Chapter Eight #2
He drummed his fingers on the leather seat. Once again, I was struck by how alluring his hands were, and forearms too. When had he rolled up his sleeves? Probably on the plane.
I glanced out the window and tried my best to tune out the conversation, not wanting to make it seem like I was eavesdropping. I fidgeted in my seat, stretching out my arms, and our hands accidentally brushed.
Holy shit. All my efforts to not accidentally bump up against him when I got in the car were in vain. Now I’d gone and done it.
Heat pooled straight between my legs, causing me to exhale sharply. I peeked at him. His eyes were glued on my thighs. As if he could sense I was looking at him, he glanced at me. My cheeks were on fire. I abruptly cocked my head, looking out the window.
“Sorry about that. Went on for longer than I thought. I make it a rule not to ignore calls from clients,” he said after hanging up.
“No problem.”
We arrived at his grandparents’ house a few seconds later, and Jake got out first. He was probably going to open the door to my side as well, but I didn't bother to wait. I unbuckled the seat belt and immediately got out.
"Are you sure this is okay with you? I can have the driver take you home right now," Jake said as I rounded the car.
"No, I'm fine. Really. Unless you think I'm intruding."
"No, you're not. I'm going to have a serious conversation with my grandfather. It would actually be a tremendous help if you could keep my grandmother entertained in the meantime."
"Oh, I see. You're making me your accomplice. I demand to know exactly what I'm getting into."
The corners of his mouth lifted. "You’re something, Ms. Summers."
"Oh, we’re back to last names? Just so I know where I stand."
"No, we're not. We're on a first-name basis, Natalie."
My name in his mouth sounded different than before. It did something to my belly. Were those flutters I felt? This man had an insane effect on me.
Natalie, forget the flutters.
I couldn’t, though. My ex, Vince, had never given me flutters. Even though we’d broken up six months ago, I wasn’t looking for a relationship. Not that Jake was offering, of course.
"Should we take out our suitcases?"
"No, Cal is going to wait here until we're done."
I didn't question that. I was just happy I didn't have to carry around my suitcase everywhere.
Jake and I walked into the small garden and up the porch to the front door. He didn't bother knocking, and we went straight inside the house, taking off our shoes and leaving them in the entryway.
"Grandmother, Grandfather!" he called loudly. "Natalie and I are here."
Jeannie poked her head out from the living room. "Oh, goodness. You really didn't have to come back. I have everything under control."
I was shocked. When Jake had said his grandmother would be out of sorts, I'd expected her to maybe be a bit on edge, but Jeannie seemed a completely different person than the woman I'd met before. She had dark circles under her eyes, strands of hair escaped her strict bun, and she looked frazzled.
"Grandmother, have you slept at all?" Jake asked. His voice was full of concern.
"Now, you know how I get when things happen."
"This is what we're going to do. I’ll go upstairs and talk to Grandfather. Natalie is going to walk you through the party plans. She’s come up with some really good ideas.
" He looked at me with uncertainty, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Should I even bring it up at all? I thought it could distract her, but maybe what Jeannie needed was just a friendly ear or some company.
"Jeannie and I will be fine," I assured him. I didn't know how I was going to achieve that, but I knew I could.
He nodded curtly and headed up the stairs. Jeannie smiled at me, and in those brilliantly blue eyes, I could see a hint of the woman I'd met before.
"Did he give you a hard time?"
"Oh, yes, actually, but I returned the favor and gave him shit.”
Jeannie started laughing. She dropped her head back, putting her hand on her chest.
"Oh my goodness, I would've paid great money to see that. You know, this is part of the reason I hired you," she said as we walked to the living room.
"What?"
"You just seem like the kind of woman who could put up with my grandson."
"How did you even know that I’d get the chance to do it?."
Jeannie winced and then pressed her lips together as if she'd caught herself talking out of line. "I just had a hunch, dear, that the chance ‘to give him shit,’ as you put it, might come up."
I dipped my head, ashamed. "I'm so sorry I used that expression in front of you. It was not professional at all."
"Don't you worry, darling. It took me out of my own worries for a minute there, and I desperately needed it."
It looked like I’d found my angle. We sat down in the living room on the couch, and I walked her through my ideas for the party. To my astonishment, she listened intently and nodded several times.
"This all sounds great."
"I can sense a ‘but’ coming."
"Well, now with Abe, I'm honestly not sure if traveling anywhere is a good idea."
Of course, she was right.
"I didn't think about that. That's not a problem. I can scout locations around Boston. You still have time to decide."
She nodded, and I could feel her slipping away.
"Yes, do that." She glanced behind her. "How long have they been upstairs?"
"Just ten minutes. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Jeannie closed her eyes. "He clutched his arm and fell to the floor, became unconscious."
Heavens, that did sound like a heart attack. "What did the doctor say?"
"That he needs absolute and utter rest. I was such a fool, letting him go to the office."
"Jeannie, you can't blame yourself."
"Oh yes I can. Whitley men are extremely stubborn—please note the emphasis on extremely—even when it's not in their best interest. It's my job to make sure they don't get in their own way. God, if I lost him…"
"But you didn't, Jeannie," I said softly. "He's healthy, and you'll make sure he's resting properly from now on."
"Yes," she said absentmindedly. "Jake was so furious. I wasn't intentionally keeping it from him. I simply didn't find any time to call him."
"This all happened yesterday?"
"Yes. In the afternoon."
Okay, now I was starting to understand why Jake was pissed. I could get not calling immediately, but after a few hours?
We both rose from the couch when we heard footsteps on the staircase.
"See, he's fine," Jeannie said.
"He's not fine, Grandmother, and you know it," Jake said. Although his voice was kind, the words were direct, and Jeannie looked every bit admonished.
"What did you talk about with him?" she asked.
"About how he's not to go near Whitley Advertising again."
The relief on her face was visible.
"So, who’s going to take care of that, then? You know your grandfather won’t let it go unattended."
Jake looked at his grandmother, his nostrils flaring. "I am. I’ll take the position of CEO for the foreseeable future."