Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“ L adies, dinner is ready!” Jack’s voice rang out from the kitchen.
Harper put her phone down and ruffled Archie’s fur. “Come on, baby dog. Time to eat.” She glanced at her sister, who was working on her laptop. “You coming, Frankie?”
Frankie nodded. “Just a sec. Need to save this.” She tapped a couple of keys before standing up. “All done. Let’s eat. It smells great.”
“It does.”
They went into the kitchen, Archie running ahead of them.
The table was set, and four beautifully presented plates sat waiting. Each one had a seared filet, four shrimp with some kind of sauce, and a little mound of green beans. In the center of the table was a large bowl filled with a delicious-looking salad. Next to it was a smaller bowl that held vinaigrette, a spoon at the ready for serving.
“This looks like a restaurant meal,” Harper said.
Willa stood nearby, grinning for all she was worth. “Jack made it all, except for the salad and the dressing. I did both of those. It’s got walnuts, apple chunks, and blue cheese. Jack told me what to put in the vinaigrette.”
“You both did great work,” Frankie said. “I am so ready to eat.”
“Willa also helped with prep.” Jack pulled a bottle of wine from the cooler. “You ladies want a glass?”
Harper narrowed her eyes at him.
He shook his head, clearly understanding what was going through her mind. “I’m not having any, but it won’t bother me if you do. Totally cool with me, I swear.”
“I’m good,” she said. “Frankie?”
“No, I’m fine with water, thanks.”
Willa quickly filled glasses with ice water and brought them to the table.
They all took a seat in front of a plate, two on each side. Jack sat beside Harper. Archie went to the couch, knowing he wasn’t going to get anything from the table.
Harper raised her glass. “Here’s to Jack for providing most of this dinner, for cooking it, and to Willa for helping prepare it.”
“Here, here,” Frankie said, glass raised.
“You’re most welcome.” Jack bowed his head graciously before picking up his glass. “Here’s to all of you for putting up with me and the aggravation I’ve brought with me. Man, I am so sorry about that.”
Harper sipped her water, as did Willa and Frankie. “You didn’t bring those paparazzi. They found you. You can’t help your celebrity status.”
He sighed. “Sometimes, man, it feels like more trouble than it’s worth.”
Willa helped herself to salad, then passed the bowl to her mom, and picked up the vinaigrette. “What would you have done if you hadn’t gone into acting?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed in thought. “That’s a great question. For a while, I thought I might be a professional surfer. See if I could get sponsored, that sort of thing. I like cooking, as you know. I could have been a chef, man.” He laughed. “Maybe I would have been a landscaper. I like puttering around in the garden at home. It’s tranquil, you know? Like truly serene. There’s something righteous about having your hands in dirt, man.”
He set his fork down and clenched his hands over his plate, like they were full of earth. “It’s grounding, you know what I mean? It connects you to nature in a primal way.”
“I do know.” Frankie nodded as she passed the salad and dressing to Harper. “When I had my house, I had a fantastic garden. Grew all kinds of veggies. That garden was one of the big things I missed when I moved.”
“Why’d you move?” Jack asked.
Frankie’s expression turned sour. “Divorce.”
“Brutal, huh?” Jack said. He took the salad from Harper, using the tongs to add a good portion to his plate.
Frankie nodded, but then smiled at him. “Pain is good for the artist. Or so they say.”
“Right on,” Jack said, adding vinaigrette to his greens. “I hear that.”
Harper cut into her steak. The knife was almost unnecessary, it was so tender. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare. She took a bite. “Mmm, this is delicious.”
Frankie nodded. “So is the shrimp. What’s that sauce? It’s a little spicy, but really good.”
“Thanks, man. It’s a Cajun bearnaise sauce.”
“Where’d you learn to make that?” Frankie asked.
He cringed a little, almost like he was embarrassed. “My personal chef showed me how.”
Willa laughed. “It must be so cool to be you.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Sometimes it is. And sometimes, I hate being Jackson Marsh.”
“Oh, come on.” Harper shot him a look. She knew that wasn’t true. “You don’t hate being Jackson Marsh.”
“Nah, you’re right.” He sliced off a new bite of steak. “Hate is a strong word, for sure. But my life can be a lot.”
Willa shrugged. “Maybe you need to do something different. I was getting burned out from school, so I decided not to go back. I got a job teaching instead. I start in August, so I’m pretty excited. Teaching is what I wanted to do anyway, so I’m getting a head start. I’m still going to finish my degree, just in my spare time online.”
“You’re going to be a teacher?” Jack’s eyes lit up. “What grade? What subject?”
Willa smiled. “Social sciences at the local middle school.”
He extended his arm across the table, hand curled into a fist. Willa bumped her fist against his. “Way to go, Willa. Teachers are so important, man. You’re going to shape young minds. Help those kids dream in ways they didn’t know was possible. I applaud you.” He picked up his fork, but only used it to gesture. “I’ll tell you what. Anything you need for your classroom, you just let me know. Uncle Jack’s got your back, teacher lady.”
Willa blinked. “Seriously?”
“I said it, I mean it.” He stabbed a shrimp. “I know teachers don’t get paid much, which is a crime, if you ask me. Let me be your classroom angel, cool?”
“Wow,” Willa breathed out. “Yeah, very cool. Thank you.”
Harper was touched. “That’s very generous of you, Jack.”
“I like to give back.”
“I know you do. You’re like your father in that way.”
“Speaking of,” Frankie started. “I’m going to the art store tomorrow to get supplies for the painting of Arlington. Anyone want to come with me?”
“I will,” Willa said right away.
“Aw, man, I wish I could go,” Jack said.
Frankie looked at him. “Is there something I can pick up for you? I’d be happy to get whatever you want.”
He nodded, smiling again. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
Frankie shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you want me to get?”
“Some knitting supplies.”
Her brows lifted, but she didn’t laugh. “You knit?”
“Yeah.” He sipped his water. “I find it very calming.”
“That’s cool,” Willa said.
He drizzled more vinaigrette on his salad. “It helps pass the time on set, you know? Keeps my hands busy but frees the mind. Anyway, now that I’m not drinking and I’m sort of cooped up in the guest house, it would be nice to have a new project to work on. I’ll write down exactly what I need and if you have any questions, just call me.”
Frankie took the dressing from him next. “I will.”
“What are you going to make?” Willa asked.
“I’m thinking a throw for the couch in the guest house.” Jack grinned. “It needs one.”
“You know I’m going to move in there at some point,” Frankie said.
“In that case,” Jack said. “Pick out whatever color yarn you like, then text me a picture of it and I’ll tell you how much to buy.”
Frankie grinned. “Okay, I’ll do that.”
They ate happily, and the conversation shifted to a variety of subjects, ultimately settling on what they were going to watch after dinner.
Harper checked the time. It was nearly six. “I have to run over to Mitch’s for an hour. Go ahead and watch whatever you want. I’ll catch up when I get back.”
Frankie’s eyes narrowed, but she was having a hard time not smiling. “Oh, sure, leave so you don’t have to help clean up.”
“I’ll take my plate to the sink, how’s that?” Harper hopped up and carried her plate, glass, and utensils into the kitchen. “Willa, will you keep an eye on you-know-who in case he has to go out?”
Willa nodded. “You got it.”
“Thanks. And thanks again for dinner, Jack. It was great. See you guys when I get back.” She ran into her bedroom, put flipflops on and went out the door. On her walk to Mitch’s, she stared out at the water.
The boats and paparazzi were still there. She glared at them, wishing there was something she could do to get rid of them. How long were they going to sit there? Until they got pictures? This was nuts. And while they might be on a public waterway, it felt very much like an invasion of privacy.
She was still scowling when Mitch answered the door.
“Something wrong?”
“Those stupid gossip hounds.” She glanced at Bunny, who was standing at his side. “No offense, Bunny, but you’re not a hound, either.”
Mitch smiled, but nodded as Harper came into the house. “They are aggravating, aren’t they? Amazing that we live in a world that puts such a high price on things like news about celebrities. Speaking of money, here.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a folded check.
She took it, glancing at the amount. Her month was covered. And then some. “Thanks.” She put it in her pocket, since she hadn’t brought a purse.
“You’re welcome. How’s Jack doing?”
“Well enough to make us dinner.” She crouched to give Bunny some scratches. “Jack is used to this. More than we are.” She stood. “How are things here?”
He took her hand and gave her a quick kiss. “Better now. Things are good. It’s been a big day. Kyle sent his book to my agent, and I hired Beryl to be Ruthie’s part-time nanny.”
Harper blinked in surprise. “Beryl is staying?”
Mitch nodded. “Yep.”
“Joyce must be so happy.”
“I’d think so. It was her idea.” Mitch laughed as they went upstairs. “She’s wily, that one. But to be honest, Ruthie is a lot of extra work. It’s not fair for Joyce to take it all on, so the help is needed. Especially if I’m going to meet my deadline.”
“How is the book going?” In truth, she wanted to ask him about his conversation with Angelo, but if Mitch wanted to share that, he would. It was his business, after all.
He went to get them two bottles of sparkling water from the fridge. “Let’s have a seat on the deck and I’ll tell you all about it.”