Chapter 17 – Jordie
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The XXX Love Nest
Jordie
I’m standing in the living room of my apartment, brimming with anticipation, when my phone rings. Looking at the display, I swipe my thumb against the button and answer with, “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, baby. What are you up to?”
“Just getting ready to go to Philadelphia for my meeting with the new agent.” I fidget with the handle of my black hardshell suitcase, sliding it up and down, up and down. “My ride should be here in about ten minutes.”
“Oh good. That gives us a minute to talk. I have news!” She trills the last word, making me smile.
“What’s that?”
“Willie and I have decided on a wedding venue. I’ve always wanted an island destination wedding so we’ve chosen…” She pauses to draw out the drama before announcing, “St. Lucia!”
“Aww, I bet that will be beautiful, Mom. I’ve always wanted to go there.”
Her voice softens. “And now you’ll get the chance. I want you to be my maid of honor.”
“I—me?” I ask, pointing at myself even though she can’t see me. My chest warms at the thought that she actually wants me to be a part of her wedding.
“Of course you,” she said with a tinkling laugh. “There’s no one I’d rather have.”
I scrunch my shoulders, feeling her excitement through the phone line. “I was Juliette’s maid of honor, but I didn’t really have much to do because they got married pretty quickly and she didn’t have a bachelorette party or anything.”
“I was thinking we could just go to the island a few days early and do something simple. There’s a beautiful spa at the resort we’ve chosen. Does that sound okay with you?”
“It does, and thank you so much for asking me, Mom. Just let me know what I can do to help.”
“I can’t think of anything right—Oh, wait. There is one thing.”
“Sure, whatever you need.”
“Well, I called the resort to book everything, but they said they needed a deposit. They’re only holding my reservation for twenty-four hours.
Can you handle that for me?” When I hesitate, she rushes to say, “There’s a local gallery that wants to feature ten of my paintings.
They’re supposed to advance me some money, but it will be a couple weeks.
I can send it to you as soon as the transfer clears. ”
“Oh. Okay,” I say. “I can do that for you.”
“Thank you, honey. Plus, the refinery called, and they want Willie to come back to work next week. Everything is looking up.” She sounds so cheerful.
I’m still not the biggest fan of Willie. He seems like a toad to me, but I’m not the one marrying him, so I say, “I’ll get it done, and I’m so happy for you, Mom.”
Once we hang up and my mother texts me the resort information, I check the time, seeing I have a few minutes till Phoenix is due to pick me up. Might as well go ahead and do the deposit since they’re only holding her reservation until tomorrow.
I’m put in touch with a nice lady named Ella who looks up the information for Delphine Caldwell. “Ah, yes. I see it here. The total is forty thousand dollars for everything. Would you like to pay the full amount now or just the deposit?”
I’m flabbergasted. I had no idea a resort wedding would cost so much. “F-forty thousand?” I stammer. “How much is the deposit?”
“That would be half.”
My phone pings with a text, and I curse inside my head. That’s probably Phoenix saying he’s getting close.
“I’ll do half,” I tell Ella, quickly pulling out my bank card and giving her the information and my email address. “Can you please wait about ten minutes before running my card? I need to transfer some money into that account.”
“Of course, Ms. McNamara,” she says in her pretty accent, British and something else I can’t put my finger on. “I’ll send your receipt over as soon as the payment is processed.”
I hang up and tap on my banking app, transferring twenty thousand freaking dollars from my savings to my checking account.
I hope this new deal with Hale Cosmetics works out because I’m trying to build up a nest egg in case I get injured or something, and that little transaction just depleted a nice portion of it.
Thanks for the heads up on the amount, Mom.
My phone rings, and I answer with a rushed, “Hello?”
“Hey, I’m downstairs,” Phoenix replies. “I have Reece with me, but I can get her out if I need to come up and help with your bags.”
“No, it’s fine. I only have one,” I tell him. “Be right down.”
Hastily, I toss my phone in my bag and leave my apartment.
It’s not until Phoenix is loading my suitcase into the back of his fancy SUV that I realize I forgot to pack any underwear.
Like, none. They’re still in the dryer since I washed all my delicates this morning.
The whole thing with my mom distracted me, and it completely slipped my mind.
Maybe we could find a Walmart or something once we get there. Pushing that aside, I open the back door to give Reece a hug. She’s safely buckled into her car seat and returns my embrace with tight arms around my neck.
“Hey, sweet girl. I hear you’re staying at your Nana’s tonight.”
She nods vigorously. “I love going to Nana’s house, but I’m sad I can’t go on vacation with you and Daddy. Is it like a honeymoon? Cuz kids can’t go on honeymoons.” Her little head tilts to the side. “That’s what my friend Brittany said at the park.”
I laugh uncomfortably. “Definitely not a honeymoon. It’s just a work trip, lots of boring meetings and stuff.”
Reece sticks out her tongue and makes the most adorable yuck face. “That sounds horrible. Daddy should take you on a nice vacation and not make you work.”
Phoenix pops his head into the opening beside mine. “What’s going on?”
“Jordie wants you to take her on a honeymoon,” the little girl announces.
I’m fairly certain I look like one of those cartoon characters whose eyes elongate and bug out about two feet before popping back into the sockets.
“I… What? No!” I look at Phoenix in a panic, my head shaking so rapidly his face is a blur. “I didn’t say that.”
To my relief, he simply laughs, looking all good-natured and shit.
“Don’t worry about it.” Leaning into the car, he kisses his daughter’s forehead before backing us out and closing the door.
“Reecie has a friend from Playdates at the Park, and her mom recently got married. The two girls are obsessed with the whole honeymoon situation. Reece told me Brittany told her that kids aren’t allowed because the grown-ups are probably going to kiss a lot.
” His eyebrows wiggle as he opens the passenger door for me.
“And that’s probably icky-poo-poo,” I reply, using Reece’s term when she described onions.
His mouth kicks up on one side, and Thing Two says hello. “Totally icky-poo-poo.”
Dear god, he is handsome.
Phoenix pulls out of my apartment complex and takes the road for the highway. “Thanks for agreeing to let me pick you up a little early. Mom’s house is on the way to the airport, so I thought we could drop off Reece and go straight there.”
“It’s no problem. I did forget one thing though, but I can hopefully find a store nearby once we get there.”
He nods. “Yeah, that’s fine. Tanner Montgomery arranged a car service for us, so we can go anywhere you’d like.”
“Daddy!” pipes up a little voice from the backseat. “Can we go to that store?”
“Which store, baby?” he asks, glancing in his rearview mirror.
“That one over there,” she replies as she pokes her finger insistently against the side window. “The Love Nest.”
I know the store because I made a trip there just last week, but Phoenix doesn’t realize what it is until he dips his head to look. Then his face is a mask of horror when he realizes it’s a sex toy shop.
Dipping my head, I cover my mouth to stifle the giggles attempting to burst from my throat as Phoenix works to form words. “Uhhhh, I don’t think…”
His words trail off, and Reece speaks again, a hint of begging in her tone. “It says they have toys and movies. Can we go get some? Pleeeease, Daddy?”
“That store isn’t open,” he manages to eke out in a strained voice.
“You see those three Xs on the sign? That means it’s closed.
In fact,” he says, committing fully to his little white lie, “that means the city shut them down. They probably have rats or something in there. Definitely want to avoid any store with three Xs on the sign.”
Keeping my voice low so only he can hear, I whisper, “I haven’t seen any rats in there, but they do have lots of rabbits.”
His lips twitch, and he subtly scratches the side of his face with his middle finger.
A couple minutes later, we exit, and after a few turns, we’re in a beautiful neighborhood. The streets are lined with oak trees that are older than my dads.
“This is so pretty,” I say, dipping my head to look at the opulent homes as we pass.
“Just a warning, we’ll have to go inside when we get there.” He shrugs and explains with, “Mom rules.”
I grin in understanding. “Same with my dads. I can never just stop by to grab something or pick up something. There always has to be a visit involved.”
When we pull up next to a house with a perfectly manicured lawn and understated landscaping, the only word I can think of is stately.
A three-story brick home rises up and blocks the morning sun as I gape like a landlocked fish.
Before I know it, Phoenix is opening my door, and I see the back of Reece’s head as she sprints toward the house yelling, “Nana, I’m here! ”
“She’s excited,” I note, stepping out of the vehicle and following Phoenix up the brick walkway.
“Because my mom spoils her rotten. I call her No Boundaries Nana.” A pretty woman with dark hair and eyes appears in the doorway, holding a bouncing Reece on her hip. She waves, and I automatically wave back.
“Jordie, so nice to meet you. I’m Ophelia,” she says when we reach her, granting me a one-armed hug because she’s still holding her granddaughter with the other. “Come on in and make yourself at home.”