by Jan Hudson
Eleven
Olivia was dressed and waiting when she heard boots hit the bottom stairs. She and Jackson had parted at UT just over an hour before with his admonition to go home and get her glad rags on. They were going out to celebrate. She smiled thinking of his exuberance. She’d never seen him so deliriously happy.
“Open up, woman!” Jackson shouted. “My arms are full.”
She threw open the door to a beaming Jackson with armloads of flowers—red roses, yellow roses, magnificent lilies and a huge potted orchid.
“Good heavens! Did you buy out the florist?”
“Just about. I’d already gotten the roses when I remembered that you once said you liked this kind of lily—”
“They’re stargazers,” she supplied, laughing as she caught his infectious mood. “And they’re beautiful.”
“Right. Stargazers. And you went on so over that pot of orchids at the Chinese restaurant last week that I got the same kind for you. I would have brought more stuff, but this is all I could carry.” He kissed her, then said, “Grab the pot, will you, darlin’? I’ve got a thorn sticking my finger.”
She took the orchid along with the bundle of lilies and started to the kitchen, wondering what in the world she was going to use for vases. After a bit of searching, she found containers that would do.
The huge bouquet of red roses went into the single large vase she owned, a cut glass one that she’d picked up on a junking spree. The two dozen yellow roses went into a tall pickle crock, and the lilies into a blue glass pitcher.
When she’d finished with the overwhelming mass, Jackson was still beaming. He seemed so excited that she didn’t dare mention that he might have gone a tad overboard. “The flowers are lovely, and they smell heavenly. Thank you.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he laid his forehead against hers. “I know I got a little carried away, sugar, but I owe you a lot more that an armload of flowers for what you’ve done for me. Do you have any idea what a difference you’ve made in my life? I couldn’t repay you if I gave you every flower in Texas.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in gold paper. “I want you to have this, too.”
She frowned. “Jackson—”
“Now, darlin’, don’t go getting on your high horse like you do every time I try to give you something. This is a red-letter day for me. You can’t imagine how it feels to know that I’m not really stupid, that I can read a book now like a normal person, that I don’t have to fake my way through every single day. Please, honey. I want you to have this. Okay?”
The expression on his face was so tender and so entreating that her heart simply melted. “Okay.” She tore away the paper and opened the small box. A pair of exquisite diamond studs sparkled against the dark velvet interior.
“But, Jackson, I can’t accept these. They’re huge. They must have cost a fortune.”
“Naw. I charged ’em.”
A smile escaped her despite her best efforts. “I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I can’t accept these.”
“Too late. You already said okay. Here, let’s put them on, and we’re going to go out for a champagne dinner. There’s that fancy place outside town that we haven’t tried yet. I think I mentioned it to you. They serve wild game of all kinds and pour a whiskey sauce over ice cream that’ll make you swear you’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Olivia didn’t argue any more. This was a special day for Jackson, and she didn’t want to spoil it for him. She took off her plain gold loops and laid them in the kitchen window. Standing in front of a small wall mirror in the living room, she inserted the studs, then turned around for his reaction.
“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I knew you were made for diamonds.” He pulled another gold-wrapped package from his coat pocket. This one was longer and narrow. “Here.”
“No.”
“But, darlin’—”
“No. Absolutely not. The earrings are too much.”
He caught her around the waist and penned her in his arms. After a small kiss and a nuzzle, he asked, “Aren’t you even curious?”
“Not in the least. I’m not going to take another expensive gift.”
“What if I told you it was just a fountain pen?” He nuzzled the other ear and nipped at the lobe.
“I wouldn’t believe you. I thought you were taking me to dinner. I’m starved.”
“Oh, can’t have that, sugar. Where’s your coat? It’s nippy outside.”
Jackson was like a kid when he whipped out his colored overlays and placed them over the menu. “Looka there, I can read every word. You want rattlesnake or wild boar?”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Don’t worry about it, darlin’. I promise that everything here is de-licious and like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. They floosy it up so that you don’t even know what you’re eating half the time. How about venison?”
“You want me to eat Bambi?”
“Sorry, sugar, bad choice. Ever tried alligator? How about duck? That’s not too different from chicken.”
“Why don’t you order for me? Just whisper it to the waiter so I won’t know.”
He grinned, but he ended up doing just that. When the waiter left, he picked up his glass of champagne and touched it to hers. “To a remarkable lady, and to the future.”
“To new horizons,” she added, then sipped from her glass.
He drank also, then he sat holding his glass and simply watching her for the longest time.
“What?”
“I was just thinking how bright you are. And how beautiful. And how much I love you.”
Her breath caught, and she looked quickly away. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She hadn’t wanted this to happen. She didn’t want declarations and commitments. She wasn’t ready.
“Honey, don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re about to panic and start circling the wagons. I just said what I felt. I’m not pushing.”
She turned her glass round and round, then took another sip. “When are you going to get colored filters?”
He sighed, then said, “I’ll call the closest place in the morning and go in as soon as they can take me. I’m mighty anxious to get those glasses.”
Olivia was relieved that he didn’t mention the L word any more, not even when he came to her bed later that night.
Her apartment smelled of roses and lilies and desire when he kissed her and caressed her and unzipped her dress slowly. She savored each moment, returned every caress and unbuttoned his shirt to touch his bare skin.
Their lovemaking was slow and sweet and sensuous. Her body sang to his whispers, swelled under his seduction and slipped over the edge of the world with wonderful racking spasms of fulfillment.
She snuggled close, content in his arms, taking comfort from his size and strength and slept.
“Darlin’,” he whispered, waking her from a lovely dream, “it’s morning. I’ve gotta go.”
She roused only to smile and flutter her fingers.
He chuckled and kissed the back of her neck. “I’ll set your alarm.”
She fluttered her fingers again and didn’t move until the alarm jerked her awake. She smacked it off and rolled back onto her stomach, bunching and hugging the pillow under her head.
Her hand encountered something hard beneath the pillow, and she patted it, trying to figure out what it was. Pulling out the object, she raised up and squinted at it.
The other gold-wrapped box.
Pushing back her tumbled hair, she squinted at it some more.
Dare she?
No. Absolutely not.
She put the box on her bedside table and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Curiosity itched inside her. She peered around the door and saw the box still sitting there. Tearing her gaze away, she scrubbed her teeth harder.
She dressed and made her bed and tried not to think about that box
. She carried it to the kitchen with her when she fixed coffee.
The coffee seemed to take forever to drip. She leaned over, put her elbows on the counter and her chin in her hands. Her eyes went from the slow drip-drip of brewing coffee to the box. The package seemed to beckon her.
“Oh, go for it!” She snatched up the package and tore off the wrapping paper.
She gasped when she opened the box. It was a diamond tennis bracelet—five carats at least. A small gold tag was attached near the clasp. Something was engraved on it. Holding it close to the light, she read the three words.
I love you.
She sank to the floor and wept.
Dear Lord, she loved him, too.
Olivia was about to leave for the university when the phone rang.
“Hey, sugar, I’m glad I caught you,” Jackson said. “I’m on my way to the airport. The soonest I could get an appointment at an Irlen Clinic is this afternoon at one o’clock in Houston, so I’m going to fly down. I have some other business to tend to, so I’ll be gone until Friday afternoon.”
“You certainly move fast.”
“You betcha. I wanted to go to the head honcho’s place in California, except they can’t see me for two weeks. With this deal, I’ll come home with the glasses.”
“I hope this solves your problem. You know that this might only be part of your difficulty.”
“I know, I know. JoAnna briefed me on all that, and she gave me a book. I’m going to read it on the plane.”
Olivia smiled at the pride in his voice. “That’s great.”
“Listen, sugar, I’m almost at the airport. Would you do a couple of things for me?”
“Sure. What?”
“Would you check on Streak at night? Let him out for a run and give him food and water. Mrs. Lopez will tend to him while she’s there.”
“No problem. What’s the second thing?”
“Call Irish and tell her that their suites are confirmed at the Driskill for this weekend and that I have a tee time at eight on Saturday morning for Kyle and Matt and me to play golf with Mitch. She can pass on the word to Eve and Matt.”
“Will do.”
“I’ve gotta go, darlin’. Call you tonight. Love you.”
He hung up before she could reply.
She’d almost forgotten about the special weekend coming up. The president’s reception at the governor’s mansion. What in the world was she going to wear? she wondered as she punched in Irish’s Dallas number. Her choices were severely limited. Maybe Irish had some ideas.
She did.
“Oh, heavens, Olivia, you can’t wear that old bridesmaid dress,” Irish said. “I have a closet full of gowns, some of them with the tags still on, and I’m already too poochy to wear them. In fact, I have one in mind that would be perfect for you, but I’ll bring along two or three to try. Would you believe that I even convinced Eve to buy a new dress for the occasion? I can hardly wait to get there. We’re flying in Friday afternoon after Kyle gets through at the hospital.”
“Wonderful,” Olivia said. “We can get together Saturday morning while the guys play golf.”
“Count on it. And Friday night for dinner, too.”
“If Jackson gets in from Houston in time.”
“What’s Jackson doing in Houston?”
“Business,” Olivia said quickly. She didn’t dare reveal his secret, even now.
“Are things heating up between you two?”
“It depends on how you define heat,” Olivia said, trying not to giggle.
“Oh, I think we define it pretty much the same way, m’dear. Is there a serious romance blooming?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call it…too serious. You know Jackson. He’s not the serious type. And neither am I. We enjoy each other’s company. Say, how’s the morning sickness these days?” she asked, steering the conversation in a different direction. They chatted for another minute or two, then Olivia said, “I could yak all day, but I have to run. I have a seminar.”
The days crawled by slowly. Even though she was busy, Olivia discovered just how much Jackson had insinuated himself into her life. Without him around, there was a big, empty space.
The second evening that he was gone, she went across the street to play with Streak and feed him. The puppy seemed lonely, too. He looked at her with such pitiful eyes that she stayed longer to keep him company. They watched a movie on TV, she on the couch and Streak on her lap. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but she did. She awoke at two o’clock in the morning, Streak still curled against her and an infomercial on the TV.
Darn it! She’d missed Jackson’s phone call. He’d called the night before to tell her that his exam had gone well, and his glasses should be ready on Friday afternoon. He’d be flying in as soon as he picked them up.
Olivia dialed her own number to see if he’d left a message.
He’d left four.
The last one was at one-thirty. “Where are you, darlin’? I’m worried about you. Call me when you get in.”
Should she or shouldn’t she?
She should. She tucked a warm throw around her and called his hotel. He answered on the first ring.
“I’m sorry to call so late, but I fell asleep on your couch.”
“You gave me a scare. I was afraid something had happened to you.”
“Nope. Streak and I watched a movie.”
“John Wayne?”
She chuckled. “Not on your life. It was a very urbane romantic comedy. I only wish I knew how it ended.”
“They lived happily ever after,” he said. “Isn’t that the way they always end?”
“In movies.” A sudden melancholy swept over her, clogging her throat and bringing a sting of tears to her eyes. “Real life doesn’t always work that way.”
“It does if the two people involved want to make it work. I want us to live happily ever after. Don’t you?”
A glib answer died on her lips. What did she want? Was there a future for Jackson and her? She tried to picture it and couldn’t. At least she didn’t panic thinking about it, but she wasn’t ready to promise any lasting commitments, either.
“I won’t crowd you, sugar,” Jackson said after the long silence. “But I can’t help but wonder sometimes just how you feel about me.”
“I care very deeply about you, Jackson.”
“Do I hear a but in there?”
She let out a slow breath and stroked the puppy’s soft fur while she thought about her answer.
“Darlin’?”
“I think you deserve to know about my past, and perhaps someday I’ll tell you the whole story, but not tonight. It’s late and we both need to get some sleep. The short version is that I’ve been abused by the men in my life, and it makes me very cautious.”
“Olivia, I would cut off my right arm before I would ever harm a hair on your head. I swear by all that’s holy. Trust me, darlin’. I love you.”
Deep down, she knew what Jackson said was true. Even so, she could feel tiny fingers of panic starting to unfurl as he pursued the issue. She loved him, too, but she wasn’t ready to say the words, nor was she ready make the commitment that went with them. Not yet. Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
“Are you going to be home in time to have dinner with Irish and Kyle and Eve and Matt?” she asked.
She heard only the barest of sighs from the phone. “Yes. I talked to Matt this evening. Everybody’s coming over to my house, and we’re going to keep things casual. Six-thirty okay with you?”
“Fine,” she said, yawning. “Do you need me to do anything?”
“No, but thanks for offering. Tami arranged for a caterer to handle stuff. Darlin’, would you do a favor for me?”
“Sure. What?”
“I don’t want you out alone this time of night. Why don’t you stay there and go to bed.”
“Jackson, my place is just across the street.”
“Humor me.”
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
“Dream of me,” he whispered.
Twelve
Olivia felt like Cinderella as their group rode in a long and imposing black limousine to the governor’s mansion in downtown Austin. The six of them had enjoyed their casual get-together the evening before at Jackson’s, and on Saturday, while the men played golf, the women had primped for the occasion. She could hardly believe that the same bunch that had eaten fried chicken in their jeans one night could be turned out like fashion plates to share paté with the president and the first lady the next. Well, everybody except Eve, of course. Irish’s younger sister was a vegetarian.
The sapphire panne velvet dress that Irish had insisted was perfect for Olivia, was. Its lines, from the bateau neckline to the hem that just touched the floor, were simple but elegant and the long sleeves were comfortable for the cool November evening. Irish had even insisted on loaning her a spectacular diamond and sapphire pin that set off the dress perfectly. And she wore the diamond studs that Jackson had given her.
But not the bracelet. As beautiful as it was, she was going to return it to him. She simply hadn’t had a chance. The only moment they’d had alone was when he picked her up at her apartment—and the others were waiting downstairs in the limo.
“You look scrumptious, sweetheart,” he’d said when she’d opened the door. “Fantastic! That dress matches your eyes exactly.”
She beamed and her hand automatically went to her upswept hairdo. Borrowing the gown and spending most of the afternoon with Irish and Eve in Austin’s finest beauty salon had paid off. They had gotten the works: fabulous hair styling, manicures and facials. Even her toenails were painted siren red. Eve had groused the whole time, but Olivia had enjoyed it. She’d felt positively decadent.