Rescue After Dark

by Marie Force

  Quinn put his arm around her and kissed her temple. “I was looking for you the whole time.”

  Moved by them, Mason smiled. “You guys give me hope.”

  “If you love her, don’t let her get away. That’s all I wanted to say.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, and tell her we’d be happy to have her at the center if she wants to be our activities director. No interview required.”

  “You’re just like your father, you know that?”

  Mallory stared at him, seeming shocked. “Really?”

  Mason nodded. “He can be like a dog with a bone when he gets ahold of something, too.” To his great horror, Mallory’s eyes filled with tears. “What? I meant that as a compliment.”

  She waved her hand in front of her face, making an effort to pull herself together.

  Alarmed, he looked to Quinn for help. “What did I say?”

  “If I had to guess, my sweet girl hasn’t often been told that she’s just like the father she only recently found out she had.”

  Mallory used her thumb to point to Quinn and nodded. “That.” She used a paper napkin to dab at her tears.

  “Well, I mean it in the best possible way.”

  “I know,” she said. “You made my day by comparing me to him. Thank you for that.”

  “It was the least I could do after all the ‘help’ you’ve given me.”

  The three of them shared a good laugh, and by the time they parted company, Mason was determined to talk to Jordan about their options when he got home from work. And he would leave on time tonight, barring catastrophe. Maybe he would take her out to dinner. Yes, that’s what they would do. A real date.

  And when the time was right, he’d tell her he wanted them to stay together, even if that meant he had to relocate to be with her.

  Did he want to live in LA? No, but he wanted her, and he had to believe he could find a job as a firefighter or EMT with one of the many fire departments in the LA area. It might be nice to return to the ranks and leave the headaches of administration behind. If the fire service didn’t work out, he could always bartend like he had in college.

  The thought of staying with her, of being with her, of making a real go of this thing with her buoyed his spirits all day. And when Dermot came in to tell him that Jordan was at the barn looking for him, he didn’t even try to hide his pleasure from the colleague who would certainly bust his balls about it later.

  “Send her in.”

  * * *

  Jordan had forced herself not to cry on the way to the barn to see Mason. Under normal circumstances, she’d never disturb him at work, but these circumstances weren’t normal, and she couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to the man who’d come to mean so much to her.

  When Dermot showed her to Mason’s office, the first thing she noticed was how happy he was to see her. His handsome face lit up with pleasure that reminded her that he was the first man she’d ever cared about who had given back more than she could ever give him.

  But his smile faded quickly when he saw that she was upset. Of course he noticed. He always did. “Thanks, Dermot,” he said without taking his gaze off her.

  Dermot closed the door, leaving her alone with the man she’d fallen in love with. What a hell of a time to realize that for certain.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have to go back to LA. Today.”

  He didn’t even try to hide his disappointment, which was just another reason to love him. He never tried to hide from her, never played games or made her wonder if she had his full attention. “Why?”

  “The network is threatening to sue me if I’m not at a meeting tomorrow.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. So, Gigi says I need to get my ass back to LA. She’s sending a plane for me because it was too late to book commercial.” Why was she babbling to him about logistics? What did any of that matter?”

  “You want me to come with you?”

  “What? No, you have work and, well, everything. I don’t know how long I’ll need to be there, and I don’t want to mess things up for you any more than I already have.”

  “You haven’t messed up anything for me. This has been so awesome.”

  “For me, too. I’m so sorry about this.”

  Mason took a few steps to close the distance between them and drew her into his embrace. He bent his head to breathe in the scent of her hair, wanting to commit every detail of her to memory—as if he wouldn’t remember forever every second of the time he’d spent with her.

  Only when her shoulders shook did he realize she was crying.

  “Aww, sweetheart, don’t cry. Go do what you’ve got to do and come back. I’ll be right here.”

  “I may have to do the full season there. That’d be months.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You’re not asking. I’m telling you I’ll wait as long as it takes until you’re free and clear and can come back or until you ask me to come there.”

  “You’d do that?”

  He pulled back and looked down at her. “I’d do that.”

  “But this is your busy season.”

  “So?”

  “Mason, you can’t—”

  He kissed her until she forgot what she was going to say. “I can do whatever I want whenever I want. And if you want me to come to LA, all you have to do is say so, and I’ll be on the next plane.”

  She dropped her forehead to his chest.

  He smoothed his hand over her soft, silky hair. “What did Gigi say about the divorce?”

  “She can’t find him to serve him, but she’s got an investigator trying to locate him.”

  “Is he intentionally dodging the server?”

  “Probably.”

  “What can you do about that?”

  She looked up at him. “Take his call. See what it will take.”

  “I don’t want you anywhere near him out there, Jordan. I mean it. He may be sober, but he’s still the same guy who hurt you the last time you saw him.”

  “I know.”

  “Promise me you won’t go see him alone, no matter what.”

  “I promise.”

  For the longest time, they stood there looking at each other as if trying to memorize every detail.

  “Mason, I want you to know—”

  He placed a finger over her lips. “Let’s not say anything that makes this harder than it already is. Get your stuff taken care of, and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Thank you for saving my life and then showing me it was worth going through all the shit to get to the good stuff.”

  “Plenty more good stuff to come.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “I really hope you do.” He hugged her as tightly as he ever had. “Take your inhaler. Just in case.”

  “I will. Don’t get hurt while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  “Will you call me?”

  “Every day. Just tell me when you’re free.”

  Filled with irrational fear that she might never see him again, she held on for a long time, letting go only when the alarm sounded outside his office and the dispatcher’s voice had them pulling apart.

  “I’ve got to go,” he said when he released her.

  Jordan nodded and forced herself to smile. “See you soon.”

  “Yes, you will. One way or the other.” He kissed her and left the room.

  Jordan followed him and watched the apparatus leave the station with a wail of sirens and flashing lights, off to provide assistance to someone in need. He loved this job. She could never ask him to risk it or give it up for her.

  That couldn’t happen.

  Chapter 22

  As Jordan drove to Eastward Look in Nikki’s car, tears rolled down her face as she thought about how long it might be before she saw him again. She went into the house and stopped short at the sight of h
er sister and grandmother standing in the kitchen.

  Jordan ran into Evelyn’s outstretched arms, the familiar scent of Shalimar filling her with a tender feeling of homecoming. Petite and still lovely with snow-white hair and nearly flawless skin, Evelyn hadn’t changed a bit since Jordan had last seen her.

  “What is this about?” Evelyn asked of Jordan’s tears.

  “I’m so happy to see you!”

  “You were in tears when you came through the door,” Nikki said. “What’s wrong?”

  Jordan pulled back from her grandmother while keeping one arm around her. “I have to go back to LA. Today, or the producers are going to file suit. I just came from seeing Mason.”

  “Oh crap,” Nikki said. “How’d you leave it with him?”

  “That we’ll figure out what’s up when I get my shit sorted. If I get my shit sorted.”

  “If you’re crying over him, it’s probably safe to say you’ve already sorted some of your shit,” Evelyn said.

  Jordan stared at Nikki. “Did she say shit?”

  “I believe she did.”

  “Oh, please. You two taught me all the bad words when you were teens. And don’t change the subject. This nice young man you’re so fond of is going to wait for you to come back. Is that right?”

  “Or he said he’d come to me.”

  “That’s awesome,” Nikki said. “He’s the real deal, J.”

  Jordan’s emotions got the better of her all over again, and new tears slid down her cheeks. “I don’t want to lose him.”

  “Then don’t,” Evelyn said. “Go do what you’ve got to do and get back to him. Quickly. If he’s your real deal, don’t make him suffer.”

  Jordan hugged her grandmother again. “It’s so good to see you. I’m sorry I can’t stay.”

  “I’ll be here for a while. Things are far more interesting here than they are in Florida. Now maybe you girls can tell me what happened to the new living room furniture you bought, Nik.”

  Over her grandmother’s shoulder, Jordan grimaced at Nikki. Riley and his brother had worked all week to fix the roof and chimney so there’d be no sign of the fire left by the time Evelyn arrived.

  “It’s the funniest story,” Nik said. “I’ll tell you all about it after I help Jordan pack.”

  * * *

  As Jordan departed from Gansett Island on a sleek private jet three hours later, her heart ached like it never had before, not even after the awful episode that had ended her marriage. Nothing had ever hurt worse than leaving Mason did.

  She pulled out her phone and sent him a text. I just took off, and I already miss you.

  He wrote right back. Was riding my bike at the bluffs and saw the plane. I wondered if that was you. Come back soon. I already miss you, too.

  Don’t fall off your bike.

  I only fell off once. Best thing to ever happen. Text me when you land.

  I will.

  Did I say to come back soon?

  You did.

  Okay, then.

  Jordan couldn’t stop crying. She felt like she’d left the most important thing in her life behind on the tiny island that she could now barely see from the window. A panicked feeling went through her, making her wish she could tell the pilot to turn the plane around and take her back.

  The only reason she didn’t do that was because at some point, she’d have to face what was waiting for her at home in LA. Better to deal with it sooner so she could get back to where she wanted to be.

  If someone had told her before she came to Gansett for the Memorial Day weekend opening of the Wayfarer that she’d ever yearn to be back on the island, she might’ve found that funny. Unlike Nik, who’d always loved the slower pace of Gansett, Jordan had found it mostly boring. Yes, she’d loved being there with her sister, grandmother and her mother when they were kids, but since she became an adult, she hadn’t spent much time there.

  Why would she? There was nothing to do on the island. She laughed when she thought about that now. How had the most boring place she’d ever been become the most exciting?

  Mason, that’s how. Being around him was exciting even when they did nothing more than sit on the sofa and watch TV together. He was always touching her, whether it was resting a hand on her leg or putting an arm around her or leaning his head against hers. He was so much bigger than her, but never once had she felt intimidated by his size.

  Well, except for…

  And just like that, she was crying again as memories of hours in bed with him, on the sofa, in the shower and once on the floor of his living room came rushing back to remind her that nothing and no one had ever made her feel the way he did—all the time, no matter what they were doing.

  Married to Brendan, she’d discovered you could feel lonely even if someone else was in the room. She often felt lonely, even when Brendan was sitting right next to her or was in the same bed with her. He might as well have been on the other side of the world for all the good it did her having him right there.

  That was never the case with Mason. Sure, they’d only recently met and were in the rose-colored-glasses stage, as she’d once heard her grandmother refer to the heady early days of a relationship. But she already knew she’d never feel lonely if Mason was there. Even knowing he was only a phone call or text away made her feel better about leaving than she would have if she couldn’t have talked to him.

  The thought of not being able to talk to him made her feel sick. He was the only one she wanted to talk to about anything lately. Even having Nik close by again paled in comparison to being with Mason.

  It was too soon to be thinking of things like babies and forever and happily ever after with him. All she knew for sure was that she wanted more of him and the way he made her feel.

  After a rough six hours of emotions and turbulence in the sky, the plane landed at LAX, where Gigi was waiting for her in a lounge where passengers on private planes were met.

  “What the hell, girl? Your face is all red and puffy. You look like shit.”

  As usual, every one of Gigi’s blonde hairs was perfectly in place, and her fake eyelashes were so extravagant as to be funny. A Louis Vuitton purse hung from her arm, and her skinny jeans were so skinny that Jordan wondered how she could breathe. Four-inch Louboutin heels had her towering over Jordan when they were roughly the same height when barefoot.

  Gigi grabbed Jordan’s arm. “Don’t make eye contact with anyone, or you’ll be all over Twitter grieving your ex or some other garbage.”

  Her friend was absolutely right about that. With her usual efficiency, Gigi got Jordan’s suitcase from the flight crew and hustled her into the white Audi Q7 Gigi had bought when they signed the contract for the second season of their show—after the first season had been a surprise hit.

  “What is up with you?” Gigi asked when they were on their way to Bel Air.

  “Nothing.”

  “Try selling that bullshit to someone who hasn’t known you since forever. Did scumbag call you?”

  “Well, he did, but I didn’t take the calls.”

  “So what’s up, then? And don’t tell me it’s nothing, or I’ll just ask Nik. Is this about Mr. Big?” She glanced at Jordan as she weaved through traffic, pissing off every other driver on the road, as usual. “It is, isn’t it? Oh my God! Tell me everything.”

  “I really like him.”

  “How’s the sex?”

  “Amazing, stupendous, life-changing.”

  “Is he big all over?”

  Jordan laughed. “He is indeed big all over. Much bigger than you-know-who.”

  “Oh my God, I love this so fucking much.”

  “It’s still very new.”

  “But life-changing. That’s a big term to be throwing around about something new.”

  “I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself, especially now that I’m here and he’s three thousand miles away.” Saying that out loud had new tears flooding her eyes. “Any word from Davy or the scumbag?”

  “
Nope, the server can’t find the scumbag. And I can’t get in touch with Davy.”

  “Ugh. Of course he’d do this right when I want to serve him.”

  “It’s because we want to serve him that he’s gone under. He doesn’t want to be divorced from you.”

  “Well, that’s just too fucking bad. He can hide all he wants. At the end of the day, he’s getting divorced.”

  “I’m so happy you’re done with him.” She glanced at Jordan. “I dropped him as a client.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did have to. He beat up my BFFL. After that, he’s dead to me. He should’ve been dead to me a long time ago.”

  “Me, too. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused for you and everyone else who got caught up in this mess.”

  “You’re not the one who caused the trouble. He is the one we all resent.”

  While Jordan agreed that much of what had taken place was outside her control, she’d stayed with him longer than she should have—and that was on her. While they were stuck in traffic on the 405, Jordan took a second to text Mason to let him know she’d landed.

  Glad you’re safe.

  Well, I’m in LA traffic at the moment, so…

  You’re not driving, I hope.

  No, Gigi picked me up.

  Call me later?

  I will.

  Are you on your way back yet?

  Soon.

  Yes, please.

  Jordan smiled at the way he made her feel wanted even with the entire country standing between them.

  “Look at you smiling like a girl who’s been getting some of the good stuff.”

  “Mmm, it’s very good stuff.”

  “Check you out, hitting the rebound. That’s my girl.”

  The comment made Jordan feel immediately defensive of him and what they’d shared. “Mason isn’t a rebound.”

  Gigi’s raised eyebrow cleared the top of her oversize sunglasses. “You aren’t getting all serious before you’re even separated from the douche canoe, are you?”