Limiting Liabilities: Book Two - The Martinique Files

by Colette Alaine

  Jaclyn’s success begins on day one. Her bubbly personality attracts customers. She is more like a friend helping out than a salesperson and she is not afraid to tell someone it is not the right piece. She learns who they are, what they do and understands her customers as real people, not just a person with money to spend. Rarely does a customer leave without purchasing and when they do, more often than not they return. They just cannot get her sales pitch off their mind.

  What they cannot forget is the fulfillment of the dream that Jaclyn portrays as she sells. They want what she is promising and it is that convincing a customer that life will be better with this purchase that brings so many back into the store. Jaclyn finds her calling.

  She changes majors and learns what she can about gems. Graduation gives her a degree but she never stops learning. Attending seminars and researching for additional information, she and Tawny share that attribute. Spending hours on the internet the two friends love to discover the secrets the world holds, even if they cannot live any of it just yet.

  Julie Carlyle becomes a regular customer; so regular that it is obvious she is not there for the jewelry. Drew realizes it first but decides to let it play out. After purchasing over two hundred thousand dollars of jewelry she does not need or maybe even want, she finally faces the shy, quiet guy that consumes her thoughts day and night.

  “Are you ever going to ask me out, Jake Bird? Or do I have to buy the entire store?”

  Drew snickers and heads to the back room as Jake is suddenly confronted by the beautiful heiress. Stunned that he is not the only one enamored he shuffles his feet and then, in a moment of sheer ecstasy, the bashful introvert wraps his arms around her slender waist and passionately kisses her.

  “Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” He coolly asks, his hands slightly shaking from nerves.

  Staring at him like a dazed schoolgirl after her first kiss she nods in agreement and the two leave the store. Eight months later, Drew is the best man and Jake is the happiest guy on earth.

  Their marriage is one that Heaven arranged first and then blessed abundantly. It is the kind of union that every girl dreams will happen to her and every man prays will be his fate. Love is only the beginning for Jake and Julie. The happy couple share their very souls with each other. Welcoming three children into their lives they are the premier example of true love.

  But it sets a high bar for Drew. He is searching for half of what Jake has found and so far it has eluded him. Where is his Julie? Before, he dated to have a good time. Now he wants to find his own soul mate.

  Jaclyn brings in more customers than the store has seen since it opened and Drew is ever ready to assist if he sees a potential mate. At first this annoys Jaclyn but then she works him into her sales pitch and sells even more. Owner and employee like each other but Jaclyn is not his Julie so he never pursues it.

  She, on the other hand, has nothing short of a full out crush on her boss. Part of the excitement of coming to work is seeing him. He does not realize it until it is almost too late. She loses some weight, dresses a little sexier, wears a bit more make-up and has a penchant for lightly touching him on the hand, his arm or his shoulder. He only thinks she is a friendly girl who enjoys her job. This time it is Jake who informs him he has to take charge and set things right with her.

  “You’re flirting with her and she’s attracted to you; more than attracted. I think she’s full out in love.”

  “You do?” Drew is surprised at Jake’s announcement.

  “How do you miss it?”

  “I guess because I don’t see her that way. I thought she was just really friendly and trying to improve her looks, you know, since she’s a girl.”

  “And they say I’m the naïve one.” Jake shakes his head. “Deep down you know what’s going on and you don’t want to face it. You don’t know how to reject her without breaking her heart and having her quit. We need her. You need to fix this.”

  “What am I going to do?” Like most men, Drew hates this kind of confrontation.

  “Find someone to date for longer than a month. I don’t know. Tell her you’re looking for someone who has all the qualities she doesn’t have. Give her something to work with so she’s not devastated. She’s not shy. She’ll ask you out. Then what are you going to do?” Jake does not want to see the girl hurt and he certainly does not want to lose his best salesperson.

  “I’ll take care of it. I’m not sure how just yet but I’ll find the right words,” Drew assures him.

  Jaclyn makes the critical mistake of taking the bold step and asking Drew to join her and her roommate for dinner and drinks at a Mexican restaurant late one Saturday night. She thinks it is the perfect plan for him to see her out of the business setting they share. She will be the fun party girl and he will wonder what took him so long to notice.

  She plans every detail and insists that Tawny come along. She convinces her roommate that she should tell Drew how great she is and then he won’t be able to resist. Tawny is not sure this is a good idea but knows that Jaclyn cannot meet her boss alone and basically seduce him. So Tawny reluctantly goes along to help Jaclyn’s scheme succeed.

  But oh does it backfire. One look at Tawny and Drew is hooked. Spending the evening together, he sees his Julie. She is a little young but she has the looks, the intelligence and the no nonsense personality he craves. He barely notices Jaclyn, who is so angry at Tawny she can barely see straight. The evening ends with Drew flirting with Tawny, Tawny trying to steer his conversation and attention toward Jaclyn and with Jaclyn boiling mad.

  “I did not flirt with him!” Tawny defends herself. “He came on to me all night long.”

  “He barely noticed I was at the table.”

  “It’s not my fault. I did what you wanted. You should’ve straightened this out at the store and not by bringing me into the whole ordeal to attract him.” Tawny cannot win this argument.

  “I should’ve known he’d go after you,” Jaclyn pouts.

  “I’m not interested if that’s what’s worrying you,” Tawny reassures her.

  “No.” She pauses and her eyes well up. “He was never interested in me. It didn’t matter that you were there. He never wanted me. Why can’t I find a guy that really likes me?” She cannot suppress the tears any longer.

  “Jaclyn, you will, I just know it. Drew’s a nice guy. Lots of fun, good-looking, sure, but he’s not the one for you. First of all he’s ten years older than you. He’s settling into life and you’re still having fun.”

  “You don’t know Drew. He’s definitely not settling into life. He’s more fun than any guy I’ve ever met,” Jaclyn corrects her.

  “Well he will be settling into life sooner than you will; most likely, anyway. The point is that you’ll find someone who really likes you. When you talked about him I thought all she says is how she feels and you really never said anything that told me he felt the same way.”

  “I know. This was all about what I wanted. I just prayed he wanted the same thing,” Jaclyn admits she did not see any interest coming from him. She just wanted it so much she hoped that hope would bring her to him.

  “When you’re around someone so much and you don’t get that feeling like there’s interest, you gotta go on without them. He’s just not that into you. I know that hurts but he’s not going to be the one. You gotta move on.” Tawny tries to help her friend.

  “You’re lousy at consoling a broken heart.” Jaclyn does not feel any better despite Tawny’s attempts.

  “I know. I’m too much of a realist. That’s my problem and why guys who fall for me aren’t interested after getting to know me better. I wish I had some of your personality,” Tawny confesses.

  “I’d love to have some of your beauty. I lost twenty pounds for that man!”

  “You lost twenty pounds for yourself. Don’t let him get any credit for your accomplishment. And don’t you dare put the weight back on.” Tawny witnessed first-hand Jaclyn’s difficult journey to fight eating everyt
hing in sight as she usually does. No way can she go back to her old ways and put back on all those pounds. That would be devastating to her morale.

  “I’m so hungry. I actually don’t mind being fat.” Jaclyn really wants to eat. It is a comfort she needs right now since her heart aches so badly.

  “You’re not fat.”

  “Then plump. Being plump suits me. I’d rather be a little bigger than craving food all the time.” Well, perhaps she did give up a little too much to meet her weight goals. Tawny relents as she answers.

  “Be who you want to be. You have the greatest personality. Everyone is your friend from the moment they meet you. You have this incredible gift. There are going to be plenty of Drew’s in the world for both you and me. Guys that we fall hard for but that don’t notice us or that don’t think of us in that way. I’m sure the same is true for us. Guys fall for us that we don’t want to date. It’s a process. Eventually, we’ll each find someone that loves us as much as we love them. It’s just not the right time yet. That’s what I believe.” Tawny does a little better job of cheering Jaclyn up this time.

  “You hope that happens.”

  “If it’s in God’s plan it will happen. You have to have some faith, Jaclyn and enjoy your life right now. You’ll never get this time back. You have a fantastic job with guys you like. You get to sell on the nights and weekends without any competition, except Jake and Drew, who are not great salespeople. You love what you’re doing. You get great discounts. You meet lots of interesting people. You should relish every moment.” Tawny is now trying to refocus Jaclyn and let her see the positive side of things.

  “You know you’re right. All of that is true. I need to let go of this infatuation with Drew and have fun with what I’m doing. I’m graduating in less than a month and I should let go and live it up, not get hung up over my boss.” It is amazing how fast Jaclyn can change her tune. She really does hate being down. Being happy is her ultimate goal and she succeeds in attaining it almost daily.

  “So true. This is my last summer before law school and I don’t want to waste a minute of it. If you’re all lovesick and depressed we won’t have any fun at all.” Tawny knows what life is going to be like once her law school days end. First, it’ll be studying for the Bar Exam and then it’ll be long hours at the office every weekday and probably time on Saturdays as well. She has no plans to ever work on Sunday. It is the day of rest and she plans to honor it.

  If Jaclyn presses forward for a man that is not interested in her, it is going to ruin the summer for both of them. Jaclyn is too perky and upbeat to get down. Tawny does not want her roommate to waste her time when she can clearly see that nothing will happen between her and Drew.

  If Jaclyn does not let go, it could affect her at work. She loves her job; absolutely adores going to the store every day she is scheduled. It would be a shame for her to mess up the relationship with the owner and risk losing her job or feeling so awkward she leaves of her own volition.

  No, this whole infatuation has to end as soon as possible. Jaclyn can fantasize about many a man but Drew should not be one of them. It is an impossible situation for her and she needs to be strong and resist. There is a guy out there for her. Tawny is as certain of this fact as she is about her own future.

  “I’m going to stop thinking about him and only work for him. He still makes my heart skip a beat but I’m going to imagine him married with ten kids, an ugly wife and a pot belly.” She smiles broadly.

  “That’s the Jaclyn I know.”

  “How come you’re always right about these things?” Jaclyn wonders.

  “I see things that you don’t. The same is true about me. You see what I miss. I’m not sure if it’s because we don’t want to see those things or if we truly miss them. Remember what you told me about Jake and Julie, how he didn’t realize why she kept coming into the store? Drew saw it and let it run its course. I don’t know if we get something in our head and we have tunnel vision or what the problem is. In the end it’s nice to know when your friends have your back,” Tawny explains how she sees it.

  “I guess that’s true. I spent a lot of time thinking about him. I couldn’t believe he didn’t think the same way. I overanalyzed the whole situation.” With Tawny’s perspective, Jaclyn sees the situation much clearer.

  “Welcome to being a girl.”

  “You think guys do the same thing?” Jaclyn wants to know if the opposite sex has as much trouble as hers.

  “Oh yeah! Now, get dressed. We’re going out.”

  ~

  Drew did not get married, have any children or put on massive amounts of weight that summer despite Jaclyn’s hopes. He did bug her incessantly to fix him up with her roommate, something she did not anticipate.

  “Tawny’s not interested. I’m sorry, Drew. She wants to have a free summer before law school and isn’t going to date anyone. Tawny’s not the kind of girl that has to have a guy around her all the time. She likes her freedom. She’s not ready to be tied down with one guy. She really wants a career. I think she wants to prove something to herself and to her family.” Jaclyn tries to explain why she will not set him with her best friend. The pain of rejection still stings. And he looks so good.

  “Does she know I’d like to take her out?” Drew wonders if Jaclyn’s even mentioned his interest.

  “I’ve told her but even if I hadn’t she pretty much figured it out at dinner that night.” Jaclyn does not hesitate to call him out on his rather rude behavior toward her.

  “I didn’t mean to diss you, Jaclyn. I saw your roommate and well, I sort’ve saw my Julie Carlyle, if you know what I mean,” Drew confesses, realizing a little late that what Jake said about his salesgirl is right on target. She likes him and she feels jilted because of the way he swarmed all over Tawny.

  “Tawny’s different than Julie. I mean they’re both sincere and motivated and centered but what Tawny isn’t, is open. She has a big heart and all. I mean she loves kids and she helps people out but she’s reserved. She’s afraid of getting used. She doesn’t want to get hurt. Her feelings run deeper than most people. There’s nothing superficial about Tawny. She wants you to realize that she’s a real person with real feelings and not just some pretty object. She keeps people at a distance for a long time. You have to have a lot of patience to be Tawny’s friend, much less date her. If she’s suspicious of your motives, you’re history. She doesn’t open herself up to many people.”

  Jaclyn’s explanation of Tawny’s personality is right on point. Tawny’s fears and insecurities are not visible. It takes someone to really get to know her before they start to realize who she is; a deep thinker, yes, but also an emotionally scarred girl who would rather protect her vulnerability than expose it.

  Drew has never encountered a Tawny Martinique before. His dates are like those of Billy Solomon. Pretty, slightly dumb or at least ditzy, goal oriented primarily toward finding a husband with clout and stacked with a rack to please. Tawny may have the last quality but the rest of her does not match any of those other traits and that is what attracts him so much.

  Seeing Tawny every once in a while when she visits Jaclyn at the store, Drew hopes to either find another girl that interests him as much or to eventually persuade the beautiful auburn siren to give him a chance. Three years of law school and now two years of practicing law he has waited. The night he went out with the group of them he begged Jake to go along. It was only after pleading with Julie that he eventually joined his buddy.

  It was a good night and then the birthday party held a lot of promise until he realized his buddy Billy Solomon felt the same way.

  Billy and Drew met in grade school. Drew is two years older but Billy’s antics caught the older boy’s attention. Girls who liked Drew liked Billy too and that never stopped until Drew graduated from high school. Then Billy had the whole lot to himself.

  There are few males like Billy and Drew. Likeable, aloof but still extremely friendly, they draw people to themselves without try
ing. Teachers were as much a victim to the boys as were any of the students. Both were destined for success. Personality oozed out of every word, every movement, every expression of the two. They were magnets from their early years and nothing changed since then.

  When Drew sees Billy watching Tawny the way he watches Tawny, he knows the competition will be fierce. He already heard that Billy’s amended his womanizing ways and he thinly veils his feelings for her. She knows it but it is no secret that she also knows that Drew is just as interested.

  If what Jaclyn said about her being vulnerable at her core that she has to build this fortress around her heart both he and Billy have their work cut out for them. He heard that Billy dated her for about a month, then cheated on her. It did not sound like the Billy Solomon he knew and he suspects it was the only way that Billy could get out of the relationship. But why did he want out?

  Tawny is not the type of girl to hang all over a guy and she would push him out of her life before she would deal with another woman in it. According to rumors that is exactly what she did. Jealousy is for a woman who cannot let go. Tawny Martinique needs the whole fairy tale. A cheating beau does not fit in her fantasy.

  Tawny is not over Billy. Drew sees the spark has not diminished and that is what worries him. Until that spark dies he will not be able to attract her attention. She is a one man woman and right now Billy Solomon is that man.

  Drew decides to wait a little longer. Billy is bound to make a mistake. Fortunately, Tawny tells Jaclyn most everything and Jaclyn blabs a little too much personal information at work when sales are slow and the store is empty. Quitting time is a great time to get information and Drew gives Jaclyn his full attention.

  Realizing she is only fueling a fire for Drew, Jaclyn stops talking about her roommate. She may not want Drew for herself anymore, especially now that she has Eric but there is something inside of her that does not want Tawny to have Drew.