His eyes roamed my face before they locked on mine and he asked, “Yeah?” right when my phone in my purse rang.

“Hang on, honey,” I murmured. “I’m hoping for a call.”

I looked to Amond and gave him a smile before I dug my phone out of my purse, saw a number displayed on it I didn’t know but took the call anyway because that number was local.

“This is Josephine Malone,” I said in greeting.

“Josephine, my dear, this is Arnie.”

I looked to Jake, my lips still curved. “Hello, Arnie.”

Jake’s brows shot up.

“Listen,” Arnie started. “I’d like to begin by apologizing that we haven’t responded to your calls until now. We’ve had some internal issues that needed my attention. But we’ve sorted those out and I just wanted to inform you that I’m aware that Lydia’s will is being contested and I’ll be dealing with this issue personally.”

“Arnie,” I said softly, shifting my eyes to Jake’s chest, deciding that was too distracting a view so I moved them to his feet. “That’s not necessary. In this time—”

“It is, Josephine,” he interrupted me to say. “I drafted that will. It’s sound. I’ve known Lydia for thirty years and know her mind was sound. This is a nuisance lawsuit and I’ll be handling it as a priority.”

I lifted my eyes to Jake’s when I replied, “That gives me much relief, Arnie.”

“If I should need you, my dear, I’ll call. But first allow me to see what I can do when Mr. Malone has found new counsel.”

Faking confusion and hoping I pulled it off, I asked, “New counsel?”

“He was erroneously taken on at Weaver and Schuller. We’ve dealt with that matter and it’s been explained to him he needs to find alternate representation. I’ll let you know when he has and how things will proceed.”

“I’d appreciate that,” I told him.

“And don’t worry, Josephine,” he assured me, his voice low but firm. “As I said, this is a nuisance suit, it’s my top priority and everything will be just as it should be in the end. That being you having what Lydia wished for you to have, Lavender House, her monies and her possessions.”

“Thank you, Arnie,” I said softly.

“My pleasure,” he replied.

“Until we speak again,” I said as my farewell.

“Until then, my dear. Take care.”

“You too.”

He rang off and I looked up at Jake, smiling big and declaring, “As I mentioned, darling. I have news.”

He grinned at me, straightened and turned to the man in the ring. “We’re done, Troy. But meet my woman,” he invited and the man moved our way. “Troy, Josie. Josie, Troy,” Jake finished.

“Lovely to meet you, Troy,” I said.

“Same,” he replied in a garbled way on a black grin since he hadn’t taken out his mouth guard. He spit it into his glove and looked to Jake. “You’re dropping your left.”

“Noticed that,” Jake replied.

“Bring it up,” Troy returned, jerked up his chin, punched Jake affably in the shoulder and then moved to the ropes and through them.

I took a step back so Jake could do the same and Amond was at my side when Jake jumped down.

“Gear, gloves, babe,” Jake ordered between his teeth seeing as he had the laces of one of his gloves between them.

He tugged.

I watched and felt another spasm.

He tugged at his other one.

I again watched and felt a spasm.

Then he shoved his hands my way.

That must have been what he meant by “gear, gloves, babe” so I pulled his gloves off.

Amond demanded to know, “What’s the news?”

I looked to him to see him looking intently at me.

I looked back to Jake to see him yanking off his headgear as he explained, “Filled him in at the club last night, Slick.”

My eyes went back to Amond. “It’s really not a big deal.”

“What’s the news?” Amond repeated.

I sighed and looked to Jake.

Jake held my eyes but reached behind him, grabbing a sweatshirt from the side of the ring and saying, “Let’s go into the office.”

We moved there and once there, Jake dumped the headgear on his couch, took his gloves from me, they joined the headgear and then he yanked on his sweatshirt.

Once he had it down his stomach, I started, “I—”

“Didn’t want to bother your friend with your shit,” Jake finished for me. “I get that you want to have a good visit, babe. But you gotta get that you got a problem, you throw every resource you got at solving it.”

Now I was confused.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t matter,” Amond entered the conversation. “What’s the news?”

I looked to him then to Jake and said, “Obviously, I now have counsel.”

“Give us more,” Jake immediately replied.

I sighed and told them everything Alyssa had told me including asking them to keep it on the hush-hush. Although Amond would have no one to tell, Jake could.

“Good. That bitch got canned,” was Jake’s reply.

Once he said this, he looked to Amond and so did I.

Amond was looking at Jake. He lifted his brows.

I looked to Jake and saw Jake shake his head.

I looked back to Amond who had his mouth tight and he looked to his feet.

This was when I announced, “I am aware that I have a uterus but I’ve not known that ever to interfere with a woman’s ability to speak English or deal with a variety of situations, including stressful ones.”

At that, I got two highly attractive grins.

However, I got no words.

“Well?” I prompted.

Jake’s grin died and he said, “Stone and your uncle still need to be taken out.”

“Indeed,” I agreed.

“So we’re not out of the woods yet,” Jake went on.

“I haven’t opened a bottle of champagne, Jake,” I pointed out and got another grin.

I also got, “Keep bein’ a smartass, Slick, and your man here is gonna get an eyeful of just how much I like your mouth, even when you’re usin’ it to be a smartass.”

At that, I closed my mouth.

Jake’s grin got bigger.

“Thinkin’ I need to give you two the room,” Amond noted and I looked to him.

“Sorry, Amond. But actually you do. I have other news for Jake that’s private.”

“Not a problem, beautiful. Came here to get my sweat on and been jackin’ around. I’m gonna go do that.”

On those words he left with a low wave and closed the door behind him.

“What’s the private news?” Jake asked the minute the door clicked.

I turned to him then I got closer to him and when I did, I shared what I learned about Donna.

This news was clearly not welcome and I knew it when Jake’s eyes heated with anger and the room heated right along with them.

“The bitch is gonna take off?”

“We don’t know that for certain, darling. This is beauty salon news. We probably shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

It was like he didn’t hear me.

“My boy Ethan’s bitch of a mom took off. Calls him whenever somethin’ reminds her to feel guilty she left his ass, which isn’t often. Sends birthday cards with a shitload of money in them, expensive presents for Christmas, neither replacing him not havin’ a fuckin’ mom. Makes plans she doesn’t intend to keep for me to send him down there in the summer and on spring break and then breaks them. Now my other kids’ bitch of a mom is gonna hightail her ass outta town?”

I said nothing.

“I don’t believe this shit,” he clipped.

It was on that I went to him and put both hands on his chest. “Jake, we don’t know she’s leaving for certain.”

“She’ll leave. She’s finally clued into the fact that everyone in town thinks she’s a joke, she’ll clue in she’s dug a hole she’s gonna find it hard to dig out of. And unfortunately, she’s not the kind of woman who understands that it’s worth scratchin’ and clawin’ your way out of the pits of hell if it means takin’ care of your kids.”

I pressed my lips together even if I liked very much that that was how he felt about his children.

“She’s a bitch,” he bit out.

I pressed in at his chest and moved closer. “Would you like me to contact her?”

“No,” he clipped. “I’ll get a hold of her ass.”

“Uh…just to note, darling, that the last time you got a hold of her ass led to this reaction. Perhaps I can be more diplomatic.”

He clenched his jaw.

“Let’s think on this,” I suggested gently. “Give it some time and see what she does. There’s no reason to react, spending that emotion and maybe creating more bad blood if she eventually changes her mind.”

Jake moved his hands to curl his fingers around my hips as he agreed curtly, “Right, Slick. We’ll do that.”

I slid my hands up to curl them around the sides of his neck, pressing closer as I said, “I’m sorry that I upset you.”

“You didn’t pick her, I did,” he replied. “Fuck,” he ground out. “Thank fuck I finally fuckin’ picked right the last time.”

My stomach dipped, my body melted into his and my hands clenched into the muscles at his neck.

When the latter two happened, he focused on me.

“I’m glad you think that,” I said softly.

“Don’t think it. Know it,” he said firmly and that got another stomach dip, bigger than the last and much better.

However, even feeling it, I advised, “Please stop being hard on yourself. You were in love, and the man I know, I trust there were reasons for that. What these women are doing is their choice, their responsibility and in the end, Jake, they’re missing out on great beauty and that’s their consequence. You’re not. You sacrificed for your children and you give them everything you can. They’re going to understand that one day and feel deep gratitude for it, if they don’t already.”