“Miss Alcott,” Connor said, “you have certainly turned this park into something I never thought I’d see.”
“Worried I’d sell out to the developers, were you?” John asked.
Connor didn’t respond for a second. Merry could tell he was probably weighing the taxes a new housing development and strip mall would generate compared to what the park brought in. While he formulated an answer, Jake walked up, the wind ruffling his hair. He had a smug, satisfied look on his face.
“I have news,” Jake said.
Merry gave him a questioning look. “What?”
“Do you remember The Brothers J?”
She nodded. “Boy band in the early nineties. Great dance music. Totally hot.”
“I’ve tentatively gotten them to agree to help launch the opening weekend.”
Merry’s mouth fell open. “You did?” Her brain rapidly went into planning mode. “Wow. How did you manage that?”
He shrugged. “Just a phone call.”
She didn’t have to rely on her own contacts after all. “Opening day is going to be awesome.” She paused to think. “But before I get really excited, is this coming out of my budget?”
“No. We haven’t worked out all the details, but you don’t have to worry about your budget.”
Connor started laughing. “I remember them. My older sister was crazy for that group. Had posters all over her bedroom. I’ll have to let her know. She’ll be here.”
“Will you be with her?” Merry asked.
“Will you?”
She smiled happily. “Of course.” She glanced at Jake to find him tightening his jaw. “Thank you, Jake. You’ve just made opening weekend the best.”
“I aim to please.”
“I am duly impressed.” And that was one thing on her to-do list she didn’t have to do.
Connor’s cell phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll see you tonight at seven, Merry.” He turned and walked away.
“I have to get back to work,” John said. “Send me the particulars on the band and I’ll get the info to the marketing department. They’re going to have to work fast.”
“You have a date with him?” Jake watched the mayor head swiftly toward the parking lot, the phone still to his ear.
“He talked me into giving him a shot at letting us have a permanent historical display here in the park. It seems the historical museum on Market has lost its lease and the owners want to make into a retail store now that the downtown area is really starting to turn around.”
“Does this include dinner?”
“I’m always up for a free meal,” she retorted. “You’re making all kinds of weird faces. What’s up with that?”
His face stilled as she watched him, wondering why he suddenly seemed agitated.
“I’m not making weird faces,” he objected.
“Okay, but your eye is twitching still.” What was bothering him?
“He’s a slick guy. You watch out for him.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What do you mean?”
“You’re on his agenda.”
“You make it sound like he’s all about seducing me.”
“I went to high school with him. Trust me, he had all the girls dancing to his tune.”
“Well, I’m not the kind of woman who is easily impressed. So stop worrying about me. This is just a business dinner.”
“If it’s just a business dinner, can I come?”
“No,” Merry said. “I don’t need a babysitter, though I do thank you for offering.” She was just having a business meeting over dinner. Why would Jake react like this? As if he was jealous or something. He had nothing to be jealous about, since they had nothing going on between them. Men! She didn’t need this crap. What she needed was to get back to work.
She stalked to her office without another word, her back stiff and her brain in a whirl.
She slammed the door to her office and went to sit in her chair, glaring at her computer. The cool hum of the air conditioner settled her nerves, though her thoughts wouldn’t stop. What the hell was wrong with Jake? They’d gone out on exactly two dates in which nothing really happened except for an almost kiss. And now he acted as though she belonged to him. Where did she go from here?
She gripped a pencil and her notebook, idly doodling, her thoughts going in circles. Eventually she forced her thoughts into order and started thinking about the displays for the amphitheater to welcome The Brothers J.
* * *
Jake needed to get away. He climbed into his car and drove back to his Hollywood office. Even though he could work from anywhere, he liked his office and needed to put distance between him and Merry.
“I have a ton of things for you to go over and sign,” Vicki said when he walked into his office. “All on your desk. Nothing serious.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“And call Judge Nichols. Right away,” she said, her hand already on the phone.
Jake settled into his chair with a sigh. He liked being in his office. No sounds of hammering or wheelbarrows or construction people shouting at each other. Though the heat hadn’t totally abated, downtown Hollywood was a lot cooler than Riverside.
His phone rang and he picked it up to hear Amy Nichols greet him.
“Good afternoon, Judge Nichols,” he said.
“I have a bad one for you, Jake.” Amy Nichols was a sixtysomething, four-foot-nine-inch spitfire.
“Tell me.”
He heard papers rustling in the background and then she came back on the line again. “Cooper James.”
“From the thrash-metal band Death Claw?”
“That’s the one.”
Jake had heard of him, from the infamous streaking incident on Wilshire Boulevard to the drug overdose and the drive off the end of Santa Monica pier, narrowly missing hundreds of tourists. “Why me?”
Amy took a long breath. “He’s been in bankruptcy court three times in the past ten years. If anyone can help him and his six children—all by six different mothers, mind you—it’s you. He’s had two court-appointed conservators who couldn’t control him, and I really didn’t want to give him to you because I like you a lot. But his wife, with whom he has no children, wants you. She heard you’re the best, and for some reason this woman still loves him. Though I can’t understand why.”
“Maybe she wants to make sure he’s financially stable before she divorces him. That’s what I would do.”
Amy chuckled. “Me, too. I have to warn you, he’s bad news. The last conservator ended up in the hospital.”
“What happened?” This didn’t sound good. Jake opened his laptop and started an internet search. His head was saying no, but his gut was saying this would be his Mount Everest. His reputation would be set for life if he could get this guy in decent financial shape.
“A bleeding ulcer,” she said after a long pause. “There just aren’t that many people I depend on.”
“I’ll meet with him and see how it goes. But I’m not making any promises.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Amy said. “I’m sending everything now.”
“Thanks.”
She disconnected. He spent a little more time researching Cooper James and allowed himself to be pulled into the challenge. He didn’t have to think about the park, Merry or his father. He liked getting back to feeling normal, and deep down inside his accountant soul, he liked normal. He could function in normal.
For the next hour, he went through the files the judge sent him. Cooper James’s finances were in a mess, more than a mess. There were so many tangles it was a wonder Cooper had any money at all. The more he dug into it, the more his palms itched to put everything to rights.
He liked having this kind of control. As much as he was attracted to Merry, he didn’t like the way she did things. She always seemed to be flying by the seat of her pants. He understood that in her industry she had to work this way. She functioned well in chaos. He admir
ed that in her. But working with numbers was different. B always followed A. Everything had its place and its logical conclusion. Everything had to add up.
He liked fixing people’s financial woes. Merry didn’t need fixing; she knew exactly what she was doing, how she was going to do it and what the final outcome would be despite the turmoil she frequently operated in.
Suddenly, the door to his office was flung open, and banged against the wall. Jake looked to up to find a man and woman stalking into his office. The woman was tall and graceful with artfully bleached blond hair, vibrant blue eyes and designer clothes. She looked to be in her late forties. She was slim and graceful looking, and would be pretty if not for the scowl on her face directed at her companion.
The man was tall and lean with tattoos covering both arms. Dark brown hair streaked with blond hung to his shoulders. He wore leather pants and a matching leather vest with a heavy gold chain. He slouched as though that made him look like a bad boy. He sat down in a chair unasked and crossed one booted foot over his knee.
“Be polite, Cooper,” the woman said angrily.
“I don’t need somebody controlling my life. I have you.”
“You will not have me for long if this behavior continues.”
A look of shock crossed his face and he hung his head.
This woman was done, Jake thought. Cooper James was about to meet his Waterloo.
“I’m Jake Walters,” Jake said, standing with his hand out. The woman graciously accepted his handshake, but Cooper James ignored him. Jake gestured the woman to the other chair and she sat delicately on the edge.
“I’m Narissa James and this is my husband, Cooper.” She gestured at the sullen man next to her.
Narissa had been a hot model in her day. She’d graced the covers of Sports Illustrated, Vogue and Cosmo. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was with Cooper.
“I don’t wanna be here,” Cooper said.
“Fine,” Narissa said. “You can wait outside.”
“Gimme the car keys,” he said with a pout.
“Wait outside,” Narissa ordered in a stern tone that turned Cooper even more surly.
He lurched to his feet and left in an angry huff, slamming the door after him.
This woman didn’t need a financial adviser, she needed a therapist.
“You wonder why I stay with him, don’t you?”
How could he not? “You’re a beautiful woman. You could go back to modeling.”
“We have six beautiful children—Cooper and I. None of them are biologically mine. I get rid of him, they go, too. One of the nicest things I can say about him is that he had good taste in choosing his kids’ mothers.”
“I don’t understand.”
She reached over and patted his hand. “And that scares you, doesn’t it?”
“How can a man have good taste in that?”
She stared at him thoughtfully. “I can’t have children. Those babies were all a gift from Cooper for sticking it out and staying with him. After the children’s mothers had them, I paid those women a lot of money to go away. What happened to them afterward, I had no control over. In two years, our eldest is going to be going to college. Chanel has wanted to go to Vassar since she was three years old and I’ll be damned if that stupid, irresponsible, narcissistic, spoiled...”
Jake held his hand up to ward off the litany.
“Thank you for stopping me,” she said with a sigh. “I could have gone on for another thirty minutes.”
“Do you love him?” The question slipped out unintentionally. He hadn’t meant to ask it.
“It’s hard not to love a man who writes songs about you and gives you six of the most beautiful children ever. And none of them take after him, except for Sean. When he plays the violin it’s like a glimpse into heaven. I didn’t make the decision for me. Amber’s mother is in prison. Kurt’s mother overdosed. Where were these children going to go? They had no one but me. He loves those children and I know he loves me, but he’s like a bee from flower to flower to flower.” She stopped to take a deep breath.
“Okay, so this isn’t about him, but you and those children. You and I will take care of the money. I can file the paperwork and put all the assets in your name.”
“Can we do this without him?”
He studied her. “All you have to do is tell him where to sign. I don’t think he’ll turn you down. Then we’ll put him on an allowance and start getting your finances back into order.” Jake gave another look. “It’s not as bad as it looks on paper.”
“He feels if he’s a rock star, he has to live like a rock star. I’m totally and completely overwhelmed. I used to be able to handle everything, but I don’t have six children, I have eight. Cooper is two of them put together.”
Jake sat back and found himself already formulating a plan of attack for her.
“For the first time in years, I feel as though I’m not spinning my wheels. Every financial planner, or wealth builder as the last one billed himself, I’ve dealt with in the past were just too caught up in the glamour of being next to a star. But you make me feel like you’re my ally.”
“I haven’t been starstruck for a long time. Most of my clients end up in a better place. I get them out of their messes, teach them what to do and usually they’re scared enough to stay on the right track. Some people I can’t help. But you I can help. We both know you’re running the ship. Narissa, you’re going to be okay.”
Relief flooded her face and for the time being the tension left her shoulders. “Thank you. Financial planner, therapist and savior all rolled into one.”
“If you ever need a mechanic, let me know. I spent ten summers keeping my father’s amusement park running.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I have some forms you need to read over and sign. So let’s get Cooper back in and get started.”
After Narissa and Cooper James had left, Vicki came in with an envelope in her hand. “Have you decided on whether or not you’re going to the Music Awards yet?” She waved the envelope at him. “I need to have an answer today.”
Jake sat back in his chair, thinking. A client, Victor Taylor, had given him the tickets, and he really needed to go to show support.
“I don’t have a date.”
“Then get one,” Vicki said impatiently. “You’ve never had a problem getting a date before. You’re nice, you have money, you don’t smell bad and you have good manners.”
“Thanks, I think.” The problem wasn’t getting a date but trying to figure how to ask Merry so she didn’t turn him down. He didn’t want to go with anyone else.
His cell phone rang and, seeing Merry’s name on the display, he answered.
“Hi,” she said. “I just wanted you to know that I hired the elves today, their costumes are fitted and I’m still underbudget.”
“You enjoyed making this phone call to tell me that, didn’t you?”
“Is that wrong of me?” she asked.
He heard the pride in her voice. Despite their rocky start, she’d managed to come in underbudget on every project except one. “No. You have every right be pleased.”
“Are you pleased?”
The best opening. “How about as a ‘yay team’ incentive, I take you to the Music Awards in a few weeks?”
“You need a date, don’t you?” Amusement colored her tone.
He almost squirmed. “One of my former clients gave me tickets. He always does, but I don’t always go.” His former client had been a musician before deciding he didn’t want to tour anymore, and had turned to producing. He sent a lot of his troubled clients to Jake.
“It sounds like fun. I haven’t been to one of those in a long time.”
“And we’ve been invited to the after-party, too.”
“That works for me.”
* * *
Merry disconnected. For a moment, she was too stunned to move, and then she leaped out of her chair and ran out the door, racing to find her sister.<
br />
“Noelle,” she half screamed as she barreled into her sister’s shop.
Noelle stood on a ladder positioning some of her more expensive glass where little hands couldn’t get to it. “What?”
“You’ll never guess what just happened.”
“I’m not good at guessing games, so just tell me.”
“I’m going to the Music Awards with Jake.”
Noelle looked up startled. “What?”
Merry hugged herself with so much excitement she almost fell over. “What am I going to wear? I don’t have anything to wear.”
Her sister jumped down from the ladder. “I know what you can wear.”
Merry looked at her sister and they grinned at each other. “The dragon shoes. I’ve been dying to wear them. But I don’t have anything to wear them with.”
“They’ll look fabulous. All by themselves.”
“I can just see me naked in dragon shoes.” Merry rubbed her forehead. “I don’t think so.”
“You’ve got the dragon dress. The Emilio Pucci. I’ll call Betsy and she’ll do something fabulous with your hair. You’ll look awesome. You do remember how to put on mascara, right?”
“I know how to put on mascara.”
Noelle stared critically at her. “Betsy will do your makeup, too. And once you’re there, you need to find Drake and throw yourself at him, get him all over my dress.”
“Wow, you’re a freak.”
“Give me a moment. I’ll feel ashamed about it later.”
“I only let you talk to me like this because you’re my sister and I love you.”
Noelle waved her hand. “Whatever.”
“I have to call Mom,” Merry said, searching for her cell phone and realizing she’d left it in her office. Then she paused. “Why am I so excited about this?”
Noelle started laughing. “Maybe because a really hot man asked you on a really cool date. How long has it been since that happened?”
“You are so not amusing,” Merry said with a sigh.
“I call them like I see them,” Noelle said, once she’d stopped laughing. “Oh, look, here’s Fenya. Did you bring any more of your baklava? We have to celebrate.”
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