Rosa’s mouth dropped, and her hand went to her waist. “Because of this?”
Jessica stopped moving. “Don’t pretend to care about me now. It’s far too late. The house will be going to Bryan’s son. Although I’m sure a dedicated employee, like yourself, already knew about Bryan having a son.”
Her eyes connected with Rosa’s, burning through them. The increasing loathing she harbored for Bryan projected itself onto the pawn she could see.
“Son?” The shock in her eyes was sincere. She lost her footing. Jessica instinctively hurried to help steady her. Rosa shrugged her hands off her. “I’m not an invalid, Miss Pratt.”
“So now that I know the dirty little Lexan secret, we’ve gone back to the formal name. You know, none of this is my fault. All I did was love the man, apparently, the wrong man. I left a part of myself behind to love him. Promised to give him my future—”
“Don’t make yourself out to be an innocent in all this.” She glared at Jessica. “You claim to have loved him, but you were really after his pocketbook.” She rubbed her fingers together mockingly stressing his money.
“Don’t impute your motives on to me, Rosa.” She said this pronouncing her name snidely. “I did love him. And what would you know about love? Huh? You sleep around under your master’s roof. Not even enough respect for his memory to keep it in your quarters.”
Rage furled Rosa’s nostrils. “How dare you!”
“No, how dare you!” Jessica roared back at her.
Both women remained silent for a few seconds.
Jessica’s voice cracked when she spoke. “How can you be so wise as to know what was in my heart? I loved him.”
Tears flooded her eyes, her stubbornness even finding it hard to prevent them from falling. The woman’s face softened, but she said nothing. Jessica licked her lips and pressed them together.
“Let’s make this our good-bye then.” Jessica made it to the landing when she heard Rosa.
“You were different than the others.” Her voice echoed over the banister to the lower level.
Jessica didn’t respond but kept walking. There was no point—it would inevitably lead to another confrontation.
-
Chapter 30
“I REALLY CAN’T TELL YOU how thankful I am for your help.” Jessica smiled. “But you didn’t need to come during the day and miss work.”
“Well, see therein lays the benefit to being your own boss.” Mason returned the smile.
The main entrance area was stacked with boxes. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
“I don’t think I ever saw you with your hair up.”
“Normally I don’t put it up, but I’m starting new things and maybe ponytails will become my fashion statement.” She laughed.
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say—”
“I don’t think you should finish that comment.”
“Okay.” His eyes settled on a box and he moved to lift it. “But I think you would have liked to hear what I had to add.” His tone of voice teased her, making her curious.
“What?”
“I was going to add that you can pull it off. You’re cute in a ponytail, but I do love your hair down. There’s something about a woman who lets soft curls fall over her shoulders. Oh, I don’t know. It just does something to a man.” He pretended to have a chill run down his spine.
“Then it’s settled. Every time I see you, I’ll wear my hair up. I wouldn’t want to give you the satisfaction.” She smiled mischievously at him.
“Hurt, really hurt.” He balled his hand into a fist and hit himself in the chest.
“You haven’t felt any pain yet, buddy.”
She pushed him. He lost his balance, only preventing himself from falling because of the boxes.
“Abusive woman! Someone call nine-one-one.”
They both laughed. When he straightened up, they were face to face. There was no more hesitating. He kissed her. He took her mouth hard, seductively, and lovingly.
God, it felt great.
He pulled back after their kiss.
“I’m not Bryan.” The words came from his lips so tenderly, it carried on breath.
“I know you’re not.”
MASON BENT IN AND KISSED her again, but she put her hand on his chest and leaned back.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.” Her heart was wrenching in two. She fought against her instinctual desire to be with this man, to love him.
“I don’t know what more I can say. I care for you. I’m not Bryan. I don’t have a secret past. It’s free to you if you want to know about it.” His voice rose with each word, but he caught himself and lowered it before speaking again. “Please don’t hold what he did against me.” His eyes reflected pain.
Her eyes welded to his and she blinked deliberately. Licking her lips, she could taste him.
“I’m sorry. Let’s just take things slow. Okay?”
She was a mental and emotional mess. She wanted Mason in her life, desired him to be hers, but she didn’t know if she could find the strength to put her pride behind her and take the plunge of falling in love again. Look at what it cost her already—a broken heart caused by the deceit and betrayal of her closest companion. Her judgment of character needed a fine-tuning, or she had to start listening to the little voice in her mind that told her things were off.
The day passed slowly. They only spoke to each other briefly and on matters relating to the move such as where to place what.
She found it strange entering into her apartment.
She hadn’t been inside since she moved everything to Bryan’s. She would only come by for her mail but never had a passing interest in opening the door. She had been happy and content so there was no need.
The air in the place was cool but stale. She ran her hand over the back of a chair sitting at her kitchen table and the memory hit her. Not including the night of the break-in, the last time she was here with Bryan he had reassured her of his love and how he would never hurt her if it were within his power. That felt like a lifetime ago now. She watched her couch, replaying that night. How she had trusted him and pressed against his chest to feel secure.
It was all a lie.
Mason set down some boxes in the far corner of the living room. His facial expression conveyed that he knew she was feeling down.
“Tell me, woman, how can you have so much crap? I’m just thankful you didn’t move all your furniture.”
“Just be happy I didn’t move all my knick knacks or artwork.” She smiled.
“You’ll be all right, Jess, you’re a strong woman.” He put his hand on her shoulder.
She simply nodded.
His comment on her strength as a person made her feel emotional again. His original attempt at steering her thoughts elsewhere had been unsuccessful. They made a sudden detour back. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek. She was quick to wipe it.
“Rosa will be happy to have me out of the house. Now she’ll have all the bedrooms back to frolic in.” She had told Mason about her discovery and then switched the subject. “I didn’t realize how much I had moved over there.” She smiled, but her thoughts about Bryan kept battling for dominance. At this point, they were no longer painted with a positive brush but were tainted by his betrayal.
“Well, maybe I should let you have some time alone.”
Jessica could read his desire to stay longer. He was simply offering to leave as a gesture of respect for her.
“Please, don’t.” She reached out and held his hand. “I can’t let the man who helped me move go hungry. Let me feed you.”
“I’d love to stay, but I don’t think you have any food here.” He grinned, his dimples very evident.
“Oh, I suppose you’re right about that. We could order in, my treat.”
�
��Why don’t we go out?”
“Looking like this?”
She looked down at herself. She wore an old pair of tattered jean shorts with a red T-shirt. Her hair was still in the ponytail and it felt like her makeup had worn off due to sweat.
“I think you’re beautiful.”
Jessica became aware she held his hand but didn’t let go.
“You must need glasses.” She laughed.
“Actually I do.” He laughed, and she hit his chest.
“Nice.” She huffed out sarcastically.
“No, seriously, I wear contacts.”
“I never knew that.”
“Well, you never asked. You’d be surprised what you don’t know about me.” He bobbed his eyebrows. “Let’s go then.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his car keys, tossed them in the air, and caught them.
“Okay, you’ve manipulated me enough,” she conceded with a smile. “But can you wait a few minutes while I freshen up a bit?”
“I suppose.” He tossed his keys again before adding, “Actually, I’m going to step out for a bit, but I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Okkkaaay…” She drew out the single word. “I’m afraid to ask where.”
“Then don’t. I’ll be back in less than fifteen minutes, in good traffic.”
“So I’ll see you in half an hour then.”
“Yeah probably more likely.”
It didn’t seem long and she was buzzing him up.
“Take it you made out all right with the traffic?”
“Yeah, not bad,” he shrugged, but a smile showed that he was up to something. “Someone cleans up well.”
“Save it.” She laughed. “You felt obliged to say that.”
“I only speak the truth.” He tossed his keys in the air. “Let’s go, shall we?”
“Let’s.”
He led her toward a Mercedes SLK convertible and opened the passenger door for her.
She gasped. “How could I not have noticed this car earlier in the day? My mind really must have been elsewhere.” She dragged her hand along the side of its body, stopping short of getting in. “What happened to the Lexus? How many cars do you have?”
He grinned at her like a schoolboy, an expression of guilty indulgence.
“I love cars. Some people would say I collect them, but I think I’d need a lot more for it to be considered a collection.”
“So that is where you went? To change cars?” She asked, and he nodded.
Bryan had loved cars too but never collected them. She admitted this to Mason. After those words came from her lips, she could see the shattered expression on his face.
“I’m sorry. We’re not talking about him. How many do you have?”
“I have ten. I’d like to have enough to drive a different car, every day for two weeks, but I’m sure once I built up to fourteen, the obsession wouldn’t stop there.” She stared wide-eyed at him. “What do you say? Want to go for a ride?”
He gestured for her to get into the car, his one hand on the door.
“Yes, sir.” She smiled and took her seat.
“Pretty sweet ride, eh? I just picked it up last week. Got a good deal.”
They were cruising down the highway. He had opened the roof and her ponytail blew in the wind, causing wisps of hair to break free and brush across her face. The warm breeze rushing against her was liberating.
“A good deal? A car like this, what does it go for? Forty grand?” Jessica asked.
He smiled. “Actually, closer to sixty.”
Jessica was left staring at his profile.
“Sixty grand? You must be selling a lot of T-Bolt.”
“Thanks to your invaluable marketing strategies.” He passed her a glance and pulled off the highway.
She knew he flattered her. The campaign hadn’t launched yet. He had family money that went back before the creation of the energy drink. He had become such a close friend to her that the thought of him being her client as well had been pushed to the background.
“So what do you say we pick up from last Friday?”
He pulled into a parking spot. The beach and ocean lay in front of them. He pressed the button and the roof closed over the car.
“Oh, no, not Mexican food.” She saw the dilapidated building. “This is the one from before, the one with the best burritos in town? The things I do for you.” She got out of the car and went on ahead of him. Stopping before the entrance she yelled back at him, “Are you coming, or what?”
He ran toward her, shouting, “Be careful what you wish for.”
They seated themselves on the back patio that overlooked the ocean. The air was warm and fresh. Jessica watched a boat speed through the water.
“Speedboat.”
“What?”
“I said that out loud?” She laughed. “I was just watching the boat out there, all the white surf in its wake. They must be traveling at a swift pace.”
“What can I get you two?” A Mexican man all of five feet tall stood by their table, a warm smile on his face.
“Dos cervezas por favor.”
The man smiled at Mason’s bit of Spanish, nodded his head and left.
“Cerveza, what’s that?” Jessica asked.
“Beer.”
“Now you’re trying to impress me with your linguistic skills. Fancy, expensive cars aren’t enough?”
“Linguistic skills? Who uses that word, or is it even a word? And if I was really trying to impress you I would have asked for dos chelas. That’s the slang term for beer when in Mexico.” He looked over the water. “Call me crazy but I love the smell of ocean air. It’s almost cleansing.”
“Well, it definitely can help clear the mind.”
On the water, the speedboat was a small spot on the horizon now.
The man came back with two bottles of beer, sitting them on the table in front of them. “Are you ready to order?”
Mason shook his head. “Not yet, we’re just going to sit for a bit. We’ll flag you down when we’re ready.”
His tone of voice and the way those words came from his mouth were polite. If it had been her, she wouldn’t have been able to carry it off the same way. She would have come across rude and offensive.
He appeared inconvenienced by Mason’s rebuttal but said nothing before walking away. He simply nodded his head.
The beer was a bottle of Corona with a wedge of lime on the neck.
“How typical. A Mexican restaurant, a Mexican beer. Fitting, I suppose.”
She squeezed the lime and slid it into her beverage before taking a long drink. It tasted fabulous. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to have alcohol. The thought of being pregnant was enough to curtail any inkling toward one. Now she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs in relief from being free of that fear.
And thank God, what a nightmare that would have been. Not the baby itself but the situation in which she would have brought it up. She admired the strength of men and women who were single parents, but part of her wondered if she could be that resilient.
Mason smiled and followed her lead. He sat the bottle back on the table and glanced at hers.
“You drank it all?”
“Let’s just say I was thirsty.” She smiled playfully at him. “There are things you don’t know about me either.”
“Yeah, and what’s that?”
“I love beer, I confess. I’m a woman who loves her beer. I mean I like wine, and other beverages too, but nothing replaces a cold beer on a warm day,” she rambled on. For the first time in weeks, she was relaxed.
“I see, so you’re an alcoholic.” He grinned at her. His eyes were not judgmental.
She held her hand up, “Now I never said that.” She smiled at him and caught the eye of the
ir server. She pointed toward the empty bottle. “Another please.” To Mason she said, “I actually haven’t had a drink in a while, and let’s just say it tastes heavenly.”
“Okay then.” He smiled and took another gulp of his first beer.
The man came back with two more bottles. Before he left their tableside, Jessica addressed Mason, “Are you ready to order us a couple of those killer burritos, or are you going to make him come back again?”
The Mexican man smiled warmly at them. “Two burritos with all the toppings?”
“Sounds good to me,” Jessica said.
Mason nodded to the man and smiled at Jessica. “You realize that will include hot peppers.”
“Well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
He told the waiter to go ahead with their order, and he left.
Jessica’s thoughts were on the words she just spoke. They held more meaning to her than ever before. Most people wouldn’t have to go through what she had in their lifetime.
She said, “All right, tell me more about yourself.”
His eyes were full of life. “What do you want to know?”
“What about your love life? Any nightmares in your closet? I’m sure a man like you, with those dimples, could melt the heart of any girl.” She traced her fingers down the shape of the bottle while keeping her eyes on him. One beer had loosened her lips enough to speak from her heart.
“Honestly, I only want to melt the heart of one woman.” He put special emphasis on the word woman.
Jessica remained quiet, hoping that he would pick up from there and share something about himself. After a moment, he did.
“I was married once.” His expression changed and Jessica sensed there was more under the surface. He was torn whether to elaborate. “Needless to say, it didn’t work out. But I won’t hold it against you.”
“Me?”
“The two are not related to each other, don’t worry. I didn’t leave my wife for you.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Actually she left me. Yep, she broke my heart. Found her in bed with my best friend.” He reached across the table for her hand. “Jessica, believe me when I tell you, I would never hurt you, and I would most certainly never cheat on you.”
Life Sentence Page 21
