Love, Lies & The D.A. (37 page)

Hobbling
on my crutches, I follow him. His back is to me as he looks out to the view.

“You’re
not responsible for his actions.”

“Jada,
I let down my guard. I underestimated this man. I, of all people, should know
better. From the very first time he approached Megan, I should have put a stop
to this.”

“There’s
no way you could have predicted that he’d go this far.”

“I
could never forgive myself for this. You’re in this condition because of me.”

“No. I’m
in this condition because a mad man you have no control over intentionally hit
me in my car.”

“I’m
so sorry about this.”

“There’s
no need for you to apologize,” I say, poking him with one of my crutches. “Snap
out of it. I’m going to be fine. Let’s find something fun to do… go skiing on
my crutches or something.”

Finally,
he turns to face me.

“How
can you joke around at a time like this?”

“I don’t
want you to be upset over something that’s not your fault.”

He
looks at me, sighs, then circles me in his arms.

“How
would you feel about all of us
—
my family, you, me
—
going
to Lake Tahoe for the rest of the weekend?”

“I’d
be lying if I didn’t say a change of scenery wouldn’t be good. I miss it there…
and at Big Sur too.”

“So you’re
game?”

“I
think it would be great. It will give me a chance to get to know your family
better. Be prepared to carry me up and down those stairs, though.”

“I’d
be more than happy to. I need to get out of this place.”

By
noon, after
Jonathan speaks with Phillip, a convoy of
vehicles arrive at the house. It’s a beautiful day in Lake Tahoe with clear
blue skies. As I watch everyone offload their things from the vehicle,
including the pooches, it’s clear to me why Jonathan asked for this. He needed
this.

I
realize that he doesn’t always use his words to articulate how he feels. I’m
going to have to learn to notice his subtle clues. I’m happy I agreed to do
this. His whole demeanor changed from the minute we crossed the Bay Bridge.

As I approach
the snow-covered stairs, I hesitate. Before I know it, he sweeps me off my feet
and he carries me up the stairs. I’m not sure who pulled away the crutches.

It’s
evident to me that everyone has their reserved bedroom in the house as they all
disperse with their luggage into their respective rooms. It’s as if they have
this down to a science.

Megan
and Pierce stopped to pick up some food at the store on the way here. Jonathan
and Caroline unpack the groceries, and the rest of us, including Daniel and his
girlfriend Wendy, gather round the island and start preparing lunch. Wendy
seems somewhat familiar, but I’m not sure from where I know her. She says we’ve
never met before.

We all
cuddle on the three sofas in front of the massive fireplace and watch a movie
over lunch.

It’s
been a great experience for me. I admit the thought did cross my mind that I’d
have preferred to come here alone with Jonathan, but this is very comforting. I’m
not sure if Jonathan ever discussed our relationship with his family. He doesn’t
seem to be holding back any of his affectionate feelings towards me.

I’ve
found myself on at least two occasions blushing uncontrollably at his
unexpected show of fondness towards me. I suppose it’s something I will get
used to in time.

In the
past, I haven’t had to deal with or be exposed to large families with any of my
exes. It’s something new that I will have to welcome and embrace.

While
we watch the movie, I glance across at Caroline and realize that this must be
the first family outing without her husband. She looks a little sad, but I get
the feeling that she takes great comfort by her kids surrounding her for the
greater part of two days.

Halfway
through the movie, I feel exhausted. The doctor did warn me that I needed to
get a lot of rest over the coming weeks, but I’ve been greatly ignoring that.
As I rest my head on Jonathan’s shoulders, I find myself giving way to sleep.

Sometime
later, I
wake to a silent house. My head is on Jonathan’s lap. As
my eyes travel around, it appears no one else is in the room. Jonathan is
reading a book. I stick my fingers through the pages. He pulls it away and
kisses me lightly on my forehead. I glance at my watch; three hours have gone
by.

“You
were tired,” he says.

“I
guess I was.”

“You
were snoring so loudly, you scared everyone away.”

I
giggle. “Liar. I don’t snore.”

“I’m
teasing. Are you hungry?”

“A
little.”

“We’re
all going to go out to dinner in a while. We should get dressed.”

“Where
are we going?”

“To a
nice restaurant in the mountains.”

“What should
I wear?”

“Something
elegant.”

While
fishing through
the closet, I realize that a cast and a
bandaged ankle can ruin an elegant look. However, I quickly get over myself and
dress in a black jumpsuit that mostly covers my obvious ailments.

Soon
enough, we are all seated at the restaurant. The bright moonlight above makes
the white snow glow in various shades of blue. Our orders have been placed, and
we indulge in great conversation as we await our food.

“We’re
dying to have you back leading the firm,” Megan says to her brother. She looks
at him with such admiration.

“Me
too,” Jonathan replies. “We’ll have a lot of work to do…”

My
phone rings and I look to see who’s calling. The private ID appears on my
screen. I decide to ignore the call. Within moments, my phone beeps again, and
it’s a text message. I try to ignore it, but I glance at the message. It simply
reads:

Be
prepared, come Monday I want my money

I try
to continue enjoying dinner. However, this message is a reminder that my
troubles and stresses are far from over.

My
mind drifts and I think about the events of the last few months, then this
week. I now have an awful headache.

“You
know, this is where Jonathan and Jada met,” Megan says.

I wish
she hadn’t felt the need to make this conversation about us.

“Really?
Tell us about it,” Wendy says, a little too excited.

“I’d
rather not,” I reply, laughing.

“Let’s
just say she told me off and put me in my place,” Jonathan says, holding my
hand and kissing it.

“I
thought you two met because of your case?” Wendy continues.

An
uncomfortable silence hovers over the table. Then I suddenly remember why she
seems so familiar to me.

“What
did you say your last name was?”

“Bronson.”

I turn
my head over to Jonathan and whisper, “Are you aware that your brother’s
girlfriend is a reporter from one of those tabloids? She’s been trying to get
an interview with me for months.”

“You’re
kidding me, right?”

“I’m
not.”

She
doesn’t take a hint and continues. “So tell us, Jada, did you do it? What
really happened?”

“She’s
not discussing this,” Jonathan says tersely.

“I—” I
start to respond, but then Megan interrupts.

“Wendy,
that question is extremely inappropriate. As Jada’s lawyers, we’ve advised her
not to talk about this case with anyone, and that includes you. So if you want
to find out the details of this case, you’ll have to do it like everyone else
and watch it on the nightly news.”

Another
awkward silence lingers. I feel the anger circulating through Jonathan’s body.
I slip my hand under the table and wrap it around his clenched fist.

“Well,
Counselor… you would have made your dad proud,” I blurt out, trying to ease the
tension. I take a huge gulp of my water.

There
is a slight chuckle by some, but the air is very tense.

“Well,
instead of getting my information from all the gossip, I thought, since I had
the opportunity, to go straight to the source. Why not?”

“Daniel,
can I talk to you outside for a second?” says Jonathan.

“Can
we talk later?” his brother replies.

“No.” He
thrusts his chair away from the table. “Now!” He walks away fuming. Daniel
follows. I feel very uneasy. I’m not quite sure how to get rid of the anxiety.

“Aren’t
we supposed to be family at this table? Doesn’t family discuss everything?”

Well,
aren’t you a brash one…

“Wendy,
I know who you are. I’m not doing any interviews; you can go write that in your
magazine,” I say quietly.

“You
are out of place,” Caroline says sternly, glaring at Wendy. “Neither is this
any of your business. If you can’t respect that, I’d like you to leave.”

That’s
the last I hear before excusing myself from the table. I head to the bathroom.
I need to be away from that woman. Tonight was supposed to be a fun family
affair, but I feel like an imposter ruined it.

I wash
my face and throw down some painkillers before heading out of the ladies’ room.
While going out through the corridor to the dining room, I see Sophie walking
towards me. I do not say anything to her as I stagger on my crutches. However, as
we pass each other, her eyes meet mine.

Just
what I need. Two bitches in my presence…

By the
time I return to the table, there is no sign of Daniel or Wendy, but Jonathan
has returned.

“You
okay?” he asks, helping me into my seat.

I nod
politely, but I really don’t want to be here.

“I’m
sorry about this,” I say to the rest of the table.

“Don’t
be ridiculous,” Caroline responds angrily. “None of this is your fault.”

“Mom.
Don’t get worked up over this. It’s not good for your health,” Pierce says.

“Look,
Jada. I can only imagine how uncomfortable this must be for you, and I’m sorry.
However, I don’t want this lovely weekend we’ve had ruined by this incident.
Please. Let’s all try to enjoy the time we have together and move past this.”

I
smile at Caroline but don’t respond.

“Bitch!”

“Megan!”
Caroline exclaims.

“Where
does she get off anyway?” Megan continues. “Who told her she’s family? She
doesn’t even have an engagement ring on her finger. She’s known him for five
seconds, and already she’s been upgraded to family status?”

“You
know she was asking what everyone else was thinking. She could have used a
little more tact though,” I say.

 “She
works for one of those trashy tabloid magazines. How my quiet accountant
brother would be attracted to a girl like that is beyond me.”

“They
say opposites attract.” I smile.

“You
know, I’ve never been one to judge people on where they work, but I thought she’d
have some class. Boy was I wrong.”

I
stretch my hand across the table and hold Megan’s hand.

“Thank
you for defending me, but there really is no need for you to get so worked up
over this. The one thing I’ve learned from this mess is how not to sweat the
small stuff.”

She
tightens her grip on my hand and smiles. Jonathan drapes his arm around my
waist, pulls me towards him, and kisses me on my cheek.

“Sophie’s
here,” I whisper over my shoulder.

“Where?”

“I saw
her on my way from the ladies’ room.”

“More
and more, I’m regretting we chose to come out this evening,” he responds.

“I
know. But try to enjoy the time with your mom. She enjoys being with you all.”

When
we return
home, Daniel and Wendy are there. I assume they’re in
their bedroom. His car is outside, but they’re nowhere in sight.

Everyone
decides to get together for a game of Monopoly, but I’m distracted and not in
the mood. I say goodnight, and Jonathan helps me up to bed.

I get
chills when we enter the room. Something feels off.

“You
okay, Babe?” Jonathan asks as he helps me into an oversized sweater.

“Besides
this text, something doesn’t feel right.”

I hand
him my phone and show him the message.

I look
around. “I want my life back,” I say, somewhat distracted.

“It
will be over soon,” he says, pulling me into his arms.

I sit
at the edge of the bed, but something’s bugging me. I’m uneasy.

“You’re
so tense.”