by Marie Force
“My pleasure,” he said with a dirty grin. “Can you come out to play again tonight?”
“Let me check my busy schedule.” She paused, tapped her chin and said, “Looks like I can.”
“Excellent. I’ll pick you up after work.”
“Or I could borrow my sister’s car, hit the grocery store, go to your place and make you dinner while you’re working.”
“Yes, please.”
“You’re sure that’s okay?”
“I’m absolutely positive that’s more than okay. There’s a key under the flower pot on the porch.”
“I promise I won’t snoop.”
“Snoop away. I have no secrets.” He took the turn into the Eastward Look driveway. “Sorry to have to stop, drop and roll, but the boss can’t be late, or he takes a ton of abuse from the troops.”
“No worries. I’ll see you later?”
“Yes, you will. I’ll text you when I have an idea of what time I’ll be free.”
“Have a good day, dear.”
Mason leaned across the console to kiss her. “You, too.”
Jordan got out and waved him off before heading inside. Even though she’d been coming to this house all her life and thought of it as home, she still felt weird walking into what had become Nikki and Riley’s home. “Put your clothes on,” she called out. “The buzzkill is home.”
In a scene too adorable for words, the lovebirds were seated next to each other at the breakfast table, the Gansett Gazette spread open as they drank coffee and read the paper.
“Did you give her permission to stay out all night?” Riley asked Nikki.
“I did not, and I think we need to ground her.”
“Agreed. No boys for a week, young lady.”
Jordan rolled her eyes at them and went to help herself to some of their coffee. “Spoken like the upstairs rabbits who make the bed squeak every night.”
“We do not!” Nikki sputtered.
“Ah, yeah, we do, love.”
“Shut up, Riley.”
Jordan glanced at them over the rim of her mug. “I’ve got you fighting. My work here is finished.”
“Get over here and tell us everything about where you’ve been, who you were doing.”
“Riley!”
Jordan nearly choked on a sip of coffee. Her future brother-in-law was cute and funny. As she slid onto the bench across from them at the table Nikki had refinished, she gave Riley a pointed look. “None of your business.”
“As long as you’re living under my roof, young lady—”
Jordan looked to Nikki for help. “Will you please do something about him?”
“I’ve been waiting years to use my father’s best lines,” Riley said. “Let me have my fun, will you?”
“Did you have fun?” Nikki asked.
“Uh-huh.” If she’d had any more fun, she might never have walked straight again.
Nikki was about to say something when her phone chimed with a text that had her knitting her eyebrows.
“What?” Riley asked. “Work trouble already?”
“No,” Nik said as she typed a response. Her terse reply and the continued furrow of her brows put Jordan on edge.
“What’s wrong?”
Nikki put down her phone and looked at Jordan. “He is out of rehab and wants to know where you are.”
Jordan’s stomach dropped and took her good mood down with it. “He texted you?” Nikki was the last person Brendan would ever text—and that was before the altercation in Charlotte.
“No, Davy did. He said the only thing he wants is to see you, and Davy asked me to tell him where you are.”
“I hope you told him to fuck off.”
“In so many words. We can get a restraining order.”
Jordan shook her head. She wanted nothing to do with him, even to request the protective order, news of which would be all over Twitter before the ink dried. “I don’t want that. It would bring attention I don’t need.” Not when things had finally died down and she was enjoying spending time with Mason. She didn’t want anything to ruin that, especially not the soon-to-be ex-husband who had hurt her so badly.
“Tell Davy to pass this along to him. You ready?”
“Ready.”
“This is coming directly from Jordan. She has nothing to say to him now or ever. Now that he’s out of rehab, he’ll be receiving divorce papers. She suggests he sign them to end this once and for all. If he tries to contact her in any way, she won’t hesitate to call the police. It’s over. Put over in all caps.”
“Got it. Send?”
“Send it.”
“Done.” Nikki put down the phone and reached across the table for Jordan’s hand. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Jordan refused to be anything other than fine. “How are you?” She was also tired of being the center of attention all the time.
“Seeing you stand up to him makes me very proud of you.”
“Don’t be proud of me. I should’ve done it a long time ago. I need to call Gigi and let her know he’s out so she can get him served. It’s time to end this nightmare.”
“Let us know if we can do anything, Jordan.” Riley put his hand on top of Nikki’s. “And for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, too.”
“It’s worth a lot. Thanks, guys.” Jordan got up, put her mug in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to plug her dead cell phone into the charger. As soon as it had enough of a charge to turn it on, she found a text from Davy asking her to call him. Jordan was disappointed that Davy was still working with Brendan. He’d said he was through with him after Charlotte.
Ignoring his text, she instead called Gigi, even though it was crazy-early in LA. She tried to ignore the low hum of tension that had every muscle in her body on alert for imminent danger. That was Brendan’s legacy. He’d made her afraid, and she was done being afraid of him—and his legacy.
“Wake up,” she said when Gigi grunted into the phone.
“Girl, someone had better be dead.”
“He’s out of rehab.”
“How do you know?” Gigi asked, now sounding wide awake.
“Davy texted me and Nik. He wants to know where I am.”
“Did Davy say where he is?”
“No.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find out and have him served immediately. Should I also file for a restraining order?”
“If you do, it’ll be all over the internet that I’m playing hardball with him. I don’t need his crazies coming after me again. Once was more than enough.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about his crazies. The only thing that matters is keeping you safe.”
“I’m perfectly fine here. He has no idea how to find me, because he would never come with me when I came here. I doubt it would even occur to him that I’m here.”
“That island is a postage stamp, J. If he wants to find you there, he will. How about we get back the security your grandmother hired?”
“No security. I’ll lie low until it blows over. Just get him served so we can be done with this.”
“I can’t promise that his camp will keep it quiet that we’ve served him.”
“I’ll deal with that when it happens.”
“Okay, I’m on it. We’ll get this done ASAP, if I have to hunt down his skinny ass myself.”
“Don’t do that. He knows what you mean to me. Please don’t risk yourself on my account. I wouldn’t be able to take it if something happened to you.”
“Girlfriend, I could kick his ass if I had to. Don’t you worry about me.”
“Just hearing his name makes me feel sick.”
“I know. Leave it to me. We’ll dispose of him like the trash he is.”
“Thanks, G. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Stay strong. We got this. I’ll call you when I have news.”
Seconds after she ended the call with Gigi, her phone rang. Seeing her grandmother’s name on the caller ID, Jordan took the call. “Hi there.”
“I saw on the news that he’s left rehab.”
“I know. Davy texted me and Nik to find out where I am.”
“Oh Lord. You guys didn’t tell him, did you?”
“Hell no. Nik told him for me that I want nothing to do with him and that he should sign the divorce papers he’ll be served with imminently.”
“Good for you, sweetheart. That’s the way. I want you to have security for the next few weeks. Just until things die down again.”
“No, I don’t want them. I’m on Gansett. I’ll be perfectly fine. You know how it is here. People don’t even lock their doors. And he declined every time I asked him to come here with me, so he has no idea where the house is or how to find me.”
“All that’s true, love, but you know how crazy his fans can be and that they blame you for his issues.” Evelyn took a deep breath and released it. “Please let me send them back to you.”
“I’m doing really well, Gran. Things are good. Better than good, actually. Everything is okay. Gigi is going to make him go away, and I have faith in her.”
“You’re sure about this?” Evelyn asked, sounding resigned now.
“I am. I promise it’ll be okay.”
“I’m coming there next weekend to see you girls.”
“We can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has. So things are better than good, huh? What’s up with that?”
“I met someone.” Jordan told her about Mason, leaving out the part about the fire and the near-death experience, since Evelyn would worry if she knew those things. She and Nikki had agreed to keep the details from their grandmother, since the repairs would be made before she arrived. “He’s really cute and funny, and I like being with him.”
“This is wonderful news, sweetheart. Perhaps the best news I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m trying not to get too excited about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because. I’m only here temporarily, and he’s got a good job and life here. It’s a fling. Nothing to get worked up about.” Except everything he said and did worked her up in a way that nothing else—and no one else—ever had.
“Do me a favor and don’t discount the possibilities in this new relationship.”
“It’s not a relationship. I don’t know what it is, but it’s fun. We both know the score. Our lives are very different, not at all compatible.”
“Are you compatible in other ways?”
“Gran! What’re you asking me?”
“You know what I’m asking. Does he do it for you in bed?”
“Oh my God! I can’t even believe you’re asking me that.”
“Why not? I thought we were both adults here.”
“You’re my grandmother. Jeez.” Jordan’s nervous laugh had Evelyn giggling as Jordan felt her face burn with embarrassment.
“Honestly, Jordan, grow up and answer the question. Does he do it for you in bed?”
“I, um.”
“It’s a yes-or-no question, my love.”
“That’s an emphatic yes.”
Evelyn released her trademark full-throated laugh, which brought a smile to Jordan’s face. “Tell me more.”
“I will not.”
“Oh, come on! I’ve been widowed for half my life. Throw a girl a bone.” She lost it laughing again. “I said bone.”
“I can’t deal with this conversation.”
Evelyn laughed and laughed, which made Jordan laugh, too. “Is he handsome?”
“Very—and he’s tall. Six foot six. He’s huge, and he’s the Gansett Island fire chief.”
“I can’t wait to meet this tall man who does it for you in bed.”
“Gran! If you say that to him—”
Evelyn lost it laughing again. “Relax, honey. I’ll be on my best behavior. I can’t wait to meet him and Riley and see my girls.”
“We’re excited to see you, too. Let us know your plans so we can pick you up.”
“Will do. I’ll see you soon. In the meantime, put all this Brendan nonsense out of your mind and focus all your time and attention on your tall, sexy fire chief who does it for you in bed.”
“I never should’ve told you that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but I’m so glad you did. Love you to the moon and back, my sweet Jordy J.”
“Love you, too, even when you’re embarrassing the hell out of me.”
“My work here is finished. Talk soon and keep me posted.”
“I will not keep you posted.”
“That’s very selfish of you.”
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through, Gran. I should’ve listened to you and Nik about him.”
“Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself, and all the warnings in the world won’t register until you see things with your own eyes.”
“The video should’ve been enough. I allowed myself to be sucked back in again after that, and that never should’ve happened.”
“Be gentle with yourself, Jordan. You loved him. You kept hoping he would be better than he was. None of this is your fault. He was lucky to have your love and was too stupid to realize it. That’s on him, not you.”
“I’m working on coming around to your way of thinking.”
“Since I’m always right, come around to my way sooner rather than later, you hear me? And go have some fun in bed with your sexy fireman.”
“Lalalala, can’t hear you.”
They hung up laughing, and as she always did after talking to her grandmother, Jordan felt a thousand times better than she had before. Evelyn had saved her sanity and Nik’s when they were growing up. She’d been their touchstone, even going so far as to move to Los Angeles for several years so she could attend their games, recitals, shows, chorus concerts and every other thing they’d done.
Though they were forced to live with their father during the school year, Evelyn had taken every chance she could get to see them, to take them on vacations, to have them for sleepovers. She’d thrown them birthday parties and made their friends feel welcome in her home, all the while doing everything she could to help their mother combat mental health and substance abuse issues.
It was no wonder that Nikki and Jordan considered Evelyn their personal Wonder Woman. When Nik had been attacked by her college boyfriend, Evelyn had swooped in to bring Nikki to their home on Gansett to recover from the trauma that had been compounded when the young man later died by suicide. Jordan didn’t want to think about what might’ve become of Nik without their grandmother taking care of her through the worst days of her sister’s life.
Jordan loved Evelyn Hopper more than she could ever find the words to express. She was determined to make her grandmother proud by dealing with this latest wrinkle with Brendan and moving on with her life.
Nikki came into Jordan’s bedroom, carrying a mug of coffee that she handed over to Jordan. “You didn’t get in your daily quota.”
“Thank you. Did you hear back from Davy?”
“Not yet. Hopefully, he conveyed the message, and we won’t hear from any of them again. Were you talking to Gigi?”
“At first. Then Gran, who’s off her rocker.”
“What’d she do now?”
“She was asking me about compatibility with Mason—in bed.”
“Sounds about right. So are you? Compatible with him in bed?”
“Jeez, you’re just like your grandmother.”
“Thank you. You couldn’t pay me a higher compliment.” Nik sat on Jordan’s bed and curled her legs under her, settling in for some girl talk. “You must’ve been compatible if you told Gran about him.”
“Don’t you have to get to work?”
“I’m the boss. They’ll wait for me.”
Realizing she was cornered, Jordan sat next to her sister, holding back a wince as sore muscles protested the contact.
“Holy crap. Are you sore?”
“A little.”
“So he’s big all over, t
hen?”
“You could say that.”
Nikki clapped her hands and laughed. “I love this so much. He’s just what you need to get your mojo back.”
“My mojo is definitely back. In fact, I’m finding mojo I never knew I had.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. He’s such a great guy.” Nikki practically bounced on the bed as she celebrated Jordan getting laid. “I love this!”
“So you said. Twice now.”
“You’re not excited?”
“I’m trying to keep it real, Nik. He lives here. I live in LA. We’re having fun, but that’s all it is.”
“How can you know that’s all it is when you’ve only known him a few days?”
“Because eventually, I’m going to have to go home and deal with my life.”
“Maybe not.”
“What’re you talking about? Of course I’m going home. I live there.”
“Who says you can’t live somewhere else?”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, and I love how things have worked out for you here with Riley and the Wayfarer and the house. But that’s not going to happen for me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because! I do not live on Gansett. I live in LA. That’s where my life is.”
“It’s where it was. Who’s to say that couldn’t change?”
Jordan put down the coffee, got up from the bed and turned to face her sister. “Nik, honestly, get real.”
“Mason is a great guy, the kind of guy who doesn’t come along every day. Why couldn’t you make something of this thing with him and figure out a whole new life for yourself?”
As she tried to form a logical response to her sister’s question, an odd feeling of elation came over her, along with vivid images of what it would be like to live here with Mason, near her sister and Riley, to make new friends who genuinely cared about her and not what she could do for them, like so many of the people she’d associated with in LA. To find work that was meaningful to her, to be far away from the madness that was her former life, to have babies and a family of her own. The flood of emotion that came over her as each new image presented itself in high-definition precision left her feeling gut-punched and breathless.
“J? Are you okay?” Nikki jumped up to come to her. “Is it the asthma?”
Jordan’s eyes filled as she shook her head.