“It’s still here,” she whispered glancing back at Jack. He was shuffling some papers around on his large mahogany desk, but glanced up at the sound of her voice.

“I had it reframed and brought up here from Savannah earlier this week,” he told her attempting to keep the emotion out of his voice.

Lexi shook her head unable to process the many nuances of Jack Howard. Here she was in his office wanting to be so angry at him for everything he had ever put her through, and then he did this. One simple gesture that reminded her why she loved him so much.

“Why?” she barely got out choking on her own words.

“What do you mean why?”

“Jack, come on. You made it pretty clear last night.”

“Last night I said what we did didn’t change things. And, well, it doesn’t, Lexi. Sex never changed things with us before.”

“Do you really believe that sex doesn’t change things?” she asked taken aback by the concept. She wasn’t a typical female who believed that sex necessarily meant an emotional commitment on either side. She had had her fair share of one night stands to prove that to herself, but Jack was not one of those men. And she knew that sex did mean something to him whether he was ready to admit it or not.

“I mean that it doesn’t change what I have to do or the decision that I have to make. It doesn’t make any of this easier.”

“A little birdie tells me it does,” she said turning her back on the picture.

“Oh yeah, who’s that?”

“Who is not the appropriate question,” she told him looking into his beautiful blue eyes from across the space of his office.

“Well, you don’t have to tell me who would tell you that things have changed between us, because I already know,” Jack said triumphantly taking her off guard.

“I suppose you could guess,” she said hesitantly not liking the change of subject.

“No guessing needed. I know what you’ve been trying to do,” he told her staring her down.

She gave him a completely flabbergasted look hoping maybe he could explain further what he was talking about. Wasn’t she the one who was supposed to storm in here and demand answers? Why was he the one completely confounding her over and over again? Her mouth opened and she tilted her head slightly trying to really assess the situation. The only thing she had been trying to do all week was figure out what the hell Jack was doing with his life. She wanted him…bad, but was only fueled onwards by his obvious desire for her. If he had been aloof and untoward, then she certainly would have done his bidding, hung out with her parents, and then hopped on the first plane out of here.

But that hadn’t happened. He had flat out told her that they were meant to be together. That after everything they had been through, he knew what he wanted and all he had to do was tie up some loose ends. Now he was saying that sex didn’t change anything along with other unthinkable things, and honestly, she was just lost.

“What am I trying to do besides get answers from you?” she asked unable to keep the confusion out of her voice.

“Don’t play all innocent with me. We both know you’re not that,” Jack said standing and tossing some paperwork into a basket.

“I never said I was innocent,” she said a bit confused by the abrupt shift in the conversation.

“Yeah, but you sure try to act like you are.”

“Jack, you’ve lost me,” Lexi told him her brow scrunching together.

“I know what you’ve been up to this week.”

“Um…what have I been up to this week? The only thing I’ve been doing is exactly what you asked me to do. I spoke to Bekah about our relationship. I played the perfect part in your stupid charade. I went to the Country Club, Ramsey’s stupid party, your birthday…what more did you want from me? I gave you everything you could want from me. I tried to give you everything, and it seemed like it was going to work out, but now,” she drifted off, “I guess it doesn’t seem like enough.”

He laughed. He actually laughed at the last statement. Lexi’s mouth popped open in surprise unable to fathom why he was acting so impertinent. “You actually want me to believe that you gave me everything?”

“Compared to you giving me nothing, yes, I’d say I gave you everything,” she spat at him.

“You’re ridiculous, Lexi,” he said shaking his head. “You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to?”

“Well, I don’t know what I’ve been up to so why don’t you tell me,” she said completely baffled by this point. She had no idea what he was talking about. She had come here from New York at his request to convince his dumb girlfriend that he could commit. She didn’t exactly believe it herself, but she had tried. As far as she could tell, she had succeeded as well. Bekah seemed to believe that they were going to be together. And up until last night, when Jack had left her all alone feeling used and violated, she had been certain that Jack was actually going to leave Bekah for her.

“Go ahead, play coy with me. I know what you and Ramsey have been up to.”

That really threw her off guard. “What does Ramsey have to do with any of this?” she asked trying to follow his line of reasoning but coming up blank.

He nodded his head a few times. “You don’t have to try and play me like this, Lex. I know you, and I know what’s been going on.”

“Then please fill me in, because I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said walking to the front of his desk and taking a seat in one of the client chairs. She crossed her arms and legs simultaneously and waited for another outrageous response from him.

“You think I don’t know that you guys met before this?”

“Of course we met before this. I told you that as soon as I saw him at the Country Club that we met there when I came up here with Jennifer,” she told him still confused as to where this was going.

“Right, that was a pretty good act. When did you become such a good liar, Lexi?”

“If you tell me what I’m lying about, I might know, because as far as I can tell you are the only good liar in the room.”

“Come on, Lexi,” he cried. “Now, I didn’t think you would ever play me like this, but I can tell that you are now. How long have you guys been together? Has it been since New York?” he asked placing his hands on the desk and leaning forward towards her.

“We’re not together,” she stuttered in disbelief.

“Oh, right. You don’t do the commitment thing. Have you just been fucking?”

“Excuse me, I’m going to pass right over the very ridiculous accusation that Ramsey and I have been fucking,” Lexi said her face clouding over only slightly at the thought that she had almost done just that last night. “And step right up to the plate and take the hypocritical route, jackass.”

Jack stumbled a step as he walked around the corner of her desk. He glanced up at her cheeky comment in surprise. “Whatever, Lexi. I know that you know Ramsey from New York. And whether you’re fucking or not, I know you guys have been together. I saw you kiss at his party. I saw it again last night. I’m not stupid, alright? I can tell that there is something going on between you two.”

Lexi stared at him in awe. So that was why he had been so angry and rough with her the night before. He had somehow deluded himself into believing that she and Ramsey were together. It didn’t make sense to her, but she figured if he looked at it from only one side, it might look like that. However, that didn’t explain why he thought she had met Ramsey in New York. “What do you mean I know him from New York?”

“You don’t deny that you and Ramsey have something going on?” he asked ignoring her question.

“We don’t have anything going on, Jesus. We did kiss, but we’re not together. I don’t even understand how you could think that.”

“I don’t think that. I know that something is going on between ya’ll. You’ve been fucking with my mind since you got here.”