The Right Side of My Pillow

by LaShawn Vasser

  Nobody got under Elise’s skin like Carmen. “Why don’t you mind your own business?”

  “When it comes to you, there are many reasons.” Carmen smiled. “But mainly because I enjoy watching you self-destruct.” Elise slid down from the bar stool. She glanced from Jade to Carmen.

  “I’ve said all I needed to say. There really is no point in lingering around here any longer. Jade, please remember what we discussed.”

  “Actually, no. I won’t spend even a second thinking about anything you’ve said tonight.”

  Elise glared at Jade and completely ignored Carmen as she walked away.

  Carmen shook her head. “That girl is a piece of work. It actually takes a herculean effort to be as small-minded and selfish as she is.” Carmen unfolded her arms to reach a hand out to Jade. “Hi, I’m Carmen Hudson. My husband, Doug, and Cole are business partners. You may not remember me, but we met the night they had to haul you out of here into an ambulance. We also ran into each other briefly at Cole’s the other night.” Carmen laughed. “Both times it seemed you were in a rush to get away.”

  Dawning finally registered on Jade’s face. “Oh yes, now I remember. And, how could I forget either of those nights? It’s nice to see you again.” Jade smiled as she reached out to shake her hand. Immediately, she could tell she was going to like Carmen. “They were crazy and crazier.”

  Unlike Elise, Carmen’s laughter actually did reach her eyes. “I hope you’re feeling better, and that Elise doesn’t send you running for the hills. I have to say she just might have put this night into contention for the craziest.”

  Jade didn’t want to say too much to insult Cole’s girlfriend, so she let the remark pass. “Thanks. I am feeling much better compared to the night I was rushed to the hospital; a root canal would have been better but thanks.”

  “My husband, Doug and I, were on our way to see a play at the Chicago Amphitheater and thought we’d stop here first for dinner. When I saw Elise over here with you, I thought you might need rescuing, but you seem to be handling her just fine on your own.”

  “I think if we can stay out of each other’s way for the next couple of weeks we’ll be fine.”

  Carmen wasn’t so sure. “Maybe. You’re on her radar. That must mean she sees the same things I do when Cole looks at you.”

  That comment threw Jade. She laughed nervously. “I don’t know what you think you see but if that look is any indication, I can promise you, that you’re wrong.”

  “Hmm…time will tell.”

  “I’m only crashing at his place until I can find my own.”

  Carmen couldn’t help but laugh. “Elise is trying so hard to become Mrs. Thornton. You’ve just thrown a serious monkey wrench into her entire plan. So, when I thought I saw her over here talking to you, I knew it couldn’t be good. I’ve known her for years, and I have no idea what Cole see’s in that girl.”

  Even though Jade agreed with Carmen completely, she wasn’t going to discuss Cole’s personal life. “Well…she’s his choice, and I respect that. You seem to know a lot about her.”

  “We went to the same private school for almost eight years. Only I came home at night, and she lived on campus. That’s one of the big differences between old money and new. I come from a big Spanish family, and we didn’t always have money. But, we always had lots of love between us. We’re very close. My father wanted to give me the best education money could buy without losing my roots. So, I came home every evening. Elise didn’t even know what city her parents were in half the time.”

  Jade couldn’t even wrap her mind around that. Either situation; being a part of a big family or rich people. Not that she would probably ever have the problems that came with wealth, but if she did, Jade would never send her children away for anything. If she could, she would keep them close forever.

  “Lots of women are intimidated by Elise. I can see you clearly are not. That’s good.”

  “I don’t know why I would be? I’m not her competition. Cole and I…” Was she really going to tell the lie that they were like siblings? No, she wasn’t. It was like Pavlov’s dog, a bad habit.

  Carmen prompted her. “Yeah?”

  “We grew up together and have a bond because of our childhood.”

  “Darn it.” Carmen’s lips turned downward. “I was hoping maybe there was more. He’s such a great guy, and I’d hate for him to get stuck with the wrong woman. I have four brothers and not a sister in the bunch. Otherwise, I’d definitely introduce her to Cole.”

  A geeky looking man wearing wire-rimmed glasses came up behind Carmen and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I leave for five minutes to use the bathroom, and you disappear. Why can’t you ever stay put?”

  Carmen placed her hands on his arms then turned slightly around. “I was introducing myself properly to Cole’s Jade.”

  His eyes widened as he pushed his glasses back up on his face. “That’s right. Nice to see you again. I hope you’re feeling better.”

  Jade smiled warmly. “Much better, thanks.”

  “Sweetheart we’re going to be late for the play. We should get going.”

  Carmen kissed the side of his cheek. “You’re right. Jade, I hope we can get together for coffee or something very soon. Who knows maybe Doug can convince Cole to invite us over for dinner?” Carmen winked. “Just the four of us.”

  Jade caught her meaning loud and clear.

  Chapter 15

  The countdown had begun. Jade needed to find somewhere else to live and as quickly as possible before the crap really hit the fan. Elise was a viper, and she didn’t want to get caught up in whatever crazy schemes that woman might be planning.

  Jade thought back on the night she came home to hear Cole tell Elise how he felt about her, and it was more painful than it should have been. She watched Elise gloat. When he turned and realized Jade was home, he seemed happy to see her. But it was in a platonic kind of way, as it should have been.

  It was only a couple of days after the episode at the restaurant when Elise invited her out. Of course they were in front of Cole when she did it. “Jade. I’m sorry it has taken so long for us to schedule a time to get together, but I’ve been so busy with my family’s foundation. Please forgive me.” Her voice was dripping with insincerity. “Cole can’t seem to stop singing your praises, and I can’t wait to get to know you better. Maybe sometime soon we can go to lunch.” Elise looked disapprovingly at Jade’s work uniform. “Maybe even go shopping or have a spa day. I’m sure Cole will treat us to whatever our hearts desire.” Elise looked lovingly at Cole. “You’re important to him, so you’re important to me. I’m hoping we can become fast friends.”

  Jade looked from Cole to Elise. Was she for real? This whole performance was D level acting. However, the way he was looking at Elise seemed as if he were eating it up. “Cole doesn’t need to buy me anything.”

  Elise purred. “Our Cole is very generous to the people he cares about. But, if him spending a boatload of money on us makes you uncomfortable, I’ll make the arrangements for a nice little lunch.”

  It was obvious that Cole had no idea Elise came to the restaurant with all of her bull. Now if Jade declined, she would look like the bad guy. Jade wouldn’t be boxed into a corner either. She stared Elise down. “The other day when we met up at the restaurant, I think we made a lot of headway in getting to know each other. I’m sure we both learned a lot.”

  Cole seemed pleased. “You two hooked up already?” He turned to Elise. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  Her catlike smile faltered. “It was so brief…I must have forgotten.”

  Jade wasn’t going to let her squirm her way out of this one. “Really? I can’t say the same because you left a profound impact on me.”

  Cole clapped his hands together. “Great! See, I knew you two just needed to spend a bit of time together and then each of you see would see the same things that I do. How about I order my two favorite ladies dinner? We can set it up in the living room
and watch a movie?”

  Jade did her best to smile. “Sorry, maybe next time. I’m really beat, so I’m going to head upstairs. You two have a great evening, though.” She walked away from that train wreck of a situation more determined than ever to squash her silly childhood crush on Cole Thornton and to get herself out of his home.

  Chapter 16

  Jade couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned all night long. Her situation was impossible. Finally, when the first signs of daylight started to peek through her windows, she gave up the fight. What am I going to do with myself? She had no idea. It had been quite some time since she had an entire day off from work. Was she supposed to putz around the house? If Cole were home that wouldn’t work. Maybe after a cup of coffee her brain would function properly, and she could try to figure out her entire life because it was a mess. Jade hadn’t had any call backs from either the housing or job applications. Her mind restless, Jade got out of bed and put on her robe then went down to the kitchen.

  Damn. There he was. Dark and handsome sitting at the table reading his digital pad and eating a bowl of cereal as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Before Jade could decide if she were going to come back later, Cole looked up. A warm smile formed on his face. “Good morning. I thought you might sleep in.”

  Jade walked into the kitchen and over toward the coffee maker. “I’m so used to getting up early for work that my body is on auto-pilot.” No way would she tell him all the things that kept her mind uneasy and left her unable to sleep. “I’m usually at the restaurant or at my cleaning job. Now that I’m only working for Mario’s, I have a little more time to myself. I haven’t had a day off in a while.”

  “Do you know that you work too hard? Anyway, I noticed coffee seems to get you going in the morning, so I set the maker to start brewing. There’s a fresh pot if you want a cup.”

  The wrinkles on her forehead relaxed just a bit. “Thank you.” She noticed his was empty. “Did you want me to refresh your coffee too?”

  “Oh…no. I don’t drink coffee. I had some green tea. It’s better for me. Have you ever had any?”

  The wrinkles re-appeared. “I like coffee, Cole. Please don’t use stealth psychology on me. I may not have a degree, but I know when people are trying to manipulate me.”

  “That’s not…”

  Jade stepped all over his words as she continued her rant. “If you’ll do it over small things you’ll do it over the big ones. I won’t have you or anybody else trying to fix me. I’m not broken. And, by the way, I work hard because I don’t have anyone else to depend on but myself.”

  He put his hands up as if attempting to stop her rapid fired shots to the body. “Whoa…whoa…whoa…firecracker. I’m not trying to fix you. You’re perfect…a little quick to temper but perfect none-the-less. Can we start this morning over? How about this? I made a pot of coffee for you would you like a cup?” Jade went from zero to one hundred in a nanosecond. Regardless of what she hadn’t said, Cole knew she’d endured and harbored a lot of pain over these last ten years.

  Jade was embarrassed at how she’d just gone off on him. Her emotions were all over the place. She was raw from so many different things, and they were all bubbling to the surface. Feelings that she thought were dead and buried – weren’t. She whispered. “I’m sorry. I just have a lot to figure out, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

  Cole got up out of his chair to stand in front of her. He hated to see her look so unsettled. In his attempt to offer her comfort, and without thinking Cole pulled her into his arms. While her body was rigid, Jade allowed him to hold her. It had been so long since she’d felt the strength of someone wrapping her in a comforting embrace. For just a moment, she closed her eyes.

  He could feel the beat of Jade’s heart through her robe and see the weight of the world on her shoulders. Cole pressed is lips against the top of her head as he spoke softly. “We’re not alone anymore Jade. If you let me, I promise I’ll take care of you.”

  She pulled away slightly. “Too many people, including you, have made that promise to me, Cole. And all I have to show for believing it is disappointment and pain.” Her eyes filled with tears as one managed to escape and slip down the side of her cheek. “I can take care of myself.”

  Cole wouldn’t let her completely out of his grasp. He couldn’t. The desire to protect her was just too strong. With a feather-light touch, he wiped away the evidence of her hurt and held her by her arms as he gazed deeply into her eyes. “I know that you’re a survivor. We both are, but what you don’t know anymore is that I would hurt myself before I’d ever willingly hurt you.” It killed him that Jade lumped him in with all the other people who had caused her pain. “Please give me a real chance to prove it.”

  Jade was terrified because he seemed so sincere, and she couldn’t tell if it were just another lie. She didn’t trust herself anymore to make good decisions. “I want to, but I don’t know how.”

  “Okay. Fair enough. I need to prove myself. Why don’t you let me start by spending the morning and afternoon with me? I have to be at an appointment in another hour. Come with me?”

  Still apprehensive, but hoping and praying that Cole meant what he said, Jade was slightly open to it. “I don’t have anything fancy to wear.”

  “Good because it’s not a fancy affair. Jeans and a t-shirt or sweats will do just fine. Come on. I know you’ll love it. It’ll make us both feel better.”

  She desperately wanted to feel better. After a brief hesitation, Jade relented. “Fine. I’ll go.”

  “Great! I’ll meet you in the foyer in about thirty minutes? Sound good?”

  Jade wasn’t so sure about how good it sounded, but she was willing to try to start over with Cole. Neither one of them were kids anymore, so she wasn’t so sure it was fair to hold him accountable for things that happened so long ago. She needed to feel connected again. Jade just hoped, this time, was different because if it weren’t, it would shatter her.

  *****

  An hour and a half later, Cole and Jade pulled up in front of a beautiful country house. It sat on several acres of land and was twice the size of his own home. There were horses, sheep, cows, and all manner of farm animals. As they got out of the car, Jade turned to Cole looking a bit bewildered. “Cole where in God’s creation did you bring me? An even better question is why am I out here in the country?”

  He took an exaggerated intake of breath and spread his arms wide. “Smell this fresh air! I love it out here.”

  His enthusiasm was mildly contagious. A small smile crept across her face. “Yeah, and it’s mixed in with a lot of horse crap.”

  Her smile always lit up her face, and it was the first one Cole had seen in years. He felt like Superman. Cole walked around the car and threw his arm around her neck exactly the way an older brother would. “Let me introduce you to some really great people.”

  “Hey, Cole!” A young girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen with stars in her eyes, waved at him. She was with a couple of young men around the same age raking and bagging leaves. The guys all smiled and spoke as well. He waved back then jokingly said, “Hey! I’ll be out later to make sure you didn’t miss any leaves. Oh…this is my sister, Jade.” She spoke, and they returned her greeting warmly.

  As they made their way up the stairs and onto the wrap around porch, Jade and Cole ran into more and more people. He continued to introduce her. It wasn’t hard to notice that he seemed happier, maybe even more at peace since they had arrived. They walked into the house through a screen door and ran into an older woman with graying hair piled high on her head and gentle eyes. At the moment, those eyes were trained on Jade. She felt as if this woman was looking clear through to her soul. She wiped her hands on a towel as she greeted them. “Cole Thornton who is the beautiful woman you’ve brought with you today?”

  He beamed with pride. “Ms. Nash, this is Jade Anderson. This is the young woman I’ve told you about.”

  Dawning appeared on her face as s
he reached out to shake her hand. “So, you’re Cricket! I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about you.”

  Surprised, Jade looked from Cole back to Ms. Nash and smiled at her then shook her hand. “Really? I hope only good things?”

  “Of course. His eyes always light up when he’s talking about you. But, there were some interesting scrapes he described to me as well.”

  A couple of kids who looked to be about nine or ten years old came running out from the back of the house each grabbing on to one of Cole’s legs. Their enthusiasm was like that of a child on Christmas morning. “Hi, Cole!” The little girl giggled. “Did you bring it? You promised.”

  “I have it, but Ms. Nash made me promise not to give it to you until after we’ve done our chores for today.” The smiles on their lovely faces didn’t entirely disappear, but no one was happy about chores. The little boy was a bit disappointed. Sarcastically, he responded. “Thanks, Ms. Nash.”

  She batted her eyes. “You’re welcome. Now go get started. The sooner you begin, the faster you can have at it.” The kids ran off, and Ms. Nash turned her attention back to Jade and Cole. “They’ve been dying to play that latest Halo game since you promised you’d bring it the last time you were here.”

  “Me too. I haven’t played it yet either. I waited so we could do it together.”

  “I don’t understand the fascination with those games. But you guys have a ball.” Ms. Nash gave Cole a stern look. “Once they have finished with their chores and not one second before. I’ve got to get back to the kitchen. I left Millie and Lisa in a room alone together. I just pray I have a kitchen to return to when I get back.” She turned to Jade. “It was nice to meet you. See you in a little while.”

  As soon as Ms. Nash was out of earshot, Jade spoke. “This is a group home?”

  “Yep. I volunteer here a few times a month. My company helps by contributing financially—whatever Ms. Nash thinks this place needs.”

  “It seems so different from Marymount. That place was a house of horrors.”