“You are falling apart.”
Unwilling to answer, Jane cleared her throat and took a seat.
“If you want privacy, you know I have no problem with that, but know that if you want to talk, I’m here.”
“Thank you.” She folded her hands in her lap and waited for this to be over. Her ears rang as if her blood pressure was skyrocketing.
Lori didn’t give up. “Last year I was quietly drowning in front of everyone and I refused to say a word. Obviously I won’t argue with your right to take the same route. Are you drowning?”
“No.”
“Would you tell me if you were?”
“No.”
“Okay. I won’t ask any more questions.”
Mr. Jennings stalked out of his office. “I will.”
“Quinn,” Lori said sharply, but he aimed a glare in her direction before sliding it toward Jane.
“Has Chase done something to you? Is that what’s going on? Is he abusing you?”
Jane gasped in horror. “No!”
“Well, all this started that day I walked in on you two, so pardon me if I’m suspicious. Did he force himself on you, Jane? Because I’ll—”
“No, absolutely not. Chase isn’t the type to—We’re not really—It was just a hug!”
“Oh, yeah? You two are friends? You’re in the same wine-tasting club or something?”
Jane clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him. “I apologize for my inappropriate behavior that morning. If I’d acted with propriety you wouldn’t be prying into my business right now, and this conversation could have been avoided.”
Lori muttered, “Snap,” and raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. “I think she just told you to mind your own business, sweetie. Which was exactly what I was going to say.”
But Mr. Jennings wouldn’t give up. “This guy is like, six-five, and has tattoos on his neck!”
“Yowza,” Lori said, her eyes flickering in surprise. “But that still doesn’t mean anything. I doubt anyone would’ve expected Quinn Jennings to date an auto mechanic. Opposites attract.”
“No,” Jane said. “Chase and I are not dating. In fact, I just broke it off with a gentleman who—”
“Are you pregnant?” Mr. Jennings interrupted. “Is that it?”
“No!”
“Because if you are, I’ll support you in every way possible. Whatever you want to—”
“I’m not pregnant! And I am not a living, breathing episode of Jerry Springer, so whatever else you might suspect, please keep it to yourself! I have the right to use my personal time however I like, and I’m under no obligation to discuss my life with you. It’s none of your business.”
His brown eyes darkened with sudden hurt, as if they were bruising right before her eyes. “Of course it’s not,” he said. “Of course. I apologize.”
Oh, God, he looked so sad. “Mr. Jennings—”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried. Anyway, I’ve got to go check on the framers, so I’ll see you later, Lori.” He pressed a distracted kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek and headed for the door. “Jane, take as much time off as you need,” he murmured as he left.
She stared miserably after him, wondering how she could be so cruel to a man who treated her so well. Then again, that seemed to be her specialty these days.
“Don’t worry about him,” Lori said. “It doesn’t matter how much respect they have for women, men still think they need to fix things for us.”
“I’m fine, Lori. Honestly. I’ve just got a few family problems that I don’t want to discuss. Will you tell him that?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.” Jane felt her throat burn with sorrow for the pain she’d caused Quinn Jennings.
“And you wouldn’t let a man treat you badly, right, Jane?”
Lori’s eyes made clear that she was offering help if Jane should need it. Jane shook her head, but truthfully, she’d once reveled in being treated like dirt. Now she did it only on the weekends.
No, she scolded herself. Chase might be a fling, but he hadn’t once treated her like dirt, even when she’d deserved it.
“I promise you I’m not being treated badly by anyone. That’s not what this is about.”
“Okay, good.” Lori smiled, transforming herself from cute to adorable. “So then this big guy with tattoos is someone who’s treating you right?”
“Out,” Jane snapped, pointing toward the door.
“Fine, fine. I’ve got to track down my grumpy architect anyway. I’ll take some Starbucks up to his lot. You want anything?”
Jane shook her head, holding her breath until Lori walked out and disappeared from view. Then she snatched up the phone and dialed Jessie’s lawyer to beg her for new information. This balancing game was too much. She’d thought she was strong, but she was cracking under the first signs of strain.
“I was just talking to your investigator,” the lawyer said.
“My investigator?”
“Mr. Chase. He’s here in my office. We’re going over the arrest records and putting together a list of questions to ask Jessie when I see him this afternoon. I normally don’t bring in an investigator unless it’s a capital case, but he’s been very helpful.”
“Oh, good!” Jane glanced at the clock. It was only 9:00 a.m. and Chase had warned her that his dad never got up before ten.
“As a matter of fact, I’m going to put him under contract with a confidentiality agreement, if that’s all right with you. Same rate you’re paying him, but it’ll be billed under the firm’s charges.”
“Great. That sounds wonderful.”
“The prosecution floated a lower number for bail. It’s thirty thousand, which is still pretty damn high—another indication that they’re trying to build a bigger case.”
Thirty thousand. That would be three thousand up front and the full thirty thousand on the line if Jessie decided to skip town. She couldn’t do it, not with all the lawyer’s fees, as well.
“Thirty thousand,” she repeated.
“Jessie already told me that your dad won’t pay it,” the lawyer said. “I’m going to work on getting it reduced further. So don’t worry. Jessie’s fine for right now, and he understands where we are.”
Jane thanked her and hung up.
Thirty thousand. She couldn’t afford it. If he bailed on her, she could lose her condo. But now she was remembering when Jessie was thirteen and he’d call and ask if he could hang with her for the weekend. Most of the time she’d put him off. What if she hadn’t? What if she’d taken him under her wing instead of putting all her energy into running from her past? What if she’d thought of Jessie sometimes, instead of just herself?
Vowing to look over her savings as soon as she got home, Jane put her head down and got back to work. She responded to e-mails and sent out blueprints and set up a whole flurry of automatic e-mail reminders to keep Mr. Jennings on schedule. Something inside her clicked back into place.
I can do this, she assured herself. I can.
Two hours later Mr. Jennings returned, offering her a halfhearted smile. She stood, wanting to reach out and hug him, but holding herself back. “Mr. Jennings, I apologize.”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”
“I…” She thought of how he’d reached out to her. How Lori had reached out. She thought of how she pushed people away and kept them at a safe distance, because it couldn’t be the real Jane that they liked. It was the woman she’d created with smoke and mirrors that people wanted to know. “Mr. Jennings, I…I do consider you a friend.”
His smile stretched to a relieved grin. “I’m glad.”
“But I don’t really…” She shook her head, hands gripping each other for comfort. “I don’t really know how to do that. Right now I’m having some family problems. That’s all it is. I don’t want you to worry. I’m fine.”
“Okay, good.”
“If I need anything, I know I can come to you or Lori
, and that means so much to me. Thank you.”
Before she could brace herself, Mr. Jennings stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re like a sister to me, Jane. I care about you.”
Panic exploded through her. Not because she thought he meant something inappropriate, but because he didn’t. He honestly respected her. He loved the woman she pretended to be, and that made something deep inside her ache.
If he knew the real her—the brash, angry girl who’d grown up in half a dozen trailer parks—he wouldn’t be so sure of his opinion. And Lori wouldn’t want Jane anywhere near her boyfriend, much less cuddled in his arms.
“Maybe someday you’ll call me Quinn,” Mr. Jennings said, seemingly unaware of her turmoil. “That’s my first name, you know.”
She nodded, holding her arms stiff against his chest until he let her go. “Maybe. But not in the office.”
“Oh, God no!” he gasped in mock horror. “Of course not.”
She had to force the laugh, but she managed it.
“You need more time off, don’t you? You shouldn’t be here.”
“No, I can do this. Don’t worry.”
“Jane, I’m not worried about the office. I think you’ve only called in sick one time since we opened. You’ve earned whatever time you need. Take it.”
She knew he was just being kind, and she knew she needed the time, if only for her own sanity, but something inside her still held tight to denial. You can do this, it insisted. You don’t need a break. You don’t need help.
Her nails dug into her sweaty palms. She could do this without help, but that didn’t mean she had to. She did have friends, and they were offering help. Quinn and Lori…and even Chase if she were being honest.
Jane took a deep breath. “I’ve set up e-mail notifications that should get you through the next few days.”
Mr. Jennings smiled as if he were bursting with pride for her.
“But I will stop in!”
“Go on, Jane. I’m not a child.”
She arched a doubtful brow.
“I can do this. I swear.” He grimaced at her stare. “All right…if I can’t, I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” Her smile was real this time. “That’s more like it. Promise that you’ll call if you need me.”
Half an hour later she’d done all she could. Quinn Jennings got lost in his work, and there was nothing to be done about that, but hopefully if his cell phone beeped incessantly enough, he’d notice it.
Jane left relatively guilt-free and headed straight for the jail to see Jessie. If he looked okay, she could stop considering fronting his bond money.
But he didn’t look okay. He looked awful. “Jessie, what’s wrong?” she gasped.
“My lawyer was just here. I could get six years for this, Jane.”
“Jess—” she sighed, slumping a little “—you were stealing from people. What did you expect?”
“I don’t know!” Tears glinted in his eyes. “I wasn’t hurting anyone. I didn’t threaten any of those girls and flash a gun around. I just copped a few dollars, that’s all.”
The fear on his face left her torn between heartache and anger. “You’re not a child, Jessie. And after what Dad went through, you can’t even claim ignorance. How many times did he warn you never to put yourself in this kind of situation? Even aside from the theft charges, you’ve set yourself up for huge trouble.”
He flattened a hand against the counter. “I didn’t touch those women, Jane. I swear to God, I didn’t. Can’t you talk to your D.A. boyfriend for me? Get him to believe me?”
Crud. She shook her head. “He’s not my boyfriend. Not anymore.”
He asked about home, and Jane told him about Grandma Olive and her margarita accident.
Jane tried to hide her tears behind laughter, but Jessie noticed anyway.
“I really am sorry, sis. I know I let you down.”
She shook her head.
“If I get out of here, I swear I’ll do the right thing. Stop hanging around with those guys. Maybe go back to school.”
Jane wanted to believe that this experience would scare some ambition into him, but Jessie knew how to work a room. Regardless that he looked like a typical high-school slacker, he had eyes that puppy dogs would envy.
The one-minute warning rang in her ear and she watched Jessie flinch. The warm puppy eyes tightened at the edges, leaving him with a wary, exhausted look.
“Tell Dad I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to him. If they send me to prison, I know he’ll never come see me.” His voice broke on a sob. “So tell him I’m sorry, all right?”
Oh, God. Jane pressed her fingers to her mouth to hold back her own tears.
“Please?” Jessie begged.
She nodded because she couldn’t say anything more. His cool confidence had been stripped away in here. He’d finally gotten a glimpse of the truth: he was a criminal. Not a cute slacker. Not a laid-back pothead. He was a criminal and he was in trouble.
Jessie hung up the phone and swiped at his eyes in a gesture she recognized from his toddler years.
If he got out of this without a six-year prison sentence, maybe he really could change. She’d changed. One really bad weekend had changed her course in life.
So maybe Mac was right. Jessie had been stealing and using drugs and hanging out with dealers. Maybe a few months in jail was just the kick he needed to set him on the right path.
Tears streaming from her eyes, Jane walked out of the jail. Jessie would either become a man in this place, or he’d decide to never grow up, but she couldn’t make him choose the right path.
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHASE HADN’T SEEN JANE in more than a day.
It seemed strange that only a week ago he’d walked into her office, and now he felt tight with the need to call her. See her. Touch her.
And for the first time in years, his father had done something wonderful for him; he’d called Chase to let him know that Jessie MacKenzie’s bail had been lowered to thirty thousand dollars. Chase had an excuse to contact Jane.
He dialed her number and held his breath. Would she be upset about the way he’d dropped her at her place the other day? He’d been torn that night. Worried over her exhaustion, distressed about her past, hurt that she was lying about her identity and pissed that she lumped him in with the “bad” guys. Sleeping with her had been the last thing on his mind.
But now her phone was about to go to voice mail, and he was scowling with regret.
“Chase?”
He was so startled by her voice that he didn’t answer for a moment.
“Hello?”
“Jane! Hi. Sorry, I was just…How are you?”
“I’m okay, actually. Just…I’m good. Worried, but good.”
“You sound good.” She did. She sounded…familiar. “I heard Jessie’s bail has been lowered. That’s great news.”
“It is! We’re hopeful it means they’re looking in another direction as far as that girl’s murder goes. But now my mom’s talking about fronting the bond money…. I don’t know.” Her words faded into contemplation.
“Listen,” Chase said, “I’ve got a proposition.”
“Really? What kind of proposition?”
He was almost sure he heard a note of interest in her voice, and he felt pitifully encouraged. “I’m blasting at a site today. Wanna come?”
“You’re…what?”
“Blasting today. I thought, with everything going on, it would be good for you. It’s a big stress reliever, watching things explode.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. It’ll be a blast. Get it? A blast?”
“Ouch! Yes, I think the kindergartner next door got it, too, and she didn’t even hear it.”
Laughing, Chase squeezed the handle of his coffee cup in nervousness. “So it’s scheduled for ten this morning. You probably have to work…?”
Jane cleared her throat. “I don’t, actually. Mr. Jennings gave me a few
days off. But won’t you get in trouble?”
“What do you mean? Because of safety? We’ll watch from off-site to keep the insurance company happy.”
“No, I mean with your boss.”
“My boss?” He slipped his feet off the coffee table and sat up straight. “What are you talking about? I am the boss.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “What about the owner, then? Surely he wouldn’t want you bringing—?”
“You really do think I’m just a big piece of meat, don’t you?” He actually heard her teeth snap shut, and the sound made him laugh. “You little snob. It never even occurred to you, did it?”
“I don’t understand what—”
“I own Extreme Excavations, Jane. It’s my company. I may not play the part of respectable business owner very well, but looks can be deceiving.”
“You’re the owner?”
The breathless shock in her voice pushed a little twinge of annoyance into Chase’s nerves, but he shook it off. “Yep. I started EE from scratch about six years ago.”
“I had no idea.”
“Maybe that’s because you were too busy using me as a birthday present to ask any questions.”
“Oh…well…”
Chase decided the guilt in her voice was a nice hint at weakness and he jumped on it. “So I’ll come by and pick you up in half an hour?”
Thirty minutes later Jane was climbing into his truck.
Before he’d pulled up, Chase had felt sure he had the upper hand on this date, but her appearance shocked him speechless. Not because she looked outrageous, but because she looked normal. Jane Morgan was wearing jeans. And a T-shirt. And shades. Her pony tail bounced when she hopped in and took a seat. Chase wouldn’t have recognized her if he’d passed her on the street. Maybe that was the point.
“Look at you,” he said, stunned.
“Look at you! Did you get a haircut?”
“Just a quick trim.” He ran a palm from his neck to the crown of his head, aware that another half inch of his tattoo was exposed. Though he pretended to concentrate fully on backing out of her driveway, Chase felt her eyes on his neck. He’d thought of her when his barber had cleaned up the edges with the buzzer.
Lead Me On Page 13
