch?"
She snorted. "Contrary to what you told the front desk, you are not my husband."
"No, I am not." He grinned. "Is that where you got your Kibbles and Bits last night?"
His eyes widened in surprise as she blushed, trying not to grin. He clapped his hands together and laughed. Suddenly, Jack paused, then feigned anger at her as he hissed, "Lucky bitch."
Bella cackled. "You really should have been an actor. You're wasting your talents."
"Hmmm… takes one to know one, Honey." Jack winked as he flung his belt outward like a whip. It cracked loudly against the bathroom door frame as he yelled, "Woo!"
She could only shake her head as he shut the bathroom door behind him, and the shower immediately turned on.
Bella sighed as she started pulling on her pajamas. This was precisely what she needed. If she was lucky, she could set him up on a date with Leah before he went home. They might not be long-haul material, but they could use a good time.
And Jackie is always good at that.
As she dressed, her stomach grumbled. She had eaten little at lunch or the day before. Through the closed door, she hollered, "You hungry? Do you want room service?"
"Hell, yes."
"What sounds good?"
"Surprise me!"
Bella ordered several dishes, a fruit basket, and a bottle of wine. Jack was so hyper, and she was so exhausted it might even out enough to go to sleep.
She texted Leah to announce her guest since Leah had already developed a tendency to drop by whenever she felt like it. Bella sat cross-legged on the bed and flipped on the TV, waiting on Jack and room service.
Sooner than expected, there was a loud knocking on the door, and Bella turned the television down. "Come in!"
She stood to get her purse and tip the deliverer, not paying attention as the door swung open. She turned to hand a few dollars to the person, looked up, and gasped. Holding a sniffling, red-faced, pajama-clad Jamie to his chest, Paul stood there trembling, physically tense, and furious. Bella's heart sank as she gaped at them in surprise.
"What's wrong?" She threw the purse and cash into the chair by the door and reached for them both. "Guys, what happened?"
"Karrie," Paul growled. "Jamie refused to go to sleep until he talked to you. He's been upset for hours."
Jamie burst into tears as he reached for the sleeve of Bella's fuzzy pajama top. She was wearing her comfort pajamas. They were none-to-pretty after many washings. Her hair hung over her shoulder, unbrushed and still wet. She was a mess.
And yet, despite his anger, the current chaos around them, and her disorderly state, she could sense the pull between herself and Paul. Bella could see the wanting in her husband's eyes and a tiny smirk trying to form at the corners of his mouth as he carefully passed her his son.
Bella took a deep breath, too stunned to be angry, and asked, "What did she do? Karrie?"
She cradled Jamie in her arms as he cried against her chest. He pinched part of her shirt between his thumb and forefinger and rubbed it back and forth.
Paul focused on the movement. "That's his self-soothing technique. He's got a blanket like that material at home."
Bella tried to get Jamie to look at her as she smiled, bounced him once, and said, "Then I chose the right night to wear them, huh?" Despite his tear-streaked face, he smiled.
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Jack stepped out in nothing but a towel. He and Paul looked directly at each other and made the same shocked expression. Bella watched them in alarm, wondering what the hell was happening and hoping Paul didn't freak out about the naked man in her hotel room without asking some questions first.
To her astonishment, each grinned at the other in disbelief. Paul turned back to her wide-eyed. " Jackson Smythe is the neighbor, bestie Jack you talk about?"
It took a moment for Bella to find her voice. "Um, yes? Do you two… know each other?"
"Well, I haven't seen him in person since I was eight when we both lived in Arizona, but I'd fucking know him anywhere."
Jack laughed and said, "Man, I almost didn't recognize you, you giant! If I didn't follow your damn Instagram…"
"You both lived in Arizona, too? How did I never know this?" Turning to Paul, she asked, "And you're on Instagram?"
Before Paul could respond, Jack said, "Yeah. Paul posts pics of the artwork he sells. You seriously haven't seen it? Bella, honey, I can't believe that shit."
Bella scoffed in disbelief. "Jackie, you read my damn court papers. How did you not notice his name?"
Jack facepalmed himself. "Oh… my god. Honey. This is your Paul? Someone I've been in contact with this whole time?"
Bella shook her head as Paul chuckled. He said, "Bella, my last name on Instagram is my birth name. My last name changed to Lahote when I was ten, and Grandma Ruth took custody of me from my parents. That's why I moved here from Arizona."
Bella had no clue what to say. He never talked about his family in their youth, at least not with her.
Jack grabbed his bag and said, "Let me get dressed, man. Don't… don't go anywhere! Fuck, I can't believe you're…" He gestured between Paul and Bella and shook his head before hurrying back into the bathroom and shutting the door.
Bella laughed in disbelief. "He just got here right before you did. I didn't know he was coming. I was in the shower when he got here."
Paul chuckled, his earlier fury and tension nearly entirely gone. "You don't have to explain anything, Bella. It's fine."
"Well, I just… thought it might look a little awkward, so…"
"You don't owe me an explanation, Bella," he reiterated, nodding for emphasis.
Of course, she didn't. She knew that. Paul wasn't jealous in the least. And even though that was a good thing, it hurt a little, too. It felt like another confirmation that he had no intention of anything more.
Muffled against Bella's chest, Jamie whisper-yelled, "Dad?"
Paul chuckled as he leaned down and whispered, "What, buddy?"
Whisper-yelling again, Jamie asked, "You gonna kiss Bella hello? You kissed her goodbye!"
Heat filled her cheeks as Bella chuckled nervously. Man, this kid is only three and already good at putting people between a rock and a hard place!
Paul grinned at her and whispered, "I don't know, buddy. She looks nervous. Do you think I should?"
