“So you’re a J.P. too? Isn’t that special,” Ron said sarcastically.
“Yeah, man,” Walt agreed. “I’d say that was real special.”
“Well, yes, I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess I am a J.P. What’s your point, Ronnie Man?”
He squirmed. He didn’t like being called Ronnie. “Just trying to get to know you. Soooo, what kind of, uh . . . for lack of a better word, ‘whupping’ you done put on my brother that’s got him all bent out of joint?”
“Ron!” at least three people yelled out.
“Now you’re being rude, Ronald, and you know better than that,” his mother said huffily, hands on her ample hips. “You’re not too old to get your butt whipped. Just remember that.”
“Ron, you’re way out of line,” J.P. told his brother angrily. “You can’t act no better than that, maybe you better leave.”
“No!” Jaci stepped in quickly. “Let me and Ronnie Man finish our conversation.” She looked at a troubled J.P. “Trust me, I got it, baby.”
She walked over to Ron, smiling. “Go for it, big boy! You too, Walt.”
Walt, realizing they may have caught a tiger by the tail, backed up a little, hands in the air.
“Like I said before I was so rudely interrupted,” Ron rolled his eyes around the room. “What you done put on my brother that’s got his mind all messed up?”
“Love, Ron,” Jaci answered. “Simple, old-fashioned love. Do you know what that is?”
“Lady, I can write a book on what I know about love. Can you?”
“No, I can’t. But I don’t have to. The only book I need is already written. And there’s more in there than I’ll ever be able to use.”
“Is that right? Well what part of that book have you used on my brother?”
“Oh, I’m going to tell you. You may want to write it down for future reference. Just so we don’t have to go over this again.”
“Naw, that’s all right.” Ron looked a little nervous. The conversation wasn’t going as planned. He’d intended to embarrass her, intimidate her, and make her feel uncomfortable. However, she was standing up to him in a way he hadn’t expected.
“Well, listen real closely. I know it sounds strange, but I love using this portion of the book on people.” The kitchen had filled with people watching the intense exchange. J.P. relaxed against a kitchen counter with a smile on his face as he watched Jaci holding her own with Ron.
Jaci continued. “This book is called the Holy Bible. Ever heard of that book, guys? Anyway, in that book, in First Corinthians chapter thirteen, you’ll find the love potion I’ve been using on Jason.”
A loud laugh went up from those familiar with the verses Jaci was about to quote.
Ron looked most uncomfortable. But before he could say anything, Jaci began to quote the verses in a quiet but forceful voice. “This love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never selfish or rude to others, never demands its own way, is never irritable, doesn’t hold grudges, hardly ever notices when others do it wrong, is never glad about injustice, but rejoices when right wins. It’s loyal no matter what the cost, always looks for the best and always defends. This love, Ron and Walt, never, ever ends.
“Now. What part of my love potion do you all object to?” When they didn’t answer right away, she snapped her fingers in their faces and said, “I rest my case.” She headed straight for Jason, who embraced her, while everyone else who had crowded into the kitchen began to clap and laugh.
Ron and Walt stood there speechless for a few seconds. Then a big grin spread over Ron’s face and he hollered out, “I’m in love!” and followed Jaci across the room, reaching for her with outstretched arms.
“Not with this lady!” J.P. said, laughing as he pushed Ron away.
Cecelia and Big Pat crossed the room to where the couple stood. Cecelia folded Jaci in a big hug and said to Jason, “You hit the jackpot with this one, son. You better not let her get away!”
“I’m trying, Mom,” Jason replied as he grabbed Jaci’s hand and pointed to the diamond ring on her finger. “If you can say or do anything to make this woman hurry up and marry me, you’d make me a happy man. I’ve gotten down on my knees and begged, stood on my head and pleaded, walked, chewed gum, rubbed my stomach and patted my head at the same time, and promised her anything I think she might want. And she just won’t cooperate.”
Everyone cracked up as J.P. attempted to act out everything he described. “Will you stop!” Jaci yelled, embarrassed and all of a sudden hot and flushed.
“Jaci,” Cecelia said to her. “I want to welcome you to the family. And I want you to know that I didn’t raise my sons to be playboys. Those old crazy women out there ruined them. I hope you won’t keep this one waiting too long, since he’s trying to straighten up.” She hugged her again.
“You know, Ron,” Big Pat said to his other son. “If you’re smart, you’ll be trying to find the field where this one came from and get you one just like her.”
“You’re wasting your breath on that one, honey. He’s hopeless,” Cecelia told her husband.
When everything had calmed down, Jaci retrieved her purse. “It’s getting late and I should’ve already been across town.” She headed toward the door.
“Wait, babe, I’ll walk you out,” J.P. said, following her.
“I like the way you handled Ron and Walt,” he chuckled when they were alone. “You won’t have to worry about them again. Now I’ll have to watch and keep them from trying to steal you away from me. You’re special, honey. You know that? My mother loves you. And that’s no small thing. Now, when are we going to set a date?” He backed her up against her truck, trapping her. “I don’t like your having to leave me like this. I’m tired of having to snatch time with you. Tired of having to restrain myself with you. It’s never enough.”
Jaci went on the defensive, knowing she was wrong. “Oh. So what are you trying to say? That if we don’t get married soon, you’ll have to go out and find somebody else to fill your needs?”
Jason backed up in surprise. “Now how did you reach that conclusion? You know that’s not what I meant. You’re just trying to start something because you don’t want to deal with the issue. It’s not going to work, Jaci. And to answer your question, no, I don’t plan to go out and find somebody else. You’re the only one I want. Sweetheart, can’t we talk about this without getting into a fight?”
Jaci pulled him back to her. “I’m sorry. And you’re right, I’m not ready to deal with the issue. But we did agree to move slowly. Can’t you be a little more patient?”
Jason sighed. “My patience is wearing pretty thin. I talked to my pastor last week about starting our counseling. He said we could start whenever we’re ready. I’m ready, sweetheart.”
“Did we agree that your pastor would do the counseling?” Jaci inquired. “I don’t remember.”
“Well, if I remember correctly, the consensus was that since you’ll be joining my church, my pastor should be the one to do the counseling. Am I correct?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she answered slowly.
“So when?” he pushed.
“Jason! Now is not the time for this conversation. I need to get across town. I’ll call you later.”
“Maybe I can come over after I get everybody out of here. Is that okay?” He kissed her softly. “I need to spend some time with you, sweetheart. Alone.”
“I’ll call you when I get home,” she responded, hugging him close. “I really need to go. I’m expected to show up at Sister Sadie’s before going to Randi’s.”
“Doggone it! There’s no telling what time you’ll get home,” he anguished, groaning into her neck. “Well, whatever time you get there, call me, okay?” He gave her a long kiss before opening the truck door and then closing it when she slid behind the wheel. “Be careful, honey.”
“Okay, I will. Talk to you later.”
Jaci headed out of the cul-de-sac. Jason stood watching until she was out of
sight, then walked slowly back into the house.
Across the street and down a ways, hidden from view behind tinted car windows, watchful eyes had taken in everything. As Jaci drove past the car, malevolent emotions, so strong she should have felt them, were sent in her direction.
Linda
Linda’s hatred of Jaci intensified, incited by the knowledge that she had lost J.P. to the woman. She knew that drastic steps would have to be taken to get Jaci out of the picture. She had called and warned her off, but evidently Jaci had not gotten the message. She wished she had found a way to really get her point across before J.P. came into the office and joyfully announced that his single days were almost over—that Jaci had agreed to marry him. Linda was so disillusioned that another man was about to get away, she had to take the rest of the day off.
It angered Linda that Jaci was where she should be . . . wearing J.P.’s engagement ring, having Thanksgiving dinner with his family, receiving his kisses. She refused to give up, though! It was time Jaci got the message once and for all. Linda meant to have J.P. by any means necessary.
Jaci
A few days later, Jaci pulled the mail out of her mailbox and noticed a folded piece of paper among the usual correspondence. What she read caused her to gasp and her heart to start beating double time. Written across the page in large typewritten text were the words,
“I know where you live, and your family too. If you value your and your family’s lives, you’ll stay away from J.P.”
She called Jason, who immediately drove to her home, then notified the police. An officer soon arrived, made a report, and said the department would investigate. Unless they could prove Linda was the one who wrote the threatening note, however, there was really nothing they could do.
The next day, Wynola’s secretary called to inform Jaci that Wynola wanted to see her. Filled with dread, Jaci prayed silently as she slowly walked to Wynola’s office, knowing it would be nothing good. Lord, please let Your strength sustain me. Thank You for being a present help in the time of trouble.
A smug, triumphant expression covered Wynola’s face when Jaci entered the office.
“Jaci, I’ve received another serious complaint against you. This time, you’ve really given me no choice but to take disciplinary actions. And I’m sure Mr. Shannon is behind me on this, so there’s no need to go running to him.”
“What are you talking about? And I’ve never run to Mr. Shannon about anything.”
“Read this.” Wynola threw a sheet of paper across the desk.
As Jaci began reading the typewritten letter, her mouth fell open and she felt herself grow cold.
I am appealing to the management of the Housing Compliance Department for help. I am at my wit’s end trying to save my family. I have pleaded with Ms. Jaci Winters several times to leave my husband alone, but though he’s told her he wants to end their affair, she ruthlessly pursues him, demanding that he continue it. She has no consideration for his wife and three children. I am outraged that the department would continue to spend taxpayers’ money employing a person with such low morals as this woman has demonstrated in her refusal to stop trying to break up my family. I hope I can depend on you to assist me in this matter. Otherwise, I will be forced to seek help from the mayor and the citizens of Houston. I am sure this would prove to be embarrassing and detrimental to your department.
Thank you, Ms. Jean White
Jaci fought to remain calm. “Wynola, this is a bunch of crap. I’m not dating a married man, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a Jean White. Who is this man I’m supposed to be having an affair with anyway?”
“Don’t try to play dumb with me, Ms. Winters,” Wynola responded in an overly professional tone. “No woman would write this kind of letter unless she were desperate. This has to be her last hope, bless her heart. And, of course, you can’t grasp this, but being a married woman, I can certainly empathize with her. I have no choice but to issue you a first-step disciplinary letter. Of course you know, any additional infractions or complaints will result in suspension without pay, until we can remove you from the payroll.”
“Just like that! Without an investigation or anything, you’re ready to take my job. You’re taking the word of someone you’ve never heard of over someone you’ve known for years? I find this very interesting. Well I want you to know, Wynola, that I’m not fighting this battle by myself. I’ve . . .”
Wynola interrupted. “I don’t care who you think you have behind you, Jaci. They won’t be able to help you with this. You should have thought about this before you got involved with somebody else’s husband and brought this kind of slander into this department.”
Jaci stood up to go. “You misunderstood. I wasn’t talking about earthly help. With this kind of evil threatening me, I need more than that. No, I was talking about help from my Heavenly Father. You see, I’ve already turned you and this entire situation over to Him. I need a copy of this.” She started to turn with the letter in her hand.
“You ain’t turning me over to no doggone body!” Wynola stood up so roughly that the back of her chair hit the wall with a bang. “And give me that letter. I’ll get you a copy of it later,” she said, reaching for the letter.
“Oh but I have turned you over,” Jaci replied calmly. “And I don’t mind making the copy. I’ll be right back.” She left the office quickly, praying as she went.
Lord, have mercy! She prayed. Mercy, Lord! I need Your mercy! Deliver me from this snare of the devil. Mercy, Lord!
For the next several nights, her phone rang every hour with threatening words from the woman. Jaci had to resort to turning the ringers off every night. Each morning her answering machine was full of vile threats from the same sinister voice. “Get away from J.P. or you’ll be sorry! I’m not playing with you, heifer, I’ll kill you and your family.” Jaci also received the same kind of threatening calls at work.
Jaci endured almost no sleep, concerned about what the woman would do next, and was troubled that the woman had brought the threats to her job. She was sure the bogus letter from “Jean White” was somehow connected to the woman, but she didn’t know how to prove it.
Then, Jaci found notes on her truck daily that showed pictures of a woman with a knife in her chest. “You’re dead!” the notes read. The same message was scratched into the paint on her truck. She felt like the woman had invaded every area of her life. This woman knew everything about Jaci, even down to the kind of vehicle she drove. Oh God, have mercy! Help me, Lord, was her constant prayer.
Bill told her not to worry—that he was working on it. But Jaci didn’t hold out much hope. What could Bill do anyway?
Bill was doing a lot! He made sure a copy of the letter got into the hands of Ed Shannon, with a warning that if Ed didn’t move quickly, he would go to the mayor himself. It was time for Jaci to get some help in this situation before Wynola succeeded in her efforts to fire Jaci.
After the third sleepless night, Jaci couldn’t face work the following day. Jason had been out of town several days and had returned late last night. Although they talked, she had been reluctant to bother him with such stupidity while he was out of town. But she was tired and weary from lack of sleep and knew she had to let him know what was going on. She waited until 7 a.m. to call, hoping he would already be awake. Strangely, she didn’t get an answer and wondered where he could be this early in the morning. Thinking maybe he was in the shower, she left a message and waited for him to call her back. Thirty minutes later, he had still not called. She used her cell phone strictly for emergencies and tried not to call others on theirs unless absolutely necessary. She decided this was one of those times and dialed his cell phone.
“What’s up, sweetheart? This is a pleasant surprise. Is anything wrong?” Jason asked when he answered a few minutes later.
She was so relieved to hear his voice she was almost in tears. “Jason? Where are you? I really need to talk to you.”
“I’m at the office, honey. R
emember? This is moving day.” She hadn’t remembered, but realized that was one reason why he had been so busy lately. Jason had purchased the thirty-story building where his office was located. In addition to moving his own offices to another floor, he was also moving the real estate business and his brother Ron’s architectural firm into the building. He decided to keep the current tenants who wanted to renew their leases with him and would begin leasing the remaining vacant space to new tenants the first of the year. Jason wanted the family businesses settled in before he advertised any available space.
“No, I didn’t remember,” Jaci said softly. “Jason, I have to talk to you. Right away.”
“It’ll have to wait, sweetheart. There’s no way I’ll be able to get away from here today. It’s total chaos. I’m trying to get my own office ready, as well as supervise everything else going on. Want to come help me?”
“Not really. But if that’s what I have to do to talk to you, I guess I’ll have to do that. Where should I come? To your old office or to the one on the top floor?”
“You’re going to ditch work and come over here? I feel really honored,” he said, a smile in his voice.
“Jason, I’m not going to work today. I stayed home because I need to talk to you. I’m sorry, I forgot all about this being moving day. But sometime today, we have to talk.”
Finally noticing her serious tone, Jason stopped his trek from one end of the building to the other and said, “Come to my old office. I’ll be in and out of there, so that’s where you’re likely to catch me.”
“Okay. I should be there in an hour or so,” Jaci informed him.
“Sweetheart? Is everything okay?”
“I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. We’ll talk when I get there.”
“Okay. See you then.”
Jaci quickly showered, threw on some jeans with a comfortable blouse and some sneakers, and headed to Jason’s office. It was going to be interesting to see if Linda was there. If she was making those threatening calls all night, and was still able to go to work the next day, then she was one tough sister; Jaci admitted it had taken its toll on her.
Seasons Page 20