He wouldn’t let that happen, and he wouldn’t let anyone get to Helen, either. She was too innocent for this business. For this town.
Grabbing his suit coat off the back of his chair, he started for the door just as the phone rang. He considered ignoring it, but then reach across his desk and lifted the receiver.
“Jack? Jack, is that you?”
Anger lit up inside him and he tossed his jacket on the desk. “Joe! Where the hell are you?”
“I’m sorry, Jack, I’ve been busy. You know how it is. Always have a show to put on.”
He leaned a hip against his desk. “Where are you? Florida?”
“No, I’m in South Carolina.”
“South Carolina? There aren’t any studios there. Or are you still with the circus?”
“No, I haven’t been with the circus since Chicago. That’s why I’m calling, Jack. Do you know where Vera is buried?”
He frowned, not at the question, but at the desperation in Joe’s voice. “No, well, Chicago I’m assuming.”
“Can you find out?”
“Yes.” Helen would know. “I can find out.”
“I need you to find out, Jack, and buy a headstone. A big one. Nice one.” There was a long pause. “She was a good woman, Jack. A real good woman. Sweet and kind, but I had to leave. Had to.”
He shook his head, but refrained from commenting. There was no reason to leave a wife and baby. “I’ll find out where she’s buried, but there is something else you need to know, Joe.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Another silence happened before Joe asked, “What else would I need to know?”
The desperation was gone—now he just sounded uninterested. Jack squelched the ire building again. “You have a child, Joe. Vera had a baby before she died.”
Whatever he said was muffled, then there was a long silence, before Joe said, “A child? A boy or girl?”
“Girl.” Jack’s heart softened. “Her name is Grace.”
“Where is she? How old is she? Is she...healthy?”
“She’s three months old and as healthy as a horse.” There was no need to mention the tuberculosis scare. The negative test results had removed the fear of that from his mind. “She just got her first tooth recently.”
“You’ve seen her?”
“Yes. She’s here. In California.” Saving himself from a dozen questions, he continued, “A friend of Vera’s brought her out here, looking for you. Her name is Helen. Helen Hathaway. Do you know her?”
“No, I didn’t know any friends of Vera’s, but the baby, Grace you say, she’s there, with you?”
“Yes. At my apartment.”
“And she’s healthy?”
“Yes. She’s been well taken care of. Is being well taken care of.” And loved, he said, only to himself. Helen loved Gracie like her own child.
“I—I gotta see what I can make happen here, Jack.” Now there was an urgency in Joe’s voice. “Get things together so I can come home. Back to California.” Another silence. “This Helen, you say she’s taking good care of my baby?”
Something inside Jack tightened. “Yes, Helen is taking the best care of her. Hasn’t let her out of her sight since Grace was born. The two are inseparable.” He wasn’t sure why he said that, except for the fact it was true. It was also what had been plaguing him all day. He’d convinced her to stay, to help him, and was now pulling her down deeper into his bucket of trouble.
“And you, you’re helping her?”
“Yes,” Jack answered, holding back a sigh. “I’m helping her.”
“Thank you, Jack. Thank you. You’re the best brother a man could ask for. Have always been.” After another pause, he said, “I’ll let you know my plans. I’ll call and let you know my plans.” He sounded odd again, and his last statement was barely a whisper, “I love you, Jack.”
The line went dead. Not just silent this time. Dead, with static, and then a buzz.
Jack hung up before the operator came on and instructed him to, and ran his hands through his hair. Nothing had changed. Never would. It was like a curse of the younger brother. The one not as good-looking, not as good of an actor, not as willing to hurt others.
He pushed away from his desk, hating the way he was thinking. Joe was his brother and had done a lot for him. He loved him. Always would.
He also wished like hell that Joe was the one going to this party tonight.
* * *
Helen sat on a bar stool, wearing one of the dresses that Beverly had purchased. The purple beads of the hem bounced against her shins as she shifted, crossing her legs at the ankles to keep them from shaking. She’d told herself all day that she could do this. Attend a party. It was for Jack, and something she could do to repay him for his kindness.
A part of her still couldn’t believe she’d done it. Put on the shimmering purple dress and was now here, at a private club downtown, but she had. And was.
From the moment Beverly had told her about the party, that someone was attempting to undermine Jack and all his hard work, she’d known she had to go. Knew if she didn’t, Jack wouldn’t.
He’d tried to say it wasn’t that important for them to go, but she saw through that. It was very important.
She kept telling herself everything was going to be fine, that this party was nothing like the only one she’d ever gone to, back in Chicago. The one that had been raided. Even though this party was very different—the people, the gaiety, the sheer glamour of it all—deep inside her, anxiety swarmed.
Jack stood behind her, talking with men he’d introduced her to. She couldn’t remember their names. He’d introduced her to a number of people since they’d arrived a short time ago, and she was very thankful for his continued nearness.
Jack laid a hand on her shoulder. “Do you need another drink?”
She shook her head. The glass of iced tea she’d ordered still sat on the bar in front of her. That was what her mother had told her to order two years ago. Iced tea.
“How about something to eat?” Jack asked.
Swiveling the stool in order to look up at him, she shook her head. “No, thank you, I’m fine.” She glanced around the room, at the people dressed in clothes so fine they looked like movie stars. Because they probably were. She’d never seen anything like the room, either. How everything sparkled. There was even an ice sculpture near the food. A huge swan made of crystal-clear ice was surrounded by platters and platters of food the likes of which she’d never seen.
He sat down on the stool beside her and twisted it so he faced her. “Thank you for coming with me. I wish I could say we won’t be here long, but I don’t know how things are going to play out.” He nodded toward a large crowd near the tables laden with food. “Those are the Wagner brothers over there, along with their producers, directors, actors.”
She laid a hand on his knee as he huffed out a long breath. “Are the owners of the theater here?”
He shook his head. “Not unless they are hiding in the bathrooms.”
She tried to offer him a smile, but knew it fell short.
“I’m sure Grace is fine.”
“So am I,” she answered. Leaving Grace with Beverly had been the easiest part of the night. Beverly was more than capable, and Grace was a good baby.
A tall blonde woman—wearing a very fashionable, and short, black dress—was walking toward them with a sly grin curling up her red lips as she ignored others along the way. The diamonds glittering around her neck could have more than paid for a train ticket anywhere Helen could have wished to go.
The smell of her perfume arrived before the woman did, and Helen leaned back. Jack’s fingers wrapped around her hand, holding it against his knee as the woman stopped in front of him.
“Jack, darling,” she said, kissing the air near Jack’s cheek.
“Rita,” he sa
id rather coldly.
“I haven’t seen you for ages,” she cooed.
“It hasn’t been that long. This is Helen. Helen, this is Rita Wells.”
The woman didn’t even look her way, which saved Helen from having to respond, but also filled her with disdain.
“Come dance with me, Jack, darling. So we can catch up.”
“Sorry, Rita, that’s where Helen and I were just headed.” He stood and tugged on her hand.
Helen rose beside him. The smile on his face was strained, and that’s what seemed to ignite some determination inside her. Jack clearly didn’t like this woman, therefore, she didn’t either. “Excuse us,” she said to the woman.
Jack led her toward the other side of the large room where a band was playing and people were dancing beneath huge glass chandeliers. “We don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” he said.
“Yes, we do,” Helen answered. “She’s watching.”
The grin that appeared on his face was more natural, and that eased some of the tension inside Helen. “She’s an actress, isn’t she?”
“Some say she’s the best actress in Hollywood right now.”
Helen shot a glance over her shoulder. “She is very pretty.”
“On the outside.” He stepped on the dance floor and pulled her up next to him. “Not everyone is like you. Beautiful on the inside and out.”
Her cheeks grew warm, and then warmer when he hooked her waist with one hand and planted his cheek next to hers.
“Ready?”
She laid her free hand on his shoulder as he lifted their clasped hands into the air. This she could do. Dance. It was one of the things she’d missed upon graduating school. The dances. “Ready.”
It didn’t take but two steps for her to catch his rhythm and him hers. Cheek to cheek, they glided across the floor, spun around, and glided back across the floor.
“You’ve been keeping secrets from me,” he said, releasing her waist so she could twirl about beneath their arched arms. “You’re a very skilled dancer.”
At the end of her twirl, she glided up against his chest. “So are you.”
The smile on his face was the most enchanting thing she’d ever seen. As was the glint in his eyes. Something broke free inside her, true enjoyment, and she embraced it. With their footsteps matching the beat of the music, they danced face-to-face, and kicked up their heels as they tore up the dance floor, laughing aloud.
She’d never been so happy, so carefree. Her spirits became as high as those of the others in the room, where the merriment truly echoed off the walls.
After several songs they were both winded, and Jack led her off the floor. He was jubilant, laughing and joking with others as they headed toward the bar.
“Where have you been keeping this doll, Jack?” someone asked.
“Away from you,” he answered with a laugh as he pulled her through the crowd.
Caught up in the fun, Helen laughed too, and this time, when she was handed a glass of iced tea, she drank the entire thing.
People gathered around them, asking Jack about his latest movie, and when they would question him about her, his answer became, “She’s my assistant. The best one I’ve ever had.”
Pride nearly bubbled out of her. She knew he said that only because he couldn’t explain who she really was, but that didn’t matter. She liked the idea of being able to assist him—like she had with the feathers—and wished she could do more. Be more involved in his life. In this life of fun and merriment.
They danced several more times and ate plates full of food that looked too fancy to eat, but tasted too good not to, and laughed. Jack made it impossible for her not to laugh, especially when telling about the feather incident to a small group of people who had gathered around a table with them. He also told them about her fan idea, and how it had worked perfectly.
When he said it was time to leave, she was almost sad. It had been a very long time since she’d enjoyed herself so much. It wasn’t until they were in the car, driving home, that she remembered the purpose of the party. “Were the owners of the new theater there?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never met the actual owners, but the people running the theater for them sat at the table with us.”
Surprised, she asked, “The ones you told about the feathers?”
“Yes.” He glanced at her and winked. “It doesn’t hurt for them to know that filming a movie isn’t all the cat’s meow.”
The lightheartedness of the evening still lived inside her. “I suspect you’re right.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Thanks again for coming. It helped a lot.”
“It was fun.”
“You mean it?”
“Yes.” Sensing there was more, she asked, “Why?”
“Because we have another one to go to night after tomorrow.”
“We do?”
“This is all part of movie making.”
She let the idea settle for a moment. Which was unnecessary because she already knew that she’d go with him. It hadn’t been nearly as unnerving as she’d first allowed it to be while sitting next to the bar like a flat tire. She did have one worry. “Do you think Beverly will be able to watch Grace again?”
“I’ll ask her. She’s turned out to be an excellent secretary. One of the best I’ve had.”
“Julia might be willing to watch Grace, if Beverly is unavailable.”
“Good thinking.” He parked the car and turned off the engine. “I know it’s asking a lot of you. More than what you bargained for.”
She shook her head. “If you recall, I said I wanted to do more. To help more. I still do.”
He took ahold of her hand, held it while looking at her. “You’ve been doing more since the very beginning.”
Her mouth had gone dry and her heart was thudding in her ears.
He leaned toward her. Her heart flew into her throat at the same time a rush of excitement filled her. He was going to kiss her. Kiss her. What should she do? Kiss him back? She didn’t know how. Had never kissed a man before.
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I can never thank you enough for all you’ve already done.”
The disappointment that filled her was like nothing she’d ever known. That had not been the sort of kiss she’d been thinking about. Which had been a very foolish thought.
* * *
Jack drew in a deep breath and held it as he opened his car door. He let it out slowly before he said, “I’m sure Beverly is ready to call it a night.”
The night air was hot, the exact opposite of what he needed right now. He’d almost kissed Helen. Seriously kissed her. It had taken all his will not to, because he wasn’t like his brother. Never had been. There was too much at stake for him to kiss her, to cross that line and put them in a greater mess than they already had. Once again he had to be the responsible one. Even as the desires ate away at him, he would now lead her up to his apartment and sleep on the lumpy couch, all the while knowing she was only a few feet away, in his bed.
Damn it, Joe.
He shook his head while walking around the car. This wasn’t Joe’s fault. He could blame a lot of things on his brother, rightfully so, but not this. Not Helen. Joe had nothing to do with her. No, this was all on him.
Jack drew in another deep breath before opening her car door and taking her hand. She stepped out. He told himself to let go of her hand, but he didn’t, despite the tumult inside him. She was temptation in the finest sense. Tempted him in ways he’d never been tempted. Dancing with her couldn’t be to blame, either. She’d grown on him long before tonight. He couldn’t remember being this sweet on a woman, not that there was anything sweet about the way he was feeling right now.
They walked to the building and up the stairs in silence. Once inside the apartment, he excused himself
, went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face while Helen and Beverly discussed Grace’s evening. He needed to keep things on the level.
She’d caught eyes tonight, just as he’d known she would, and he made sure every set looking her way got a return stare from him. One that let them know she was hands-off. That caused a few lifted brows, but no one challenged him on it. Unlike his brother, he’d never been known as a drugstore cowboy, and never would be. There was nothing false about him, particularly his silent warnings to the other men tonight to keep their distances from Helen.
Upon exiting the bathroom, he offered to walk Beverly down to her car, not so much out of politeness as need. The desire to kiss Helen was still living inside him and he needed a bit more time to get himself under control. A bit more time before he returned to the apartment, before he was alone, with her.
But the few minutes it took to walk Beverly to her car and wait until she drove out of the parking lot was not nearly enough time. He was still wound tighter than a live wire.
Playing by the rules had always been his strong suit. Nothing ever pushed him so far that he got reckless, and it shouldn’t now.
Especially now. He needed all his faculties intact. If this movie didn’t get done, and done right, and premiered, he’d be belly up. And then he’d be absolutely no use to Grace or Helen, let alone Joe. He couldn’t, wouldn’t ever, inflict the kind of childhood he’d had on his niece.
The weight on his shoulders felt heavier than it had way back when he was scrounging up chicken eggs. He was damn near as afraid to walk back up those stairs and into his apartment as he’d been to sneak inside those coops full of hens.
Flustered that he’d let it come to this, he spun around and started up the steps. He was no longer a kid wet behind the ears. He was a grown man and could handle anything thrown at him. Had for years and years and would continue to.
Baby On His Hollywood Doorstep (Brides 0f The Roaring Twenties Book 1) Page 14