Free Scandalous by H.M. Ward Page B

was something that I didn’t like to admit to myself, and hearing it out loud would cement it in my brain like a tumor waiting to kill me. “Jack was part of the reason.” Kate gasped, but fell silent when I continued. “I thought every person had a soulmate —one person that was perfect for them. After high school and four years of college, there was still no trace of that guy. It seemed like he didn’t exist, that I didn’t get that life. That was the only thing holding me back. I wanted to help people, I wanted to help them find their faith. Life’s so damn hard, Kate. It just seemed like the right thing to do, but after everything that’s happened, I don’t know anymore.” My chest felt tight. I think I just admitted to the possibility of more things than I realized were drifting around in my mind.
    Kate was shocked into silence. When she recovered, she said, “You’ve always known which path to take. Your inner-compass is made of titanium, and there is no way in hell that it’s broken. Trust your gut, Abby. You always have and it’s never led you astray.”
    “But it is now,” I laughed darkly, twisting the bedspread in my hands without realizing I was doing it. “That path was barred shut by the vows. There is no path that includes Jack Gray.”
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
     
     
     
    Later that night, I pulled open the door to the Galleria. Linda was sitting at the front desk. She beamed at me, “Good evening, Abby. I hope your day went well.”
    I responded in kind, “It did.” Before I could say another word, I heard Jack’s voice through the intercom.
    “Is she here yet?” he sounded like he was in a bad mood. My heart sank.
    Linda pressed the button, and her lips parted to speak, but I leaned in and answered instead, “Be right back.”
    I pushed through the exterior doors, passing Gus outside, “What’s up, Gus? He sounded pissed.” I kept walking, turning backwards waiting for an answer.
    “The hell if I know!” Gus yelled , his hands flying as he spoke. The tight gait of his walk made me run for the studio.
    When I threw open the doors, I saw Jack’s foot collide with a can of paint. The contents went flying, lid open, paint splattering as it fell. I stopped in my tracks, as Jack bent forward and pulled his hair in frustration. Every muscle in his body was tightly corded, bulging from beneath his white tee shirt. My jaw dropped, watching him, unable to find my voice. The only other time I’d seen Jack lose his temper was when Belinda showed up.
    Setting my purse down on a table, I crossed the massive room. Jack didn’t move. He remained bent at the waist, hands clutching his temples. When I was a few paces behind him, my heart was racing. I expected him to turn, but he didn’t. Reaching out slowly, I spoke his name at the same time I touched his shoulder, “Jack, what’s wrong?”
    He jumped out of his skin, rounding on me so fast that I nearly fell over. Gasping for air, his hand clutched his heart, “Abby,” he breathed, staring at me like I was insane. “Only you would do something like that. You see everyone else? They ran away!” He screamed the last words, grabbed a bunch of paint brushes and hurled them across the room.
    I reached for him again, placing my hand on his forearm before he grabbed something else. When he tried to pull away from me, I held tighter, jerking him back to face me. “Stop. Jack, stop it. Tell me what happened.” Jack’s dark lashes lowered, looking at my hand on his arm. My heart was racing, beating violently against my ribs. The look he gave me when his blue eyes returned to meet mine made me melt. I started to slide my hand away. It seemed as if I touched him and shouldn’t have. The expression on his face was so stormy that I couldn’t read him.
    “There’s nothing to tell, Abby. She managed to get hold of my client list and cancelled all of them, telling them some lies about me.” His voice was deep, hushed. He said the