by Nina Singh
“You’re welcome, Clara. I’m glad to help.”
“I guess I only have one other question.”
“Ask away.”
“Is there anything in particular you’d like some of the funds allotted for?” she asked with clear hesitation. The poor woman must have come to the conclusion that the money came with some type of strings attached given that Jordan didn’t even want to publicize it. What did she think he might ask for? Maybe she thought he had a desire to see some type of specialty class offered like pickling autumn vegetables or straw hat weaving.
Jordan had to laugh. “Maybe a minor suggestion.”
“What’s that?”
“Would you consider replacing the coffee machine?”
* * *
“Jordan? I thought that was you walking out of Clara’s office. I didn’t think Sonya had any swim lessons today.”
Jordan released a resigned sigh and turned to find Jess standing just a few short feet behind him. He’d been caught. He should have headed straight home. Instead, he’d felt compelled to walk back out to Jess’s little wooden bench by the stream. The scene was just as pretty as it had been the other day. Especially now that she’d joined him out here. But now he had to explain his presence here to Jess.
“She doesn’t.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
He gestured to their surroundings. “Would you believe I had an unexpected desire to come out here again and see this view?”
She tilted her head back and studied him. Skepticism shone in her eyes. “I would definitely have trouble believing that. As serene as this spot is. Plus, that doesn’t explain why you were in Clara’s office.”
“Uh, I just needed to ask Clara about some of the class offerings available next session.” His reply was technically the truth. Also, the class offerings and their detailed descriptions were easily found in the online brochure, which, of course, she knew. For a brief moment she looked as if she wanted to say something. Luckily, however, she let the matter drop.
“Next session’s classes don’t start until September. But be sure to sign Sonya up early. They fill up quickly, especially considering we’ll have to make some cuts so there won’t be as many classes to choose from.”
“I don’t think that will be an issue any longer,” Jordan stated before he could think to stop himself.
Her brows lifted in surprise. “Oh?”
The thick clouds threatening to dampen the day shifted over the sun, casting a grayness to the area. Jess’s tone was clipped, professional. She was simply one of the center’s instructors speaking to a parent. A brick seemed to have settled in Jordan’s stomach. He had to clench his fists by his sides to keep from reaching for her, from taking her in his arms and kissing away the tightness in her lips.
Just then the phone Jess held in her hands sounded an incoming alert. “It’s a text from Clara. She says she has some good news to tell me about.”
Jordan watched her expression as she put two and two together. She was too sharp not to figure it out.
“Jordan. Do you have something you’d like to tell me?”
He wasn’t going to lie to her. Releasing a sigh, he admitted what he’d just done. “I wanted to help out the center with a donation. The cuts can be avoided.”
A clear glint of disappointment and sadness settled over her features. He wanted so badly to wash that disappointment away. He wanted to ask her to sit with him again on the rickety bench just to watch the stream trickle by. He wanted her to let him hold her hand again. There appeared to be a standoffish quality about her this morning. A distance she was putting between them; one that hadn’t been there the last time they’d spoken to each other. But this Jess before him now seemed so different from the woman who had shared her story about visiting the father who didn’t want to see her.
This Jess didn’t seem at all likely to open herself up that way. Certainly not to him. Not now.
“How nice of you,” Jess began, speaking through tight, gritted teeth. “You saw an issue and you wrote a check. Thanks so much,” she added, her voice thick with sarcasm. Then she turned on her heel and began to walk back toward the building.
Jordan stayed silent and simply watched her walk away. Suddenly, the scene before him didn’t seem quite as picturesque as it had just a few short minutes ago.
* * *
Jordan stood up from the European-style oak desk in his study and walked over to stare out the window. The clouds from earlier this morning had grown thicker, and the afternoon had grown darker.
Which matched his mood perfectly.
“Aren’t you taking this brooding billionaire thing a little too far?” a feminine voice asked from behind him. He hadn’t bothered to shut his door. Not like he was focusing much on work emails anyway.
“Hello, Elise.”
She stepped into the room with a wave. “Sonya wanted me to come and see if you had any time later to watch her. She wants to show you some of her swim strokes she learned in her swim class.”
Jordan glanced at his watch. “I have a conference call from Japan scheduled in about fifteen minutes. Should take about an hour. I’ll come out then.”
“I’ll let her know. Oh, and she also asked that we invite her friend to come watch her, too. She’s become quite the little show-off when it comes to her swimming. Apparently, I’m no longer sufficient enough an audience.”
Jordan returned her chuckle. “That’s fine. Invite however many little friends she wishes.”
“Okay. But she’s not little. Sonya wants Jess to come see her.”
His laughter quickly faded. Damn. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Maybe they can see each other some other time.”
“Is there a reason? Sonya will wonder why. She’s actually been asking about Jess, wondering when her next art session will be.”
Jordan tried to clamp down on his frustration and annoyance. It wouldn’t be fair to direct it toward Elise simply because she happened to be the bearer of Sonya’s message. Nor could he blame his little sister. It made sense that she was wondering about the friendly teacher who’d shown her such kindness and warmth.
He wasn’t quite successful. “Can’t you just tell her Jess is busy or didn’t answer her phone or something?” he asked, his tone more abrupt and clipped than he would have liked.
Elise lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m not going to lie to her, Jordan. I’ve never done so and don’t intend to start now. If that’s the route you want to take, you’re going to have to do so yourself.”
He rammed a hand through his hair in frustration. Was every female put on this earth simply to vex him? “Fine, feel free to invite Ms. Raffi over to watch Sonya.”
The telltale eyebrow lifted even higher. “She’s Ms. Raffi to you, huh?”
“Your point?”
Elise actually walked over and shut the door. That couldn’t bode well. Whatever she wanted to say, she apparently didn’t want Sonya hearing it.
“Let’s see,” she began. “Sonya told me in detail about the fun evening the three of you spent at some type of ice cream novelty spot in town. I know you took her with you to attend the charity auction. Oh, and there were also pictures of you and her splashed all over the internet, some of which seemed like you were having quite a great time together.”
“You saw the pictures, too, huh?”
“I tend to notice when my employer is a trending hashtag.”
“Again, I ask if you have a point.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “My point is I’m wondering why, after all that, you’re referring to Jess so formally as Ms. Raffi and why you seem utterly aghast at the prospect of her stopping by.” She suddenly stopped. “Unless...oh, my!”
Jordan swore once more, not bothering to try and conceal it this time. How was this any of his employed nanny’s business? Jor
dan came close to asking her just that, but refrained. After all, the woman had completely altered her life to move out of the city to come settle in this rural town with them. He owed it to her to at least let her speak.
Elise went on, “I know I’ve only just met her, but from what I’ve seen, Jess Raffi is a genuine, kind and compassionate woman. So whatever went wrong, I’m guessing the blame falls squarely on your shoulders.”
That settled it. There was no way Elise was getting any kind of raise anytime soon.
Not that he needed to explain himself, but Jordan found himself answering to her. “I don’t know what you mean. Nothing happened that could go wrong.” He said the last two words in air quotes.
Elise crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing Jess started to get close so you closed yourself off.”
She was out of line. Elise had only recently entered their lives. She knew nothing about the anguish he’d felt watching his father suffer. She hadn’t heard the man asking for his young wife—a wife who had no desire to comfort the husband she’d vowed to honor and cherish.
And Elise hadn’t been privy to the conversation when the woman Jordan had been dating for the better part of the year declared the relationship over, only because he refused to turn his back on a child he’d been entrusted with.
If Jordan’s reaction to witnessing such betrayals was to become closed off, then it was no one’s concern but his own.
That was it. He may owe it to Elise to listen but far enough was far enough. “Invite her over or don’t. Frankly, I don’t have the time nor the patience to deal with it. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to make that call.”
Elise didn’t say another word, just turned to the door and walked out, her disappointment in him unmistakable in the rigid set of her shoulders.
Jordan slammed the phone down as she exited. Another person he had let down.
What was yet one more?
His sister was doing her best imitation of a fish when he walked out onto the patio an hour later. But Jordan’s focus landed solely on the woman standing by the pool, clapping and cheering Sonya on.
Part of him felt glad to see her here, happy that she’d accepted Sonya’s invitation. Another part wanted to turn back into the house. But his sister was expecting him. So here he was.
Jess wore another colorful sundress again today, this one a pale green with a soft billowy skirt that displayed just enough of her legs to make his palms itch. Strappy leather sandals adorned her feet and showed off bright pink polished toes. Jordan thought hard to recall the last time he’d noticed the color of a woman’s toes and couldn’t think of one.
Jess’s laughter came to a sudden halt when she noticed Jordan approaching. A brick of disappointment landed in his gut at her reaction upon seeing him.
He walked over to where she stood. Elise didn’t appear to be out here. Jess gave him a small wave then turned her gaze back to the water and Sonya’s backstroke.
“Your little sister is apparently part guppy,” she remarked when Jordan reached her side.
“I’d say at least sixty to seventy percent.”
It was a lame joke but Jess indulged him with a small laugh. “She couldn’t wait to show you all she’s learned,” he told her. “She’s very glad you came, I’m sure.”
“I’m honored she wanted to show me.”
Jordan rammed his hands into his pockets. “Frankly, I’m a little surprised you came.”
Sonya chose that moment to pop her head out of the water and nod her head in a small bow. Jess clapped again.
“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think you’d be here. Figured you’d be working. Elise didn’t mention you would be. In fact, she sort of alluded that you wouldn’t.”
Ouch. “She did?”
Jess nodded, her gaze still on Sonya, who’d started a series of butterfly strokes down the length of the pool.
“She probably figured you would say no if you knew about my presence,” Jordan told her.
“Should I have? Said no?”
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He reached for her shoulders then and turned her to face him. She’d just been honest with him so one good turn deserved another. “Yes. I’m sure. Because I’m happy you’re here, too.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JESS FELT LIKE a schoolgirl who’d just been acknowledged by her older teenage crush. Then she wanted to kick herself for feeling that way, for the way she reacted to this man whenever he was near. Her pulse quickened; excitement hummed through her veins. She had to get a hold of it. She had to get a hold of herself.
“Clara was bristling with excitement about all the programs we weren’t going to have to cut, after all.” Jess wasn’t even aware she was going to bring up the subject until the words had left her mouth.
“Jess, the donation is separate from what’s between you and me.”
Jess’s heart fluttered in her chest. Her pulse quickened. She knew she should let that be the final say, had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t subject her heart to the potential pain. But Jess had to ask her next question. “How exactly would you define that, Jordan? What’s between you and me?”
He bit out a curse. “Damned if I’ve figured it out.”
She was about to tell him that wasn’t enough. That he had to at least try to formulate some answers. He owed her that much. But the screen door to the kitchen sounded open just then. Elise walked out to the patio carrying a tray of lemonade.
“Who wants some refreshments?” She set the tray down on an outdoor table next to them then motioned to her charge who had popped up out of the water for a breath.
“She’s going to prune if she doesn’t come out now.”
It took several moments but Sonya finally heeded Elise’s urges to climb out of the pool. Jess gave her another round of applause when she exited the water. Elise wrapped her up in a large, thick towel. “Let’s go get you dry and dressed.”
“I guess the show is over,” Jordan stated when the other two had left.
Great. They had to endure another one of the awkward silences that seemed to be so prevalent between them.
“I should be going. Tell Sonya I’m very proud of her. Truly.”
“You haven’t had your lemonade. Elise will be out of sorts. She makes it homemade.”
It appeared this was going to be the afternoon Jess figured out how quickly she could drain about twelve ounces of sour citrus. She eyed the drink warily. Elise had served it in very tall glasses.
“Try some,” Jordan urged.
Jess picked up one of the glasses and took a large sip. An explosion of sweet and tart filled her mouth. “Wow. This is really good.”
He smiled in pleasure then reached for his own drink. “I told you. Have a seat.”
Jess hesitated but eventually did as he said. What would it hurt to spend a few minutes with him as she enjoyed a refreshing lemonade that someone had worked so hard to prepare?
The question seemed to mock her when Jordan came to sit next to her on the wicker settee. He looked so handsome out in the bright sun. His collar was undone; the sleeves of his dress shirt had been rolled up above his elbows. Curse the man for being the most appealing one she’d ever encountered. And the scent of him, now so familiar yet still oh-so-tempting.
His body next to hers sent a wave of warmth over her skin and she took another long, deep gulp of her drink to try and cool down. It didn’t help in the least.
“I guess we should talk about a schedule for Sonya’s art lessons.”
Jordan cleared his throat. “About that. I wanted to run an idea by you.”
“What sort of idea?”
“I was thinking about what you said about Sonya perhaps benefitting from an art therapist.”
Somet
hing in his tone sent alarm bells ringing in her head. “I’m listening.”
“I think it might be good for her to work with one at some point.”
She took another swig of her drink. “I don’t disagree. But what’s that got to do with me?”
“I wanted to ask you if you’d be interested in pursuing it yourself. As a career. I’ve done some research. With your background as an instructor, it shouldn’t take much time for you to become certified. Of course, I’d be taking care of the costs and fees associated with the training, as well as tuition for the required classes. As a potential future employer, that is.”
Jess felt the anger slam into her chest like a spear. “Just to be clear—you’re offering to pay to have me trained and licensed as an art therapist. So that I can come work for you in that capacity at some point.”
He nodded once. “That’s exactly right. I wouldn’t expect Sonya to be your only client. We can negotiate—”
She didn’t let him continue. Slamming the glass so hard down on the table that a resounding thud echoed through the air, she stood and whirled around to directly face him.
“Damn you, Jordan Paydan. Damn you for doing this. How do you still not get it?”
He blinked up at her from his seated position in horrified shock. The look did nothing to assuage her ire. “I beg your pardon?”
“For you to turn my feelings against me this way.”
“What in the world are you talking about? My offer has nothing to do with your feelings. You said yourself you’re looking to find a new direction. This seems like a win-win for all.”
“Does it? Because from where I’m standing it seems to be a way for you to keep me nearby but still at arm’s length.”
He bolted up and reached her in two strides. “That’s ridiculous.”
She ignored his denial and jabbed a finger against his chest, trying desperately not to notice how hard and muscular he felt. “Is it? And what about Sonya in all of this?”
“What about her?”
“Has it once occurred to you that rather than another therapist or a new activity, Sonya might just need some time and attention? Specifically, your time and attention.”
