Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
JESSY
I must be dreaming. This can’t be happening, but the expression on Luke’s face tells me he’s deadly serious.
Fifty thousand pounds a year.
I can’t believe it. It’s so much money; more than I ever thought I’d earn in my first job and it would be working for him.
His dark brown eyes are brimming with hope and his soft smile is like kryptonite to my heart. He wants me. Jessy Potter. But why?
“Please, Jessy. I need you.”
I’m lost for words and then we hear a loud, “Luke, darling.”
Luke’s face falls and a flash of exasperation crosses his features as he groans, “Morgana.”
“Your girlfriend.” I remind him and he shrugs.
“Will you do it, Jessy? Please say yes.”
“Why the change of heart from yesterday?”
I’m confused and wonder if the ghost of Aunt Christabelle somehow haunted him in his sleep and changed the direction of his thought process. It can only be that and I’m surprised when he grips my arm and says desperately, “Come back with me. I’ll introduce you as a member of my team and we can begin to unravel this mess and hopefully make everybody happy.”
I am so conflicted. Part of me wants to tell him to shove his job up his newly acquired back passage, but the other part of me is seduced by his offer. By him actually and as for the money, I would be a fool to turn that down, so I nod reluctantly.
“It wouldn’t hurt to discover the details.”
He exhales sharply and then smiles, and it’s as if the sun comes out and melts my frozen heart.
“You will. Thank God. Come on, it’s not a great idea to keep Morgana waiting for too long.”
Even the mention of her name is a bullet to my fragile heart, and yet this is business. It’s a job offer, nothing else, just employment. The trouble is, now I’ll have to witness first-hand how a man like Luke Adams acts around the woman he loves and the knowledge that woman will never be me.
We head back around the trees and I shrink away from the curious glances that greet us. Luke smiles reassuringly and says rather loudly so everyone can hear, “Jessy is my business advisor for Granthaven. I’m so glad I caught her. We have a lot of work to do.”
I note the relief in Morgana’s eyes as she smiles at me sweetly, and then I notice the shock in the eyes of the man accompanying them.
“Steven.” Luke waves him over and turns to me.
“Steven Chambers is my agent and good friend. He will help you with anything you need.”
He points to the other man. “That’s Jasper. He’s producing our reality show. He may ask you to participate, but that’s up to you.”
Jasper waves from his position on the sidelines as he films every move Morgana makes, and as we near the woman herself, she holds out her hand and says warmly. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Jessy. If you have any questions at all, please ask me, and if I don’t know, I can point you in the direction of someone who might.”
It’s now official. I’m in hell because Morgana appears to be the sweetest woman alive, and I am lusting after her boyfriend. How will this work? It will end up breaking me, but as I glance around at the familiar faces surrounding us, I know I must give this my best shot. If I can save the future of this village by applying everything I’ve learned, it will be worth every minute of being in the presence of a group of people who make my head and heart spin.
While I wait for Luke and Morgana to manage the crowds, Angie finds me and pulls me to one side.
“What’s going on?”
Her eyes are wide as she nods in Luke’s direction.
“He offered me a job.”
“I get that, but why?”
“I don’t know.”
We stare at one another in complete shock and she shakes her head in disbelief.
“This is a life-changing moment, Jessy.”
“You’re so melodramatic.” I laugh nervously.
“No it is. I mean, working for Luke Adams. It’s a dream come true.”
“I suppose it is, but what if it all goes wrong?” I whisper, glancing at the man himself as he takes a selfie with a group of fans.
“Then you will have a good memory to keep you warm at night.” Angie grins. “I mean, way to go Jessy. What happened back there was the stuff of movies and I saw that man with the camera filming every moment of it.”
“For their reality TV show, nothing else.”
I roll my eyes. “I expect he’s doing this as a publicity stunt.”
“In what way?”
Angie’s expression is fierce, which makes me smile.
“Think about it. He knows he must keep Granthaven in the family for one year. It would be a lonely, turbulent year if the village is against him, or it could be a PR opportunity.”
Angie’s face falls. “I see where you’re going with this.”
“Outwardly, it appears he has done everything possible to make this work and even employed somebody in the village to help him, using her as a scapegoat when things don’t work out. Shifting the blame onto her when he is forced to sell up because she couldn’t find a way to make it work.”
She glances at the happy couple and frowns. “Genius really. Despicable but genius.”
I follow her gaze and say with determination. “Then we must make certain it does work and show him that Granthaven is worth his investment. That it’s an asset he would be a fool to dispose of and the people here are special and are deserving of a second chance.”
“If anyone can change his mind, I’m sure it’s you J.” she says warmly.
I catch Luke’s eye and he grins and I swear my heart crashes and burns. Something is telling me this will be a fight I may lose and it won’t just be my home that’s under threat. My heart may never recover and my well-ordered life will fall like a pack of cards in a stiff breeze.