by Mia Jones
He’d been lucky to have the same home his whole childhood with two parents. They had been extremely poor, never made it a full week without going hungry at least once. It hadn’t helped the situation that his father was sometimes abusive toward him, his sister, and mother. It was only when Garrett had become bigger than his dad that he’d stopped.
His dad was dead from cancer, his mom from a car wreck. His sister had disappeared with her boyfriend before graduating high school. He’d found her once and saw she was living with another guy in a little town in Alabama with three children. He’d given her his information if she ever wanted to connect with him, but she never had.
He’d done some things after college that might be construed as barely legal. He wasn’t a criminal, but he’d crossed some lines with ethics. He’d pissed off a lot of people as his business grew, and unfortunately some people had lost jobs.
Garrett could tell he made Jessica happy and she cared about him very much, but sometimes she got a look in her eye that scared the shit out of him. He couldn’t explain it. It went deeper than insecurities. He had done everything he could think of to give her the confidence in their relationship but decided time was the only thing that was going to prove to her she had nothing to worry about.
Chapter 20
Time passed, and her feelings for him grew. At times, a hardball of dread would fill her, making her question everything. Deep down she still thought of herself not worthy and everything she prayed for was going to be ripped from her, and she didn’t know if she could survive. She knew the feelings were remnants from her childhood. But when a child’s been told and shown she doesn’t matter, her very soul was damaged beyond repair.
***
A shiver of unease ran down Jessica’s spine when she answered her phone at work. “Hello?”
“Hey, Jess, it’s Melanie.”
“Hi, Melanie. What can I do for you?” she asked and tried to keep her voice warm.
“I wanted to see how you were doing?”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”
“No one told me that it hadn’t worked out between you and Garrett until I saw him out with another woman. We’ve all been so busy, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to Angie lately. I didn’t like the woman he was with. You know the type: beautiful, tall, blonde, and model thin. But the best news is she didn’t last either, and now I’ve got him. I have to tell you that Garrett is one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever met, and if it had worked out with the two of you, I would have never had a chance at him. I really think he’s the one for me. He’s so generous and, God, can that man kiss among other things, but you know that, don’t you?”
A suffocating sensation tightened Jessica’s throat making a wild little sound escape from her as she exhaled.
Melanie heard. “You and everyone else knew he wasn’t the right man for you. You’re too small town, and he’s definitely city, big city, if you know what I mean. Of course you do. Well, maybe we’ll see you out and about. And hey, if I find a man who would be good for you, I’ll definitely give him your number. Okay? Take care, sweetie.”
A click sounded in Jessica’s ear and every ounce of feeling seemed to leach out of her, leaving her nothing but a walking corpse. This is what she’d been waiting for, dreading. The phone slid to her desk, and she sat there too hurt to cry, to stunned to absorb it.
A big sensible part of her believed Melanie was lying, wanting to cause problems. The other, less sensible more emotional part of her had been waiting for this all along. Jessica had known deep inside herself she wasn’t good enough for Garrett and that eventually he would find someone who suited him better and they would break up. She just didn’t think it would hurt so much.
She couldn’t imagine if they stayed together and their feelings grew deeper then they break. It was tearing her apart now. Later it would literally kill her. She would never recover from losing him. Now, she might have a chance.
She knew that eventually the pain would come, but she was holding it off as long as she could so she could get away from people. Like a wild animal, she wanted to find the nearest secluded hole to bury herself in until the pain lessened. She stood and grabbed her purse and phone before walking out of her office.
Kari did a double take when she caught sight of a deathly pale Jessica. “What the hell, Jess. What happened?” Kari’s voice was filled with concern.
Jessica swallowed and shook her head. “No, I’m just not feeling well. Can you take over for me today, and I’ll see you Monday?”
Kari just nodded and cringed at the anguish-filled tone of Jessica’s voice and her pale face bleak with sorrow. It had to have been that call, she’d been fine a few minutes ago. She riffled through her call log to find the name. Melanie Stephenson. Kari didn’t think she knew her. She’d never heard Jess talk about someone with that name. Maybe someone died that she cared for? She continued to think about the situation as the afternoon passed. At a little before five, Garrett called.
“I’ve been trying to get Jessica on her cell, but she probably forgot to plug it in again. Let me talk to her.”
“Sorry, Garrett, she’s not here. She started feeling unwell and went home.”
“At what time was that?” His voice softened and grew cool.
Her grip on the phone tightened. “Around noon, I think.”
“I see.”
Kari shivered at the coldness of his voice. She wouldn’t want to piss someone like him off. The way he looked at a person was intense. Like he knew what you were thinking, was waiting for you to attack, and he was ready for you. The first few times she’d been around him, she’d been so intimidated, she stayed as far away from him as possible. Now she was at least able to stay in the same room and even converse with him.
“Look, Garrett, it might not be an illness. She received a call right before she left. She was fine before she went into her office. When she came out a few minutes later, she looked awful, so she might have been hit with a virus, but that suddenly?”
At first, she thought he’d hung up.
“Tell me who the call was from?”
Kari hesitated. “I’m not supposed to giv—”
“Kari, I’m not asking.”
His voice was absolutely emotionless, and it chilled her, sending a shiver up her spine. “Oh, um, okay, I guess. It was a woman. Her name was Melanie Stephenson.”
“Who the hell is that?” His voice lashed through the phone, making Kari cringe.
“I don’t know, sir. I’ve never heard of her.”
There was another pause. “Thank you, Kari.” He hung up.
Garrett went immediately to Jessica’s apartment. Her car wasn’t there, but he tried to knock anyway. “Goddammit, Jessica. When I find you, I’m going to blister your ass for this one.”
After a few hours of trying to call her and drive around looking for her, he finally called Angie. “Angie, this is Garrett. I’m looking for Jess. Do you happen to know where she is?”
Angie paused. She was surprised and uneasy at the panic in his voice. He was always so cool as long as she’d known him. “No, I don’t. What happened?” Concern tightened her voice.
“I don’t know. Her manger said she left early and told her she wasn’t feeling well. I’ve tried her apartment, and I’ve been calling her all afternoon, but she hasn’t answered her phone. I thought maybe she went to the doctor’s, but it wouldn’t take that long, so I called all the hospitals, and she hasn’t checked in.”
“You called the hospitals?” Disbelief was evident in her voice.
“Look, I know I’m sounding crazy, but I’m really worried. Is there a place she would go if she was upset?”
Angie was confused. “Why would she be upset? I thought you said she was ill?”
“Kari said she was fine, but then she got a call before she left. Do you know Melanie Stephenson? Because that’s the last person she talked to.”
Angie cringed. Dammit. What did Melanie do? “Yes, I know her, Garrett
.”
“Give me her number.”
Angie paused. “No, I’m not going to do that. I’ll get in touch with her.”
Before Garrett said anything, Angie drew in a deep breath. “Garrett. I can only imagine what Melanie said to her. She’s not the nicest person I know, and although they’re not friends, the two of them have always gotten along just fine, but then Jessica gets along with everyone.”
“Angie.” His voice turned deadly. “I want to talk to her.”
“I’ll call her right now and ask her and then call you back. Please, Garrett, let me try first. I’m afraid you’re just going to scare the hell out of her and she won’t say anything.”
There was a long pause. “Call me right back.”
Garrett sat in his car, pulled off his tie, and pressed one hand against the back of his neck to ease some of the tension. Jesus, he’d never felt this unhinged before. A few months ago, when he’d screwed up and it hurt her, it freaked him out. Although, it wasn’t intentional, but he should have made sure he’d personally called Jessica and not depended on anyone else. So yea, he blamed himself.
He knew it was illogical to think he could prevent her from ever getting sad, but he didn’t give a shit, he wasn’t going to stop. Jessica meant more to him in his life than anything else ever had. He gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip before he laid his head down and took several deep breaths. He snatched up his phone before it rang a second time.
“I talked to her,” Angie said softly and with suspicion.
“And?” He asked impatiently when she paused.
“She said they only talked about animals, but I got the feeling she was lying.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Just the tone of her voice maybe? I’ll keep trying to call Jess too. We’ll find her, Garrett. I promise. I’ll keep working on Melanie.”
“Give me her number or address, Angie. I want to talk to her.”
“I’m sorry, Garrett, but I can’t do that. I’m afraid something might happen that you’ll regret, and she would be the type of person that would try to sue you if you did anything.”
Garrett paused. “Dammit. I’ll leave it in your hands, Angie, but we need to find her soon. I can’t stand the thought of her being out there upset and by herself.”
Angie sighed. “I can hear the intense concern in your voice. If I didn’t know you and hadn’t seen how much you loved her, I’d worry about how she’d react to you right now. I’ll call if I find her.” Then she cut off the call.
Love her? He banged his head against the steering wheel a few times. God, he wished this was as simple as love. Maybe if it was just love, he wouldn’t hurt being away from her or be this scared that he couldn’t find her.
Garrett tried calling Jessica every half hour all night long. With the morning light shining through his windows, he watched the coffee maker in his kitchen slowly drip, taunting him with the promise of life. He’d been up all night, unable to sleep. He promised himself when he found her, he’d chain her to him so wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without him.
He snatched up his phone when it rang. “What!”
Angie flinched at how bleak his voice sounded. “I talked to her this morning.”
“Where the hell is she?”
“She wouldn’t tell me that. God, Garrett, she sounded awful.” She choked back tears.
“So she is sick?”
“No. She won’t talk about it. All I got out of her was she needed some time alone to deal with the pain.”
“What pain?”
Angie winced at his gruff yell. “I asked her that. All she said was she knew all along, she didn’t fit in your life.”
He threw a coffee cup against the far kitchen wall. “That’s bullshit. I’m about to lose it, Angie. Ask her to call me or at least pick up my next call. I need to hear her.”
“I will. I’m sorry, Garrett, I wish I could help more.”
“Just be there for her until I can get to her. I don’t like that she’s alone. She’s been alone enough in her lifetime.”
Tears silently ran down Angie’s cheeks as she listened to his phone click off. Strong arms turned her and pulled her against his chest. A strangled sob caught in her throat. “Oh, God, Nick. They both sound so bad. I don’t know how to help them.”
He held her as she sobbed, letting her get some of the pressure off her chest. “You’re doing everything you can, baby.”
Angie pulled away and wiped her eyes. “No. I haven’t. I need to talk to Melanie again, but in person. She’s the cause of this. I just can’t figure out how.”
“That woman is a viper. Do you want me to go with you?”
Angie pulled out a pair of jeans and T-shirt out of her dresser. “Yes, but maybe you should stay in the car?”
Nick watched her walk away into the bathroom, and the shower turned on. “I’ll do whatever you need.” Nick turned to get travel cups of coffee. It sounded like it was going to be a long day.
Chapter 21
Garrett punched in a number he hadn’t used in over a year, but he couldn’t just sit and do nothing. “Hey, Jack, it’s Garrett. I need a favor, man.”
“Whatever you need, buddy. I’ll owe you for the rest of my life. If it hadn’t been for you and your genius with money, my wife and I would have lost everything.”
“Cut that shit out. People have their identities stolen every day.”
“Yea, but not only did you help me find the person that stole it, you got my money back and helped me invest it.”
“Jack, you’ve been a good friend to me. But right now, I need you to find someone and fast.”
Jack reached for a pad of paper and pen. “Okay, go.”
Garrett gave him all the information he had.
“Can I ask who she is?”
“My future wife.”
Jack choked out a laugh. “Man, I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Wait until you meet her. I’ll make sure you’re invited to the wedding. You’ll understand then. Call me the minute you know anything.”
“Okay.”
Garrett paced across his kitchen, the glass from the coffee cup crunching under his boots. He turned and walked through the house. He felt aimless for the first time since he had become an adult. He caught a quick look at himself in a mirror by the front door and shook his head at how beaten he looked.
He threw off his clothes and stepped in to the shower under a cold spray. He washed himself quickly before jumping out. He hurriedly dried and got dressed before he started to pace again. A dark, sickening grief filled him with despair. Every hour that passed by, it felt like something in his chest twisted tighter. He had never been good at waiting for anything. And standing back and letting other people do the job was killing him.
He kept trying her phone. He sat in a chair and willed himself to wait fifteen minutes before he tried again. He almost didn’t believe it when she answered. “Jessica. God, baby. I’ve been so worried. Where are you? I’ll come and get you so we can talk.”
Jessica cleared her scratchy throat. “Look, Garrett.” She paused to swallow. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
He cringed, and his heart twisted at the scratchy tone of voice that told him she’d been crying for a long time. “Baby, please. Let’s talk. Whatever happened, we can fix.”
“I’m not ready. Maybe in a few weeks. I’m just really tired right now.”
The thought of not talking to her for even an hour was driving him crazy. A few weeks? No way. “Okay, we don’t have to talk, but let me come to you.” He pleaded with her.
“I’m going to go, Garrett...” Her voice caught. “I just want you to be happy. I always knew I didn’t fit. It just took longer than I thought for you to see it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he shouted and took a deep breath. “Baby, I’m sorry I yelled. I’m just so confused right now. Where are you?”
“Garrett.” Her
voice was so soft he could barely hear her. “I think you’re going to be better without me. Take care...”
“Don’t you fucking hang up. Goddammit.” He roared when he heard the click. His grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles were white. He had an enormous need to throw it across the room to vent some of his anger but pulled back at the last second. If he broke his phone, she wouldn’t be able to get in touch with him until he got a new phone. He willed himself to calm down. “I’ll find her,” he repeated over and over until he finally started to believe it. He sat frozen on his couch and looked out of the big picture window that looked over a small valley. Jessica loved this view, and she would damn well see it again.
His body jerked when his phone rang.
“Okay. I think I’ve found her. I know where her phone is, so I’m assuming she’s with it...”
Oh, thank God. He called the right person. “Where?” he demanded.
“She’s at a campground that has some cabins in the High Banks area.”
Garrett was out the door before Jack finished his sentence.
He was in the area within an hour. He resented the fact he had to stop for gas or to take a piss at all. He made it to the area in record time. “Jack, I’m here. Can you narrow the search?”
“Just within a half a mile. Is there an office there you can ask?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I’ll look.”
“And man, you might want to take it down a few notches if you want information. You’re going to scare the shit out of someone.”
Garrett blew out a frustrated breath. “Yeah. I’m trying.”
“Just tell yourself it’s so you can find Jessica. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, man. You’re the best.” He put his car into gear and drove slowly along the road with the cabins until he found one that looked like an office.
Garrett’s eyes scanned the stretch of coastline and small rustic cabins along the edge of the sand. He turned to open the office door when he caught a glimpse of a small figure on the beach, her long hair blowing in the cool wind and a tan blanket wrapped around her.
