Personal Chef

Chapter 63

"Are you fucking kidding me, Chels?" Shawn asked with obvious exasperation.

We were on the phone after his concert at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. It was the first time we'd actually spoken since Kat's visit, and I'd just filled him in on the whole conversation. I didn't feel like I could bring up what she wanted me to tell him over text, so I'd waited until we talked.

"I'm not kidding, because this isn't really a joking matter. I'm just passing this information on to you like I told Kat I would. It's your decision to do what you want, but I know you're going to be in LA in a few days. I thought you should know her situation in case you wanted to do something while you were there."

He was silent other than his heavy breathing. I knew he was pissed.

"Shawn?"

"She manipulated you," he spat angrily.

"I don't think she did. I didn't believe her about how sorry she is, but I do believe she loves Jayce and the idea of her losing custody bothered me," I explained.

"The thing about Kat is that you don't know you've been played until much later. No one knows this better than me!"

"Okay. So maybe she got to me a little," I admitted.

"Did you ever consider that maybe she's getting what she deserves?" he asked.

"Actually, yes. I did wonder if it was karma. If there wasn't a sweet baby involved, maybe I'd be okay with that. Jayce exists, though, and he could be hurt from losing time with his mother."

Shawn snorted into the phone. "How the fuck is this any of my business? She's out of my life!"

I gulped. I knew he wouldn't take this well, but he was madder than I expected. Maybe I should have had Andrew deal with this.

"It's your business because Coulson is using you as part of his justification for gaining custody," I explained.

"Fuck both of them!"

"Are you mad at me for talking to her?" I asked, worried that I'd overstepped a boundary by just giving her the time of day. "I probably shouldn't have told you. I'm sorry. I just thought you'd want to know."

I could hear him let out a deep breath before responding. "No. I'm not mad at you, Chels. There's not much you could do if she just showed up at your bistro. And I understand why you agreed to talk to me. I'd definitely be angrier if you'd kept it from me. That doesn't make me happy with this whole fucked up situation, though."

I understood that it put him in a very stressful position. He could put aside his hatred for Kat and help her, or he could ignore her request and possibly impact Jayce's life.

"I know you only had two weeks together as a family, but was she a bad parent?" I asked.

He hesitated a moment before answering. "No. She loved Jayce and was actually kind of a natural at taking care of him."

"Do you think she shouldn't have custody of him fifty percent of the time?" I asked.

He sighed loudly. "If you're asking me if she's an unfit mother, then no, I don't think she is. She's a terrible person though. What if that rubs off on Jayce?"

"That's a fair consideration. You once told me that when it was just the two of you, she was much different. My guess is that she's a better person around those she loves. Maybe raising Jayce will be good for her."

He was silent.

"I've done what I told Kat I'd do and shared the information. If you want to ignore it, so be it. Just keep in mind that by punishing Kat you could also be punishing Jayce," I said.