Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 139

CHAPTER 87 1

CHAPTER 87-1

Nspent most of Tuesday morning trying to convince myself that I was being paranoid.

The rumours could have come from anyone, and Charlotte had plenty of reasons to dislike me, but suspicion wasn’t proof and I refused to accuse somebody without knowing what I was talking

about.

Still, every time I thought about those posts, her face appeared in my mind.

By lunchtime, I couldn’t stand wondering anymore. I washed my hands after finishing a repair,

changed out of my grease stained shirt, and headed upstairs to shower. I stood beneath the hot

water for several minutes while I tried to organize my thoughts, and when I finally stepped out, I

dried my hair and pulled on jeans with a clean shirt.

I wasn’t going to Charlotte’s house to start a fight. I was going to ask questions.

I drove across town with my phone sitting in the cup holder, and although I kept telling myself to

stay calm, my grip on the steering wheel tightened every time another thought crossed my mind.

What if she had done it?

What if she hadn’t?

What if someone else was using her hatred of me to hide what they were really doing?

When I arrived, I parked outside and sat in the car for a moment. Charlotte’s house looked exactly

the way I remembered it, although there was something different about the place.

A new black SUV sat in the driveway.

I couldn’t remember seeing it before so I got out and walked to the front door, then knocked.

It took almost a minute before Charlotte answered and her expression changed when she saw me.

“Paige.” She said.

“Hi, Charlotte.” I said as she folded her arms.

“What do you want?” She asked.

“I’d like to talk.” I said.

“About what?” She asked.

“The rumours.” I said and her face remained perfectly calm.

“What rumours?” She asked as I stared at her.

19

IR

N

|||

O

r

13

MPTER 87 1

“Don’t do that.” I said.

“Do what?” She asked.

“Pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.” I said and Charlotte stepped aside.

“Come in.” She said.

I entered, and she closed the door behind me. Her house looked different too. There were new

decorations in the living room, expensive furniture I didn’t remember, and a large arrangement of fresh flowers sitting on the dining table and I looked around.

“You’ve been redecorating.” I said.

“I’ve made a few changes.” She said.

“Looks expensive.” I said and she smiled.

“I’ve had some good opportunities lately.” She said as I looked at her more closely.

That’s when I noticed the necklace. It was delicate, covered in small diamonds, and it caught the light every time she moved.

I knew enough about jewellery to know that it wasn’t cheap and my eyes dropped toward her wrist. A matching bracelet sat there and then I noticed the ring.

“New jewellery?” I asked as Charlotte touched the necklace.

“You like it?” She asked.

“It’s beautiful.” I said.

“It was a gift.” She said.

“From who?” I asked and she smiled.

“Someone who appreciates me.” She said.

There was something about the way she said it that made my stomach tighten.

“Good for you.” I said.

“Thank you.” She said and I looked back at her.

“Now, about the rumours.” I said as she walked toward the kitchen.

“I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said.

“People are claiming Lawson Customs is connected to organised crime.” I said as Charlotte

opened a bottle of water.

2.3

SAT

19

IR N |||

<

CHAPTER 87 1

“That’s unfortunate.” She said.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify