“Why?” Jack came around to her side of the bar in a flash. “You don’t have to work tomorrow.” His menacing glare softened as he stroked one of her flushed cheeks with the back of his hand. “Let’s go back to your place, baby. I want to stay with you tonight.”
As impossible as it seemed, a fresh wave of lust jolted through her. How could she want him again so soon after what they’d just done? It didn’t seem physically viable and yet she was overwhelmed with the desire to drag him back to the office and do it all over again.
“Alright. I guess we can do that.” A show of dimples rewarded her decision and she smiled back at him.
They were in the midst of preparing dinner when the doorbell rang. Jack sat at the kitchen table and chopped vegetables for a stir-fry while she sautéed onions and garlic in a wok on the stovetop. Soft music played on the stereo in the living room, something that Jack had brought with him. She was surprised to find his musical tastes wide and varied, including classical and jazz, considering the type of heavy metal that always played at Felony. When he lit a few candles on the dining room table, the effect was intimate and complete.
“Were you expecting someone?” Jack asked when the doorbell rang for the second time.
“No. It’s probably Karly or Mrs. Hinkle looking for her roses.” Jack had pilfered more roses from the arbor next door to adorn their dinner table, and Mrs. Hinkle was certain to take notice.
“I’ll get it.” Jack rose from the table and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room.
A few seconds later, she heard shouting and ran into the foyer to see what was happening.
Brian stood on the stoop. Jack blocked the door in front of him, looming large and in charge, as if he was bouncing at Felony. They were so intent on each other that neither man noticed when she approached.
“I told you to get the fuck out of here,” Jack said. “She doesn’t want to see you, man.”
“Just go get her,” Brian replied. “If she wants me to leave, then I’ll go.”
“What’s the problem?” Ally stepped up to the door and put a hand on Jack’s arm. “It’s okay, Jack.” He looked annoyed but moved away from the door. “What do you want, Brian?”
“I need to talk to you, Ally, about your mom.” Brian ignored Jack’s scowl and focused on her face. “And I wanted to pick up my things. I didn’t realize you had company.”
She moved back from the door in invitation. Brian stepped inside looking uncomfortable and harried – as well he should, given the scowl on Jack’s face. The change in his appearance startled her. Compared to Jack, he was much smaller than she remembered, very pale, and had a weariness of expression that hadn’t been there before.
“It’s not a good time, Brian. We were about to have dinner. You should’ve called first.” She didn’t invite him past the foyer but stood near the door with arms crossed over her chest.
“I’ve tried to call you a couple times but you blocked my number.” He started toward the living room, but Jack stepped in front of him. “I just wanted to get my stuff.”
“It’s right here,” Ally said. She opened the coat closet near the front door and pulled out a small cardboard box. Brian took it from her and frowned.
“That’s it? What about my sweaters and the books I loaned you?”
“When I found you with Becca, I came back to the house and burned them in the fireplace,” she said. Jack laughed and she had to bite her lip to hold back her own smile. It had been a childish act of revenge but had seemed very satisfying at the time. “This is all that’s left. I would’ve burned that stuff too, but I thought it might catch the house on fire.”
“Oh. Right.” Brian had the good grace to look abashed. “I guess I deserved that.”
“And worse,” Jack replied. The two men scowled at each other again. Ally stepped between them to prevent the situation from escalating.
“Can I have a minute alone with Ally?” Brian asked Jack. Jack lifted an eyebrow in question. Ally nodded.
“You call me if you need me,” Jack said to Ally then turned to Brian and pointed a warning finger. “You’ve got five minutes.”
“You better hurry up,” Ally said, enjoying Brian’s discomfort. “Say what you need to say and get out.”
“Can’t we try to be nice to each other?” Brian’s composure had begun to weaken.
“I don’t have to be nice,” she replied. “In fact, I don’t have to be anything at all. You’re lucky I don’t have Jack bounce your ass out on the sidewalk.”
“Look. I just wanted to say how sorry I am about the way things went down between us.” He rubbed a weary hand over his brow and let out a long sigh. “This whole deal with Becca…I don’t know what I was thinking. You’re a good person, Ally, and I was lucky to have you.”
“It’s past history and I’ve got dinner burning on the stove.” She put a hand on the door knob. “Anything else? You said something about my mom.”
“She left me, you know,” he blurted. “She met some guy on the internet and moved to Florida to be with him.”
“What?” Laughter burst from her lips before she could stop it. He frowned and looked down at the toes of his brown leather loafers. As much as she detested Brian, she didn’t want to be cruel so she choked it back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh, but you’ve got to admit that you deserved it.”
“I know. Karma’s a bitch, huh?” His frown melted into an abashed grin and reminded her of the Brian she used to know, the one who carried her books between classes and took her to Prom. “It gets worse. She ran up all my credit cards, too. Thousands of dollars on stupid stuff like psychic hotlines and lottery tickets. She’s not who I thought she was.”
“I really am sorry, Brian.” Their eyes met. The sadness in his gaze brought a sharp pang of sympathy. She knew what it was to be betrayed by someone you trusted.
“Time’s up.” Jack came back into the room, filling it with his presence. He stood behind her, his front pressed to her back. Together they formed a united front. “Dinner’s almost ready, baby.”
“What about my mom?”
Brian moved to the door, his shoulders hunched in defeat. “Your mother was admitted into the psych ward at the hospital a few days ago. They transferred her over to the Brighter Day Recovery Center yesterday. I thought you might want to know.”
A flush climbed into Ally’s cheeks. She felt Jack stiffen behind her. Brian’s mother was the founder of the facility that specialized in addiction and mental illness, so she would know all the sordid details about her mother’s insanity. Jack took a step back, allowing cool air to rush between them as Brian opened the door. She felt the loss of his presence emotionally as well as physically.
“Thanks,” Ally said with a weak smile while trying to avoid Jack’s accusing look. She closed the door behind Brian and bit her lower lip as she turned to face Jack.
Ally closed the door behind Brian and sat down on the sofa. Confused, he scrubbed a hand over his face and turned to study Ally. She was very pale, limbs trembling with suppressed emotion.
“You lied to me.” The edges of his vision turned red with anger. He didn’t get angry often but when he did, his temper got the best of him. “You told me that she died a long time ago. Why would you do that?”
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s easier to pretend that she’s dead than to go into the whole crazy story.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. “I thought you might not like me any more if you knew that I had a crazy mother.”
“So what else have you lied about?”
“Nothing.” Her green eyes glistened with emotion and he was reminded of Chelsea’s frequent and colorful untruths. She’d played him numerous times with that same innocent expression. Damn if he’d stay around and let another woman make a fool out of him.
“Right.” He searched his pockets for his truck keys, ready to make a hasty exit, and then remembered that they had taken a cab from
Felony to her house. “Why should I believe anything you say? Maybe I can’t trust you.”
She sprang off the couch like a startled rabbit and rocketed straight into his chest. He stood like a stone with his arms stiff at his sides. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and squeezed him until his ribs creaked.
“You can trust me, Jack. I’m so sorry that I lied. I’ll tell you everything, just please don’t go.” With her face buried in his shirt, her words were muffled. It was hard to be angry when he could feel the heavy curve of her breasts and the heat of her breath through his shirt.
He groaned and hugged her tight against him. “Explain. Now.”
She stood on tiptoe and nuzzled her nose into his neck. “I didn’t want you to think that I was like her. If you knew how she was…what she’s done…”
“Baby, you’re not your mom.” With a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up so that he could see into her green eyes. “Understand?” She nodded and began to toy with the buttons at the open throat of his shirt. “Nothing your mom did will make me feel any differently about you.” She nodded again, and he dropped a light kiss on the end of her nose. He scooped her off her feet and carried her to the couch where he sat down and settled her on his lap. “Start talking.”
“I don’t really remember much about her except that she was really pretty and she cried a lot. She was always terribly depressed. Sometimes she’d stay in bed for days. I was so little that I didn’t really understand.
“When I was about six, she had an affair with her best friend’s son. The boy was barely eighteen and it was a huge scandal. They ran off together, but the boy came back after a couple of weeks. My dad went after her, but she wouldn’t come home. I didn’t see much of her for another twelve years.” Ally looked up at him, her eyes huge and glimmering with unshed tears. “She never said goodbye or anything – just left. No explanations or excuses. I don’t think she loved me enough to stay.”
“It’s her loss, Ally. She’s missed out on a wonderful and amazing daughter.” Those green eyes, luminous with pain, cut right through to his heart. “You aren’t responsible for her behavior. She made her own choices, you know?”
“She came to my office awhile back and I wouldn’t see her. I mean…I could’ve seen her…but I let them throw her out. She was acting all crazy and I was too embarrassed. Maybe if I had seen her…talked to her…it would’ve made a difference.” Her slender fingers brushed the hair on his chest and sent a tingle down to his toes.
“Baby, you could spend a lifetime wondering. You’ll make yourself crazy if you do that.” His whole body ached with her pain. He could feel the depth of it throbbing behind her wall of self-control. “I know this is a crazy thought, but maybe you need to go see her.”
“I know that I should, but I have no idea what to say to her.” She stroked the side of his face with her fingers. He leaned into her touch, savoring the intimacy. “Would you go with me?”
“You know I would. All you’ve got to do is ask.” He held her close, sweeping her into the curve of his shoulder, as if he could somehow protect her from all the hurt and pain she faced. “Are you going to call your brother?” Jack asked. “Seems like somebody should tell him she’s here.”
“I don’t know where he is or how to get hold of him.” Ally slumped against him. “I can’t talk about it anymore or I’m going to completely lose it.”
“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk at all if you don’t want to. Do you want to be alone? Should I leave?”
“I need you, Jack.” She gripped his hand with a fierceness that stirred his emotions. “Make love to me. When I’m with you, I forget everything else and right now I need to forget.”
The words cut through his soul with heart-wrenching sincerity. He took her hand in his and kissed the palm of it. She needed him. All he wanted was to take away a little of her pain, to ease her guilt and suffering. He knew plenty about those feelings himself, and if he could save her the torture of regret and self-loathing, then by God it was his duty to do so.
“Come on.” He stood and tugged her to her feet. “Let’s go take that shower…together.”
CHAPTER 17
JACK SHUFFLED through the mess of papers on his desk in search of an invoice and unable to find it, groaned in frustration. He threw down his pen and ruffled his hair with both hands in search of patience. Bookkeeping had never been his forte. He knew how to run a bar, what kind of liquor to stock, and how to manage people. Every minute he spent behind this godforsaken desk seemed like wasted energy when he should be filling coolers and repairing equipment.
As he slumped back in his chair, Ally came into the office without knocking and the sight of her took his breath away as it did every time she walked through his door. She looked relaxed and comfortable in a pink hoodie and faded jeans, her long hair tumbling in loose waves down to her waist. The smile on her lips washed over him like a gentle caress and for the thousandth time, he thanked God for bringing her into his life.
Although he hated to see her unemployed when a career meant so much to her, it gave them time together and that meant more to him than he would like to admit. He had gotten used to having her around, to the sweet citrus and sunshine scent that clung to his clothes after he kissed her, and the feeling of absolute bliss that warmed him from the inside out every time she smiled.
Ally set a large bag on the small table near the door. The scent of burgers and fries wafted into the room and reminded him that he hadn’t eaten yet today.
“The only thing I love more than a pretty girl in my office is a pretty girl in my office bearing food.” He rose from the desk to greet her. She came into his arms with a rush and raised her face so that he could kiss her. “How was the interview this morning?”
“Two interviews,” she corrected. “They went really well, but I didn’t get either job. The one guy said I was overqualified and the other one said he needed a person with more experience.” She shrugged and slipped out of his arms to clear a space on his desk for the food. “If I don’t find something by the end of the month, I’m going to be in trouble. I got two months of severance but that only goes so far.”
“Well, that sucks.” He smoothed back the hair from her forehead and ran a finger down the side of her face from temple to jaw. “Don’t worry. It’ll all work out in the end.”
“Yeah, well…” She took a seat in the chair across from his desk, propped her feet up on the edge and took a big bite out of her hamburger. “I did get a call from an accounting firm in Philadelphia…”
“Are you thinking about it? Is it a good opportunity?” Jack sat back down and with his hamburger in one hand, began to sort through the papers with the other, only half-listening to what she said.
“I don’t know. Not if something else turns up…” Her voice dropped off. The sudden silence broke his concentration. He looked up to find her brows drawn together in a troubled frown.
“What? What is it?” His own brows drew sharply together.
“It’s nothing…just…well, I thought about what you said the other day…about my mom. I’m going to go see her Friday.” She attempted a smile, but he saw the trembling of her lips and put his hand over hers.
“I’ll go with you. We can make a day out of it, if you want. Ride the Harley up there, if it doesn’t rain.” He pulled his hand back and resumed digging through the papers on the desk, sending dust motes into the air and paper clips onto the floor.
“Okay. Thanks.” The troubled green eyes cleared. “I hate to ask, but what the heck are you doing?”
“I can’t find the damn statements.” He growled in frustration and threw his hands up in the air.
“Your desk is a mess,” Ally said. “They have this thing called a filing cabinet. You ought to think about using one.”
“I have one.” He jerked his head toward the upright cabinet at his elbow.
“I know and it’s empty. It doesn’t work unless you put the papers inside it.”
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p; “I have a system,” he said absently. His mind had already returned to the problem of debt-to-income ratio.
“Well, by the look on your face, it’s not a good one. You need an accountant.” As she spoke, she opened a small container of catsup and dipped one of the fries inside.
“Accountants cost money and I don’t have any.”
“I know a really good accountant who’s out of work right now. I bet she’d be happy to help you out for a while at rock bottom prices.”
That got his attention. “Really?” The idea had crossed his mind before, but he wasn’t sure how Ally felt about working together. “I can’t pay you much. Are you sure? You have no idea what you’re getting into. David left things in a mess.”
She put her hand on his and squeezed. “I can handle it, Jack. It’s what I do.”
Within a few days, Ally organized the chaos on Jack’s desk and transformed his office into a manageable workspace. Although it was hard work, she enjoyed the challenge. And she was able to combine her two favorite things in life: numbers and Jack. When she showed him the progress she had made, the appreciation in his eyes was worth more than any monetary reward.
“This is amazing.” He stood behind her, chin resting on her shoulder as she pulled a report off the printer, and gave her bottom a gentle squeeze with one hand.
“Everything is entered into the computer and I have an accounts payable aging report for you to go over. I have some ideas on how you can reduce the debt and get some of the creditors off your back for a while. I’ve spoken with these vendors and they’re willing to defer payment for another 30 days. That will give you a little short-term relief. But that’s all it is…short-term. You need to come up with a plan to get the cash flowing – maybe think about opening up five nights a week instead of three or having some kind of special event.” She ran a finger across the report to direct his wandering attention. His lips brushed over her neck in the sensitive spot below her ear.
Felony Romance Series: Complete Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 20
