by Parin, Sonia
“Don’t be so quick to assume.” Mason shivered. “I’m not sure what that was all about, but if Lexie owned a rabbit I would suggest she hire a bodyguard for it.”
Steph agreed. “I don’t mean to be a scaremonger, but I think Juliette’s planning something. We should circle the wagons.”
Thinking they could all do with a drink, Jack caught the attention of a waiter.
“Jack. You can let go of my hand now.”
“Not until we’re safely in the car and half way back to your place. We only need to hang around here for another half hour or so.”
“You’re all overreacting.”
He shook his head. What if the last few months had been the quiet before the storm? What if he’d made the mistake of underestimating Juliette? In a way, he had let her down. He’d failed to continue to meet her expectations. He’d done the unforgivable, turning his back on everything she held precious.
“Steph might be onto something. I’d rather play it safe.” He watched Lexie throw her gaze across the crowded room. “Don’t worry. Juliette’s at the other end making the rounds with my father.”
“I was looking for the rest rooms.”
“I’ll take you.”
“Just point me in the right direction.”
“Okay. Steph will go with you.” And he’d follow several steps behind. He didn’t want to admit it, but Mason’s mention of the rabbit had stimulated his imagination.
“I can’t believe this. Fine. Whatever. Actually, it’s not fine. First, please let go of my hand, and second, please stay put while I go freshen up.”
“All right. But hurry back.”
“Bless her naïve, innocent heart,” Mason said under his breath. “So, what do you make of all this?”
Jack narrowed his gaze and speared it toward Juliette. “Madeline is loaded. She’s buried two husbands and doesn’t believe in divorce. If dad wants to be a kept man, that’s his choice. He spared me the trouble of firing him.”
“I was referring to Juliette. If she wants you back, she’s going about it the wrong way. Surely she’s heard you complain about our stepsisters.”
“She has.” When he’d first bailed out on his suit and tie job she hadn’t raised any objections. He supposed that had been her way of indulging him and giving him time to get it out of his system. She’d only called it quits on their relationship when she’d realized his career change was a long-term lifestyle choice, one that didn’t suit her aspirations. Had she been biding her time? Waiting for him to come to his senses? To bend to her will? He drained his glass and, looking up, caught sight of Juliette watching him.
What the hell was running through her mind? He’d been with her for three and a half years and he couldn’t even take a wild stab.
“Everyone’s giving her a wide berth,” Mason remarked.
“I can see that.” He’d never had the opportunity to notice before because they’d never attended a family function together. Juliette had always found reasons to turn down invitations. But if he had to guess, he’d say everyone felt intimidated by her aloofness.
“This is where you admit to having had a lucky escape.”
“And give you credit for warning me off her?”
“It never hurts to show your gratitude.”
“Not that I need your approval, but what do you think about Lexie?”
“She’s a character. I like her.” Mason shrugged. “You should keep her… I mean... I don’t know.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“Just don’t make a move unless you’re sure. It could get awkward and it’d be a pity to lose her as a friend.”
Friends. That still sounded good to him, but not half as good as it could be.
“Actually, playing it safe is probably overrated. She might slip through your fingers,” Mason said.
“I’m not in the right place at the moment.” Jack shook his head. “Okay. I’ve been thinking about it.” And using every excuse under the sun to avoid making a firm decision. Why? How could he avoid making the same mistake again? He and Lexie were good together as a fake couple, if they took the next step and made it real, everything could change, and not for the better.
“We made it back safely,” Lexie said as she approached them. “Steph activated the phone tree so everyone acted as lookout.”
“Everyone?”
“Your stepsisters. See, no need to fear them. They’ve got your back. You should be nicer to them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He might even think how nice he was being when he paid for the twins’ school tuition. Strangely, he’d never thought of it as an act of generosity, but rather as something he simply had to do. “Okay, you can say your goodbyes now. We’re leaving.”
“Before the fireworks?”
He turned to Mason. “You organized fireworks?”
“Not literally, but I’m sure Juliette will spark something off.”
“I’d rather not hang around for that.”
As they strode out of the reception centre, Lexie tugged on his sleeve. “You know people will wonder why we’re leaving early.”
“Let them.” He heard her cell beep.
“Mercy just twitted something.”
“I’m not even tempted to ask.”
She laughed. “Mercy says Juliette’s just turned all shades of crimson. I’m guessing she didn’t like you snatching the stage spotlight from right under her.”
“Was that a hint of sympathy I heard in your voice?”
“There’s nothing worse than seeing your ex with someone else. It makes your brain turn into soup.”
“She called it quits.”
“Yes, but she appears to be single and you appear to be getting on with your life. In her eyes, you’ve moved on and she’s lagging behind. She might even be thinking that you suspect she still has feelings for you.”
“And now you want to know if I do?” He drew the passenger door open for her. “I don’t.” And he was almost embarrassed to admit he’d never really had feelings for her, not the sort a woman expected. Sure, he’d cared about her happiness and maybe that had been all Juliette had wanted from him. He closed the passenger door and went around to the driver’s side.
“Were you about to say something?” she asked when he settled into his seat.
Jack pushed out a breath. He’d never loved Juliette. The admission derailed his thoughts. He tried to speak but no words came out. Why had he stayed with her for as long as he had? He must have known he didn’t love her and yet he’d hung around until she’d ended the relationship. Had he hoped to some day wake up and find he’d developed feelings for her? Did he even want that for himself? Was he even capable of it?
“Juliette was right to walk away. In fact, she was more honest than me.” She’d known what she wanted and when he’d no longer been able to provide it, she’d cut her losses.
“Apart from a few minor details, I wouldn’t ever call you dishonest.”
“And yet I ignored the truth for as long as I did.” For a moment he forgot Lexie sat right next to him.
“We all do that. It takes time to figure out how we feel. The truth could be staring us in the face, and we still ignore it.” She sighed. “I’m not the best person to offer relationship advice. Actually, I shouldn’t even try.”
He started the car and pulled out of the parking area. “Give it your best shot. What’s the worst that can happen?”
She hummed to herself. “Okay. I have a theory floating around my head. We all evolve. Sometimes the changes we experience take us in different directions and we don’t always realize what’s happened until it’s too late. Once you change one aspect of your personality, everything else has to fall in step and whatever doesn’t fit has to go.”
He’d agree with that. He’d wanted a different lifestyle, a new purpose and he’d gone for it but it hadn’t suited Juliette. At the time Jack hadn’t quite understood why she’d lost interest in him. Now he had to wonder if she’d ever thought of him as more th
an a convenience.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Marginally. What else you got?”
Lexie shifted in her seat. “Um. Well, we don’t always know the people we’re with. Suddenly, they show their true colors and that can be as effective as a bucket of icy cold water. I think that summarizes what I said before. That’s my nutshell.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“I’ve learned a thing or two. But I’m no expert. So there’s still plenty of scope to either get it right or make a few more mistakes. I won’t let them kill me. But, in future, I’ll be more careful about the choices I make.” She fell silent and stared out the window.
Was she being careful now? So far he hadn’t seen any signs of attraction. No hints that she might be interested in more than friendship. “I want you to know you can ask me anything you want.” He had no idea where that had come from. A place of hope?
“Are you offering to return the favor and give me a man’s perspective on relationships?”
He should nod in agreement. He knew he should.
Damn it, it was going to be hard to say goodnight to her and walk away.
“Any time. Feel free to ask anything. Within reason, of course. I’ve got a good thing going with you and I wouldn’t want to ruin it.”
“Don’t worry, Jack. You’ll always have me as your friend. Your hot chocolate making skills have sealed the deal.”
A friend.
He wouldn’t toss and turn tonight. He’d be too busy using his pillow as a punching bag.
Jack turned his focus to the road. He was going to have to take a long and hard look at himself and figure out what he wanted because if he didn’t take care, Lexie could slip through his fingers and that was one regret he didn’t think he could live with.
Chapter Seventeen
“I’ve decided what I want to do. I’m actually surprised it came to me so quickly. Now it’s all systems go. You know what they say about grabbing opportunities when they present themselves…”
Lexie stirred awake and frowned. She’d been dreaming… her sister had been chattering—
She peeled her eyes open and groaned. It hadn’t been a dream. Maggie sat at the end of the bed, her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, her hands clasped around a mug of coffee, a tray sitting next to her. As she spoke, she nodded and shook her head sending her ponytail on a light swing. She wore leggings and a purple skirt matched with a black T-shirt, and ankle boots. Lexie frowned. Maggie had raided her wardrobe. Again.
“What’s this?” she croaked.
Maggie lifted her mug in a salute. “Coffee and croissants, courtesy of Jack.”
“Jack’s here?” She scrambled to sit up.
“He was.”
That meant he’d be around today… working. She checked the time. Her bedside clock flashed a big ten o’clock at her. After he’d dropped her off last night, she’d spent a couple of hours working on some sketches while waiting up for Maggie who’d again gone out on the town with Ava. It must have been two in the morning when she’d finally given up waiting. She rubbed her hand across her eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you to wake up. Come on, coffee’s getting cold.”
Lexie wrapped her hands around the mug, inhaling the aroma before taking a sip and sighing. “Good morning.”
Maggie smiled. “I wondered when you’d get around to that.”
“Hardly ever before I get to the bottom of the cup. Jack must have made a good impression on Rhys.” The owner of the Monkey Bar Café allowed only a few select customers to walk away with his mugs.
“Jack’s still calling me Lulu.”
“Probably because you haven’t corrected him.”
“I like it.”
Don’t get too attached to it, Lexie thought as she worried about the possible long-term effects of associating with a character like Lulu McGee.
Lexie took a long sip of her coffee, giving herself some thinking time before she spoke and said the wrong thing. “At some point, we’ll have to tell him.” She reached for a croissant and bit off the end. “So, what were you bursting to tell me?”
“I wanted to share my new career move. I’m going into project management. I might as well put my marketing degree to good use.”
One of her many degrees…
“The snow globe is a great idea, and I’m thinking we could have two versions. One mass produced and the other—”
“Wait a minute. Snow globe?”
“Yes. Ava told me about you expanding into merchandizing and then we did a bit of brainstorming. In fact, we had a solid session yesterday at the Monkey Bar Café. Rhys joined us and mentioned this friend of his who owns a small business. She designs and manufactures commemorative snow globes. So I was thinking we could have mass-produced ones and then special limited edition runs made by her. I’ve scheduled a meeting. And since she lives near Eden, it’ll work perfectly with our trip.”
“Our trip?”
“Home.”
“Home, as in Eden home?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I was thinking today. If we leave after lunch, we’ll get there in time to settle in, have a quick catch up with mom and dad. Then we can head over to The Gloriana for dinner.”
“I see. And… when would we return?”
“We could play it by ear. It’s only a three-hour drive. Maybe we could stay a week.”
“Um.” Home. She’d only just returned from a visit, but Maggie hadn’t been home in a while. Lexie imagined being used as a decoy. The moment their parents heard about Maggie’s plans to walk away from her prestigious job they’d be up in arms, pointing fingers of blame at the usual suspect, Lexie.
She hoped Maggie had a contingency plan.
She considered asking her but then decided against it. Maggie had made so much progress, the wrong remark could be perceived as a snag hindering her sister’s momentum.
Lexie dug her fingers through her hair. “Um. Project manager?”
“Yes. It’ll free you up to focus on the creative side of things. That reminds me, we need a deadline for the graphic novel. I’d like to start promoting it as soon as possible.” Maggie swung her legs off the bed and jumped to her feet. “It’s good to have a purpose again.” She strode out of the bedroom and moments later called out, “Come on, get up. We have to get going. Hit the ground running.”
Lexie set her mug of coffee down on the bedside table, and pulled the duvet over her head. Maggie was at full throttle. There’d be no stopping her now. Like it or not, her life would be organized, her days scheduled, her modus operandi whipped into super efficiency mode. She might even be expected to wear a suit to work.
“Modus operandi? I’m already sounding like her.” She pressed her knuckles against her mouth. She’d never again have a moment to herself. Her bathroom breaks would be timed and her coffee breaks limited to two a day—
Right in the middle of that scary thought, the duvet was yanked away.
“Oh, good. You’re still awake. For a moment I thought you’d gone back to sleep.”
Lexie blinked. “Is something wrong?”
“You’re okay with all this?”
“Sure. Of course I am.” To her credit, she didn’t hesitate. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maggie leaned down, curled her hands around her shoulders and drew her into a warm hug. Lexie gasped in shock, which turned to surprise. Then wonderment. And curiosity. Was this Ava’s doing? Or had Maggie undergone some sort of self-analysis, identifying her strengths and weaknesses?
“This is going to be so much fun.”
That sounded promising. But it could also be misleading. What exactly was Maggie’s idea of fun?
Lexie waited for her to leave before reaching for her cell to check her messages. Nothing from Jack.
Last night…
Something had happened. They’d clicked. She was sure of it.
There had been a moment when Jack had held her hand, his thumb brushing along her knuckles. He’d been distracted by something Mason had been saying, but even when the conversation had shifted, he’d continued holding her hand.
Lexie’s toes curled. If she could go back and relive last night…
She played around with the fantasy, picturing herself making the first move, leaning in, kissing him…
“Come on, get up,” Maggie called out from the sitting room.
“Let me do a bit of reminiscing first.” Although what good would it do her to think about a missed opportunity?
She glanced at the building looming a few feet away. Jack was somewhere inside, going about his day. Was he thinking about her? He had to be. After all, he’d brought her coffee and croissants.
Thanks for the coffee.
She pressed send and waited a few seconds for a reply. But the screen remained blank. He’d get around to it eventually, Lexie told herself.
“Get a move on,” Maggie hollered.
Crawling out of bed took care of getting her mind off her racing heart and all the pulse points that came alive at the mere thought of Jack.
Once she had a shower she could tackle Maggie’s revival… Or was it revamping of her life? She’d nominated herself for a new role and had referred to it as a career change. Unlike her, Maggie did not fly by the seat of her pants. She would have planned every detail, from beginning to end, with a clear picture of how everything would unfold.
Two words popped into her mind.
Challenges and rewards.
Her high-flying sister would have to learn to live without them, at least for the time being. Taking this job on would be a walk in the park for her. Maybe then she’d realize this was nothing but a phase and a steppingstone back to her old life.
Lexie decided to take what she could get and be grateful for the expert help but she wouldn’t get too comfortable. Maggie’s entire life had been geared toward launching her into the wider world with the express intention of conquering it, of reaching the highest summits. Tackling such a small fish wouldn’t hold her interest for long.
* * *
A couple of hours later, they were on the road making their way to Eden. Her next-door neighbor had been entrusted with her goldfish’s wellbeing. And if Lexie hadn’t seen it for herself, she would not have believed it.
