She grinned. “My grandson says I should have my license permanently revoked. He says I’m a menace on the road. Can you believe it?”
Jane gulped as she tried to reinflate her lungs and secured the seat belt, pulling it as tight as she could. “No.”
Without looking, the old woman gunned the engine again and sent the car careening into traffic, narrowly missing an SUV and a subcompact that looked much like hers. Finally turning her attention to the road, she said, “I’ve been driving since 1932. Do you know what it’s like to drive a thirty-two pickup truck? Compared to that, this little beauty’s a piece of cake. It has power everything. And it’s very zippy. By the way, where are you headed?”
“Franklin? Will that be out of your way? You could let me out sooner if you like.”
“Hell, no. I’m going that way myself. I live on Woodbridge Street.”
“Is that close to Harding?”
Running a red light, but seemingly unconcerned, the woman nodded. “Right around the corner. By the way, I’m Mabel.” Obviously deaf to the sounds of car horns as she jetted through traffic leaving near-crashes in her wake, she smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Jane...er, Monica.”
“Never heard of a name like that. Janermonica? You young people are always trying to come up with clever names for your kids. Whatever happened to simple names? Like Martha or Mary or Erma?”
“No, it’s just Monica. Jane’s my...middle name. Some people call me that.”
“I see.” She took a corner at thirty, sending Jane slamming into the passenger side door, despite the seat belt.
She double-checked the door’s lock. God forbid she get thrown from the car. Then again, she thought as she held her hands forward to stop from splitting her face on the dashboard, that might give her a better chance at survival. The way Mabel drove, she’d be dead long before she reached Franklin. And that was only a couple of miles away.
“You said Harding Street? Do you have family living there? I know just about everyone in my neighborhood.”
“No, just a friend.” Curious to see what Mabel had to say about Jason, she added, “Do you know Jason Foxx?”
“Foxx, you say? I sure do. Very nice young man. He mows my lawn for me. I used to pay that company—bunch of moneygrubbing thieves they were—but he offered to take care of my lawn, and I cook him a nice dinner once a week in return.”
“Really?” That didn’t sound like the kind of man who would leave his ex-girlfriend stranded at nine o’clock in a parking lot. Was there more than one Jason Foxx living on Harding Street?
“Yes, and last Christmas he bought me a lovely sweater and pants set. And he always asks if I need something when he goes to the grocery store. He’s a very sweet boy, says he needs to take care of me since I’m all alone. He’s a bachelor, you know. Broke up with his girlfriend a month or so ago, she looked a lot like you. Could be your double, come to think of it. But she sure didn’t act like you. Very uppity, that one was. Didn’t give me the time of day. I told him she wasn’t right for him. He deserves a nice girl. Someone like you.”
Jason Foxx was sounding less and less like the demon she’d imagined him to be. But Mabel’s description of Monica didn’t surprise her. The only time Monica was nice was when she needed something. “You mentioned you have a grandson. Does he live far away?”
“He lives in Ohio. I’ve been trying to convince him to move here but he won’t. I even offered to leave him my entire estate. I’ve been doing okay by myself, thanks to your friend, Mr. Foxx, but I know I can’t live alone much longer. And once they take my driver’s license, then I’ll be homebound, forced to rely on someone else to chauffeur me around. I hate the idea of losing my freedom.”
“I can understand that. Until tonight I’d forgotten what it’s like to be dependent on other people.” Jane relaxed as they turned onto Fourteen Mile Road. Only a half-mile or so to go.
“What happened to you?”
“An old boyfriend had my car towed away. And I’m a little short on cash until payday.”
“Well, isn’t that despicable! What kind of man would do that to his girlfriend, broken up or not? You should pick better men to date, my dear.” She patted Jane’s hand. “Though if you ask me, there aren’t too many worth a second thought. Except that nice Mr. Foxx. Take my word for it, he’s something special. I’ve been married six times. I should know.” She pulled the car up a long, winding, wooded driveway and stopped in front of a gorgeous Greek revival colonial. “Here you are. This is Mr. Foxx’s home. Good luck, dear. Hope to see you again sometime.”
Jane smiled at Mabel, not only grateful for making it to Jason’s house alive but also having genuinely enjoyed the conversation. “Thank you. I do too. It was wonderful meeting you.”
Mabel nodded and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “I’ll put in a good word for you with Mr. Foxx. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll listen to me.” Then with a wave, she turned the car around and drove away, leaving Jane hacking from the dust her tires kicked up, and standing in front of the most impressive, most intimidating house she’d ever seen. As she climbed the front stairs, she told herself it looked like a mansion in Beverly Hills, California.
But when she reached the door, she couldn’t convince herself to ring the bell. What the heck would she say to him, a man she’d never met but a man who’d think she was someone else, someone he’d been intimate with for who knows how long? “Excuse me, but can I please have the car back?” sounded like a good start. Problem was she didn’t know why he’d had it hauled away in the first place.
She spun around, wishing the porch lights weren’t so bright and hoping no one had seen her, and descended a single step. “God, I’ve made a mistake. I should have just gone home to my empty refrigerator. What am I doing here?”
“I’d like to know the same thing,” a distinctly male voice said behind her. Its tone was deep and sexy but she also sensed a sharp, icy undertone.
Anxious to see what a multimillionaire jewelry broker who had old girlfriends’ cars repossessed looked like, she shivered and turned to face the source. “How did you know I was...?”
The multimillionaire jewelry broker looked too good for words, she realized the minute she’d turned completely. His last name was far more descriptive than she’d guessed. Jason Foxx was a mega-fox, an ultra-fox. The epitome of fox.
Her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth as she stood mute, taking in the sight of the most gorgeous man she’d ever met in person—starting at about mid-chest level, which was eye level to her since he was standing several steps higher, and rising slowly, following a nice bumpy ride over a completely nude, smooth-skinned chest and wide, well-developed shoulders. His skin was the color of her morning coffee—lots of cream, light on the coffee, and glistened slightly with sweat suggesting she’d caught him during a workout. He mopped his forehead with the white T-shirt he held in his fist.
Monica was one lucky girl! Very tall, handsome, and built like a tank, he was the kind of guy Jane had dreamed of marrying all her life. He even had her dream man’s dark, curly hair. Heck, he was better than her dream man. With picture-perfect features that were neither too pretty nor too rugged, he could easily be a model or a movie star.
“...here?” she squeaked, recalling she’d stopped speaking mid-sentence some time ago.
The problem was he didn’t look happy to see her. His stubbled jaw was tight with pent-up tension. His dark eyes were narrowed into tiny slits. Nope, he wasn’t thrilled in the least.
“Security camera.” He pointed up. “I should have known you’d come here. The answer is no.” He started pushing the door closed.
Without thinking, she ran up the stairs and thrust her arm forward to catch the door before it shut. “Now, just wait a minute!”
He didn’t look surprised nor thrilled as he pulled the door open again. “What?” he asked, not trying to hide the exasperation in his voice.
“Aren’t you at least curio
us to know how I got here?”
“No. Why should I be?”
Wow, he’s one cold son of a... “If you’ll notice, there isn’t a gold Lexus in the driveway.” She motioned toward the drive like one of those models on The Price is Right. “And why, you might ask, would that be? Because you had mine towed away!” Her model act forgotten in her anger, she put one hand on her hip and poked his chest with the index finger of the other one. “That was a rotten, underhanded thing to do. Did you know I was stranded in a dark parking lot miles from home, cold, hungry, alone? Anything could have happened to me. I could have been kidnapped or raped.” When he didn’t respond she added, “Aren’t you the least bit sorry?”
“Sure I am,” he answered slowly, his voice lacking its previously icy edge. He lifted his arm to comb his fingers through his hair. The motion made all kinds of muscles bunch and flex. It was a yummy sight even if she was trying not to notice. “But didn’t you know?”
“Know what? Of course I didn’t know it was going to be towed. How would I?”
“I left several messages on your machine last night. You didn’t call me back this afternoon, so I assumed you were prepared.”
The fight left her in a loud huff. “Oh. The machine. I didn’t think to check messages this morning.”
“Come inside before someone calls the police thinking there’s a problem.” He caught her hand and pulled her inside, and while she should have been ohhhing and awwwwing at his incredible foyer, all she could do was stare into two impossibly deep, dark eyes and enjoy the buzz of instant arousal his innocent touch sparked.
“Did you say you’re hungry?” he asked.
“Among other things,” she heard herself answer.
“Come on. I’ll get you something to eat. What’re you in the mood for? The usual? I had a dinner party last night. Have some leftovers.”
Her hand in his, and feeling vaguely like she was floating above the ground rather than treading upon it, she followed him down the hall toward the kitchen, asking, “What’s the usual?”
“What do you mean?” Reaching for the refrigerator, he glanced over his shoulder.
She shrugged. “Just making small talk, I guess.”
“You’re acting weird tonight.”
“I am? How? I’ve hardly spoken.”
“Well, that for one. And...I don’t know. Besides the food thing, something’s different.”
“Well, I did just suffer a scare from finding my car on the back of a flatbed truck, walking several miles to a gas station and then risking my life in Mabel’s car to get here. That might have something to do with it.”
“Mabel’s car? How’d you end up with her?”
“Bumped into her at a gas station.”
“What was she doing at a gas station? Her tank’s full. I filled it this afternoon.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t carry anything out of the store, at least not that I saw.”
He pulled out a plate covered with foil and set it on the counter. “Are you thirsty?”
“Yes. Do you have any diet cola?”
“Diet cola?” He slowly turned and studied her with narrowed eyes again. “Looks like you, and sounds like you...but it can’t be you. Do you have an identical twin?”
“No, why?” Trying to appear casual, she lifted the foil from the plate to get a peek at the food. It didn’t look appealing at all—kinda resembled slimy fish parts with green unmentionables, like something she’d seen those poor schmucks eat on Fear Factor—but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “Oh, this looks fabulous,” she lied.
“I have an Evian. Will that do for now?”
Wow, the fancy water. I’ve never tried that. “Sure. Thanks.”
He pulled out a chilled bottle and handed it to her then unwrapped the plate and carried it to the snack bar at the end of the natural stone counter. “Enjoy. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She plopped on a swivel stool, spinning around to face him. “Where are you going?”
“Be right back.” He patted her hand like she was a little insecure kid—which she was not, thank you very much—and left the kitchen, leaving her to investigate the clammy food on her plate. Evidently it was either meant to be eaten cold or she didn’t rate the extra time it took to heat it in the microwave.
Figuring explanation number one sounded the most reasonable, since he had bothered feeding her in the first place—after all what was another couple of minutes—she lifted the friendliest-looking piece, some kind of rolled up thing, and held it to her nose.
Gag! It reeked! Must be spoiled. She set it down and reached for something else...and then another...and another.
Despite the fact that she hadn’t eaten all day and was ready to gnaw on the artificial vegetables in his table centerpiece, nothing on the plate smelled edible. With Jason still missing, she went back to the refrigerator to see what else she could find.
Ah ha! Now this was better! Thin-sliced roast beef, whole wheat bread, Swiss cheese and honey mustard would make one superb sandwich. In the cupboard she found some nacho chips. Before starting work on the sandwich, she ripped those suckers open, packed a handful into her mouth and chewed, and refilled every few seconds as she stacked the meat and cheese on the bread. Sandwich completed, she lifted it to her mouth, inhaling the scent of meat and mustard, then took a bite.
Now that was good eating! Relishing the flavor, she closed her eyes in ecstasy.
“What are you doing?” He sounded annoyed.
She opened her eyes and realized he wasn’t so much angry as he was confused. Swallowing first, she motioned toward the plate with the slimy, stinky food and said, “That stuff didn’t smell right. I hope you don’t mind I made myself a sandwich.”
He wrung an article of clothing in his hands. “Um...you don’t eat red meat. Haven’t had any in almost five years.”
“I do today.” She took another bite to illustrate and smiling, chewed and swallowed. “I’ve forgotten what I was missing. This is delicious. Dead cow is good.” She watched as he continued to twist the fabric in his hands. “What are you destroying there? If you don’t stop, it’ll be nothing but rags.”
“Destroying?” He looked down at his hands. “Oh. I found this for you, since you said you were cold.” He dropped it next to her on the counter, leaning just close enough to give her a minor case of the warm fuzzies.
Cold? I’m not cold anymore. With a hot bod like yours so close how could a girl be cold? “Thanks. That’s very sweet.”
“It’s just an old sweatshirt, but it’ll keep you warm.” He looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t.
“What?”
He took a step backward and shook his head. “It’s...nothing. Do you need a ride home?”
“Wow, anxious to get rid of me so soon?”
“Kind of.”
His honesty floored her and she didn’t know what to say. What had happened between them, she wondered. What had Monica done? It had to have been Monica’s fault. Jason seemed much too kind and considerate to be the guilty one. “At least you’re honest,” she finally managed to say before taking another bite of sandwich. “Do I have time to finish my food first? I didn’t eat all day. I’m starving.”
“Sure.”
“Will you drive me home or will you get someone else to do the dirty deed?”
“Yes, I’ll drive you. Who else would?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Evidently he didn’t have a chauffeur. “I thought maybe you’d get Mabel to do it,” she said, deciding to make a joke out of it.
“So that’s it!” he slapped the countertop with his palm. “Where’s it hurt?” He rushed forward and inspected the top of her head.
“Hurt? What?”
“Your head. Did you hit it on the dashboard riding with Mabel? I know what kind of driver she is. You must have a concussion. You’re acting so different. Either that or...you wouldn’t...would you?” He stared into her eyes, which made her uneasy, like he cou
ld see it wasn’t really Monica he was talking to.
“Would what?”
“If you think this sudden metamorphosis into a decent human being is going to change my mind about you...about us, you’re wrong.”
Aha! It had been Monica’s fault. Why didn’t that surprise her? It seemed for all Monica had, she didn’t appreciate any of it, hunky, rich boyfriend included. Shame on her!
“I’m not trying to convince you of anything— Well, it might be nice if you’d give me back the car—”
“So that’s it! All this to convince me give back the Lexus? You little, conniving—”
“Whoa, before you start throwing insults, at least let me explain. Yes, I came to ask you why you had the car towed away but I’m not putting on an act for anything. I was hungry, so I ate. I wasn’t going to eat some smelly, slimy raw fish guts or whatever that stuff is so I raided your refrigerator for something that looked edible, which just so happened to be the product of a land-dwelling species. Shoot me. Sheesh! Who would’ve thought a sandwich would cause such an uproar.” Disgusted with how things were progressing, wishing he’d toss aside his need to figure out why she’d changed and just kiss her, she shoved the plate away. “I’m finished. Will you take me home now?”
“It’s not just the sandwich.”
“Whatever.” Now that had to sound like the old Monica he knew. Maybe being rude would set him at ease. She walked across the kitchen toward the front door.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“That’s the wrong way.”
“It is not. This is the way...” She looked up and down the hallway, certain she’d seen that painting and those doors before...hadn’t she?
He caught her shoulders in his strong hands—she liked men with big, strong hands—and stared into her eyes again. “Do you have amnesia?”
“I don’t think so...” Was this the opportunity she needed? He wanted some sort of logical explanation. Amnesia sounded logical—at least a whole lot more logical than a wish on a meteorite. “...well, maybe. I am feeling a little funny.”
Tangled: A New Adult Romance Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle of Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Royalty) Page 57