“Well, when a deal needs to be finalized, you do whatever it takes.”
“And that is so clearly why I’ll never be a CEO. I could never sacrifice my days off just for some deal. Weekends are my time, and it’s sacred. I need time to refresh my brain and my spirit. I’ll burn out otherwise.”
“I guess I can see that. I don’t have much of a social life to speak of, so there isn’t much to give up if a client needs me after hours.”
“Well that, fine sir, has got to change. And our first stop to enjoying some weekend time has arrived.”
The trolley pulled up, and Jada hopped on like a princess in tennis shoes. Edmund followed at a slower rate and took the seat next to her.
“I haven’t ridden this in years. We used to go as kids when the children’s home let us have city days, but it’s been a while.”
“I know it’s not fast and it doesn’t stop everywhere in the city, but that’s kind of the point. I want to slow down on the weekend—relax and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.”
Jada leaned back and put her arms over her head as the bumpy ride guided them through the extreme hills of San Francisco, right to the heart of the downtown area.
They were mostly quiet on the way there, only chatting a little about how old Jada’s shirt was. She informed Edmund that it had originally been her father’s, and she’d inherited it when she’d stolen it from him. He laughed at that, and Jada said it was one of the few perks of not being so girly: free clothing could come from anywhere.
When the trolley pulled to its stop, Jada and Edmund hopped off and decided to see where their feet took them.
“Do you always make decisions like that?” Edmund seemed both charmed and confused by her system for making a 50-50 choice.
“With eenie meenie miney mo? Yes, most of the time. It’s the only true way to be unbiased about a decision, and I don’t trust coins. Plus, I never have any.”
Edmund laughed with a genuineness that Jada was growing truly fond of. He seemed like a split personality when he was out with her like this: Edmund the soft and kind, and Jackson the cold and impersonal. Big E was definitely better in her opinion.
They walked from the stop toward a record store Jada had been to only a few thousand times. The smell inside filled her nostrils with nostalgia and dust. She loved this place, right down to the bigger-than-it-should-be section devoted to early ‘90s industrial. As she walked over, the clerk at the counter said hey.
“Hey, Jim. Just showing my friend here your awesome selection.”
He smiled at her and returned to reading his latest book; this one looked like Kafka. Edmund followed her to the back and scanned the shelves. He seemed overwhelmed, and his eyes struggled to find a place to land. He eventually chose to settle them back on Jada, and she giggled.
“Have you been in a record store before?” Jada began flipping through section 0-B.
“No.” He shrugged. “You continue to take me to places with which I’m not familiar.” Edmund looked over her shoulder and stared down at the records as she flipped through them. He was standing very close.
“With which I’m not familiar? Talk like a human, robot-man.” Jada pulled out a live recording of A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms. She had been searching for it for a long-ass time and wasn’t passing up the opportunity to snag herself some swag.
“Sorry. So you like…” He read the title. “A Perfect Circle?”
“I do, but I don’t think you’d appreciate them in a wedding scenario.” Jada pinched the record under her arm and resumed her flipping.
“Do you want me to hold that for you?” Edmund held his hand out for the record.
“Sure. Why not?”
Within a few minutes, Jada had picked out a handful of records and Edmund’s arms were full with a varied selection of music. He started looking closer at what she chose.
“‘Walking on Sunshine’? This doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of your choices. And it’s a single.” Edmund cocked a crooked grin at her.
“What can I say? I’ve always liked it. There’s just something about how happy the song is that makes me happy too. Plus, you can dance like an idiot to it.” Jada laughed at herself, and Edmund chimed in with his own chuckle.
“I know it’s really poppy and totally ridiculous, but sometimes that’s what you want.”
“I’m not judging, really. I like it, too. Though I don’t really have the chance to listen to music most days. I’m on the phone all the time.” Edmund slumped a little.
“Closing billion-dollar deal after billion-dollar deal?” Jada nudged him lightly in the ribs.
“Ugh, yes, usually.” He rubbed at the spot like it had actually hurt, and the playful shove he returned sent Jada into the nearest rack with a gentle bump. The rack wobbled a little, and Jim looked up from his book, less than amused.
“And with that, I think it’s time to go. You can pick the next store.”
Jada and Edmund headed over to the counter, and Jim rang up her records. She paid him with the cash she’d been saving, silencing Edmund as he attempted to offer to pay. She was a big girl, she told him, and she was perfectly capable of paying for her own records—but he was more than welcome to treat her to another cocoa or tea.
The sun shone down as Jada and Edmund exited the record store. Jada was in a thoroughly good mood thanks to her purchases, not to mention the joy at seeing Edmund out in the real world. When they were clear of the doorway, Jada stopped and let the sunlight hit her face. She paused a moment to enjoy the vitamin D maker, and it warmed her to the core.
“What are you doing?” Edmund said, turning to look at her.
“Absorbing some rays. You can never pass up a moment to have your face warmed by the sun. There’s really nothing like it.”
Edmund moved next to her and mimicked her position. The sun greeted them both, and after a second or two, Jada announced that it was time for a drink. They walked down the block a bit farther, to one of Jada’s favorite tea spots. They brewed Asian-style teas and had an adorable outdoor seating area with a secret seesaw in the rear. Edmund insisted on paying, and Jada teasingly asked if this was supposed to be a date.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman. Stop poking fun at me.”
As Jada turned to go outside, she held their order number aloft and yelled, “Never!”
She heard light chuckling behind her as she found her favorite table untaken. The round metal table was crafted in filigree, and the chairs around it looked like fancy fairy thrones complete with swooping backs made out of curved metal. The table was also painted turquoise, because no one here was going to settle for black.
Edmund joined her at the table and sat with his back facing the sun. Smart for his face, but his neck was going to regret it after a bit. Jada sat partly in the shade, but the sun warmed her feet nicely.
When the waiter brought out their teapot and cups, Jada thanked him and took the responsibility of pouring out two small mugs of tea. They’d chosen oolong, and the sweet yet bitter smell wafted through the air around them.
“So, I’m going to assume you’ve never tried this before,” Jada said as she set the teapot down.
“Well, I’ve tried oolong tea before, but not here.” Edmund picked up his cup with his fingers and blew across the liquid’s surface.
“Then you’re in for a treat. This place makes all their teas with a little something extra.”
“Oh really, and what’s that?”
As serious as she could, Jada said, “Crack.”
Edmund froze mid-sip.
“Oh my God, I was kidding.” Jada laughed to herself as Edmund choked down the hot mouthful of oolong.
“Ugh, you suck.” He set down his mug and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Yup. But really, I think they make great tea here because the folks working actually enjoy it. That can make all the difference in the world.”
“What do you mean?” Edmund playfully scowled at Jada before she could
make another joke.
“Just that when you hate the work you’re doing, or even if you’re just doing it to get by and you don’t really care about it, it has a tendency to show in the final product. You have to love what you’re doing to really deliver the goods. Plus, when you love something, it doesn’t matter how exactly you’re doing it. Just being able to say that you got to do it that day makes you happy.”
“I’ve never really thought about it that way. I always just used what people taught me and what I was good at to make money. I always assumed that was the goal for everyone, to make the most money. Now…”
“Now, what?” Jada had finished her first cup and was pouring a second.
“Now that I’ve met you, I realize most people just want to make enough to get by and have fun with those around them. They work to support themselves and their families, but being successful isn’t their main goal.”
Jada paused a moment at the realization. It was strange to think that someone had really never been exposed to the life of working just because you had a family to feed. Edmund was alone and could spend all his money on himself and making more money. Jada wondered to herself if he was missing out, or if she was.
“Well, to learning new stuff.” Jada lifted her full cup and waited for Edmund to join her in the toast. He did and smiled as they sipped together.
When tea was over, Jada decided it was time to take Edmund to her other favorite place, a bookstore. They had to walk a bit farther this time, and the smell of the shops on the street filtered out around them. They passed an Indian restaurant making curry and a Jewish deli serving matzo ball soup. A coffee place had just started a fresh batch, and a seafood restaurant displayed the catch of the morning.
“I really enjoyed the tea,” Edmund said from beside her.
“You don’t come down here much, huh?”
“I can’t. I work too much. Today is certainly a special occasion.”
Jada cocked her head at him. “We’re just meandering.”
“I know.” He looked over at her. “I like it.”
As they reached the used bookstore, Jada took a deep breath. She was drunk on the smell instantly.
“Ahh, amazing.”
“The smell of old books?” Edmund looked skeptical.
“Yes! It’s one of my favorites. Plus—cool scientific fact—the smell is made when the pectin in the pages breaks down. It releases a chemical odor similar to vanilla. So there.”
Edmund sniffed the air. “I stand corrected.”
The bookstore was small and the rows were cramped. It was just like it should have been. Jada started to walk down one of the little aisles leisurely, and the floor creaked under her steps. Edmund followed, taking the time to look at the titles and authors. Finally, some common ground, she thought.
“So, what’s your favorite genre? I won’t ask for a favorite book, because if you’re anything like me, it is way too hard to choose.” Jada pulled out an ancient sci-fi novel and started reading the back cover.
“I like a little bit of everything. I don’t get much time to read, but when I do I love it. It’s an escape. I can go on adventures right from my home.”
Jada set the book back and clapped Edmund on the shoulder. “Exactly!”
The woman at the front desk looked over at her with a furrowed brow, and she smiled back.
“This isn’t a library, lady, and there’s no one in here,” Jada whispered. Edmund sheepishly laughed in return.
Jada walked to the back of the store and meandered around the shelves to the authors with last names at the end of the alphabet. For a second, Jada let her fingers drag across the different-sized books and enjoyed the feeling of her rippling fingers. Edmund followed but stopped near the back of the section.
When she turned back, Jada saw him pull out a book from the center of the top shelf. She walked back over and peered at it. It was Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. She admired his choice.
“Like it?” Jada looked up at him. They were standing dangerously close, all of a sudden.
“Yes. I read it a long time ago and would like to reread it.” He was staring down at the pages intently.
As he looked up from the book, he met her stare. Their faces were closer than they’d ever been before, and strangely, Jada felt flush with him so near to her. Stranger still, the blue of his eyes stood out even in the dim light inside the shop. It was like the light gravitated to them and hung around because it liked it there. Jada couldn’t blame the sunlight for waiting to be near Edmund’s baby blues.
Edmund swallowed hard and then took a step back.
It felt colder somehow, so Jada continued walking backward through the alphabet till she reached the letter M. She had known what she was going to show Edmund before she’d even entered the store. It was her book, the book she slept next to, the one she hastily grabbed whenever she was discussing it. It was the book that had changed her life at eleven years old.
Jada searched the shelves with her eyes till they rested on the familiar title. She waited until she had Edmund’s attention and then pulled down the small novel. It wasn’t in the best condition; it had been thoroughly loved by its previous owner, and Jada cradled the pages gently.
“Wow, that’s a bit worse for wear.” Edmund looked down at the paperback with a frown.
“It was loved well in its previous life, and the owner probably only parted with it because they had to. No one would give away such a book lightly.”
Jada didn’t mean to get preachy, but books were her thing, beaten only by painting. She loved them with a love reserved for things that could truly save the soul.
“What is it?” Edmund asked.
“This, Edmund Hays, is the book that changed my life.” Jada held up the cover to face him. “This is the Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.”
Edmund shook his head at her but took the novel gently from her hands. He was tender with the item and turned it over to read the description.
“It’s so much more than they could put on the back, but that’s the basic storyline.”
Edmund looked up at her. “Oh yeah?”
“The story’s plot is all there, but a short synopsis can’t contain all the juicy goodness the text can. This book really showed me what it meant to be an adult, to do the right thing, not the easy thing. It taught me to be strong and jump head-first into the dragon’s lair, knowing full well that the odds are against me. I love it.”
Jada had gone off on her typical rant, and she’d taken the book out of Edmund’s hands without realizing it.
“Sorry. I tend to do that when I’m talking about this book.” She handed it back. “But anyway, I highly recommend it.”
Edmund took the novel back.
“Well, I guess I know what I’m getting.”
“You don’t have to just because I like it.” Jada made an apologetic face. “I just got excited. Get something you actually want.”
She reached to take the book back, but Edmund pulled it playfully away.
“I am getting something I really want. Your recommendation was solid, and I would love to read the story. I can report back when I’m finished, but that might be in a year. I really do get busy.”
Jada rolled her eyes and shrugged. She was happy he’d chosen it but really didn’t know if it was his type of book. I guess I’ll find out, she thought.
They walked to the counter and Edmund set down the book with care. The woman who’d scowled at Jada sat with her mouth hanging open when she saw Edmund. Sometimes Jada forgot how handsome he was when they were just talking together. Like that, he seemed to be solely interested in her, and it made Jada feel a little, well, something she didn’t know how to say. Or maybe she did and just didn’t want to.
“Will that be all, sir?” The woman’s voice was huskier than it should have been, and Jada had to fight back a laugh.
Edmund wasn’t going to fall for that come-hither nonsense. She also felt a little territorial about him as the woman co
ntinued to gawk at him. Jesus, lady. Pull yourself together. I know he’s handsome, but come on. We’re in public.
“Yes, thank you.” Edmund held out his credit card, which was black and ominous, and turned down the bag she offered. “No, thank you. I’ll be fine carrying it.”
With his transaction complete, Edmund turned back to Jada and they walked out into the street. He was smiling like an idiot, and Jada was thoroughly confused.
“What’s up with your face?” she teased.
“I haven’t gone out and bought myself something in forever. I normally just have it sent to me. It was nice to actually buy the thing myself.”
“Ah, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.”
“I’m not famous.”
“Tell that to Forbes.”
They both laughed, and drunk on the fun of the day, Jada didn’t see the bike messenger zoom by.
He struck her hard, and Edmund moved like lightning to catch her before she fell to the street. He broke her fall, but they both ended up on the sidewalk. Jada’s calf positively burned, like it was being eaten by hundreds of fire ants.
“Are you all right? He didn’t even look or say anything! What a jerk!” Edmund was holding her arms, and she was sort of sitting in his lap.
“I’m all right, and really, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Jada tried to brush off her pants and felt the pain in her left calf increase when she patted it. With a grimace, she looked down at her leg. Her favorite pants had a brand-new rip, and there was blood all over her calf.
“Oh shit.”
Edmund looked down and gasped. “Your leg! We’ve got to get you cleaned up. Can you stand?”
“Yeah, I can stand. Ouch! Okay, not liking the putting pressure on my leg. Ugh, this sucks.”
She leaned on Edmund as he put her arm over his shoulder to take the weight. “Better?”
“Yeah. Thanks. So, cab?”
“Agreed”
With Jada draped all over him, Edmund hailed a cab and gingerly helped her inside. When he was seated, Edmund gave the driver directions to the office, and Jada was in too much pain to complain. She wanted her couch now, but the office would have to do.
Fake It For Me - A Fake Wife Billionaire Romance Page 44