by Jessa York
“I’m guessing midnight at the earliest?” I told her as I brushed the hair back from her face. My hands ran down her arms, wanting to soak in our last minutes together.
“You want to come over after?” she asked. The grin I sported must have pleased her because she smiled right back.
“I always want to come over. It’ll be late, though. Are you sure you haven’t had enough of me?”
She giggled and got up on her tiptoes. “Not even close.” Her lips found mine and again showed me how much more she wanted.
“We should probably stop before I shove you in the back seat of your car and have my way with you,” I said, grabbing her even closer.
“Hmm, that sounds nice,” she whispered against my lips, and that had me cracking right up.
“Trust me, there’s nothing else I’d rather do, but I’ll have a mutiny on my hands if I don’t show up at the restaurant tonight. I’ve still got your key. You want me to call before I come? Or just walk in?” I tipped her chin up so I could see her beautiful face one more time before I left.
“Just walk in,” she said, making my evening, too.
I watched her drive away, savoring the feeling in my chest. We hadn’t discussed her jerk of an ex-husband yet. And that was one thing I wasn’t looking forward to.
When I got to work, my usual warm welcome evaded me. “Chef, a moment?” my sous chef, Louis, asked, looking pissed. I couldn’t blame the guy. He’d been covering for me the last two days while I had the boys and then while I had Harper.
My eyes cased the room, and I had a bunch of quick looks and furtive glances. Yeah, they were all ticked off. Shit. I nodded and led him to my office. He shut the door behind him and sat down, exhaling loudly. “We get that you had to help your friend out. But man, two days? You know how much we need you down here. And especially this afternoon, you said you’d make it down to help but didn’t show up.” He looked at me with a blank expression. “The staff is mad. And not just because you’ve been impossible to deal with the last few weeks since… Well, anyway, when Gerry dropped off your order last night, the doorman said he’d make sure you and your lady friend got it.” His hands gripped the edges of the arms of the chair and tightened.
“We get that you need your time to yourself, but it was a fucking madhouse here last night, and to know that you were off doing whatever. That just stings.” The red had crept up his neck, and now his entire face was a light shade of fuck right off and die.
I sat back in my chair, assessing the situation. Fingers steepled, I said, “First off, thank you for covering my ass and doing a damn good job at it. I knew I hired the right guy for this job, but you just confirmed it. I like that. Secondly, thank you for telling me what the mood of the staff is. I respect you for addressing issues before they become unmanageable. Thirdly, I was looking after my friend’s twins and my own child, and Harper and I somehow got back together during that chaos. And there was chaos, my friend.” I smiled up at Louis.
His body relaxed and hit the back of the chair. “You got back with Harper? With three kids around? Man, you are good. You need to write the rest of us a manual or something,” he said and laughed hysterically and slapped his knee. “I’m happy for you. Good for you. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a good woman like that, with legs like that.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
“Thanks. I’ll go talk to the staff about…” I started, but didn’t finish. Louis was shaking his head vehemently.
“Nah, I’ll handle it. And, no offense, but everyone’s going to be fucking thrilled you won’t be walking around here like somebody stole your ice cream anymore.”
My passion was my work, and my work was my passion. I’d chalk it up to luck, but that’d be a lie. Everything I had, I worked tirelessly for. Work, school, work, school, there was no such thing as a break when you were responsible for your own education. One thing I had to be grateful for was my focus and drive. That likely came from my father’s side. He wouldn’t take any credit for what I accomplished, though. Mainly because he didn’t think I had accomplished anything.
As I drove to Harper’s place for the first time in three long weeks, the biggest, stupidest smile crossed my face. Anyone passing me would have thought I was insane. Luckily, not many people were out at two o’clock in the morning. The streets were dark, but quiet. Over the years, I came to love this time of the night. The blackness, the quiet, everything seemed so peaceful.
I pulled into Harper’s complex and ascended the stairs as quietly as I could. Key out, I entered her place and grinned. She always left the table lamp on for me, and there it was, welcoming me home. As I walked, I dropped my clothes haphazardly on the way to the shower. Fuck, I was tired.
A quick shower and towel off later, I breezed into Harper’s room, inhaling the lingering scent of her perfume. She was on her side, facing away from me when I got into bed beside her. Her beautiful lips mumbled something, but all I said was, “Shh,” before I settled behind her, forming my tired body to hers. Home. That’s the only word that popped into my head as I held my woman close and we both fell into a deep sleep.
9
Harper
Waking up in Jack’s arms again after such a long hiatus filled me with more joy than a kid on Christmas morning. But when he woke up and told me he had to get right back to the restaurant, my heart fell.
“Why? It’s Sunday,” I whined like a petulant child stomping her feet. “I thought we could spend the day together. Or at least the morning?” I hoped, staring into his handsome face.
He looked at me and ran the back of his hand down the side of my face. “Stuff to do. Things that didn’t get done on Friday and Saturday still have to get done, honey. A few hours should do it, but I have to buckle down and catch up or my staff will have my balls on a platter.”
“That sounds unpleasant.” I frowned. “Should I go to your house and clean up a bit while you’re gone?” I asked, cringing at the mess we left there yesterday.
Shaking his head, he said, “Nah, I’ve got people on it. But thanks for thinking of it.” The sides of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. His face looked tired. I didn’t know what time he got in last night, but it was quite late.
“Come with me if you want?” he asked, looking deeply into my eyes. It seemed like he genuinely wanted me to go, but what would I do there?
“Okay, can I help with something while I’m there?” Maybe that way he’d get his work done faster, and then we’d still have a good portion of the day left.
His smile confirmed that he was more than all right with that idea. “Yeah, you can give me a hand. There’s no shortage of shit to do in a restaurant, trust me.” He picked up my hand and kissed it. God, I loved it when he did that. My heart just about burst.
After that, I showered and got ready for the day. Jack had my coffee ready in a to-go mug—made just how I liked it. We left for the restaurant, and not to be a chauvinist or anything, but I loved it when he drove. The way he took control of the car was sexy as hell. The man loved his vehicles, you could tell by the way he became one with whatever wheel he was behind. Every so often, he would look over at me and grin, checking in with me.
Walking into Jack’s restaurant again after all this time felt odd. To be back at the place where I found out he had an ex-wife and a daughter, a completely hidden life that he hadn’t shared with me, gave me the chills. But I had forgiven him, and I meant it. His apology couldn’t have been more heartfelt. And besides all that, Ava was so sweet. The way she acted around me, I was pretty sure she liked me, too.
God, when she was wailing about me curling her hair, my poor cold heart broke right in half. I knew she was just three years old, and Audrey told me that three was worse than two, so I wasn’t totally oblivious. Kids had temper tantrums. I got it. But when that adorable little angel was screaming for me, well, it was just different.
Jack had made good on his word and found me multiple jobs to do while he muttered and slammed things around
in his office. From his comments, I gathered that his staff had been less than receptive to him hanging out with us instead of being at work. Although I felt bad for them, I felt freaking great for me. For us.
About two hours into our time there, Jack’s phone rang. Yeah, I was curious, but no, I wasn’t about to go snooping. And I didn’t have to, because roughly ten seconds after he answered it, he tromped through the kitchen, saying, “I’m here, yeah. Give me a second.”
He seemed agitated, so I followed him out to see if there was anything I could do. An older woman stood at the front doors, smiling and waving to him. Jack opened the door with a, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” The woman waltzed right in and hugged him.
“Is that any way to talk to your mother?” she scolded, and my heart beat faster. Shit. It was probably too late for me to slink back and hide in the kitchen. They’d see me for sure, and I’d look like an even bigger idiot than I already did. So, I stood there like a third wheel.
Finally, Jack turned around and said, “Ma, this is my girlfriend, Harper. She came in to help me out.” His arm swept out to me, and he cocked his head. Hmm, he was summoning me. Like a good little girlfriend, I walked up and offered my hand.
“Nice to meet you.” I’d love to have said, “Jack has told me all about you” or “Jack has said so many nice things about you,” but that would’ve been a lie. He’d told me diddly-squat about her. Anytime I asked him about his family, he gave me the shortest answer known to mankind or avoided it altogether.
Obviously, the man had issues with these people. He’d met my family, willingly, and had only kind things to say. He was clearly insane. My people were crazy and annoying and in your face, but they weren’t mean. And from the way Jack acted, it gave me the feeling there was bad blood there for a reason. That made me sad for him.
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Elaine,” she said, studying me like a hawk. For a moment, I wanted to say, “Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” but I restrained. “She’s beautiful, Jacky,” she added and peered up at him with all the pride a mother could muster.
“I would have made something if I’d known you were stopping by,” he said, being a bit short with her. The way he said it, I guessed he wasn’t exactly pleased she was here.
“No, no, I didn’t want to bother you. I just saw your car in the parking lot, and since I needed to talk to you anyway, I pulled in,” she said, her eyes locking on mine. The look on her face seemed a bit conspiratorial, but what did I know?
Jack breathed out heavily from his nose and put his free hand on his hip. “What’s up?”
She cleared her throat and straightened up. “It’s my birthday next weekend, and I wanted to invite you and Harper to come,” she said. Her hands were playing with her purse, like she was nervous. “It’s my sixtieth, and I’d like my whole family together for it. Please, Jacky? It’s been so long, and this is a special birthday.” The look of hope in her eyes was heart-wrenching, and I guessed that her whole family didn’t normally show up for her birthdays. Hmm.
“Ma, we talked about this already,” Jack said, holding me even closer now, like he was trying to protect me from some invisible threat.
“Harper, talk some sense into my boy here. Tell him how important this birthday is for me. Sixty is nothing to sneeze at. You would come, too, right? Jacky can show you off to his siblings.” She smirked. Now how in the world was I supposed to answer that?
“Um, I would love to come, Mrs. McCallister,” I said, giving the only possible reply. What was I supposed to say? That I didn’t want to attend my boyfriend’s mother’s birthday party?
“Great. It’s decided. See you Saturday afternoon. I’ll text you the details.”
“Ma, I just don’t think—” he said in low voice, looking defensive.
“One birthday, Jacky. Just one. For your mother.” Oh, she was good. Jack made a noise deep in his throat. I knew that sound, and he was not impressed.
10
Harper
After Jack’s mom left, he went back to his office to work, and I kept on with menial jobs and various other tasks.
An hour later, I heard him in his office, frustrated and angry. Wondering if he needed any kind of help, I went back in search of him. From the look of it and the sound of it he was on the phone again with his ex-wife.
Hand slamming down on the desk, he said, “For the tenth fucking time, Brooke, I’m not gonna do that. I’ve got shit to do. I don’t have time for this. I’ll talk to you later.” He ran his hands through his hair and sighed.
Once he finally looked up at me, I gave him a sad smile and said, “Ex again?” I already knew the answer. His lips were a straight line, and he nodded. “Now I may be overstepping my bounds, and feel free to tell me that, but would it be easier if the two of you got along?” The sadistic laugh he emitted almost made me wish I hadn’t asked.
“Do you think I haven’t tried that before? Because I have many times. The woman’s a master manipulator. She will do anything to get her way. No matter who she has to step on. It doesn’t matter. She wants what she wants, and she gets it. And it’s frustrating.”
I decided to take a different approach. “I get that, really I do. She’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type. I could tell that from the first time I saw her. But is there a possibility to diffuse this situation before it escalates? It just can’t be good for Ava to be around that kind of animosity.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “So you spend one evening with the kids and suddenly you’re an expert?” He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes. “Fuck. I’m sorry. That was way out of line.”
I took a deep breath before I answered, “No, I get it. I’m no expert. But I saw how Ava was when you guys were fighting, and it wasn’t pretty. I just thought, for her sake—no, for everyone’s sake, it would be a hell of a lot easier if you guys got along.”
He leaned back in his big leather chair and motioned for me. I meandered my way to him around his desk, and once I was close enough, he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto his lap. “I appreciate your help. I don’t want you to think otherwise. Everything you did for us was amazing. You showed up at just the right time, exactly when we needed you. You walked into that mess and you stayed. No, not only did you stay, you ran the show from then on. No joke, I’d about had it by then.” He laughed in my neck and shivers traveled down my back as I wrapped my arms around him. “As for Brooke, that’s a whole different can of worms. I’ve known that woman for years, and she will eat you alive. I’ve tried. Honestly, I’ve tried. “
I ran my fingers across his cheek and said, “Do you have it in you to try one more time?” He touched his forehead to mine and smiled the most heartbreaking smile I’d ever seen. Then he grabbed my chin and looked deeply into my eyes, his soulful brown eyes pleading with me.
“You know I’d do anything for you, right?” he said as he pulled me closer. I grinned at him and nodded. “I just don’t know if I have this in me.”
“I know you do. She’s Ava’s mom, and Ava deserves the best, right? Just think how much easier it would be for everyone if you guys could be civil to each other.”
His eyes searched my face, maybe for hope that I would change my mind. But I really believed we could do this. “There’s nobody else in the world that I would try again for except you.”
The smile on my face told him what was in my heart. My arms hugged him harder. “I’m going to need a lot more than a hug for that, honey,” he said, sighing loudly. I laughed and squeezed him even harder.
“We’ll try our best. That’s all we can do.”
After our little chat, Jack promptly called Brooke back and told her that it was fine for her to drop Ava off in the afternoon. I had to give him credit. The man was civil. From the lack of yelling, I assumed that Brooke was either in shock or just so happy that she decided not to push her luck.
Jack drove me to my place, because that’s where he and Brooke agreed to do the handoff. No lie, I was nervou
s to be alone with his ex. But Jack had stuff to do at the restaurant, and I told him I could handle it. And I was sure I could. After all, she was just a woman.
When I got home, I vacuumed, put laundry away, and made sure all the dishes were done. Not long after, there was a knock on the door. I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves before I opened the door. My eyes found Ava’s immediately. The sweet little girl was looking right up at me with stars in her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile back at her the same way.
Brooke cleared her throat, and my eyes traveled up to hers, which were filled with hate. I had no idea where she was going, I didn’t ask, but she was all dolled up from shoes to hair. “Hi, come on in,” I said and backed up to let both of them in. The frown on Brooke’s face said it all. She glanced around the apartment with nothing short of disgust in her eyes.
“Uh, this is interesting,” she said, this time with a deep frown on her face. By her look, I was sure her skin was crawling. I didn’t think she would like my apartment, but I certainly didn’t expect her to be so condescending either. “Jack stays here?” Her eyebrows raised like she was surprised that he would lower himself to stay in such a hovel.
Refusing to take part in her game, I just smiled and said, “He sure does.” I reached out my hand for the bag she carried. “I can take that.” She huffed and handed me Ava’s bag.
“Do you have a booster seat in your car?” she asked me.
“No.”
“Well, I don’t know how you’re going to get out now. This place is far too small for a child.” She threw her hands up dramatically like it was the end of the world.
I was proud of myself for not engaging, no matter how difficult. And trust me, it was difficult. The woman was trying to get a rise out of me. That much was obvious. To give in now and lower myself to her level, right after I practically begged Jack to try to get along with her, would be the easy way out. And if I didn’t try to bite back my feelings, I’d also look like a complete dork for going back on my word an hour after I’d suggested my plan.
