by Marie Force
“I hope you’re also withholding her final paycheck,” Jenny said.
“Haven’t done that yet, but you’re absolutely right. I’ll call the payroll company and get that done. Thanks for the reminder.”
Jenny didn’t know him at all, but she suspected the computer situation was about to take him over the edge. “While Adam does his thing, maybe you could show me around and give me a sense of the routine so I can get to it as soon as we have access to the computer again.”
“You’re going to work here, Jenny?” Adam asked, his gaze never wandering from the computer terminal.
“I’m helping out until things settle down.”
“And we’re extremely grateful for the help,” Paul said. “Come on, I’ll give you the tour and introduce you to some of the employees.”
Chapter 16
After a truly wonderful and relaxing afternoon with her new fiancé, Kara brought the launch to a smooth landing at the dock. She wasn’t at all surprised to see her sister sitting on the bench where customers waited for a ride to their boats.
Fortified by her time with Dan and the things he’d said to her when he proposed, Kara busied herself tying up the boat and shutting down the engine, all the while pretending that Kelly wasn’t watching her every move. A petite blonde, Kelly had always attracted lots of male attention. Kara, who’d felt like an amazon next to her younger sister, realized Kelly no longer had the power to hurt her. At some point over the last two years—well, mostly since she met and fell in love with Dan—she’d moved past what’d had happened with Kelly and Matt.
She wished she was a more forgiving person, but some things couldn’t be forgiven. The last time she saw her sister, nearly two years ago now, they’d had a screaming fight and both had said things that could never be taken back. Not that Kara regretted a word of what she’d said that day. Nor did she regret the two years that had passed since then with nary a word between them. She had no earthly idea what her sister was trying to accomplish by showing up like this and thinking she could force Kara to deal with her and her husband.
“I’m right here,” Dan said quietly, his hand warm on her back.
Kara nodded, grateful for what he’d done earlier and for his presence beside her now. She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag and got off the launch.
As she stood, Kelly appeared wilted from the heat, and there was no sign of Matt or the baby, for which Kara was thankful. “It took you long enough to come back,” Kelly said.
“I didn’t realize I answered to you.”
“Your employee had no idea where you were. Shouldn’t he know how to get in touch with you?”
“He knew exactly where I was. He chose not to tell you.” First two points were hers, Kara thought smugly. “Is there something I can do for you? I have plans.”
“You know why I’m here. You don’t have to act so surprised to see me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be surprised to see you? I don’t want you here, and you know that, which is why you tried to blindside me with your visit. You thought you could force me to deal with you and your darling little family.” Kara leaned in closer, and Kelly took a step back. “Sorry your plan failed so dismally.”
“You’re so hard and bitter. I pity you.”
Kara laughed, which she could see infuriated her sister. “You pity me? Whatever. I really ought to take this opportunity to thank you for stealing Matt from me. You truly did me a favor.” Kara glanced at Dan, appreciating the pride she saw in his gaze. “I’m engaged to someone who’s ten times the man Matt will ever be, and the sex… Whoa.” Kara fanned her face. “I had no idea what I was missing out on, so thanks for that, too.”
Next to her, Dan made a sound that was half grunt, half laugh. No doubt, her comment had pumped up his already overinflated ego.
Kelly’s face got very red, and Kara wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed or enraged. Probably the latter. She’d never wanted anyone to have something better than what she had. “Wait, so you’re engaged? Since when?”
“Why do you sound so stunned? Were you under the illusion that I was hiding under a rock, licking my wounds while you two rode off together into the sunset? Sorry to disappoint you, Sis, but I’ve been just fine.”
Kelly’s eyes darted between Kara and Dan. “Where have I seen him?”
“Probably on TV. He’s a famous lawyer. He saves people’s lives. What does Matt do again? Oh right, he attempts to make money for people. Last I heard, he’s not all that good at it, unlike my fiancé, who is very, very good at making money. Aren’t you, honey?”
“Yeah, that’s one of several things I’m pretty good at,” Dan said suggestively, earning major points with Kara.
“So again I say thank you,” Kara said with a wide smile that seemed to further ruffle her sister. “Who wants a man who’s all talk and no action in more ways than one?” High on her own success, Kara winced dramatically. “Oh sorry, I guess you want that guy. Well, congratulations. He’s all yours. My fiancé and I have somewhere to be, so enjoy your visit.”
Kara took Dan’s hand and started for the ramp that led to the main dock.
“Burn,” Dan whispered under his breath, making Kara laugh.
“Kara! Wait! I want to talk to you! I waited all day.”
Kara spun around and pointed a finger sharply at her sister. “No, you wait. When I told you two years ago that you were dead to me, I wasn’t spouting off. I have nothing to say to you or your husband. Go home, Kelly. There’s no reason for you to be here.”
“You have no interest in your nephew?”
“Sure, I do, and I expect to have a very meaningful relationship with him—as soon as he’s old enough to see me when his parents aren’t around. Until then…” Kara shrugged. “Nothing to say.” She smiled at Dan. “Let’s go, babe.”
“What about Mom and Dad?” Kelly asked, sounding more desperate by the second. “Don’t you care at all about what this is doing to them?”
“How dare you try to lay that on me? If you were worried about how a rift between us would affect Mom and Dad, you should’ve kept your hands off my boyfriend. But you didn’t, so that, too, is your problem—not mine. I hope he was worth it, Kel. I really, really do.”
Since Kara had already given her sister far more time than she deserved, she hooked her hand through Dan’s arm and headed for the parking lot.
“Oh my God,” he whispered. “I’m so hot for you right now, I’m about to implode.”
Kara laughed. “I never could’ve done that if I hadn’t had a couple of hours to prepare myself. I owe you big for that.”
“No, you don’t.” He put his arm around her. “But remind me to never get on your bad side. It’s a pretty darned scary place. The litigator in me is extremely impressed.”
“Goddamn, that felt good.”
“I bet it did.”
“I mean really, really good.”
Dan laughed. “You honestly don’t plan to speak to her again? Ever?”
“I’ll probably get around to forgiving her. Eventually.” Arm in arm, they walked toward her apartment in a building that abutted the marina property. “But not today.”
“No, not today. You’ll be too busy having hot sex with your rich fiancé.”
“Didn’t take long for that to go straight to your head.”
“It was actually pretty instantaneous.”
“In case I failed to mention it earlier, I love you, Torrington.”
“Love you right back, Ballard. Now, about that hot sex…”
By the time Alex arrived home after six o’clock, Paul, Adam and Jenny had moved from the store to the house, where Adam was working on Paul’s laptop. He’d had the idea to log in to the system from the laptop and try to change the password that way. He was seated at the table with Paul and Jenny standing behind him, offering suggestions and moral support.
Watching Adam operate behind the scenes in the guts of the computer had been nothing short of fascinating for Jenny. The guy wa
s clearly brilliant, and she had full faith that if anyone could get them into the system, he could.
Marion had left a short time ago for a ride with one of her friends but would be returning soon.
“Hey,” Alex said when he came in, looking tired and dirty. “Are we having a party and I wasn’t invited?”
“Goddamned Sharon,” Paul said. “She password-protected the system before she rode out of town on her broomstick. We’ve been working all day to try to get in.”
Alex’s dark eyes flashed with rage. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
“I wish, and I’ve already reported it to Blaine. He’s issued a warrant for her arrest.”
“Good. Tell him we’re pressing charges.”
“I just want the damned password.”
Jenny sent Alex an empathetic smile, wishing she could go to him and hug him, but she quelled the urge until a more appropriate time.
“I’m going to hit the shower,” he said as he cracked open a beer to take with him. Looking directly at her, he added, “I’ll be right back.”
The message couldn’t have been clearer—don’t leave. As if there was anywhere she’d rather be. Adam and Paul continued to converse about the system, and Jenny pretended like she was paying attention, but all she could think about was Alex and the despair she’d sensed in him at the thought of yet another challenge to contend with. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and provide all the comfort she was capable of. Hopefully, he’d let her.
Before Alex emerged from the shower, Marion returned home with her friend.
Paul left Adam to work on the computer alone and got busy putting dinner together for his mother.
Jenny eyed the pan of lasagna Paul had pulled from the fridge. “Could I help with that so you can keep working with Adam?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t. I’m offering anyway.”
His smile was warm and full of gratitude, but it couldn’t hide the exhaustion. “Thanks. That’d be great.”
“No problem.” Jenny cut a piece of lasagna, heated it in the microwave and served it to Marion, who was seated at the bar.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Jenny.”
“I don’t know you.”
“We met earlier, before you went for a ride with your friend.”
“I went for a ride?”
“Yes, you went to look at the sunset.”
“I do love a good sunset.”
“You should come to the Southeast Light sometime. It’s the best place for a sunset.”
“What’s your name again?”
“Jenny. I’m a friend of Alex’s and Paul’s.”
Marion took a small bite of her lasagna. “My boys always had nice friends and lots of pretty girls around. The girls have always liked them.”
Jenny bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“Mom, what’re you telling her?” Paul asked.
“None of your business,” Marion said with a wink for Jenny that made her laugh. “It’s girl talk.” She stared at Jenny for a long moment. “Tell me your name again. I have trouble remembering.”
“Jenny.”
“And you’re friends with my boys?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Are you dating one of them?”
“I, um…” Where was Alex when she needed him?
“She’s dating me, Mom,” Alex said as he came into the kitchen, wearing a pair of plaid shorts with a navy polo shirt. His wet hair had been combed into submission, his face was freshly shaved, and he smelled amazing as he joined her at the counter.
When he declared their relationship in front of his mother, brother and Adam, Jenny’s heart tripped into double time. His hand on her lower back was reassuring and arousing at the same time. She had to remind herself to breathe.
“She’s very pretty,” Marion said.
“I think so, too,” Alex said with a smile for Jenny that made her melt.
She couldn’t believe the effect he had on her just by walking into the room fresh from the shower. She’d spent the entire afternoon with Paul and Adam, two exceptionally good-looking men in their own right, and hadn’t experienced so much as a flutter of interest for either of them. But the second Alex walked in the door, her entire body had woken up to take notice. The powerful reactions he inspired in her were exciting and frightening at the same time.
Adam checked his watch. “I hate to say it, but I’ve got somewhere to be. Can we continue this tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Paul said, defeat radiating from him. “I have a town council meeting tonight anyway, so I’ve got to get going.”
Alex’s hand curled around Jenny’s hip as he uttered one word. “Damn.”
It occurred to her that Alex hadn’t known about Paul’s meeting when he made plans for their date.
“You’ll be home tonight, right?” Paul asked Alex after he saw Adam out.
“Yep. No problem.”
“I’ll be home by ten if you want to go out later,” Paul said with a teasing wink for Jenny and Alex as he headed for the hallway.
“Bite me,” Alex said, making Jenny laugh.
“Don’t be mean to your brother, Alexander,” Marion said.
“Why not? He’s mean to me.”
“Be nice,” Marion said, pointing her fork at Alex. “Your friend didn’t come over to listen to you bicker with your brother.”
“That’s right,” Jenny said. “You tell him, Marion.”
“I like this girl, Alex. What did you say your name was again?”
“Jenny.”
“That’s a nice name. I like it.”
“Thank you. Marion is a nice name, too.”
“It’s an old-lady name.”
“No, it isn’t,” Jenny said with a smile.
“Want some more lasagna, Mom?” Alex asked.
“No, I’m full. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Mrs. Upton. She made it.”
“That’s very nice of Verna.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Is Daisy coming tonight?”
“Probably. Do you want to sit in the rocking chair and watch for her?”
“That would be very nice,” Marion said. “It’s freezing in here.”
Alex walked her to the door and got her settled in one of the rockers. He came back inside and opened the blinds so he could keep an eye on her. “I’m sorry our plans got screwed up,” he said when they were alone.
“It’s no problem.”
“How do you feel about Verna Upton’s lasagna and a movie on TV?”
“That sounds lovely. Verna’s lasagna comes highly recommended.”
Alex approached her with intent in his dark eyes, and Jenny took a couple of steps backward until she bumped up against the counter. He surrounded her, with a hand on either side of her. “You were really great with her. Thank you.”
“She’s very sweet.”
“I’m glad you got to see the sweetness. Her moods run the gamut these days. At times, like just now, she’s almost lucid, like her old self. But then she disappears into the confusion again, which is particularly crushing for us.”
“I’m sure it is.” Jenny reached up to corral a wayward strand of damp hair from his forehead. “You get a reminder of who she used to be, and then it’s snatched away from you.”
“Yes,” he said. “That’s it exactly.”
Jenny placed her hands on his hips and drew him toward her.
Alex put his arms around her, and they stood that way for a long time while he kept a vigilant eye on his mother.
There was nothing sexual about their embrace. It was all about comfort, which he seemed to need badly.
“You’re so good for me,” he whispered gruffly against her ear, sending a cascade of shivers down her arm. “I was so damned happy to see you when I came in from work.”
“I was happy to see you, too.”
His arms tightened around her. �
��I thought about our ‘picnic’ all afternoon.”
“So did I.”
The sound of car doors closing outside had them pulling away from each other. But Alex took hold of her hand as they went outside into the still-sweltering heat to greet the new arrivals. A row of dark clouds hung ominously over the island, giving Jenny hope that relief from the heat might be in sight.
Dr. David Lawrence’s girlfriend, Daisy Babson, came up to the porch to hug and kiss Marion, who seemed delighted to see the pretty blonde woman. Another man was with them, and Jenny knew him from somewhere but couldn’t immediately come up with his name. She felt like it was on the tip of her tongue.
David came up the stairs and shook hands with Alex.
“You know Jenny, right?” Alex said, his arm now around her shoulders. Apparently, they were going fully public with their relationship, which pleased her greatly.
“Sure, nice to see you again, Jenny.”
“You, too.”
David turned to the other man who’d come with them. “Get up here, will you?”
When he joined them on the porch, Jenny tried desperately to remember how she knew him.
“This is my landlord and friend, Jared James,” David said.
Alex and Jared shook hands.
“Yes!” Jenny said. “That’s how I know you. You’re Jared James.” He was tanned, with dark blond hair, piercing blue eyes and a few age lines around his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time Jenny saw him.
“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage…”
“I’m Jenny Wilks. I was a year behind you at Wharton.”
“Oh, of course. You were Toby’s girlfriend.”
“Yes.”
“I was so very sorry to hear he’d died.”
“Thank you.”
“I knew him quite well. He was a great guy.”
“Yes, he was. So, you’ve been all kinds of successful since we left school. What do they call you, the new king of Wall Street?”
He shrugged off the praise. “I had a few good years despite the crap economy. Anyone who did well during that time got a lot of attention.”
“Well, from what I’ve read, it was well deserved.”
