Chapter 7

It was a comical sight at the inn early one morning after the game week. It would be a great laugh for Nova's guests but she didn't feel like pushing it so she kept it in her office. Rachel, being the good lawyer she was, made it impossible for Elijah and his family to take Nova to court when she turned the tables around. Somehow she found some not so legal facts surrounding their wealth and vices that the reputed Elijah didn't want the whole world to find out so when she made them the offer of only seeing Jasmine once a month and under strict surveillance, he had no other option but to bend. That was why, very early on a Wednesday morning he stormed into the inn and instead of facing Nova, he found himself face to face with Christan, who was gradually getting on Nova's good side and wanted all the opportunity to beat Elijah black and blue. While Elijah looked like he worked out occasionally, Christan looked very strong and ready to take on five Elijahs and that was what amused Nova to no ends.

"Get the fuck out of my way", Elijah growled and walked up to Christan, trying to push him out of the way and didn't expect the nose breaking punch the man landed him. The sickening sound of breaking bone filled the air and Nova cringed as she looked at Elijah's badly broken nose.

"Ouch", she cringed as she watched the two men who were about to get into a big fight.

"You were lucky the first time, you won't be this time around and that child, you don't deserve to be her father, now get out before I break more than your nose", Christan snarled at Elijah who had a tough front but he didn't want to have more than the broken nose, besides the pain was hellish for him. He instead had a stare down with Christan before turning his glare to Nova and storming out. Now Nova was accustomed to his every looks and the way he thinks and his look of hatred was not new to her but there was something bone chilling about this one look and her mind refused to find rest after he barged out of the office.

"Nov", Christan touched her shoulder and on instinct she grabbed his arm and twisted.

"Ow ow ow", he screeched painfully before Nova released him.

"Sorry, I was out of it", she mumbled and stared at Christan who still hopped around the office with his hand clutched with the other one, you would think she broke his legs too. She rolled her eyes at his dramatics and huffed.

"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, that shit was painful", he whined.

"Don't be dramatic Christan, besides you deserved it", she mumbled the last part to herself but the hurt look that crossed Christan's features told her that he heard.

"Don't stand there and look like the victim, it wasn't me who left without as much as a goodbye", she snapped at Christan who sighed and hung his head.

"I'm sorry Nov, I really am"

"Sorry doesn't change anything"

"What do I have to do?"

"Why did you leave?"

Christan hung his head, knowing that he was not ready to tell whatever story she wanted to hear from him.

"I thought as much. You left me just when I needed my best friend and after twelve years you show up and cannot even give me an explanation, just leave Chris"

Christan sighed and rubbed his face frustratedly, knowing he still wanted to keep something's to himself but he also needed to be open with her if he wanted her to fully understand him. He left the inn and on his way out, bumped into a certain blonde lawyer.

Rachel had moped around her house, waging a war between her pride and her desire to see the young mother. She was quick to discharge her sub and it was a good thing that the lady was not attached so they parted peacefully but not before the woman told her how she was her best. That would fuel her ego on a normal day but nothing was normal since Nova found her way into her life. After a long moment of indecisiveness, she hung her pride in her closet and drove towards the inn and all the way there she thought of a good excuse to see the woman and by the time she realized that whatever excuse she could give then would sound stupid, she was already at the driveway.

"Barrister Sanchez", Christan offered his hand for a handshake and Rachel decided not to be rude and take the hand, against her better judgement. She didn't know him by name and she didn't hide the fact that she didn't but the man only chuckled.

"Christan. Christan McCall", he grinned at her and it took all she had not to roll her eyes so she nodded instead and retrieved her hand and stuffed both hands into her pant pocket while pinning him with a death stare, she wondered what he was doing there.

"If you kill me you will have lesser chance at getting her you know", he grinned evilly and Rachel narrowed her eyes to slits. Had she been too obvious in her liking the woman? Just how many people knew?

Christan sighed and rubbed his face again, he had seen how the blonde had taken the case personal, how she looks at the mother and child, she had life in her cold eyes whenever she stared at Nova and Christan was happy that someone like Rachel was interested in his childhood best friend despite her dangerous demeanor.

"I fucked up okay. Maybe if I was around that bastard wouldn't have had a shot at her because God knows he didn't deserve her but she has a beautiful girl to show for it. She has been through a lot and you look like you have too so I must warn you. Don't hurt them. This is not one of those talks, I will seriously hurt you Rachel Sanchez if you hurt them", he had a very serious face on, the kind of face that would have scared the hell out of Rachel but the woman had a steel wall around her.

"Like you hurt her?", She tilted her head even if she knew that was a low blow.

"Yes like I hurt her. She doesn't need to go through that again and besides she seems to trust you, though I don't know why. You're an asshole", he huffed and mumbled the last part, eliciting a small smile on Rachel's face. She was happy someone was on the lookout for the woman she was interested in, secretly she wanted someone like that too. Sure, Melinda will do that for her but her heart yearned for a family like the one Nova had.

"Noted", she gave him a stiff nod and stared off in the distance, the trees looking very interesting. She didn't want to ask for tips but at the same time she was clueless when it came to such things but Christan noticed it and grinned widely at her.

"She has had a horrible morning and she is most likely to take it out in the kitchen so be a darling and join her there, don't get in her way though. Jam gets off at 1, try to remember that too. As weird as it sounds she loves black roses though she has never touched one and she will fall for you if you can make her a perfect croissant or whole roasted chicken. The girl must have some weird kink", he mumbled before climbing into his car and zooming off, leaving an already frustrated Rachel.

The blonde woman thought that maybe if she went back she would be put out of her misery because God knew she could not boil water to save herself and no woman could make her go to the extreme, or so she thought. When the silly voice in her head made mockery of how a small woman like that had her on her toes she kicked the dirt under her feet and gracefully walked into the inn, wearing a stoic expression. She met a scrawny boy who received her while shivering horribly.

"Welcome ma'.....", Juan fidgeted but was cut off by the woman who didn't have the patience to deal with a spineless boy.

"Ms Mathews", she said shortly and the young boy paled and stared towards the kitchen where pans were clanking loudly and the kitchen hands stood at the door, away from Nova's wrath.

"She's not....", He started again and Rachel cut him off again.

"Now", she demanded and he sighed frustratedly before attempting to glaring at her but that didn't even last a second because he almost got a frostbite from the icy glare from the blonde's blue eyes.

"Ma'am I....", He started but was cut off again, this time by Nova.

"Juan!", She yelled his name, not minding that she could have guests and they could hear her tirade.

"For the love of Satan, Juan!", She snapped when she didn't get any response from the scared young man. Robert, one of the staff stared at Juan with sympathy.

Nova stormed out of the kitchen with the intention to lay her hands on the young man and snap his neck but when she rounded the corner and saw Rachel, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, probably from anger or something else Nova didn't want to dwell on.

"Rachel, I didn't expect to see you here", she forced a smile as she spoke through her teeth while glaring at Juan who scurried off. Rachel smiled at her antics, an action she seemed to perform whenever around the woman.

"Mmm, surely I wasn't expecting the circumstances", Rachel referred to her outburst.

Nova sighed and wiped sweat from her face,

"Just a rough day", she mumbled and sent one last glare to her staff, sending them into a frenzy.

"What brings you here?", Nova threw the million dollar question and for once in Rachel's whole life, she didn't have a response for a question or better put, a response that won't damage her massive ego. She stared at the shorter woman who now wore a prominent smirk on her beautiful face after the realization that she had the cutthroat lawyer cornered dawned on her.

"Knock it off", Rachel rolled her eyes so hard and huffed, encouraging the already giggling woman.

"Someone missed me", Nova asked in a singsong voice, enjoying this side of the  iceberg, a name she gave Rachel in her head.

"Whatever. I believe you were organizing a hurricane in the kitchen", Rachel folded her hand across her chest. Apparently a feeling of joy had made itself known in her and she refused to admit it was because of their banter.

"My my, did the almighty Rachel Sanchez come to help me in the kitchen?", Nova gasped but the blonde glared at her so hard she was shocked not to have at least twelve bullet holes in her head. She mumbled something about Rachel being a killjoy and lead them to the kitchen where Rachel managed to scare the staff away with her domineering presence and ended up being no help to the woman whatsoever, just stood there with all her attention solely on Nova and couldn't help but admire her the more while that stupid voice in her head kept reminding her of how whipped she was. Rachel Sanchez wanted Nova Matthews not just to warm her bed, but her heart too because she was gradually realizing that she did have a heart, just frozen.