Saved by the Salsa

by Barbara Barrett

  Jean entered within two minutes, her expression wary.

  “How soon can I see him?”

  “He’s not here. At least not this morning. His secretary said he didn’t come in, and she’s being quite cagey about revealing his plans for the day.”

  “What?” Jack was out of his chair, leaning over the desk.

  “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Dalton. I couldn’t unearth any more information. Should I set up something for tomorrow?”

  Figured. He’d been leaving messages for the guy for three days. Cam had to know by now how much Jack wanted to see him. How long did the boss think he could stall?

  “Keep trying.”

  After Jean left, the only productive thing he could do was pace. Had to calm down. Think this through rationally. Get himself under control. He tried counting to one hundred. Got to twenty-two before he slammed his fist into his desk, the impact barely registering.

  God, he hated this, other people controlling his life. Cam was a coward. He’d rolled over to pressure from his parents and now was hiding out because he knew Jack would be furious. Because the guy knew there was no way he could defend such a stupid move.

  The door opened and Jean stuck her head in. “I brought your morning coffee, but I also included a pot of hot tea, which you might prefer instead.” She came into the room with a tray in hand and set it on his work table.

  His chuckle broke the foul mood. As usual, Jean was way ahead of him. He went over to the tray and peeked into the teapot. “I’ll bet money it’s herbal and decaffeinated.”

  Her lips quivered but didn’t quite form a smile. “I have an idea regarding Mr. Mackenzie’s whereabouts. But before I tell you, will you promise to stay here at least fifteen minutes and drink your tea?”

  “You know where he is?”

  “Nothing so specific. It just occurred to me he probably isn’t at home, because if he is avoiding you, it would be too easy for you to find him there.”

  He looked at her expectantly. “Yeah, so?”

  She eyed the tray.

  “All right. You win.” He poured himself a half-cup and took a sip.

  Her gaze wandered to the couch.

  Obediently, he dragged himself to the object of her attention and flopped. He leaned back but drew the line at reclining. “Satisfied?”

  She returned a half smile. “Take a few more sips. Then breathe deeply.”

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Exasperated, he did as she ordered.

  “Perhaps you should consider running off your nervous energy over at the fitness center?”

  “What?” He vaulted off the couch in a flash. “Don’t play with me, Jean. Why would I want to—” Understanding hit. “You think he’s hiding out there?”

  “It’s a logical possibility.”

  As he started for the door, she moved into his path, her expression grim. “You promised.” She didn’t budge until he returned to his seat and picked up his cup. As she backed out the door, she said, “I’m right outside, and I’m not above tripping you if you leave too soon.”

  He gave her eight minutes to play guard while he paced some more, making a mental note to give her an afternoon off soon. Her resourcefulness continued to amaze him. When he could stand it no longer, he slipped out. Jean was nowhere to be seen. He’d apologize later…with the time off.

  Her hunch was correct. He found Cam at the fitness center. “Exactly when were you going to tell me about my promotion?” he asked, catching the other man off guard. “Before or after my parents left town?”

  Blinking at Jack’s sudden appearance, Cam reached for his water bottle before replying. “Jack! How was your visit with your parents?”

  “They told me I have you to thank for bringing them up to speed on my social life. Insisted Celia join us for dinner Thursday night. But then, I suspect you know already.”

  Mackenzie continued to drink his water, avoiding eye contact.

  Jack gripped the weight machine on which his boss was seated and leaned in. “They also said it was high time my career went into warp speed, and wasn’t it lucky you agreed? So tell me, Cam, what the hell does a marketing director do at an architectural and engineering firm?”

  Finally turning Jack’s direction, Cam scrunched his eyes, then shook his head. “Don’t tell me they told you about their crazy idea. Those two don’t give up.”

  “You didn’t agree?” He spit out the question.

  “Calm down, Jack.”

  There was more to this than he’d thought. Jack inhaled slowly and attempted to assuage his temper. “Where’ve you been since last Friday? I’ve been trying to track you down all weekend.”

  Cam sighed and shook his head again. “Got called out of town suddenly. Daughter and her college roommate had a falling out. She was frantic to leave her apartment right away, so Marianne and I had to help her find a new place, then move her stuff in.” He raised a hand over his shoulder and began to massage the kinks. “I’m not used to so much lifting and carrying. But there was no time to find a moving company.”

  Jack suspected Cam of overplaying his role in his daughter’s relocation, but he was so relieved to hear the guy didn’t support the marketing director idea he let it go. “I thought you were avoiding me.”

  Cam chuckled. “You and everyone else. My daughter kept me so busy finding boxes, hauling trash, and vacuuming carpets, there wasn’t a spare minute to check messages. I had no idea you needed to talk to me.”

  “They sounded so convincing with their little announcement.”

  “What’s with those two, Jack? They burst into my office determined to pitch this scheme. I probably shouldn’t have listened without you there, but they just kept talking.”

  “I thought you and my parents had some sort of understanding. You know, from the early days, when you were just getting started and needed investors?”

  Cam stared at him. “I paid them back years ago. I’m grateful they were willing to take a chance on an unknown like me back then, but I don’t owe them anything further.”

  The guy had probably paid them back big time by hiring him. But Jack didn’t want to go there today. It was enough to clear up his parents’ latest incursion into his life.

  Cam eyed him closely, his eyes narrowed. “Are you interested in marketing? God, I hope not. I need you too much on Project Veronica. Speaking of which…”

  “Is coming right along. A few more tweaks and we should have a draft ready for your review.” He kept his voice calm, positive despite the way his stomach roiled every time he thought about the approaching due date.

  “Good, good. I’m counting on you. And your parents…”

  “I’ve already told them I don’t want to be a marketing director. Since they sold their business and have taken to traveling the globe, they don’t know what to do with themselves. Every so often they appear out of nowhere and rearrange my life.”

  “Well, keep them out of my life from now on. I don’t like being the man in the middle when it comes to family matters.”

  Jack turned to go, but Cam grabbed his arm. “Marianne and I will have to pass on your dance class tonight.” He rubbed his shoulder again. “My body suffered a real beating this weekend. The wife actually took pity on me.”

  Dance class! It had completely slipped his mind after he’d learned of his so-called promotion. He should be planning tonight’s class with Lacey. Lacey! Good grief, he’d forgotten about her too! He’d talked to her, when—Thursday night? No, she was sleeping. He’d learned about the report from the ER from Janice Collier. Discovering Lacey was okay and sleeping off her injury, he’d been able to go to dinner with Celia and his parents. Then all hell broke loose. He’d been so caught up waiting to hear from Cam, he hadn’t dared use his phone to any extent, other than text. He had texted her, hadn’t he? He vaguely remembered telling her to take it easy. Something like that, anyhow.

  God, was that it? He hadn’t really talked to her or even
sent flowers? How could he have done such a thing? Simple, he’d been so angry at his parents and worried that Cam had actually gone along with them, he’d forgotten about her. Though Cam’s words had dispelled the knot in his stomach, it had quickly reappeared when he realized he’d totally forgotten about his partner. Could he be a bigger jerk? He’d spent the whole weekend brooding about his bad luck, forgetting she was the one with the sprained ankle.

  He tore out of the fitness center only to find her office empty. Had she been hospitalized after all? Panic seized his gut as he wondered if she’d been hurt worse than they thought. Fortunately, another of the architects on her floor wandered by and told him she was at home resting.

  He grabbed for his cell phone. Nah, too impersonal. He had to see her. Assure himself she was okay. Long overdue concern but the best he could muster.

  ****

  “Go away!” Lacey shouted into her security system.

  “But Lacey,” Jack spoke into the uncaring speaker, “I need to see you.”

  “You didn’t need to all weekend. Why’s it so imperative now?”

  “I have to explain. Please let me come up.”

  She stared at the intercom, her pulse rate increasing. His arrival had caught her unprepared. She ran a hand through her hair, attempting to fluff up the curls smashed from a weekend spent mostly lying down. She must look a wreck. But she didn’t care what he thought at this point.

  “Okay. You win. I’ll release the lock. But I warn you, I’m not dressed for visitors nor in the mood to entertain.”

  When she opened her door a few minutes later, she was greeted by a ball of soft brown and black fake fur. “Hello. I’m Ferdinand come to apologize for my pitiful behavior last Thursday.”

  A small stuffed bull stared up at her from his perch on the largest bouquet of red roses she’d ever seen. “Your pitiful behavior? What about the so-called gentleman who accompanied me?”

  “He’s sorrier than you realize.” Jack moved into her sight from behind the door.

  She bit her lower lip so he couldn’t see it quiver. “Really? Could have fooled me.”

  “Yeah, I know. I should’ve done more than just called and texted. I did call, you know? Last Thursday. You were sleeping at the time.”

  He sounded sincerely contrite. Looked pathetic with his hair messed, his clothes appearing like they’d been slept in, eyes bloodshot. Even in his rumpled state, he was still eye candy. As angry as she was, she couldn’t stop her heart from beating faster. “You and your friend can come in for a minute,” she said with hesitation. “But put him down over there on the end table, away from me. Can’t shake the memory.”

  She tottered over to the sofa and settled with great care. He sank into the nearby easy chair.

  “How’s your ankle? Does it hurt?”

  “Guess it’s healing, but there’s still a lot of pain. I have meds, but they wear off fast. It was too much to go to work today.”

  He leaned forward to gaze into her eyes, as if trying to read something behind them. “That the only reason?”

  Shivering, she huddled back into the sofa. “Why do you ask?”

  He picked up a throw and arranged it around her. She really didn’t need the blanket. Her temp heated up the minute Jack appeared. He said, “I thought you might have been regretting what almost happened between us last week.”

  She flung the throw to the side. “What about you? That the real reason you’ve kept your distance since?”

  He lowered his eyes. “I can explain.”

  “No need. Actions speak louder than words. If you weren’t interested, why didn’t you just say so?”

  “Weren’t interested—?”

  “You don’t need to sugarcoat it for me, Dalton. I’m a big girl. If you found yourself going down a path with no appeal, you could have simply said so rather than make promises you didn’t intend to keep.”

  He crinkled his brow. “Promises?”

  She knew it! He hadn’t been serious. Didn’t even remember what he’d said.

  “Look, Lacey, I don’t know what you think I said, but my life’s been turned upside down since then and….”

  “Oh, right!” she remembered what Celia had told her about his big promotion but wasn’t about to break the confidence. “Your parents. Did your reunion go well?”

  “Thought they needed to ramp up my career, so they arranged with Cam for me to be his new marketing director.”

  “Weren’t you aiming for principal?”

  “Thanks for remembering. They didn’t.”

  “Why would Cam agree to such a thing?”

  “Actually, he didn’t. He humored them by listening to their pitch but never intended to go through with it. Told me this morning. Spent my weekend trying to locate him to no avail, he was out of town, which is why I, uh, didn’t get back to you.”

  She took a moment to process what he’d said. Did all parents behave like this? Forget the parents. Their actions didn’t excuse his token interest in her condition. “In other words, you got so caught up trying to find Cam you forgot about me?”

  He took her hand. “I, uh…”

  She withdrew her hand, looked away. “Thursday was just a moment in time. A moment you didn’t care to repeat.”

  He closed his eyes briefly, then shook his head. “You got it wrong. Look, I was an insensitive clod not to call you despite what I was going through. I wouldn’t blame you if you kicked me out, but please don’t.”

  She allowed a small trace of a smile to curve her lips. He really did care. Or, it could be more of the Dalton charm in action, fearing he’d insulted his work partner. “I can’t exactly execute a kick right now.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll give me, us, a second chance?”

  Was he talking about their work relationship or otherwise? Jumping to conclusions had not worked in her best interest of late. Better play it safe. “At what?”

  He stared at her as if she’d spoken gibberish. “At? Oh, I get it. I left you wondering all weekend what was going on between you and me. You want me to spell it out.”

  Yes, of course I do, you idiot! But she didn’t want to come across as too needy. “Let’s table that discussion for another day. At the moment, I need to focus on my ankle and you’ve got your parents to contend with. You are going to tell them to mind their own business, aren’t you?”

  He didn’t say anything. Finally, shrugging, he said, “I know I should.”

  He was so tentative. Where was the super ego, the in charge mentality she knew? “But?”

  He paused as if to consider his next words. “I’m not very good at telling my parents what I need. They’re not very good at listening.”

  “Like how?” With no parents of her own, she had no frame of reference for gauging what was normal. She would have thought nothing could stop Jack from doing what he wanted.

  He blinked, apparently surprised by her interest. “Their style is to tell, not ask. Quiz them about my friends, my favorite foods, what I read, and they’d be hard-pressed to give you a correct answer. Any answer.”

  “Describes a lot of parents, from what I’ve heard. Generation gap, you know.”

  He rolled his eyes. “There’s more to it than that.” He averted her gaze, switching his attention to an architectural journal she’d left lying on the floor. He picked up the magazine, placed it on the coffee table.

  There was more, but he needed prodding. “What is it, then?”

  He stared vacantly at an ad in the magazine. “They seem to see me like I’m-I’m some sort of investment they’ve made.”

  “Investment?”

  “Every so often, they check in to see how I’m doing, decide what to do with me next.”

  “Sounds so…cold. Surely they show and tell you how much they love you?” He eyed her sharply. Had she overstepped? “Probably too personal. Forget I asked.”

  He rose and moved over to the table where he’d left the roses and the bull. “They feel a certain warmth toward me,
I’m sure. They just never planned to be parents.”

  “A lot of people don’t plan on having families, but when the little ones show up anyhow, they do fine.” She didn’t plan to have a family, but not for fear she wouldn’t know what to do. Her fear was having to do it on her own once the father deserted her.

  He rubbed his scalp. “Maybe so. But mine seem to be missing the parent gene.” He picked up the bull, bringing the tiny, ferocious face up to his own. “After college, they joined the Peace Corps and went to Africa to save the world.. They were convinced they could make a difference but not content to wait for change to occur.

  “What happened?”

  He paused, still gazing at the bull, as if staring down Ferdinand might help him figure out what had transpired. “My dad contracted malaria, which brought them back to the States to recuperate.”

  “And you came along soon after?”

  “Yeah. I was an accident, one they’ve spent nearly thirty years trying to fix.” He set down the stuffed animal, then turned to her, a wistful expression on his face.

  “I didn’t realize.”

  He lowered his head momentarily, then ran a hand around his neck. “So much for Jack’s dysfunctional upbringing. I only told you because I wanted you to know how much their visit threw me. My not checking back with you is still inexcusable, but maybe you can sort of understand what was going through my head.” He sidled over to the window to glance out on the street below.

  She, too, turned away, clueless how to help him. She ached for the hurt little boy who wanted so much for his parents just to love him. “I wish I could say something profound, but I have no experience to fall back on.”

  “Damn! I’m sorry, Lacey. I forgot about your situation.”

  The strength of his reaction surprised and pleased her. She rearranged the throw to break the tension. “You didn’t offend me, but keep this in mind, no matter how your parents tend to mess up your life, you at least still have them in your life. You need to tell them how you feel.”

  He slammed his fists together. “How I feel? No!”