Book 22 Rescue After Dark #9
“God, no. I’d never do that, and neither would she. She hates his guts. But he knows I love it here, so it probably won’t take long to figure out where I am if he can’t find me in LA.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being in danger, Jordan.”
“I’m not in danger.”
“How do you know that? If he comes here, it wouldn’t be hard for him to find you.”
“He won’t come here. He doesn’t inconvenience himself. Ever. Coming here would be inconvenient for him.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I’m sorry that it’s upsetting to you that I’m still married—”
“That’s not what I’m upset about, babe. I’m worried about you. He’s put you through enough. You don’t need to be harassed by him after everything that’s already happened.”
She props her chin on his chest, a smile making her lovely face even more so. “It’s nice to have someone to worry about me.”
“I am worried. He’s proven he has no regard for you or what’s best for you.” He smooths the hair back from her face.
“And you do?”
“I do. I care. I don’t want anything to hurt you.” To his dismay, her eyes fill with tears. “Wait, what’s this?”
“It’s just really nice to be with you.”
Could she be any sweeter? “It’s really nice to be with you, too.”
Jordan spends the next few days taking care of Mason.
It isn’t lost on her that she’s becoming addicted to everything about him—from the way he makes her laugh to how he hangs on every word she says, to the nearly spiritual physical connection that hums between them every time they’re anywhere near each other.
She’s falling fast and hard for him. Even as she tells herself to take it easy, not to dive headfirst into a new relationship when she isn’t even legally separated yet, tamping down her feelings for Mason would be like trying to keep the tide from coming in.
On Saturday night, they attend the dinner party with Mason’s friends. Jordan loves Mallory and Quinn, as well as Quinn’s brother Jared and his wife, Lizzie. Also in attendance are Alex and Jenny Martinez, Paul and Hope Martinez and David Lawrence and his fiancée, Daisy Babson.
At dinner, they discuss Jordan’s show. Everyone who has watched it raves to her about it.
“People really connected with you and Gigi on the show,” Mallory says. “They appreciated how you kept it real, even though you showed the glam side of celebrity. You weren’t afraid to talk about your problems. It was refreshing.”
Hearing that an accomplished woman like Mallory enjoys the show makes Jordan feel good about what she and Gigi have created. “We had fun, but it was important to us that it not just be about hair and makeup and clothes, but real life, too.”
“You did a great job of that,” Mallory says. “We both enjoyed it.”
“I didn’t picture you as a reality TV fan, bro,” Jared says to Quinn.
“Not usually, but Mallory liked the show, so I watched it with her. It was really well done and fun to watch.”
“Maybe you could do a Gansett Island version of the show,” Paul says.
“That’d be awesome,” Hope says. “You could do flip-flops instead of stilettos and talk about the challenges of living on a remote island.”
“People would probably be bored senseless by that,” Jordan says.
“I don’t think so,” Jenny says. “You and Gigi could make it hysterical. I have no doubt it would be a huge hit.”
“I’m trying to picture Gigi on Gansett.”
The others laugh.
“She’d be a riot,” Jenny says. “She is so effortlessly funny. Is she always like that?”
“Yes! She’s had me laughing since grade school when we sat next to each other. She got me in so much trouble.”
“That’s the only dynamic you two need to be successful—each other,” Alex says. “She’s a kook, and you’re the one trying to keep her from committing a felony. I actually can’t believe she’s an attorney.”
“I never laughed harder in my life than I did when she told me she was going to law school. And then I realized she was serious. She said she had a feeling she was going to need to understand the law at some point. Turns out, she was right about that. But what’s really funny is that she’s actually a very good lawyer. ”
“I can see that,” Jenny says. “She’s sharp as a tack as well as funny as hell.”
“She is. Maybe I need to invite her to Gansett to check the place out. See what she thinks of filming our last season here.” The idea of being able to stay, of somehow figuring out a life here, fills her with an unreasonable feeling of elation.
Mallory and Quinn mention that the activities director at the senior care facility they run has left.
Jordan asks what an activities director does.
“Organize exercise, crafts, games, music and other forms of entertainment for the residents,” Quinn says.
“We have a wide variety of capabilities among our clientele. Some are more able to participate than others, but they all enjoy being in the room.”
“I can attest to that,” Paul says. “Our mom has severe dementia, but she still enjoys making crafts. Sometimes she doesn’t recognize us, but she can still create beautiful things.”
As the others discuss Marion’s situation, Jordan is stuck on the information about the activities director. When Quinn described the role, she’d felt a spark of interest that couldn’t be denied.
She tells Mason that when they’re driving back to his place. He assures her they would be glad to talk to her about the job if she’s interested. She has to get her life in LA straightened out first before she can consider a job on Gansett.
“Are you leaning toward wanting to be here instead of there?”
“I might be.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in maybe ever.”
He has such a way of making her feel wanted. After spending most of her life surrounded by men who didn’t truly care about her, he’s a refreshing and delightful change of pace.
Mason returns to work and his daily AA meeting on Sunday. After the meeting, he joins Mallory and Quinn for their usual coffee and breakfast. Mallory wants to know how things are going with Jordan.
“Subtle, babe,” Quinn says. “She promised she wouldn’t pump you for info the second she had you in her clutches.”
Mason laughs at their banter. He and Jordan like each other a lot, but she has to figure out a lot of things before she makes her next move. Mason is trying not to get ahead of himself, and he doesn’t see Jordan living on Gansett long term.
“I want to say one more thing,” Mallory says.
Quinn rolls his eyes. “One more thing, and then I am going to muzzle you if Mason doesn’t beat me to it.”
“This is important, Mason.”
He’s never seen Mallory look more serious.
“I think you love her. I think she loves you, too. If that’s the case, nothing is more important than doing whatever it takes to make it work, even if that means you are the one to relocate.”
Her words hit like a fist to the face, a wakeup call of the highest order.
He’s been consumed with trying to figure out how to keep her on Gansett, when maybe he should’ve been thinking about how he might go with her if she has to leave.
He’s ashamed to admit he’s never given that scenario any serious thought until Mallory forces him to.
“Your point is well taken.”
“I know you love your life here, but your life here is going to be a whole lot less ideal post-Jordan.”
That, too, is true. He’d been fine before he met her, but now… The thought of not seeing her for one day pains him. How would he survive a lifetime of days without her?
Jordan forces herself not to cry on the way to see Mason at the Barn. Normally, she wouldn’t bother him at work, but she has to see him before she leaves. When Dermot shows her into Mason’s office, he knows right away something is wrong.
“I have to go back to LA. Today.”
He doesn’t try to hide his disappointment, which is just another reason to love him. He never tries to hide from her, never plays games or makes her wonder if she has his full attention. “Why?”
“The network is threatening to sue me if I’m not at a meeting tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. So, Gigi says I need to get my ass back to LA. She’s sending a plane for me because it was too late to book commercial.” Why is she babbling to him about logistics? What does any of that matter?
“You want me to come with you?”
“What? No, you have work and, well, everything. I don’t know how long I’ll need to be there, and I don’t want to mess things up for you any more than I already have.”
“You haven’t messed up anything for me. This has been so awesome.”
“For me, too. I’m so sorry about this.”
Mason takes a few steps to close the distance between them and draws her into his embrace. He breathes in the scent of her hair, wanting to commit every detail of her to memory—as if he won’t remember forever every second of the time he’s spent with her.
Only when her shoulders shake does he realize she’s crying.
“Aww, sweetheart, don’t cry. Go do what you’ve got to do and come back. I’ll be right here.”
“I may have to do the full season there. That’d be months.”
“I’ll wait.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I’m telling you I’ll wait as long as it takes until you’re free and clear and can come back or until you ask me to come there.”
“You’d do that?”
He pulls back and looks down at her. “I’d do that.”
Jordan cries the whole way back to Eastwood Look. When she walks in the door and sees her grandmother, she falls into her arms. “What is this about?” Evelyn asks about Jordan’s tears.
“I’m so happy to see you!”
“You were in tears when you came through the door,” Nikki says. “What’s wrong?”
Jordan pulls back from her grandmother while keeping an arm around her. “I have to go back to LA. Today, or the producers are going to file suit. I just came from seeing Mason.”
“Oh, crap,” Nikki says. “How’d you leave it with him?”
“That we’ll figure out what’s up when I get my shit sorted. If I get my shit sorted.”
“If you’re crying over him, it’s probably safe to say you’ve already sorted some of your shit,” Evelyn says.
Jordan stares at Nikki. “Did she say shit?”
“I believe she did.”