“Oh, why? Do you think I’ve had too much to drink?”
“I think you’re tired and emotional and that you need some space. Seeing each other has come as a shock to both of us.” That was probably the understatement of the year. “I’ll see you safely home and maybe we can touch base tomorrow, have breakfast somewhere together, or lunch? Set the record straight between us so we can move forward.”
Heated color suffused her cheeks and her eyes glittered dangerously. “If you’re implying I’m still stuck in the past—”
“Not at all. Clearly you’ve moved on. We both have. But just as clearly we have unresolved issues to put to bed.”
Ouch, that was probably not the best phrase to have used. He couldn’t understand why he was being such a verbal klutz. His training and life experience had taught him to be far better than that.
“Please, Kristin. Let me see you home and then tomorrow we’ll talk. Properly.”
“Fine,” she responded through tight lips as Martha approached them with their coats and Nancy arrived with Kristin’s bag. “But don’t think that any amount of talking will change the way I feel about you or your ability to represent my family.”
“Noted,” he said before turning to smile at the other women as they handed them their things.
“I’ve made your apologies to the others,” Nancy said smoothly as she helped Kristin on with her coat. “They all send their best. And Jackson, we look forward to seeing more of you in the coming weeks.”
“Thank you for a delightful evening,” he said smoothly, ignoring the slight snort from Kristin.
“Good night, Mom. Thanks for dinner,” Kristin said, leaning forward to hug her mom and kiss her on the cheek.
“And really rest up this weekend, hmm? No work, promise me?”
“No promises but I will take care of myself. And, Mom? I’m really glad for you and Hector.”
“Thank you, that means a lot to me. Now, you two had better be off. There’s more rain forecast tonight, so take care on the roads.”
Jackson watched the interplay between mother and daughter, recognizing their closeness, and a part of him became wistful for something he’d never truly had. He might have let Kristin down all those years ago, but she’d had the support of her family, and still did. Whereas, right now, he had little but his home and his business. And that was just as he wanted it.
Wasn’t it?
Three
Kristin sat in the soft leather passenger seat and stared straight out the windshield. Rain slanted across the glass, wiped rhythmically away by wiper blades as they cruised along the slick streets toward her apartment building in Mt. Baker. Jackson was a good driver, his broad, long-fingered hands sure on the wheel, and she found herself being lulled to sleep as they cruised on Interstate 90 over Lake Washington, only to jolt awake as Jackson spoke.
“Thank you for allowing me to see you home,” he started as if choosing his words carefully.
“You’re welcome. You’ve saved me a fare.”
She was prepared to be charitable. Slightly.
“You always were good at making a dollar go farther than the average student,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’m surprised you even remember that fact,” she replied waspishly.
“I remember a lot of things. That’s why I wanted to spend some time with you alone. To apologize.”
She yawned widely and snuggled more comfortably in the seat. “Not now, Jackson. I’m not in the mood.”
“Okay, fine. How about breakfast tomorrow?” he suggested.
“I plan to sleep in...late.”
“Lunch?”
“Might indulge in a round of golf,” she said, starting to enjoy this more than she expected.
Of course, she’d never swung a club in her life, nor did she have any idea if greens were open at this time of year, but it sounded important. Certainly more important than listening to the excuses of a man who had walked out on her and their dreams for a future together.
“Brunch, then. I’ll pick you up at ten.”
“I’ll probably still be sleeping.”
“Well, then, I’ll wake you up. I can be quite persuasive.”
He left his comment hanging in the air like a memory from a long-ago moment. Kristin couldn’t help it. Her body tensed as she remembered exactly how persuasive he could be first thing in the morning and how often she’d been late for an early lecture because of it. Thank goodness they were nearly at her turnoff.
“Look, what happened in the past has no bearing on now. We’ve both moved on. I don’t know what your reasons were for abandoning me then, and, I don’t care anymore because you showed your true colors when you left without a care for my feelings or the relationship we’d had. Based on that, I can only surmise that you’re unreliable and therefore totally unsuited to represent my family in our legal affairs. I don’t see how an apology now will change that.”
“You always were intractable,” he commented. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. But I agree with you. We have both moved on. Allow me an opportunity to prove to you that I’m the right person to handle your family’s legal affairs. If, after a fair trial, you still feel I’m not the person for you, then perhaps one of the other attorneys at Ramirez Law would be a better fit.”
Ire rose hot and thick in her throat, choking her with its bitterness. She swallowed against it and forced herself to calm down. When she spoke, it was with icy precision.
“Adult? You think if I don’t just accept your reentry into my life I’m being childish? Don’t you dare begin to presume you know me. You may have thought you did, once, but you proved you really had no idea of who I was or what your leaving would do to me. You can pull over here. This is my building.”
The minute his car stopped in the drop-off zone, she pushed open her door and got out, her heels clicking sharply as she marched toward the main doors. She heard his car door slam shut behind her, followed by steps that closed in quickly.
“I can see myself in, thank you.”
“I promised Nancy I would see you safely home. Call me old-fashioned, but that means seeing a lady to her door.”
“Oh, I could call you a lot of things. Old-fashioned definitely isn’t one of them. And you needn’t bother. My building has security.”
He put a hand to her elbow and stopped her midstride. “Kristin, please. Let me honor my promise to your mom.”
“Like you honored your promises to me eleven years ago? I don’t think so.”
She freed herself from his touch and scanned her entry card to the building. “Please go, or I will call security to remove you.”
Kristin let herself in through the door and swiftly crossed the foyer to the elevator bank where she swiped her card again. As the doors opened, she stepped inside and turned around. Jackson stood on the other side of the main doors to the building, watching her every move. As the elevator doors began to slide closed, he gave her a short salute. She turned away, but the image of him was burned on her memory. And not only the image he’d left just now. No, there were more—so many more. Jackson stepping out of the shower with rivulets of water pouring off his lean, strong body. Jackson making love to her, long and slow on a Sunday morning. Jackson laughing at something she’d said, or done. So many memories.
And he’d walked away from all of them, she reminded himself sternly. The elevator stopped at her floor, and she walked to her corner apartment, fighting the burn of tears. She would not let them fall. She’d promised herself years ago she would never waste another drop of emotion on Jackson Jones. And she wouldn’t. Not even anger. Not anymore.
The shock of seeing him tonight had taught her that her feelings for him and her hurt over the way he’d treated her still lingered. Reacting to him as she had tonight was childish. She knew that. Accepted it. And now she moved on.
K
ristin dragged in a long breath and blew it out slowly. From this point on, she would be zen about Jackson Jones. That didn’t mean she had to trust him, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin again. She’d said what she had to say tonight. He knew where he stood.
She was conflicted. A part of her wanted to tell her family that eleven years ago he’d dumped her and run, and to kick him to the curb. But then she’d have to admit that she hadn’t exactly held up her end of her deal with her father about her college education by having had a relationship. And then there was the professional relationship between Hector and Jack. She had a wealth of respect for her mom’s fiancée. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her family.
She chewed her lower lip a moment and came to her decision. She’d give Jack that trial period, maybe a month was reasonable, and he would need to work darn hard if he was going to successfully prove his suitability as their family attorney.
She got ready for bed and stood at her window, staring out toward Lake Washington. Tomorrow was a new day, and she’d tackle it the way she’d tackled everything else in her life. Head-on and full of vigor.
* * *
Head-on and full of vigor hadn’t counted on the hangover Kristin had woken with at 5:00 a.m. Unable to continue to sleep, she’d downed several large glasses of water and decided to get dressed and head into the office. Of course there was the small matter of not having her car but she called a service and arranged for a driver to collect her at 6:30 a.m. With any luck she’d be able to power through the balance of the work she hadn’t finished last night thanks to her mom’s summons for dinner.
Last night would have been a delightful family celebration if it hadn’t been for the arrival of Jackson Jones. No, she corrected herself, her lips twisting slightly as she eyed her reflection in the mirror. She had been the fly in the ointment last night. Her behavior had undoubtedly upset her mom, and Kristin owed her an apology—and her sincere congratulations on Nancy and Hector’s plans for their future. She made a mental note to send her mom and Hector a gift basket to celebrate their good news and set a reminder in her phone to call her mom to make the necessary apology and possibly mention that she and Jack hadn’t exactly parted friends. Although, knowing her mom, that might open a can of worms on a past she had put firmly behind her. Maybe she just needed to suck it up.
Her phone beeped a five-minute warning for her ride. Her stomach burned, making her reach for an apple from her fruit bowl before she exited her apartment. Not the most filling of breakfasts, but it would do.
She’d been working steadily, cross-checking data reports her secretary had prepared for her last week, when her cell phone buzzed on her desk. She looked up in irritation. The headache that played behind her right eye due to her overindulgence last night intensified as she stared at the screen. A private number. She flicked it to voice mail and carried on working, but the screen lit up again. She ignored it and had just settled into the patterns of the numbers she was reviewing when her desk phone rang. The only people who used her direct line were either staff, her immediate family, who wouldn’t have been calling the office today, or security downstairs. She hit the speaker button.
“This is Kristin Richmond,” she said far more crisply than she felt.
“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Richmond. It’s Tower security. I have a man here who insists he has an appointment with you.”
A prickle of warning ran along Kristin’s nape.
“An appointment?”
“He asked me to let you know he’s brought brunch. His name is Jackson Jones.”
Her stomach growled, assuring her that the apple she’d half consumed a few hours ago was entirely insufficient for a woman with a hangover.
She sighed. Clearly Jackson had not developed the knack of taking a hint. An imp of mischief urged her to tell the guard to send the food up but leave the man behind, but she’d agreed, with herself at least, to be adult about this.
“Fine. Send him up. Oh, and add him to the approved visitor list, too, please. From Monday we’ll be seeing a lot more of him here, I expect. He’s taking over from Mr. Ramirez for my family. For now, at least.”
Kristin walked through the empty office to the elevator lobby and waited for Jackson to arrive. She didn’t have to wait long. As the elevator pinged, she felt a shimmer of anticipation combined with a liberal dose of nerves. She had been insufferably rude last night, and in doing so, she’d ended up giving him the power in their relationship—if you could call it such a thing. She was going to be cool and professional, and set a standard for them to move forward. She didn’t have to like him working for the family, but his true colors would show, and he’d be dismissed when that happened.
Jackson exited the elevator with a sure stride, a brown paper bag swinging from one hand and two disposable coffee cups in a holder in the other. Extra-large coffee cups, she noted with approval. He was dressed casually, in jeans, boots and a knit sweater with a well-worn leather jacket over the top. His hair was mussed and slightly wet from the weather outdoors. Dammit, he looked incredible. The years since she’d last seen him had only served to make him even more attractive than he’d been in his early twenties and her stupid heart did a ridiculous pitter-patter in response.
“You’re persistent,” she said, suddenly feeling awkward.
“I’ll bet you didn’t eat this morning.”
“I’ll have you know I had an apple. And what’s it to you? I already have one mother, I don’t need a second.” She closed her eyes and took a leveling breath. “I’m sorry. I told myself I would behave today.”
“Behave?” Humor lit his blue eyes with a wicked gleam. “Are you sure you’re Kristin Richmond?”
She couldn’t help it—she cracked a grin. “Funny guy. Now pass me my coffee.”
“Yours is the one on the right. Hazelnut skinny latte—I took a guess that you haven’t changed the way you take it.”
She carefully extricated the cup from the holder and took a sip. The hot liquid scalded her mouth, but the flavor exploded on her tongue with a welcome charge of energy.
“It’s perfect,” she said. “Now, what did you bring to eat?”
“Bacon-and-egg breakfast bagels. I figured you’d need the carbs after last night.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “A gentleman wouldn’t feel the need to mention last night. Or how I might be feeling this morning.”
“No one ever accused me of being a gentleman.”
She snorted in agreement. “Follow me. We can eat in my office.”
He did as she suggested. With every step, she was aware of his body close behind hers. When they reached her office, she gestured to the visitor couches.
“I’ll grab some napkins,” she said.
“No bother, I have everything we need.”
A little flustered with nothing else to do but sit and face him, Kristin occupied herself with taking another gulp of her coffee. As the caffeine hit her system, she realized she was starting to feel almost human. Jackson showed no such signs of discomfort and set out their wrapped bagels and napkins on the coffee table between them.
“Two bagels and an order of hash browns?” she commented.
“The hash browns are yours. I figured you’d be hungry. You barely ate last night. And I remember how feral you used to get when you didn’t eat properly.”
And what else did he remember? she wondered. Did he remember how they used to cuddle in bed, sated after making love? Did he remember the long walks they took discussing the lectures they’d sat through and arguing the various case studies they’d observed? Did he remember telling her he loved her and wanted to be with her forever?
Kristin slammed a metaphorical gate closed on that thinking. It would get her nowhere. She focused instead on the emptiness she’d felt when she returned to the miserably small apartment they’d shared, and known, the ins
tant she’d set foot through the front door, that he was gone. She’d hunted high and low for a note of some kind that would explain where he was and when he’d return. She’d phoned and messaged him and their friends more times than she could count. And she’d received nothing in return. Nothing but emptiness and heartache.
She wasn’t going to dwell on the past. After the shock of seeing him last night, and in the cold light of day this morning, she’d decided she was going to rise above it. Of course he still had to prove he was worthy of her family’s trust. And while she was happy to accept food, she wasn’t going to make things easy for him. That said, she owed him an apology.
“Before we eat, I just wanted to say sorry for being rude to you last night. I shouldn’t have let my personal feelings spoil what was supposed to be a happy occasion for my mom and Hector or what was supposed to be a civil introduction to you.”
He looked at her and didn’t speak for a moment. She saw a pulse flicker near his right eye. A tell she hadn’t realized she was searching for until she saw it. He might look cool, calm and collected, but this was hitting him on an emotional level.
“Thank you,” he said heavily. “And I, too, owe you an apology for the way I left you. I had—”
“Water under the bridge,” she said succinctly, reached for a wrapped bagel and made a big deal out of opening it. Before taking a bite, though, she looked across at him. “I’m still not sold on you being our attorney, though. Just so you understand. Apologies aside, I don’t trust you not to let us down.”
He nodded slowly. “Noted.”
She took a bite of her bagel and moaned in delight. “Oh, this is so good.”
They ate in companionable silence and, without even the slightest embarrassment, Kristin finished her coffee and consumed her food like a woman starved. She wiped her fingers on a paper napkin and stowed their trash in the carry bag to dispose of later.
“Look, thanks for bringing brunch, but I need you to leave now,” she said bluntly. Now that her blood sugars were zinging along as normal and her equilibrium was restored, she felt more confident. “I have a lot of work to get through before a presentation to the finance committee on Monday.”
What Happens at Christmas… Page 3