She gaped at him, speechless.
“And, yes, I was jealous as hell, Abby, and I still am insanely jealous when it comes to you. If you’re getting the cold shoulder this weekend from my cousins, it’s because I told them—on the threat of death—to stay away from you.”
Jack whirled and strode out of the cottage. The screen door closed behind him with a resounding whack. She heard his footsteps on the dock as he strode away.
Abby gasped and slumped back on the loveseat. She was more confused than ever about what had happened to cause their breakup. However, a few things were coming into focus. No wonder Jack had broken up with her. Apparently, he’d seen something at her apartment that had made him think she was seeing someone else.
At the time, those faked pictures had mysteriously appeared on her social page. She had no clue that Jack had seen them, and they were very suggestive with her wearing a black negligee. They were obviously fake photos because the event had never happened, but Jack wouldn’t have known that. The pictures had not been there for more than a day before she’d taken them down and changed her password! She had assumed Vince was the culprit.
Abby wrapped her arms around herself and headed for the house, shaking with adrenaline. Everything was becoming clearer as to why Jack had suddenly broken off with her.
The rain had stopped. As she walked up the steps, following the faint lights along the walkway, she saw a dark shadowy figure cut across the lawn in front of her. Abby picked up her pace and hurried toward the house. She didn’t want to speak to anyone after all these revelations with Jack. She hoped it wasn’t that man who seemed to be stalking her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Friday morning, birds chirped outside the mansion. Colorful roses and flowers blew in the gentle, fragrant breeze as Abby stepped out on the back porch. The stormy weather of yesterday had cleared and promised that Saturday would be beautiful for Carly’s wedding. The activities for the day had not yet begun.
Abby’s stomach was in knots after the bomb Jack had dropped on her last night—he thought she’d cheated. Of course, she’d had trouble sleeping.
As soon as she saw Carly, Abby clutched her friend’s elbow. “I need to talk to you privately. It’s important. It’s about Jack and me.”
Carly’s worried glance took in Abby’s distress. “Okay, but let’s get coffee.”
At the outdoor station, they grabbed a cup and went to a wrought-iron table on the stone patio where they could sit in seclusion.
Abby stirred the cream in her coffee, still in shock from what Jack revealed. “You won’t believe this. For some reason Jack thinks that back when we were together, I was also sleeping with Vince Michaels behind his back.”
“Wow! Where’d he get that crazy idea?”
Disbelief still reeling inside her, Abby shook her head. “Remember how I told you I’d been hacked on one of my social media sites and there were some pictures of me with Vince Michaels posted, looking like we were together and I was wearing a negligee?”
Carly’s eyebrows drew together. “Yeah...”
“I just found out last night that Jack saw them.” A cold knot formed in Abby’s stomach. “Then he dropped this bomb on me that he’d brought something over to my apartment when I was in Europe and that he found proof that I was cheating on him.”
“Jack was at your apartment while you were away?”
“Yeah, and I’ve been racking my brain for an answer as to what he saw. I always thought he broke up because I wrecked his car and something else...”
Guilt crept over Abby. She’d not even told her best friend about the pregnancy. When Jack had broken up with her, she had not wanted to say anything to taint Carly’s feelings for Jack. Then the pregnancy...had not lasted. After that, Abby didn’t mention it because she wanted to forget.
“What are you thinking about that has you so sad?”
Wincing, Abby shook her head. “Nothing, just all that ‘water under the bridge stuff’ with Jack.”
“I just can’t believe that Jack thought you were cheating on him,” Carly said.
Abby brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and blew out a deep breath. “I know.”
“What did he find?”
“I don’t know, but it happened while I was in Europe.”
“Was Monica there?”
“Yeah, he said she let him into our apartment and my room. I guess he was so attracted to her that he just wanted an excuse to break up with me—”
“Abby! I don’t believe that.” Carly leaned across the table. “That man was in love with you! Don’t be so gullible. Think back. What could have happened to change things between you and Jack?”
Abby sighed. “Besides wrecking his new car and destroying his laptop? How much more would it take?” She didn’t add about the pregnancy, which she knew would top the list as he’d repeatedly told her he didn’t want children.
“Abby...what about Monica? Had you considered she might have set you up?”
“Monica? I can’t believe she would have anything to do with those social media photos. Why would she lie and tell Jack I was seeing Vince? She was the one seeing Vince, along with a few other men...”
“She must have wanted Jack. Wise up, Abby. I don’t put anything past Monica. And she must have planted not only the pictures, but something to make it look like you were cheating because Jack wouldn’t just have taken her word for it.”
Abby sank back into her chair. “Could Monica be that bad? Maybe...but if I told Jack what I suspect, would he believe me over her? I can’t believe anyone would do something like that intentionally.”
“I do! I think she’s ruthless if she wants something. And I never liked her one bit. You should have seen the nasty looks she’s given you since you’ve been here.”
Biting her lip, Abby clasped her coffee mug in her hands and reflected for a moment. “Maybe… Slowly things began to change with Jack and me, after Monica moved into the apartment. She said he always watched her, and she asked me how I could stand that. I never saw anything, but I was so stupid—I believed her.”
“You were always too insecure about Jack for your own good.”
Abby nodded. “And I can’t believe that I believed her without even confronting him. I was just so heartbroken and thought that he wanted to be with Monica.” With hot tears stinging her eyes, Abby turned to Carly. “I wonder if she also told him horrible things about me behind my back?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past her. She was going after Jack.”
Abby’s stomach swirled in knots. “How could I have been so stupid? It must have been Monica who faked those photos of me with Vince. I had suspected Vince, and confronted him, but of course he denied it with a laugh—the snake that he is. And the photos were spliced from several parties we’d attended, but he must have known what Monica did.”
“And if Monica was the one to do this to you, Abby, she would have made sure Jack saw them.”
“If so, it’s scary the lengths she went to, to break us up.”
“Jack is extremely handsome and on a path to success. Any woman would want him, and she steamrolled over you to get to him. I think she must have been trying to drive a wedge between you two from the beginning with all her talk about him watching her, when he probably wasn’t at all.”
Misery washed over Abby. “It worked. I didn’t even put up a fight.”
Carly crossed her arms over her chest. “So, if we’re right, both you and Jack might have fallen for her tricks.”
Blinking back hot tears that stung her eyes, Abby slumped back in the chair. “Yeah, but now, it’s too late. He’s in love with her. They’re going to be married.”
“I haven’t seen any demonstration of love between them, and I can tell you that no one in the family likes her—and we don’t want Jack to marry her. So what are you going to do?” Carly asked.
“Nothing. What can I do? We’re only speculating that Monica did something, and if I told Jack outright what I sus
pect, he’d think it was sour grapes. I would just look like the liar he thinks I am. He’d never believe me.”
“You give yourself too little credit. Jack was in love with you.” Carly leaned over the table. “I have a confession to make. That’s why I didn’t tell you before you got here that he was coming this weekend. I was afraid you wouldn’t come until the wedding. I knew if you two had time together, you might see you were meant for each other.”
Abby clamped her arms over her chest and shook her head. “No. Even when we were together, before Monica, Jack never said he loved me. And if he did have some feelings for me back then, and if she did something to break us up, Jack loves Monica now. Not me.”
“So you’re just going to do nothing?” Carly slumped back in her chair in disbelief.
“Yes, because he loves her, not me! And what if we’re wrong? What if Vince did those pictures on his own and Monica had nothing to do with Jack and me breaking up?”
“Who besides Monica would have wanted to fake pictures of you with Vince? Do you think Vince would go to all that trouble just because you wouldn’t sleep with him? You have to find out if she planted something at the apartment to make Jack think you cheated. You can’t just let her get away with all of this if she did this to you and Jack, right?”
Abby clenched her fists. “No, I suppose I can’t. But I need to find out, not for me—but for one reason only—for Jack. He’s the one who will be stuck with Monica for life, and he needs to know what he’s marrying. And if he hates me for clarifying that—well, he hates me.” She shook her head in frustration. “But what can I do to prove it? That is the question.”
The two women put their heads together and made a desperate plan to confirm their suspicions and interfere in Jack’s life.
* * *
Later in the day, Abby and Carly passed by Jack and Monica who were on their way to the docks to go for a boat ride.
Monica was friendly enough and even complimented Abby, but when Jack saw them he had a pissed-off look on his face. His expression almost made Abby want to cancel her plan with Carly for that evening.
After they walked on by, Carly asked. “Are we still on for tonight?”
Abby sighed. “Yeah, I guess so, but after tonight I’m definitely going to be looking for another job.”
Their plan had to take place that night as the wedding and reception were tomorrow, then everyone would head for home.
That evening, for the casual affair, Abby wore a blue-and-white sundress with high-heeled strappy sandals.
After dinner, Carly strode up on stage in the ballroom and took the microphone. “It’s Karaoke night. We’re going to have a contest. I hope some of you will come up and sing.”
“Should we sing love songs, Carly, for the bride?” Chris asked from his place at one of the dinner tables.
There was some laughter and commotion in the crowd and some further making fun of love songs and their titles. Then a deejay proceeded to take requests.
Abby had purposely sat at the table next to Jack and Monica. While they talked, Monica laid her hand on Jack’s arm. Abby tensed and then was disgusted with herself. Why couldn’t she just accept the fact that they were together? But then what about their searing kiss the night before?
“Let’s do a song, Jack,” Monica said.
“Monica,” he grumbled, obviously still in the same dark mood as yesterday. “I don’t want to.”
Monica placed her hand on her heart. “Oh, but you will—for me, won’t you?” She flicked a snide glance toward Abby.
“Monica, you can’t sing,” he pointed out.
Monica gasped and clenched her wine glass tightly. “Why, Jack, you can’t be serious? Of course, I can sing. I sing to you all the time. Are you saying you don’t like my singing?”
“Monica, no...” He shook his head and didn’t say anything more.
“Well,” she huffed. “I’ll do a song and show you that everyone else loves my singing.” She strode onto the stage.
Monica sang an off-key version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. When she screeched the high notes, everyone laughed. Monica frowned. “The music was in the wrong key for me. I’ll sing something else.”
That’s when the deejay stepped up and took the mike from her. “That’s great, darlin’, but we have more folks who want to sing. We need to call up more contestants.”
Embarrassed, Monica shoved her nose in the air, stalked off stage, and right out of the ballroom.
A few more singers graced the stage. Many were good and some were not so good, however, everyone clapped for them because it was all in fun.
Alex Drake, the handsome actor and blond cousin of Jack’s, strode onto the stage with his guitar. When he sang, Abby was amazed and so was the crowd, judging by the applause. He gave a cheeky bow. Several of his cousins sent balled-up paper napkins flying at him.
“Unfair, Alex,” Trent said, and they all laughed.
Alex threw them a dazzling smile before he exited the stage. No one stood a chance against such a pro.
Carly stepped up to the microphone. “I’m putting out a call for Team Jack and Abby.”
Abby’s eyes widened. “What the…?” she grumbled, gritting her teeth. That wasn’t in their plans! So her dearest friend had found another opportunity to throw them together.
Abby glanced toward Jack and caught him staring at her. With his arms crossed over his chest, he stilled looked pissed at her from yesterday. With what she’d planned with Carly, Abby’s spirits sank to her toes, while her nerves stretched tighter.
She and Jack shook their heads at each other, then turned back to Carly and simultaneously declined.
“Come on, Jack and Abby,” Carly begged into the microphone. “Would you deny a bride her one request, and the real gift she wants from you two for her wedding? All I’m asking is for you to sing your two songs from back in high school. When Abby and I were freshmen, and you, Jack, were the Big Man on Campus, and a senior. Can’t I talk you into singing?”
Jack didn’t say a word, while Abby’s shoulders tensed.
“Come on, deejay,” Carly said. “Why don’t you play a bit of their songs to motivate them? Here are the titles. As I remember it, these two won the high school singing competition that year.”
As the music played, heat rushed to Abby’s cheeks. Days ago, she should have realized no good could come of being so close to Jack. She should have gone home, missed these embarrassing events, and returned in time for the wedding. This was like being tortured. She stood, determined that she was going to forget the plan she and Carly had made for that night and retreat to her room.
Before she could make a hasty retreat from the ballroom, Jack strode toward her. He reached for her arm, sending a shiver though her. His face softened. “Abby, I can do this, if you can. For Carly.”
Abby nodded, still unsure, but she said, “All right, for Carly.”
Once they stepped onto the stage, the deejay restarted the music.
During the intro music, Monica reentered the ballroom. Furious, she clenched her hands on her hips. If looks could kill…
“I’m sure we’re a little rusty,” Abby quipped as she took one of the microphones.
Abby did her best not to look into Jack’s eyes, until she sang a line about heartbreak during the second song, where every word punched at her soul. Her eyes burned. She couldn’t stop herself from turning to Jack. She took in his strong body…from his long legs, up to his shirt that emphasized his muscular chest. She snapped her gaze to his face and read the same bleakness in his eyes that was probably reflected in her own.
When the song ended, she and Jack stood staring at each other. Her heart lurched. If only she could get the chance to tell him that she thought he’d been duped about her, and how worried she was about his future with Monica.
Carly, who’d always been a ham on stage, but who was also tone deaf and couldn’t sing, took the microphone, breaking the moment between Jack and Abby.
Ab
by sighed and returned to her table, and Jack to his.
More people sang, and at the end of the competition, two of Carly’s bridesmaids collected the votes and tallied them.
Once again, Carly strode up on stage and took the microphone. “The top winners are first place, Alex, second place, Abby and Jack.”
From his table, Alex informed them he was bowing out of the competition.
Jack and Abby moved into first place and good-naturedly accepted a couple of gag gifts, before stepping off the stage.
Chris cornered Jack and congratulated him, patting him on the back.
Monica stepped next to Abby and hissed, “No, matter how much you try to get Jack back, it won’t work.”
Abby held up a stopping hand. “I’m not here to have a catfight with you about Jack, but we need to talk. Can we go somewhere private?”
“I have nothing to say to you,” Monica snapped.
Abby grabbed her jacket. She had to see this thing through and now was her chance. “Well, I have a few things to say to you, unless you want me to say them in front of Jack.”
Reluctantly Monica followed Abby onto the moonlit patio, where they could have a private conversation.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Abby, but Jack loves me. He even wanted me when he was dating you.”
Abby’s stomach clenched at just how uncertain she felt. Could she be all wrong?
Monica jabbed her finger near Abby’s face. “So all your attempts to throw yourself at him— your boobs in his face or your ass—it is not going to work. You’d be wise to take up with Sam.”
“I’m not dating Sam.”
Monica returned a cynical face. “Well he seems to like you, so take what you can get.”
“I like Sam as a friend.”
“I don’t care who you like or how—just stay away from Jack.”
Controlling her anger, Abby stepped closer to Monica. “How did you get Jack to believe I was seeing that guy you dated, Vince Michaels, Monica?”
Weekend Wedding Deception (Dangerous Millionaires Series) Page 9
