Deceptive Nights (25 page)

Desmond blocked Jacoby from picking up the
receiver to the phone. “What about Lawrence? Why don’t you just go
beat the shit out of him instead of ruining his life?”

“
Beating him within an inch
of his life has crossed my mind a lot, Desmond, but I figure now
that you’ve given me this idea, beating him won’t be as cruel as
sending out the hounds to him.” His laughter was nefarious as he
knocked Desmond’s hand away and picked up the receiver.

“
This is not going to
accomplish anything,” Desmond grumbled.

“
It damn well better or I’m
going to kill someone with this damn hard on.”

****

Saturday felt so weird. It was the first time
in so many years that she had the weekend off and even though she
was on call, there was no one pestering her about problems. Jacoby
had emailed her and let her know she would only be called if she
was really needed, but he was pretty set for anything that he had
planned and that he would see her Tuesday at the employee meeting.
She knew at that time they still would not have a moment of privacy
together because the rest of his team would be there.

Today was such a nice day for the weekend
before Christmas that she took the twins with her on errands
leaving the company car Jacoby had provided for her at the house,
while they took her old Chevy out and about. Stephanie and Stephen
were so excited about being out with their mother; they were on
their best behavior.

Phoebe’s cell phone rung and it was from one
of the assistant’s asking if she could go to the office and send a
fax to California that had been left on the desk. Phoebe told her
she didn’t mind doing this and headed downtown. She had finished
the errands and had been heading home so it was no problem. Plus
the day was still early being a little after one in the afternoon
and parking was easy since it was on the weekend.

She helped the twins out the car and took
them up to the office telling them to stay put in the lobby area
until she finished what she had to do.

“
I’m hungry, Momma,”
Stephen complained. It was more like a whine in his most babyish
voice.

“
We’ll stop wherever you
want after this,” she promised.

The twins looked a bit tired and disappointed
that they were going somewhere boring, yet they didn’t protest.

Chapter 28

Jacoby didn’t know why he had come down to
Detroit, but he decided if he was going to be there and keep to
himself, he would get some work done, but after an hour of staring
at the walls and doing absolutely nothing he decided to go into
Phoebe’s office and sit at her desk. He could smell her scent
throughout the office. She had left a scarf hanging on the back of
the door and he held it up to his nose.

‘
This was crazy,’ he told
himself as he closed his eyes, relishing in her scent. ‘Damn her!’
He cursed in his head over and over again. Opening his eyes, he
looked at the desk to the picture of the twins. Beautiful children
that looked just like their mother. Picking up the picture, he
stared into eyes so dark and brown he could just drown in them and
wondered how did it feel to have double the unconditional
love.

The time he had spent with his mother made
him realize his true feelings for Phoebe. He knew without a doubt
how he felt and what he wanted. His mother had begged for his
forgiveness for their stupidity.

“
You will never know the
feeling of having a child wrap their arms around your neck and
knowing you are their security, their world, the love of their
life. I’m sorry I took that away from you, Jacoby. I’m so
sorry.”

He told her he had forgiven her, but she
still said it, even in her worse pain, she screamed it until the
doctors had to give her something to calm her. Jacoby stayed by her
side the whole time as she held his hand in his.

Putting down the picture, he had to blink
twice as the same adorable faces in the picture now stared at him
on the other side of the desk. Jacoby had not heard anyone come in
the office, but he had been in his own thoughts for so long, he
couldn’t have heard much.

“
Why are you in my momma’s
office?” the little girl spoke bravely and quite articulate for
what she looked to be about three years old or a little
older.

“
And who is your mother?”
he inquired.

“
Phoebe Green. Who are
you?”

“
I’m Jacoby Knight. I’m
your mother’s boss.”

The little boy scooted behind his sister
shyly and whispered something in the girl’s ear.

“
My brother said you’re too
big.”

Jacoby frowned. “He did, did he? Is he
scared?”

The little boy whispered something else in
his sister’s ear and she relayed this information to Jacoby.
“Stephen says he’s not scared of nobody. Why are you sitting in my
momma’s chair?”

“
Where is your
mother?”

“
She said she had to fax
something and we are supposed to be sitting down in the lobby
because she said we aren’t supposed to be here.”

“
But you aren’t where your
mother told you to be,” he pointed out not believing he was having
this conversation with a three year old.

Stephen whispered in his sister’s ear again
and she relayed the message. “Stephen says Momma keeps snacks in
her draw.”

Jacoby opened the bottom drawer on Phoebe’s
desk and saw a box of oatmeal cookies. “These?” he asked showing
them to the children. Their eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

“
Stephen! Stephanie!”
Phoebe’s voice called frantically as she appeared at the doorway of
her office then gasped seeing Jacoby sitting there. Jacoby
hurriedly tossed the scarf in her drawer not wanting to be caught
with it.

“
Jacoby?! What are you
doing here?” She rushed over and took the twins hands. Before he
had a chance to answer she turned to them, “I told the two of you
to stay put.”

“
We were hungry,” the girl
protested. “Stephen knows you had food in your desk like the last
office.”

“
I told you we would eat
when I got done.”

“
It’s alright,” Jacoby said
standing up.

Phoebe looked at him sharply. “It’s not
alright, Jacoby. They disobeyed me and they know they aren’t
suppose to.”

“
Please don’t be so hard on
them. They’re just hungry.”

She narrowed her eyes at him not use to
anyone telling her how to be a parent except her mother. “I’m more
upset at myself. I shouldn’t have brought them here, but Yvette
asked if I would fax something to California for her that was left
in the office.”

He nodded. “Ned called and asked if she could
bother you today. I told him you probably wouldn’t mind, but if you
were busy then he would have understood.”

“
Not busy. I was done with
all my errands for the day. I just have my hands a little full,”
she said referring to the children.

“
Why don’t I take you out
to lunch for your extra effort? Are you guys hungry?” he asked the
twins.

They nodded eagerly, but then looked up at
their mother for approval. Jacoby almost envied her at so much
respect pouring on her from those beautiful brown eyes so like
their mother’s.

“
I thought you would be in
Canada this weekend entertaining,” she said, trying to think of a
good excuse that wouldn’t make him think she didn’t want to be
alone, with him. Although technically going out with the children
wasn’t being alone since they couldn’t talk about what she wanted
to discuss with him.

“
I thought so too until my
client’s son came down with a case of chickenpox,” he explained
quickly. A bit too quickly in Phoebe’s mind as if he had hurried up
and come up with the excuse, but this meeting couldn’t have been
planned by him, because why would he go through all the trouble of
canceling a meeting, getting down to Detroit, and break his neck to
be here at the office when she got here and act as if it were
absolutely nothing when the children were here.

“
I have the whole day free
if you must know, so if you want we can shoot down to-” He had to
quickly think of a restaurant where children could go downtown and
not a bar. “Sweet Georgia Brown over in Greektown.”

She looked wary, but then nodded. “They are
hungry,” she justified.

“
And of course you are
doing this for them?” he asked.

Phoebe met his cinnamon brown eyes knowing
that remark was purely sarcastic, but she decided she would not try
to argue with him, not with the twins present. “What are you doing
in my office?”

“
I thought maybe there
might be some messages you forgot to give to me,” he lied
quickly.

She looked insulted. “I never forget.”

“
I can tell.” He moved
around the desk until they were arms length apart. “Are you
ready?”

Phoebe knew she had to keep her thoughts to
herself, especially with the children present. The children were
always quick to see when she was bothered, especially Stephen who
was attuned to everything around him even though he didn’t speak
much.

“
Were we taking the People
Mover?” she questioned. The People Mover was a transportation
device built on a high rail system above the street to make it
easier for people to get around in Downtown Detroit.

He was caught off guard as Stephanie came up
beside him and put her hand in his. “Yes,” he said a bit flustered.
“That would be perfect since we’re right by it.”

Phoebe tried to take Stephanie’s hand, but
the child seemed adamant on holding Jacoby’s hands. “I’m sorry,”
Phoebe apologized. “They really never take to strangers, especially
male strangers, so openly.”

“
It’s alright. Maybe I just
have that affect on people.” He was looking at Phoebe when he said
it and the intensity in his eyes made her shudder. Phoebe quickly
looked away leading Stephen out the office. She wasn’t going to
respond to that quip either.

He followed with Stephanie grasping his hand
in a death grip. “So she isn’t so responsive to Lawrence’s
attention, either.”

“
She’s like me, Jacoby. She
knows something doesn’t smell right in the Garden of Eden. Stephen
always goes with the flow unless he knows I’m really upset. I think
he’s only intuitive of mine and his sister’s emotions. Sometimes my
mother, too.”

He snorted. “And you think Lawrence is up to
something?”

“
I don’t know, but he
doesn’t seem like the type that likes friend’s
leftovers.”

He opened the door for her. Stephen skipped a
little ahead and pushed the button to the elevator to go down.
Obediently, he returned and took his mother’s hand.

Stephanie didn’t let go of Jacoby’s hand for
one second.

When the doors to the elevators were closed
on them inside the elevator, Jacoby said, “You were not
leftovers.”

She only shrugged.

Just as the doors opened again at the floor
they were to get off at, he said, stepping out, “I’m not done with
you yet.”

Phoebe was almost stunned, but the doors
closing and Stephen tugging on her hand knocked her out of her
shocked state. “What is that supposed to mean?” He only gave her a
wide-eyed innocent look. “Are you using the children to avoid
talking?”

He smirked to himself as they waited on the
dock of the platform for the train with this weird smile on his
face. “I don’t know what you mean, Phoebe.”

“
I mean you are
deliberately trying not speak of what we need to speak
about.”

“
Would I do something like
that?”

Phoebe couldn’t believe he was actually
trying to be funny and she couldn’t yell at him because it would
upset the children. In a forced calm voice, she said, “I can’t
believe you are not taking this serious.”

He continued to keep the levity in his voice.
“If I didn’t keep a sense of humor about this entire thing, Phoebe,
I would have beat the sh-” He stopped himself remembering the kids
were present and rephrased his words, “crap out of Lawrence a long
time ago, but I’ve come to the conclusion that Lawrence is a
pathetic welsh that tries to destroy what he envies.” His look was
filled with confidence as he said, “I’m hoping he doesn’t win, but
whether he does or not, I will still pity him because no matter
what he does, he can never get away from his past mistakes.”

Phoebe thought this was a rather evasive
omission of some kind, which she wasn’t supposed to get, but she
had a feeling she might be finding out this information sooner than
she thought.

Throughout lunch, the twins were a good
distraction. Stephanie, who was usually the shy one opened up to
Jacoby completely. She was enthralled by him asking him so many
personal questions it was almost embarrassing, but Jacoby was so
entertained he answered them, his patience never wearing thin to
the adorable little girl.

When they boarded the People Mover to return
back to the office, the twins fell asleep almost immediately.

“
Do you work all the time?”
Phoebe inquired.

“
It helps get rid of the
boredom. It keeps me out of trouble and it’s a great distraction
for me personally,” Jacoby answered keeping his eyes forward and
not looking at her at all.

Phoebe had noticed throughout the entire
lunch he had purposely not made direct contact with her. Matter of
fact, he seemed to speak to the children more than he spoke to her.
Never had Phoebe felt more hurt than now. It was as if to look at
her would kill him.