Which brought her back to the man she was going out with in a few hours.
Tonight she was going to make a real effort. She was going on this date without any negative expectations. There was no reason it had to end like all the rest. She would make more of an effort. Starting with what she wore. Why was she saving those brand new, pale pink suede Prada pumps for a special occasion? She would make tonight special by going all out. She was going to sparkle, inside and out. And, crap, what was his name? Calvin? That’s right, Calvin. Tomorrow, Calvin would be telling his friends about the best date of his life. Okay, she didn’t want to get carried away. Maybe she would shoot for above average and hope for not terrible. Baby steps. Baby steps that would be taken in her spectacular pale pink suede Prada pumps.
CHAPTER TWO
JACK WINSTON STRETCHED his arms over his head, wincing when he heard a definite popping in his neck. A glance at his watch told him he had been bent over his computer for hours without a break. Nothing new there. When he was working on an idea time tended to get away from him. But things were coming together nicely on the new software program, and his body was telling him it was past time for lunch.
He stood and walked to the wall of windows that dominated one side of his office. It was a killer view. Built on Crossfire Hill, the building that housed H&W Security looked over the town of Harper Falls and the parallel running Columbia River. The valley was long and winding, and Jack could understand why founder Russell Harper had chosen this place to build his town. The falls no longer existed, the building of Grand Coulee Dam had eliminated them back in the nineteen-thirties. But it was a beautiful valley flanked by pine covered mountains on one side and long, flat mesa on the other. The towering bluff on the west side of the river had made the perfect place to build Harper House. Russell Harper had wanted his home to dominate, to make the statement, “I own this town and everyone down below answers to me.” And for a good part of the last century everyone had. When his time finally came, at the grand old age of ninety-eight, he did not go with quiet dignity. To this day, the story was still being told how the old man cursed and railed to his final breath, a fighter to the end. Jack liked that story though he had it on good authority that it had been greatly embellished over the years. As far as Jack was concerned, all the great stories were part fact, part bullshit. Time blended the two until the truth was whatever remained.
Jack stretched again, this time moving all the parts of his tall, athletic body. Sure hands and a gift for running just a bit faster than the other guys had landed him a full-ride scholarship to pretty much the college of his choice. A keen, inquisitive mind had made him a fortune.
He could have turned pro, the experts had him as a high second round pick, but Jack knew his heart wouldn’t have been in it. Football was fun. It had given him a first-class education and all the women even his overactive libido could handle. But computers were his real passion. So, to everyone’s surprise, he had walked away from the fame and fortune of professional football and started a security company with his best friend.
He had met Drew Harper the first week on campus. On paper they seemed like unlikely friends. Jack grew up the youngest of seven children. His parents were flower children who had no problem blending their nineteen sixties sensibilities with twenty-first-century technology. When Jack was little, they grew their food and bartered for the rest. Money was always tight, but he couldn’t remember ever going without. Whether it was a new pair of shoes or a radiator for the old tractor, his parents always found a way. The household overflowed with laughter and unconditional love. Jack knew his burning ambition for money and success had always been a puzzlement to people who never craved either. But they never said a word. They were proud of him, of all their children. His mother saw no difference between his making his first million or his oldest sister’s peach preserves winning first place at the county fair. Jack grinned. They were pretty spectacular preserves.
Drew, on the other hand, was an only child. His great grandfather founded Harper Falls, and his mother never let anyone forget it. Love was not an emotion you showed in the Harper household. Drew once joked, after more than a few beers, that he had been five years old before he realized the nice smelling lady who never smiled was actually his mother. Jack thought it was a drunken exaggeration, until the day he met that nice smelling lady. Regina Harper had cold down to a science.
But different backgrounds aside, they had clicked immediately. Jack spent every moment not devoted to football and girls in the computer lab. Drew was majoring in computer science, so it was inevitable that their paths would cross. Jack was laid back, Drew intense, even brooding, but both were single-minded and unwavering. Four years later they graduated—best friends with a dream and a solid plan to make it come true.
To say money had been tight was putting it mildly. Drew hadn’t taken a cent from his family from the day he left Harper Falls. Jack had never had any to start with. But they were young and arrogant, convinced they had the brains and determination to conquer the world. So they moved to Los Angeles, rented a rat trap apartment and lived on boxed macaroni and cheese while developing the software that would make them a fortune.
But in the meantime they had rent to pay. Luckily for them they were both tall and muscular, so they had no problem getting jobs doing security around L.A. It didn’t hurt that Jack had a bit of lingering celebrity cache from his football days. Rich guys liked the idea of showing off their semi-famous bodyguard. Soon they had reputations as reliable muscle. They looked intimidating and if necessary, could kick ass. Luck and social media, soon gave them unexpected success and the means to start their own small but exclusive security firm. They hired a few guys to handle the overflow, sold their first software program for a mind-boggling amount of money and decided to move the whole operation to Drew’s hometown.
Jack had been ready for the move. He liked Los Angeles, but at heart he was a small town boy. Drew’s suggestion of Harper Falls had come as a complete surprise. In all the years they’d known each other Drew rarely talked about his childhood or why he had no contact with his family. Sometimes he’d make a few random but telling comments, none of which led Jack to imagine Drew would ever visit, let alone move back for good. But here they were, one year later, settling firmly into the community. For Jack, it was a happy transition. He wasn’t quite sure how Drew felt about it.
“Let’s get some lunch.” Speak of the devil.
“You read my mind.” He was more than ready to get out of the office and leave work, and his musings, behind. “I had an early workout and then came straight to the office. If I don’t eat soon, my brain will turn to mush.”
“Pizza?” Drew held the door as they walked out of building. There were only three cars in the parking lot, Jack’s Explorer, Drew’s classic Thunderbird and their assistant Pam’s Prius. At the moment everything was quiet around the compound, but by the end of the week things would be jumping.
“Have I ever said no to Pizza?” They headed for Jack’s SUV without debate. Drew thought a lunch run was beneath his baby’s dignity. Jack didn’t get it. Why own a car that sat in the garage 90 percent of the time? Drew was always adding to his collection. He would drive one of them the five miles to work then park in the covered space built just for him. Then at the end of the day he would drive it home and to be tucked away for the night in his custom built, climate controlled garage. The man loved his cars. Jack would never have said anything for fear of losing his head, but he thought Drew should use one of those cars to drive down the mountain to claim the real love of his life. But, except for a drunken night in college, they never talked about the woman his friend had spent the last ten years eating his heart out over. So Drew heaped his affection on several tons of metal and ignored the elephant in the room or, in this case, the town.
Jack pulled out of the parking lot and past the obstacle course and outdoor training facilities that they had built in the clearing across from H&W headquarters.
“The guys are set for their regular training session,” Drew reminded him. Over the years, they had expanded their bodyguard business to almost two dozen men. They had decided to keep the personal security crew even after they started making money from the cyber security software they developed. Part of it was stupid sentimentality, but mostly it was for the clients that depended on them. Neither of them was very hands on anymore, but now and then it felt good to work out with the crew, just to prove they hadn’t lost their edge to the younger guys.
“I’m starting to worry about Craig,” Drew frowned. Craig Lowe was in charge of training the crew and dealt with any day to day problems. If anything serious cropped up Craig would come to one of them, but otherwise he had the authority to run things.
“He’s getting more and more erratic. I think it’s time we seriously considered getting someone to replace him.”
As much as it saddened him, Jack had agree. There were perks that came with rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and neither Jack nor Drew begrudged any of the crew their right to indulge a bit. They certainly hadn’t been saints when they were starting out. But Craig was taking it too far. Late nights and alcohol were starting to effect his physical appearance and his job performance. He was late more often than not, and there were times when they called to find out where he was and they couldn't reach him.
“I talked to Craig yesterday.” Jack ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. He couldn’t help but notice that it had gotten longer than his liked. His mother had thought her baby’s hair looked so sweet that she never let anyone cut it. He’d been six when that had changed. The first time a stranger mistook him for a girl, Jack grabbed an old knife that his father kept in the barn and hacked at it until the curls littered the floor. What little hair was left stood up in little-jagged spikes. His mother had cried—his father laughed his ass off. He tended to forget haircuts when he was in the middle of a project and by the feel of it, he was way past due.
“What excuse did he give you this time?”
“No excuse,” Jack said ruefully. “He swears that he quit. Quit the late nights, quit the drinking. If it’s a vice, he’s quit it.”
“Does he think we're idiots?” Drew scoffed.
“He's not thinking at all. I told him what you and I agreed on. He enters a detox program or he’s fired.”
“It’s for the best, Jack,” Drew told him. Jack had more sympathy for human failings than he did. Jack’s first instinct was to reason first, kick ass if necessary. Drew’s patience had a much shorter shelf life.
“Best for him and the business. We can’t afford to have him screw up and get somebody hurt. Neither of us wants that.”
“I agree.” No amount of insurance could cover the guilt they would live with if a client or employee was injured on their watch. “I’m driving him to Spokane tomorrow and I promised him a job would be waiting for him when he gets out.”
“But you didn’t promise him he’d have the same job.”
“No. He’ll be on probation for a while,” Jack assured him.
“Good.” Drew sighed. “That leaves us with the crew arriving this weekend and no one to handle the training. It’s too late to reschedule.”
Jack and Drew exchanged resigned looks. “Well, shit. I can’t say I’m looking forward to long hours in the hot sun and nights soaking my aching muscles. Didn’t we get enough of that when we were poor and stupid? I’m beginning to wonder if we shouldn’t rethink our decision to keep the personal security division. We don’t need the money or the publicity.”
“The crew will only be here for a week,” Jack reminded his partner. “Besides, we’re getting soft sitting behind our desks all day. It will do us good to mix it up with the guys.”
Drew huffed but didn’t disagree. They both kept in shape but punching a bag was different then punching another person. He didn’t doubt they could still hold their own in a fight, but getting down in the trenches would be good for both of them. Kicking ass was no longer part of their job description. Still, it didn’t hurt to keep their skills honed.
“Fine. But we should start looking around for a replacement for Craig. There’s no guarantee he’ll stick with rehab, or stay on the wagon afterward. We need to move on this soon. It’s not just the training. The day to day crap is time-consuming. It’s time I’d rather be using on developing new software.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” Jack assured him. “There’s someone I have in mind who’d be perfect. You remember I mentioned an old friend from high school who joined the Army right after graduation?
“Right. Alex something.”
“Alex Fleming.”
Drew frowned. “Didn’t you say he was career Army?”
“That was always his plan,” Jack said. His blue eyes darkened with concern. “Something changed about a year ago. He didn’t give me any details, whatever he was involved with was strictly hush-hush. But it ended with him in the hospital, and six months later he was out of the army with an honorable discharge.”
Drew could tell that Jack was worried about his friend. Jack tended to let other people’s problems become his own. When he cared about that person, he would move heaven and earth to help. He hoped Alex Fleming knew how lucky he was to have a man like Jack Winston on his side. Drew had thanked his lucky stars more than once for a friend like Jack.
“You don’t know anything else?”
“Nope,” Jack admitted. “In fact I didn’t know that much until a couple of days ago. Apparently he bought a motorcycle and has been riding around Europe. Says he wants to see a bit of the world as a civilian for a change. When he called me, it was out of the blue. I told him there was a job waiting for him, all he had to do was show up.”
“And do you think he will?” Drew didn’t say anything about Jack offering his old friend a job without consulting him first. If Jack believed in Alex Fleming, then that was all Drew needed to know.
“I do.” Jack pulled to a stop in front of Mama Joan’s, the town’s best pizza place. “I think that’s why he finally got in touch. He’s ready to come home. He just needed to hear that he had a place to come.”
Drew opened the door to the restaurant taking a moment to breathe in the spicy aromas that hit them as soon as they walked in. He gave a wave to some familiar faces that were already enjoying their lunch. “Well, let’s hope he gets here sooner than later. Back in our younger days I enjoyed strapping on a gun and playing James Bond, but not anymore.”
“We’re only twenty-eight,” Jack reminded him. “But I know what you mean. I always found those jobs to be a dead bore. But the women were amazing, nothing boring about that.
“You act as though your love life has dried up.” Women of all ages loved Jack, and it didn’t matter if they were in Los Angeles or Harper Falls. Jack never went without for long.
“Nope, I find small town women to be very friendly. In fact,” he tilted his head slightly towards the back of the room. “There are two very lovely ladies smiling at us. What do you say we go persuade them to let us share their table?”
Drew hesitated. He glanced around like he always did when he was in town but as usual she wasn’t there. So why not join Jack and eat with a woman who smiled at him, one who didn’t cross the street if she saw him coming? Besides, Jack would do all the talking. Pizza and feminine company. Not a bad way to spend the next hour. And if he wasn’t interested? Well, it was only lunch.
“Sure, Jack, why not.”
CHAPTER THREE
ROSE HAD SPENT most of the time since she’d gotten up that morning accessing her mood. She’d begun with mildly depressed, segued into righteously pissed, and had even considered justifiably homicidal. But after talking herself down, she’d finally settled on optimistically resigned. Last night might have been a disaster, but she couldn’t stay grim when the early May weather was so warm and sunny, and there was a whiff of lilac in the air. She had come to a decision, and she was happy with it. Now was the hard part, sharing the news
with her friends.
Crossing the street towards the coffee shop where her best friends, Tyler Jones, and Jordanna Wilde, were waiting, Rose knew what their reaction to her decision would be. Tyler would tell her she was crazy, and Dani would calmly point out all the flaws in the plan. And it would be hard to argue with either of them. But for now she was sticking to it. Once they realized how serious she was they would support her, full on best friend mode.
Three little girls had formed a bond over a summer. Celebrations, whispered secrets, heartaches, and inevitable separations had proven that bond unbreakable. Not that it had been a smooth beginning.
At nine years of age, Rose had still been reeling from the sudden death of her mother six months earlier. Her mother had never mentioned any family. Her father wasn’t just out of the picture; he’d never been in it. Locating a next of kin had taken a few weeks, then all of a sudden Rose had found herself in the custody of an aunt she hadn’t known existed.
It hadn't taken Rose long to learn the woman's chiseled in stone rules. First, she was under no circumstances to call her anything but Louise. Calling her Aunt would get her a firm slap across the face. Rose only broke that rule once. Second, and most important, never discuss age, her own or Louise’s. Louise was forever twenty-five and having a nine-year-old around tended to started men counting. Third, no one wanted Rose. She should be grateful Louise was big-hearted enough to take in such a skinny, unattractive child. What Louise conveniently left out was the money Rose’s mother had in her savings account at her time of her death. Rose had never known how much was there, and she’d certainly never seen a dime of it. But it turned out to be the extra incentive Louise had needed to do what the social worker termed ‘the decent thing’.
If I Loved You (Harper Falls Book 1) Page 2