by Jill Downey
“You don’t have to carry this alone. We’ll figure it out.” A tear slipped down her cheek and it was all Jesse could do to keep himself from pulling her into his arms. He wasn’t sure if she’d welcome it at this point.
“I’m going to call Maddy and get her to come over. Hand me your phone.”
“Faye?” Maddy said.
“No, it’s me Jesse.”
“Oh, did you finally decide to man up?”
“We don’t have time for that now, it’s Faye, something’s happened.”
“What do you mean somethings happened? Is she okay?”
“Yes, I’ll explain when you get here. We’re at the bar.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Let’s have a seat at a table. Can I get you a shot of whiskey or anything?” he asked.
Faye’s lips turned up, “Actually that’s not a bad idea.”
The door opened and Ty stepped through. Seeing Faye’s pale face and frightened expression he charged over, “What the fuck did you do to her?”
“Ty it’s not the time. Settle your ass down,” Jesse said, voice tight and clipped.
“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on. Faye are you okay?”
“Ty, Jesse is here to help.”
He glared at Jesse then squatted down beside her and grabbed Faye’s hand, “I swear if he did anything more to hurt you, I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”
That brought a weak smile to her face. “No, it wasn’t Jess. Please give me a minute and I’ll tell you everything.”
Jesse handed Faye a shot of bourbon and watched her throw it back in one gulp. He was pleased to see a little color return to her cheeks.
Ty stood up puffing out his chest like a rooster, still not convinced this wasn’t Jesse’s fault.
Maddy came running in and seeing Faye, swooped down to hug her. “Honey what happened?”
Jesse answered for her. “Some flowers were delivered, and she thought they were from me. The second time it’s happened recently. They weren’t from me. She suspects it was Julian.”
“Oh no!”
“Is it that bad?” Jesse asked.
“Yes. After Faye kicked him out, he went off the deep end. Stalking her, sending cards and flowers, showing up everywhere uninvited. That’s the main reason why she moved back to the States. He was obsessed with getting her back.”
Ty paced the floor like a caged animal, “I’ll fucking kill him.”
Jesse tipped Faye’s chin up and looked into her frightened eyes, “Can you think of anything else that’s happened recently?” Jesse’s eyes narrowed, then he remembered something. “That guy that came in looking for you…you said the description fit Julian.”
Faye nodded her head slowly. “And that guy on the beach smoking, I went inside because it gave me the creeps. It seemed like he was staring right at me. But it was dark out and I convinced myself it was nothing.”
“Was Julian violent, did he ever get physical with you?”
She shook her head no. “He just wouldn’t let me go.”
Jesse was all messed up. He felt powerless. Faye was at risk, and the danger swirling around her seemed like an elusive mist in the air that he couldn’t grab ahold of.
Jesse kept his voice calm and measured, “We need to call the police and report this. Okay to do that now?”
She nodded yes.
“I’ll call,” Maddy said taking charge.
“I’m going to go outside and look around,” Ty said.
“No! Wait until after the police get here. Please Ty.” Faye begged, her voice sounding panicked.
“I’ll wait,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
His shoulders slumped and he stuck his hands in his front pockets. “I’ll promise for now.”
“Thank you.”
27
The police arrived and took her statement. “We’ll file the complaint but understand, since we don’t have an address and he’s not a citizen, it will be difficult to monitor his movements or even find him. It’s not against the law to send flowers and we have no proof he was behind the break in.”
Faye nodded her head in understanding. She looked so fragile and alone, sitting at a table next to the burly police officer, her hands folded in her lap. It made Jesse want to howl at the top of his lungs. He felt the weight of his actions resting squarely on his shoulders. I never should have bailed on her. I’ve was supposed to protect her.
Ty hissed in his ear, “Can I have a word with you,” he jerked his head toward the deck, “Outside?”
Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose but nodded his head and followed Ty out.
Ty was pacing back and forth then he stopped and slammed his hand down on the table. “What the fuck man? Faye deserves better than what you did to her.”
“Listen Ty, you’re young, I don’t expect you to understand, life’s complicated.”
“Fuck you. I may be young, but I’ve had my share of life’s complications dude. That’s bullshit and you know it. It was all about your ego.”
Jesse clenched his fists. “I know you care, and I’m glad Faye has you in her corner. I like you Ty, I’m sorry I hurt Faye and its tearing me up that I wasn’t here to protect her. But I’m here now.”
“Too late dude, you blew it.”
“That may be true, but I can still be there for her as a friend. If she’ll have me.”
“You know what bothers me the most? That you just cut out and didn’t finish the job man, that’s cold. This is her livelihood.”
“I had full intentions of finishing the job! Did you see me taking my tools? No, because they’re all still here. I just needed some time to get my head on straight.”
Ty rubbed the back of his neck, “Well I’m relieved to hear that at least.”
“I’m glad you’re pissed at me. It shows that you’re loyal and that you’ve got integrity.”
“I don’t need or want your approval anymore dude.”
“Ouch! I guess I deserve that. But not for you to decide dude. Whether you want it or not, you’ve got it. I’m heading back inside to check on Faye. Good talk.” He couldn’t resist the dig. He respected Ty’s gumption, but his words still stung.
The police had left and Maddy was hovering over Faye who still sat at the table. She had her hand protectively on Faye’s shoulder as she turned toward them.
“They weren’t much help. But the Bennett name did get their attention at least. You need to call your brother Kyle and get him to put the pressure on.” Maddy said. “In the meantime, we’ve got to come up with our own plan to keep you safe. You should never be alone. Not until this guy is shipped back to New Zealand or sitting in jail.”
“I agree,” Jesse said.
Tyler puffed out his chest, “I can be her bodyguard.” Faye’s mouth curved into a smile.
“Everyone let’s calm down and think this through. Obviously, he’s been around for a while and hasn’t done anything violent,” Maddy said. “The biggest threat is when she’s here alone and coming and going to work.”
“Faye, you have to start driving your car or letting someone take you. Then either Ty or I will be here whenever you’re here,” Jesse said.
“I can’t ask y’all to put your own lives on hold for me.”
“You’re not asking, we’re telling you,” Jesse said stubbornly. “Look I’ve been MIA for the past week, I know that, but I was always going to come back and finish the job. I gave you my word.”
“Under the circumstances, I understand if you don’t want to tackle the kitchen anymore,” Faye said quietly.
“The circumstances are that I own a company and you hired me to renovate your bar. Despite our personal problems, that’s what we agreed to. This is my job and my reputation on the line. No arguments. That is…unless you’re firing me?”
She bit her lip, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “No, I’m not firing you.” Bowing her head, sh
e said, “Thank you, Jesse. I don’t deserve that after what I did to you.”
Maddy and Ty snorted at the same time which made Faye giggle. “Okay you two pit bulls…stand down.”
Maddy and Ty looked at each other, and seeing their defensive stances mirrored in one another, uncrossed their arms and relaxed their shoulders.
“So that solves the nine-to-five time slots; we’ll have to do shifts for the rest of it.”
“When I have customers, I’ll be okay. He wouldn’t try anything with people around,” Faye said.
“When you open and close someone must be with you. Got that?” Jesse said.
“Yes.”
Jesse rubbed his chin. “You know…I’ve got three brothers that have an overload of testosterone and would gladly step in to help.”
“No. I couldn’t ask them to do that.”
“You aren’t asking. I am. If we need them for back up. We don’t know how long this is going to drag on.”
“Good idea,” Maddy said, a warmth creeping back into her voice, softening a bit toward Jesse.
“Well I’m here now, so I’m going to get back to work. I don’t know about the rest of you.”
“I need to head to my office. I’ll be home tonight, long before you are Faye. Call me when you’re on your way,” Maddy said.
“I will.”
“We need to see a picture of this guy, so we’ll know him if we see him, and then I can confirm if it’s the same guy that stopped in to see you,” Jesse said.
“Yeah,” Ty said.
“I’ll go home and see if I can dig one up. The police asked for one as well.”
Ty jumped in, “I’ll take you now. Then we can drop it off at the station.”
Maddy chimed in, “Then head straight to Kyle’s office. He may want to hire a private investigator to find Julian.”
“Good plan,” Jesse said.
Faye stood up rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms to warm them. “I don’t think I can ever come up with the words…thank you all. I feel so taken care of.”
“Good. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Maddy said.
Jesse was quiet, his expression pensive. “I never followed up on that security camera, I’ll get on that today.”
“I was supposed to do that. It hardly falls under your jurisdiction,” Faye argued. “I’ll do it when I get back.”
“Better yet, get big brother on it,” Maddy suggested.
“Yes, I could do that.”
Ty tapped his foot impatiently and said, “Let’s get this show on the road Faye.”
“Can I have a moment before you go?” Jesse asked Faye quietly.
She nodded yes. He took her arm and led her outside. Facing her he put his hands on both her shoulders and stared into her blue depths. “Faye, I’m sorry. I don’t expect you to understand or forgive me. I know it’ll take some time to win your trust back, but I’ve got the time.”
“Jesse, I understand more than you think I do. Everything moved way too fast for us and I should’ve known better than to mix business and pleasure. I don’t blame you; I blame me. I’m glad to have you back in my life and I hope we can always remain friends. But for now, that’s all it can be.”
His chest felt like it was being squeezed. “I understand. I fucked everything up. I should have let you explain. You deserved better.”
“Thank you for that but I take full responsibility for what happened. You have to quit beatin’ yourself up, ya hear?”
His mouth twisted, “Yeah sure I will, just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Going to be pretty hard to do when I fucked up and lost the best thing God ever graced me with. I’m a damn fool. But I’ll respect your wishes…like you said…for now. However, when you change your mind…”
“You’ll be the second one to know.”
Jesse’s shoulders slumped. He would go along with it for now, but he didn’t have to like it. He’d let the dust settle, give her some time, but he hadn’t given up just yet.
28
After dropping off the photo of Julian at the police station, they headed over to Kyle’s law firm. The secretary led them straight back to his office. When she and Tyler sat down, Kyle did a double take.
Faye made the introductions. Kyle’s eyes narrowed and he asked, “How do you know my sister?”
“Kyle, he works for me.”
Kyle stared at him for several long beats while Faye and Ty fidgeted in their chairs. She knew her brother was brilliant, and nothing ever seemed to escape him. Now that she was looking at him and Ty up close and personal, she saw a remarkable resemblance between them. Especially their eyes. That same cobalt blue. Duh! How had that escaped her until now?
After what felt like minutes, he turned back to Faye, “To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”
“Kyle, Julian is here, in the States, he found me... found the bar.”
“How do you know?”
Faye told him the entire story from beginning to end. He sat there tapping his fingers on the desk, his body tense. After she finished, he buzzed his secretary and told her to get Leroy Shay, the chief of police, on the line immediately. Faye and Ty exchanged a look.
As they were waiting, he looked Tyler up and down and said, “Are you from around here?”
Clearing his throat, he said, “Yes sir. Grew up inland…the neighboring town.”
“Either of you two have something you want to tell me?”
Faye wrung her hands and looked helplessly at Ty and he shrugged.
“Kyle, we were waiting on the right time to tell y’all…I just found out myself. Tyler’s our nephew… he’s Marcus’s son.” At Kyles darkening expression, she rushed on.
“He came to me for a job. He never even knew his father. Marcus abandoned them when Ty was just a baby. He and his mama have been on their own his whole life. He only found out he had family after everything that went down last year. Since it was splashed all over the news, his mom put two and two together. He doesn’t want anything…only to know his family.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ty. “What exactly do you want to know?”
“Kyle! I just told you, it’s just been him and his mom; when he found out he had a family he wanted to meet us.”
Kyle tapped his pen against the desk, as he contemplated Faye’s explanation.
“I don’t need to tell you Faye that we can’t be too careful. I know how trusting you can be and I’m sorry, but I can’t indulge in the luxury of taking everything at face value. I don’t need to remind you that my son was kidnapped, and my best friend and partner betrayed me. I’m sorry if I find Tyler’s curiosity a little suspect.”
Tyler jumped up and said, “Fuck you. Believe what you want. Faye I’ll be outside waiting.” And he stormed out of the office.
Faye’s voice shook, “How dare you! You have no right. Tyler has been nothing but the sweetest most protective kid you ever want to meet.”
“You expect me to automatically accept a complete stranger and take his word for it? Faye you can’t be so trusting. When you’re a Bennett, you can’t afford to be.”
“I had hoped you’d changed enough to give him a chance. You can’t hold his father against him. He’s a good kid.”
“Hardly a kid. He seems pretty street smart to me.”
“He gets his attitude honestly.”
“Faye he’s obviously a troubled kid. He conveniently finds out he’s related to billionaires, looks them up because he feels all warm and fuzzy? You expect me to believe it’s all on the up and up?”
“I’m with Ty, fuck you.” Faye stood up and walked toward the door. “You know everything was handed to us. You can’t help who you were born to. Try a little compassion for a change. It might be less painful than you think. I had hoped that Ella’s influence would’ve opened your eyes to others’ suffering. I guess it was too much to hope for.”
“Faye,” he called out to her, but she was already slamming the door behind her.
>
“Ty, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. What a dick.”
“He’s really not, once you get to know him. He’s just a shrewd businessman and as the oldest child, overbearing and protective at times. I love him with all my heart, but he can be pigheaded as all get out.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it, because I don’t think he and I are going to be having any kumbayah moments any time soon.”
“I feel terrible. He’ll come around. I know my brother, and this won’t sit well with him. He’s going to feel guilty as hell and he’ll be sniffing around before you know it.”
Ty shrugged, then his shoulders slumped. “This is why I was hoping to keep it between us. You got to know me first, but he didn’t have that opportunity. I don’t really blame him for being suspicious.”
She slung her arm across his shoulders as they headed toward his motorcycle. “At least you’ve got me.”
He grinned and put his arm around her waist, “Yep, and that’s even better than I could’ve hoped for.”
29
“Faye can you hand me that wrench over there in my toolbox?” Jesse asked, as she passed by him on her way to her office.
“Sure.” She squatted down next to Jesse, who was on his back working on the drain under the large utility sink. He was shirtless as usual, and his jean-clad legs were bent for leverage as he wrestled with the locknut. Faye had to catch her breath when his muscular abs flexed as he tried to loosen it.
She bit her lip, as her eyes wandered down from his navel, following the path of his soft hair until it disappeared into his pants. It was the temptation of Eve for sure, and she was ready to bite into that apple.
“Anything else?”
“Nope. Thanks.”
“I’ll be in my office, just holler if I can do anything.”
His whiskey eyes looked penetratingly into hers… like he was reading her mind. Her cheeks grew warm and he grinned. Dang it! He had read her mind. He was like a drug. She jumped up and hurried away before she jumped on top of him and gave in to her desires.
