Heartstopper(36)

Mindy hugs me tighter, and I hold her close. "He hates me though. I'm  sure Sophie hates me, too. I took him away from her, and that's why she  was out with Jax."

"Give him some time," Mindy reassures me. "As for Sophie . . . I think  we both know she didn't see this Jax just because Jake wasn't spending  time with her. An older guy showed her attention and she liked it."

I sob. "I still fucked up everything. I feel so fucking shitty."

Mindy pushes my head back, looking me in the eyes with a stern but  loving expression. "Don't you dare put all of this on yourself, Roxy.  Sophie's young and was taken advantage of. If anyone is to be blamed,  it's that perv Jax. I'm of half a mind to have Oliver and Gavin pay him a  visit."         

     



 

"It'd just make everything worse." I sigh, laying my head back on  Mindy's chest. "Min . . . I'll never get another chance. I thought that  this was going to be my big break. I'm so sorry, Mindy."

"Sorry for what?" Mindy asks.

"That you came out here to see all of this mess."

Mindy chuckles and kisses me on the cheek. "Roxy, I seem to remember  dragging you through a nest of lies for an entire week, all the way to  the altar of a wedding, only to tell you that the whole thing was a  charade. If that's not an absolute mess, I don't know what is."

"True, but you didn't burn anything down," I protest. "And you still ended up marrying Oliver."

Mindy laughs softly. "Baby, I don't care if you blew up half the city.  You're still my baby sister and I fucking love you. You hear me? I  fucking love you. And if Jake really loves you, he'll get over his  anger. He'll realize that he's wrong and come here crawling on his hands  and knees to apologize for talking like an ass to you."

"I just don't know . . . I really don't," I whisper. "It feels like my life is over."

"Well, if it is, then I'm ending your life in style. I noticed it  before-you've got some Chocolate Cherry Garcia in your fridge, and I'm  thinking the two of us need to carb up before catching some Zs. Oliver  already knows I'm going to be staying the night, so you can't chase me  out."

I swallow my fresh tears, nodding. "Okay . . . if you say so."

"I do. Now let's go get some chocolate."





Chapter 26





Jake





"What?" Nathan yells into the phone. "Listen, you stupid bitch, I  already fucking told you four times that it was an accident. You know  what? I'm done talking with you. Put your fucking supervisor on the  line." He shakes his head, growling deep in his chest. "What do you mean  they're unavailable? I don't care if you have to route this to the  fucking CEO. And yes, I'm saying it's a fucking accident! Huh? Go fuck  yourself."

Nathan slams down the phone, shaking his head angrily. "Jesus, and I  thought those assholes at the SEC were bad. These insurance pricks make  the SEC and IRS look like Mr. Fucking Rogers goes to Sesame Street."

I sit in my chair, gripping the glass of mineral water I've been  sipping, wishing it were something stronger. We're sitting in the back  room of the club on two of the smaller couches that were saved from the  mess that was the VIP section.

The fire gutted a lot of the main room of Club Jasmine. The bar is a  total loss, the marble top cracked and soot-streaked. As Nathan put it  the first time we walked in yesterday, "Holy shit, there's a fuckton of  damage."

We've already started, financing everything through our own names and  funds. It's not much right now. I can hear the workers out front, a  half-dozen guys clearing out the mess. While they do that, Nathan and I  are back here, running numbers and trying to get the insurance company  to get off their asses. If they don't, a good chunk of our fortune is  gonna go down the tubes and it's all going be because of . . .

A hard, bitter lump forms in my throat at the thought. I won't let that  angry, stupid fucking idea enter my head again. It's not true. I'm just  grateful that Nathan isn't playing the blame game. Still, despite Nathan  being my bro, despite all we've been through, I'd happily tell him to  go fuck himself if he tried. I'm dealing with enough between Roxy and my  sister.

"Shit, man. I really hope they come through," Nathan says after a moment  in a calmer tone. When I don't say anything, he glances at me and  sighs. "It's gonna fuckin' hurt if they don't."

"Did they?" I ask, already knowing the answer. I'm just still in a haze.  I should be at Franklin Consolidated, but I talked with Elena this  morning. She's going to send all the files I need to look at  electronically and keep me up to date on what I need to be there for.  Right now, that place is the least of my damn worries.

Nathan snorts. "Fuck, no. They're dumb as hell. They're saying they want  the fire marshal's report, and I told them five times I don't have it.  For fuck's sake, I talked with the guy this morning, and he said that  even a rush job would take him another week to get together. In the  meantime, I've given them the video footage. We just need to get the  fucking repairs underway."

I rub my face, feeling the unfamiliar rasp of stubble. I forgot to shave  this morning. My head is pounding with a headache that should be in the  fucking Guinness Book of World Records. Looking around the room, I sigh  at how depressing it all is. I don't even know why I came in. There's  nothing for me to do. At least Nathan can do his trading with his  tablet. I can't do half of my fucking job sitting back here.         

     



 

But while Franklin is my job, Club Jasmine was my dream. My way out. It  was the thing that said I was working for myself, not for some nameless,  faceless mass of shareholders and some board of rich assholes who  wouldn't understand what I've had to do to get to this point. Club  Jasmine might have been just a nightclub, but it was magical when it was  open. It's my baby, and I feel compelled to check on it. Every day  we're closed is like a knife in my chest . . . and other than bleed  money, there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

"How's Sophie holding up through this?" Nathan asks after a moment. "I mean, the situation between you two."

"She's not talking to me," I say. "I was making progress before the  accident. I mean, I thought I was. Sure, I'd spent a lot of time with  Roxy and getting this place ready, but . . . now she's down again. Maybe  I said some things I shouldn't have. I got so mad when I found out she  was with the same asshole who brought her in here."

"You want to pay the fucker a visit?" Nathan asks. "I gave him a little  speech before I let him go, but maybe he needs a little more  convincing."

I think about it, then shake my head. "No. I'm still debating on it, but if I do, I'll handle it myself."

Nathan snorts, shaking his head. "Teenage girls, man. Shit, even when we  were teenagers, I preferred them older. I wouldn't wish that death  sentence on anybody. All hormones and Lifetime Channel bullshit."

Despite my sour mood, I have to chuckle at his crude way with words.  "Sophie's actually not that bad. In fact, up until now, she's been  practically an angel. I guess it was gonna catch up with me sooner or  later."

"Actually, I'd say you've done pretty damn good with this."

I turn to Nathan, so exhausted and hurting that I speak my mind. "Nate,  about the fire . . . I mean, you've gotta blame me some."

"Bullshit," Nathan says with a harsh laugh. "I'm not a damn child. I  agreed to the fucking pyro idea. Hell, I've spent days kicking myself  over it, too. Roxy told me as they were getting on stage that they  wanted to nix the pyro. I swear I passed it along. I even talked to the  stage tech. He says the same. Nobody can find the damn pyro tech though.  Someone didn't get the fucking message."

"Sounds like there's more than enough blame to go around and we all get  to take a bite of the shit sandwich," I whisper. "Thank you for telling  me."

There's a knock at the door, and I get up, swaying as the room spins.  Nathan's up in a flash, patting me on the arm. "Yo, you go home, Jake. I  got this shit. You go take care of Sophie."

I nod as Nathan leads me to the door. Opening it, we see John, who's  been acting as crew chief. He looks different in his old army pants and  combat boots, good for the work at hand. "Nathan-"

"Just a moment, John," Nathan says. "Call Jake a cab, and then tell me what's on your mind."

John nods and disappears, and I give Nathan a grateful but exhausted nod. "Thanks, man. I owe you."

Nathan shakes his head. "Don't sweat it."



We pull up to the address that I got from Sophie's phone, a medium-sized  house in what looks like a middle-class neighborhood out in the burbs.  Luckily for me, Jax is already sitting out on the porch with a blonde  girl on his arm, talking, laughing, and carrying on like he didn't just  almost kill my sister. I know I told Nathan I was still thinking about  this, but I can't stop myself.