by Jessa York
With Jack’s texts and calls, I felt like I had two stalkers instead of one. The difference was that Jack’s texts made me cry and caused my heart to break all over again. That didn’t seem conducive to getting over someone, so I blocked him. The irony of me blocking Jack on the phone he bought me because of a stalker was not lost on me. Still, it had to be done.
We were done. His constant requests to talk and work it out were senseless. If you couldn’t trust the person you were with, there was nothing left in that relationship to save. No amount of talking was going to change anything.
My girls had been a constant support for me the last few weeks. Audrey, Riley, and Vivienne all thought I should hear him out, but a face-to-face with the man who had hurt me so much seemed more like torture than anything else.
Surprisingly, all Roza, my neighbor, said was, “Harper, everyone has demons. You never know things that happened in somebody’s life ’til they tell you. Give him benefit of doubt and talk to him.” Roza’s Czech accent was strong, but she spoke in a gentler tone than usual.
Needless to say, I didn’t listen to any of my friends. I also managed to dodge my parents and my sister, Charlie. No doubt they probably guessed something was going on, but mercifully, other than a few quick texts, they left me alone.
I hadn’t seen or heard from Gabe since that night at the police station. It certainly was an eye-opener, though. The anxiety that filled me every time I left my job, home, or even the grocery store was exhausting. Always on the lookout for the crazy person. And man, was he crazy.
The one thing that surprised me the most was how the loneliness crept in. Little things would happen during the day, and I would think, I need to tell Jack. Then the reality would slam back in—that I’d never tell Jack anything again. Ever.
3
Harper
Going out for drinks was possibly the last thing on Earth I wanted to do. But Riley was adamant that I needed to get out of my four walls for a few hours. I only said yes to shut her up. Her constant hounding was endearing, but also annoying as hell.
Getting up early to prepare for my evening out was more of a hassle than anything. After work, all I needed was a quick freshening up. My phone beeped while I was driving, but I didn’t pay it any attention. Always a rule girl, I never answered my phone while I drove. Just a few more blocks and I’d be at the bar anyway.
Riley suggested we try a different bar—one that wasn’t attached to a certain restaurateur’s business this time. I’d never been a real bar-hopper, but hopefully she would let me go home early so I could sit and do absolutely nothing.
I parked in the back and got out, again looking around for stray ex-husbands. None to be found right now. The outside of the bar was rather plain looking—brick exterior, the odd tree spattered here and there, rocks filled in where grass or flowers would look more appealing. Perhaps bar owners didn’t really care much for landscaping.
A burly, large, probably had steroids for breakfast and lunch guy let me in after giving me a good once-over with his bulbous eyes. Creepy. My stomach sank as I walked farther into the bar, and the lights and music engulfed me. Meat market. That was the phrase that came directly to mind. This was so not my scene.
How could there possibly be this many people off work already? It was difficult to find Riley, but I finally did. She was at a table, talking to a good-looking guy. From their body language, I could tell things were progressing. I had half a mind to take off and just leave them be, but she spotted me.
“Okay, McIntyre, take off. My date is here,” she said, waving him off and smiling at me. He pushed his chair out and gave me a panty dropping grin.
“Hi, I’m Jesse,” he said, grabbing my hand for a light shake. “I’ll be over there if anyone needs me.” He motioned with his hand while staring directly at Riley.
“Sit down. I’m so happy you came,” she said, ignoring Mr. Wonderful and pushing the chair out for me. “I was scared you’d back out at the last minute.” She raised her eyebrows in an accusatory tone. Yikes, the woman could read minds.
“Of course, I came. Sheesh,” I said and sat down where Jesse had just vacated. My eyes scanned our vicinity, and I added, “How did all these people get off work so early? I left right at five o’clock, and I hustled.”
Riley nearly spat out her straw. “Honey, it’s Friday night. You have to get here early, or your choices dwindle as the night goes on.” She laughed and tossed her hair as half the men in here zeroed in on her. Her blonde curls and tight blue top were magnets, as was the way she had of looking at you and fluttering her eyelashes just so.
A waitress came over and took my order. I was driving, so I asked for a plain pop. “I can drive you home, or we can cab it?” Riley offered, but I really wasn’t in the mood.
“Cab? Why cab it when we can drive you beautiful ladies anywhere you want to go?” Oh boy. Two guys stood by our table, beers in hand. “I’m Arnie, and this is my buddy, Joe,” he said, jerking his thumb toward his pal. Arnie grabbed a chair and made himself comfortable beside Riley.
“Mind if I sit?” his much more polite friend asked. I shrugged and moved my chair over slightly to make room. “I’m Joe, and you are?” he asked once he was seated beside me. His body turned toward me, and it gave me a funny boxed-in feeling. Everything in my body told me to leave, but I took a deep breath and shook his hand. His very big, strong hand. Hmmm.
“Harper. Nice to meet you,” I said in a strangled voice. Nice to meet you? Nice to meet you? Is that what you said to a hot guy in a bar? Good grief. His dirty blond hair shook as he laughed and took a pull of his beer.
“It’s very nice to meet you, too, Harper,” he said in a devastatingly sexy voice, leaning his hand on the back of my chair and moving in closer to me. Yeah, this guy was a player. I didn’t know much about the game, but whatever it was, he knew all the rules. Hell, he probably made all the rules.
His warm beer-scented breath washed over me, and even though this guy was probably considered a real prize here, I wasn’t falling for his moves.
“You girls want some real drinks?” Arnie asked, hailing a waitress over.
“I’m good, but thanks.” Well, I wasn’t good. I was uncomfortable as hell and counting down the minutes until it was time to leave. The guys stayed, and we exchanged meaningless chitchat for far too long. God, I wanted to go home. Joe was starting to get a bit handsy. He’d put his hand on my bare thigh a few minutes ago, and now his thumb was inching a bit too close to home base. Should I just push his hand away?
We somehow heard a phone buzzing, and then I remembered the missed call in my car. Dammit. I was so nervous, I’d forgotten to check. We all searched for our phones, but it was definitely mine going off.
“Hello?” I yelled into the phone, plugging my other ear with my finger. “Hello?”
“Harper? What the hell’s the noise?” Murray, my work manager, asked. Why was he calling me on a Friday night? He’d taken the day off because his wife Audrey was sick. Hope it wasn’t serious.
“I’m out with Riley. What’s going on? Is Audrey okay?” I asked, worried that something was wrong with my friend.
“The doctors think it’s a kidney stone. We’ve been at the hospital all day, and they want to operate soon,” he said, his voice wavering.
“Oh no, Murray. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” I felt sick just thinking about poor Audrey lying in a hospital bed in pain, and here I was out at some bar.
“Well, if you could pick up Nicki and Levi for us? They haven’t been home for a while, and I’m sure they’d like to get back to their own beds.”
“Of course, anything you need. Are they at Audrey’s sister’s?” She was the most obvious choice. All their other siblings lived out of town. I bet those kids had broken her prized trinkets by now.
“Uh, no. That’s the thing. They’re at Jack’s.”
4
Harper
“What did you say? It’s so loud in here.” He couldn’t
have said the boys were at Jack’s. I just had Jack on the brain.
“I’m sorry, Harper. Really. I know this is bad timing and all…with you guys and…but Audrey’s in a bad way, and if you could help us out, I’m sure Jack has had his fill of those two.”
No. No, no, no, no, no. I had to go to Jack’s to pick up the boys?
“Uh, yeah, of course. I can do that. Anything for you guys.” Even go to my ex-boyfriend’s place. Why not? Just because he was a lying, cheating philanderer doesn’t mean he should have to babysit two troublemakers. Although he was the master babysitter, like he proved last time.
“Oh, thank God. We’ve been so worried. He can give you a key to the house. Thanks again.” He hung up quickly, probably scared I’d change my mind.
“Audrey’s sick?” Riley asked, concern etched on her face. She pushed her drink over and concentrated on my face.
“Yeah, I have to pick up the boys. Sorry, I have to go right now.” I stood and grabbed my phone and purse, ready to take off.
“Hold on. I didn’t get your number,” Joe said as he pulled my hand back.
“I have to go,” I said, giving him a fake smile. Before I could snag my hand back, he’d written his number in big script on the inside of my wrist. Great. I turned around and rolled my eyes as I ran out.
It was still light out when I walked outside, and my eyes silently screamed as the sun temporarily blinded me. My hand shaded my face while I hustled to the car.
Don’t think about Jack. Don’t think about seeing Jack and smelling Jack and not being able to touch Jack. Dammit. This wasn’t working. My pulse sped up, and I had to keep wiping my palms on my bare legs as I drove. The skirt I wore was short, but even shorter when I sat down.
Calm down. He was just a man. All I had to do was go in, grab the boys, and leave. Boom. Done. At least that’s what my brain kept thinking. My heart, on the other hand, was cracking in half all over again at the thought of seeing Jack.
Stumbling into his building, I stopped and spoke to the doorman and explained what I was doing there. I didn’t remember Jack’s code, so someone would have to help me out. He was very accommodating.
“Yes, Miss Halle, Mr. McCallister is expecting you.” He followed me into the elevator and swiped his card. Oh God, my stomach twisted and turned like we were on a roller coaster instead of an elevator. I wondered if there was a way to extend the elevator ride for another hour or two so I didn’t have to deal with what I was going to see when the doors finally opened.
We stopped and the whoosh of the sliding metal displayed…pure and utter chaos?
“Here you are, Miss Halle. Good evening,” the doorman said before gently guiding me out of the small quiet box. My feet didn’t want to move, and my brain was just plain old confused with the scene in front of me. The sight I was greeted with was not congruent with how I’d formerly seen Jack’s penthouse.
The man in question strode quickly up to the entryway. “Thanks, Ed. I owe you.”
“No problem at all. Good luck with all your young people.” Ed chuckled before he exited into the solitary cone of silence. Ninety-nine percent of me wanted to escape with him. The other one percent wanted to go search for the lost and wounded that were surely in here.
Jack stood in front of me wearing only basketball shorts and a standard T-shirt. For some reason, I couldn’t stop looking at his bare feet. Was it possible to miss feet? Whenever we lazed around, he never wore socks or shoes, and on those long, quiet days, we often…yeah. Anyway.
Before he spoke, his hand raked through his messy hair. Was that a Cheerio that flew out of his hair? “Harper, look, I—” And that’s all he got out before Nicki barreled down the long staircase.
“You’re gonna need a plunger!” Nicki yelled, toilet paper stuck to his foot as he continued his descent.
“Christ, not again,” Jack snapped as he took off, bounding up the stairs, three steps at a time. I admired his flexing calves before he darted out of view. Hmm, I guess Murray hadn’t warned him that Nicki was a toilet clogger. Some kids just were, I guess?
With Jack gone, I had time to completely take in my surroundings. There was a lot going on here. Namely supreme mayhem.
Four different boxes of puzzles were scattered on the tile floor around me. All opened, all dumped indiscriminately, creating one large puzzle salad.
In the kitchen were freshly baked cookies lying on the stove and counter, and several were mashed into the floor.
Crumbs? Everywhere. Toys? Also everywhere. Not one square inch of Jack’s space failed to be covered with some kind of toy, cookie, cracker, or piece of clothing.
At least at their own house Audrey had a handle on the damage they could do. But here, it was a freaking free-for-all.
Beep, beep, beep. I heard the noise and glanced around to see if anything was on fire. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if something had unknowingly been ignited.
“Yaaaaaaay, suppertime.” A rosy-cheeked cherub came running into the kitchen. Oh God. My breathing stopped. Dark waves surrounded her face full of sweetness. Long, dark eyelashes fluttered at me as she smiled. Just like her daddy.
“Is that noise the stove?” I asked the itty-bitty chef in training.
She giggled. “Yep. We wanna eat and watchashow,” she said, mashing the last three words together to make one. Her voice melted my ever-loving heart. A desire to pick her up and kiss those chubby cheeks overcame me.
“You do? Well, how about we check the oven first?” I suggested, praying it wasn’t some kind of fancy duck à l’orange or lobster bisque.
“Daddy says no touching stoves,” she said gravely, shaking her finger at me. This kid should be in commercials. This kid who also had a mother.
“Maybe we should get your mommy to help?” I asked, wondering if Beauty Queen was somewhere under all this mess.
“What? Mommy don’t live here, silly. She’s with Peter. Daddy is here. Just Daddy.” I see. Beauty Queen had moved on, it seemed. Although I was sad for any child whose family wasn’t together anymore, I had to admit part of me was relieved that her dad didn’t cheat. Well, not with me anyway. Who knows what led to their breakup.
“Harper, grab the crap out of the oven, will ya?” Jack screamed from the top floor. Yikes, he was still in the bathroom. I knew it was horrible of me. Impolite even. But I laughed at the display before me and also at the one I imagined going on upstairs.
Oven mitts. Check. Make sure all kiddos were nowhere near me. Check. I opened the oven, and a familiar smell assaulted my nose. The gasp that came out could be heard for miles, I was sure of that. Chicken fingers and French fries. Good Lord. What was the world coming to? Mister-I-Don’t-Eat-Processed-Food had an oven full of exactly that.
The battered goodness sizzled and popped as I placed the pan onto the gas stovetop. Where was my phone? I needed to take a picture of this for proof.
“Are you taking a selfie with my chicken fingers and fries?” Jack said belligerently, now halfway down the stairs. Oops. Caught.
“Just checking the lighting in here,” I said with an evil smirk on my face.
“Yeah, riiiight,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously. “Will I be seeing a video of all this on social media later?” he asked, swinging his arms out.
I shrugged. “Not quite sure yet.” I tapped my index finger on my lips, perhaps just a bit more seductively than I meant to.
“Okay, move your gorgeous ass over before you get grease on that outfit,” he said, looking me over, lingering a bit longer than acceptable on my legs.
“Jack said the A word,” Levi screeched with glee as he tore through the living room and up the stairs.
“Hey, little boy. Get down here and sit like a normal human being. Who said you could tear through Jack’s house like it was a playground? And who made all this mess? It looks like a warzone in here. Jack invites you two over, and this is how you thank him?” I said, frowning at the sad-faced kid dragging his feet.
“It was mostly Nick’s f
ault,” he mumbled, sticking out his bottom lip.
“Was not,” Nick shouted from the living room while jumping from cushion to cushion in his underwear. Just underwear.
“Nicki,” I said a little louder than intended. “Where the heck are your clothes?”
“I dunno,” he answered, a bit out of breath from his exploits.
“Well, I suggest you find them. Boys who don’t wear clothes don’t get to sit at the table for supper.”
Levi belly-laughed at his brother’s big eyes and wide-open mouth. Jack’s daughter climbed down from her chair and toddled into the living room and dug out some wrinkled clothes from under the couches. Hmmm, I wonder how those got under there? She handed them to Nick.
“What do you say?” I asked him after he forgot his manners. Again.
“Thank you, Ava,” he said, yanking on his pants and shirt faster than the wind. It was likely overkill to get him to thank the sneaky little girl who probably hid his clothes on purpose, but Nicki should have kept his freaking clothes on his body in the first place.
Ava. The sweet, little cherub’s name was Ava. Finally knowing her name gave me goose bumps for some reason.
The three of them ate in companionable silence, munching away on the crunchy mechanically separated chicken product. Jack sighed and cut up some fruit for them, trying to balance out their plates. It looked sad, and I may have giggled.
I never expected to have such a change of heart so quickly, but seeing Mr. Perfect in the middle of such an astronomical fail—in his mind—was reward enough for the three weeks of heartache he’d caused. Well, not quite, but it was definitely a start.
“How come Auntie Harper gets to draw on herself? Mom always yells at us and gives time-outs when we do that,” Nick said, frowning as he dipped his fries into a huge lake of ketchup.
“What are you talking about? I don’t draw on myself,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.
“Right there, on your arm.” Oh shit. Jack grasped my arm with both of his hands and turned it over to display Joe’s phone number. He sharply inhaled air, but breathed out fire as his eyes told me exactly what he thought of me and the number sequence temporarily tattooed on my wrist.
