Happily Ever Hers

by Delancey Stewart

  "Wait, you're scoring me?"

  "Makes these conversations more fun."

  "Do I get to score you?"

  "No, Juliet. Pay attention. I'm the sage old woman, dispensing my worldly advice. You just listen."

  I sighed.

  "You're sneaking around with one of your gorillas, which is not good. But he seems like a decent human being, and he makes a fucking excellent drink, so two points back there."

  What? Jace had made a drink for Gran? When did that happen? And what must they have talked about while it did?

  "Bottom line?" She said just before sucking on her joint for so long I thought her lips might be stuck.

  I waited for her to continue, but she pulled the thing from her mouth and sat there, holding her breath.

  "Yeah?" I prodded, leaning forward.

  After what seemed like forever, she exhaled, and a cloud of pot smoke drifted around us. "You've lost control of your own life. You're letting other people make you a side character in your own goddamned story."

  I already knew that, but hearing Gran confirm it just made me more resolved to take a different avenue. If I could. "How do I fix it?"

  Gran lifted a shoulder and then turned to set the joint in her ashtray. "Up to you. But I can make one suggestion."

  Good. This was what I'd come in here for.

  "Kick some ass while you figure it out." She stood and motioned for me to sit in her ridiculous gaming chair. It looked like the chair that had been on the bridge of the ship in the one sci-fi movie I'd done, with wings and fancy armrests, buttons and speakers built in.

  "Excuse me?"

  "I'm going to let you play my death knight. Stay on the solo quests, and don't mess up my armor," she said.

  "The game?" I had played maybe four video games in my life, mostly in high school. I had no idea what she was telling me to do. Or why.

  She sighed dramatically and waited. I moved to sit in her chair, and she put the headphones on my head. Then she put my hands onto the mouse and keyboard and stood there, leaning over me, while she showed me how to make her character run around on the screen. After a few minutes, she showed me where to find the quests she was pursuing and which buttons would make the character fight. And then she was gone.

  I felt ridiculous. I considered getting up and just going upstairs to get ready for the party. But I had hours still, and there was something compelling about the endless green fields where the cartoon character stood, the opportunity to explore, to wander. And when I stumbled into a group of other characters, all of them marked with red names over their heads, signifying they were enemies, it felt good to fight back when they attacked me. For a long time—hours, maybe—I played Warcraft and let myself be strong, fearless, and one hundred percent in control.

  And when I noticed Gran's joint still sitting beside me, well ... Choices were made.

  It was my life. I was going to take control.

  Chapter Thirty

  Jace

  The camera crew and the reporter were back, and with Chad gone, I felt a little relief that tonight might not go horribly wrong. Then again, he'd whispered something to the reporter before he'd left, and she kept glancing over at me as she directed the photos out on the lawn before the party.

  Juliet had shown up late, but looking every bit the movie star. I wondered what had kept her—she prided herself on punctuality. Once she did appear, stepping out onto the back porch like a goddess in a long green dress that flowed like liquid around her body, I just wanted to pick her up and carry her off to a private room, or a cave, somewhere. She was incredible.

  Gran, for her part, was being wonderfully resistant to being portrayed as a timid old lady happy to be surrounded by her granddaughters.

  "Take one like this," she suggested, and then she squatted low and crossed her arms, her hands flashing gang signs she must have picked up on the internet. I hid a smile.

  "Stop that!" Juliet said, but there was no venom in her voice.

  In fact, Juliet was giggling a little more than normal, and when she and Gran exchanged a look, there was some shared secret there. Something had changed, besides Chad leaving. Juliet looked lighter, happier. I wanted to get closer, to talk to her, to hear that laugh up close.

  As I watched them pose for the camera crew, Ryan's sausage-fingers groping at Juliet in a way that made me want to see how many times I could twist his pretty head around before it fell off, I thought about Austin's offer. Despite my apology to Juliet and my assertions that my ego could handle the fact that she was taking care of my family—it was only partially true. It was a hard thing to swallow, and not just because of my gender. My whole life, I'd been taking care of other people. Jarred had always been right behind me, always so sure I'd rescue him from whatever ill-conceived stunt or idea he had. And I did. I always saved him.

  Until this time.

  And I'd made a habit of taking care of Mom, too. I'd rented the best house I could for her—admittedly, it wasn't much. I'd made sure she had a full refrigerator every week. I'd spent time with her, done my best to keep her active and engaged.

  But Juliet appearing with her "lubricating" money did things in a matter of hours that I would never have been able to do for the family I'd spent all my time worrying about and taking care of. It had been easy for her. And maybe that was why it was so hard to accept. She hadn't seen the years I'd been struggling to do my best for them, hadn't felt the frustration or worry that it would never be enough.

  Maybe I'd grown used to the burden, the worry, the heart-wrenching knowledge that I would never really be able to give them enough to truly save them. And now? Now that the burden had been lifted from my arms as easily as someone taking my suitcase for me at the airport? Sometimes even the best things that come our way are difficult to accept.

  But if I took over the firm, it might be different. I'd looked over the email Austin had sent after we’d hung up, and while the offer itself was generous, he'd also attached company financials for the last three years and explained that while he would take a twenty-percent cut of net profits, the rest was mine. And it was plenty. I wouldn't be as wealthy as Juliet, I didn't think. But I'd be a wealthy man. Able to provide for my family. Maybe even provide for Juliet, or at least share the weight.

  And that felt good.

  What felt better was knowing it was something I'd earned. Austin had offered me this opportunity because I'd worked for it. It wasn't out of charity, or because he felt sorry for me.

  And that felt best of all.

  Now I just needed to get through tonight, get Juliet safely back to Los Angeles, and I could ask her out on an actual date. On terms that felt right. Not as employee and employer, or charity case and benefactor, but as a successful man who'd worked hard for what he had who was in love with a beautiful and equally successful woman.

  The grassy expanse of lawn glowed under the twinkle lights that had been hung in the trees and from the golden light spilling from inside the huge white tent. There were at least a hundred people inside—all on the list I'd checked as guests had arrived. Christian remained up front while Jack, Chessy, and I stayed in back. And once dinner was underway, we took up positions near the door of the huge air conditioned tent. There was little chance of a security issue at an old woman's birthday party in rural Maryland, but if something were going to happen it would probably be tonight. We remained alert.

  I was painfully alert anyway, thanks to the emerald green off-the-shoulder dress Juliet was wearing. It complemented her blue eyes perfectly and every time I looked at her, my body responded as if she was inches away, even when she was across the room. There was something different about her tonight, but I couldn't get close enough to say exactly what—just that she didn't look scared, not like she had for so many weeks now, when there had been a spark of fear shining through the glossy smile, the perfect exterior. Tonight she looked confident.

  She looked incredible.

  I stayed as close to her as I could, my eyes hard
ly straying from her, from the incredible pull she had on me. Watching her made me feel like my future was right there where I could see, embodied in that perfect, glorious package.

  Once the meal had wrapped up, Ryan and Juliet were talking, heads close, and she rose, as if trying to escape the conversation. His fingers locked around her wrist, and every protective cell in my body—and that's pretty much all of them—shot into action. I was behind him in a half second, grinding out one word that was command, warning, and, if necessary, declaration of battle.

  "Easy."

  Juliet looked up at me, her bright eyes meeting mine. "It's fine," she said softly. "Jace. I'm fine."

  I forced myself to relax, making sure McDonnell released her wrist, and backed off as they continued their conversation. And then, to my surprise, pretty-boy McDonnell got up, commandeered the microphone from the deejay and launched into a declaration of love.

  For Juliet's sister. Tess.

  It was not what anyone had been expecting, least of all the magazine reporter, Alison, who hovered near them like a hawk, swooping in with her little notepad just as soon as they finished kissing.

  I stared at Juliet, wondering if I could go to her, worry seizing my mind. If the ruse was up, what was the story going to be about now? If the goal had been to distract the media from her scandalous divorce by showing a sparkly new relationship, showing that Juliet Manchester was just fine, how would Ryan's declaration for her sister affect things?

  And what the hell had Chad whispered to Alison Sands before he'd finally left?

  When things settled down in the tent, and people had gone back to eating cake and dancing, I tried to staunch the torrential flood of worrying thoughts. Juliet didn't look upset, and while Alison was outside, evidently quizzing Ryan and Tess, she laughed as Gran picked up the microphone and rapped along to Bust a Move.

  Gran was an impressive old lady. She knew every word to the old nineties rap song, but she also had some pretty good moves to go with it. Though her thin high voice wasn't exactly right for the song, there was no denying that she had the spirit to make it work.

  As the party wrapped up and guests were beginning to leave, relief began to take the place of the stress and worry I’d carried all evening. I’d be able to talk to Juliet soon, this was almost over. While I waited for my opportunity, I felt Juliet's eyes on me several times. I'd glance across the space to find her smiling at me, but I couldn't read the expression there. All I wanted was to cross the room, take her in my arms, and ask her to be mine, to give us a real chance. But for now, I was still an employee, and there were still guests. And a magazine crew.

  Jack and his bowtie-festooned sidekick, Chessy, who was evidently now part of the security detail, went up front to assist with departures, and I watched as Alison approached Juliet and then sat down with her at a table in the corner of the tent. They talked for at least a half hour, heads close together, and my heart raced when I thought I saw Juliet wiping tears from her face.

  I had no idea what Juliet might be telling the reporter, but I would be at her side—if she’d let me—no matter what the fallout would be. We’d weather it together. As equals.

  I watched as the last of the guests departed and the camera crew finally left, their tail lights disappearing between the fields of corn on either side of the long straight driveway. And when the house was quiet again, I walked back around to the wide grassy lawn and took my post just off the stairs to the porch, catching Juliet’s eye briefly as I did. She smiled at me and my heart flopped over like a fish out of water.

  The girls sat with Ryan and Gran on the back porch and looked out over the quiet yard as Gran talked.

  "It was a good party, girls," Gran said, her voice drifting on the cooling air. "Plenty of drama, good food, and that cake was amazing, Tess."

  I stood off to one side, glancing up at Juliet now and then as she laughed with her family. It was hard, being apart—not just from the woman I loved, but feeling like I couldn't be included and involved. Because I was an employee. But that would all be changing soon.

  Tess and Ryan disappeared after a while, and Gran and Juliet remained, the night creatures trilling and chirping all around us.

  "You might as well come up here and have a drink with us," Gran said. "Gorilla duty is officially over."

  "Gran, don't call them that." Juliet's voice was light and happy, despite the stern words.

  I turned, raising an eyebrow in question. I wanted to sit with them, wanted to feel like I could be the man at Juliet's side for a little while, be recognized as that man by the woman who was so important to her.

  "Come on," Juliet said. "I was going to make Gran one more Manhattan. I'll get you one too."

  "Better let Koko make it," Gran said. "His are better."

  Juliet laughed and shrugged at me, sitting back down.

  "Happy to," I said, and I went into the kitchen to make the drinks. When I returned, it felt good to sit down at the table with them, to sip a drink in the darkness and enjoy the evening. Having a drink in my hand, and Juliet and Gran at my side gave me a thrilling sense of belonging, and I realized how important that was to me, to belong in Juliet’s world, not to stand on the periphery.

  "What happens next for you two?" Gran asked, looking between Juliet and me. I wondered if Juliet had told her everything, but I was betting she didn't have to. Gran was shrewd.

  Juliet looked at me. "I don't know, really. My divorce will be final before too long, and my fake relationship with Ryan is over, so ..."

  "But right now, you're my client," I told her. “Until we’re back in California.” I felt like I needed to finish my job professionally. I was allowing myself this quick drink, but my job was still to see Juliet home safe.

  "Didn't stop you before," Gran quipped, sipping her drink and batting her lashes innocently at us as she stood. "I'm going to take this inside, if you two don't mind. I haven't gotten to play Warcraft all day."

  "Gran, you were playing this morning," Juliet said.

  "Huh. Well, I'm ninety now. Guess my memory's going." Gran turned and carried her drink inside.

  I crossed my legs out in front of me, feeling tension seeping from my limbs. The moonlight, the drink, and the knowledge that things were changing in good ways had me more relaxed than I'd been in weeks. "Did you have a good time tonight?" I asked Juliet.

  She forced a smile and then said, "I'm just glad it's over, honestly. I want to go home, get everything back to normal. And I miss Elvis."

  "I talked to Mom this morning," I told her. "He's doing fine."

  "And how's your brother?"

  "He's doing as well as can be expected," I said. "But once he’s actually at Hollybrook, I’ll be relieved."

  Juliet's lips pressed into a line and she leaned forward a bit, tracing her fingers in a circle on the table top. "And how are you?"

  "Actually, I think I'm good," I said. I wanted to tell her everything about Austin’s offer, and was waiting for the right words to come to me.

  "You sound surprised about it." She turned her hand palm up, and I put mine over it, watching as her slim fingers twined with my own, warmth spreading through my body at the simple touch.

  I chuckled. "I am," I said. "Austin called me this morning."

  "Ah, from the firm.” She clearly knew who Austin was.

  "Yep. Chad told him about us, and I was pretty sure he was calling to hand me my ass. But he didn't."

  "Good." Juliet didn't sound surprised.

  "He offered me a job. Actually, he offered me the firm. To take it over when he retires." The pride I felt in telling her this made my spine straighten, my chest swell. And seeing the smile on her face and the light in her eyes, I felt like I’d made her proud too. And maybe it shouldn’t matter if Juliet was proud of me, but it did. It mattered to me. I’d done this on my own, and I wanted her to know it.

  Juliet's fingers tightened around mine. "That's wonderful! I told him how amazing you are. I'm so glad he listened."

>   "You told him?" I pulled my hand back, suddenly confused. "You spoke to him? When?"

  "Well, I mean, when I first booked the service, obviously. But I called him this morning, too."

  "Why?" The pleasure that had been tingling through me was feeling a lot more like shock suddenly.

  "I was worried he might believe Chad, and I wanted to make sure he knew how fantastic you are."

  I stood up before I'd even thought to do it. "I can't believe you did that," I said, anger flaring inside me and muddling my emotions. I hadn't earned Austin's offer all on my own. Juliet had lubricated this situation just like she'd done with everything else. All the pride I'd felt glowing inside me as I'd considered Austin's offer dimmed, as I realized the one thing I thought I'd gotten on my own merits had been just one more bit of charity.

  "Jace?" Juliet said, rising slowly from the table. "Why do you look angry?"

  I didn't want to yell at her—this was just one more example of Juliet doing something nice. Something I should be grateful for. But I didn't want to be grateful to her. I wanted to be so much more than that to her.

  I couldn't talk to her right now. I didn’t know what to do, as shame flooded every cell inside me. I was nothing. I was so stupid. My world was crumbling again, my freshly recreated image of myself falling to pieces at my feet.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” I said, my voice unrecognizable.

  “I …” the confusion in Juliet’s eyes was the hardest thing to take. She had been doing something good. She was always doing something good. Why couldn’t I just accept her gifts and be happy?

  “I need to think. I need some time.”

  “Time for what? To think about what, Jace? We finally get to be together. I want to be with you.”

  I stared at her, her perfect face shining in the moonlight, her big eyes wide and trusting. She was a good person. The best. And I thought she probably deserved much more than a man she’d have to keep saving over and over again. More than me.

  "I'm gonna call it a night,” I told her. I knew we had to talk more, but I couldn’t do it right then. “I'll let Christian know you're still up." I went inside without looking at her again, hating myself with every step.