by Vivian Arend
Charlene paused before she went in the door. “Is Jack here?” she asked.
“No.”
The woman hesitated in the doorframe. “But his car is here. Did he go out on a job?”
“Of course not,” Pepper shared. “I drove it.”
The expression on Charlene’s face was a charming combination of admiration and disgust, with a touch of jealousy sprinkled on top like teeny blue, red, and pink candy confectionery. Pepper allowed a small moment of utter satisfaction to well up once more.
“She’s a lovely ride,” she said purposefully. “Handles the corners so well, don’t you think?”
Charlene pushed past her with a soft sniff. “I have somewhere to be in a short while. Let’s get this over with.”
Bazinga.
During their brief meeting, however, Pepper became aware of an entirely new emotion tangling around the thoughts of Jack and the trust that he’d put in her.
Not only the fact that he let her drive his car, but that he’d trusted her with a whole lot of other things. She wasn’t going to lie—the threesome with Dean had been freaking awesome, and something she had never imagined bossy, possessive Jack would ever do in a million years. But he had, for her. That was huge.
And even though she’d enjoyed herself immensely, the excitement of having the two guys showering her with attention had been spectacular only because Jack was there. Every touch, every joke, every interaction between them seemed to tug her heartstrings a little more.
By the time the meeting with Charlene finished, Pepper was eager to see the woman go. Charlene’s presence only reminded her that Jack hadn’t been living as a monk before they’d started dating, and she still felt a tad insecure in the face of Charlene’s infuriating elegance.
As they rose from the table, Pepper had to remind herself that she’d gotten Jack. Charlene hadn’t, except for a brief moment in time. “This media presentation better go exactly as we discussed,” Charlene said coolly. “I don’t want any snags or mistakes.”
“I’ve got everything under control,” Pepper replied, fighting the urge to grit her teeth. Or maybe snarl at the woman.
“You’d better. This is very important to my family. Please don’t screw it up.” With that, Charlene slid out the door with stiff shoulders and fast strides.
Once the woman was gone, Pepper made her way to Jack’s office, the memories of entering the building in the pitch black nearly three months ago rushing into her mind. How things had changed. She wasn’t the same woman anymore, she realized as she curled up on the corner of the couch, with Jack’s soft blanket once again around her shoulders.
She stared into space. She still had some work to do, but right now she wanted to think harder about this idea. The one about how Jack trusted her.
It meant so much to her, especially since Parker still insisted on treating her like a little girl. And no matter how often Jack pointed out that it was because she was his younger sister, it didn’t matter. Jeez. Would the ass still treat her like that when they were in their fifties?
Jack didn’t treat her like a child. The thought made every bit of her warm and happy.
After several more minutes of basking in her Jack-centered thoughts, she got her act together, abandoning his office to the small workstation she’d set up near the staff room. Putting the final touches on the media display was satisfying, and she was nearly done when the door swung open. She lifted her head eagerly, but instead of Jack, she found her brother, storm clouds all over his face.
She shot to her feet. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Lynn?”
Parker jerked to a stop, his dark eyes narrowing as he took her in. “Are you the one responsible?”
Total confusion. “What?”
He strode forward another two paces, towering over her. “Were you the one driving Jack’s car when it happened?”
“When what happened…?”
“Jeez, Pepper. How could you be so careless?” Parker’s entire body tensed with emotion. “Jack freaking loves that car.”
“What the hell is your problem?” Pepper demanded. “You’ve got some kind of enormous stick up your ass.”
“Seriously, you’re telling me you have no idea what I’m talking about?” Parker folded his arms over his chest and looked at her in disgust. “You’re not ten years old anymore. I would’ve thought by now you’d learn to own up to your mistakes.”
“What mistake?” She shook her head indignantly. “I’ve been in the damn office for the last hour and a half, working my ass off, I might add. Where do you get off coming in here and telling me—” She took a deep breath then let it out slowly. Obviously something was wrong, and yelling at him was not getting them anywhere, so she tried again. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on,” Parker muttered. “See for yourself.”
They headed outside, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly what Parker wanted to show her. She gasped when she rounded Jack’s sleek black car and spotted the rear bumper. The tail of the classic car had been crumpled, as if someone had backed into a fire hydrant or a barrier.
Pepper moved forward in a panic to examine the damage. “Dammit, Parker. This wasn’t here when I parked the car. I swear it wasn’t.”
“So what, we have car-bashing fairies in the parking lot now? Just like we had perfume-tossing fairies before?”
She glared at him. “That wasn’t my fault either, so don’t start with that one again.”
Parker shot out a hand at the car. “No, it’s not like the perfume because if this happened after you parked it, then where’s the glass? If someone bumped the car right here, the glass would’ve fallen to the ground underneath, and there’s nothing there, Pepper.”
She felt sick to her stomach, but mostly because she hated the fact that she was going to have to explain what she didn’t know how to explain.
“I didn’t do it,” she insisted. A jolt of triumph suddenly shot through her. “Go and check the security tape! You’ll see that the car was fine when I drove into the lot.”
“The system is still down,” Parker mumbled.
Her jaw fell open. “Are you kidding me? It’s been weeks since I pointed out how outdated that piece of junk is! How have you not fixed it yet?” It was her turn to shake her head in disgust. “You should be on top of this stuff. You were an Army Ranger, Parker!”
“Exactly,” he snapped back. “And so were Jack and Dean and Colby. And don’t get me started on how deadly Gillian is. The five of us can protect this building in our sleep. We don’t need goddamn cameras to tell us when there’s a threat.”
Pepper’s gaze shifted back to the damaged car. “Well, the camera could have told you that I didn’t fucking do this.”
“Sure, little sis. If you say so.”
Anger bubbled in her gut. “Don’t you dare use that condescending tone with me, big brother. I didn’t hit anything, but damn it, believe what you want, okay? I’ll pay to have it fixed regardless.”
Parker shook his head in irritation. “Why don’t you go home? I’ll talk to Jack when he gets back from his job and take care of the damages.”
“I’ll talk to him myself. He’s my boyfriend.”
“And he’s my best friend.”
They stared each other down, tensions rising as their heated gazes clashed.
“Go home, Pepper,” Parker said in an ominous voice.
“No way.” She scowled hard at him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jack could almost see the thunder clouds brewing over them as the siblings stood together in the parking lot. Pepper had both fists planted on her hips, and Parker’s arms were folded into a wall. Jack had seen them in that position a hundred times over the years, and the aggressive standoff raised his hackles.
“They never fucking stop,” he muttered to Dean.
“They’re both too stubborn.” Dean’s tone was absentminded as he backed the car into a parking space, setting up like he usu
ally did for a quick getaway.
Jack glanced at his friend. “You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. Something on your mind?”
The other man shook his head, then let loose a cocky grin. “Are you ready to go rescue your girlfriend from her overbearing big brother?”
Jack sighed. “Hey, we both know Parker’s not that bad.”
“I’d still fuck you first.”
Jack snickered as they made their way across the parking lot, but the humor faded fast when Parker turned on him with a grave expression.
“Something wrong?” Jack said warily.
His friend hesitated.
“I need to talk to you,” Pepper interjected.
Jack moved toward her, pausing for a second before figuring, screw it. He wanted to kiss his girlfriend hello, and Parker would have to get used to the fact that his little sister and his best friend were going to—
He’d just reached for her when he noticed the crumpled back end of the car. A single curse escaped before he slammed his lips together.
“I swear I didn’t do it,” Pepper blurted out. “Someone must’ve driven into the parking lot and hit the corner turning around, but I’ll pay for it to be fixed. I know it looks bad, but really, it’s not my fault.”
It was a hollow pit in his stomach as he moved to examine the damages. It was just a car. Even if Pepper had totaled it while driving, it wasn’t as if it were the end of the world. A wild mishmash of thoughts raced through his brain, but he couldn’t seem to spit the words out.
All he could think of were the hours spent with his dad. Restoring and painting and working on the car. The only memories he had from his youth that were at all happy, and it didn’t matter that it was just a car. Somehow family was wrapped up in it.
Pepper was back, threading her arms around him as she pressed her head to his chest, her voice soft. “I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to pay for anything,” Parker said, stepping in and laying a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We’ll cover the repairs out of DreamMakers’ expenses.”
Jack frowned. “I have insurance. I’ll fix it myself.”
Parker stiffened, the disapproving gaze he let fall on Pepper all too clearly stating what he thought. The man obviously believed his sister was to blame.
Jack shook his head. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” he insisted.
“I’ll take care of it,” Parker replied firmly.
Jack tensed as the whirlwind woman made of fire and passion who he’d become so attached to lifted her head and glared evilly at her brother. “Do you think I’m stupid as well as everything else? Why don’t you just come out and tell Jack you think I’m a liar?”
“Pepper,” Jack said in warning. His brain and heart hurt too much to deal with another round of bickering at the moment.
She took a half step away from him, looking at him in disbelief. “Are you taking his side? Again? Like all the other times when he thinks I’ve done something childish?”
“No one is saying you’ve done anything,” Parker began. “But right now you’re acting damn childish.”
“Screw you, too,” Pepper snapped. She caught her hands in the front of Jack’s shirt, staring up at him pleadingly. “Jack. Tell my brother that you trust me. That you don’t think I’m being childish, and that you believe I didn’t mess up your car.”
“Pepper, give me ten damn seconds to do something without ordering me around,” Jack snapped, aware that he was out of line, but he was tired, and the entire situation had put his nerves on edge.
Her face went completely white. “I’ll get it fixed,” she whispered. “I promise.”
“It’s just a car,” he said through clenched teeth.
“But I know it means a lot to you.”
When Parker muttered something in the background, Pepper whirled on her brother again. “Would you fucking stop that?”
“What? I didn’t do anything.”
As their voices once again rose in anger and accusation, Jack resisted the urge to slam his fist in the already crumpled back end of his car. He was no stranger to screaming matches—his parents had engaged in plenty of them before his mom had packed up and walked right out the door.
Jack threw his hands in the air, his frustration boiling over. “Would you two just shut the hell up?”
The siblings froze.
“Jack—” Parker started.
“Seriously, just shut up,” he growled. “Do you two not realize how good you have it? How lucky you are to have each other? I see you going at each other’s throats and I want to slap some fucking sense into you! You have no goddamn idea what it’s like to…” He stopped abruptly, his throat closing up as the memories closed in.
His gaze drifted back to his dad’s car, the only measly possession, other than the couch in his office, that his father had bothered giving to him.
Pepper followed his gaze, speaking in a cautious tone. “Jack, I promise, I didn’t mess up your car. I—”
“Jesus Christ!” he interrupted. “Not everything is about you, Pepper! Or you—” He shot an angry look at Parker. “Fuck the car. Fuck your bullshit fighting. Fuck. This.”
Breathing hard, he pushed past both of them, nearly slamming into Dean, who’d been lingering on the sidelines, his eyes wide. Jack didn’t blame his buddy for looking shocked. He didn’t normally lose his shit like this, but he’d reached his breaking point, and at the moment, he needed to be as far away as he could from Pepper and Parker’s arguing, and the car, and most of all the goddamn memories.
Ignoring the concerned voices behind him, he squared his shoulders and stormed around the building. Fuck everything.
He hailed a cab and headed home.
Chapter Fourteen
Pepper stared at Jack’s retreating back. Stricken. And absolutely stunned by what had happened. She’d never heard Jack raise his voice in anger before. Never seen him this upset.
She slowly turned her head back to Jack’s Aston Martin, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that his fit of temper had nothing to do with the car.
Oh no, it was about so much more.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Parker said quietly, all of his bluster faded.
Her hand flew up to stop her brother from taking another step. “No,” she told him. “I will. And if you argue with me right now, so help me God—”
To her surprise, Parker instantly backed down. The shame flickering in his eyes was unmistakable. “You’re right. You go.”
She didn’t bother dwelling on her brother’s sudden one-eighty—or the fact that he’d actually uttered the words you’re right for the first time in…well, ever. She was too worried about Jack at the moment. Her laidback, flirty Jack, whose face had held such devastation before he’d raced off that her heart was aching for him.
Dean jogged back to their side just as Pepper prepared to dash into the building to track Jack down. “He’s headed home. Just heard him catch a cab.”
“You didn’t try to stop him?” Parker asked.
The look Dean gave Parker could have flash frozen a year’s supply of fish. “You really think I was about to order him around when he’s already over the edge?”
Her need to go comfort and confront Jack grew by the moment, along with her helplessness.
Then Parker shocked the hell out of her. He caught her by the hand and tugged her toward his car. “Come on, I’ll drop you at his place.”
The ride was silent for the first couple minutes, nothing but the faint buzz of wheels spinning under the car.
Parker let out a huge sigh. “I keep screwing up, don’t I?”
“It takes two to tango,” she admitted. “I’m not the easiest person to get along with at times.”
“Actually, you’re pretty easygoing. I…” He clutched the wheel tighter, the platinum ring Lynn had given him shining like a bit of moonlight in the glow of the streetlights. “When you were gone it was easier to think of you as a grown-up. Having you around—I just w
ant the best for you, and I forget you can take care of yourself. It’s wrong. I’m sorry.”
More heart-aching revelation. Pepper swallowed around the knot in her throat. “I’m sorry, too. I push too hard. You’re a great big brother when you’re not smothering me. And you chose the most awesome woman to fall in love with, so I know not all hope is lost.”
He snorted. “Lynn is awesome. And she’s going to kick my butt for being an idiot.”
“She’ll have to go through me,” Pepper said as she laid her hand over his for a moment and squeezed tight, blinking hard to keep tears from filling her eyes.
He dropped her in front of the apartment doors, flashing her a thumbs-up before he pulled away and left her.
Pepper grabbed the hidden key Jack had shown her all those months ago when she’d crashed at his apartment for the week. She let herself in and found him sprawled on the couch, one hand absently running over the dark gray cushions.
He lifted his head at her entrance, a tired look in his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to talk about that damned car, Pepper.”
“Screw the car.” She was at his side in a nanosecond, nudging until he sat up and made room for her to settle next to him. She put her arms around him and hugged him tight. “That’s not why I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong, Jackjack.”
She felt his answering sigh travel through his whole body. His chin fell on her shoulder, his breath tickling the side of her neck as he spoke. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Bullshit.” She eased back and gripped his cheeks with her hands. “It’s not nothing, and I am worried. I saw the look on your face when Parker and I were arguing. I know it annoys you when we fight, but it was different this time. It was like you were…” She searched for the right words. “Seeing a ghost, maybe?”
“I may as well have.” His voice cracked slightly. “Watching people fight isn’t exactly new to me.”
She hesitated, sweeping her fingers over the strong line of his jaw. “Your parents?”
He nodded. But he didn’t elaborate.
“You’ve never talked about them, for as long as I’ve known you,” she said cautiously.
