Chapter Fifteen
They ate the stew she’d made and laughed at Danny shaking the gifts under the tree.
“This one has to be clothes,” he scowled as he spoke.
“Why do you say that?” Jack asked.
“Cuz there isn’t any sound inside the box and it’s not very heavy.” Danny tossed the box under the tree and picked up one of the packages Jack had brought.
“Soundless and light, yep, must be clothes,” Jack agreed.
“This,” he squealed, lifting the beautiful package above his head, “is a toy. It’s not heavy, but there are plastic pieces jiggling around in there.”
Jessie grasped Jack’s hand across the table and smiled at Monica.
“How do you know it’s plastic?”
Danny closed his eyes, taking the shaking of the presents to the next level. “I’m five. All my toys are plastic.”
Jack squeezed her hand as he spoke to her son. “So, Danny, what do you really, really want for Christmas?”
“I want a bike.”
Jessie saw that coming. It was all he’d asked for. The one she had hidden in a box in her bedroom needed some serious assembly for Santa to manage after Danny went to sleep.
“But you know what would be even better than a bike?” he asked.
Oh no. She didn’t know there was anything else he wanted. His letter to Santa, the one he wrote the day after Thanksgiving, said a bike. A red bike that was twice the size of the one he had now.
“What’s that, buddy?” Jessie queried.
“I want a house where we have a driveway and a place so I can ride my bike. Then Auntie Monica can have her own room so she doesn’t need to sleep out here. And Mom can park her new car in a garage.” Danny bounced to his feet. “Did you see the new car?” he asked Jack.
“No.” Jack slid a smile Jessie’s way.
“My goodness, in all the excitement around here I completely forgot to tell you what happened.”
Jack’s thumb stroked hers as he waited patiently for her explanation.
“After you left, the dealership called. There was some kind of fire in their garage that destroyed my car.”
“Really?” Jack asked, his smile never wavering.
“That’s what they told me. The dealership gave me my choice of a new car for my loss. Can you believe it?” Jack tilted his head to the side. Something in the way he stared at her made her pause.
Monica stood and cleared a few dishes from the table. “I’m still waiting for the dealer to call and say it was all a big mistake.”
“I don’t know, Monica. Dealerships hate to be sued,” Jack explained as he shifted his gaze to Monica.
“That’s what I told her.”
“I don’t buy it.”
“What did you get?” Jack asked, changing the subject.
“Mom got the coolest car ever. It has TVs in the backseat, and there’s a lady’s voice that gives us directions if we’re lost. It’s epic.” Danny grasped Jack’s hand. “C’mon, you need to see it.”
Jessie sent a sympathetic look Jack’s way as Danny forced him to stand.
“I’d love to see it.”
“I’ll get the keys.” Standing, Jessie found her purse by the door and started to dig in to find her keys.
“Tell you what, why don’t we go for ice cream,” Jack suggested. “Your mom can give me a ride in her new car.”
“Can we, Mom?”
“Sure, why not. You wanna go, Monica?” Jessie turned to her sister, who busied herself cleaning the dishes.
“You guys go. I’ll finish cleaning this mess.”
Outside, the sun had set and the wind was whipping around the chill in the air. The apartment complex had a carport, but only one designated spot per unit. Until the new car, Monica had parked her car under it.
Jessie used the remote to unlock the car. “I still can’t believe it’s mine. I kinda feel like I’ve won the lottery without even playing.”
Jack placed his arm around her and rested it on her shoulder as they walked. “Sometimes good things actually come to those who deserve them.”
At the car, Danny opened the back door and jumped inside. “Look, Jack. TV.”
“It plays DVDs,” Jessie told Jack as he ran a hand over the frame of the door Danny had opened.
Jack tickled Danny as he leaned over him to look inside. “Perfect for those long drives.”
“That’s what the dealer said. I never thought I’d have a car like this.”
“Is it safe?” Jack asked.
“The crash rating had a decent score. The gas mileage is great.”
Jack rounded the car and popped the hood. “Four cylinder?”
“Again, gas mileage.”
From over the hood, Jack said, “I think it’s a great pick.”
For the first time since she’d driven it home, Jessie felt as if she could enjoy it. Without Jack, everything had seemed a little grayer.
Jack released the hood. “Wanna take me for a spin?”
Danny was already in his seat with the seat belt on.
After ice cream, they drove around looking at Christmas lights until Danny started nodding off in the back.
Jack stared at her as they rounded the street that led to her apartment.
“It’s nice to see you with new things,” he said. “You smile a little brighter.”
Damn, she didn’t want him thinking she needed him to provide them for her. Together they’d figure out how to pay the bills and make things work. “It’s just a car, Jack. I’m smiling because I’m sharing it with you.”
“Danny seemed ready to ask Santa for a garage to park this in.”
“Danny doesn’t realize what he’s asking for when he says he wants a house for Christmas. I think he watched Miracle on 34th Street.”
“Kids dream a little bigger than adults do. I think it’s part of the innocence.”
She agreed. “Adults know that making dreams come true is hard work. Kids think all they have to do is wish on a falling star.”
Jessie pulled into her parking space and turned off the engine. “Well, what do you think?” she asked, stroking the steering wheel.
“I think it’s perfect.” He leaned over then and kissed her. Sweet and short, but so very nice. “I think you need to keep wishing on falling stars,” he whispered with a grin.
Jessie watched his gray eyes sparkle and couldn’t help but think they looked like stars.
“Come on,” he said after pulling away. “Let’s tuck Danny into bed. Then I can tuck you into bed.”
She wiggled out of the driver’s seat. Now, that sounded like a perfect plan.
Jack and Jessie spent the night making love. Making up for the time they’d lost. By morning, Jack was prepared to break away for a few hours. He needed a solid plan to execute how to explain his deception to Jessie. He twisted words in his head, trying to phrase things so she wouldn’t feel lied to.
The more he pondered his approach, the more he knew she’d be angry. Hell, he would be if he were in her place.
He needed female advice.
Jack needed his kid sister.
Sliding behind Jessie as she assembled the makings for cookies, Jack placed a kiss on the side of her neck. “Sugar cookies?” he asked, holding her around the waist with one hand and dipping his finger into the sticky bowl for a stolen taste. He licked his finger and savored the flavor of the cookie dough.
“The best kind.”
“I don’t know about that. Chocolate chip cookies always sing to me.”
Jessie laughed and slapped his hand when he went in for a second taste. “Cookie cutters don’t work with chocolate chips, and you can’t frost them.”
“Yum, frosted chocolate chip cookies. I think you’re on to something.”
She giggled and picked up a spoon to stir the batter.
“I hate to say this.” Jack swiveled Jessie until they were face-to-face. “But I need to go and run some errands, check in at the hotel.”
“Do you have to work today?” She wiped her hands on a towel and set it aside.
“In a way.”
“What does that mean?” She smiled when she asked.
“I’ll explain later.” He avoided lying. Going to the hotel and working were on the agenda, just not exactly in the manner Jessie thought.
“We’ll save some of the frosting so you can make your own,” Jessie said.
Jack glanced at Danny, who was playing a board game with Monica in the living room, then leaned down to kiss Jessie.
Her lips slid over his in a soft caress. So warm. He couldn’t wait to slip a ring on her finger and claim her.
He ended their kiss and squeezed her before moving aside. “I’ll be back,” he promised.
“You better be,” she scolded lightheartedly.
He moved around the counter, waved a hand to the others. “I’ll see you later, Danny.”
“You’re leaving?” His head bounced up.
“Gotta run some errands.”
Danny scrambled to his feet and ran to hug him. There was something about a little boy tossing himself into Jack’s arms that made everything worthwhile. Jack kissed the top of his head. “Later, partner.”
“Later, Uncle Jack,” Danny mimicked.
Jack opened the door and shot a glance at Jessie. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her apron hung from her waist with copious amounts of flour on it. She was smiling, even before she looked up and caught him staring at her.
He did not want to mess this up.
Once outside, he turned on his cell phone and noticed a message waiting for him.
“Jack, dammit, where are you?” It was Katie. “Oh, never mind. Listen, Dad came home ticked that he missed you. He and Beth started talking, and between the two of them and my tight lip, they figured there is a woman involved. One you want to make permanent. I swear I didn’t say a thing. He’s on his way to you. We’re both coming. I’ll try to hold him back until you have things fixed with Jessie. You are fixing things with Jessie, right? Oh, and he said something about meeting with your contractor for the new project while he’s there. He’s been on the phone for the last hour barking orders. Anyway, consider yourself warned.”
Jack turned off his phone and jumped into his truck. With a little luck, he’d make it back to the hotel and manage to clean himself up before his father invaded.
Gaylord Morrison did everything the Texas way.
Big!
Large strides carried Jack through the lobby and to the elevators. Sam saw him from the reception desk and scrambled to catch up with him.
“Mr. Morrison…”
“Not now, Sam, I’m in a hurry.” Jack summoned the elevator to the lobby floor.
“Your father is on his way.”
“I know.” He pressed the button again, frustrated with its speed.
“The other executive suite in the hotel has a guest. Will your father be staying with you?”
The elevator light lit up.
Jack slid into the elevator. “I’ll take care of it, Sam. Don’t worry.”
Housekeeping had erased all evidence of the mess Jack had left before his short trip to Texas. Jack disrobed as he walked but made sure all his clothes were shoved into the closet like a good bachelor. Within twenty minutes, he was shoulder-to-heels Armani, his good Stetson securely on his head, his polished boots on his feet. Not a huge change from Jack Moore, he decided.
His phone rang as he was placing a watch around his wrist. “Hello?”
“Mr. Morrison, your father and sister have arrived.”
Jack drew in a deep breath.
Let the sidestepping begin.
“What meeting room are we using?” he asked.
“The one next to my office,” Sam offered.
“I’m on my way down now.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t care for his dad. He loved the man, but he could be intense at times and beyond domineering.
Jack stepped into the lobby and into an array of people and organized chaos. His dad stood in front of Sam, who was talking rapidly and gesturing with his hands. From afar, Gaylord Morrison was a roadblock, someone who demanded your attention. At six-four and two hundred twenty pounds, he could have passed for a retired linebacker. His hair was peppered with gray, but his eyes were sharp and caught everything. Katie stood at his side, wearing one of her ridiculous miniskirts. Probably to piss the man off. She loved getting under his skin and did so on a regular basis.
Gaylord caught sight of Jack and broke off his conversation with the hotel manager.
“Jack,” he called as he turned.
Jack extended his hand, which his father took in his firm grip before pulling him into a hug. “What the hell were you thinking running off before I came home?”
“It’s good to see you too, Dad.” It was, despite the bad timing.
Around them, porters scurried to assist them with their bags, Sam stood ready to accept any task, and a half a dozen men wearing business suits were trailing after the senior Morrison.
“First Thanksgiving, now Christmas,” Gaylord bellowed as he pulled away and started to instruct Sam to find a room for his driver and staff.
Katie sauntered to Jack’s side and leaned close to his ear so only he could hear. “I swear I didn’t say a thing,” she whispered.
Jack patted her arm and smiled down at her. “The man’s radar has always been superior to any satellite dish.”
Katie laughed and tossed her head back.
A couple of flashes went off in the lobby. Jack glanced around and noticed a reporter with a photographer at his side. “What are they doing here?” he asked his sister.
“They’re for you.” Gaylord returned his attention to his children.
“For me?”
“I heard there’s a special lady friend in your life, one who might be joining our family soon.” Gaylord’s last word was spoken slowly and nearly sounded like a question.
The smile on Jack’s face slipped into a scowl. He didn’t like the thought of the press invading his personal life to this degree. Besides, he still needed to propose to Jessie…again.
“Isn’t it my call to alert the media?” Jack asked his father.
“So there is a future Mrs. Morrison?” The mere thought of Jack getting married obviously pleased the man. It was hard to stay mad at him.
“There is someone,” Jack confirmed. “But I’d rather not discuss it out here if you don’t mind.”
Gaylord puffed his chest out as if he’d just become a father all over again. “Damn good news,” he said. “When do we meet her?”
“You’re always accusing me of being in the spotlight, Daddy,” Katie scolded. “Can we do this in private? I don’t think Jack wants to discuss this here.”
Jack nodded to the elevators. “I have lunch coming up to my suite before the meeting. Let’s talk up there.”
Diverting his father took a couple more minutes, but as the man walked toward the elevators, Jack summoned Sam with a crook of his finger. “Lunch for three. Whatever the special is, a bottle of Crown Royal, and a bottle of chardonnay for Miss Morrison.”
“What about the meeting? Your father requested—”
“Tell the kitchen to hurry. We’ll be down in an hour,” Jack interrupted before turning his focus on his family. “Oh boy.”
Danny swung his feet off the edge of the chair as he placed the little edible silver balls on his cookie. If he took this much time decorating one of the treats, they’d be finished with the batch sometime around Easter.
Monica pushed through the front door with a bundle of clean laundry. The apartment complex had its own washers and dryers, but they were outside and around the carport.
Jessie took the basket from her sister so she could close the door.
“It’s getting cold out there,” her sister complained.
“Better cold than hot. It doesn’t feel like Christmas when it’s eighty outside.”
Monica motioned toward Danny. “Is Monet creating a masterpiece over there or what?”
“He doesn’t get that from me. I’d be slapping on frosting and sprinkling those green and red thingies on it and calling it done.”
Monica shook her head. “How many has he finished?”
“Two.”
“He’s going to need these last three days before Christmas to finish the job.”
The two of them picked up one piece of laundry at a time and started to fold.
Monica changed the channel to the afternoon news. “Any idea when Jack is coming back?”
“I’m not sure.” Jessie set one of Danny’s socks aside until its match showed up from the pile. “He said he needed to check in at the hotel.”
“Isn’t his schedule fixed?”
“I have no idea. Whenever he talks about his job, he acts a little strange.”
“Strange? Strange how?”
“I asked him if he had to work today, and he said ‘in a way.’ What in the heck does that mean? You either have to work or you don’t.” Jessie shook her head. The next sock she picked up belonged with the other, so she folded them together.
“Maybe he needed to work but was going in to see if they could do without him. So he could spend time here.”
“Maybe. Another thing, he’s never talked about where he lives.” Jessie had thought about this when he disappeared. She had no idea where to look for him outside of his work.
Monica lifted a shirt and tucked it under her chin to fold. “Now that the two of you are a couple, he’ll give you all the details. I’m sure you’ll be spending some ‘alone time’ at his place. It can’t be terribly relaxing with Danny so close to your room.”
Jessie laughed. “Not to mention my kid sister right outside my door.”
Monica dropped the shirt into a pile and held up both of her hands. “I didn’t hear a thing…all night. Not at two o’clock or at six this morning.”
Jessie burst out laughing and knew her cheeks were turning red. She tossed the folded socks at her sister and hit her in the chest. “You’re bad.”
“I’m not the one who was up all night,” Monica said, laughing.
It felt good to laugh and really mean it.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah, pumpkin.”
“Isn’t that Uncle Jack?” Danny was pointing to the TV. “He looks funny dressed like that.”
Jessie’s eyes traveled to the television. The grin on her face held her cheeks so firmly they started to hurt. She expected to see a sexy man in a cowboy hat who “looked like” Jack. What she found stole her breath clean from her lungs.
“Ohmygod.” Monica recovered quickly and turned up the volume on the TV.
“…Morrison, billionaire tycoon, and his son, Jack Morrison, arrived in the Inland Empire to celebrate not only the groundbreaking venture of Jack Morrison’s chain of ‘family affordable’ hotels, but rumors have it that an announcement is forthcoming of a wedding in Jack Morrison’s future. Sorry, ladies, but it looks like this highly eligible bachelor is about to be taken off the market. Rumors of who the bride is haven’t been confirmed or denied.”
Jessie dropped the laundry from her hands and felt them start to shake.
Jack stood in the center lobby of The Morrison with a slender blonde woman hanging on his arm. Jessie couldn’t see the face of the woman, but whoever she was, Jack was holding on to her arm and smiling down at her with a look that could only be described as loving.
Billionaire?
Jack?
The reporter went on with a list of names, some public, others inconsequential, that the media deemed possible for the future Mrs. Morrison.
Jessie’s name wasn’t on it.
Her jaw trembled and the blood in her head started a rapid descent to her feet.
“Jessie?”
Jack Moore wasn’t even his name. God, how could she have been so blind? How could she have been so bamboozled that she didn’t know who Jack really was?
“Jessie?”
The reported cut to a different story, but the imprint of Jack standing in the lobby of his hotel, holding on to a different woman, and basking in the spotlight with his billionaire father would forever be stamped in her mind.
He lied to me.
“Mommy, are you OK?”
“Jessie, sit down before you pass out.” Monica tugged on her arm, guiding her to sit on the sofa.
“He lied to me,” she whispered. Jessie found Monica’s eyes and saw her own confusion mirrored in her sister’s gaze. “Lied to me, Monica. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure there’s an explanation—”
“No. You saw the picture. Who was that woman he was hanging on to?” His intended bride? Jack knew she wouldn’t say yes to marriage with a dreamer. Had he planned all along to propose and then remind her that she hadn’t accepted? And for what? Did he want to carry on an affair with her after he married someone in his peer circle? The woman at his side was dressed to kill.
“I’m not sure. We’ve got to be missing something, Jessie.”
Jessie took several quick breaths through her nose. The muscles in her chest started to constrict and her head began to ache.
“I’ve got to go,” Jessie said as she stood and searched the apartment for her purse.
Her only thought was to confront Jack. Surprise him as he’d shocked her.
“Jessie, don’t be rash. Jack cares about you.”
She laughed without humor. “Right!” Jessie found her purse and dug inside for her keys.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Danny cried.
Jack wasn’t hurting only her. Danny had fallen for him, too. “Nothing, buddy. Just stay here with Auntie Monica. I’ll be back soon.” How dare Jack do this to them!
“Jessie, stop and think about what you’re doing.”
“Stop and think? Monica, did you just see the same thing I did? Jack lied to us. All of us. From day one.” How could she be so stupid? “Stay here with Danny.”
Jessie fled the apartment with Monica calling after her, “Maybe he had a reason!”
No reason would be good enough.
Anger in the form of heat raged in her veins. Jessie told herself to calm down so she could drive. She forced her foot off the accelerator and kept her speed to the posted limit.
“Jack Morrison.” She wanted to scream and pound her fist into his chest. Morrison. He’d played a waiter in the bar to do what, earn her trust? Trust from a woman while he lied to her on a daily basis?
How could he hold her, make love to her…promise tomorrow when he planned on being with someone else? He hadn’t repeated his proposal last night. Now Jessie knew why. He didn’t plan on her being anything but a diversion. Dipping into the cheap side of town.
“Most eligible bachelor,” she mumbled as she found the entrance to the hotel.
Jessie pulled her car up to the valet and jumped out.
The man standing there held his hand out for her keys.
“I’m not staying,” she told him as she blew past him.
“You can’t park here,” he called after her.
Jessie ignored him and walked into the lobby. The lobby Jack owned. Her jaw tightened and her nails dug into her skin from fisting her hands.
“Ma’am, you can’t leave your car in the turnaround.” The valet was running behind her to keep up.
At the reception desk, Jessie pushed her way around the customer standing there. “Where is Jack Morrison?”
“Excuse me,” the guest at the desk said.
“If you’ll just wait—”
“Where is he?” Jessie raised her voice. “It’s urgent.” She tried to calm down, but her entire body shook. She now knew what a dragon felt like right before it shot fire from its mouth.
“He’s in a meeting, miss. Let me have your name—”
“Where?”
The receptionist glanced over Jessie’s shoulder, giving away the general direction of where Jack was holding his meeting.
On the far side of the lobby, an archway indicated a conference room.
Jessie pivoted and started marching toward the man she knew as Jack Moore.
The lying bastard.
“You can’t go in there!”
Watch me.