by Low, Gennita
When he didn’t answer, the little hope Jaymee had retained snuffed out. “You told me once I was afraid of losing control,” she told him in a quiet voice. “Yet, it’s you who needs to be in control. You’re always somewhere outside, standing and watching, while you go through the motions. You’re doing it now, for God’s sake. Even when we’re in bed, I can feel part of you constantly disengaged from me. You’re the one afraid of losing control. You’re the one who’s letting your fears imprison you.”
She turned and ran off, leaving Nick behind. He stood there among the sabal palms and giant oaks, hands thrust in his pockets, a bleak look in his eyes.
Her father looked up from the kitchen table when she walked in. There were piles of papers scattered across it. “There’s a girl with green hair in the living room,” he announced. “She said she’s waiting for you.”
Jaymee forced a smile onto her lips. “That’s Nick’s cousin.”
She walked toward him, waiting for a sarcastic reply when she noticed her father was arranging the bills she had stacked in her office. He didn’t look up from his task as she drew nearer. In silence, she watched for a few moments, then bent down and kissed him gently on the cheek. “I’m going to get ready for Mindy’s party, Dad.”
Bob nodded, not acknowledging the kiss. She went into the living room and found Grace watching television.
“Come on, let’s get dolled up, girl.”
The teenager looked up and gave her usual impish grin. “Are you going to put on some serious-looking clothes?”
“Does serious-looking mean a party outfit?” Jaymee guessed wryly. “I’m sure I have something that fits you. What’s your favorite color?”
“Maroon.”
“To go with that green hair?” she teased. She could imagine the look on Mindy’s face.
Grace chuckled. “OK. I’ll be good. I’ll cover it with temporary color.”
*
Nick entered the kitchen, closing the door softly behind him. The sight of Jaymee’s father only made him feel worse than he already did. Knowing the old geezer, he’d be hounding his daughter even more when he found out he’d left her. Determined to do at least one thing right, he advanced to the kitchen table. Bob didn’t greet him, sparing him only a cursory glance before resuming his chore.
Nick frowned. Damned if the old man wasn’t doing office work, arranging bills and filing them. “Busy?” he asked, pulling out a chair. “Need help?”
“Don’t you need a shower too?” the old man countered. “After all, you already practically live here, don’t you?”
At least the rancor was still there. “It won’t take me long to get changed,” he replied, picking up one of the stacks. He started arranging them in order. There was a short silence as the two men shuffled papers and files.
“I’ll be gone in a week,” Nick finally said, as he punched holes in the bills. His eyes met the older man’s. “I don’t want you to use my absence as a means to hurt Jaymee.”
He handed over the papers in his hands. Bob accepted them, and put them away into a ringbinder file.
“Does Jaymee know about your plan?”
“Yes.”
“And she didn’t hit you upside your head?”
Nick smiled humorlessly. “I’m sure she was tempted, but I have to go.”
“Are you coming back?” Bob closed the shoebox with the small receipts and put all the files one on top of the other.
“Not any time soon,” Nick admitted. Then, more firmly, “No. I won’t be coming back.”
Pushing his chair back, the old man stood up. “Beer?” he offered. At Nick’s considering stare, he added, “It’ll be the only one I’ll have tonight. I’m...cutting back.”
Nick nodded slowly. Something certainly had changed here. “Thanks.”
Bob took two bottles from the refrigerator, and passed one to Nick. They both popped them open at the same time, eyeing each other.
After some nervous coughing, Bob said, “I had me a long thinking yesterday afternoon. It occurred to me I hadn’t done that for a long time.” He took a swig. “It isn’t easy to come face-to-face with yourself and finding you don’t quite like what you see.”
Nick let the small silence settle around them as he took a measured swallow from his bottle.
The older man continued, “What you said the other morning made me look hard at what my daughter has gone through for me. I don’t suppose you’ll stay...if ...I apologize.”
It took a lot for a man as proud and obstinate as Bob Barrows to apologize, and Nick respected the old man for the attempt to make amends. The trained part of him was already taking note of the change in the other man. The Programmer could certainly manipulate this new switch to make things better.
“I can’t stay,” he said. To stay would mean to turn Jaymee’s life upside-down. “But, you can take care of Jaymee for me.”
Bob nodded. “She’s my daughter. She doesn’t need to work so hard by herself.”
“I’m glad we finally agree on something important, Bob.” He could even offer friendship, despite the years of pain this man had caused his woman. He could, because he wouldn’t be here for her, and she needed a father. A friend. His hand tightened around the beer bottle.
Bob surprised Nick by actually giving him a smile. The wrinkles fanned out, softening the harsh features. “The important thing,” he said, finishing his beer, “is to know when to change when opportunity knocks.”
How ironic the old man had stolen his very own line. Nick tossed down the rest of his beverage before he headed to the study to look for the clothes he’d brought last night.
*
Change, he decided later, must be contagious. He couldn’t take his eyes off Jaymee when she came back to the kitchen with Grace. She had changed. His throat went dry at the sight of her, and heat shot down his loins and threatened to set him on fire. He had to curb a growl of frustration. The woman was certainly fighting dirty.
Her hair, a mass of gypsy auburn curls, hung in untamed ringlets down her back—loose, the way he loved it. Several curly tendrils fell across her forehead, bringing attention to her face. She had done something to her eyes—he didn’t know what—but they looked bigger and more mysterious. They seemed to be greener than he remembered them. Her lips were a shiny ruby red and the smile she gave him started a cold sweat under his collar.
And was that supposed to be a dress? It was made of some luminous material, jade-green melting into some soft sunset colors and misty gray. It hung off her shoulders and wrapped around every sweet curve of her body until it flared out around her hips, so that with every step she took, the material swayed and caressed her thighs. There wasn’t any trace of the roofer tonight. Jaymee Barrows looked one hundred-percent woman. And Nick wanted to eat her for dinner. And dessert. And breakfast. He put a hand to the back of his neck, to wipe away the perspiration.
Jaymee stood at the doorway. She was nervous but determined. Tonight, she was going to teach her big, bad wolf a lesson. The sight of her father and Nick sitting amiably at the table was disconcerting, though, and she was too distracted to really grasp the fact the two men were arranging her bills, working together.
She wondered whether she’d overdone it. Grace, with the enthusiasm of a sixteen-year-old, had helped her with her hair, using some sort of glaze that made it shine and curl like a professional model’s. It felt strange, though, being dressed up like this. It had been so long.
She blushed at the blatantly sexual look in Nick’s eyes as he stood up slowly. Her heart drummed an erratic beat as his eyes traveled from her teased hair, all the way to her low neckline, and down to her three-inch heels.
“Jaymee girl, you look beautiful!” Her father stared at her.
She gave her a father a grateful smile, suddenly needing the reassurance she didn’t look like a dolled-up idiot. “Thank you, Dad.”
Nick approached Jaymee, those blue-gray eyes intent and penetrating. Grace sidled away with a knowing grin,
giving Bob a wink as she sat down on the chair previously occupied by Nick. The old man regarded her with a frown, looking at her now pitch-black tresses.
“I see I’m going to have a busy night fending off other males tonight,” Nick said.
Jaymee’s smile widened. “They’ve seen me in a frock before.”
“Not for years,” her father stated.
“That,” Nick declared, as he touched the material, “is not a frock.”
“Aw, that’s a major party frock,” Grace disputed from behind him. “It has Jaymee written all over it. It’s a male magnet.”
Jaymee laughed. Nick frowned.
“A male magnet,” he muttered under his breath.
“Don’t you like how I look?” Jaymee asked, gliding away as sexily as she could on her heels. As she headed out the door, she added, “I wonder how the others will like my new look? See you later, Dad.”
She sauntered out, not waiting for Nick.
Bob chuckled from his seat. “I get a feeling my daughter is out to have a good time tonight,” he said, amusement in his voice. “You had best keep an eye on her.”
“I intend to,” Nick replied grimly. Yeah, she was certainly out for his blood. And all he could think about was dragging her into a room somewhere and teaching her to tease him like this. He’d wanted her to be angry with him in a different way, but as always, the woman never reacted as she was supposed to. He hadn’t expected her to plan revenge.
As he and Grace followed after Jaymee, his young cousin pulled at his sleeve. “You didn’t even notice me,” she complained.
Nick grinned down at her. “I didn’t know it was you, with that black paint you now have on your hair. Can’t you stay with just one color a week?”
Grace lightly elbowed him. “Meanie. I was trying not to embarrass you and Jay by getting all the attention at this party.”
“Impossible. You always get all the attention, minx.”
She made a face at him. “Just for that, I’m not going to tell you what Jaymee’s planning to do, besides dance with all the men at the party.”
“Wait a minute...” Nick began, but Grace had skipped ahead of him, toward Jaymee, waiting by her truck. “Damn.”
His niece did that on purpose, of course. Women.
“Let me drive,” he said, when he reached them.
Jaymee shrugged and handed the keys to him, giving him instructions to Mindy’s place. Then, she climbed in beside him as Grace opted to sit closest to the window.
“So the wind doesn’t mess up your hair,” she said, innocently.
Her long, now black, hair emphasized her Asian features. She had tied a thin maroon colored braid across her forehead.
Jaymee couldn’t help but smile back. The girl had a certain style. Must come from having an unorthodox father. She wondered whether Nick would make an unorthodox father too, and blushed in the evening darkness, glad no one was watching her. Nick’s child. The picture of a black-haired boy with an attitude appeared. She blinked hard. No, she wasn’t going to go there. She wasn’t going to be sad tonight.
Tonight, she was going to show his leaving her wouldn’t mean a thing. Her pride wouldn’t let her tell him how much she would miss him, how much she really cared. What good would that do, anyway? He would still go. He would still believe she was better off without him. She felt his eyes on her, even as he bantered back and forth with Grace. Let him wonder what she was up to. She leaned against his arm, savoring the muscled strength against her sleeve, feeling his thigh tighten when she deliberately put a hand on it. A secretive smile curved her lips. She might still have some feminine wiles left in her yet.
Mindy’s house was already packed with guests. Jaymee hadn’t seen many of them for a while and was stopped numerous times as she wandered through the crowded room looking for the birthday girl. She introduced Nick and Grace as they moved on, and deflected the speculative inquiries with ease.
Finally, Mindy caught sight of them and came over to hug Jaymee. “My, my, dressed up in my honor,” she drawled, as she looked at her friend with approval. Out of her waitress apron, she looked slimmer and even taller. Flamboyant as ever, she was dressed in gold, with glitter on her eyelids, traces of gold dust on her chest. “Jaymee sweetie, you’d think to not outshine me on my birthday.”
“No one can, with all that gold dust on you, blondie,” retorted Jaymee, smiling as she hugged back. “Happy birthday. I see you’ve started without us.”
“Hell, we’ve been partying since the restaurant crowd went home after their Sunday brunches.” Mindy slanted a sultry glance at Nick. “Hi, handsome, how about a birthday smooch?” She winked with unabashed suggestiveness.
Nick grinned, bending down. After a naughty glance at Jaymee, Mindy wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her lips on Nick’s. The kiss went a little too long for Jaymee’s liking, and without changing expression, she calmly stepped on her friend’s foot gently, but with increasing pressure.
Mindy finally acknowledged the silent message. “Girlfriend, you’re a mean b…” She noticed Grace for the first time. “Who’s this?”
Nick disentangled himself, trying not to laugh at Jaymee’s glare. “That’s my young cousin, Grace.”
“Well, hello!” Mindy was popular because of her genuine generosity and her easy acceptance of everyone. She didn’t show any surprise at Grace’s mixed heritage. “So sorry I missed you, hiding behind this big and tall specimen. Come into my parlor.” She waved her arms in a flourish. “Go ahead and get yourselves food and drinks, OK? Deposit all payments—uh, I mean, presents—on the coffee table, my dears. In fact, why doesn’t Grace come along with me to the kitchen, so you two can hang around the adults? What would you like to drink, sweetie?”
“Orange juice,” all three of them chorused in unison. They laughed at Mindy’s questioning look.
“Inside joke, Min,” Jaymee explained. “Just get the girl some orange juice.”
Mindy curled a friendly hand around Grace’s elbow as she led the younger girl away. “OJ, huh? Well, you’re in the right state, honey.”
Mindy’s parties were always casual, boisterous affairs, and this one was no exception. Everyone loved Mindy, and she reveled at the attention. They sang a rousing ‘Happy Birthday’ and ate the triple-layered chocolate cake. There was plenty of entertainment—dancing, pool, chit-chat, even a game of darts in a corner.
Jaymee found plenty of invitations to dance. She was privately amused because she knew her partners weren’t interested in the real her. They were reacting to this new made-up version of her. Of course, she’d done it to get Nick’s attention, not theirs, but it couldn’t hurt to dance with a few other men. Besides, he didn’t ask her for a single dance, and he had plenty of female company since they arrived. Every single woman at the party had breathed down his neck at one time or another.
Even Mindy had pulled her to one side and said, “Jaymee, you have to hang on to him if you want to keep him.”
To which she’d shrugged and pretended non-interest. “I don’t keep men.”
Mindy had rolled her eyes and sniffed, “Silly me, I forgot your men-hating mantra. Come on, Grace, let’s check out the men.”
Grace had grinned and let herself be tugged away, a plate with the biggest hamburger in her hand. Mindy had obviously taken a liking to Nick’s cousin.
Jaymee knew Nick was watching. She knew because she felt his gaze on her, on every man she danced with. She grew a little bolder, accepting a slow dance with an old classmate she hadn’t seen in years.
Someone cut in and she looked up in surprise. It was Jed.
“Hi,” she said, instinctively putting a little distance between them.
Jed’s silver eyes glittered down knowingly. “You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said, in that soft voice of his.
Her chin went up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. When did you arrive?”
“Fifteen minutes or so ago. I’ve been watching you.”
“And Nick too?” she mocked.
“Of course. He’s important to me.” Jed whirled her around, moving her further away from the crowd on the makeshift dance floor in the room. Seeing her uneasy expression, he told her quietly, “Relax. I won’t hurt you.”
“So why are you constantly trying to make Nick jealous?” she demanded, annoyed everyone seemed to be able to read her thoughts from just looking at her. “You’re the one playing a dangerous game.”
“I have a better reason than yours. I have to know whether he can function without you, or whether he can think when you’re dancing with another man.” He looked in the mirror hung directly behind Jaymee. “And he’s failing the test miserably.”
Jaymee frowned. “I don’t understand you.”
He acknowledged the comment with a small nod. There was a trace of a smile on his lips, but she wasn’t sure, since the man rarely smiled. “All I want is for you to know you can trust me.”
She cocked her head. “I trust you with Nick. I know you have his safety in mind.”
“You’re absolutely right. You can’t trust me with you,” he told her, reading her thoughts again. “If I could get him off your mind, I would. However, since I can’t....”
He gently drew her closer to him as they moved to the music.
“Jed…” Jaymee began, wondering what that last sentence meant.
Jed’s eyes held hers for a moment. “I like you, Jay. Under different circumstances, I might even give my cousin a run for his money, but tomorrow, he and I have to go back to where he was nearly murdered. After that, we have to get this unfinished business done before he can return as his real self. As the Programmer, not your roofer boy.”
“Why are you telling me this?” She would be calm about this, she told herself. She wouldn’t lose her temper. She wouldn’t let Nick or his cousin know how close she was to screaming her anguish.
“Because I like you enough to want to help you,” he murmured. “He has to make up his mind, but I’ll set the virus in motion.”
