by Mia Carson
He swallowed his food and picked at the rest of his pretzel. “More than I should have, honestly.”
“If you don’t like them, why not simply tell your dad?”
“I tried that when we first started this arrangement,” he told her, “but he ignored my complaints and said I needed to grow up and accept my responsibilities.”
“For what? Being unhappy for the rest of your life?”
He shrugged, nodding his head. “You might not be able to tell, but once upon a time, my father was happy. He actually smiled and laughed, but he changed. No matter what I do, I can never get the old Leo Allard back.”
Jaylyn almost couldn’t believe that man had ever been anything more than an ass. “What happened?”
“My mum had cancer and died,” he said with a sad smile. “Everything changed after that. I was young when it happened, and I didn’t know what to do, but my father…he shut down.”
After meeting Leo briefly that one time, she expected to hate him for what he’d done. But learning how he lost his wife, that he went through the same thing her parents were going through at this very moment, made her sympathetic towards his behavior. Slightly. She wasn’t about to give him a hug the next time she saw the man, but part of his behavior could be explained now.
“I’m sorry you lost your mom, but losing his wife doesn’t give him the right to make you marry someone because it’ll better the family name or whatever.”
“No, but if it makes him happy knowing his son has a secure future, I can at least give him that peace of mind.” He rapped his knuckles on the table and opened his mouth, shut it again, and shook his head.
“What? I know you want to ask something.”
He picked at the plastic edge of the table nervously, avoiding her gaze. “I want to make sure you’re happy with your job and living at the house.”
“It’s only been two days,” she reminded him.
“I know, but being happy is important.”
He wanted to say more, she saw it plain as day on his face, but he left it at that. “Yes, I’m happy.”
“Good. That’s good to hear.”
She checked her cell and frowned at the time. “We’ll be late for dinner if we don’t leave now. You have another date tonight—Helena, right?”
“Yeah. Helena.”
They packed up the purchased items in the truck. The car ride back to the house was tenser than the ride there, but Jaylyn couldn’t think of anything to say to break it. She knew what she hoped was bothering him, but she wasn’t going to get close to that potential complication. Walker was a hard man not to like, and lately, she found herself waking from very vivid dreams of her and him together. As the house came into view, she tucked those dreams away again and focused on her job and nothing more.
Douglas greeted them when they arrived at the house, and Jaylyn busied herself with putting away the groceries and figuring out dinner while Walker headed upstairs to change.
All evening, she told herself to stop thinking their relationship could be more than what it was—employer and employee. He was meant to marry a woman his father chose, not her. She would never be good enough, not a chance. All she wanted from Walker was her restaurant. If she could get that, she would be able to move out and leave him and this mess behind her for good.
But as she hid in the kitchen during his date that night, hearing his fake laughter with a woman who didn’t deserve him, a sharp spike of jealousy made her sick to her stomach. She should be the one out there enjoying herself and having a good time. At least with her, he would laugh for real.
She was cleaning the dishes, mocking Helena’s annoying voice under her breath, when her cell vibrated in her pocket. The time was past nine, but when her phone dinged with a missed call followed by a voicemail from nearly twenty minutes ago from her mom, she dropped the pot in the sink, splashing water everywhere, and hurried to open the message. She listened to the message and tears pricked her eyes. Her dad was supposed to be getting treatment the whole week, but according to the doctors, there were no changes and he was getting worse.
Mariah asked if she could come and stay at the new apartment for a night. Darien had asked to see his daughter. She tried calling, but her mom didn’t answer so she left a message saying she’d be there as soon as she could.
“Douglas,” she said, poking her head out of the kitchen door not leading to the dining room. “Douglas!” she hissed louder and he appeared around the corner.
“What’s wrong?”
“I received a message about my dad. Can you let Walker know I had to duck out tonight but I’ll be back tomorrow?”
“Of course. Do you need a ride? He said your truck wasn’t working.”
“Shit,” she muttered, forgetting all about it. Douglas held out the keys to his sporty little coupe. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. I’ll stay here for the night. Go see your dad.”
She hugged him, kissed his cheek, and rushed out the back door to Douglas’ car parked beside hers. She slipped behind the wheel and had to force herself not to floor it all the way back to her parents’ tiny apartment in Woodstock. She hated to knock and texted her mom to let her know she was outside. The door opened a second later and Mariah pulled her daughter inside and straight into a hug. She’d been crying, and her eyes were red and puffy.
“Mom? How bad is it?” she asked quietly.
“I’m awake,” Darien’s voice came from the small living room. “And it’s not that bad. Your mother is overreacting.”
Mariah glowered at the back of Darien’s head. “I am not. You should’ve shown some signs of improvement, but you haven’t.”
“These things take time.”
Jaylyn joined her dad on the couch and hugged him. “You look pretty pale, Dad. Are you sure they’re doing everything they can for you?”
“Yes, they are, so stop acting like your mother. I wanted to talk to you and see how things were going,” he explained brightly. “Not have you lecture me more than she does on keeping my hopes up and praying I’ll get better.”
Jaylyn flinched. “Are you saying you don’t want to get better?” she whispered, confused.
He patted her hand with a tired sigh. “I’m saying I don’t want whatever days I have left spent feeling like shit and trapped in a bed because I’m too weak or tired to move. I want to spend my days with your mom and you. Can’t I have that?”
Jaylyn wiped at the tears in her eyes and nodded. “You can have whatever you need, Dad.” She hugged him and Mariah joined them on the couch, snuggling close as they used to do. He asked about Walker, and she told them how good the job was going and that the staff had made it to the restaurant. John would be a good fit until Jaylyn could get back in the kitchen, hopefully with Darien running things again. She said it, but her dad didn’t agree. He merely nodded and changed topics.
“That Walker, I’ve heard he’s quite a looker,” Darien teased.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Just around. You and he don’t have anything else going on, do you?”
Her cheeks grew hot and she turned away from her parents. “No, nothing’s going on. He’s currently my boss and soon to be my partner in a business. I’m not putting all that on the line because he’s a really great guy and funny, and extremely good looking…” She trailed off when she felt their intense gazes, both grinning madly at her. “What?”
“I guess this is why she never dated,” Mariah mused, leaning into Darien.
“Yeah, she was waiting for the son of our enemy to come along,” Darien teased. “Fancy that.”
“No, wait, what? No, I said I’m not into him. He’s got this weird thing that he has to marry another woman, anyway,” she argued, hurrying to get a glass of water from the kitchen. “We couldn’t—I mean, I couldn’t… it wouldn’t work,” she finished lamely.
“Some advice from your old man?” Darien grunted as he made it to his feet and joined her by the sink. “Don’t fight whate
ver feelings you have, because you never know what might happen.”
She nursed her glass, watching the ice swirl around as she remembered how much fun they had at the market, and in general. The sound of his laughter and how his smile lit his eyes. How cute he looked in the morning when he wore his glasses and those snug t-shirts…
“You’re drooling, just a bit,” Darien whispered, and Jaylyn quickly wiped her mouth then shook her head as he laughed. “What’s to say you’re not the one he’s meant to be with?”
“I’m not rich and can’t bring anything to his company, that’s why.”
“According to his dad, right? Not him.”
“It’s not like anything’s happened yet,” she reminded him before her hopes rose too high. “He’s merely a really good friend.”
“Yes, a friend who pays you a handsome amount of money and let you move into his mansion.”
“Can we talk about something else? Please, I’m begging you here. Mom? a little help?”
“Nah, I’m enjoying this. It’d be nice to see you with someone for a change. I hate to say,” she said as she joined them in the kitchen, “but maybe the restaurant being bought out was a good thing for you.”
She tossed her head back. “This is not funny, not at all.”
Mariah hugged her close. “Oh, we’re just giving you a hard time, kid. We want to make sure you’re happy.”
Jaylyn hugged her back, and they spent the rest of the night talking and laughing, playing cards at the small kitchen table, and avoiding anything to do with Walker or her. When she finally left, Darien turning in for the night and Mariah joining him, she considered crashing on the couch but wasn’t tired. The drive back to the house was uneventful at nearly two in the morning. She opened the back door quietly, sucking in a breath when the door creaked and she heard the jingling of dog tags coming downstairs.
“Hey, boys,” she whispered in greeting as they surrounded her, wagging their tails and licking her hands and jumping up to reach her face. Strider ran to the back door and she let them out, walking out with them to bathe in the full moon’s light as it covered the patio and the lawn. She sat down on the swinging bench, remembering how cozy it had been when Walker sat beside her.
With a push of her foot, she set the bench to swinging, pondering about where her life had taken her. About her dad and him not wanting to spend his last days in treatment. He said he wasn’t giving up, but she saw the look in his eyes—the knowledge that his life was ending far quicker than he’d anticipated and there was nothing they could to do change that. She’d lost the restaurant, and though there was a chance of retrieving it, worry remained that it was false hope. Her dad was sick and dying, and she was stuck working for the first man in a long time she felt a connection with but couldn’t express. Not openly. She tugged her knees up to her chest and watched the dogs playing. They started to bark as they wrestled, but she let them be.
“Strider!” Walker yelled from the back door, sounding confused until Jaylyn turned, drawing his eyes to her movement. “I didn’t know you were back.”
“Sorry, the dogs wanted out.”
“No, it’s fine. I thought they’d managed to get the door open.” He stepped outside, and when he grew closer, his brow crinkled and he adjusted his glasses on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I wasn’t tired.”
“You’re crying,” he whispered and reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek. She hadn’t even realized it. He sat down beside her. “Douglas said it was your dad. Is he back in the hospital?”
Jaylyn opened her mouth to tell him he was fine, but it was as if her mouth wasn’t hers anymore and everything spilled out. About her dad and the restaurant, her worries about him not fighting to live or wanting to keep going. She stopped herself short of blurting out what she was slowly feeling for him and buried her face as she hugged her knees to her chest.
“That was terrible, I’m sorry,” she muttered, the sound muffled. “I don’t want to dump this stress on you. You’ve got enough shit to deal with.”
“It’s fine, really. I understand exactly how you feel.” He sighed and his arm draped around the back of the bench. “Mum reached a point when it was too much for her. The treatments and the hospital stays. She wanted to enjoy the time she had left. It pissed my dad off, but in some way, I understood.”
“I want him to hold on a little longer until I get the restaurant back.”
“Then tell him that.” His arm moved to her shoulder and he pulled her against his side, comforting her with his warm body and soft murmurings. Jaylyn breathed in deep, and the stress melted away.
She lifted her face to thank him, but the strange look of longing in his eyes made her pause. What was he doing? She’d been telling herself this would never happen, but he was staring at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, what she was feeling. His hand cupped her cheek, and her eyes closed as she felt the smoothness of his hand on her skin, wanting him to feel more of her. Her mind raced with one insane thought after another until his lips were on hers.
She gasped in surprise but didn’t pull away from the heat of his kiss or the gentleness with which his lips moved. The kiss was sweet and Jaylyn was lost in the moment. She moved closer, kissing him again as they clung to each other as the moon held vigil overhead.
Strider charged into their laps, wagging his tail and trying to lick their faces. They broke apart, and Jaylyn’s fingers touched her tingling lips.
“I…uh, I should get to bed,” she said, but her voice was rough and she had to clear her throat and repeat herself. “Early morning and all.”
“Yes, of course,” he agreed hoarsely. “Shall I walk you to your room?”
Jaylyn’s heart fluttered and she giggled nervously. “No…no, I think I can find my way. Thank you for…uh, for listening and everything. It means a lot.”
“Anytime.” She sat there for another long moment, watching him. “Jaylyn?”
“Right. Right, I was leaving,” she rambled and hopped off the bench, nearly sending it swinging so far back he slipped off, too. “Damn, sorry, I’m just out of sorts. So yeah, morning. See you then.” She made sure she was out of earshot before she berated herself for acting like a dewy-eyed school girl with a crush. “You can’t have this so don’t even try. Stop it before it goes any further.”
Too bad that as she lay in bed that night, all she could think about was finding a way to make it work.
10
“Did you hear me, sir?” Douglas repeated louder and knocked on the table.
“Huh? Oh, sorry, Douglas. What were we talking about?”
He smirked and laid the paper down in front of Walker. “You’ve been distracted the last few weeks.”
“I’m thinking about the grand opening and whether we’re ready,” he murmured, picking up the newspaper and staring at the date printed above a picture of the lodge and restaurant. “Three days. I can’t believe we’re finally here.”
“And that’s all that’s on your mind?” Douglas urged. “You’re certain?”
He sat up in his chair. “Yes, why?”
“Nothing. It’s just that Jaylyn has seemed distracted as of late as well, and it has nothing to do with her father.”
“And how do you know that? Are you psychic?”
Douglas shrugged. “I’ve been around a long time. I know these things.”
Walker shook the newspaper out hard. In the days following his kiss with Jaylyn, he found it difficult to suffer through his dates. Feigning interest grew difficult, and he sensed Helena was on the verge of giving up altogether when he spent the entire dinner darting into the kitchen for random items just to see Jaylyn cooking and baking, her hair back in a bright orange bandana and using the chopping knives like they were extensions of her hands. They acted as if nothing had happened, but the memory simmered immediately below the surface, along with the emotions it awoke in him. He wanted Jaylyn, and not only because she knew how to cook a steak better
than anyone he knew.
He wanted her, but it couldn’t happen. He knew that almost better than she did.
So move past the kiss!
But he couldn’t. Every night when he passed her bedroom door, the urge to knock was so intense he found his hand raised to do it before stopping himself short.
“Well, in this instance, you’re wrong,” Walker finally said. “Sorry to disappoint you, old man.”
“Old man? That’s hitting below the belt,” he teased as the kitchen door swung inwards and Jaylyn joined them. Her nose was buried in a cooking magazine and she grunted in reply to their greetings.
Walker knew her routine perfectly now. Get up, get coffee, and flip through magazines and cookbooks for the first hour or two while making breakfast and planning the rest of the meals for the day. She frowned at something on the page and shook her head.
“Something you don’t like?” he asked as she joined them at the table.
“Sadly, but I’ll come up with something else.” The dogs circled her chair for their morning pats on the head, and she scratched their ears.
Walker was struck by the image of them at the table together, drinking coffee, enjoying the morning, but not as cook and employer.
“Walker? You okay?”
“Yes, perfectly, why?”
“You keep staring at me.”
He averted his gaze but not before catching the hint of a smile on her face. “I was lost in thought. It won’t happen again.”
“Hmm,” she replied as if knowing all too well it would.
He couldn’t seem to help himself lately. Every time they were in a room together, he saw the two of them in a different light, one where they were together.
The doorbell rang and all three dogs took off after Douglas. Walker checked the time. “That’s odd. I wasn’t expecting company. You?”
Jaylyn shrugged. “No one for me.”
They listened to the dogs barking, but the second the male voice answered Douglas, Jaylyn spurted coffee all over her magazine and Walker cursed. Both jumped to their feet, her looking in every direction.
