by Melody Anne
“I did what anyone would do. Now let’s not discuss it,” the woman said in her no-nonsense voice.
Before they could say anything more, they were interrupted again. Tyler walked into the room and headed straight for Jewell. “Hello, beautiful. I’ve missed you,” he said before lifting her off the ground in a bone-crunching hug.
“Tyler? What are you doing here?” she asked when she was able to breathe again after his viselike grip.
“I’m here for the party. You know I can’t turn a good one down,” he said with a grin.
“Party? I didn’t realize there was a party,” Jewell said as she turned to look at McKenzie.
“I’ve invited a few people over. It’s not a big deal,” McKenzie said. Then the four of them made their way out back, where music was playing and about two dozen people were milling around.
“This is more than a few people,” Jewell gasped, not knowing a single person there except for McKenzie, Tyler, and her little brother.
“The more people you have in your corner, the better, Jewell. See that man over there in the gray suit?”
Jewell nodded. He was currently laughing at something a beautiful brunette was saying to him.
“He’s the district attorney here. And that man sitting over there in the black jacket is a judge. I told you I know people in high places. It will benefit you today to mingle,” McKenzie told her.
“I don’t know how to mingle,” Jewell said in a panic as she watched her little brother run off to where a small group of children was swarming over a swing set. It didn’t take him long at all to make new friends.
“It’s a piece of cake and you know it. You just walk up to someone and start talking. If you remember that everyone loves to talk about themselves, you will get along fine. So ask about their families, work, hobbies, and interests, and you can have a full-on conversation while saying less than a dozen words yourself. The beauty of that is you get to know them well, and what they like, and they walk away thinking you’re a wonderful conversationalist.”
A man approached, and said, “Hello, McKenzie. Is this the woman you were telling me about?”
“Yes, Dr. Rice, this is Jewell Weston,” McKenzie said. “How are the twins doing?”
“Oh, they’re as active as ever. My wife doesn’t know which day of the week it is on most days, she’s so sleep deprived,” he said with a genuine laugh.
“I can understand that,” she said, laughing with him, though Jewell noticed the bleakness in the woman’s eyes.
How much of what McKenzie put forth of herself was an act, and how much of it was real? The more Jewell was around this woman, the more she wanted to know the answer to that.
Jewell soon lost count of how many people she’d spoken to and how many stories she’d heard. But after a couple of hours, she felt more optimistic. She even had a job interview with the doctor; he had an opening in his accounting office. McKenzie had more than come through on what she’d promised Jewell. Maybe she could do this without Blake.
Jewell stepped inside the house to give herself a moment to breathe and to let her face rest — pasting a constant smile on it was too much like hard work — and then she felt as if she’d just been hit by a two-ton truck.
Standing there looking devastatingly handsome was Blake. Yes, she’d seen him only two days before, but neither of them been in contact after their argument on the boat, and she wasn’t ready to see him yet.
But for that matter, how did McKenzie know Tyler? Jewell had been so shocked to see him, she hadn’t questioned his relationship with her boss. Before Jewell could say a word, Justin bolted right past her and ran straight up to Blake. With a gigantic smile on his little face, the boy held out his arms and rushed in for a hug.
“Blake! I didn’t know you were coming,” Justin cried as Blake caught him in his arms.
Blake’s smile was as wide as Justin’s. “I wouldn’t miss out on hanging with you, buddy,” he said, leaving Jewell standing there stunned.
“How do you know my brother?” she demanded.
“We’ve spent some time together,” Blake told her with a shrug.
“When have you spent time together? And why wouldn’t you have told me about it?”
“You never asked me,” Blake replied.
She was seething, but she didn’t want Justin to see it, since her brother obviously cared about the object of her wrath.
“You’re not leaving any time soon, are you, Blake?” Justin broke in.
“Nope. I’ll be here for a while,” Blake replied. “Why?”
“I’m just going to go to the bathroom and then my new friends are waiting for me,” Justin said before dashing off.
Jewell stayed silent until she heard the bathroom door slam shut. “It seems that everyone has been spending time with Justin, and no one felt the need to tell me about it,” she said between clenched teeth.
“At first I wanted to make sure you were telling me the truth about him. I don’t like women who lie,” he said easily, not at all affected by her rage.
“And then later?” she questioned bitterly.
“It never came up,” he said as he moved toward her.
“Anything that has to do with Justin is my business, and you know damn well I should have been told.”
“I’ve been working with McKenzie to help you. We’ve actually both become attached to the boy,” Blake said, stopping a few feet away from her.
“Attached?” she gasped. “Justin means the world to me. Enough to do all of this,” she said as she held out her hands. “Please don’t use him as nothing more than a pawn in a game you are the only one who knows the rules to.”
If begging is what it took, she would resort to it, but she hated both herself and Blake for making her sink even more into this person she didn’t want to be.
“It may have started out that way, Jewell, but I have feelings for the boy. I don’t want to see him in the system. McKenzie feels the same way. And whether you believe it or not, I have feelings for you,” he said, his eyes boring into hers.
“I don’t believe you,” she told him, looking away from the power of his eyes.
Blake paused. This was where he told her that her feelings didn’t matter, right? Of course it was. This was where he went back to being the hard bastard she hated. But instead, he surprised her.
“You will.” He said nothing more, but there was so much assurance in his tone, she thought he might be right. What if this man of steel actually did have other emotions locked deep down inside besides greed and desire?
“Why are we both here?”
“I don’t understand the question,” he said.
“When McKenzie called me, I thought she just wanted to speak to me, but why this party? Why this elaborate setup? I wish I just knew more of what everyone was thinking or doing. I truly don’t understand any of this.”
“Why do you think any of us do anything we do, Jewell?” He turned the question around on her.
“I think that you’re bored,” she said with a frustrated sigh.
His eyebrows rose as she spoke and he looked…confused. That wasn’t what she was expecting at all. He wasn’t acting in a way that she could read. She almost wished for the ice man she’d originally met to remake his appearance, because at least then she’d know exactly what to expect.
“If you’d let down your guard, Jewell, you would see that I’m not a monster.”
“I need to visit with my brother.” She turned and walked away from Blake. If she began to think that he actually cared about her, she wouldn’t be able to fight him anymore.
She hadn’t gone far when she ran right into Tyler. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked with a laugh before looking up and spotting his brother who quickly approached.
“I’m thirsty,” she said as she tried to figure out how to get around Tyler without seeming too rude.
“I’m sure you’re after a conversation with my brother,” he said, placing his arm aroun
d her waist and turning her around to face Blake.
Blake looked pointedly at the fingers Tyler had on her side and sent his brother a look Jewell couldn’t interpret. “I don’t appreciate your sense of humor, Tyler,” he said.
“Ah, I think you really need to lighten up, brother dearest.” Tyler didn’t free Jewell from his hold.
“I can think of a few ways to loosen up, and they all end with you picking yourself up off the ground,” Blake said in a faux-pleasant tone.
“Do you really think, after all these years, that you frighten me?” Tyler let out a hearty guffaw.
“Don’t mistake my love for you as weakness,” Blake warned him.
“Love isn’t a weakness,” Tyler told him.
“It sure as hell was for our father,” Blake retorted.
That one sentence seemed to suck all the oxygen from the area. Tyler’s arm tightened around her as his muscles locked up and he sent Blake a glare. “There’s no reason to bring that up right now, Blake,” he said grimly.
“Then don’t make asinine statements,” Blake replied.
“Why in the hell do you always have to act so cold? Tyler asked him. “I know who you are. Why can’t you let other people see the man I idolize?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Blake shifted, his anger instantly draining away.
“You know what I’m talking about, Blake. You aren’t a monster, but you try so hard to act like one that people believe that’s what you are.”
Jewell had a feeling that both of them had forgotten she was even standing there with them.
“Ah, my brother, how I have you fooled,” Blake said. “Yes, I care about a few things, but you have to have a conscience to care what others think about you.”
Here was the man Jewell had been hoping would remake an appearance, but now that he had, she wanted him to go away.
“You have a conscience, Blake. It’s just buried down deep. With very little effort you could find it again, sweep the cobwebs from it and show the world what you have shown to both me and Byron — not that Byron is acting any better than you are right now,” Tyler said with a frustrated sigh.
“I’ll consider what you’ve said,” Blake told his brother, and Jewell knew he was done speaking about himself.
“I think I’m going to take Jewell to get that drink now,” Tyler said, and he turned and led her away before Blake was able to say another word.
“You know this is going to really piss him off, don’t you?” Jewell asked Tyler.
“Yes, I know, but I can’t help but do my damnedest to get underneath his skin,” Tyler said as they reached the bar set up in one corner of the yard.
“You’re not the one who will have to deal with his anger,” Jewell said, but she couldn’t find the energy to be upset with Tyler. He was just too sweet to her.
“Jewell, you have to come to grips with your own power as a woman. You are beautiful, kind, smart, and funny. You could easily have the old boy wrapped around your finger if only you tried.” Tyler handed her a soda and grabbed a beer for himself.
“I think you way overestimate my abilities,” Jewell told him.
“I am watching you blossom even as we speak.”
“How can I blossom when I can’t even find the sun?” she asked lightly. But she’d never felt anything more true.
“The sun is there, I promise you. Don’t give up, okay. Promise me you won’t,” he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her to look into his eyes.
“I’ll never give up. I can’t. I have my brother to think about,” she told him. And she was grateful, because without Justin, she probably would have given up a long time ago.
For the next couple of hours, Jewell avoided being alone with Blake, but she couldn’t avoid his gaze, which followed her everywhere she went. She also couldn’t avoid her brother’s obvious love for the man. Justin grew giddy with excitement at the smallest amount of attention Blake decided to bestow on him.
Jewell’s life seemed to become more and more complicated by the minute, and as the party wrapped up and it came time for Justin to return to his foster home, she felt even more unsure of what was coming next than she had even the day before.
Tears filled her eyes as she told Justin goodbye and watched him be driven away. And then she turned to find Blake right behind her. She couldn’t spar with him right now. — she was just too drained.
“I hope you enjoyed your visit with Justin,” he said.
Since she was on the verge of tears, she simply nodded and turned away so Blake couldn’t see the rush of emotions trying to make themselves known.
“He looked happier than I’ve seen him in a while. I can see how much you mean to him,” Blake said as he lifted a hand and moved a piece of hair from her face to behind her ear. The tender gesture just about threw her over the edge.
“We are all we have anymore — just the two of us,” she finally said, her voice quiet.
“That’s not true, Jewell. I’m standing right here.”
“You’re also not real, Blake,” she said, hugging her arms across her body. She felt cold, so cold inside, after all the upheavals of the day.
“I’m very real, Jewell,” he said, and then to prove that to her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed away any protests she might have.
She was locked tightly in his embrace while his lips caressed hers, and though she tried to keep her distance, tried not to let him in, the feel of his tongue on her lip, the feel of his body pressing against hers was more than she could bear.
She melted against him, and for a few brief moments, her worries evaporated, and she let go of the pain and anguish that seemed to be the principal components of her life now. When she was ready for him to carry her off into the nearest private space, he pulled back, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her while she opened her eyes.
“I will see you tomorrow, Jewell.”
Before she could say anything, he turned and walked away. She was left standing there in shock, and then anger, and then a deep sadness. The man kept doing the same thing, leaving her hanging and walking away.
Jewell managed to make it home, but she didn’t make it far once she did. She collapsed on the nearest couch, where she finally cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Twenty
Jewell stumbled into her bathroom and glared at the image staring back at her from the mirror. “This is not who you are,” she lectured herself. You’ve been through worse in life, and you will not let anything get in the way of your progress. Why in the world are you allowing one person to affect your emotions in this ridiculous way? Well, you’re going to stop right this minute.”
After her face — sadly, she looked only marginally better now — she went off to the kitchen and began her caffeine-centric morning ritual. Why was it such a chore to wake up, no matter how much sleep a person got?
After she’d downed her second cup of nature’s perfect beverage, she heard a stomach-tightening knock. She could think of only two or three people who might be on the other side of her front door, and at the moment she wasn’t in the mood to see anyone.
When the knocking sounded again, this time with a fierce rat-a-ta-a-tat, she knew it would do her no good to pretend she wasn’t home. Peering through the peephole, she spotted Blake leaning closer and wearing a beaming smile. The jerk must have known she was looking out at him, and he was clearly enjoying the shock factor. At least he hadn’t followed his usual M.O. and just barged in.
But they were on a merry-go-round, and she wasn’t quite sure at this point when she was going to be thrown off. But if she wanted her final payment for services rendered, she couldn’t worry about how she was feeling, could she?
Of course not.
“Can we do this later, Blake? I’m not awake enough to go rounds with you right now,” she said through the door.
“Sorry, but no. I don’t feel like leaving, Jewell.”
“Then I guess you can stand out
there looking foolish until I wake up.”
“I have all day. As a matter of fact, I have no plans for the next few days.”
“Don’t you get tired of being told your presence isn’t welcome?” she asked.
“Actually, it does get a bit wearing at times,” he said more quietly.
Jewell had to strain to hear him through the door. The honesty in his voice — so rare from a guy who generally seemed to speak in only two registers, arrogance and sarcasm — amazed and affected her.
“Well, if you would listen to me, then I wouldn’t feel the need to say such things,” she told him.
“I’m trying to listen to you, and I’m trying to talk to you. You’re the one who continues to turn all of our conversations into a fight.”
That surprised her enough into opening up the door. She gazed out at him, and when he didn’t try to rush forward and invade her space, she gained a measure of respect for him. She didn’t know what to say next and instead just found herself standing there and staring.
“May I come in, Jewell?” he asked.
“Fine. It’s your place,” she said grudgingly.
“Yes, it is, Jewell, but I’m trying to give you options.”
“Why?”
“Because I want this to be mutually beneficial for both of us.”
Another big surprise! “I need more coffee,” she told him, and then shut her door behind him and led him into the kitchen.
“I spoke with Tyler after the party,” Blake said, but he didn’t continue.
“And what did the two of you talk about?” she finally asked.
Blake paused and a rueful grimace on his lips. “He told me I need to quit acting like an ass.”
Jewell waited and when he again refused to elaborate, she let out an exasperated breath. “If you’re going to just give these short answers, we’ll be here all day.”
“That’s the plan,” he said with the friendliest smile she’d ever seen him wear.
“Does Blake Knight have a twin — a good one?” She didn’t know what to think of this man. He seemed almost…carefree. Yes, when she’d been around him recently, he’d been smiling more and more, but still, this person before her seemed like a completely new man.