Chapter 7
Jack kept his arm around my waist, which I found I didn’t mind at all.
We said brief goodbyes to the group and he guided me out of the restaurant.
Not through the door to the hallway, which I’d been expecting, but out the door to the veranda and the golf course.
Only then did he drop his arm, but only to take my hand.
We walked out onto the golf course, in no particular direction, just enjoying the dark stillness.
“Eve, take off your shoes. The golf course grass is the softest. You won’t believe how good it feels.”
I bent down and took off my shoes, holding them by the straps in one hand along with my clutch, the other hand having found its way back to Jack’s.
In his other hand he was holding his canvas, slip-on shoes.
He’d rolled up his pants to his ankles and he looked perfectly at ease.
Like he belonged here. But I think he belonged wherever he happened to be.
The evening was just barely warm, a small breeze hinting at cooling off during the night.
But it was still a luxuriously warm temperature for an October evening.
The grass tickled the soles of my feet, but I also felt a hum of connection through my soles and up my legs as I stood holding Jack’s hand, drinking in the night.
An impossible number of stars were overhead.
In New York I never saw stars. It was too bright.
And I was too busy to look up. I kind of wished we had a blanket we could lay on and just look up at the stars.
I felt a wave of regret that we didn’t have that blanket or the time to just watch stars. Tomorrow I had to get on a plane and go home. Alone. To my apartment. Alone. Having had this time with Jack…it had been…amazing. A gift. I hadn’t realized how lonely my life was.
But really, that was by choice. If my two options were loneliness or heartbreak, loneliness was much easier to bear. I sighed deeply, regretting all the things that could not be.
“I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking, Eve,” said Jack quietly, breaking the stillness.
I doubt it, I thought. “What do you think I’m thinking, Jack?”
I could hear the grin in his voice as he said, “You’re wishing you had more of that dessert.”
“No, I’m full. And there will be more amazing desserts in the future.”
“So, what was the heavy sigh all about?” His thumb gently rubbed my hand, warming me. I savored the connection, knowing that would soon be a memory as well.
I took a moment to answer, considering what I wanted to say and how best to say it.
“This has been a work trip, but it also has been an unexpected break from routine. And mostly that’s due to you.
So, thank you for that, Jack. You’re infuriating, but you have an amazing gift of making everything… better. More fun.”
We walked in silence as he processed what I’d said.
Then he stopped and turned to face me. “Eve, I dreaded coming back to Scottsdale. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I thought of it. And then I met you, and you helped me to get through the hard parts. So, thank you.” I squeezed his hand.
“You know what I like best about you, Eve? It’s that you see people. You see them and you care about them. Like your story about how you didn’t charge the sleepwalker because you didn’t want to embarrass him. You care. And that’s amazing.”
Unsure how to reply, I simply said, “Thank you. We should get back. I have a flight to catch tomorrow, and I should get some sleep.”
We turned around and headed back to the resort. Under his breath I could hear Jack singing softly.
“What are you singing, Jack?”
He gave a little sheepish shrug. “Sorry, I usually keep it inside.”
“What do you keep inside?”
I couldn’t see if he was blushing, but his body language said he was embarrassed.
“Um, I hope this doesn’t sound too weird, but I hear music.
In my head. All the time. It’s like my life has its own soundtrack.
Sometimes it’s stuff I’ve written, sometimes it’s other people’s work, and sometimes it’s songs that I have to hurry to get to paper and write down. It just happens on its own in my head.”
“Wow, that sounds…annoying. I like listening to music, but I also like being able to turn it off.”
“Oh, I can turn it off if I want. But usually I just enjoy it.”
“What were you hearing just now?”
“Oh, just a song,” He answered, evasively.
“Ohhhhkay. I guess your head deserves some privacy.”
He chuckled as he led me back into the hotel and pointed across the golf course. “Is that PBD? And Megan?”
PBD was chasing Megan, staggering drunkenly, yelling, “Wait up! Wait for me!” and then singing We Are The Champions loudly and off-key. What a catch.
At the elevator he pushed the button for my floor. “Are we staying on the same floor?” I asked.
“Well, I couldn’t very well let you go to your door unaccompanied, could I?” I noticed that he hadn’t answered my question.
At my door I pulled my key card out of my clutch, nervously wondering if he would try to kiss me.
That was generally how a date ended, right?
A kiss at the door? But this hadn’t really been a date.
He’d been my…escort? Fake boyfriend? So, there was no need for a kiss.
He probably wouldn’t even want to kiss me.
After all, what he liked best about me was that I cared.
Not that I was beautiful or sexy or that I wanted to have his babies.
Boy, it had been a long day, and I was really tired. I needed to get a door between us and go to bed.
As I turned to say goodnight, he took the key card from my hand and opened the door. As he came nearer, I backed up into my room and he followed, closing the door behind him. So much for having a door between us. My heart pounded hard with the certainty of where he wanted this to go.
“Jack, what are you doing?” My voice came out as a strangled whisper.
“I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ve got a big day of travel tomorrow.”
“Um, Jack, that’s my line and this is my room.”
“So why is my bag here?”
He flicked on the light, and I looked where he pointed and sure enough, his bag was sitting right next to mine on the luggage rack
“What? How? What?” was all I managed to stutter out.
“I was chatting with Chanelle at the front desk, and she offered to put my bag up here. In our room.”
“What?” I was outraged. That broke every safety protocol in place to protect guests. That would definitely have to be written up.
“Eve, everyone knows we’re together. I told her you’d taken the key, so she offered to have my bag delivered while I went looking for you. She was just being helpful. Don’t get her in trouble.”
“What if you had been a crazy stalker and she gave you access to my room?”
“Well, I’m not, so you’re safe.”
“I’m not so sure,” I muttered.
“Look, it’ll be fine. I’ll just go brush my teeth and get changed.” He picked up his bag and headed for the bathroom.
“Jack, you can’t stay in my room!” I exploded.
“Why not? We stayed together last night.”
“Last night was different. No one knew. Now everyone will know and they will talk.”
“Isn’t that the point, Eve? That people, in particular PBD, think you’re attached? Scott seems pretty convinced we’re a couple and he seems just fine with it.”
“Well, it looks extremely unprofessional of me to drag a boyfriend along on a corporate trip!”
“It’s not on you, Eve, it’s on me. Remember, I’m the one that crashed your presentation. They’ll all just think I’m the impulsive, rapscallion of a boyfriend.”
I stopped and stared at him. “Did you just use the word rapscallion in a sentence? Who says that?”
“Plenty of people, Eve. And stop trying to change the subject just because you know I’m right.”
I gave him my very best eye roll and folded my arms. “Fine. Where were you planning on sleeping?”
“In the bed, of course,” he answered with a grin. “I can control myself, you know. Your virtue is safe with me. That is assuming you have any.”
I had no quick, pithy reply for that barb, so I threw a pillow at him. He ducked, laughing, and took his bag into the bathroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed and put my head in my hands. What was I doing? Playing with fire was what I was doing. But how to stop it? Jack was like a force of nature that steamrolled over all my reasonable, logical, mature decisions. Grinning that sexy smirk while he did so.
Jack came out of the bathroom wearing, oh dear Lord help me, nothing but boxer shorts. Plaid boxer shorts. I refused to ogle his strong arms or his sculpted chest. I’d already seen it, and he knew it. Instead, I focused on the boxers. Not really a better choice, but it was all I had.
“Plaid boxers? Really? You wear plaid by choice?” I could hear the squeak in my voice as I tried to hide my rising heart rate.
“What’s wrong with plaid? You know, there’s a whole country that takes great national pride in wearing plaid,” he replied with a knowing smile.
“Yes, I’ve heard of Scotland,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “But I’m hardly going to take fashion tips from a country that thinks it’s OK for men to wear skirts.”
The corner of jack’s mouth lifted as he replied, “They’re called kilts, and I’ve heard they’re pretty comfortable.
Plus, there’s the mystery of what a man has on under his kilt.
Maybe I should try one.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I couldn’t quite suppress the smile that was threatening to break out.
“Fine, wear your plaid boxers. But don’t expect me to appreciate the view.” Oh, I did, believe me, I did.
With a chuckle he said, “No one’s forcing you to look, Eve.” And he waved me into the bathroom.
I shut the door and looked in the mirror. Did I always look this flushed around him? Damn, he knew he’d flustered me. I needed to channel my inner Elsa and regain my ice queen mantle. I could not allow him to rattle me.
I took off my dress and put it on a hanger.
I’d only packed the one sleepwear set, so Jack would get a rerun.
Which was fine. I wasn’t putting on a show for him.
I removed my makeup, put my hair into a messy bun, and scrubbed my teeth vigorously.
I would NOT try to look sexy or tantalizing.
Or like I wanted to ravish him. Nope nope nope, all such thoughts were banished.
Until I realized I had no more reasons to be in the bathroom, and I was basically hiding in there.
Well, it was my room. There was no reason I should be skulking in the bathroom. I could just ignore him. Yes, that was the right course of action. Pretend he wasn’t in my room. In my bed. Oh dear, there went my heart rate and my face was flushed again.
I knew this was a bizarre incident that would one day make a great story around the dinner table, but for now I needed to get control of my emotions.
I closed my eyes and pulled up a mental picture.
LCB. Lying Cheating Bastard. On the day of betrayal.
I allowed myself to feel the sharp, icy, stab as he revealed his duplicity.
I usually kept that feeling well hidden, but tonight I needed it to be my armor.
I opened the door and walked out into the bedroom.
Jack was sitting in bed, looking at his phone, but he looked up with a smile when I entered.
I gave him a brief, icy glare and he looked confused.
I hung my dress in the closet, then went to my side of the bed (good gosh, did we already have sides?), got in, and turned off the light.
There was a heavy silence between us. Finally, Jack sighed and said softly, “Eve, are you really mad at me? I was just teasing, you know.”
I wanted to be the ice maiden, glacierly cold and unapproachable. But I’d forgotten the aftermath emotion that followed the betrayal. The utter rejection. The depression. The total aloneness.
“No, I’m not mad, Jack. I just need to get to sleep.” I might have gotten away with that if my voice hadn’t broken at the end.
He rolled over and put his arm around me, his breath warm in my hair. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. What’s going on?”
I couldn’t help it. His warmth engulfed me and made me feel so safe, so secure. Hot tears squeezed from my eyes and silently tracked down my face. Once I was sure that I could talk in an even voice I whispered, “It’s nothing, Jack. But could you…just huggle me to sleep?”
He chuckled in my ear, “I would if I even knew what that was, hon.”
“Huggle? You know, hug plus snuggle equals huggle. How did you not know that when you use a word like rapscallion?”
“I’m pretty sure huggle is not in Webster’s dictionary. But for you, hon, I’ll overlook that and try my best to huggle without offending your virtue.”
“Thanks, Jack,” I whispered, sleepily. “You’re very sweet.”
“I know. I’m glad you’ve figured it out, too,” he laughed softly.
“Good night, Jack.”
“Good night, Eve.”