Love Uncharted
Page 43
The police officer stepped in and unlocked the cell door. “Come on out, both of you. You’ve both been bailed out.”
Rain looked astonished. “Who paid for my bail?” she asked.
“I did.” Chare rushed toward the cell, nearly out of breath.
Rain broke into laughter. “What a delightful man you are! Thank you!” she gushed, giving him a great big hug and kiss on the cheek. His eyes widened and his face reddened.
Alex came over to hug JJ.
“Does anyone know where Kenn is?” JJ asked. “I need to talk to him right away.”
“He’s at the Physics Café — what’s left of it after that wrestling match. He’s downing cappuccinos like water,” Dr. Chare said.
“Uh, oh!” Rain said. “That’s never a good sign. Come on, we better get over there right away.”
As the women started down the hall, they bumped into Garrett who was jogging toward the cell. He gave Rain a quick hug. “Are you all right?”
“Garrett, would you do me a big favor?”
“Of course.”
“Meet JJ.” The two shook hands. “Could you please give her a ride to the Physics Café? She’s got a very important appointment that she can’t be late for.”
“Of course.”
“Aren’t you coming, too?”
“I’ll be there. But it’s more important that you get there first. I’m sure Dr. Chare will be happy to give me a ride.”
The chair beamed, extending his right elbow out for Rain to take. They followed Garrett and JJ down the hall.
Alex and Blake hurriedly scurried after them, leaving Nan and Rob standing alone.
“What the hell just happened?” Nan asked.
“What you’ve been begging your sister to do for the last several years. She got a life of her own! And if we don’t get to the café, hon, we’ll never see how all this plays out.”
• • •
JJ could feel the wind rip through her clothes. It’s not like I woke up this morning planning to ride on a motorcycle, she thought. The chilly fall air proved to be downright cold at fifty miles per hour, she observed. She swayed as Garrett expertly avoided potholes, took curves, and made right and left turns. I’ll never do this again. Speed may be of the essence, but I’d really love to live long enough to see Kenn again. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Garrett shouted something back at her, momentarily taking his eyes off the road ahead of him. Because of the characteristic rumble of the Harley, the whooshing of the wind, and the protective helmet, his words reached her as mere garble. He didn’t seem to notice as he immediately turned his head and concentrated on the road again.
Finally the hog went from fifty miles an hour to zero in what felt like three seconds as it came to a halt in front of the Physics Café. First the motorcycle stopped, then her body stopped, but not before it bumped into Garrett’s back.
Clumsily, JJ dismounted the cycle. No easy task for someone so short or so inexperienced in the act. She stumbled backward a few steps before regaining her balance. It looks so easy in the movies, she thought.
Once stable on her feet, JJ dashed into the café, oblivious that she still wore the helmet. Her only thought was her need to explain herself to Kenn. She couldn’t lose him, not now. Not when she had learned how wonderful having a real life is — even with all of its ups and downs.
She found him exactly where Dr. Chare said he would be, at the barista bar, talking with Alvin. “ … an enormous pompous ass,” JJ heard the muffled admission.
“It’s Atom Ant in the flesh,” Alvin laughed. Kenn, who had been concentrating on the drizzles of caramel on the whipped cream of his Milky Way Galaxy cappuccino, glanced in JJ’s direction.
Knowing full well that his girlfriend was already teed off at him (an understatement), he suppressed his initial urge to laugh. She did resemble Atom Ant — a very sexy one.
“Kenn, we need to talk.”
He stood and assumed his self-defense pose of the tai chi flamingo — left leg up, hands covering his face, and his eyes tightly closed.
“Hey, Atom Ant,” Alvin said. JJ took a deep breath. Her muscles tightened at the interruption. She anticipated this to be difficult enough without a comedian in the background. “What?”
“Take off the helmet. You’ll gain some credibility.”
She fumbled with the fastener for a moment, new to the whole helmet thing. Finally, she removed it. With her new expanded perspective, JJ was able to see more of her surroundings. And what she saw surprised her. The café, unusually full of customers — the vast majority of them students — who were all watching this fascinating bird’s eye view of their professors.
Alex and Blake ran in, breathless. Several cheerleaders and pep squad members ran up to Alex and Blake, clearly excited.
“Where have you been?” one asked. “You’re late.” The group tried to pull Alex from the scene. “Come on, you’re needed someplace else. And it’s important!” The cheerleader pleaded, tugging at Alex.
“You too, Blake,” said one of the pep squad members. “You’re needed too. And we have to hurry!” The students were nearly frantic trying to get them to move.
“Oh, all right!” Alex said and the two of them reluctantly left.
JJ scrutinized Kenn as he stood before her, his precarious pose appearing more difficult for him to hold with every second. She could see him begin to totter a little. She knitted her brow and cocked her head. “Preparing for the worst, I see.”
“Yep! Just standing here waiting for you to unleash your very special brand of cow dung on me.” He spread his fingers slightly, opened his eyes and peeked out.
Still feeling the eyes of the students expecting a floorshow, she said, “Let’s go outside.” She pulled his hand from his face and dragged him through the café. A collective groan echoed throughout the coffee shop.
JJ’s cheeks grew hot. She knew they were glowing crimson. Once safely out on the sidewalk, she poured out her feelings.
“So, yeah, I was teed off when I thought you and Rain were well … you know … on your desk. But it’s difficult to spend as much time together in a six-by-nine jail cell and not share some very personal, private moments. What I’m trying to say is that even your ex-girlfriend testified about your loyalty. The jealously I felt, the insecurity … well … it’s all part of my problem. Starting a new relationship, a new life after all this time really hasn’t been easy. And it’s been scary for me. Very scary.”
“I know, darling.” Kenn approached her slowly, placing his hands on her arms, gazing into her eyes. Her body sizzled when he touched her. If she had doubts that she was making the right move, they evaporated.
“Believe me,” he said, pulling her a little closer, “Rain seriously hurt me when she left. For a while I wasted so much time trying to replace her. Then I saw you standing there in the bookstore. I knew you were very special, but I acted like such a pompous ass.”
JJ closed her eyes and shook her head as she remembered their first disastrous encounter.
“I didn’t do much to help you out.”
Kenn pulled her closer, staring into her sparkling green eyes. JJ’s spine tingled as she studied his boyish face, a face she now knew so well; she knew every laugh line.
He placed his hand on her neck and pulled her even closer, their lips met and they became lost in the moment, a very long sensual moment. Slowly their lips parted but the embrace lingered, neither wanting to release it. “I swore when I kissed you, darling, that I heard music and angels singing.”
“Of course you did,” she said as she nestled into his warm body. “Look out there at the street. The homecoming parade is passing by.” The music was the university’s marching band and the angels were the cheerleaders.
Kenn looked up just as the float carrying the homecoming king and queen was slowly passing. Alex and Blake rode atop it, arms linked around each other while waving to the crowd. “Look who made the royalty!” Kenn said.
“Ooow! JJ! You go!” Alex shouted and waved.
JJ and Kenn waved back. Alex turned to Blake and kissed him passionately. The crowd roared with delight. This was the first time JJ noticed the crowd on the sidewalk. Had they been there all this time?
“That’s our cue,” Kenn told her softly. They tightened their embrace. JJ closed her eyes, soaking in the exquisite moment. When the noise around them reached a crescendo, she slowly opened one eye and glanced at the café. The windows were lined with students, applauding and cheering!
“I do believe we have an ever expanding audience, Kenn,” she mumbled.
“Well, then, let’s give them something they can remember!”
Chapter 41
“So exactly what happens to me at the end of the book?”
Alex sat on the couch in the study, legs crossed at the knee, her hands cupped around the top one. She concentrated on JJ’s every movement as JJ, standing behind the desk, readied the pages of the now-completed manuscript Love’s Surprise for shipment. Carefully, so as not to get any pages out of their proper order, she packed them in a sturdy white Priority Mailing box.
“Or am I going to have to wait until the book is published to see how my love unfolds?” Alex paused. JJ looked up from her packing and saw the sorrow in her eyes. “Am I going back home any … any time … soon.” Her voice cracked.
She uncrossed her legs and scooted to the edge of the cushion, covering her eyes with her hands. JJ heard the mixture of sadness and anger in Alex’s words. She abandoned her task and immediately went to her side. She could see Alex’s stomach quickly rise up and down with every silent sob.
“Don’t cry sweetheart,” JJ said. “You’ll get back, I’m sure.”
“When? How?” Tears finally broke through and streamed down her cheeks. “I thought that once we got you and Kenn securely together we’d somehow be magically transported back to our book. Just like we were magically transported here. But look at me — I’m still stuck in this godforsaken place.”
Alex gasped. “JJ, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “You know I didn’t mean that. You’ve been a wonderful friend.”
“I know you didn’t mean it. And you know what? It’s okay even if you did.”
JJ gently sat next to her, placing her hands over one of Alex’s. “It’s not your home. I understand your frustration and your loneliness. Trust me, I never thought you and Blake would be here this long either.”
As if on cue Blake bounced in, carrying a tray with three cups of freshly brewed French roast coffee. His broad smile faded when he saw Alex distressed.
Hastily, he looked for a place to put the tray on the desk. Between the manuscript box and other papers, he could find no space. JJ jumped up, quickly took the box, and placed it on the credenza behind her desk.
Blake lay the tray down and hurried to Alex’s side. “Love?
Inhaling loudly, between sobs, she cried, “I want to go home! And I want to go home now!”
JJ picked up two of the cups and offered one to Alex. “Here, hon. This might help. This one’s for you, Blake.”
He took the cup, but kept one arm tenderly around Alex’s shoulders. “Love, we’ll get back, I promise. I know I haven’t been able to make it happen yet, but, I promise … ” She looked deeply into his eyes.
JJ wondered what her character was thinking. Then with a slight smile, she thought of how she would script the scene. Alex gazed into his chocolate brown eyes and saw the soul within the man. In those kind eyes, she saw a man who enjoyed every moment of life, who laughed heartily, loved fiercely. A man who would die for her. She saw the one and only man she would ever love.
Alex spoke slowly, trying hard to control her sobs. “You’ve been so wonderful. You’ve tried everything. It’s not your fault. There’s a missing puzzle piece that we just can’t seem to find yet. And it’s infuriating.”
The author pulled another chapter from the printer, ensured all the pages were there and placed it on the bottom of the pile.
JJ printed out the final chapter of the book, then took a quick sip of coffee. “How many other writers can print out the final copy of their manuscript and watch their characters interact across the room?” she thought. Then, again, she could never explain it to anyone. She could never share this moment, not without them questioning her sanity.
JJ replaced the cup on the tray as she realized the printer had stopped. She pulled the paper from the tray and arranged it in its proper place in the manuscript. Finally, the manuscript was complete. Every page was printed. Closing the box, she sighed deeply.
With a bit of flair, she turned around quickly, hands extended high into the air. “And that completes one more love story!” She took a bow.
“That’s odd,” she said. The tray was no longer on her desk.
“What is?” She looked up to see Kenn leaning against the doorjamb. He held two cups — one bright yellow, the other cobalt blue.
“There was a tray …” She stopped in midsentence. She looked at the couch. No one was sitting there. Slowly she smiled, and then everything clicked. Alex and Blake were nowhere to be found. But they were just here. So that really was their mission here, she thought — to make sure I began living my own life again. Silently she congratulated the pair. She broke into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Kenn asked as he walked into the room, offering her the yellow cup. “French roast coffee, sweetheart. Your favorite.” She took the cup and inhaled the marvelous aroma before answering his question.
“I always get a little giddy when I complete a novel. There’s a part of me that just can’t believe my good fortune.”
“Good fortune, bull …” Kenn said. “You’ve got talent, both as a historian and a romance writer. And I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have you in my life.” Kenn’s eyes pierced JJ’s soul. Her knees buckled.
“Congratulations, sweetheart! I propose a toast. A French roast toast, even!” The pair held their cups up. “To happily ever after.”
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
The Nymph’s Labyrinth by Danica Winters
Love Remains
Zrinka Jelic
Avon, Massachusetts
This edition published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
www.crimsonromance.com
Copyright © 2013 by Zrinka Jelic
ISBN 10: 1-4405-7046-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-7046-9
eISBN 10: 1-4405-7047-7
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-7047-6
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover art © 123rf.com; istockphoto.com/Mlenny
Contents
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
About the Author
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my wonderful critique partners from Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal critique loop, editors from Crimson Romance, and all others who contributed and helped me shape my novel to this final project.
“In Love Remains, Ms. Jelic has once again written a h
ighly imaginative paranormal romance with believable characters that are both flawed and compassionate with a plot that will keep you guessing until the end.”
Debbie Christiana, author of Twin Flames and Solstice.
“Zrinka Jelic has achieved a higher level of success with her time-travel story, Love Remains. Olivia had a difficult job, chopping employees’ heads, and then to travel to another dimension where she had a husband and children was felling. However, as with any Jelic story, the romance is strong and I was happy to travel with Tom and Olivia. At the end of life isn’t that what we seek — the warmth of love?”
jj Keller, Trade Agreement, LASR Best Book
Dedicated to all women, juggling families and careers, your love lives on in the lives of your children, and that’s something worth living behind.
CHAPTER 1
Poor fools, they made her laugh. Like squirrels busy digging for nuts, the Intelcorp’s employees turned to work in hopes their name wouldn’t get called. They knew their numbers would reduce when Olivia Owen from headquarters made her appearance, and so far she glided through her job of weeding out the slackers. The management preferred to call it a downsizing maneuvers — good for the investors and hell for the workers. Her gaze trailed a slouched man on his way out of her office. Bet now he wouldn’t scoff at the early retirement package he’d refused two years ago.
The hot security guard shut the door after the man. The watchman assigned to her to protect her from possible verbal or physical abuse of disgruntled employees assumed his usual pose, straight back, wrists crossed in front. Since this morning, Olivia eyed the young guy every chance she got. He exchanged a few flirtatious glances with her, and the thought of what lay hidden under his navy blue uniform sent heat to her core.