Cheap Shot Page 3

  “I did.”

  Sheldon knew all about her relationship with Jaxon. When she and Jaxon broke up, he’d been one of her professors, and he’d taken the time to find out why one of his best and brightest students, as he put it, had dropped off the radar. They’d been on friendly terms for the remainder of the year. During the summer, he’d stopped by the restaurant where she waited tables to ask her if she’d like to have dinner with him. They’d been seeing each other ever since.

  “How did that go?” he asked, tucking one leg under the other as he faced her on the sofa.

  Sheldon was mature, not a hot-head like Jaxon. He didn’t give in to petty jealousy. If Sela didn’t know better, she’d think he didn’t care about her at all.

  “It was awkward.” She took a sip of wine. It was her favorite chardonnay, and she savored it. “Can you believe Kiki invited him to the wedding?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Your sister is impulsive.”

  “But didn’t she think about what having him there would do to me?” When Sheldon frowned, she said, “I mean, how would you feel if your brother invited your ex-wife to his wedding?”

  He laughed. “My brother and ex-wife hated each other. Besides, my brother’s been married for seven years.”

  How did I not know that? “Still, I’m sure you can imagine how awkward it would be. My parents hate Jaxon. They’re going to be furious when they find out Kiki invited him.”

  “Somehow I doubt your sister will care what your parents think.”

  Sheldon was right. Kiki would remind them it was her wedding and she had the right to decide who made the guest list. “You’re right.” Sela tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling. “But I don’t want him there.”

  “Maybe he’ll think better of it.”

  “I doubt it. When Jaxon makes up his mind about something, he rarely changes it.” She thought about what Jaxon had said before he let her go. She couldn’t believe he’d set his pride aside to ask for a second chance. It was so unlike the Jaxon she’d known.

  “He may surprise you,” Sheldon said, covering his mouth as he yawned. “Sorry, I’m kind of tired. I was cycling the better part of the afternoon.”

  “I shouldn’t have come,” Sela said, inching forward on the couch. “It’s late. You need your rest.” She wanted him to pull her into his arms and beg her to stay, but that wasn’t Sheldon’s style. He wasn’t passionate. He was pragmatic, and she told herself that was better, safer.

  “We’ll talk in the morning,” he said, kissing her temple. “Try not to worry about this thing with Jaxon. I’m sure he’ll get the message you’re not interested.”

  * * *

  Kiki was sitting on the couch moisturizing her hands when Sela walked into their apartment. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting you home tonight. I thought you were going to Sheldon’s.”

  “I did.”

  “Why didn’t you spend the night?” Kiki asked, reaching for a throw to cover her bare legs. “Did y’all have a fight about Jaxon?”

  Sela rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not in high school. Sheldon is an intelligent, accomplished man. He doesn’t give in to petty feelings like jealousy simply because I bumped into an old boyfriend.”

  “We both know Jaxon is a lot more than that to you,” Kiki said softly. “I’ve never seen you as shattered as you were when he broke up with you. Some days I wondered if I’d ever see you smile again.”

  Sela plastered on a fake smile and poked her fingernails into the dimples bracketing her mouth. “I’m smiling. See? I’m happy… without Jaxon in my life. So if you’re thinking about trying to get us back together, now would be a good time to abandon that plan.”

  “He loves you, sis.”

  Sela sucked in a breath. “He told you that?”

  “He didn’t have to. I saw it when he looked at you.”

  Sela cursed herself for giving in to false hope. Of course he hadn’t told her sister he was in love with her. He hadn’t even been able to tell her that when she needed to hear it. “You’re delusional. You’re seeing what you want to see.”

  Kiki tossed a bridal magazine on the coffee table. “Jaxon lights you up. You can’t deny it. When you’re with him, you glow.”

  Sela sat on a chair across from her sister, hoping she could get through to her. “I’m finally getting my life back on track. Please don’t mess with that.”

  “How am I messing with that?” Kiki asked, spreading her arms.

  “By inviting Jaxon to the wedding? I don’t want him there. I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Kiki hugged a hot pink chenille pillow. “I think you’re lying to me and yourself. If you settle for Sheldon, you’ll be miserable.”

  “I’m not settling,” Sela said, feeling defensive on her boyfriend’s behalf. “He’s a wonderful man, and he makes me happy.”

  “He’s boring.” Kiki yawned for effect. “You can’t tell me that guy turns you on.” She grinned. “Do you think about Jaxon when you’re in bed with him? Is that how you get off?”

  Sela gasped, shocked that her sister had the audacity to ask her such a question. She was even more surprised Kiki had read the situation so easily. “You’re disgusting. I’m not going to listen to any more of this. I’m going to bed. And you’re crazy if you think Daddy will let you invite Jaxon to the wedding.”

  “You let me worry about him. You just worry about how you’re going to explain to your current boyfriend why you can’t keep your eyes off your ex.”

  “Meddling bitch,” Sela muttered on her way down the short hallway. She slammed her bedroom door.

  “I heard that!” Kiki laughed. “You’re just mad ‘cause you know I’m right!”

  Chapter Two

  “You want me to do what?” Joe McNeil asked. “Buddy, you must be losing it. Why would I fire Sela? She’s one of my best waitresses.”

  Jaxon was crossing the line, but he couldn’t get the idea of Sela working for High Rollers out of his head. He needed to spend more time with her, and hiring her was the only way he could think of to accomplish his goal.

  “Call it a personal favor.” Unbeknownst to Sela, Jaxon had bought the building that housed her place of employment years ago, making him her boss’s landlord.

  “I guess I gotta keep my landlord happy, don’t I?”

  They toasted, Jaxon with a glass of scotch and Joe with vodka.

  “But I thought you and Sela were through,” Joe said. “She’s dating some professor now, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Jaxon leaned back in the comfortable chair, thinking it might be time for High Rollers to upgrade their interior. “What’s he like?”

  Joe shrugged. “I don’t know him that well. He seems all right, I guess.”

  Jaxon smiled. “That’s a ringing endorsement if ever I’ve heard one.”

  Joe locked eyes with him. “At least she’s not miserable anymore. It’s nice to see her smile again.”

  “I know I was an ass for breaking up with her. I shouldn’t have done it, but I’m trying to make things right. Can you cut me a little slack?”

  “That depends,” Joe said, stroking his greying goatee. “Are you sayin’ you’re ready for a commitment this time around?”

  Jaxon shifted, uncomfortable under Joe’s perusal. He was rarely on the receiving end of an interrogation, and he couldn’t say he liked it. “I was committed to her before.”

  “No, you weren’t.” Joe snickered. “You may have stopped sleeping around for a spell, but that doesn’t mean you were committed to building a life with Sela. Trust me, son, I’ve been married a long time, and any woman will tell you it’s no fun bein’ with a man who’s always got one foot out the door.”

  “Did Sela tell you I made her feel that way?” Jaxon felt the weight of guilt barreling down on him. Of course he’d made her feel that way. Every time she’d tried to talk about the future, he’d shut her down.

  “Mayb
e not in so many words, but I got the feeling she said as much to Marlie.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Marlie, Joe’s wife, came up behind Jaxon and bumped his shoulder with her hip. “Well, I’ll be damned. We haven’t see you around these parts in a dog’s age, sugar.”

  “I’ve been trying to keep my distance for Sela’s sake,” he admitted. “I thought seeing me here might make her uneasy.”

  “Oh yeah?” Marlie claimed one of the two vacant chairs at the table. “How’d you know she wouldn’t be here tonight?”

  “Her sister told me.”

  Marlie raised an eyebrow. “Since when are you and Kiki best buds? I thought you’d be on her most wanted list after what you did to her big sister.”

  If one more person reminded Jaxon of how badly he’d screwed things up with Sela, he thought he might lose it. “She called me earlier to confirm I was still coming to her wedding. I asked her if Sela was working, and she said she’d gone to the beach with a couple of girlfriends.” An image of Sela wearing a string bikini on his boat flashed through his mind, and he wondered if he’d ever be lucky enough to rub suntan lotion all over that beautiful body again.

  “I’m glad she’s havin’ some fun on her day off,” Joe said. “That girl works too damn hard.”

  “Amen to that,” Marlie said. “I’m gonna miss her around here when she graduates. She’s only got a few months left, and then I think she’s apprenticing with some big company. Isn’t that what she said, Joe?”

  “Something like that.” He looked uneasy as he looked into his near-empty glass. “Seems we’re gonna be losin’ her a little sooner than we thought, honey.”

  “What?” Marlie looked alarmed. “She’s not quitting, is she? I thought she was happy working here.”

  “She’s not quitting,” Jaxon interjected, trying to take some of the heat off his friend. “I’ve asked Joe to let her go.”

  “Why the hell would you agree to do a stupid thing like that?” Marlie asked, nudging her husband’s arm. “Sela’s like family. I love that girl. Besides, she needs this job, what with her parents refusin’ to help her out. She’s got rent and—”

  “We’ve offered her a job working in our V.I.P. lounge, working fewer hours and making a lot more money.” Jaxon had no idea she’d lined up an apprenticeship already. He’d have to act fast.

  “She agreed to work for you?” Marlie frowned. “I can’t believe that. No offense, but you’re not exactly her favorite person anymore.”

  “I’m hoping to change that.”

  “You mean you realize how stupid you were to let her go and now you want her back?” Marlie said with a gleam in her dark eyes. “I knew it wouldn’t be long before you got tired of those empty-headed pin-up dolls and came lookin’ for a real woman again.”

  “There hasn’t been anyone since I broke up with Sela,” Jaxon admitted. “An occasional date maybe, but nothing more.”

  “Is that right?” Marlie sized him up. “I’m surprised to hear that. I didn’t think you’d be alone for long.”

  “No one measures up to Sela. I know that now.”

  Marlie reached for the water glass her husband hadn’t touched. “Maybe it’s too late for y’all. Ever thought of that? Some sins are unforgiveable. She told me what you said to her, the way you treated her toward the end. I don’t think I’d be too quick to forgive if I were her.”

  Joe gave his wife a sharp look. “Give the guy a break. We all make mistakes.”

  “Yeah, but it took him a whole year to own up to his. Sela’s moved on. She has a new man, and he seems to make her happy. Maybe you ought to leave well enough alone, Jaxon.”

  “Can’t do that,” Jaxon said, taking a sip of his scotch. “I want her.”

  “Yeah, well, we can’t always have what we want,” Marlie said.

  Jaxon looked Marlie in the eye. They’d always gotten along, but she was testing his patience. No one would convince him he couldn’t win Sela back. “We’ll see about that.”

  “I hate like hell to do it,” Joe interjected, “but I’ll talk to Sela tomorrow before her shift. I’ll tell her the truth: Business is always a little slow this time of year, and the full-timers have been whining about not getting enough hours. She’ll understand. I hope.”

  “I wanna go on record right now,” Marlie said. “I don’t agree with this, not one damn bit. It feels wrong, dirty, to deceive that poor girl this way.”

  “I’ll tell her the truth,” Jaxon promised, “just as soon as we’re back on solid ground.”

  “Any idea how long that’ll take?” Marlie asked. “I don’t want her holding a grudge against us.”

  “She’s a smart girl,” Joe said. “She’ll understand that I have to look out for those who are gonna be here for the long haul. Could be Jaxon did us a favor by makin’ the decision for us.”

  Marlie snorted and glared at her husband. “Last time I checked, this was our business, and we made the decisions.”

  “Look, I don’t wanna cause any problems between y’all,” Jaxon said. “I’m grateful you’d even consider going out on a limb for me like this, and I promise I won’t let you down. All I want is to make Sela happy again.” He reached for Marlie’s hand. “Admit it, we were pretty great together. She loved me.”

  “But you didn’t love her,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “That was the problem, wasn’t it?”

  Marlie was tough as nails. Jaxon had always admired that about her… until now. “Things are different now. I’ve done a lot of soul searching, and I know I was in the wrong.”

  “Then you’re willing to admit you love her now?” Marlie asked, clearly not willing to relent.

  “Stop, Marlie!” Joe said, leaning in and lowering his voice when the bartender glanced their way. “That’s none of your business. It’s up to Sela and Jaxon to decide if they can find their way back to each other. I’ve agreed to do what he asks. End of story.”

  Marlie clearly wasn’t happy with her husband’s decision, but she seemed ready to stop fighting.

  “You said you’d talk to her before her shift tomorrow. What time does she start?” Jaxon asked.

  “Five o’clock, but she’s always here about twenty minutes early,” Joe said.

  “You mind if I send Dylan in to have a word with her?” Jaxon asked. “It might soften the blow if he reminded her she has another job waiting for her.”

  “No problem.” Joe offered his hand. “Good luck, my friend. I have a feelin’ you might need it.”

  * * *

  “I can’t believe this,” Sela said, fighting back tears when Joe gave her her walking papers. “I’ve been working here ever since I started school. I thought I was doing a good job.”

  “You’ve always done a great job for us, darlin’.” Joe patted her hand awkwardly. “I wouldn’t do this unless I had to. Things are a little slow right now, and I have to make sure my full-timers are getting all the hours they need.”

  That was the way things had always been, but Sela hadn’t realized things had slowed down that much. They’d always been fairly busy the nights she was working. “I only have a few more months before I finish school. I just thought I could count on this job until then.” She realized how self-centered she was being. Marlie and Joe had always been so good to her, and she knew the decision had to be difficult for them. She forced a smile. “It’s okay. I’ll find something else that works with my schedule.” She had no choice, especially since her sister was moving into a new condo with her husband after the wedding. Sela would have to foot the rent for their two-bedroom apartment on her own.

  “I hate like hell to do this to you,” Joe said, shaking his head. “If there was any other way…” He sighed. “You can finish out the week, if it’ll help, but don’t feel obligated to. It’s up to you.”|

  Joe looked up and smiled when he spotted Dylan walking toward them. “Hey, buddy, nice to see you again.”

  “You too, Joe,” Dylan said, winking at Sela. “How are things?”


  “Can’t complain too much,” Joe said. “I’m afraid I have to go check on things in the kitchen. We have a new sous chef with a bad temper.”

  Dylan laughed. “I know what that’s like. You mind if I take this table? I have a friend meeting me in a bit.”

  “Be my guest,” Joe said, standing. “I’ll send a waitress over whenever you’re ready to order.”

  “Thanks.” Dylan sat across from Sela. “Nice to see you again, pretty lady.”

  “You too, Dylan,” Sela sighed. “I should probably change into my uniform.”

  “Why the long face?” he asked, frowning.

  “Joe just let me go.” She bit her lip, hoping she wouldn’t break down in front of Dylan. “He didn’t have a choice.”

  “Damn, that’s too bad,” Dylan said. “But our offer still stands. The pay’s great, and the hours are flexible.”

  She was between a rock and a hard place, and she suspected Dylan knew it. “I can’t work with Jaxon.”

  Dylan laughed. “You wouldn’t be working with Jax. He’s hardly ever there. He spends most of his time at our head office.”

  Sela knew from her time dating Jaxon that that much was true. He usually stopped by the bar to check on things once a week, at most. Maybe she wouldn’t have to see him much. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on. What have you got to lose? You’re already out of work, and you need to find something else, right?”

  “Yeah, but this would only be temporary,” she said. “I only have a few months of school left, and I’ve already lined up a full-time position as a junior designer/intern for a big jewelry company downtown.”

  His eyes lit up. “Hey, that’s great! Congratulations.”

  Sela had always liked Dylan. He was fun and easy-going, a sharp contrast to Jaxon’s hard edge. “Thank you. Are you sure you’d be okay with just taking me on as a temp?”

  “We can keep looking for someone on a more permanent basis while you’re there, but you’d be helping us out of a real bind if you could start right away. Our last hostess hooked up with one of the pro athletes who frequents the V.I.P. lounge, and she left us high and dry when she found out she was pregnant.”