by Ward, Alice
“Well, our food should be here soon. I’m going to go to the restroom. Why don’t you join me, sweetheart?”
I knew that it wasn’t a question, but a subtle order. Mom slid out of the booth and I followed. The moment we were alone in the restroom, Mom turned on me.
“Kennedy Stella Nightingale, I want to know what’s going on with you and I want to know right now.”
“It’s nothing, Mom. Really,” I insisted. “I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention earlier and I’m sorry that I broke the mug. But there’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”
She narrowed her eyes and studied me. “I’m your mother, Kennedy. I know when something is wrong with you. We’re not going back to the table until you tell me what’s going on so you may as well start talking now.”
I avoided her eyes while I tried to come up with an explanation for my behavior. In a matter of seconds, I realized I had the perfect excuse.
“There’s a girl at school… her name is Meredith Dyer, she’s Jackson’s ex-girlfriend.”
“The girl that cheated on him? Jack told me about that, but he never mentioned her name. You know my rule. I can’t believe that it was Meredith, I had her in one of my seminars last semester.”
“I know. She was at the spa the other day with some of her sorority sisters. I overheard them talking and she thinks that you failed her because of what happened between her and Jackson. She said that she’s going to file a complaint against you with the school. She’s going to tell them that you failed her for personal reasons.” I left out everything Meredith had said about me and Jackson.
“Well, that’s ridiculous! I failed her because she’s a moron. Her final paper was barely coherent. This is why you haven’t seemed like yourself lately?”
I nodded.
“Kennedy, it’s nothing to worry about. I can show the Board all of Meredith’s coursework and they’ll see for themselves that she didn’t deserve to pass. I wish you hadn’t let this bother you so much.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. But you know how I feel about you. I can’t stand it when people say anything bad about you.”
“That’s sweet, darling, but you’ve gotten yourself worked up over nothing. Now, let’s get back to the table and get some food in you. You look pale and you’re losing too much weight.”
Mom pushed the restroom door open and I reluctantly followed her back to the table.
CHAPTER 6
Two days later, I woke up to a voice message from Mom. “Good morning darling. I know it’s early, but Jack’s had a business issue come up. He has to fly to Las Angeles this morning and since I’m not teaching this summer, I decided to go with him. We’ll probably be here until it’s time to leave for Fiji. I hope you don’t mind finishing a few wedding preparations for me. We left a list of things to do with Jackson. He’s going to come pick you up at noon. I love you and I’ll call tonight.”
Oh my god, I’m not ready for this. We can’t be alone together… we’ll end up naked again.
Since Mom and Jack had announced their plans to elope, I’d done nothing but fantasize about being alone with Jackson on the island. I drifted off into erotic daydreams at the most inopportune times, like at a tutoring session and during the FLA meeting.
And now I have to spend the whole day with him.
The idea both excited and terrified me. I still had the same reservations about getting involved with Jackson again. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight my attraction to him much longer. I wanted to spend the day with him, to flirt and laugh and touch him. The fact that I wanted those things so badly scared the shit out of me.
Just take a deep breath and relax. You’re just running errands. This is not a date. DON’T act like this is a date.
I wanted to seem casual and collected while I was with Jackson. I’d been so spastic at lunch on Wednesday and I didn’t want to give him any more proof that he had me rattled. I lit the screen of my phone and saw that it was ten-thirty. I wanted to take my time getting ready, so I rolled out of bed and padded over to the closet.
I stared at my clothes and then eyed Lauren’s white cotton romper. It had spaghetti straps, ruffles along the neckline, and the soft fabric was adorned with tiny yellow roses. When Lauren wore it, she looked effortlessly sexy. Her legs were longer than mine so I knew I wouldn’t look quite as good in it as she did, but I took it from the hanger anyway. I grabbed my shower caddy, clean underwear, and my well-worn leather sandals and set off for the bathroom.
I took my time in the shower, shaving my legs and deep conditioning my hair. I gave myself a pep talk as I groomed.
This isn’t a date. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t look my best, right? I want him… I know he wants me… there’s no fighting it anymore. And I need to be prepared when the inevitable happens, whether it’s today, tomorrow, Fiji…
I turned off the shower, dried off, and pulled on my clothes. I admired myself in the full length mirror to the right of the shower stalls. My recent trips to the gym were starting to show and I looked better in the romper than I’d expected. I wrapped my hair in my towel, gathered my things, and returned to my room. I glanced at my bed and saw the notification light blinking on my cell. I tossed my things on the mattress and grabbed the phone: one missed text from Jackson.
“Change of plans. See you at 11:30.”
It was already 11:15. That gave me just fifteen minutes for my hair and makeup. I rushed to the vanity, brushed my hair, and blasted it with the blow-dryer. I didn’t have time for curls, so I quickly went over it with Lauren’s flatiron. Finally, I used every subtle trick Lauren had taught me on applying natural looking makeup. When Jackson arrived at the room, I was ready to go.
“Kennedy, you look amazing,” Jackson said after I opened the door.
I gave him a casual grin as I stepped into the hallway. “Thanks. I wanted to be comfortable, but this looks a little nicer than yoga pants. And you don’t look so bad yourself.”
Jackson wore leather sandals, khaki cargo shorts, and a long sleeved white button up. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his tanned, toned forearms.
“I can’t believe our parents just skipped town,” I continued as we made our way downstairs.
“Get used to it,” Jackson advised. “My dad has always been like this. But I’m glad they’re gone. It gives us an excuse to spend time together.” He gave me a devilish smile as he pushed open the heavy front door.
I blushed as I stepped outside. “So what’s on our agenda for the day?”
“We have a super covert conference call with the Fiji events coordinator. Gloria gave us her blessing to decide all the wedding details. After that, we’re going to the seamstress so she can measure you and alter your dress. From there, I’ve been instructed to take you shopping. Gloria insisted that all of your clothes are falling off of you… though what you’re wearing right now seems to fit just fine.”
We arrived at his car and he opened the passenger door.
“This is Lauren’s,” I confessed as I slid onto the seat. Jackson gently closed the door and crossed to the other side of the car. He paused for a moment before he opened his door.
“Is that your new car in the row behind us?” He asked as he sat down and buckled his seatbelt. His face was flushed and there was a hint of frustration in his voice.
“Yeah, the Honda… does that bother you?” I knew that Jackson was protective of his family’s money and hated that Jack gave it a way so freely. I hoped he wouldn’t resent what Jack had done for me.
Jackson clenched his jaw. “Of course it bothers me. I want to be the one who gives you nice things. I want to take care of you like that. And I hate that I can’t tell anyone.”
He started the car and backed out of the space. As Jackson merged into traffic, I reached over and took his right hand in my left. He curled his fingers around mine and gave me a light squeeze. He relaxed his grip, but didn’t release my hand.
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“You’re letting me touch you,” he said after a few moments of silence.
“I am.” I traced light circles on the soft piece of skin where his thumb meets his hand.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” He asked with one eyebrow cocked and a hopeful grin on his face.
I sighed. “It means that I want to hold your hand. It means that, just for today, I want to forget all the reasons we can’t be together. Just for today, I want to follow my heart instead of my brain. I want to relax and enjoy our time together.”
“You want to pretend that we’re a normal couple,” Jackson said with a nod.
“I guess. To be clear, this doesn’t give you the green light to try and strip me out of my clothes later,” I warned.
“Understood,” Jackson agreed. He smiled and squeezed my hand again. “I know what you’re doing, Kennedy. You haven’t been able to shake your attraction to me. Your resolve is crumbling, but you’re still scared. I’ll be a perfect gentleman and prove to you that I’m worth the risk.”
He was right. I wanted to be with him, but so far our attraction had been mostly physical. I needed to make sure that we got along well outside of the bedroom before I came clean about our relationship with Mom and Jack.
“So this is like a trial date,” Jackson continued as we pulled into the parking lot of Montgomery Enterprises.
“This isn’t a date,” I corrected him. “It’s just two people hanging out and getting to know each other better.”
“While planning their parent’s wedding,” Jackson teased as he pulled into a space. “Can you handle this or is it too weird for you?”
“I can handle it. Mom’s waited a long time for this day and I want it to be perfect for her. Is it weird for you?”
He shook his head. “Not at all, I’m happy for them. And I think they’ll be happy for us too.”
He released my hand and we got out of the car. He moved to wrap his arm around my waist, but I stepped away.
“You know we can’t, not here!” I reminded him.
He blushed and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m so happy about what you just said, I guess I got a little carried away. But I’ll keep my distance while we’re in front of people.”
“So, are you going to give me a tour of this place while we’re here?” I asked as we stepped into the towering building. The lobby had black granite floors, grey leather furniture, and arrangements of red flowers scattered around for color.
“That would take hours and we’ve got an appointment with the seamstress,” he reminded me as we walked towards the back wall of elevators. “We’re just going up to Dad’s office. If you really want a tour, we should wait until my granddad is in town. He’d just started working for his father when they built this place, and he loves to tell all the old stories.”
We stepped into the elevator car and Jackson pressed the button for the tenth floor, the very top of the building.
“I’d love that,” I told Jackson. I knew how much he thought of his grandfather. And despite Jackson the First’s reputation for being a cranky miser, I knew he couldn’t be all bad. After all, he was responsible for Jack and Jackson, and they both turned out fantastic.
The elevators opened into another lobby, this one covered in polished wood floors. A grey-haired secretary sat behind an antique oak desk and two large doors stood behind her. The woman looked up at us and smiled.
“Jackson, it’s so good to see you,” she said, rising from her seat. She moved around the desk and hugged him.
“It’s good to see you too, Mabel. This is Gloria’s daughter, Kennedy. Kennedy, this is Mabel. She’s worked for Dad and Grandpa since before I was born.”
Mabel released Jackson and turned to me. “It’s so nice to meet you, sweetheart,” she told me as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I can’t tell you how much I think of your mother. She’s brought back a side of Jack I never thought I’d see again.”
“Thank you, Mabel. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Mable let go of me and returned to her seat. “Your dad said that you were covering his meeting with Danielle. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Dad’s office is on the left, Granddad’s is on the right,” Jackson explained as he led me to Jack’s office. He opened the door and we stepped into the room. Like the lobby, the floors were covered in polished wood. Three walls had built in bookshelves, while the back wall was solid windows. The furniture was sturdy and simple, the same light wood as the floors and bookshelves. Everything was upholstered in white linen and the room felt crisp and fresh.
“This is all so beautiful… so much warmer than the downstairs lobby,” I observed.
“It’s all organic and recycled. Granddad let Dad remodel a few years back. Just Mabel’s area and this office, Granddad’s looks the same as it always has,” Jackson told me. He walked to Jack’s desk and booted up the computer. There wasn’t room for us both behind the desk, so he turned the computer to face the two club chairs on the opposite side. We took our seats and Jackson started the Skype session.
A woman with midnight skin and short, curly hair appeared on the screen. She smiled broadly. “Jackson, Kennedy, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Danielle, the events coordinator here at the new location. I’ve heard so much about you from your parents. I spoke with Jack earlier and he said they’ve given you free reign on all the plans. I’ll walk you through each day of your stay and give you your options. You just let me know what you like.”
“Thank you, Danielle. It’s nice to meet you too,” Jackson told her.
“Yes, nice to meet you,” I added.
“I’m afraid I’m a bit confused,” Jackson continued. “I thought we were just making arrangements for the ceremony and reception.”
“Didn’t your dad explain? Jack and Gloria want to go all out and make this a real family vacation. We’re scheduling you for our deluxe vacation package. Now, you’ll be here for four full days. You’re set to arrive late Thursday night, so we won’t schedule any activities until after breakfast on Friday. We’re scheduling two activities for Friday, the wedding for Saturday, two for Sunday, and you’ll have time to squeeze in one on Monday before you fly out, if you’d like. Now keep in mind, it will just be the two of you on Sunday and Monday.”
Oh my god. I get to have an exotic, paradise vacation with Jackson and we’ll get to be alone for most of it. I can’t believe it, this is exactly what he suggested the first day we met.
“What type of activities do we have to choose from?” I asked.
Danielle went over our options and we decided on a glass bottom boat tour and swimming with dolphins for our family day, then jet skiing, snorkeling, and a waterfall hike for our time alone. Once those plans were settled, we focused on the wedding. We quickly chose the sunset beach service followed by a candlelight surf and turf meal with a string quartet.
“All right, well that was easy enough,” Danielle said as she sat down her tablet. “If you change your mind about anything, just shoot me an email. I’ll see you both soon.”
“Thank you for everything, Danielle. We’re looking forward to it,” Jackson replied. The computer screen went blank and Jackson turned to me.
“I can’t wait to be alone with you on the island.”
“Me either,” I confessed.
He stood and pulled me to my feet. “We’re not in front of anyone right now,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.
“No, we’re not,” I agreed just as quietly.
Jackson bent down, caressed the side of my face, and lightly brushed his lips against mine. Electricity coursed through my body and I leaned in to him for more. He pulled away playfully.
“We shouldn’t start something we can’t finish. We have to get to the seamstress, remember?”
“All right,” I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do was have my measurements taken in front of Jackson, but at least the numbers were smaller since the last time. We
left Montgomery Enterprises, careful to stay a respectable distance apart.
***
“What about this one?” I asked innocently as I stepped out of the dressing room in yet another bikini.
Jackson’s jaw dropped and I felt an unfamiliar sense of confidence. We’d been shopping for hours and I was actually having a great time. I’d already bought plenty of shorts, tops, and sundresses, which just left swimsuits on my list of things to buy for Fiji.
“That looks fantastic on you,” Vanessa, the boutique owner, told me. “The color looks really good with your hair.”
The deep purple bikini had a triangle top and cheeky boy shorts. The cut complimented my curves and made me feel beautiful. The look on Jackson’s face made me feel irresistible.
“You look nice, Kennedy,” he said, trying to sound casual. Vanessa had recognized us from a picture in The Globe’s society page. The picture had been taken at the engagement party and printed the next day. When we walked in to the boutique, she’d promptly introduced herself and insisted on taking care of us. She pummeled us with questions about our family and the Montgomery fortune. I could tell that pretending to just be my stepbrother as I tried on swimsuit after swimsuit was driving Jackson crazy, but he knew better than to drop the act in front of Vanessa.
I studied myself in the mirror for a moment. “I’ll take this one, the green floral, and the black one piece,” I told her.
“Excellent choices, would you like the coordinating wraps?”
“What the hell? Throw those in too.”
“Wonderful, Ms. Nightingale. You get changed and I’ll have your other selections waiting at the register.”
“Ring everything up and put it on this,” Jackson instructed. He pulled his own Visa from his wallet.
“Jackson, you don’t have to do that,” I insisted.
“I want to… call it a welcome to the family present,” he added quickly after Vanessa shot him a strange look. Her face relaxed and she smiled.
“What a nice gesture, Mr. Montgomery. I’ll run this and bring you your receipt.”
