Jessie Slaymaker's Non-Existent Love Life (The Jessie Slaymaker Series)

by Jo Iles

  Perhaps she was being unfair on Tom. He couldn’t be a hundred percent to blame. She’d talked herself into being in love with him. It hadn’t been totally natural or organic, and she had done her utmost to actively encourage and engineer her feelings towards him. But she’d done all that for him. Because he seemed to so desperately want to be with her.

  Tom’s words came back to haunt her. ‘Stop doing whatever everyone else wants you to do. Choose one, or choose none, but make a decision based on who you want to be with.’ Maybe it wasn’t so much about whom she wanted to be with, but where she wanted to be.

  As she listened to Nadia and Nick’s wedding ceremony, she wondered if Mr Chan still needed someone to set up and run his research team in Hong Kong. Probably not, she told herself. People moved on quickly these days, and they were bound to have found someone more qualified and experienced than her by now.

  Tom was sitting next to her, having decided to make good on his promise and attend the wedding with her. She’d half-expected him to do a disappearing act but, no, he’d stuck by her. She could feel him glancing over at her every few minutes and every now and then he would tentatively give her hand what she thought he perceived to be a reassuring squeeze. All Jessie wanted to do was go home and cry into her pillow for a week, but she was not a flaker. She didn’t give up when the going got tough. No sir. Not like some people whom she cared not to mention. She had a wedding to look fabulous at, and she focused on her inner determination to put on a brave face and look fabulous. For the next few hours, at least.

  Chapter 86

  He knew she wouldn’t have failed to notice the way he’d looked at Jessie. Sonia was sharper than your average person and Jack was well aware that he’d been less than discreet in his ogling of Jessie in her daring dress. After Tom had made his farewell in hot pursuit of his girlfriend, Jack had forced himself to regain some composure and remember what it was he was supposed to be doing. He had his eye on a prize. Freedom.

  Jack and Sonia were seated in the hotel coffee shop just as he’d orchestrated, and they’d ordered their breakfasts in quiet civility. Their coffees arrived and Jack took a quick swig of his non-alcoholic Dutch courage before looking Sonia directly in the eye. There was no point delaying the inevitable any further.

  ‘Sonia. I wanted to talk to you today regarding the status of our relationship,’ Jack began, formally, as though he was officiating at an important meeting. Sonia took a laboriously slow sip of her coffee with a knowing look in her eye.

  ‘I think we both know this isn’t working…’ Jack continued, determined and unfazed by her nonchalance. She was just being Sonia.

  ‘Let me stop you there, Jack darling,’ Sonia said, cradling her coffee cup just in front of her face, drawing attention to her mouth. ‘Does my father know you’re ditching me for her?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow with a scathing note in her voice.

  That stopped Jack in his tracks and he sat back in his chair, staring at her, momentarily flummoxed. Jessie wasn’t the only reason he was taking action now, was she? Jack hadn’t really considered Jessie to be the chief motivating factor, but perhaps she was. If he hadn’t bumped into her the previous day, would he have grown the balls to do something about Sonia?

  ‘No, Sonia. You’re wrong,’ Jack replied with more conviction than he actually possessed in that moment. ‘I’m ditching you because of your cold controlling power and image-obsessed self,’ Jack snapped at her vehemently. That felt good, he thought to himself. Liberating. Daring, even. Why had he been so afraid of this woman? Sonia’s eyes narrowed and her expression became distant and unreadable.

  ‘I know you’re not happy, Sonia,’ Jack said with a little less venom.

  ‘Don’t you pin this on me, Jack. You’re the one who wants to leave me,’ she semi-wailed. ‘I love you,’ she said with a wobbly voice, and a flood of tears sprang from nowhere.

  This wasn’t the reaction he’d anticipated at all. He’d thought she’d start hurling stuff at him, not open the floodgates. Jack would have preferred dodging cutlery any time to this. Conscious that people were starting to look at them, Jack edged his chair a few inches closer to Sonia’s and patted her shoulder in an ineffective attempt at consoling her.

  ‘I think we’re better off being friends,’ Jack said quietly, now patting her in the small of her back, wishing she’d stop crying.

  ‘Well, Jack, I don’t agree,’ Sonia said, her sobbing suddenly ceasing as she looked up at him with daggers in her eyes. Jack’s hand left her back alone and he leaned back again in his chair to give himself some distance from this acerbic woman.

  ‘I asked you before if my father knew you were ditching me for that no-hoper? I doubt he does. In fact I’m sure you’ve gone and cleared the air with him regarding your little contravening of your deal concerning me, but for some reason I don’t think you’ve told him the whole story,’ she sneered. ‘You do realise, of course, that one word from me and he’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks. You do want to stay alive, don’t you, Jack darling?’

  ‘What would you have me do then, Sonia?’ Jack asked wearily, sensing imminent defeat.

  ‘Well, if I were you,’ she began, studying her nails as though blackmail were an everyday breakfast occurrence for her, ‘I would get yourself down on one knee and ask me a certain question. Sooner rather than later.’

  ‘Over my dead body,’ boomed a voice from over Jack’s shoulder, making them both jump. Jack hadn’t seen her approach. The look on Sonia’s face was priceless—she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Jack guessed she hadn’t factored Jack’s grand old mother into the grand scheme of things.

  ‘I’m sorry, Cicely, but I really don’t think this is any concern of yours. Jack’s a big boy now,’ Sonia said sarcastically, quickly regaining her composure.

  ‘There’s no need to be overfamiliar. You may call me Mrs Davenport, and if you’re trying to manipulate Jack into marrying you, then I wholly disagree with you. This is very much my concern,’ Cicely said, plonking herself down between them in a chair which seemed to appear from nowhere. Jack couldn’t help smiling. There were perhaps only two people who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at Sonia’s diva attitude. Her father Mr Shum, and of course his mother. He should have just asked her to come and fight his battles from the beginning.

  Cicely looked backwards and forwards between them, waiting for one of them to speak. Sonia looked like she’d just been given a dressing-down by the school headmistress, which in effect she had. Not many people spoke to Sonia Shum that way.

  ‘Now, my dear,’ Cicely began, turning to Sonia when neither of them seemed to have anything to say, ‘I’ve spoken to your father and explained that Jack here has eyes for another and that it would be a crime against love if you wouldn’t let him go. I must say, Mr Shum was most accommodating and reasonable. Seems he’s not such a fan of Jack as either you or I are,’ Cicely said with a glint in her eye. ‘But, having said that, he’s not the gangster Jack here seems to think he is, and he won’t be harming a single hair on his head. So if I were you, dear, I’d get yourself back on a plane to Shanghai and start building some bridges. You’ve only got one father, you know.’

  Sonia’s bottom lip started to pout and Jack wondered if she was going to start to cry again. Maybe this time it would be for real. Without saying another word, Sonia got up and walked away, and with any luck she’d be following Mrs Davenport’s advice. And soon.

  ‘Good riddance,’ Cicely said with disgust, as a waiter brought her a pot of tea. When had she ordered that, Jack wondered, momentarily perplexed.

  ‘Thanks for coming to my rescue, Ma,’ he said sincerely, giving her a peck on the cheek.

  ‘Well, what are mothers for? I knew you’d probably handle it, but I had a feeling a matriarch like me might upset the little princess a little more than a nice young fellow like yourself.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Your timing was perfect and much appreciated. I was beginning to fold,’ Jack admitted. ‘I jus
t don’t understand her. There’s no way in a month of Sundays that she was happy with me, but she seemed to desperately want me to stay with her for some inexplicable reason. I don’t get it,’ Jack mused.

  ‘Apart from the obvious, that you’re quite a catch, Jacky darling, I’m not certain. But I’d say she has some complex issues with her father. Seems to me she set out to deliberately defy or at least antagonise her dad. She knew Mr Shum didn’t want you pursuing her, so she clung to the idea of being with you to displease him. Sad, isn’t it?’ Cicely said, sipping her tea thoughtfully. ‘Fathers and daughters, Jack, they’re entirely different from mothers and sons.’

  ‘So what happens now?’ Jack asked, not quite able to comprehend that he was Sonia-free.

  ‘I’d say you have some serious thinking to do. About where you want to be and what you want to do with your life. But first, you can take me for a walk and treat your old ma to a spot of lunch. And then you can go and get your girl,’ Cicely said with her all-knowing smile.

  ‘She’s not my girl, Mum,’ Jack said, suddenly feeling shy at the thought of his mother playing match-maker.

  ‘I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Jacky. She may not be your girl just yet, but she very soon will be. Call it a hunch, but I don’t think you’ll be needing my help with that one!’

  Chapter 87

  Jack loved his mother, but he was anxious to get back to the hotel and find Jessie. When his mum finally gave him his leave, he hot-footed it through town as fast as he could. He imagined the reception would be in full flow by the time he got back and he just hoped that Jessie was still there and hadn’t made an early exit on account of the dark mood he’d seen her in earlier. Jack desperately wanted to talk to her.

  Although wedding crashing wasn’t his usual modus operandi, Jack didn’t give a damn. He spied Jessie the very second he entered the reception hall. She was seated across the room, playing with her glass of champagne. Tom was seated at her side, talking quietly to her. Studying her body language—Jessie’s slightly standoffish posture and carefully blank face—Jack guessed that she still wasn’t in the best of moods. Tom seemed to be trying to cheer her up, but to an observer it was clear that in that moment Jessie was holding all the power.

  Suddenly, something changed and Jessie smiled. Slowly at first, and she seemed to try and fight it, but her beautiful smile appeared at its most brilliant a few seconds later. Tom then led her over to the dance floor for a slow dance, where they whispered intimately into each other’s ears and held each other close.

  Who had he been kidding? Tom and Jessie were seriously loved up, sharing intimate moments like they were the only people in the room. Anyone could see they were seriously in love with each other. Whatever they’d been fighting about earlier had obviously been rectified, much to Jack’s chagrin. When he’d seen Jessie the previous day, he’d been under the distinct impression that Jessie wasn’t entirely happy with Tom and that he had an outside chance of stealing her away from the entrepreneur. And since he’d seen her clearly unhappy that morning, he’d thought his chances had significantly improved. Now, Jack felt seriously deflated. He’d spent the day with his mother allowing his hopes to be lifted, only to have them dashed.

  So that was it. She was gone. Taken. Served him right for faffing around with Sonia for the past six months. Served him right for shagging Sonia in the first place. A voice in the back of his head told him unhelpfully that there were plenty more fish in the sea and at least he was rid of Sonia. That was something to be thankful about.

  Jack was about to turn and leave when a passing waiter offered him a glass of champagne.

  ‘Thank you’ was out of his mouth before he’d even had a chance to think what he was doing. He took an appreciative sip almost on autopilot. He did fancy a drink, and it would be a waste to not finish his drink now he’d spoiled it for anyone else. It was champagne, after all. Good champagne. Jack headed over to the bar area and perched himself on a stall with his back deliberately to the dance floor. He didn’t want to see Jessie spinning around, having the time of her life, knowing that it wasn’t him who’d put that glorious megawatt smile on her face.

  Chapter 88

  Tom needed a pit stop. Jessie was in a dancing mood, and for once, Tom could barely keep up. As he wandered over to the bar, he knew he’d done the right thing in ending things. They loved each other dearly, but they just weren’t right for each other. The thought of how he was going to explain himself briefly crossed his mind but he quickly rejected it. That was something to worry about for tomorrow. As far as anyone else was concerned, he was still with Jessie and they were in love. The charade would continue for at least another day, he thought sadly to himself.

  Tom sat himself at the bar, ordered a beer, and prepared himself for a few minutes of solitary contemplation. He glanced over and caught a glimpse of Jessie on the dance floor. She seemed to have attracted a few male admirers in her WAG-ish dress, all of whom were taking it in turns to strut their stuff in front of her, while she cheered them on enthusiastically.

  ‘I propose a toast,’ a semi-familiar voice called across to him from along the bar. Tom turned to see Jack, holding up his drink to him.

  ‘To what are we toasting?’ Tom asked with a weak smile.

  ‘Well, to you and Jessie, of course,’ Jack stated with a clearly audible note of bitterness in his voice.

  ‘Thanks,’ Tom responded, as he raised his beer and drank. Jack seemed to take that as an invitation to get up off his own bar stool and plonk himself down on the stool next to Tom’s. Tom could see he wasn’t steaming drunk yet, but he’d definitely had a few. And judging by the way he was swigging back his champagne, he was probably on a mission to get drunk in the not-too-distant future.

  ‘What’s up, Jack?’ Tom finally asked, feeling the need to make some form of small talk with the man.

  ‘Like you don’t know,’ Jack replied, taking another swig.

  ‘Er, no actually I don’t,’ Tom responded, looking blank. ‘Is it, er, women trouble?’ Tom suggested, taking a stab in the dark. He’d met Jack’s girlfriend earlier and he thought she was pleasant enough. They seemed like a good match to his eyes. Tom couldn’t imagine what would ever be wrong with them. But then, no one would ever probably guess what was wrong with him and Jessie.

  ‘Exactly,’ Jack answered.

  ‘Sonia seemed nice,’ Tom offered, struggling to keep conversation going with the man.

  ‘We broke up,’ Jack blurted out quickly.

  ‘Oh, right. Well I’m sorry to hear that, mate,’ Tom genuinely consoled, giving Jack a friendly pat on the back. ‘Well, you know what they say?’

  ‘Plenty more fish in the sea,’ they both chimed in unison, before clinking their glasses.

  ‘But are there?’ Jack asked, a look of angst crossing his features. ‘There was one fish whom I let get away and I thought I could get her back today,’ Jack explained wistfully.

  ‘What happened?’ Tom prompted.

  ‘She’s taken. Looks mighty happy too,’ Jack said, staring down into his glass as though trying to decipher some hidden message.

  ‘Seems to be the day for weddings and breakups,’ Tom added, trying to cheer up the broken-looking man sitting beside him.

  ‘Yeah, at least someone’s happy around here,’ Jack said as the bride waltzed past them laughing loudly.

  ‘Hold on. What do you mean breakups?’ Jack asked, suddenly sobering up a notch. ‘Plural?’

  Tom paused and berated himself for letting it slip in his efforts to be nice to Jack. They’d decided to get through today and figure out the future tomorrow, and that included telling anyone their breakup news. Tom sighed and decided that there was no point trying to hide it forever. It was bound to come out sooner or later anyway, and perhaps the sooner it came out the sooner they would all get over this chapter.

  ‘Jessie and I broke up today as well,’ Tom said quietly.

  ‘But I saw you…’ Jack trailed off, looking confused. ‘I
saw you looking all in love.’

  ‘Well, we’re not,’ Tom said firmly. ‘At least not how you mean that anyway.’ It hurt to say it, but he knew it needed saying. For his own sake he had to start saying it.

  ‘But… why? Jessie’s amazing. What did you do to her?’ Jack asked, still visibly reeling from the news. Geez, Tom thought to himself. If this veritable stranger was this surprised, what were his family and friends going to say to him? Especially after all the justifying he’d done about his change in lifestyle choice. Then the penny dropped for Tom.

  ‘Jessie was your fish that got away, wasn’t she?’ Tom asked, studying Jack’s reaction closely. Jack didn’t say anything. He merely huffed and shook his head before downing the remainder of his drink. They both sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. Tom found himself wondering why Jack didn’t leap off his seat then and there, and run off to the get the girl. Had he not heard him? Jessie and Tom were no more. Perhaps Jack was drunker than he looked.

  With her ever-impeccable timing, Jessie chose that moment to appear unnoticed at Tom’s shoulder and interrupt their manly silent contemplation session.

  ‘Are you ready to go?’ she asked. Both Tom and Jack jumped out of their skins at her voice. ‘Sorry,’ Jessie said automatically, as she suddenly took in the pair of faces that turned to look at her in unison.