A Hidden Truth

Not a Murder Basement

[3rd Person]

    They arrived at the house and pulled up out front. A moment later, another car pulled into the driveway. Jaxon got out and went to the front door. Kenny grabbed Jaxon’s suit and shoes from the back. She and Morgan followed him into the house.

    “My room’s this way.” Jaxon said and led them to stairs descending into the basement.

    “I feel like I might be murdered if I go down there…” She said slowly.

    “Get your ass down there, or I’m going to murder you right here.” Jaxon growled.

    They went down the stairs and into the laundry room. Jaxon took the bag with his suit in it and opened it up. He’d had it dry cleaned after the last time he wore it, so it just needed a little airing out. He hanged it from the rack.

***

    After his suit was settled, Jaxon took them into his room and had them sit on the chairs across from his bed. He was thrilled his friends were there, but also wary. Kenny had already done something to Clayton and they were getting drawn into the drama of the town.

    “Why was Becca screaming at you about Clay?” He asked again.

    “Clay was just helping me get close enough that I could judge what kind of person Juniper is. Seems like Becca’s a bit of a jealous ex.” She replied.

    “Kenny. I watched you two get out of that car. That means I saw everything. Wanna try again?” Jaxon pressed.

    “Ugh. I hate you. He’s hot and sweet. I… I’ve never thought about a guy the way I’ve been thinking about him. I even said, ‘when we get married’, Jackie. Just f*****g shoot me. I practically proposed to a kid.” Kenny groaned.

    Jaxon laughed. “No making babies with that baby, Kenny.”

    She put her face in her hands and shouted with frustration. Morgan started laughing, too. It was too funny not to. Cool, flirty Kenny was losing her s**t over a high school student. Their friends were going to tease her mercilessly when they got home.

    “Do you guys want to come to the book club and meet Juniper properly? It’ll be better if you can actually talk to her.” Jaxon said.

    They looked at each other and shrugged. Not much else to do.

    “I guess.” Morgan replied.

    “I’ll call her and let her know, so she’s not caught off guard.” Jaxon smiled.

    He pulled out his phone and dialed Juniper’s number. Kenny watched how eagerly he waited for her to pick up. This wasn’t her Jackie. Her Jackie was calm, cool, and unaffected. This man was like a boy with his first girlfriend.

    “Juniper? Are you okay, sweet?” His face drew into a pinched, worried look.

    There was some mumbling on the other end of the line. Kenny couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. A new look crossed his face it was dark and hungry.

    “Just a second, wait for me, sweet girl.” He breathed and crossed to the bathroom.

    After a few moments, they heard the shower start. Morgan wondered what they could be talking about that needed privacy. He looked at Kenny. She put her finger to her lips and walked quietly to the door. Leaning in, she placed her ear against the door to see if she could hear them.

“Oh, god, Juniper. Rub it a bit faster, sweet. Let me hear you.” He groaned. “I’m gonna c*m, sweet girl. Keep saying my name… just… like… that.”

    Her eyes widened. That was definitely not her Jackie. He hated phone s*x. Part of her appeal became apparent, though. Jackie was using his daddy voice. Juniper was probably his new little girl. Kenny almost laughed, but managed to hold it in and went back to the chairs.

    “Phone sex.” She chuckled.

    “He hates phone s*x. Says it’s awkward and forced.” Morgan replied, confused.

    “That definitely didn’t sound awkward or forced. It’s like he’s a different person. That girl seemed really normal, despite the rumors. I wish there was a way to get the real story.” Kenny sighed.

    “We could probably just ask. Jaxon doesn’t keep things from us. If we ask about the rumors, then he’ll set us right.”

    “If he thinks it’s worth it. If he doesn’t get mad at us about asking. I have no idea what this Jackie will do.” She replied.

    They discussed what they’d seen so far. Morgan teased Kenny more about having a crush on Jaxon’s nephew. It was taking a while for him to come back out, but Kenny didn’t want to get caught trying to listen in. A few minutes later, the shower turned off and Jaxon came back into the room.

    “She says you can come to the club meeting. It’s going to be less interesting than the first one I went to, but it’s a good way to see her and get a feel for who she is. Oh, I forgot to call Hank and change the plan for Sunday.” He said, pulling out his phone and googling the number for Hank’s dealership.

    He dialed and asked to speak with Hank when it was picked up. After a little wait, the line was answered.

    “Hank Merritt, how can I help you?”

    “Hey, it’s Jaxon.”

    “What do you want?” Hank asked with a growl.

    “Teddy and Gary don’t really like the idea of coming for supper at your house on Sunday.” Jaxon said with a smile.

    “Then just you and Juniper can come.” He responded.

    “That’s not happening. Our counter offer is a barbecue at Bobbi and Beau’s. I can have Tamsin and Karen come with their husbands. It’d be nice to invite Carson and Camille.” Jaxon offered.

    “Carson stole from me.”

    “You might have thought that, but some new information may have come to light.”

    “Like what?”

    “Maybe the money got misplaced or fell behind something. You might find it if you look behind a few things that haven’t been moved in a few years.” Jaxon suggested.

    “And why do you think that is?” Hank asked.

    “Because he might have been a little sloppy that day. Probably excited to be interviewing with the sheriff for a junior deputy position at lunch. I know you didn’t report it, because he wouldn’t have gotten the position if you did. Even you couldn’t have believed Carson would steal. I know Juniper never did.” Jaxon stated.

    The line was silent. Hank was assessing how much easier things would be with someone in the sheriff’s department. What if he had misinterpreted a job interview as something more?

    “I can look around. If I was wrong, I definitely want to apologize. I know his mama’s missed him terribly.” Hank said thoughtfully.

    Jaxon curled his lip, but kept his tone pleasant. “Great. If you call the sheriff’s office, they can get you his number. I think the barbecue will be good for your lovely wife as well. She really needs to get out of the house more. And don’t worry about Clayton, I’ll have Tamsin leave the kids at home. You two just bring Remy and yourselves.”

    “Sounds good. What time?”

    “Five is good. It’ll give Remy and Buck time to acclimate to each other. They’ll be family soon.”

    “What the hell does that mean?” Hank asked in a murderous tone.

    “Carson and Camille are engaged. Camille is Karen’s youngest. That’ll make him Buck’s cousin by marriage.” Jaxon grinned.

    “Well, I’ll run it by Marie-Rose and see if I can find the money.” Hank replied coolly.

    “You do that. Have a good day. I’ll give Juniper your regards when I see her tonight.”

    He hung up before getting a response. Jaxon closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then he started a message to Red, Beau, Carson, Teddy, and Trace letting them know his part of the plan for Sunday was set in motion. He put his phone away after checking the time.

    “Are we going to the barbecue?” Kenny asked.

    “Sure. If you want. Though, my nephew’s going to be all alone at the ranch the whole time…” Jaxon winked.

    “Probably best if I get to know my in-laws. If they love me then he has to love me.” Kenny snorted.

    “Thanks for bringing my suit. I appreciate it. Even if you guys are being weird.” Jaxon smiled.

    “You’re the one being weird. It’s like you’re a different person, Jackie. I want you to really tell us about this girl. Not the ‘funny, smart, caring, whatever’ bullshit. What’s her deal? We’ve heard some stuff while we’ve been in town.” Kenny deadpanned.

    Jaxon nodded. He’d figured something like this might happen. Kenny loved gossip and he knew she came from a smaller town, too. She probably had more knowledge of the rumors surrounding Juniper’s family than she had actual knowledge of her own.

    “Tell me what you’ve heard and I can tell you what’s true, as far as I know. Anything else, we can ask Teddy later.” He responded.

    Kenny started in from the beginning with everything she’d heard. Morgan was wide eyed. It was a lot more than she’d told him earlier. Jaxon listened thoughtfully and snorted in a few places. Just after she finished, there was a chime from Jaxon’s phone.

    He pulled it out of his pocket and checked. Teddy was asking him to go with Juniper to a club so Teddy could spend the evening alone with Gary. He told Teddy to make sure it was okay with Juniper and he’d be up for it.

    “I can correct all of that later. We need to head out. The book club meeting is in fifteen minutes. You guys want to go out dancing tonight? Juniper and her friends are going out to a club. If they’re okay with us tagging along, I thought it might be a good chance to get to know them. Otherwise, we can just hit a bar. Sound good?” Jaxon asked.

    “Sounds like fun.” Kenny said.

    She was interested to see what would happen next. Jaxon was usually okay with bars, but hated clubs. If nothing else, it would be an interesting weekend.