Page 30 of Misadventures With The Mistaken Twin
“He reminded you of yourself, didn't he?”
Jack turned his bleak eyes to me, nodded. “My parents never cared. It didn't matter because I had my uncle, but this kid has no one now. The court's made it so the dad can only see him once a month, supervised, and that's when he's in the country.”
I felt a pang of sympathy for the little boy, but also for the little boy Jack had been. He said it didn't matter. I doubted that. What little kid could handle rejection from their parents at so young an age? Uncle or not, Jack's parents' actions had affected his life. And not in a good way.
“Why did you get fired? Sounds like you won the case.”
Jack clicked off the TV with the remote, tossed it onto the coffee table with a loud thunk. “I did. The husband filed a claim with the Ethics Board about the tactics my company used. My company threw me under the bus, putting all the shadyinvestigating, and the backhanded deals, on me. Said I was the one all these years who bent the ethics rules to meet my clients' needs.”
I propped myself up on my elbows, stunned. “What? You?” I was so angry for him. “Did you?”
Jack took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Did they?”
His dark eyes blazed with anger, his hands squeezed my feet harshly. “Yes. It doesn't matter. They're now in the clear. I, on the other hand, may not be able to practice law again.”
“And Uncle Owen? How did he know?”
“It's all over the news in Miami. I think he heard about it and faked an illness to get me out of there.”
I smiled, thinking about Uncle Owen and how kind he was. “He's really amazing. He cares about you enough to bring you back, and smart enough to leave his house renovation to you.” I looked around us. The living room looked normal, other than the fact that it was cold enough we wore winter-wear inside. The kitchen needed at least two weeks before it was usable again.
Jack smiled. A thin, weak one, but still a smile.
“When do you go back?” There was no question he would return to Florida.
“You heard some of the phone calls with my lawyer. And yes, before you ask, a lawyer needs a lawyer sometimes. Especially in this shitty situation. I was going to leave in the morning, but with this crazy lady on the loose, I'm not leaving you alone until she's put away.”
His words felt good. They softened a place in my heart I knew might never heal once he left. Jack was doing the right thing. Again.
“What about the Ethics Board?”
“I got it postponed.”
I wokeup once again in Jack's arms. It felt pretty darn good to have him hold me through the night, his heart beating beneath my ear. What didn't feel good was the crick in my neck, the pain in my hip from being wedged into the couch in an uncomfortable position. We were tangled together, arms and legs intertwined, buried beneath the thick down comforter. We fell asleep watching a bad movie on TV, deciding it was safer to stay away from the guest bedroom. Even if he wasn't leaving in the morning, he was still leaving. Jack admitted he had no willpower if there was a bed involved and my own willpower wasn't strong enough to fend him off.
The more I learned about Jack, the more I was intrigued. He'd been through so much in life: abandonment, rejection and most recently, deceit. Deep down, I saw the goodness in him, his interest to stay in Bozeman and help me with the crazy lady in the pink jacket. He could head back to Miami right away, deal with the mess of his life, but he chose to stay here longer, help me—and his uncle—instead.
We stopped by the drive-up Java Hut and picked up some extra tall, black coffees to go. The dark aroma filled the van. The sky was gunmetal gray, the clouds thick and low. Snow was coming. Jack opened the door to Violet's house, peeked in. “All clear,” he said to me as I stood back from him about five feet, ready to run if the snake decided to make a break for it.
We went into the living room, my steps tentative. Jasper was coiled up inside his terrarium, looking full and content. No mouse in sight.
“Wow, good job,” I said, impressed. Relieved. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Jack put the top back on the terrarium and we picked up, putting the room to rights. Not being particularly keen on Violet at the moment, I didn't put my heart into it. She could clean her own house when she got home.
“First thing on the list today is to get rid of Jasper,” I told him, tossing a throw pillow back onto the couch.
Jack eyed me funny. “Get rid of how?”
“No matter how much I dislike snakes, I don't want to hurt one.” I pointed at Jasper. “He's going to a different teacher's house. You carry him out to the van, I'll drive.”
I locked the door behind us, Jack holding the large glass terrarium in his arms. I cringed when I looked at Jasper, coiled up tightly on top of his hot rock. It’d be a cold ride for him since it was unplugged, but he’d survive the short drive. We headed down the shoveled walkway and saw Scary Lady get out of a car. It was an older model Oldsmobile, silver but rust eaten in many spots. There was a crack in the windshield and the antennae was bent. Both she and her car had seen better days.
“Hurry up and open the back of the van. I can't do anything with this in my arms,” Jack said, his voice hard. His eyes were on the woman walking up to us.
I dashed to swing the back doors open, helped Jack load Jasper in next to the plumbing tools, and closed the doors with a slam. Scary Lady approached.