Sandra worked with Ira and the attorney for they buyers that did not put up their deposit money on time. The attorneys managed to have the buyers put up another ten thousand dollars with their second deposit to show good faith. So their sale was back on track and would hopefully close in the next thirty days. Inspections were set up for that weekend; Ginger knew that wouldn't be an issue. Roger was always on top of everything in that house. He would never want anyone to think things weren't perfect.
At least at this point she didn't have to worry about Roger calling her on her cell anymore. She kept her phone on at all times. She and Jack text messaged each other throughout the day and spoke whenever he had a break in his work schedule or at night until her eyes burned.
Ginger woke up Saturday morning and thought it would be a good day to go out and look for some new furniture for the condo. At least now she knew that she would have the money coming from the sale of her old house. So much of what had brought her down was passing. She worried that things were too good to be true, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from enjoying the ride while it lasted.
She made an instant oatmeal and a cup of tea before leaving the house. She usually made a little more effort with her attire, but it was a jeans kind of day. Even though the Bears weren't playing until Sunday, she decided to sport a pink Bears tee with her jeans and a pair of pink glittery flip-flops.
She wasn't sure where to start when she got to the furniture store. She really would have liked to have a more feminine bedroom set, but her dad's couch was not her style and it smelled way too much like him for her to be able to constantly handle it. She was ready to let him go. Not in her heart, but in the physical sense.
She expected the sales people to be pushy and follow her around; instead they just gave her a yard stick, a pencil and a small pad of paper. The older gentleman told her to just write down anything she had questions about or sku numbers for something she liked and they could go over it together when she was ready.
Ginger happily wandered through the store sitting on different style couches wondering exactly what she wanted and at the same time wondering what Jack would like. She had not seen his home, actually she didn't even know if he lived in a house or a condo. It hadn't come up.
One thing she was sure about was it was nice. He was well dressed and very well groomed. She had to assume that he kept the rest of his life just as orderly. She pictured his house being very minimalistic and modern. Her phone started to ring. She looked down at the screen. It was as if she willed him to call her.
"Hey," she answered, "I was just thinking about you."
"What a coincidence, I was thinking about you too. Are you busy later or tomorrow?" he asked.
"Not really. I am at a furniture store right now looking at some new couches. Hopefully I will also be able to find a dining table, I don't think a desk is the best use of my dining room." She chuckled.
"I know we have plans for Monday, but I wasn't sure if you had plans this weekend."
"Nothing special. Why, are you coming back early?" Her stomach started to swirl with excitement. She could not wait to see him again. She longed to feel his touch again.
"No, sorry, my flight is for Monday afternoon. I have several proposals set up for Steve and Jasinda. I told them we could get started on Tuesday, that way you and I will have Monday evening together. We can stay in or I will take you anywhere you want to go." Jack's phone voice was like pure sex. His voice was so deep that she could feel it sneak down her ear canal and find its way to her core.
"Can I ask you a question?" The words rolled off his tongue.
"Of course." Her heart stopped. What was wrong, what did he want to ask her.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes, unless I shouldn't." She was now confused by what was going on. She pulled the handle on the side of the couch she was sitting on and lounged back.
"Of course you should. I am going to send a car service to pick you up at six a.m. tomorrow morning. Can you be up and ready that early?" he asked.
"Yes, I was up with you that early just a few days ago..."
"I wasn't sure if you went back to bed after I left, you must have been exhausted," he said.
"It didn't hit me until after dinner, what about you?"
"I was ok, but I only sleep four or five hours on average, so my body doesn't require a tremendous amount of sleep."
"I see. So what should I be ready for exactly?" If he weren't going to be there until Monday why on Earth would he send a car service for her on a Sunday morning, and so early?
"Be ready for anything. It's a surprise," he said.
"How do I know what to wear?" She was a woman, with a closet full of clothes, from very casual to very formal, and then the in-betweens of professional and super sexy. Not all attire was appropriate for all events or locations and she was not privy to either.
"Whatever you wear will be perfect. I told you last night don't worry about stuff. We can always find a way to work things out if they don't fit."
What was he talking about? He was being way to evasive. Under different circumstances she may have been weary of his sneakiness. But this, she was dying to find out what he was up to. She would just have to find the perfect outfit that could be easily dressed up or down.
"This is crazy." She didn't know what else to say.
"The only thing crazy is the way I feel about you. I'm sorry I can't really chat anymore. I am on my way to a meeting and then entertaining clients for dinner. I will text you when I get home, but you should be sleeping by then.
"Just be ready and waiting by six a.m. I will be dreaming about you later. Wish I could kiss you through the phone. Next time we need to do a video chat so I can see your gorgeous face."
"Ok, I will be dreaming about you too. If I can fall asleep."
She stared down at the home screen on her phone for a minute. She smiled and wondered where she would be going when the sun came back up.
Ginger realized that perhaps shopping for a couch was slightly less relevant than shopping for an outfit for tomorrow. She tore off the slip of paper with her notes and stuck it in her purse. She waved over the salesman and grabbed his card and told him she would be back, that something had come up.
The sun wasn't up yet, but the coffee was on and Ginger was bursting with energy. Normally she gave herself about an hour to get ready, but she wanted to be sure that she looked perfect for whatever the day ahead of her might hold.
After she left the furniture shop she found herself in and out of department stores until she found the perfect dress to wear. The weather was still plenty sunny and the dress she found was perfect, almost perfect. Had it been emerald green it may have been the best dress she had ever seen, but this one was a black and white print.
The top of the dress was a halter and it had a built in bra with pads to she didn't have to worry about finding the right bra or having to go without. It held her full breasts perfectly together creating enough cleavage to catch anyone's eye, but not enough to make an old lady gasp.
It cinched around her waist before flaring out into a tea length skirt. She loved the way it accentuated her figure. She felt like a pin up doll. She had plenty of time to blow out her hair and set it in rollers.
Since she didn't know where she would be going for the day, she decided to find her largest purse so she could pack a few extra things. She tossed in a pair of ballet flats, a thin cardigan, a little bit of makeup, and a few individually wrapped wipes. A girl could never be too fresh.
Ginger left her bag by the front door. She was starting to run out of time so she tossed the curlers in an empty basket and put it in the bathroom closet. She would have to put them away when she got home later. A quick spray and some lip gloss to finish off her look. She was about to put the lip gloss back in the drawer when the doorbell rang. She needed to bring that gloss with her anyway.
She suddenly felt like the room was spinning. She had never had this kind of a surprise. She had a p
retty good case of the jitters, but was way too excited to stop her in her tracks.
She opened the door and a man in a black suit and a cap was standing at her door.
"Ginger Thorn? Jackson Redford sent me, I will be your chauffeur for this morning," he said standing as upright as any human being could possibly stand. "Do you have any bags that you need assistance with?"
"No, thank you. I just have my purse," she answered looking around to make sure she didn't leave anything like the stove or coffee pot on. She closed the door behind her and double checked the lock.
"The car is waiting for you, just this way," he offered her direction toward the parking lot. She expected to see a town car, but instead there was a bright white vintage Bentley idling in the street.
The driver walked out in front of her to open the door. "Ma'am."
He closed the door and climbed into the driver's seat.
"May I ask where we are going?"
"You can ask, but I have been instructed not to tell you yet. I will be escorting you to your destination. What I can tell you is that I have been asked to stop along the way and make sure that I take you to Dunkin' donuts for coffee and breakfast if you choose," he explained.
"Really?" Ginger didn't know what to say. But she was more than intrigued. "Coffee sounds good."
"As you wish. There is a tablet back there, if you turn it on there is a video message waiting for you," he said as they pulled out of her development.
Ginger took the tablet in her lap and pushed the on button. The video was already cued up, all she needed to do was hit play.
"Good morning, sunshine. If you are watching this, that means that you are on track to have a wonderful day. I hope you got my text last night. Or I should say tonight as it is still tonight for me." His lips stretched across his face showing his brilliant white teeth. There was something so sexy about the way his "frown" lines formed on his cheeks when he smiled. Hell, there was something sexy about almost everything this man did and said.
Ginger could see that he was still dressed in a suit. She assumed that he made the video when he got in from his late dinner.
"I'm sorry I am not there with you holding your hand or calling you to speak to you on the phone. Right now I'm catching up on a few hours of sleep. I still have some things I need to take care of before I can hit the hay.
"I know you're nervous, but don't be, remember you said that you trusted me. Relax now because in a few hours your face is going to hurt from smiling so hard. I can almost promise you that.
"Hugs and kisses until later." He blew a quick kiss and the video ended. She hugged the tablet and sat back and closed her eyes. She had to just sit with her overcharged emotions.
Ginger sipped on her iced coffee while she stared out the window. She still couldn't figure out where the driver was taking her, or where he was escorting her to. Every time she thought she had a clue, the trip took a turn in a different direction.
"Miss Ginger, we are almost there. Do you require me to stop for anything? You will be indisposed for almost two hours once we get to our destination," the driver asked.
"I think I am good. As long as they have a bathroom there, which I don't need right now, I will be fine. I am just excited to see where we are going."
"Very well."
The moment of truth was approaching quickly. Ginger put her oversized tote styled handbag over her shoulder and clutched it in her lap.
The car approached the next exit to get off the highway. It was for the airport. She certainly wasn't about to get on a plane, what else was near the airport, she wondered. There was a huge big box furniture store about a mile out from the airport. Jack knew that she needed to replace her father's furniture, maybe he arranged for her to be taken there.
The driver took the tolled exit and flew through the EZ Pass lane. She could see the big blue and yellow sign for the furniture store as they took the exit ramp.
The idea of Jack paying for her furniture and sending her to the store with a livery driver made her unsure of how she felt about it. It was an exciting notion to be spoiled like that, but they didn't really know each other well enough for him to spend that kind of money on her. She would never choose to be with a man for his money. She hoped that he knew that.
She didn't marry Roger for his money, but he made more than enough to give them a very comfortable life. She thought that would make things easier, that it would eliminate what so many couples fought about. She was wrong, at least in part. She was right that they never fought about financial troubles, but there was no passion between them, and money couldn't buy that.
Lost in thoughts and unnecessary memories of her ex-husband she stopped paying attention to the scenery outside of her car window. They had driven right past the furniture store, sure enough the driver pulled off the road to the airport access roads.
Ginger's heart dropped down into her stomach. It was being swished and swashed like it was going through the spin cycle in a washing machine. Her breath became shallow and she moved closer to the window looking at the giant signs listing the different airlines.
Holly Shit! Where... What...
"Excuse me? What are we doing at the airport? Are we picking up Mr. Redford?" Ginger's voice shook slightly. Her heart fluttered back up into her chest.
She was starting to be glad that she put in the extra effort to look good. He must have decided to take an earlier flight back and decided to surprise her.
The driver just smiled at her in the rearview mirror. He pulled into a special livery parking lot that was close the departing flights entrance.
Ginger assumed that it would be the closest parking lot for them so they didn't have to walk too far. He could have just dropped her off and told her what flight to look for. But she did remember him telling her that he would be escorting her.
The driver got out of the car first and walked around to her door and opened it, helping her out of the white luxurious car. She had been in a few limos in her life, but riding in the back of a Bentley was a much different experience.
"Do you have everything, Miss Ginger?"
"Yes, thank you. You know I can go in by myself," Ginger replied.
"You could, but I have been instructed to escort you to your final destination."
They went into the building and through the security check point. It was strange watching her driver take off his shoes. It seemed to humanize him a little bit. Not that she thought of him as less than human, but it was a more personal than she expected it to be.
He handed the TSA workers paperwork as they walked through. She gave them her license to check her identity, but that was normal. It had been a few years since she flew. She was surprised they let them through the security check point without plane tickets.
They walked silently through the wide and very long corridors to whatever gate Jack was coming in on. Ginger felt like they should talk about something, but what was there to talk about? He wouldn't tell her what was going on and they didn't know each other.
He looked down at the paperwork in his hands and up at the gate numbers as they walked. "Gate 26C, we are here," he informed her.
Ginger looked at the gate number. It said Departing Flight Chicago O'Hare 7:15. She read it again, and she stopped walking and turned to the man in the black suit besides her.
"I'm confused, are we waiting for the next flight to come in?"
"No, Miss Ginger." He handed her one of the envelopes in his hand.
Ginger looked down and saw that it was actually a boarding pass with her name on it. Her eyes lit up as she looked back at the driver.
"Me, I am... I don't have any luggage." Ginger didn't really know what to say.
He smiled and chuckled a little. "I don't think you need anything. Mr. Redford said to let you know that they have whatever you need in Chicago."
"This is not really happening." Ginger looked down at the ticket and her hands were practically vibrating, they were shaking so hard.
"It'
s a good thing. He wanted to make sure you were surprised. He wanted me to tell you that he said he has something very special that he needs to show you and he can only do that in Chicago."
"Ok." She blew out a breath. "I guess I am going to Chicago."
"Enjoy your trip. They have already started to board the flight. You have a first class ticket so if you go up there they will seat you right away. There will be another driver waiting for you when you land."
"Ok, thank you so much." Ginger reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Let me just-"
"Please put that away," he said. "Mr. Redford already took care of everything. Just have fun."
Chapter Twenty
THE FLIGHT TO CHICAGO WAS much faster than Ginger realized it would be. It was her first time sitting in first class, it was exciting enough and a new first, the entire thing was too surreal.
She felt like the universe opened up and sprinkled love dust on her. That in itself had her overjoyed. Never did she think that if she had another chance at love and happiness that it would be with someone who could set up such an extravagant date.
Date. Was it a date? They actually had not had a real date yet. Sure they went out and shared a meal. They even shared a bed, but a date, nope that had not actually officially happened.
A driver was waiting for her with a cardboard cutout of her name on it. He was nice, but not quite as nice as the guy that drove her to the airport. He was much more old school and rigid.
Ginger wanted to ask him where they were going, but if Jack had given this driver the same instructions as the last, she knew it would be in vain. This trip was one big surprise after the next, she decided to just go with the flow. Jack asked her if she trusted him, and she was really glad that her answer was yes. Had it been no, she might not be in Chicago.
The driver slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road. It didn't look like a place you were supposed to stop, but that didn't stop him. He quickly exited the car and opened her door for her.
Jack and Ginger (Sacred Heart Coven Book 3) Page 14
