Page 20 of Indescribable Love

“I hadn’t thought of that.” But…actually, he had. He’d done his homework on Juliette—beyond reading the report Nikki had made up for him—and other than a few missteps, she was very good at her job.

Shockingly, she just wasn’t good at personal relationships. He wanted to say she wasn’t good with people, but on some level, she had to be if she was a publicist.

“Simon, listen to me, you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. I mean…yeah, sometimes you’re a little too cheery, but…so what? That’s who you are! No one should tell you that you have to change because there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re crazy talented, you have millions of fans who adore you, so if this chick doesn’t get it, cut her loose.”

It would be so easy to do, and with her reputation after the whole Roxie thing, he’d be totally within his rights.

Only…it felt wrong.

“I don’t know,” he said after a moment. “I feel like…like maybe she’s just angry and bitter and that I can help her be a little less…you know…angry and bitter. I’m good at that sort of thing. If she hangs around with me long enough, I can make a difference.”

Jax sighed loudly. “You can’t fix everyone, Simon. I know you like to think you can, but…”

“But in this scenario, I think I can.” He told him about Juliette making the homemade ravioli with all of them and then the big pot of sauce she was making today for them to have tomorrow. “When she’s not in publicist mode, she’s very nice. But her job just really sucks all the joy out of her.”

“Or maybe she just doesn’t have any. Maybe she’s bitter and angry for a reason. Maybe she’s pissed a bunch of people off and has no friends. I mean…there are tons of reasons why she’s a miserable person.”

Again, he refused to believe that.

“You always see the best in people, and that’s great,” his brother went on. “But you have to accept that sometimes there is no best in someone. Sometimes you have to come to grips with the fact that some people just suck. Which it sounds like this Juliette does. Can Nikki fire her? Do you want me to come there and do it?”

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Jax would hop on a plane and do just that for him if he asked. “Thank you, but you don’t need to do that. And I’m on the fence about asking Nikki to do it because there’s a part of me that feels out of sorts because no one’s ever talked to me like that. Everyone around me just seems to like the fact that I’m a cheerful person. No one’s ever complained about it.”

“To be fair, Simon, most people around you work for you, so why would they complain? Everyone wants a friendly boss who’s also a really nice guy,” Jax reasoned. “Why would they rock the boat?”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Look, don’t let this woman get in your head! You’re fine! There’s nothing wrong with you!” He paused, and for some reason, Simon felt like there was something more he wanted to say but was holding back.

“Out with it.”

“Out with what?”

“I feel like there was a but coming.”

Jax snickered.

“Grow up,” Simon said wearily. “And just say what you’re thinking.”

“Okay, but remember, you asked.”

“Fine. Consider me warned.”

“There are times when your level of…um…cheeriness? Positivity? It’s hard to handle. Like, remember when we went to check on Noah after he and Lily broke up that time? We were there to cheer him up and it was hard to compete with your level, bro. Most guys would have gone in there and been all like, ‘Yeah, she sucks,’ or ‘You can do better,’ and then offer to take him out drinking and to a strip club. But you were just like…I don’t even know. I don’t think I’ve ever been around anyone else as upbeat as you, and sometimes it can be a little exhausting. Sometimes things suck! Not everything has a positive spin and you have to learn to deal with that.”

“Sounds like you’re agreeing with Juliette,” he mumbled.

“No. No, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just trying to help you understand that most people don’t get how you can be so happy all the time. It doesn’t make them wrong or that they need to be fixed, just like you’re not wrong and don’t need to be fixed. We’re all allowed to feel our own emotions. But…you also have to respect other people’s emotions. Or lack thereof.”

His head fell back against the cushions. “I don’t think this is helping.”

“Then what do you want me to say? What am I supposed to do to help you and make you feel better? Because I know I suck at this sort of thing. I’m not the guy who talks about my feelings. Noah would have been the better choice here.”

“He’s in Hawaii with Lily, and I didn’t want to bother him.”

“Damn. So I was the last resort? Yikes.”

“Jax…”