Page 37 of Hard Evidence
Justin gave her a lopsided smile.“Got to pick up all those waffles first.”
CHAPTER16
JUSTIN
“Thank you for lunch.”
Justin and Jessalyn were sitting in Justin’s office with a stack of waffles between them.He was scrolling through Wednesday’s camera footage on his screen, trying to find a clue to Amie’s disappearance.Sophy said she’d been stressed, but he hadn’t picked up on that, and now he was kicking himself.If he’d realised there was a problem, he could have helped.
“Thanks for eating some of these damn waffles.”They looked nice, covered in syrup and whipped cream and sprinkles, but they tasted like cardboard.“Don’t take a job at that place.You cook much better than they do.”
Plus the decor hurt his eyes.Anyone who spent longer than a day in the Waffle Factory would end up with a migraine.
“It pays money, plus they offer split shifts so I could work around Shiro.”
“I thought you wanted to do the blog thing?”
“I do, but…”
“Follow your heart for six months, see where it takes you.”
“I’m just not sure I can afford to.”
“Cook me dinner each night, and I’ll pay you whatever they would.”
Norquist Construction had done well over the years, and Justin didn’t live extravagantly.He could afford to pay Jessie not to work at a third-rate restaurant.Hell, he’d spent more on Melanie’s New York rent every month, and she’d be paying that herself now.
Plus Justin needed to keep Jessie away from Maine.Needed to prevent her from giving her husband another chance.He knew the statistics—on average, it took a woman four to seven attempts to leave an abusive relationship, and this was still her first try.His mom had gone back to his dad nine times before he finally killed her.And now that Justin had gotten to know Jessie a little, he discovered he’d do whatever it took to protect her.
He glanced sideways as she popped a piece of waffle into her mouth and licked syrup off her top lip.Fuck.He hadn’t missed the looks from the staff when the two of them walked into the office—curious ones from the women, envious ones from the men.
Do not go there, asshole.
Jessie was fragile.She needed time to heal and help to rebuild her life, not a hookup with a man who wasn’t over his last relationship.His last three relationships, if he was honest.He’d always seen himself as a wife-and-kids guy, and yet he had three failed engagements and a truckload of heartache in his rear-view, and nothing but roadblocks ahead.
Where the hell was Amie?
“That doesn’t really seem right,” Jessie said, sounding cautious.“You’d pay me to cook once a day?”
She wasn’t wrong.From her point of view, the proposition didn’t make sense, and he realised where her thoughts were heading.A salary for cooking and maybe a few fringe benefits.He had to make it clear that he wasn’t that kind of guy.
Which meant telling her about his past.
About his parents.
Fuck, he hated talking about his parents.
“Yeah, I would.Because a decade ago, my mom was where you are now, and I want your story to have a different ending than hers.”
“Your dad…he hit her?”
“And then some.He died in a bar fight while he was out on bail for her murder.”
That fuckin’ judge.Justin didn’t even get the satisfaction of seeing the son of a bitch end up in jail.
“I…I don’t know what to say.I’m so incredibly sorry.”
“Say you’ll stay away from Maine.And I didn’t tell you that to scare you.I’m just trying to explain why I’d rather you stayed in my spare room instead of going back home.”
