Chapter 28
JETT
She disappears in the blink of an eye. I could have stopped her, but I didn’t.
I’ve done the right thing. For once. But what the fuck happened between us?
All sorts of things.
I’m trying so hard to stop myself from crossing that line. Cari made it almost impossible by telling me she has feelings for me.
Now there’s a revelation.
I cradle my whiskey glass between my hands, savoring our conversation, remembering the feel of her. The scent of her. Now I understand because it all makes sense, her wearing that dress, obeying me.
She wants me.
Fuck me, because I so badly want her, too.
I need to think carefully. I'm a cautious man. I have a reputation. I could have taken her any which way tonight, and I know she would have let me.
Because this wasn’t the commonsense Cari I’m used to dealing with.
The woman I saw tonight was a siren.
All I can do now is squeeze my frustration out in the shower, and hope I manage to sleep.
***
I take the day off, after having lots of meetings yesterday. I deserve a break and am looking forward to time with Brooke.
The breakfast table holds way too much food for three people—or two. I'm not sure that Cari will turn up after last night, even though the weekend is over. That's probably not a bad thing.
I'm still waiting for Brooke when my phone rings and I answer it instinctively, without checking to see who it is. I'm on autopilot this morning after tossing and turning in bed all night. Instead of sleeping, I was replaying the scene with Cari continuously in my head, and it has messed with me.
“Hello,” I growl, irritation bubbling under the surface as my pent-up frustration builds.
“Jett. It's Bryce.”
I mouth a silent Fuck.
If he were the last man left on the planet, I wouldn't want to hear from him.
“How are you doing, old sport?” he says.
I've been avoiding this cretin successfully up until now. He used to be one of my closest friends, but he turned into a real jerk when he made money from an investment in Lithium mines. Now he's just a flashy show off, and turned greedy on a deal we were working on. Since then, I’ve steered clear of him.
“Good, good,” I mutter, pressing my fingers against the bridge of my nose.
“I didn't know you were here.”
“No,” I say. That's because I didn't want to tell you.
“I'm having a small get together.”
“Ahhh … sorry. I have plans.”
He bellows with laughter. “I haven't told you when it is, old sport.”
Oops. “Right.”
“Don't be such a sour puss. My girls dote on little Brooke. How the hell is she?”
“She's fine. She's good,” I mumble.
“Bring her.”
“A get together for what?” I wonder if it might be the twins’ birthday and he’s downplaying it. They’re around ten or eleven.
“I don’t need a reason, old sport. Because I can.” There he goes again, showing off like the ass that he is. “Tonight, at seven. It’s very informal,” he continues. “Just the usual friends getting together. Otherwise, we’ll never see you, old boy. You like to stay in the shadows.”
When it comes to leeches like him, there’s a good reason. I know what his “just a few friends getting together” will be like. It will be a show of abundance. A feast, with lots of drinks and guests. Nothing at all like a small get together, by any normal person’s definition.
“Come as you are and bring Brooke. Bring whoever the hell you want. You with anyone? Gotten married or anything?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Then you don't have any plans, old boy. Don't be an ass and deprive your girl of some fun. Tell her we still have the ponies she loves.”
“I will.” I really don't want to go to this asshole's get together. I hang up just as Brooke comes running in. “Daddy! You’re still here.”
“I am. I’ve cleared the entire day to spend with you.” I love the way her dark blue eyes light up.
“The whole day?” Stand next to me, her tiny hands running over my five o’clock shadow. “Ouch, that hurts,” she cries and stops touching my face.
“I should shave, but I didn’t want to waste time I could spend with you. Yes, the whole day.” I tap her nose playfully.
“What are we gonna do?”
“Anything you want to do, sweet pea.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and drops me a kiss. My heart fills to bursting. How many mornings have I missed with this adorable angel of mine?
Far too many.
We have weekends in our Manhattan apartment, but they are few and far between. Anna helps a lot, or rather, did , but I’m away often and haven’t had as much time with her as I have lately on this vacation. Even on our vacation last year, it was with Anna. We only came for a few days and most of that time I was in back-to-back meetings. Brooke was asleep in bed by the time I logged off.
It’s unacceptable. We can’t carry on like this, not now that she’s getting older.
“Have something to eat,” I tell her, pulling out a chair for her. She sits down, looking all bright eyed and smiling like an imp.
At least someone slept well.
I push her chair in gently, feeling happy that I get to spend a day with her. I notice that Cari still hasn't come down. I wonder why—I didn’t tell her I’d be here. Has she overslept? Or has she heard me and is avoiding me?
What I did to her was bad. I made her think I wanted her, and I so fucking badly do. I made her wear the dress for me, and she did. But then I ruined it. I’ll never forget the look on her face as she fled. I hurt her, and I hate myself for it.
“I want to go to the Blue Lagoon,” Brooke says. “Zara said it’s a nice place.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go.”
“With Cari.”
“With Cari?” It’s strange how attached Brooke is to Cari. Not once has she said anything about Anna.
“Yeah, with Cari,” Brooke insists as I fill her plate with fruit and pour her a bowl of cereal.
“Did I hear my name?” Speak of the devil, and Cari comes bouncing in looking remarkably upbeat. Not anything like how I expected. She's wearing a tank top and shorts with frayed edges.
These days, she often surprises me. For a few seconds, my hand stills on the milk I was about to pour into Brooke’s bowl. She must have heard Brooke and I talking as she came down the stairs, and after last night I would have understood if she didn’t come down to breakfast at all. But she’s here, pulling up a chair next to Brooke as if everything is fine. She’s in my direct line of sight. I gaze at the slices of grapefruit on my plate.
“You want to go to the Blue Lagoon?” Cari asks, gaily, filling her plate with a mountain of fruit. “Sure. I’m up for that. Let’s go.”
She’s all for it, but I'm not so sure we can be around one another. “Why don’t you take the day off?” I suggest. “You worked yesterday, and it was a Sunday.”
“So did you.” She flashes me a sweet smile that confuses the hell out of me. If I was hoping for a flicker of recollection of last night, it’s not there. “Going to the Crystal Caves with Brooke isn’t work.” She smiles sweetly and I feel like she’s up to something, and I’m not sure I like it.
“If you have other plans …” I offer.
“I do have plans, but not till this evening.”
My jaw hardens. I can already guess.
“I'm meeting Jacques and the gang this evening,” she says, as if reading my mind.
Jacques and the gang. After what we shared last night, she’s meeting him again?
“We've been invited to an informal get together this evening,” I announce suddenly. Bryce has come in handy for a change. I turn to Brooke. “Do you remember the twins, Melly and Andi, and their cute little ponies?”
“I remember them,” Brooke cries. “I love their ponies!” I’m amazed she remembers. It was only last year, but a year is a long time in little lives.
“Their parents have invited us over, and they want you to come.”
“I wanna go! Will I get to ride a pony?”
I stab my fork into the grapefruit. “I’m sure you will.” I pause and direct my gaze at Cari. “You and I will both go, sweet pea. Cari’s got other plans.” The idea of her spending the evening with Jacques screws with my mind.
Brooke’s face drops.
“You and your daddy can have a lot of fun,” Cari tells her.
“But I want you to come! Please come, Cari. Please.”
Cari throws me a look that has the power to freeze my insides. I don’t fully understand why she’s so mad at me. “You know, what?” She picks up a banana, having hungrily devoured all her fruit. I marvel at her appetite—apparently everything is just fine and dandy in her world. I don't think she lost any sleep over what happened—or didn't happen—between us last night. “I'll just rearrange and meet my friends tomorrow.”
“You can do that?” I snap.
“I can do that.”
“Yay!” Brooke gurgles with happiness. “When are we going, Daddy?”
Cari slowly peels the banana and looks at me as she takes a bite. My train of thought derails.
“Daddy! What time?” Brooke asks, impatiently as Cari licks her lower lip, then takes another bite.
“Seven …” I hiss, feeling a familiar twitch in my pants. Cari chews slowly, her eyes on me the entire time.
“Daddy when—”
“Eat your breakfast … sweet pea,” I say as calmly as possible given the situation.
“What shall I wear this time?” Cari eyes me like the devil she is as she peels more of the banana.
Fuck. Me. “Come just as you are.” My eyes lock onto her mouth and the bite she’s about to take.
“I might wear a dress,” she says. “A red dress, maybe.”
Why does it feel like this whole thing has backfired on me?