by J. A. Coffey
She didn't even gag when she told him the water was pretty bloody.
Fifteen minutes landed him with a clean head and fresh haircut.
A twenty-dollar tip landed at her station.
All that was left to do was get the wait staff at home on the clock.
Chapter Thirty-Five
"Oh, no, Cookie, what's wrong?" Jeremy alternated between watching the road and looking at her. "What happened?"
"You couldn't have had better timing," she said, running a finger under her damp nose. "I just don't know what to do with Darius. It's all so confusing."
He frowned, clicked on his turn signal, then made a right. "What's confusing? Where are we going, anyway?"
"I don't know. How about the park?"
"How about the zoo? That always perks you up."
Jess rummaged through her purse, then Jeremy's glove box, until she found some tissues to blow her nose. "Okay. The local zoo, not Franklin. My treat."
He waved a finger at her and parted her a warning glance. "Not at all, missy. I'm covering this."
She wobbled a grin at his gesture, knowing she couldn't ask for a better friend. Her tone dropped as she stated, "I'm a member, Jer. I can get in for free, and you'd be half price. I'll cover you."
His gaze narrowed as he considered his options. "Only if you tell me what's going on." He jabbed a finger at her, glanced over, then turned left towards the highway. "What's all the confusion?"
She spread her arms, indicating herself. "Look at me. I'm a blathering mess. When have you ever seen me cry so much?"
On cue, Jeremy answered, "Ten years ago. When Darius walked out of your life."
"Shut up." But she looked over at him, and he wasn't smiling. "Really?"
"Yup." He caught her eyes for a second. "And I knew you had the hots for me and then just disappeared. That's when I found out about Cinderella's midnight dance," his voice dropped, "and you were heartbroken for a year."
"Or a decade." She choked down her saliva and shook her head, trying to negate the awful thoughts that lived there. "Jer, I just don't know if Darius wants me. He acts like he does, but then he doesn't."
Now he frowned and shifted a bit in his seat. "Okay, I'm confused. Is this a 'love 'em and leave 'em' thing going on? He didn't strike me as that type."
Jess had to pluck another tissue from the travel packet to dab her cheeks. She felt her voice drop in response to her shame. "There was no love 'em, Jer."
His mouth dropped open. Really open. "Okay, Sugar Plum, you're going to have to explain this to me, and I'm sorry if I have to be blunt. I thought you slept with him."
"We started to." She wasn't sure if her face burned with embarrassment or shame, but the heat still prickled. "Until he found out I was a virgin."
His mouth still hung open, perhaps even further than a second ago, and she had a moment to believe Darius acted in a very non-masculine way. Jer's voice climbed. "And he stopped?"
"Yeah."
A finger snap. "Just like that, stopped." It wasn't a question. Jeremy tapped his lip in thought, slowed down for a red light, then rolled through when it blinked back to green. "Interesting."
Now Jess turned in the seat to face him. "Am I destined to be a virgin forever?"
He scoffed and waved off her concern. "I can think of twenty men who would be thrilled with the honor, and two of them are gay. Well, bisexual, actually."
Again her voice dropped. "Is Darius gay?"
"Not a chance, honey. If he were, Robert would have some serious concerns." He winked, and Jess swatted his arm.
"You sure? Like, one hundred twenty percent sure?"
Two tight fingers raised in the air. "Scout's honor. The man's straight as a rail."
Now her hands flung in the air, only to be followed by a very frustrated response of flopping back into her seat. She couldn't help it. Really. "Then what's stopping him? I mean, he's the only guy to see me naked. Twice. We even fooled around a couple times, and I thought he wanted me, you know, like, I could tell, but then, nothing happened." God, she had never talked to anyone the way she talked to Jer right now, and the burning need for answers was the only thing to stalwart her embarrassment.
Jeremy considered her words for a moment. "Have you asked him?"
"No," she shot back. "How does a girl even ask that? 'Why won't you sleep with me?' No, I just don't see myself broaching that one."
He nibbled his lip. "He just stopped when he realized you were a virgin?"
"Yeah." She leaned back in the seat, recalling that day only too well. "He just laid back on the bed, you know, kind of like he was in shock."
An interminable moment of silence passed while Jess waited for Jer to respond. His voice was very soft when he told her, "It is shocking, you know."
Their eyes held, and his voice grew a tad stronger. "You're twenty-six years old. The average person isn't expecting a willing bed partner to be inexperienced at this point in our lives. I'd be shocked if I took someone to bed only to find out that I was his first. This is one of those things you usually know ahead of time."
She worried her lip while she tried to think from the male viewpoint. "So you think I should have told him."
Indignation was not the response she expected but that was what she got. "I think you should have told me. After all, I'm your best friend. I thought you lost it last year with Joe. And you should have told me then."
She gasped and faced him, almost smiling through her anguish. "Are you angry with me?"
He pouted, too exaggerated to be real. "Wounded, Jess."
"I'm sorry." She reached over and squeezed his shoulder with all the emotion she could show her best friend. "You never share those details with me, so I only followed suit."
He made a note of scorn. "I just figured you'd be too jealous when I told you how fulfilling our sex lives are." His blue eyes widened with mock honesty. "I was saving you from knowing too much."
"Generous to a fault, Jer."
"Smooches," and he blew her a kiss. He frowned, opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a long moment. "Do...you think he has other plans?"
Just hearing him ask that brought all her concerns roaring to a head, and she swore she felt her pulse leap at the thought. "I fear he has other plans. Why?"
"Fear? Like what?"
They passed a sign saying the local zoo was only two exits away, and Jess was good and ready to walk off her frustrations. "Oh, you know, the usual: leaving me homeless, bereft, him moving back to England, never seeing him again...you know, that whole ships-crossing-in-the-night crap."
His shoulders dropped at her words. "Honey cakes, you will never be homeless: even if I have to strap you to our couch, you will have a place to stay, pussies and puppy as well." He looked over at her for a second. "I actually had something slightly more romantic in mind; you know, like, maybe he's saving you for marriage?"
"To whom?"
"To him, of course."
She leaned back into her seat. Crossed her arms over her chest. Could it be? As much as she craved the idea, her heart felt too vulnerable to withstand such a crushing lie. "Are you sure?"
"Of course not. I don't know him. I'm just trying to look at the big picture. You both fell in love ten years ago. Your house burns down, and he asks you to move in."
"Yeah. To a separate bedroom."
"Motion to strike, your honor." His finger waggled. "He takes you out shopping and buys you a whole new wardrobe. And," his gaze held significance. "Are you even fighting over the inheritance anymore?"
Her chest caved in, knocking her deeper into the car seat. "No."
"Hmm." Both hands returned to the wheel. "I wonder if I'm right."
A shaky breath filled Jess' lungs. "I would like it if you were. I really would. I...I really have fallen in love with Darius, Jer. I mean, it's been ten years and I still think he is the most perfect man on the planet, at least, for me. But, what if he's not in love back? What if he just sees me as, I don't know, a sister or
something? I don't think I could bear to see him ever again if that's the case."
She watched his mouth work into a moue as he considered her words. "Well...you could always try to...persuade him."
She frowned and asked, "How?"
An evil grin matched the look he darted her way. "Naked."
She gasped. "Jeremy!" His audacity knew no bounds, and though she smiled, she kept her mouth open in shock, lest he think he could sway her.
He shrugged, shook his head. "He's a guy with the hots for you. We can all see it. Just sneak into his room at night and, you know...persuade him."
She felt her arms cross her chest, and she held herself tightly. It would only lead to another rejection, another false hope. "And how, exactly, do you think I should do that?"
"It's simple. Just crawl into bed with him and start touching him with your little girly hands. You said you messed around with him before. Just do that again."
The notion of being naked in his arms held the greatest appeal, more than she was willing to voice. "And you think that will work?"
In a bland tone, Jeremy imparted, "He's a man about to get laid. It'll work." He paused. "Unless...."
"What?"
He crooked a grin at her. "He goes all Hong Kong Phooey on you for sneaking up on him." He waved his flat hands all over the place- like he just walked into a spider web- and the car began to veer.
She moaned and released her death grip on her ribs as Jeremy resumed his hold on the wayward wheel. "Great. So, he'll either karate chop me in two, or I lose my virginity to the man I love."
He started rummaging in his pocket. "I think I have a coin. Call it."
She punched him.
Their turn was just ahead, and Jeremy took the exit and rolled the car through the long curvy entrance to the zoo all the way at the back. He pulled the car into a parking spot and asked, "What do your parents think about all this? Maybe Anna can look into his records or something." He rubbed his arm where she nailed him, and she saw he tried not to wince. The baby.
"God." Jess stared up at the bright blue sky. "They don't even know my house burned down." She faced Jeremy, feeling the paleness of her skin. "They're on vacation. One of those destination weddings. If I call them, Mom will just want to come home. I can't do that to her. It's her best friend's kid's wedding."
Keys out of the ignition, Jeremy got out and stood to stretch. "You should at least give her the facts, straight up. Wedding's not for another few days, right?"
"Yeah," she grumbled.
Jeremy just held her eyes, and she knew he wouldn't move until she called her Mom.
She pulled out her cell, dialed and waited. When her mom answered, Jess said, "Mom, I think you should know I've had the best and worst week of my entire life."
Chapter Thirty-Six
Luckily, no one had cleared out any of Ollie's belongings, including his eccentric clothing, which Darius thought might be best slated as donations to the local theaters for costume purposes. Darius had pulled open a few drawers in the dusty study and found the address book of all the former staff.
He jotted down his favorites and phoned them one by one. Some had either moved away or taken other employment, but of the fifteen he wanted, eight were more than willing to rejoin his household.
That meant a cook, three gardeners, a butler, two maids, and a personal assistant for Jess would be coming here, while Darius waited for his valet to make arrangements for relocating across "the pond," as the Americans like to call the Atlantic.
Somerwynd Estates would soon have wait staff again.
An added incentive of one thousand dollars ensured they were coming today.
Soon they filtered in, each smiling and parting a hug or handshake as they crossed the threshold. Within a few hours, all the drop cloths had been pulled from the furniture, hampers had been strewn across the floors to collect the laundry, ladders had been pitched in the middle of the floors to start cleaning off the cobwebs and dust from the chandeliers, the smell of beef and onions wafted from the kitchen, and he thought he heard a vacuum cleaner running upstairs.
It felt like his family was coming together.
Towie had been intent on meeting everyone, wagging his little tailless rump and barking once or twice, but after following first one person, then another, he seemed to decide a supervisory position suited him better and he curled up alongside the couch to watch.
When the bells to the driveway rang out hours later, Darius called everyone down to meet Jess.
He couldn't wait to see her expression.
Since the gate swung open and Darius greeted her at the door, Jess didn't need Jeremy to walk her inside. Plus, the look on Darius' face told her he had a great surprise in store, and after Jeremy's brainwashing marriage speech, she kind of hoped it involved something sparkly. So she waved goodbye to Jeremy and faced Darius, filled with hope of good news.
Still smiling, Darius grabbed her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I have a surprise for you."
Mischief glinted in his eyes, so she grinned and asked, "Oh?"
He whipped open the door and said, "They're waiting to meet you."
Well, that sounded weird, but Jess wore her best grin and followed him inside.
It was just like stepping into a medieval castle, for a line of servants awaited her in a receiving line, all dressed in cleaning clothes and rather dusty from a long day's work.
The first one in line was a face she hadn't seen in forever, but there was no mistaking the baggy hound-dog eyes, the dour mouth, the sparse hair.
"Jess, you should remember-"
"Bigsby!" Jess tossed her arms around his neck, and the old man staggered back a step before placing his hands on her shoulders to put some space between them. "Madam, I can assure you, this is completely unnecessary."
The laugh that bubbled out of Jess felt so great, especially when she saw the pink on his ear tips and the flush around his throat. "Oh, Bigsby, I have missed you terribly."
He met her eyes then, the old goat, and she could see a glimmer of a smile therein. "You have blossomed into a lovely woman, Ms. Swan."
"Thank you, Bigsby. You are still too kind."
Darius grinned and guided her to the next in line, a portly woman with a black apron sporting white handprints made with what Jess took to be flour. "This is Betsy, or Cookie. Whatever you want, she can make it. You want beef wellington? She's your gal. Homemade apple pie? The crust will be light and flaky. Peanut butter and jelly? The ratio will be perfectly spot on."
Jess offered her hand, and they shook, but then Betsy dropped into a curtsy as well. "I think I saw you in your youth, you and your parents. Are they both well?"
"They are, thank you. Did you know them?"
Betsy brushed off the flour from her apron, and Jess got a whiff of freshly-baked bread from the motion. "I met them. Your father helped my son get out of a tight spot. He's a good man."
Jess brightened at the compliment. "He's the best."
She then met the rest of them one by one, and finally Darius pulled her before a young Korean girl with shoulder length hair and eyes curved into an upside-down crescent, so beatific was her smile. "Finally, this is Ahn Kim, call her Kimi. She is your own personal assistant, ready and able to help you in any way."
Kimi grabbed her hands and said, "It is so great to meet you. I've heard Mr. Covington- that is, Ollie- mention you fondly over the years, and it is such an honor to finally meet you in person."
She released Jess' hands and said, "I'm in night school right now, but I can work seven to three every day. Whatever you need, I can do, and that includes errands, ironing, shopping, laundry, whatever. No job is too big or too small for Kimi."
Jess grinned at her exuberance, but Kimi wasn't done. She looked at Darius and said, "She looks just like-"
Darius raised a warning brow, and Kimi smiled and said, "A supermodel. I mean, look at this hair." And she went around and gathered handfuls of it. "It's lovely. I was going t
o go to school to be a hair stylist. Don't let my pin-straight hair fool you; I can do anything with hair. It's my true medium. But I decided to go to college for speech pathology, because I thought it would be far more tragic to be unable to communicate with someone rather than to have a bad hair day. Don't you agree?"
Jess thought she was the most adorable personal assistant ever. "I do indeed."
"Now." Kimi faced her, seriousness replacing the joyful veneer from a moment ago. She ticked off on her fingers. "Pants. Hung or folded?"
"Folded."
Two fingers. "Bed made up immediately or aired out?"
She had never realized there was a choice. "Made up."
Three fingers. "Socks rolled or folded?"
Jess cracked a grin at her. "Dumped."
"Do you wear t-shirts?"
Jess nodded. "I do."
"How do you like them folded?"
"I'm feeling spoiled." She drew two parallel lines from her shoulders straight down to the hem. "Like they do in the stores, arms back."
"Got it." Kimi then grinned and asked, "Fabric softener in the wash?"
That was a luxury Jess never bothered with. "Dealer's choice."
"Okay. I saw a bunch of laundry sitting in baskets upstairs, so if we're done here....?" She raised her brows.
Darius nodded at Kimi, and Jess grinned, then laughed as the girl darted up the stairs. The rest of the staff shifted, and Darius nodded to them as well. "Thank you for coming down."
Jess waved and smiled. "It was so nice meeting all of you. Thank you for taking the time."
They said their partings and went back up on ladders and gathering laundry and dusting.
"They're lovely," Jess said, smiling at him, feeling like he was planning on staying, at least for awhile, if he was bringing in his staff to work. She liked the idea enormously.
"They are the best people ever. Ollie attracted it, you know?"
"I do." Jess looked up the stairs where Kimi had gone. "Kimi is adorable."
He kissed her head and chuckled. "I figured if you liked Faith, you would get along great with Kimi. They are cut of the same cloth."
She laughed. "They are indeed." Ignored by all amidst the clamor of cleaning, Jess faced him. "So, who do I look like?"
