“Get that damn chip off your shoulder and talk honestly to me,” Luke ordered. “I’m trying to help you here—both of you.”
Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m in love with her. Are you happy now? I have been for years. She’s not on the same page about us, but I’m hoping she will be one day. Our relationship has nothing to do with the show. It has nothing to do with cooking. She’s the only woman I’ve ever felt this way about and I can’t explain it. I’m not messing up my second chance with her.”
“Jack…” Luke stopped, sighed, and swore again. He looked at a man he sincerely liked. If he was in love with Trudy, and that would be a wonderful thing, he had a right to know the truth. “Jack, your relationship to each other has everything to do with the show. Trudy insisted they hire you to replace her. That’s why you have the job. It was part of her contract to train her replacement. When they started making noise about hiring someone else, she pulled in her lawyers to handle it and made me promise never to tell you.”
Jack walked to a chair and nearly fell into it. He stared at Luke. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny, Luke.”
“It’s no joke,” Luke said, blowing out a frustrated breath. “You always acted like you hated her guts so it was an easy promise to keep to her all these years. I’m only telling you now because they’ll hold your job over her head as leverage. They know you mean something special to her. They’ve had this information all along.”
Jack scrubbed his face with both hands. “Trudy fought the network to get them to hire me? Why would she do such a thing?”
Luke nodded. “I don’t know, and now I’ve broken my promise to her not to tell, but these are extenuating circumstances. You’re the host. I can possibly nullify their power over Trudy by saying you flatly refuse to share the limelight with her on an ongoing basis. However, I can’t predict what that decision will do to your career, which is why only you can make the decision. They may decide to replace you altogether if you don’t go along. Your contract wasn’t as well-crafted as hers. You’re between a rock and a hard spot here.”
The fact that his show could go national should have elated him. Yet it was inconsequential compared to what he was learning. The woman he loved had fostered his career without him ever knowing it.
“This is unbelievable,” Jack said. “She kicked me out of her cooking class. I thought she didn’t consider me worthy. Why would she go to all that trouble to help me? She didn’t know about Brandon at the time. No one did. It was months later that I got his letter.”
Luke waved a hand. “I have no idea. I just know there are all kinds of great chefs out there waiting for a break like the one you got. Trudy knew that when she campaigned on your behalf. What Trudy did, she did for personal reasons. There was nothing remotely professional about it. Your reputation was that of a prima donna chef, but she argued you were just a green kid. She told them you would mature into the role and the TV audience would love you for it. She said no one they were looking at cooked better than you… and she was right on all accounts.”
“She loved me,” Jack whispered, his shock great. “That’s the only explanation that makes any sense. Even when she pushed me out of her life in every way she could back then, she must have been in love with me too. We’ve wasted fifteen years because that contrary woman refused to be involved with someone younger than her.”
Luke shrugged. “I can’t speak to any of that. Trudy never gave me any personal reason for her actions. She and her lawyers kept it all completely about your higher suitability over the others they were considering. Putting Trudy’s reputation behind you as her replacement choice was a publicity risk for her, but I doubt she missed the money.”
“What money?” Jack asked, appalled even more by what Luke was saying.
Luke winced. “Sorry. I can’t really say anymore about this. I’m already crossing a line she could sue me over.”
“No—no, you can’t drop that bomb and walk away. Are you saying Trudy backed me financially too?”
Luke shrugged. “It’s all contractual math. I couldn’t adequately explain it if I wanted to. She opted out of some things so they would opt you in. All I know is that it paid your salary that first year while you proved yourself. If she’d kept her rights, she’d have made something from your success over the years. That’s how the talent clause is supposed to work so when a person gets replaced by someone new, they don’t suffer extreme financial loss for it.”
“But you’re saying Trudy did take a loss,” Jack repeated.
“I can’t confirm that, nor would I. If it happened, she didn’t care. Trust me. She would still be talking about it if it had mattered. Plus, we’d have never gotten her to do the Baker’s Dozen segment,” Luke said.
Jack stood and walked around. “I need time to think about what to do—what to say.”
“Don’t take too long. They’ll be looking for a yes answer from you before next week’s show runs. I suggest you say yes to going national and work out the rest. We’ll talk to Trudy together and see if we can cut a deal. Since you two are in a relationship, maybe she’ll happily agree. Who knows?”
Jack nodded, his mind wandering. All this time and he never knew. Would she have ever told him? He sincerely doubted it. She’d sleep with him, and even chase him around, but admitting she loved him enough to sacrifice for him? Probably never. She was so contrary about him—about them. She’d managed to keep her role in his hiring a secret for all these years, he had no doubt she’d find some way to keep from admitting she loved him.
And just how much money had she lost over the years because of him?
It was all too much—just too much.
He wandered out of Luke’s office in a daze, forgetting to say good-bye.
“It’s called being a silent producer. When we were negotiating your last contract, I asked if you wanted to pick and train your replacement one day. You told me no, so we passed on adding the clause.”
Jack rubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t understand the significance.”
Brandon shrugged. “Because you sincerely didn’t want the responsibility of training the chef who follows you. That was a perfectly okay decision to make considering your focus.”
Jack snorted. “Thanks, son. I feel so smart now.”
Brandon sighed. “I wasn’t being condescending. I was being serious. You have a different focus about the purpose of your work. I have always known the TV show was just a means to an end for you. I imagine for Trudy Baker, it was everything at the time she did it. The popularity of her restaurants is based on her success as a celebrity. She developed her celebrity status like it was a business. You’ve never shown the slightest interest in developing your personal brand outside what the station insists you do. You even hate doing public appearances.”
Jack groaned. “Why am I just figuring all this out? I had no idea what was going on behind the contracts. If I’d failed in the show, all this would have come out a long time ago. If I’d failed, her restaurants might have failed. Trudy Baker and I have been financially bonded at the hip all this time and I never knew. We might as well have been married.”
Brandon swallowed hard and nodded. “Comparing your connection to being married is quite the analogy, Dad, but I see why you would think it. She must have had great faith in you all along.”
Jack snorted and rose to pace. “How could she? I gave her no reason. None. I was rude and insistent. You changed me, Brandon. She only knew the man I was. I knew the day I kissed her that I let a genie out of the bottle. Magic erupted between us and I know I didn't handle it well. I should have played it cool and waited her out, but I didn’t. I pushed and flirted and she pushed back until she pushed me out of her life. I can’t believe she did what she did after that though. I can’t believe she’d still help me with all that bad blood between us. You have to admit it makes no sense.”
Brandon blew out the breath he kept holding. “Since I can’t explain it, I’ll just say this again…
she must have had great faith in you despite what you assumed.”
Jack shook his head. “No. Her actions were not about simple faith in my cooking talent. She was in love with me. I think she was in love with me as much as I was in love with her. I’m mad as hell at her over it. We could have had the last fifteen years together.”
Brandon nodded. Love had been his thought after Trudy had hungrily listened to his story about his father. “Her love for you is one possible explanation. It is not that far from me saying she had faith in you as a chef. I think both are true. And as your producer pointed out—she was proven right.”
“You and Luke can think what you want. There is no doubt for me. Love is the only explanation,” Jack said. “How much money do you think she lost? I want to know.”
Brandon shrugged. “There’s no way to really calculate it. Whatever it was, she gave it up, so it’s a moot point.”
“Don’t patronize me, son. I know you could do this stuff in your head without a calculator. Make a guess at the number,” Jack ordered.
“I would have to have a starting point, and without seeing the contract we can’t get it. The initial forfeiture you’re imagining was not the real loss, Dad. It’s the ongoing cut of your success that’s probably cost her in the long term. Given what they offered us to renew last time, we're talking at least half a million over ten years. You know that signing bonus you got up front? That probably came from her finder’s fee too, since Luke said her forfeiture paid your salary that first year.”
Jack ran a hand over his hair. “I used that signing bonus to buy the boy’s home.”
“I know,” Brandon said. “You added me to the deed when I was twelve. I read the whole thing to make sure I understood it.”
“Everything is because of her,” Jack said flatly, trying to take it in. “Everything I have has been because of Trudy Baker.”
“You know, Dad… technically, Luke shouldn’t have told you any of this information. It was private. Trudy could sue him for breach of contract or something like that.”
“It’s leverage, Brandon. The network will be pushing the information into the public venue soon, whether Trudy agrees to more shows or not. I don’t want to climb the next rung of my career ladder at her expense. That’s not pride—I just want to protect her choices. She should be able to do whatever she wants with her time regardless of what it costs me or my career.”
Brandon nodded. “You don’t have a magic wand hidden anywhere, do you?”
“No,” Jack replied. “I don’t.”
“Then you’re right, there’s nothing you can do to stop any of this from coming out. Contracts are put into place to protect the rights of everyone. Frankly, I don’t think you should mention what Luke’s told you to Trudy. Let the network take the ethical hit. Then you can take the high road and thank her graciously. That would be the safest thing to do.”
“I can’t promise anything because this is about far more than some stupid TV show or the contract or what I earn from it,” Jack said firmly. “I loved her then. I never got over her. I love her more now. We’ve crissed and crossed for fifteen damn years, but we’ve never worked as a real team. That’s what love is to some degree. It’s the perfect partnership of people helping each other make their dreams come true, or at least that’s how it should be.”
“What are you going to do then?” Brandon asked, genuinely worried.
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know, but she’s cooking me dinner tonight. I’ll start there and figure it out as I go along.”
Chapter Sixteen
Trudy dashed to the door when she heard it chiming. She threw it open, grinned at the sexy man on her threshold, and motioned him in before heading back to the kitchen in a near run. “Got something on the stove,” she called out in explanation.
She heard Jack laughing at her as he closed the door and quietly locked it. It made her smile. He was always careful. She liked that about him.
The butter was sizzling when she returned. Swearing softly, she tossed in scallions and mixed mushrooms, deftly mixing them as they sautéed at record speed in the nearly too hot skillet. A couple minutes later, she slid the skillet off and cut the flame until she was ready to use it again.
Jack’s arms sliding around the back of her at that exact moment made her smile at his perfect timing. He pulled her back against him, his extreme pleasure to see her obvious to both of them as he fit himself against her. “You smell good enough to eat,” he whispered.
“Ooo… sexy talk in the kitchen. I could get used to this,” Trudy said softly.
Jack stiffened behind her and tightened his hold. “Could you?” he whispered the question.
Trudy turned around in his arms and met his serious gaze. “What’s wrong, Jack?”
“I guess I still don’t know where I stand with you. What are we doing here, Trudy?”
Trudy tilted her head back to study him better. Jack was certainly in a strange mood tonight.
“Well… I’m cooking dinner for the sexiest man I know and hoping to get lucky. How about you? Why are you here?”
“I think you know, but if you need a reminder…” Jack’s hungry mouth sliding over hers robbed her of breath and of her urge to tease him.
His hands roamed possessively over every inch he could claim as he pulled her close. Her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest by the time he finally eased his grip.
“Feel free to do that level of reminding me whenever you want,” she said breathlessly.
“Like every day?” Jack asked, running his fingers through her hair. He knew he was pushing hard, but he wanted to know how she honestly felt..
Trudy swallowed and had to clear her throat to speak. “Do you want to remind me every day?”
“Yes,” Jack answered.
Trudy looked around her kitchen and sighed before meeting his gaze again. “I’ve never had anyone in my life who wanted that, so I don’t quite know how it would go with you. I’m pretty independent and I like having my way. I’m also sure I’d be the kind of person to forget to send a text or to pick up something you ask me to. I wouldn’t mean to be thoughtless. I just get preoccupied easily.”
Jack let out a breath and then he laughed. “How do I get a straight answer out of you? Do you love me, Trudy Baker?”
Trudy made a face. “How bad is this going to get if I answer honestly? Because I had plans for you tonight.”
“Just say what you need to say,” Jack ordered.
“Okay,” Trudy said, licking her suddenly dry lips. “I don’t know because I’ve never been in love before. What I feel for you is complicated, but it’s also very simple. This time around I want you in my life—I’m very sure about that.”
“So you want me in your life, even though I’m younger than you?” Jack prompted for confirmation.
“Yes,” Trudy said, nodding. “I’m working through my problems with our age difference. I like the way it translates in the bedroom. I like how you still embrace life and have big dreams. I like the man you’ve become. It’s easy to be proud that a man like you could want to be with me all the time. And nobody has ever kissed me the way you do.”
“Anything else?” Jack asked.
Trudy blew out a breath. “Only that I’m sorry I hurt you all those years ago. I really thought I was doing the right thing for both of us. When I saw you in Luke’s office to discuss the new segment, I thought you were still the hothead you once were. But every time you stared at me all I wanted to do was this…”
She stood on her toes to be even with him and slid her mouth across his. When he moaned, she plunged both hands into his hair and held on. He gave himself up to the kiss, letting her do whatever she wanted with his mouth.
Out of breath at last, which happened a lot when she kissed Jack, Trudy let herself drop back to the floor.
“I don’t think I ever got over you, no matter how hard I tried. I’m sorry you missed the younger version of me, but I think the fifty year old one is c
apable of way more happiness. I hope you stick around and give me a chance to be happy with you. That’s what I want.”
Jack put his forehead against hers. “What if the network one day cancels the show and I have to start over in my life?” He felt her shoulders shrugging and it made him smile.
Trudy cleared her throat and backed away to meet his gaze. “Well, first, we’d try a different affiliate because if our network is that stupid, you don’t need to be working for them anyway. But if your show didn’t get picked up elsewhere, I’d help open your own restaurant or catering business or whatever you wanted to do. I’ve learned a lot about how to do it right. It would make me happy to help you.”
“But why?” Jack pressed. “Why would it make you so happy to help me?”
“You just aren’t going to let go of this, are you?” Trudy asked, leaning back in his arms which were now around her. “I guess because you matter more to me than anyone else ever has in my life. I need you to be happy so I can be happy. I always wanted that. I’ve always needed to know you were succeeding. I stayed away from you, but I recorded your shows to watch so I could keep track for myself. Satisfied now?”
“Getting there, I think. You love me. Just admit it,” Jack stated flatly.
Trudy shoved a rock hard shoulder. “Okay. If you must take me off at the knees…”
“There’s nothing I like better than making your knees weak—not even cooking,” Jack said firmly.
Trudy giggled. Damn the man and his flattery. “Okay. Okay. I love you.” She rubbed her chest. “I get an ache right here when I even think the words. What is this? Did you curse me or something?”
Jack laughed and ran a hand over his face. “Clueless. You’re sincerely, utterly clueless.” He picked up her hand and put it over his heart. “Feel that racing? That’s you.”
Trudy ran her hand over the spot. “Yeah. Mine does the exact same thing.”
Never Ever Satisfied Page 13
