No More Mr. Nice

by Renee Roszel

  JESS WAITED BY THE phone for word of her mother. The police had told her the best thing she could do was to stay put. But, with the furious storm outside, it was hard to keep from running into the gale and dashing wildly along the street in a mad search for her confused and stubborn parent, who at this very moment could be freezing to death in some alley.

  Since the retreat, Mamie had become more and more bewildered and contrary. Jess had tried to interest her in some hobby or other, even a gourmet cooking class. Anything. Nothing seemed to hold her interest. And yesterday Jess had awakened to find Mamie had disappeared.

  Jess hadn’t slept all night. If she were to be honest, she hadn’t had much rest ever since Lucas had walked into—then out of—her life. She was exhausted, terrified and at her wit’s end.

  Hearing a sound outside, she started. Was it a car engine? Maybe the police had found her mother and were bringing her back. Hope surging through her, she rushed to the front door and flung it wide. Snow stung her eyes and she blinked and squinted, trying to see through the howling wall of white. It wasn’t a police car, but a long black limousine. Unfolding himself from the back, was a handsome figure dressed in a charcoal gray suit. As he strode toward her front porch, his hawklike features came into view, as classic and riveting as she remembered. Lucas!

  What was he doing here? Jess felt her heart lurch with foolish longing. She was so alone, so frightened. If only he were there to enfold her in his arms, tell her everything was all right. “Lucas?” she whispered in disbelief, he took the porch steps two at a time.

  Grabbing her by the hand, he said, “Come with me,” and all but dragged her away.

  Fifteen minutes later in growing dusk, they were creeping down a narrow section road in a deep wood. Because of the tree cover, there was only a light powdering of snow on the dirt lane.

  “Do you really think she might be there? Mother only saw it that once, on the hayride,” Jess ventured. The trip had been awkwardly quiet. Lucas’s stern expression discouraged idle chatter. He’d sat in brooding silence, as though he were fighting some internal battle. Now she watched his stark profile, fearful, waiting for him to respond.

  Lucas had told her that just as they’d driven up to her house to offer to help, the car phone had rung. It had been Maxim, relaying a message from Jack, that when he’d gone in search of Moron, he’d seen smoke coming from the cottage chimney. Lucas had thought it might be Mamie.

  “We’ll know soon enough,” he answered finally, startling Jess from her thoughts. Jerry pulled to a halt. “Through those trees. Here.” He lifted his cashmere overcoat and indicated that she put it on. “The cottage is about a hundred yards up that path.”

  She slid her arms into the huge, soft coat as Jerry opened her door. She and Lucas hurried up the barely discernible trail. Luckily, she was wearing jeans and tennis shoes, so the going was easy, even over the uneven terrain.

  Hoping against hope, Jess ran on ahead and burst open the door. Inside she was met by an outlandish sight. Mamie sat on the horse-blanketed couch, a china tea service before her on the small table. Jack was beside her, holding a mug. A wet dog sprawled contentedly before a blazing fire. Nearby sat a washtub filled with a murky red substance.

  Mamie peered at them, startled by the intrusion. “Well,” she admonished, “You two are late. We’ve gone ahead without you.”

  Jess sagged against the wall in relief as Lucas closed the door. “Mother,” she managed, through a sigh. “I’ve been worried sick.”

  Mamie poured from the pot into Jack’s mug. “There you are, dear. Would you care for milk and lemon?”

  Jack sipped. “Mrs. Ritter,” he replied with a lopsided grin, “it’s cocoa.”

  She tittered. “Oh, my, yes. Silly me.” Glowering at Jess, she scolded, “You befuddled me, Jessica. And just what sort of outfit is that? You look like a Secret Service agent with bad dandruff.”

  Moron sat up and barked, wagging his tail.

  “Mother, what are you doing here?” Jess asked, too relieved to be angry.

  “Why, I’m having a Summit meeting. This is Boris What’s-It and this—” she indicated the dog “—is…” She screwed up her face. “Who is this, Boris?” she asked Jack. “My mind’s a blank.”

  “That’s a stupid dog,” Jack said, looking fondly at the mutt.

  “Now, now, Boris,” she reproved, taking a sip of her cocoa. “We shall get nowhere near world peace with that cheeky attitude. I’ll have no name-calling at my Summit.”

  Jess felt a tug on her arm, and turned to see Lucas looking down at her, doing his best not to smile. “I don’t think we have the security clearance for this,” he said. “Why don’t we go let the police know she’s safe?”

  Jess nodded, feeling oddly breathless. It was the first time he had smiled at her in so very long. Reluctantly turning away, she called, “Mother, we’ll be back later. Okay?”

  Mamie waved them off with grandiose impatience. “Go. Go. My press secretary will have a statement for you this evening.”

  “Yeah,” Jack added. “He’ll bark.” With a look that plainly said he thought Mamie was weird, but likable, he took a gulp of his cocoa.

  As Jess and Lucas went down the steps, he shouted over the wind, “Looks like she finally got her white house.”

  Jess shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.” Then, facing him, she asked the question that had been plaguing her mind ever since he grabbed her hand on her front porch. “What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded fairly steady, considering her anguished state of mind. “I thought you had a meeting in Tokyo—according to Annie.” She lifted her hands to shelter her eyes from the biting snow. “She seems to chat with you on a regular basis, these days.”

  He took her arm, urging her to the cover of the trees where there was some protection from the storm. “Just twice,” he amended. “She talked. I listened.” He glanced away, his expression again agitated. It was plain he was at war with himself about his feelings for the kids—his natural sensitivity versus his conscious desire to be thoroughly in command of his heart and his career.

  “What happened with Tokyo? Was the trip delayed?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t care, shouldn’t involve herself in his life anymore. But she couldn’t help it. Lord save her, she loved the man.

  “No, it wasn’t delayed,” he said simply. He turned back to face her, and stood, towering over her silently, his arresting eyes filled with unbelievable warmth. The storm seemed to recede into a hushed stillness as they stared at each other. There was no world, no reality beyond the two of them, sheltered beneath a canopy of winter branches in the dwindling twilight.

  Finally Lucas took her hands in his and began quietly, “I didn’t go to Tokyo today. And I may not have a job tomorrow.”

  Jess regarded him gravely and prayed that his next words would not extinguish the crazy flicker of hope that had been kindled in her heart by his tender look and the touch of his hands. “I don’t understand,” she said, but her voice was so weak, she wasn’t sure he heard.

  With a sudden move, he hauled her into the heat of his arms, and muttered against her cool cheek, “I’m saying, I couldn’t go to Tokyo thinking your mother might die, and you’d have to grieve alone. The last year of my grandmother’s life, she got confused, wandered off. The day she died—Well, let’s say I’ve been there, and—” He stopped, cleared a thickness from his voice. “I wanted to be with you.”

  “But—but we found her,” she reminded. “You can still go.”

  He shook his head. “We couldn’t take off in this storm,” he said. “The important thing is, Mamie’s all right.” He hugged her more tightly to him, gently rocking her back and forth, comforting her. “Thank God for that.”

  Relishing this unexpected intimacy they might never share again, Jess clung to him and buried her face against his throat. “Oh, Lucas,” she cried. “I’m so sorry about your—”

  “Dammit,” he growled, cutting her
off. “I told you never to apologize to me. I made the choice to stay.” He stopped abruptly, as though fighting for control, and simply held her nestled against his supple strength. He freed a stray lock of her hair that had become trapped inside his coat, and smoothed it across the gray cashmere collar. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle, but rough with emotion. “Jess, this is hard. But what I’m trying to say is—I love you.”

  Her heart stumbled perilously. “You—you love me?” she asked, staggered to hear him voice it.

  He pressed her away, appraising her with a look that was nearly unbearable in its tenderness. “I do. And I want you to marry me,” he added soberly. “I’ve fought my feelings for you with all my strength, but today, when I heard your mother was missing, I knew I couldn’t leave you.” A large, gentle hand came up to brush a tear from her cheek. “Of course, if I’m out of your system, I won’t embarrass you by mentioning it again.”

  Their gazes held, and for Jess, there would never be need for another verbal pledge between them. The staggering honesty in his dark eyes conveyed far more commitment than words could ever do. “Oh, Lucas. You’ll never be out of my system,” she assured him through a trembly sigh. “So, mention it, darling. Mention it over and over….”

  He lifted her in his arms and struck off toward the limo. “Sweetheart,” he murmured huskily, grazing her cheek with his lips, “as soon as I get you alone, I plan to do a lot more than just mention it.”

  She grinned at him, deliriously happy. He was smiling at her—really smiling—all lurking doubt and sadness gone from his expression. She stretched up and covered his mouth with hers.

  He returned the kiss with all the passion he had so recently held in check, and the depth of emotion left her weak and dizzy. She settled back in his arms, her eyes closed, and reveled in the glory of it. How was this possible? Her prayers had been answered—suddenly and perfectly. This powerful, guarded, unemotional man had risked his career to stay and help her search for her mother! The same unpredictable, sometimes-irrational woman her ex-husband had called loony tunes! How could she ever have thought of Lucas as anything but the most sensitive, caring—nicest guy—in the world?

  Snuggling within his embrace, she kissed his throat, and teased, “Could you enjoy making love to me as much as working in your Virtual Reality world?”

  He flashed a mischievous grin. “Bottom line?”

  She nodded, her lips still throbbing from his sizzling kiss.

  With a sexy chuckle, he nuzzled her cheek, crooning near her ear, “Stick with me, baby, and one day we’ll make love on the rings of Saturn.”

  Jess felt the joy of utter completeness, absolutely sure that they would.

  Epilogue

  As Jess and Lucas entered his hospital room, Norman Roxbury glanced up from his book and beamed in surprise. She thought he looked much better today. There was new color in the elderly man’s cheeks, and he’d gained some needed weight. “I can see you’re feeling better, Norman,” she said, as she and Lucas came over to stand beside his bed. Leaning down, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  He grinned that elfish grin. “Finally taught the chef to make a proper blueberry flapjack.”

  Lucas chuckled, dropped an arm about Jess’s shoulder and drew her close. Jess still could not quite believe her good fortune. Had it only been two days ago that Lucas had proposed? So much had happened since then.

  Lucas had insisted on taking a six-month leave of absence for an extended honeymoon. Then, to Jess’s amazement, he’d installed a glowing Mamie in his home as his “executive assistant.” It meant she had a phone, an office, and accounts at local florist, stationery and gourmet-food shops. Her duties were minimal. She was to keep their social schedule straight and play hostess when business meetings were held at the house. If Jess hadn’t already loved Lucas with all her heart, she would have loved him solely for what he’d done for her mother.

  Not only that. When Takahashi had learned the reason Lucas had missed the Tokyo meeting, he’d rescheduled. It seemed the Japanese drug tycoon had a particular soft spot for his own aging mother, and thought Lucas’s reason for dropping out was highly noble. Sol would attend the meeting in Lucas’s place, however. In a week, he’d be fine.

  “Well, my boy,” Norman was saying, “you look pretty fit. A little tired, perhaps. And I don’t believe I’ve seen you in jeans since you were a boy.” He laced his fingers behind his head, and added, “I understand the Thanksgiving Retreat went off nicely. I want to thank you for your help.” Jess noticed he was taking careful note of the possessive arm about her shoulders, and his eyes began to glisten. “Did anything happen I should know about?”

  “Nothing you didn’t plan, you old devil,” Lucas admonished with a chuckle. “But I want to thank you for your meddling.”

  Norman laughed, and the sound of it was heartier than it had been in a long time. “My boy,” he offered sheepishly, “forgive an old man his wiliness. But I’ve always loved you as a son, and I’ve grown to love Jess like a daughter.” He shrugged thin shoulders. “Seemed only natural to get you two together.”

  Jess bent down and kissed him again. “We’re grateful, Norman. More than we could ever repay.” She straightened and smiled lovingly at the wonderful man she’d met right here in this room. “Lucas and I have something for you, Norman.”

  The old man’s bushy eyebrows rose in question. “Oh? What is it?”

  “Your doctor tells us you’ll be well enough to travel by New Year’s.” Lucas pulled an airline ticket from his breast pocket. “So, we want to thank you for pushing us together by sending you to visit your niece and her twins, in Hawaii.”

  Norman’s surprise was evident. “Why, I—That’s fine of you both,” he said. “I’d love to see Lucia and the children, but don’t forget I have the Senior Citizens’ New Year’s Eve Party to plan.”

  Jess grinned down at him. “Lucas and I will handle it.” She reached up to squeeze the large hand that rested on her arm. “We thought we’d help you out with that, and the Teenage Mothers’ Camp every summer. Along with the Mr. Niceguy program, of course.”

  Jess was touched to see tears form in the old man’s eyes. He settled back against his pillow, looking happy and at peace. “I’ll accept that, gladly. I’ve been thinking of semiretiring. Your offer is a great weight off my mind.” He looked at Lucas, his gaze shining with affection. “But I have to say, my boy, the best gift you’ve given me is seeing you regain that wonderful compassion of your youth. That was my true hope.” He indicated the sparkling diamond engagement ring on Jess’s left hand. “And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was rooting for this, too. When’s the wedding?”

  Jess smiled, feeling suddenly shy and terribly blessed. “Christmas Day. And it wouldn’t be complete if you didn’t give me away.”

  “My dear child,” Norman said, with a mischievous wink, “I did that the day Lucas walked into this room and met you.” He chuckled. “But, of course, I will be happy to oblige. Couldn’t ask for better incentive to get back on these old legs.”

  ON THE WAY HOME in the limo, Jess snuggled into the sheltering warmth of her fiancé’s arms. She sighed contentedly. “It seems you’re the official Mr. Niceguy from now on. Happy?”

  “Very. But, I’d think being married to Mr. Niceguy would bother you,” he murmured, rubbing a finger seductively along her jaw. “After all, as the saying goes, Nice Guys Finish Last.”

  She shifted in his arms, and her tongue teased his earlobe, as she said softly, “Ah, but I’ve found that to be a ‘stroke’ of luck if you happen to be making love.”

  He flashed an all-too-sexy grin that sent her world careening crazily around her. Her only reality became his heady scent and the exquisite passion in his dark eyes. “Unfortunately,” he reminded in a low, husky tone, “we don’t happen to be making love.”

  With lighthearted abandon, Jess closed the shade between the driver and the passenger area. She slid her arms about his neck and drew his lips down
to graze hers, coaxing, “Want to make a bet—Mr. Niceguy?”