Deadly Valentine

by Jenna Harte

  “Good. I'm glad to hear it, but I was talking about Valentine.”

  “Jack?”

  “I know you said he's an old friend of yours.” Tess could see he hated the idea of her having had a relationship with Jack, but before she could explain he said, “There's a lot of circumstantial evidence that doesn't look good for him.”

  “I thought we agreed we couldn't talk about that, under the circumstances.”

  He nodded. “Even if he wasn't a suspect, I'd be concerned.”

  “Why?” She hadn't meant to ask because she was pretty sure he was feeling threatened by Jack's attention. She didn't want to have to remind Daniel, yet again, that she wasn't interested in romantic liaisons with him or anyone for that matter.

  Daniel moved from the coffee table to sit next to her on the couch. “I remember when you came back from D.C. You were so ... lost, unsure of yourself. I don't know all the details of what happened, but I do know that you broke away from everyone including Jack for a reason. I just don't want to see you get hurt.”

  She took his hand, gave it squeeze. “I'll admit, it was a little unsettling to see him again, but it's not going to be a problem. He can't hurt me.”

  Daniel's expression told her he wasn't as sure about that as she was.

  “He's really a nice guy,” she said. “Under different circumstances you two would probably hit it off.”

  “I doubt it,” Daniel said with a scoff.

  “Well not now of course. You think he's a murderer. That can hinder a budding friendship.”

  “There's that. And then there's the fact that he and I are in love with the same woman.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack knew the minute she woke, when her eyes latched on to him as he sat in her chaise chair. He resisted looking up. He knew that once he gave her his attention, she would start in with how she didn't need a nursemaid and ask him to leave. So he kept his eyes down on his computer even though he didn't see a thing on the screen.

  After several moments, when she didn't say anything, curiosity got the best of him. He lifted his gaze to find her amber colored eyes studying him. He felt a punch of emotion, the swell of it filling his chest. It spread, leaving him no choice but to smile at the way she brought feeling back to his life.

  "What were you working on?" she asked.

  "Just seeing if I could learn anything about the documents on Asa's computer." He stood then and went to her. Her eyes widened a little as if she was nervous or afraid of him. The reaction bothered him more than a little. He sat on the coffee table instead of the couch as a compromise.

  "Did you discover anything?"

  "Nothing that will keep me out of jail."

  She shifted so she could sit up, pulling her legs in, tucking them under her."Did you find anything interesting at least?"

  "The baby's birth certificate says that the mother, Delia was about twenty when she had the baby, which was about the same age as Asa at that time. And the birth certificate doesn't list a father."

  Tess' brow furrowed as she considered his news. "Do you think Asa was the father?"

  Jack shrugged. "That I don't know."

  "It doesn't seem like the kind of secret Asa would be so eager to disclose."

  "I know. I can't imagine how the information would adequately embarrass or humiliate anyone at the party. And it doesn't explain why it was in a folder with my information."

  "I suppose it might embarrass the Senator a little bit to have his son and his secretary involved in an affair and having a child. He's big on family values," Tess said.

  "It wouldn't be such a big deal today. And the woman and the baby are dead, so what's the prize in it for Asa?"

  "You're right. There had to have been more to it."

  "I don't think we're going to figure it out tonight. Are you hungry?" He shut down his laptop and set it on the coffee table next to the pile of Asa's documents he'd printed when he'd gone home.

  “I'm a little thirsty.”

  Jack smiled, pleased him that she didn't insist he leave. Progress. "I picked up some Ginger Ale on my way over. It's supposed to be ideal for the flu.”

  He went to her kitchen. “I got you some crackers too.”

  “Why are you here?” she asked when he'd returned with the drink and crackers. His smile dropped. Just when he thought she'd accepted that he was going to stay, she was challenging him again.

  “To take care of you. Why is that so hard for you accept?”

  “I don't know. It's weird. I haven't seen you in years and now you're holding my head over the toilet while I'm sick and serving me Ginger Ale.”

  “It's your fault we haven't seen each other in years,” he said unable to hide his irritation. He sat next to her on the couch and handed her the plate of crackers. She took one and bit, as he set the plate on the coffee table.

  “I needed a clean break,” she said.

  “You've had your time. Rebuilt your life. I think you can handle spending time with an old friend.” he knew he sounded angry, but didn't care. It was time she knew what it had done to him when she'd left. When she'd ignored him.

  “Sure.” Her eyes were wide and he'd wondered if he'd overdone it. He wanted to be allowed back in her life. Getting mad wasn't going to help his cause.

  “Do you need anything else?” he asked.

  “No. Thank you.”

  “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  “Sure.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Are you patronizing me?”

  “I can't win, can I?” she said tossing the remaining bit of her cracker on the plate. It skidded off the plate on to the coffee table. “If I ask you to leave you get mad. If accept that you're going to stay, you get mad. What do you want?”

  “I want you to want me to stay.” He hadn't wanted to blurt it out like that, but there it was.

  "I don't want to want you to stay."

  "No kidd-" he stopped as he processed her words. "You don't want to want me to stay."

  She turned away.

  "Which means you do want me to stay, you just don't want to want me to stay."

  "You're not making sense." He thought she was about to pout.

  "Why does it bother you to see me?" he said leaning over to pick up the cracker and put it on the plate. “I'm not here to ruin your new life. I can see you've built a good life for yourself. The three years have been good to you. They haven't been so good to me, Tess.”

  "I heard about your mom. I'm sorry ... I'd wanted to call-”

  “So why didn't you?” His voice was harsher than he'd wanted, but he couldn't contain the hurt he felt by her abandonment when he'd needed her most.

  “I...ah...” she shook her head. “I don't know. I don't have a good reason.”

  He considered pressing her, but then decided to let it go.

  “I'm sorry,” she said again. “And I don't mean to be rude, but seeing you brings back memories I'd rather not think about.”

  He saw her wince, as she realized how she sounded. It was laughable, he realized now. He'd had such good memories of his time with her, but apparently hers were different. “Well.”

  “Jack, that didn't come out right.”

  "I think that's exactly what you meant." He thought he should leave. This reunion was disintegrating faster than he could figure out how to keep it together.

  “I have lots of regrets in my life, but not calling you when your mom died is at the top.”

  With her words, the anger and hurt shifted. It surprised him how important it was that she'd cared about what he'd been through. He took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Thank you.”

  Her cheeks flushed, her eyes widened in reaction to his gesture. It gave him hope that she wasn't as immune to him as she wanted to be. Taking a chance, he pressed his palm to her cheek, stroked it with the pad of his thumb. Her eyes turned wary, but her cheek settled into his palm. He wanted to take her in his arms, but feared it would ruin what little gain he made. So inste
ad he took her hand again in his and sat with her.

  "Why did you kiss me?" she asked.

  He was surprised by the question and yet pleased that his kiss had stayed with her. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

  "Do you go around kissing people whenever it seems like a good idea?"

  "Yes. It doesn't happen very often. But seeing you again has put me in a constant state of wanting to kiss."

  She gave a snort that let him know she was both embarrassed and not buying it. He couldn't understand why the idea that he wanted to kiss her was surprising to her.

  "I was overwhelmed by emotion," he said. "Seeing you for the first time in years and then finding you passed out. I think I lost twenty-years of my life finding you like that. Anyway, I wanted to kiss you and since I wasn't sure when I'd get another chance, I did."

  "So you were overcome by a wave of emotion at having found me unconscious?"

  "You mean as opposed to kissing you because I'm attracted to you?"

  "Never mind," she said trying to pull away from him. He held her hand tightly, not letting her retreat. But he didn't press the subject.

  "So, do you want me to read to you? I see you've got the new J. D. Robb book. My mom liked those."

  "No, thank you."

  "Are you sure. I looked at where you stopped and I think it’s a good part. Eve and Roarke are either going to kick each other's asses or have sex."

  The color rose to Tess' cheek. "Probably both. But no."

  "A movie then?"

  "I'm sure I don't have anything you'd want to see."

  "Are they anything like the music you listen to?"

  She made a face at him.

  "No movies then. How about we just catch up?"

  She gave him a faint smile. He latched onto it like a life preserver. "Okay."

  He learned about her life in Jefferson Tavern and in particular her close relationship with the Showalters, including Daniel. He realized that Daniel wasn't just a small town police detective with an eye on Tess, but that he and Tess had a history that went back even before Jack knew her. He learned about her struggles to build her practice and the volunteer work at Legal Aid.

  He'd tried not to be maudlin about his mother's death, but did confess that he'd lost himself for a time. He told her how he'd walked away from his business to care for his mother. He'd been fortunate to have good employees who picked up the slack and kept his empire going when he didn't give a damn about it.

  "One thing I always admired about you was how positive you are. The glass is always half full and you forgive so quickly," she said.

  "I didn't recover so quickly then," he said.

  "But you did. And you don't seem different because of it. You aren't bitter or trying to keep the world away."

  Jack began to wonder if she was talking about herself and her recovery from betrayal and heartbreak three years earlier. He wouldn't have described her as bitter, but she had erected barriers to keep world away. She had no trinkets from her past or present life. She kept Daniel at arm's length even though he was probably as safe as she could get in terms of protecting her heart.

  And her severe reaction to their reunion could be in part to her fear that he'd hurt her again. The idea that she felt he could hurt her could only mean one thing; she still felt something for him. It gave him hope that he'd win her yet.

  Chapter Thirteen

  By Sunday morning, Tess had her appetite and her solitude back. The flu had been easier to eradicate than the two men who hovered over her, posturing for her attention. It was just her luck that when she'd given up on men, she'd have two falling over themselves to get to her. One of them she'd successfully been able to keep at a safe distance since her return to Jefferson Tavern. But the other, the one she'd carefully avoided over the last three years, he was a different matter.

  When Daniel suggested Jack was in love with her, she nearly choked. It was so ridiculous it didn't deserve a response. The problem was, Jack was an affable, endearing, caring guy. You couldn't help but like him. Then there was the fact that he was gorgeous. There wasn't a woman alive who wouldn't give up a lifetime of chocolate for just one night with him. Despite her commitment to celibacy, she knew she was one of those women. Normally it might not be a problem. She wasn't his type. But his behavior toward her since seeing him at Asa's was confusing. He was more volatile than she remembered. He bristled at her attempt to keep a professional distance. At the same time he was more affectionate. The touches. The way he would hold her hand and kiss her knuckles. Even thinking about it did all sorts of delicious things to her senses. But what did it mean?

  Determined to not let her hormones get the best of her, she put Jack off when he called to come see her again. Instead she made plans to visit Daniel's mother, Helen.

  Tess arrived at the Worthington mansion wishing she could make the visit in Helen's home instead. The house was uncomfortable even before it had become the scene of a crime. But Helen was helping her father, the Senator, with arrangements for Asa's funeral, so she had to make her visit at the house of horrors.

  Walter greeted her at the door and led her to the parlor.

  "I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner," Tess said giving Helen a hug.

  "Oh nonsense. I heard you were ill." She took Tess' hand and with a light tug pulled her down to sit next to her. It was surreal to think that two days prior she was sitting in the same seat in a room filled with murder suspects.

  "I know it must be hard for you to be here,"

  "I wanted to be here for you," Tess said.

  "I appreciate that, Tess. I really do,” she said with a sniff.

  Tess had always admired Helen Worthington Showalter ever since the first day of boarding school when Tess walked into her English class. Despite her modest career, no one could look at Helen and doubt that she came from money and breeding. It wasn't the air of wealth or expensive clothes that gave it away. She carried herself with confidence and moved through the world with a grace that Tess envied. Unlike the rest of the Worthington's, Helen also possessed kindness and depth of character. In Helen, Tess found proof that you could come from a cool, uncaring family and somehow not lose your soul. She'd attached herself to Helen from that first day of school and she felt grateful to Helen and Tom for their friendship. They'd given her the love and acceptance her own parents had kept from her.

  "How are you holding up?" Tess asked

  "Oh, I'm doing fine." She gave a small laugh even as she dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "I know so many people had trouble with him, including me, but I'll still miss him."

  Tess nodded.

  "I should have been there that night," Helen said.

  "I'm not sure it would have mattered." Tess asked as she put an arm around Helen.

  Helen's lips wobbled. “He asked me to come and I told I had no intention of participating in whatever antics he was up to. I never understood why he took such pleasure in embarrassing people. Exposing their weaknesses. It was like a sport for him.”

  “Did you know what he was planning?”

  “No. I doubt anyone did. That was part of the game for him.” She blew her nose. “Even so, I should have been there. My last words to him were said in anger.”

  Tess gave her squeeze. “Your being there may not have changed that.”

  Helen gave a small laugh. “You're probably right. Tom said he was behaving like he always did.”

  “Did he tell you Lauren showed up?”

  “He did. That I may have enjoyed seeing.” She let out a sob. “Oh listen to me. How awful to think about enjoying watching my murdered brother having it out with his ex-wife.”

  “It's not awful.”

  “Tom said you were in the library...when it happened. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  Walter entered the parlor carrying a tray with a tea pot and small delicate cups. “Ma'am, Agnes has made some tea. Would you like some?”

  “Oh yes, Walter. That would
be lovely.”

  Walter set the tray on the coffee table in front of them and poured their cups.

  Helen turned back to Tess. “It must terrifying to realize how close you were to him, to a murderer. I get chills just thinking about you being in the next room. Just a few feet away.”

  “I try not to think about that part, though I've been trying to remember what I may have heard.”

  “Heard? You heard him being murdered?”

  “No. I don't know. I heard people talking. But I didn't hear anything that sounded like murder. He didn't cry out. Or at least I didn't hear that.” Tess took the cup of hot tea Walter was handing her. She hoped it would rid the chill that slid up her spine.

  “I can't imagine how frightening that was.”

  “I just wish I could remember something. I heard talking. Then the next thing I remember is walking in and seeing him.”

  “And you didn't hear anything, Walter?” Helen asked, taking her cup of tea.

  “Just what I told the police, ma'am. I heard Mr. Worthington and Mr. Valentine arguing. I didn't hear anything when I was attending to Ms. Madison. Will there be anything else?”

  "No. Thank you, Walter." Walter nodded then left them. “Mr. Valentine. Who is he? Why was he there?”

  Tess shifted. How could she explain Jack to Helen? That she was representing him during the investigation into Asa's death.

  “He was a guest of Asa's,” Daniel said from the doorway.

  “Oh Daniel,” Helen rose and went to him, giving him a hug.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I'm hanging in there. Tess was kind enough to stop by.”

  Daniel remained standing as his mother returned to her seat. “So why did Asa invite this Valentine man to the house?”

  “No one knows,” Daniel said.

  “What does he say?”

  Tess look uncomfortably to Daniel as the conversation entered territory that put her at odds with him and his family.

  “Asa told him it was a business meeting,” Daniel answered his mother.

  “Business meeting.” Helen shook her head. “Is he going to be arrested? Walter heard them fighting.”