She dragged herself back into the apartment at 1
A.M.
and crawled into bed without turning on a single light. Though exhausted, she did remember to lock up and set the alarm. She was tired but not stupid.
Her phone started calling her a moron around nine Thursday morning. Jenny groaned at the clock. Scrambling for the cell, she knocked the tea from yesterday’s breakfast over. Luckily, there were only small drops in it and they clung to the inside of the cup.
“You have someone at your door.” Was that her neighbor’s voice? She’d never called before.
“Excuse me? Who is this?”
“Maggie from next door. Your boyfriend has been sitting out here waiting on you for an hour.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” She heard a
humph
on the other side.
“Yeah, well, if you don’t get out here that may be true. He brought me a plant and I think I might just keep him.” The woman said something to the person with her then returned. “Oh, and I drank your coffee. It was getting cold.”
Jenny opened the door to find Grant sitting at the little table by Maggie’s door sipping Starbucks and reading the paper.
Nobody reads the paper anymore; they use iPads, Nooks, or Kindles.
He stood, thanked Maggie, and entered without saying a word.
“That’s pretty lame,” she said.
“What is?”
“Using my poor neighbor to get me to open the door.” She pulled her hair back with both hands and twisted a tie around it as she shoved the door closed with her foot.
“I didn’t intend to but she felt sorry for me. I’d sat there on the steps for a while and she came by twice. Once to take her dog out, and another time to go to the store. I was getting up to leave the second time when she said she’d call.”
Jenny smoothed her T-shirt down over her shorts and strode into the kitchen. “I don’t suppose you want more coffee?”
“Damn fine idea.” He smiled. “Thanks for asking. So, what’s the plan for today?”
Jenny put the coffee in to brew and slid the new cup under the spout, then pushed the button. “You say that like you’re planning on staying.”
“No, I just came by for coffee. I have to work. Big meeting this afternoon and a party tonight.”
“Ooooh. Big party man.” She held up her hands and made quoting gestures. The acid tone did not go unnoticed.
“What’s the matter, Jen?”
Oh, let’s see. We spent the night and day in your apartment and I haven’t heard from you since.
The smell of the coffee hit her nose at the same time that it beeped ready. She pulled the cup out and handed it to him. “Nothing’s the matter. Here’s your coffee. Better get going.” She waved him away in a mock good riddance gesture.
Grant held up the cup and stared at it. His mouth dropped. “You bought me a coffee cup.” The bright yellow G was unmistakable on the blue surface.
“Yeah. Two days ago.” She fixated on the cup to avoid looking at him.
“You bought me a coffee cup.” He set it down and rounded the counter toward her, backing her against the cold tile.
“You already said that. I thought it might be better than the throwaway ones you always use. Besides, you seem to be into the grand gestures.” She placed her palm between them to maintain distance.
“This is a grand gesture?” He lifted a brow and pointed at the cup. She nodded.
“For me, but don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just a cup.”
He shook his head. “No, it is a big deal. You have a cup with my initial on it at your apartment. That’s almost
personal.
Kind of like feeding someone with a fork. What do you think Banker Boy will think of that?”
“He’s not going to see it. Besides I thought you’d take it with you — it’s one of those car cups. Look at the bottom, it’s made to fit in a cup holder.”
Grant lifted the cup up and surveyed it. “So it is.” He kissed her, a hot liquid kiss that made her stomach rumble. “I like it. A lot.”
“It’s just a cup.”
“If you say so. Jenny, you’re off today, right? Because I thought maybe you’d go with me to see Josh. He asked about you last weekend. I have to pick him up for the thing this afternoon.”
“He’s going to your meeting? I thought he was a student.”
“Hodge asked for it. Apparently, they have something planned for the weekend after Christmas and want everyone in town. My parents are coming too — a family thing of some sort.”
“Your parents? They’re not there now though?” She did
not
want to meet his parents.
“No, just Hodge’s family — you know, Josh, Lauren, him.”
“Why do you want me there?”
“Josh
wants you there.” Now, she understood. He really didn’t want to be here at all, it was all about the job. Hodge had sent him. In fact, if it weren’t for Josh, he probably wouldn’t be here now. And she’d given him a stupid coffee cup.
“Okay, look, I want you there too,” he said.
“Doesn’t really sound like it.”
“You want me to beg?” He drank the coffee. “I like my cup. Thanks. So, you’re probably mad at me.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because I … we — ”
“Had sex? Why would I be mad about that? It seemed to work okay for both of us.”
“I’ll say.” He drank again. “You’re mad that I didn’t call.”
“Why should you? It’s not like it really meant anything. It just happened. It’s over.”
“Mmm, hmmm. Over.” He nodded.
Jesus, put the damn cup down. She wanted to throw it against the window and watch it shatter into a million shards.
“I wasn’t expecting anything.”
“I was in Texas and then New York. I left Friday and got back Tuesday. We’re launching David’s band and they start touring next month as the lead-in for Quonna. Their first concerts are in Texas. I came by yesterday but then I remembered, you said not to come by without calling, and I wasn’t sure if you — ”
And they don’t have phones in Texas or New York?
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like we owe each other anything anyway. And I’ve been working.”
“Okay.” Finally he put the cup down. Unfortunately, that left both hands free to wrap around her.
Damn.
He slipped one into the back of her T-shirt and fisted her skin just enough to tingle. “Jenny. It was nice of you to buy me a coffee cup and I’m sorry I didn’t call. Did I ever tell you I had a fantasy that involved you and my kitchen counter?”
Gulp
.
“Tell me about it.”
Confetti and streamers adorned the entire entrance of Hodge’s house when they arrived, a rather less ostentatious décor from the formal affair of a few weeks earlier. Still, it was beautifully warm and celebratory. The type of party Jenny preferred.
“So glad you could make it,” Lauren greeted them at the door. “We have a kind of fun surprise for you, or at least I hope it will be.”
Jenny still had a twinge of discomfort with the fact that her client was also quickly becoming a friend. She’d always thought it was bad business to mix friendships and work too much. It eventually led to disappointment or disagreements.
Jenny also felt a pending panic attack as she remembered the last time she’d been at this house. A peek upstairs at the hallway that led to the flowered door served to increase the tension. She glanced around the room, half-expecting a small form with mounds of dark curls to bound toward her. Nothing.
Thank God.
Grant put his hand against her back and slid it under her hair to rub against her neck. The unexpected touch along with the current surroundings made her jump. A frown crossed his face as he dropped his hand back to his side.
“Hopefully a good surprise, Lauren.” He dropped a peck on her cheek. “How are you?”
“Time will tell. Time will tell. But every day gets better and today’s no exception. Come on in.” She motioned for them to follow her as she led them to the fish room. Jenny had begun to understand the importance of the room. It was where historical events occurred in this family. Big decisions were made. Deals were struck or killed. Partnerships formed. This was where they took everyone when whatever occurred next required a calm and level head. With the supporting calmness of the liquid blue lights, and the fluid, serene movements of the fish, the atmosphere tended to make a person at ease with whatever they announced or planned.
Jenny lowered herself into the sofa cushions at the back of the room, placing herself outside the quorum with a full view of the pending action. Grant went to the bar and retrieved two bottles of water before returning to sit next to her.
Josh entered and sat near the edge. “Anyone else coming?” he said.
“No, just us. The core family. Plus one, of course.” Lauren smiled at Jenny. Hodge strode in, flipped some background music on the speakers overhead, and rubbed his hands together.
“Okay, a little announcement for everyone.” He grinned. “Lauren and I are going to have a little ceremony the weekend after Christmas that you will all be involved in. Jenny, we won’t put that pressure on you just yet, but we certainly want you there.”
“What kind of ceremony, Dad?” Josh said. His expression did nothing to hide his skepticism.
“A wedding ceremony.” Hodge held his hand out to Lauren. “Don’t worry, it’s just the family — not a big production. It’s time to put the past in the past, forgive ourselves, and start living again. That’s what Shilo would have expected of us.”
The phone blared at Jenny as she waved goodbye to her customer. She always seemed to think of changing the negative ringtone while driving or doing something else.
“Hey, Boss.” It was Barry and he asked to meet her somewhere nearby for about thirty minutes.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“Sort of.” He hesitated. “It’s something I need to talk to you about, personally. Don’t be alarmed; I’m not planning to quit or anything. I have some other commitments that I really have to discuss with you though, related to my, um, other job.”
“You promised you wouldn’t let it — ”
“I know, I said it wouldn’t interfere … but it’s the holiday season and our big Christmas show is coming up. I can skip it, but everyone expects me to be there.”
Dead silence. Oh great. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that a minister should attend his church’s celebrations. All she thought was that he intended to start preaching to the passengers. Boy, did she feel stupid. Way to jump to conclusions, idiot.
“Okay, I’m at Beach and Caroline. Meet me at the Starbucks in say, thirty minutes?”
“See you then.”
She really needed to stop thinking the worst. At what point did her entire life start to reek of cynicism? Especially when there were so many people around her that made it difficult to dislike them.
The meeting at Starbucks was brief. A schedule was put in place so the church would have its minister in attendance at all but the rehearsals and Jenny even promised to attend the service on Thursday night. A moment of weakness for sure, but still he was doing a great job and she didn’t want to lose him. A small sacrifice to make.
Her phone chimed again as she headed back to the car to leave. “Hey Jen, how’s your day going?”
Grant Tucker. Sex God. Tall, dark, and … okay, only grumpy at times now. Definitely dangerous, though — and still hanging around. She hadn’t scared him off yet, and she couldn’t figure out why.
“Fine. We’re just planning how we’ll handle the holiday time off. What’s up with you?”
“Just the subject I wanted to discuss. Are you going anywhere for Christmas?”
“We’re still working up through the day before Christmas Eve. Then I’m going to my mother’s. Why do you ask?”
It’s not like they were a couple or anything, and needed to spend the time together, was it? Was he going to ask her to spend time with him?
“I just wanted to let you know I’m going to my parents for a few days. I didn’t go last year so I owe it to the family to be there this time. They’d never let me get away with missing it twice.”
“That sounds nice. So, your parents and your sister will be there?”
“Yes, and a slew of cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, all that. Hodge and Lauren too, for a while.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a celebration that big. His family seemed to really be into them. Compared to the small affair she expected to attend, it sounded overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Jenny wondered if his sister had the same dark hair and eyes, the same dry sense of humor.
“Jen.” He hesitated. “Call me over the holiday, will you?”
“Sure, but it sounds like you’ll be pretty busy.”
“Not too busy to talk.”
They both hung up. And she realized only two more days of shopping and she’d bought nothing, not a single gift!
Crap.
• • •
Jenny forced herself out of bed at 9
A.M.
, somewhat disgruntled that a man hadn’t awakened her at her door. It was hard to admit she enjoyed the interruptions, even though she pretended not to. By 10, she was furiously shopping with the other 9,000 last-minute shoppers. By noon, she was exhausted and had only three hours before her first call.
She ticked all but one name off her list and frowned. Maybe it was too soon — he probably didn’t expect to get anything from her. She wouldn’t even see him anyway since he would be gone tomorrow and not back ’til afterward.
What do you get someone who runs in those kinds of circles anyway? Anything too glamorous probably wouldn’t come close to what he was used to. Tickets to a concert would be a waste since he probably got into them for free.
She walked into Macy’s. The clearance corner caught her eye: a big wicker beach hamper with wine glasses, corkscrew, and accessories for two seemed to beckon. Yes. Perfect. A nice romantic dinner for two on the beach.
Wait. She pictured a huge dog trampling through the celebration right at the moment they sat down. No. Scratch that last part.
She bought the beach gear and left. Mission accomplished. It wasn’t anything fancy like a car or anything but she hoped he liked it. If he didn’t, she’d throw it at him — or maybe keep it for herself now that she was better at channeling her anger. Jenny let out a quick giggle at the thought. She arrived back at her apartment, quickly changed clothes and headed out to work.