I glanced at Jacoby, and apparently, something about my demeanor put him on alert. He sat up and leaned forward as if ready to strike at a moment’s notice in my honor. I simply pulled one finger to my lips and returned my attention to the question I’d been asked. “Uh, yeah. What’s up?”
“I wasn’t lying before when I said I don’t know very much about your sister’s transgressions. For someone who enjoys the spotlight as much as she does, she’s really secretive about her personal life. I had my suspicions, but I never had proof, and she certainly never copped to anything. The most I’d get from her was a dismissal. It wasn’t until you agreed to this charade that I got a non-admission admission, I guess you’d call it. That’s when she told me that it’s over, it was never a big deal, and no one knows anything.”
“Okay…what are you trying to tell me, Ty?”
“I just wanted to reiterate that before I tell you anything else.”
I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see it, but I wouldn’t doubt that he heard it in my voice when I said, “All right, I believe you. I never said I didn’t. Now get on with it. What did she tell you? What do I need to know?”
There was a long pause before he cleared his throat. He certainly was doing a lot of that today, and it was on my last nerve. “She said that Serenity is completely bluffing, that there’s no way she would know anything. Apparently, if anyone knew, it’d be Jeannine, and as long as she’s not smashing your face in, then no one knows.”
Without moving, I cut my eyes to look at Jacoby. I wasn’t sure why, considering he had nothing to do with any of this, but for some reason, the sight of him was calming, almost reassuring. He didn’t even have to know what was going on to settle my nerves—at least enough to allow my thoughts to make sense of this information.
If Jeannine was the only one who would know anything…
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I was on my feet without even realizing that I’d stood. And as if my legs were acting on their free will, I began to pace. “Jeannine’s the only one who’s genuinely nice to her.”
“Listen, that’s all she told me. We don’t know for sure if it was—”
“Oh, don’t be dense, Ty. Of course it was.”
His heavy huff filled the line, followed by, “Either way, it doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with you or your job here. Serenity was blindly fishing, and since you knew nothing at that point, then you shouldn’t have given her any reason to keep digging. But under no circumstances are you to say anything about this to anyone. Do you understand, Tasha?”
I managed to get out, “Yeah,” through gritted teeth.
“Good. Well, I’ll let you get on with your night. Let me know if you need anything.”
I didn’t even bother to say anything else. I couldn’t say anything else. The only thing I could manage was a mmhmm, and then I promptly disconnected the call. My head was all over the place, replaying every encounter I’d had with Jeannine. My thoughts bounced between the confidence Serenity had today when mentioning my sister’s side pieces and the bombshell that just landed in my lap. However, the one thing that had slipped my mind was that Jacoby was still here.
“Do you need another hot chocolate?”
I dropped my hands away from my face and looked at him. The compassion pouring out of his deep-green eyes let me believe that everything would be all right. The obvious need to help, which was written all over his face, pleaded with me to give him this. I resumed my seat, the yellow gloves now discarded on the floor at my feet, and shook my head. “This is beyond rum.”
“What comes after rum?” While sincere, there was a note in his voice that warned of his intention to lighten the mood. “If it’s tequila, I’ve got you. But if we’re talking narcotics or any sort of illegal substance, then I’m sorry to say that you’re on your own.”
My soul wanted to laugh, yet all I was able to do was smile. Granted, it was probably the most pathetic, sad, unconvincing smile he’d ever seen, but at least it was better than nothing. Especially considering how mixed my emotions were right now.
“Pizza,” I said, wishing Dave was here. Jacoby was great, and I appreciated him so much, but there were things that Dave just knew to do or say. I didn’t have to tell him. And when I’m in a mood, the last thing I want to do is explain what I need. However true that was, it wasn’t fair to Jacoby, so I conceded and allowed him the opportunity to step in and take on the role of my best friend. “A big, greasy pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.”
He wasted no time taking out his cell, and without a word, he slipped out of the room, likely to place an order. Suddenly, I was all alone. Normally, being by myself in this type of situation made me feel better. I felt like I could breathe easier, like I was free to express my emotions in any way I saw fit. If I wanted to cry, I didn’t have to worry about someone’s need to hug me. If I wanted to throw something, then I could without the guilt of my actions causing anyone else discomfort.
Except now, when I should’ve enjoyed the space, the freedom to move through my emotions, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to cry or break anything. In the rare times that neither of those would suffice, there were always video games. If I wasn’t ready to deal with a problem, then I’d ignore it by losing myself in whatever game fit my mood.
