“Ms. Johnson?” she asked again, her jaw clenched as she tried to work out whether she was angry or hurt.
“It’s how a Ginnaye guardian refers to his or her client. No first names.”
“You’ve been calling me Ari since we met,” she argued.
He shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m just following protocol.”
Ari wished she didn’t understand, but she did. Like Charlie with his whole revenge quest, Jai was obsessed with pleasing his father. She sighed heavily, thinking about her own dad and all the things she kept to herself in an effort to make him love her more. Bitter tears burned her eyes and she shook her head. “He doesn’t deserve your protocol.” Leaving him a little stunned, Ari slid inside the guest bedroom and waited for the hum of Ms. Maggie’s energy to follow her before she closed the door. She leaned back against it, trying to stem the flood of tears and grief that had been fighting through the numbness all day.
She heard the floor outside her room creak and stilled.
“Goodnight, Ari,” Jai said quietly through the door.
The tears spilled over her lashes and she pressed her cheek against the wood. “Goodnight, Jai.”
As she flopped into bed she felt guilty for the one thing she shouldn’t have been worrying about today of all days.
Would she be forced to meet the woman Jai was in love with?
Ari stared at the leftover breakfast buffet, wondering if her stomach was stable enough to digest food. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in days but she still felt shaky and sick inside with grief, even if she did look together on the outside.
“Here.” Jai shoved a plate at her. “Eat.”
Under his eagle eyes Ari put pancakes and some bacon onto her plate, drizzling maple syrup over the top. She grabbed a glass of orange juice and sat down at the large empty dining table. Jai sat beside her, his plate piled high with food.
“Luca leaves for the office early and when I’m around, Nicki does a disappearing act. As for my brothers, my father tells me they’re all on assignment at the moment so hopefully we won’t see much of them over the next few days.”
“You don’t get along with them either?” Ari asked before chewing on a piece of bacon.
Jai smirked at the thought. “They live to torment me. My friend Trey is more like a brother than those idiots.”
Ari chewed on her breakfast, thinking that over. Trey seemed really important to Jai. She was intrigued by the one person who had Jai’s respect and loyalty. “Will I get to meet Trey?”
“Probably.”
“Morning,” Charlie greeted them as he wandered slowly into the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was wearing his rumpled Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt over a long shirt, and except for the short, close-shaven hair he looked more like himself again.
Ari felt a pang of something she didn’t want to feel and looked back at her plate. “Morning,” she replied.
“Dude, a maid showed me down here,” Charlie gestured with a pastry at Jai as he selected food from the buffet. “No wonder you act the way you do when you grew up in a place like this.” His words hung in the air as he piled his own plate high before sitting down beside Ari. As Charlie dug into his food he was completely oblivious to the venomous look Jai was shooting at him.
There was a warning growl in the back of Jai’s throat as he demanded, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Charlie shrugged, waving a piece of bacon around. “I don’t know. You’re kind of detached.” He stared at him now, his expression serious. “I thought it was something to be admired believe it or not, but seeing this place… how cold it is… nah, I don’t think you chose to be the way you are.”
Holding in her breath Ari waited for Jai to react to Charlie’s insight. As she knew it would, her guardian’s face darkened. “Here’s a suggestion you might want to pay attention to. Try to forget everything you learned on Oprah and if you can’t do that, at least refrain from regurgitating that crap at me. It spoils my appetite.”
Charlie grunted but surprisingly didn’t retaliate. Instead he dug into his breakfast and Ari ate slowly, tensely, waiting for the blowout to happen. It didn’t. Perhaps they were trying to be on their best behavior because of everything Ari had been through. She’d like to think they were both that considerate. They made it through breakfast and were just clearing up when the door to small dining room opened and in walked a very good-looking and very tall guy grinning from ear-to-ear. His pale grey eyes sparkled as they washed over them all. He headed for Jai and engulfed him in a manly hug, thumping him on the back. “Good to see you,” he said in a rich, deep voice. He turned around and Ari noted the tiny diamond earring winking in his ear just like Jai’s.
Recognition lit through Ari and she smiled at him, a warm, real smile. The first she’d produced in days. “You must be Trey.”
He grinned back at her as he walked slowly towards her. “Ari?”
She nodded and then gave a muffled laugh as she found herself swallowed in a tight hug. Trey pulled back and Ari flushed at his appraisal. He really was deplorably good-looking. Holding her at arm’s length Trey whistled, running his eyes down the length of her before returning them to her face. “Sweetheart, you are gorgeous.”
Ari blushed again and shoved him playfully. It was strange how comfortable she felt with this person and they’d only just met. Perhaps it was because she knew how good he’d been to Jai. She was grateful to him for that. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“You too,” he replied sincerely and turned around, sliding his arm along her shoulders as he checked out Charlie. “And this must be Sorcerer Boy.”