Christmas Pet by Jamie Knight

Chapter Ten - James

After Pearl had blown me on Saturday, nothing else had happened between us. Not that I didn’t want it to, but both of us needed a cooling-off period, and both of us needed to use some restraint.

I could have spent the entire weekend in bed fucking her, but if we wanted to serve Daniel and Sophia, we needed to return to reality.

On Sunday, we shoveled snow, and on Monday, we left the trailer at dawn. When we reached the main road, my cell service kicked in. I had over a hundred texts and just as many missed calls. Most of the missed calls were from Lyla. I dreaded to think what my inbox was like.

I put a call into the office and left a message telling the other associates to continue their discovery in case we needed it, and that Pearl and I would be back in the office Tuesday.

I would go in tonight, but there was no need for Pearl to. I didn’t need to be alone with her at the office. The temptation of taking her across the conference desk would be one I’d be unable to resist.

The closer we got to Daniel’s cabin, the more my anticipation grew.

“What do you think the chances of them both being there are?” Pearl asked.

“Who the fuck knows, but let’s hope. I need this to be over so I can get on with other stuff.”

When we reached the edge of the driveway, snow blocked our way, but that wouldn’t deter me. I got out of the car. “Are you coming?”

Her nose wrinkled, and she shivered. “The snow is going to be up to our knees. You’re wearing Italian leather shoes. I’m wearing Uggs. We’ll both catch pneumonia.”

“I’ll buy you new boots and pay for your medical bills. Now come on.”

“What if only one of them is there? What if it’s only Sophia?”

“Then we serve Sophia, and we wait until Daniel shows up. I don’t care if my balls freeze off. We’re not leaving until that asshole gets these papers.”

Her lips set in a grim line. “Let’s get this over with.”

We trudged up the mile-long driveway, and by the time we reached the end, snow had soaked us to the bone.

In danger of turning into an ice statue, Pearl hugged her arms around her body. “We might have to go back to the trailer and dry off. I’m sure I could find you some more of my uncle’s clothes.”

“It’s an hour and a half away from here. We’ll be fine until we get back to New York.”

She huffed out a breath. “I might hate you right now. If I get hypothermia and die, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

We were both rosy-cheeked and shivering by the time we reached the grandiose cabin. I shrugged off my backpack and took out the papers.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready,” she said with a nod.

We trudged through the packed snow to the front door, which looked like it had remained firmly closed through the storm. Thanks to an overhang, the porch hadn’t gotten much of anything. We both moved from foot to foot and hunched our shoulders against the cold.

Pearl’s teeth chattered. “I can’t feel my toes. They’re encased in mini ice cubes.”

“You can soak them in a hot bath later.”

I lifted my hand and hammered my knuckles against the door. Lights glowed from inside, and Bruce Springsteen blasted from speakers. I peered through the glass panels at the side of the door. “Hang back. It’s Sophia. I don’t want her to see you before I give her the papers.”

Pearl hid, and a few seconds later, the door opened. Theblonde from the photo stood with her eyes wide. “Can I help you?”

I gave her my most charming grin. “I hope so. I’m lost. Yours is the first house I stumbled on. I’m looking for directions. Can you help? My phone died, which means no GPS, but luckily I printed out a map before I left.”

“You’re not a serial killer, are you?” She laughed nervously. “I’ll try to help, but I don’t know the area all that well. Let me see your map.”

I held up the papers, and Sophia took them. “Consider yourself served.”

Confusion filled her face, and she pressed a hand against her stomach. “What? Wait? Daniel? Daniel, I need you.”

Pearl stepped onto the porch, guilt filling her eyes and face.

“Pearl? Why are you here? I don’t understand.”

“This is my boss, James Matthews, Attorney at Law. He’s been searching for Daniel for a while. Erin has filed for a divorce on the grounds of adultery.” She paused for a few seconds. “You’ve been named a party in the divorce case and have been served with a complaint.”

“But they were separated. He said their marriage was irrevocably broken.”

“They weren’t separated,” I said.

“I don’t understand any of this.”

“It’s simple. Erin wants a divorce. Daniel has been avoiding her calls and mine. She’s serving him with divorce papers and naming you.”

“Daniel,” she called out again. “Can you please come down here?” She massaged her stomach in self-soothing circles. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She obviously had no clue about the mess she’d stepped into.

Perhaps she wasn’t the gold digger Erin thought she was.

She rubbed her fingers along her furrowed brow. “I need to sit down.”

Daniel thundered downstairs, taking them two at the time, fury filling his face. “Get the fuck off my property, you blood-sucking vampire.”

I held out the papers. “Take these, and I will.”

“Enough.” He snatched them out of my fingers. “Fuck off before I call the cops.”

Pearl crossed her arms. “Want to tell me why your wife thanks my friend is a stripper?”

Sophia’s eyebrows shot to the sky. “Stripper? I’m a screenwriter. I work as a script doctor. I helped Daniel polish a screenplay. That’s how we met.”

“I can explain, babe.”

She turned on him, her lips an angry slash. “Don’t call me babe.”

Pearl reached out and rubbed a hand up and down Sophia’s arm. “Sweetie, I’d say you could come home with us, but I don’t think you’d make it down the driveway in your condition. It’s none of my business. But—”

“—you’re right. It’s not your business,” Daniel bit out. “I’m calling the cops and having you both charged with trespassing.”

James held up his hands. “We’re leaving. Let’s go, Pearl. We did what we came here to do.”

“But what about Sophia?” She took her friend’s hands in hers. “Sophia, do you want us to stay?”

She shook her head and snatched her hands away. “I’ll be fine. Daniel and I have to have a serious conversation. And besides, I’m pissed at you. How could you do this to me, Pearl? I know we aren’t close, but this was shitty.”

“I know,” Pearl said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Sophia slammed the door in our faces.

“Do you think it’s safe to leave her?” she asked. “You don’t think he’ll hurt her, do you?”

I shook my head. “Daniel is many things, but in all the years I’ve represented his ex-wives, he’s never raised a hand to them. His mouth is his weapon.”

She didn’t seem convinced. “Let’s go home before we freeze to death. I’m ready for a hot shower and some sleep.”