“I do,” he agreed. “This could be a while.”
Once he stepped out onto the patio for privacy, Jade thunked her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. She could do this. Spending the night with Cash was no big deal. He’d be on the couch, she’d be in the bedroom with the doors closed. How difficult could this be?
That was one question she wasn’t even going to entertain answering.
Jade pushed off the wall and went to her purse. She pulled out her phone and saw she’d missed three calls from her mother and six texts. Yup. She’d discovered Jade was in town and not the polished charity volunteer she’d tried to paint her out to be.
Whatever. Jade wasn’t in the mood to defend herself or explain where she’d been. Right now, that Jacuzzi tub was calling her name. Hopefully, she wouldn’t fall asleep and drown, but it was a chance she was willing to take.
She grabbed her suitcase handle and started toward the bedroom. A quick glance out the patio doors and she stopped. Cash had the phone to his ear, his
head down, his free hand raking back and forth over the back of his neck.
Guilt stirred within her. If she hadn’t needed a ride, he wouldn’t be stuck here with her and the plane wouldn’t be abandoned in some field outside the city. She couldn’t imagine how terrified he’d been, knowing their safety had literally been in his hands, and now worrying about the plane he and Tanner had invested so much in.
Jade could’ve turned down the request to be in the wedding party, but her grandmother had asked her to be in it, and there was no way Jade could say no to the woman who had kept her sane all those years growing up with Lana as a mother. Jade’s father had passed too soon. He’d been all Irish, and they actually resembled each other, even though the biology didn’t match up. She often wondered how her life would’ve been different had he lived. Because living with Lana had been quite the struggle as Jade attempted to find her place . . . which hadn’t been at society functions with her mother.
But her dad’s mom, the one woman Jade had felt a connection to, had been there when Jade needed an escape from pearls and teacups and gossip over who had the latest-model Jag.
Cash turned and raised his head, his dark eyes instantly locking on hers. Nightfall had settled in, but the glow of the patio light seemed to shine down directly onto him, making him appear like some sort of dark angel.
Jade blinked and pulled herself from the trance.
A bath. That was what she was working toward. Not these crazy stirrings toward Cash. She was tired, she was confused, she was ready to get this weekend over with.
Jade turned toward the bedroom and pushed open the double doors. Shedding this rank dress and her running shoes were top priority right now. Long glances toward her new roommate were not.
* * *
How long should he wait before checking to see if she’d passed out in there?
Cash stood outside the bedroom doors and listened. When he’d hung up with Jax, he’d heard the water running, but for the past hour, there had been nothing at all.
Jax had been upset about the plane, even though the aircraft didn’t belong to him, he didn’t like knowing his friends had been in danger. A crew would be called in the morning to come and check the plane and work on getting it back to Haven. The entire ordeal would be a mess and a hell of a hit to their renovation budget, but Cash would figure something out.
He’d called Tanner, too, considering they shared the Cessna, but he didn’t answer. Cash ended up shooting him a brief text.
And now he was waiting for Jade. He didn’t know why he was waiting on her. She’d likely get out of the tub and crawl into bed and ignore him. But he wanted to see if she was okay. Jade had a tendency to use sarcasm or the cold shoulder to deal with things . . . or maybe that was just the special treatment he got.
Regardless, as much of a tough front as she’d tried to put up earlier when running into her cousins, Cash had seen beyond the forced smiles. She truly didn’t want to be here.
He wanted to know why or who kept her loyalty. He’d always thought Jade was upper class, and she was, but after seeing a brief sampling of her family, Cash realized she was nothing like them.
There was no need for him to barge into the bathroom to see if she was breathing or submerged underwater. Surely to goodness she was just relaxing, like she’d been wanting to do.
Cash turned from the closed doors and stared at the couch. This day sure as hell hadn’t gone as planned, but he could think of worse ways to spend the night. He still needed to text his clients to reschedule them because he wasn’t going to be back in Haven for a couple of days.
Tomorrow he’d have to find somewhere to get something to wear for the wedding. No doubt it was a black-tie affair, but because he technically wasn’t invited, he didn’t feel he needed to follow those rules.
He crossed to the sectional, which would prove to be his bedroom, office, and living room. Pulling his cell from his pocket, he sank into the corner seat and stretched his legs out before him on the cushions.
After several minutes of scrolling through his schedule and contacting clients, he set his phone aside and glanced over his shoulder toward the closed bedroom doors. Still nothing.
Was she done talking for the night?
Considering he was only here by default, Cash wasn’t going to bother her. She’d booked this room thinking she’d have some romantic getaway with her jerk of an ex. A stirring of jealousy slithered through him, which was absolutely absurd because he never got jealous. He wasn’t even jealous when his wife cheated on him . . . twice. He was mad as hell, but not jealous. That had been a glaring sign that he wasn’t in love with her.
Cash came to his feet and went to the closet in the entryway. He found spare blankets and pillows and took them back to the couch to make his bed. He had no spare clothes, so he’d just have to sleep in his boxer briefs. No way in hell was he going to be modest and try to sleep in jeans. He wasn’t that much of a gentleman.