Chapter 8
Sally froze, staring into Jaxon’s deep, unreadable eyes.
His sharp gaze glinted, those striking eyes catching the faint light in a way that felt almost intense.
Sally’s chest tightened, her mind replaying the chaos at the Zale estate.
For a second, she was at a loss for words.
“It’s a good hour’s walk down from here,” Jaxon said, his voice low and gravelly. “You weren’t seriously planning to trek all the way, were you?”
If he hadn’t pulled up, that’s exactly what Sally would’ve done.
Brad sure wasn’t chasing after her with a ride.
“Thanks, Uncle Jaxon,” said Sally.
She opened the car door and slid in, only to be hit by another wave of dizziness.
If she hadn’t gripped the handle, she might’ve fallen out.
Her head pounded, brutal.
“What’d you call me?” asked Jaxon.
His deep voice cut through as she settled in.
Sally turned, meeting his intense stare, and a fleeting, reckless thought crossed her mind.
Jaxon was single, never tied to any rumors.
Climbing back up on her own? She didn’t have the energy… The thought barely took shape before the dizziness roared back, overwhelming.
Next thing she knew, she was slumping toward him.
Jaxon’s hand shot out, catching her shoulder.
A soft violet scent hit her. It was so familiar, like she’d caught it somewhere before.
From the moment he saw her, something about her seemed… familiar, but today was their first meeting.
“Mrs. Zale, Mrs. Zale…” Jaxon looked down at her, his brow creasing.
They were close–close enough that, even through his suit, he could feel her fever burning.
His steady hand reached for her forehead.
It was scorching, badly.
He pulled back, grabbed his phone, and called his assistant, Caleb. “Get a doctor to Longbay.”
“Yes, Mr. Zale,” answered the guy on the other side of the phone.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Longbay.
Caleb brought the family doctor straight to the second floor.
A tall person stood at the master bedroom door.
Caleb thought it was his boss feeling sick, but inside, he saw a woman.
Caleb knew Jaxon was picky–only Wendy, the housekeeper, was allowed in his bedroom to clean. No other women, ever.
1/3
Caleb hung back, eyeing the woman on the bed.
Who is she?‘ Caleb wondered.
After some meds, Sally felt better and woke up half an hour later. Blinking, she took in the unfamiliar room and tensed.
Everything was black, white, or gray–even the blackout curtains were dark.
Her mind flashed to passing out in Jaxon’s car.
Then she realized that this had to be his place.
Pushing off the blankets, her body still felt like an oven. She gritted her teeth, got up, and stepped out, wincing.
“Ma’am, you’re up?” someone asked.
The door opened to a kind, older woman’s eyes.
Sally seized her up, knew she was probably the housekeeper.
Wendy saw Sally looking around and pointed down the hall. “Looking for Mr. Zale? He’s in the study.”
Sally gave a small nod, knowing she meant Jaxon,
She shuffled to the end of the hall and knocked softly.
“Come in. His deep voice came through, and Sally pushed the door open.
A tall figure stood by a huge window. Even his silhouette was unmistakable.
“Mr. Zale, why am I at your place?” she asked.
Jaxon turned, his eyes landing on her pale, tired face.
He walked past her, face unreadable. “You passed out the second you got in my car. I didn’t know your address, so I brought you here. Wendy gave you some meds.”
“Thanks, Mr. Zale…” said Sally.
“What happened to calling me Uncle Jaxon?” he asked.
He moved around the big desk, pulling out a chair to sit.
Sally froze, thrown off by his words.
“Back in the car, you called me Uncle Jaxon,” Jaxon said, leaning back in his chair, a faint smirk playing on his lips as his sharp eyes glinted.
He paused, and went on, “Since you’re still Brad’s wife, and he hasn’t signed those papers yet, Uncle Jaxon’s the right call.”
His gaze was deep, impossible to read, giving nothing away,
She’d only called him Jaxon in the car because of that fleeting, crazy thought.
But now, feeling like she’d been run over, she wasn’t thinking that far ahead.
Before she could answer, a small voice came from outside the study.
“Dad, is Great–uncle Jaxon really home?” asked Nick.
Sally’s body went rigid the moment she heard his voice.
She could tell it was Nick. She just wondered why he was here.
“He is. I just checked,” Brad’s voice followed.
Sally’s skin prickled as she heard the voice. 2/3
She’d just dropped the divorce bomb in front of everyone, and now, getting caught here? No explanation would fix that.
To avoid a disaster, she had to hide–now.
Looking around, the only spot that made sense was under the desk.
“Please, Mr. Zale, tell them I’m here, but don’t let them know I’m here…” she said.
Sally darted around the desk, ending up right next to Jaxon.
Jaxon caught her glance at the desk and seemed to read her mind.
His lips twitched into a half–smile, like he was having fun with this.
This was getting way too entertaining…
He gave a small nod, sliding his chair back to give her space.
Footsteps got closer. No time to hesitate. Sally ducked under the desk, her heart racing.
As Jaxon pulled his chair in, she caught a hint of his clean cedar scent.
The sudden closeness threw her off, and she leaned back instinctively.
Too quick–she tipped backward. In a panic, her hands grabbed the only thing nearby: his legs.
Their eyes met. For a split second, everything froze. Then a knock at the door jolted her back.
Sally let go of his legs, hunching down, trying to vanish.
“Jaxon.” Brad walked in with Nick, seeing only Jaxon in the room.
Jaxon looked up, casual as ever. “Kind of late for a drop–in, Brad. What’s going on?”
Sally, crammed under the desk, strained to catch every word.
Brad’s voice was slow and careful. “Nick’s doing better, so I was going to take him home.
“But after Sally’s scene tonight, messing up the dinner we threw to welcome you back, I figured I owed you an apology for the
chaos.”
