ESCAPE INTO ROMANCE- 4 Book Bundle

by Patrice Wilton

That was more like it. She was back to her old self, the Jenna who never exposed herself or took a chance.

  He kissed the back of her neck. “Yes, you did that all right. But can we spend Saturday nights together? Or put aside a couple of weeknights?”

  She smiled. “Grant, we’re having ‘for the hell of it’ sex. Meaning, no strings attached. You don’t have to buy the cow. The milk is free.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment, only a few dates.”

  “Enjoy the moment, Grant. I don’t know how long I’ll be in Florida, or what the future will bring. Let’s just take it a day at a time, shall we?”

  “Do I have any choice?”

  “No.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Grant dropped Jenna home and then drove back to his Palm Beach residence in record time. His mind was churning, and so was his gut. He felt as frustrated as a boy who’d just had his face slapped for stealing a kiss.

  Buy the cow. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Jesus, she was an infuriating woman. Half the women at the hospital—hell, half the women in the county between the ages of twenty and sixty would kill to be with me. He wasn’t oblivious to them, but he couldn’t get excited about sleeping with every female that offered.

  Once in a while he’d enjoy himself, but then he’d wake up thinking, what was the point? Sex without feelings was just sex.

  Grant rubbed his jaw and cursed under his breath. A lot of his colleagues thought he was a ladies man, a regular stud. They’d laugh if they knew the truth.

  He’d loved only one woman in his lifetime. From the first moment he’d laid eyes on his wife, he had known she was the one. He’d gone home and called his father, telling him he’d met his future bride.

  Two years later they were married. It had been a happy enough marriage at the start, but touched with sadness too. It had taken five years and three miscarriages before Kathleen had been able to carry a son to full term. And that had been the second happiest day of his life.

  Jake had been a strong, healthy, happy boy right from the start. He’d been quick to learn and eager to please. He was the apple of Grant’s eye, and his wife’s heart. They had felt blessed each and every day of his young life.

  And then it had all gone horribly wrong. Deep down he knew it had not been his fault. But that didn’t stop him from feeling guilty—or stop his wife from blaming him.

  It had been a beautiful day when Grant had taken his five-year-old son to the park. They were living in Boston then, and like most young families who live in a city, they used parks as their playgrounds.

  After a dreary winter, spring had finally arrived. The Cherry blossoms were out in full bloom, birds were chirping their happy tunes. The world had been new, shiny and bright. Grant was feeling especially blessed, because he had a half day off and was able to spend it with his favorite person in the world—his son.

  They were tossing a ball back and forth and talking about school when his beeper went off. It was before the time of cell phones, and so the beeper was strictly used in order for the hospital to get a hold of him. He wasn’t on call, but even on his time off he carried it in case of an emergency with one of his patients.

  While Grant was distracted, Jake continued to toss the ball. It bounced off a tree and flew into the street. Jake ran after it, and before Grant could stop him, the boy stumbled off the sidewalk and into on-coming traffic.

  Remembering now, all these years later, filled Grant with the same icy horror. His breathing became ragged and a bead of sweat trickled down his back.

  Grant put a hand to his stomach, feeling as he always did when he thought of his son—like he’d been gutted. He almost welcomed the pain. It took the edge off his guilt. Jake, my beautiful, beautiful boy.

  It was no wonder his wife finally killed herself. He only wished he had had the courage to do the same when his son closed his eyes for the last time.

  One minute the sun was shining brightly, and then the sky collapsed. Jake was lying in the street, hit by a car that didn’t bother to stop. The blood was rushing out of him, flowing down the reddened street. Grant yelled for an ambulance and tried to stop the bleeding. Then he’d picked up his son and ran toward the hospital, just two blocks away.

  Jake was dead on arrival.

  Kathleen never got over it, and never stopped blaming him. Grant hadn’t gotten over it either.

  Unable to look into his wife’s face and see the accusation in her grief-stricken eyes, he had stayed away, working longer hours at the hospital.

  Although Kathleen’s suicide was only a few years ago, she had died long before then, as had Grant. He didn’t have much to offer a woman, and so he hadn’t tried.

  But Jenna—Jenna made him feel again. The first time he’d seen her, he’d felt a resurgence of youthful promise and excitement. He had wanted her—not as a temporary solution for a stiff dick, but more.

  He couldn’t say exactly what had shifted in him. His reaction to her was like a man who still had hope—a man who thought beyond the moment and believed in love and happy endings.

  And now Jenna had taken his feelings and carelessly thrown them back in his face.

  * * *

  Three weeks after the accident that put her in a coma, Cindy woke up. Rob called Jenna with the joyful news.

  “I’ve called the school, and the kids are coming. Can you bring Amy?”

  “Oh, my gosh, Rob, of course I can. How is she? Is she coherent? Does she know what happened to her?”

  “Yes. The doctors explained everything and they’ve been doing all sorts of tests on her, checking her eyes, her verbal and motor responses, and she’s doing great, just great.”

  “Will she be able to come home soon?”

  “Not right away. She’s probably going to have to stay in the hospital another week or so, and then she’ll be in a rehab center.”

  “I see. But so far, the results are good, right?”

  “Yes, but she’s a little confused and disoriented, and her motor skills are not a hundred percent. The physical therapist said it will take her some time to completely recover.”

  “Of course. I can hardly believe that she’s finally awake.” Jenna laughed with excitement. “The kids are going to be so happy. And Mom—I’ll call her right away.”

  “Good. I’ll see you soon.”

  Jenna arrived at the hospital around two, after stopping to buy flowers and balloons for Cindy. Nick and Kelly arrived at the same time.

  When they all entered the room, Rob hugged and kissed all three of his kids. His grin was as wide as the ocean. Whatever private hell he’d been in for the past few weeks was momentarily forgotten.

  “I thought you said she was awake?” Kelly whispered, staring at her sleeping mother. To the kids and Jenna, Cindy didn’t look any different than she had a day, or a week ago.

  “She is, or was,” her father said. “She tried to stay up for you, but she just drifted off a half hour ago.”

  Nick found a chair, and sprawled out in it. The expression on his face as he looked at his mother never changed. Jenna had no idea what he was thinking.

  “Will she wake up again?” Kelly asked.

  “Yes, yes. She’s going to be fine.”

  Finally, Nick spoke. “Come on, Mom. Wake up. We’re here.” He shook the bed a little, as if she were only pretending to sleep.

  Kelly saw Cindy’s eyes flutter. “Mom, Mom! Open your eyes. Please wake up. We’re here.”

  Like a butterfly’s wings, her eyelids fluttered again. Slowly, as if by sheer will, her eyes opened. A soft smile touched her lips. She licked them and tried to speak. “Hi.”

  “Mom, oh, Mom.” Kelly gave her a big hug and a tearful kiss. Nick leaned in for an awkward embrace, and Rob held Amy up for her mother’s kiss.

  “I love you,” she whispered to them all.

  “We’ve missed you,” Rob said. He coughed to cover his voice cracking.

  Jenna’s eyes filled with tears
as she watched them hug and cry, emotions just spilling out of everybody. She stood slightly apart, allowing the children to surround their mother, not wanting to intrude. After a few minutes Cindy spotted her by the door and lifted her hand to wave her over. Jenna rushed to kiss her sister’s cheek.

  “Hey, how you feeling? Ready to come home?” Tears splashed down Jenna’s cheeks. “We were so worried about you. And we missed you so much.”

  Cindy nodded and tried to speak, but the effort of forming words was too much for her. “Thank you,” she managed, clinging to Jenna’s hand.

  She looked tired, but everyone had so much to say to her that she simply smiled and listened.

  Jenna excused herself and went off to find Grant. She wanted to share the wonderful news, and also to give the family some time alone.

  She left word at the nurse’s station in the children’s wing that she wanted to have a word with him and would wait in the lounge until he was free. She flipped through magazines and waited for a half hour or so. When Grant finally walked into the waiting room, her heart seemed to burst.

  “What is it?” he asked. He came up to her, not touching, but close enough she could breathe in his musky scent. It brought back powerful memories of touching him, tasting him, rolling in bed with him. She swayed in his direction.

  “It’s Cindy,” she forced herself to say.

  “Is she…?” He couldn’t complete the question.

  “She woke up.” Jenna felt herself tremble. “Oh, Grant, she woke up.”

  His face broke into a smile. “Thank God, Jenna. I was afraid to ask.”

  “I know. I should be delirious with joy, and I am, but I also feel like I’m going to bawl like a baby.” She sniffled and dug in her handbag for a tissue.

  He took it out of her hand and dabbed the corners of her eyes. “You know, Jenna. It’s quite all right to be emotional some of the time.”

  She tensed. “I’m emotional enough. Just because I don’t express it all the time doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything.”

  “I know that. I know you love the kids and your family. But I have a strong hunch you resist letting anyone love you.”

  She stared at him. Her sister loved her. And her mother kind of did. She was loved. Her chin shot up a notch. “They love me.”

  “I didn’t mean them. You know what I meant.”

  “I had a man in my life…until recently. I’m taking a break.” She smiled to take any sting out of the words. “My life is on stand-by right now. I’m doing the best I can.”

  “I know you are, Jenna. And I’m sure you’ll be able to go home soon, and things will get back to normal.”

  She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. “I should get back to them. Cindy is exhausted and the kids will tire her out.”

  “Yes, I guess you should.” He stepped back, and she felt the air around her grow cold.

  “Grant, call me sometime, okay? I’d like to see you again, and I really don’t know how much longer I’ll be here.”

  Not only had the sex been outstanding, but she’d felt feelings she couldn’t remember having before. She couldn’t say that to him. Why start something that good when it had to come to an abrupt end?

  “Sure. I’ll do that.” This time he didn’t stay to watch her walk away.

  * * *

  Five days after she woke up, Cindy was released from the hospital. She had an immense amount of work ahead of her. She was admitted into a rehabilitation center as her cognitive skills and mobility had been impaired.

  The therapist told Rob she could be in rehab for several weeks, and he would have to be patient. It was difficult to have her still in a hospital when they all wanted her home so much. Still, everyone was excited about Cindy’s progress.

  Sharon had returned from Daytona. The family all took turns going to the rehab center, working together to help Cindy remember and relearn basic skills.

  Jenna quickly noticed the positive changes in Cindy. She was a different woman. Perhaps having a near-death experience had made her see all that she had, and had almost lost.

  Maybe she knew she had a lot of making up to do, and God had given her a fresh start. She was gobbling up her family as though every precious moment might be the last—listening, and laughing, and loving.

  Jenna hoped the change was permanent. Her loved ones deserved a new and improved mother and wife.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Jenna had just returned from the rehab center one day when her cell phone rang. It was her boss, Mike Harris, president of sales for the eastern region. He told her she better get her fanny back to New York, if she wanted to keep her job.

  “But, Mike, Cindy is still not well enough for me to leave. She’s in rehab and will be for several more weeks. I’m going to need at least another month. I can’t expect her to take care of the baby and the household the moment she gets home.”

  “Jenna, we’ve been very supportive up to now because you are an asset to our team. Believe me, I don’t want to let you go. You’ve broken sales record after sales record, and if it were up to me, I’d allow you to continue working from Florida. But I’m getting heat from the CEO. He ordered me to get you back. So that’s it, I’m afraid.”

  “Mike, listen. I’ll be back before you can find a replacement and train them for my job. This is ridiculous. Even if you promote someone from within, you’ll still need to get that person up to speed. My proven track record should mean something.”

  “Yes, it does. It means if you value your job, you’ll be on the first plane back here. I can give you a week to decide, and possibly one more, but that’s it.”

  Jenna’s temper flashed. She ran the number one sales division in the country, and had for three years running. She was damned good at her job. They could replace her, but did they really expect to get the same results?

  “Mike, I won’t be coming back this week, or next. If you feel that you can do better with someone else, go right ahead and try. You know where to reach me if things don’t work out.”

  “Don’t be too hasty, Jenna. In this economy, you may want to rethink this. Take the weekend and give me your answer on Monday.”

  “You have my answer.”

  “Jenna—”

  She hit “end”, and then shut the phone off so he couldn’t call back. She was seething. How dare they? After all the years she’d given them, why couldn’t they allow her to run the office from her Cindy’s home for a few extra weeks? At the very least, they could have offered her a leave of absence.

  Of course, she had the weekend to think about it, and she did.

  As much as she loved her job, she didn’t like the fact that they were forcing her hand. Until Cindy was home and resettled, Jenna was not prepared to leave.

  That Monday, she called Mike and told him to do what he needed to do. At least she would have a severance that would hold her over until she could get a real job again.

  She discussed her situation with Rob. He wanted to pay her for helping out with the kids. She refused, and that led to their first argument.

  “If you won’t take my money, Jenna, I’ll hire a nanny and you’ll have to move out.”

  “I’m not moving anywhere,” she yelled at him. “I’m staying with the kids until Cindy returns home. And that’s final.”

  The following week, Rob came up with a temporary solution. One of his regular customers, Catherine Melrose, was throwing a dinner party. Her caterer had a scheduling conflict and had cancelled. Mrs. Melrose had tried to entice Rob’s assistant chef into catering her party, and Rob had overheard the conversation.

  Stepping in, he told Mrs. Melrose that he had a sister-in-law who was a gourmet chef and available to work. That was how Jenna’s first catering job fell into her lap.

  * * *

  Jenna was excited about the challenge—dinner for twelve Saturday night. She was confident she could do a good job, and wondered whether she could tide herself over financially by getting another catering job or two.

>   She had met with Mrs. Melrose at a luncheon date to go over the menu. Mrs. Melrose was a wealthy Palm Beach widow, probably in her early fifties.

  Jenna was to be there by five-thirty. The guests would arrive at seven, and dinner was to be served promptly at eight. She had given Mrs. Melrose lists of appetizers, main courses, and side dishes to choose from. Mrs. Melrose had insisted each course keep to her diet, so Jenna had the extra challenge of keeping the food low calorie and low carb while bursting with flavor.

  Most of the prep work would be done in advance, but she would use Mrs. Melrose’s kitchen for the actual cooking of the meal. She was sure it would be a state-of-the-art kitchen, and have every appliance imaginable. She couldn’t wait to get acquainted with it.

  She had done a drive-by the following day to size up the beautiful Melrose mansion on Ocean Drive. The enormous hedge, and other tropical landscaping on the property, half-hid the mansion from view.

  One glimpse was enough. The architecture, a Moorish-Mediterranean style, was one of Mizner’s designs. The house could easily be eight to ten thousand square feet, and she looked forward to seeing a great deal more of it.

  When she got home from her surveillance, Kelly was full of questions. “So how big is the place? As big as the Trumps’?”

  “I don’t know, honey. I haven’t been inside either one, now have I?”

  Kelly grinned, and her eyes gleamed with excitement. “I want to come and help you serve. Oh, please? I’ve never seen inside one of those mansions, and I probably never will.”

  Jenna checked with Mrs. Melrose, who was only too delighted to have an extra pair of hands to put to work. She asked if Jenna and her assistant had uniforms to wear.

  She admitted they didn’t, but asked if black skirts and white shirts would be acceptable, and Mrs. Melrose said that would be fine. Jenna took Kelly shopping and found something suitable and inexpensive at one of the local department stores.

  On Saturday morning, Kelly woke up with a bad cold. By mid-afternoon she was coughing and sneezing. Jenna couldn’t have her around food.

  Sharon quickly stepped in. She’d been hinting all week that she was dying to help out. The thought of her mother helping was almost a joke, but Jenna was desperate.