by Tia Wylder
“This is your car? Another car?” she asked in surprise.
“It’s a bit of a weakness of mine,” Sean said as he opened the door for her.
“Cars and girls?” Jennifer asked, raising an eyebrow.
As they drove off, Sean admitted that he used to have a different life, partying with the right people in all the right places. “I kinda lost track of myself, though,” he said thoughtfully. “It was out here where I realized what I wanted in life, how things could be. I mean, I never thought I could make it out here, but I have.”
Sean told her how he used to talk to Joanne, the lengthy emails they exchanged. “That was almost the best part,” he said wistfully. “I really thought I had a friend in her.”
They stopped outside a steakhouse in town. Sean opened the door for her, and as soon as a waiter spotted him, they were led to their own private booth at the back. He ordered them some wine and Jennifer let him convince her to try some steak after all. While they waited for the food, he said,
“I wanted to tell you something.”
Jennifer looked up at him.
“I had the feeling there was someone else,” Sean said, leaning forward, dropping his voice.
“How do you mean?” Jennifer asked.
“I don’t know,” Sean said. “But the night she called me to tell me she was no longer marrying me? I had the feeling she wasn’t alone. It was almost like he was there with her, you know, like they were laughing?”
“Why didn’t you tell me this right away!” Jennifer asked, incredulous.
“I don’t know,” Sean said, sounding contrite. “Maybe I was ashamed of her choosing someone else, making me look like a fool. Also, I didn’t know for sure.”
Jennifer thought about what he had told her.
“Why tell me now?” she asked.
“I really do want to help you,” Sean said. There was no trace of his earlier arrogance. “I think it is pretty amazing for you to come out here looking for her. Joanne is lucky to have someone who cares that much about her.”
Jennifer swallowed hard. The way Sean was looking at her, his blue eyes looking so intensely at her, she thought she would forget all her resolutions about staying away from him. Why was he so bloody nice to her? It was making it really difficult for her to keeping pushing him away.
“I’m sure there are many women who care a lot about you,” Jennifer said with a chuckle, trying to lift the mood.
Sean shook his head. "Not really, no. The party girls you are referring to? They like you as long as your money holds, once that is gone, so are they. And as for my family? My parents divorced when I was young, my mom is overseas with her third husband, in Belize, I think. Haven't heard from her in years. My father died of cancer ten years ago. So, no, I don't believe there is anyone really who gives a shit about me."
He looked directly into her eyes, and she felt a hot current of electricity run through her blood. The waiter broke the mood when he brought their food. They ate in silence, and while Jennifer had to admit it was the best steak she had eaten, she made sure not to drink too much and said she was tired and wanted to go back to the motel as soon as she could.
As he opened the car door for her, she got out and found herself standing next to him at the car.
“Thanks for dinner," she said, her voice almost breathless. He was making her so nervous! "That was a lovely dinner," she smiled, and before she knew it, they were kissing again. The force of the kiss pushed her against the car. She could not stop him. She didn't want to stop him. Jennifer melted into his arms, her tongue seeking his, she pressed her body against him and felt a hot flame of desire lighting up inside of her. There was no time to think, to wonder about what they were doing. His hands were under her top, touching her breasts and her breath caught as he caressed her nipple.
“Sean, wait, no!” she struggled away from him, straightening her clothes.
This was simply happening too fast. She had to get away from him, as quickly as possible, as far away as she could. As soon as she was back in her room, Jennifer took a long shower, scrubbing every part of her body, trying to get rid of the way Sean had touched her, the way he had made her feel. But it was pointless. Finally, she went to bed, staring at the roof, cursing her sister. If only Joanne had not gone missing! None of this would have happened if she had only done what she was supposed to do.
As usual, Jennifer was the one having to pick up the pieces, trying to sort out the mess. But this was harder to do than usual. With Sean Perry in the middle of everything, he was everywhere she looked. She fell asleep trying not to think of him, failing miserably.
Chapter Five
The following day, Jennifer tried calling her mother’s cousin, Arthur Teddington. She knew he was a caretaker at a school in Dallas, so she got up early to call him, setting an alarm to wake her. But there was no answer at his house. She tried his cell phone and it kept going to voicemail. It was driving her mad. In despair, she called her mother.
“He probably switched if off at school,” Angela said. “You’ll have to wait until he gets home.”
Jennifer went to town, whiling away the time by looking around in the shops. She didn’t want to spend any money but in the end, decided to have her hair done at the local salon. She had a few hours to kill before she could call Arthur again and she decided to have a proper blowout.
“What’s it like in New York City?” the hairdresser, a local woman, asked, barely able to contain her curiosity. “I’ve always wanted to visit but, you know…” her voice trailed away.
Jennifer did know, though. Life had a way of throwing a spanner in one’s plans. She had plans to go to college, but here she was, spending all her money looking for Joanne. Even though something serious might have happened to her, Jennifer had a feeling it was nothing like that at all. Joanne had always been impulsive and emotional, inclined to make decisions without thinking them through. She often changed her mind, about everything from her favorite color to the kind of man she wanted to be dating.
In the late afternoon, Jennifer went back to her motel room and tried calling Arthur again. When she could not get hold of him in the evening again, she rung her mother for his physical address. She was not going to waste another day. She was going to go to Dallas and talk to him herself. And Sean Perry was going to take her. He had offered to help her, and she might as well take him up on it, there was no need to make any more of it. She had to stop this silly romantic nonsense. He was having a bit of fun, but it was time to put a stop to it. She had to find Joanne and go back home, get her life on track.
She called Sean in the evening and arranged for him to pick her up early the next morning. He did not seem surprised to hear from her. As soon as she mentioned that she wanted to go to Dallas, he immediately offered to take her to the city.
“I am convinced that Arthur holds the key to what happened to Joanne,” Jennifer said.
“Then we must find him,” Sean agreed.
Before they said goodbye, he added, “See you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Don’t,” Jennifer said quickly. “This is about Joanna. Let’s keep it simple, okay?”
“Okay,” Sean said after a moment’s hesitation.
She was up early the next morning, and she was ready when she saw the lights of Sean’s truck swing into the parking lot. She got in and Sean smiled at her.
“I like your hair,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”
Jennifer bit her lip. “Listen, Sean, this has got to stop.”
Sean pretended not to know what she was talking about. “What?
"The flirting, the kissing…no more, please? I want to find my sister, not have a fling with an ex-party cowboy wannabe."
Sean sat back in his seat. “Ouch,” he said.
Jennifer wondered if perhaps she had been too harsh. But Sean was quiet for the rest of the trip, and she was relieved to see that he seemed to drop his flirtatious manner. As soon as they arrived on the outskirts of the c
ity, Jennifer gave him the address and Sean seemed to know where to go.
Her mother told her that Arthur was married to a woman named Catalina. They had two sons, Aaron and George, both grown up. At around mid-morning, they arrived at an old, weather-beaten house with a tidy garden. They got out and went up to the house.
An older woman opened the door. “Are you Mrs. Catalina Teddington?” Jennifer asked. “My name is Jennifer Keys, my mother Angela is Arthur’s cousin? This is my…uhm…friend, Sean. ”
Catalina immediately invited her inside and offered them a cup of tea. Jennifer explained about her sister's disappearance, and Catalina shook her head.
“Nasty business, nasty,” she repeated. “Arthur told me about your mother calling, asking him to go over there, checkin’ up on her. But he didn’t find out anything.”
She said he had dropped his mobile phone, breaking it, and that was why she had not been able to get hold of him. He was at work now, of course, but he would be back for lunch, Catalina said. Jennifer and Sean decided to wait for him.
“I’m sorry about all this,” Jennifer said to Sean. “It’s going to take all day, I think. I’m keeping you from the farm.”
Sean nodded curtly.
Jennifer felt she had to apologize. “Sorry, about what I said.”
Sean shook his head. “That is what you think of me, you don’t have to apologize for that.”
“I didn’t have to put it quite like that though,” Jennifer conceded.
Sean gave a rueful smile. “I suppose you’re not all wrong. But it does sound kind of unattractive when you say it like that.”
Jennifer looked down. There was nothing unattractive about Sean Perry. But it was the last thing she could say to him, now that she finally had gotten him to behave more properly towards her.
Around one o'clock, they heard the front door close and a man's voice in the kitchen. Shortly afterward, Arthur came into the living room. "Jennifer! How long have you been waiting?"
She had not seen her uncle in some time and they hugged.
“I don’t know what more I can tell you,” Arthur said, after he had a sandwich and some coffee. “I picked her up from the airport and took her to town, that was it. Nothing happened.”
Jennifer leaned forward, “Did she say anything to you about getting married?”
Arthur looked at Sean.
Sean got up. “I’m going outside for a bit. Please don’t mind me.”
As soon as he was gone, Arthur said in a low voice. “She wasn’t sure about him. I told her marriage was for a long time, asked her if she was ready. She said she still loved her other guy. I said then marrying another was a mistake.”
Jennifer said, “What other guy?”
She tried to remember his name. “Was he called Ken?”
Arthur nodded, “I think so. She said to me she had only started up with this farmer to get him jealous, but when that didn’t seem to work, she thought about marrying him to get away.”
He muttered, “Uh-huh. I said to her, this is a mistake you’re making’.”
“And then what?”
Arthur thought back and recalled that they had made one stop for gas and that Joanne had made a phone call.
“I dunno who she’s talkin’ to. Couldn’t hear. But after that, she was quiet.”
Jennifer leaned forward and hugged him.
“Thanks so much, Uncle Arthur!”
Then she rushed out to get Sean.
“I think I know where Joanne is!” Jennifer rushed outside, excited about her sudden revelation. Sean turned to her, his eyes lighting up and Jennifer stopped short of jumping into his arms.
Chapter Six
Jennifer still had Ken’s number on her cell and as soon as they were back in the car, she called him. When he didn’t answer, she left him a message saying she knew Joanne was with him and that she would give them eight hours to call her back or she would call the police and tell them Ken had abducted Joanne.
“Gutsy move,” Sean said, clearly impressed.
“It’s typical of Joanne really,” Jennifer said. “But what I don’t get is why she didn’t call us to let us know what was going on.”
“We’ve got a few hours to kill,” Sean said. “What’ll we do now?”
Jennifer shook her head.
“Let me show you some of the Dallas sights,” Sean said and they set off in the car. After driving through the city, Sean left the highways behind.
“Where are we going?” Jennifer asked.
“Be patient,” Sean said, rather mysteriously. He stopped at a store and made Jennifer wait in the car while he bought a few things, which he hid from her as soon as he got back.
“It’s a little surprise, come on,” he said, with a smile so charming that she couldn’t say no.
“A short while later, they arrived at White Rock Lake Park, a beautiful lake outside of the city. They got out and walked along the walkways next to the water. They didn’t talk much. Instead, there was a comfortable silence between them, which neither of them felt compelled to break.
Jennifer enjoyed the tranquility of the scenery. After the tension of the last few days, she was for the first time beginning to relax. She was sure that she would soon know where Joanne was and that nothing terrible had happened out here. She could unwind a bit and this was the perfect place for it.
When they had walked some distance, Sean stopped and spread out a blanket he had brought from the car. He laid out a bit of a picnic for her with some of the things he had bought at the shop along the way. Jennifer was famished, they had eaten all day, and she was touched by how thoughtful Sean was being.
“I’m sorry I was so mean to you earlier in the car,” she said.
Sean shook his head. “You were right. I am all of those things, a party boy and a flirt. At least, I used to be. Coming out here has changed much of that. And if I am behaving like I am interested in you then it is because I am. I would like to get to know you better.”
Jennifer didn’t know what to say to that.
“Maybe I’ve been coming on a bit strong; I’m not really used to girls like you.”
“Oh, really?” Jennifer said. “What kind of girls are those? Stuck up, conservative?”
Sean smiled. “Classy and decent, more like.”
She didn’t know what to say to that either. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before,” he added. “A good person. Gorgeous too. The last thing I’d want to do is to offend you,” he said.
Jennifer was taken back by his words. She had no idea that he was feeling any of these emotions. She thought he was simply amusing himself.
“But we are from such different worlds,” she said. “And I’m leaving as soon as I have found Joanne.”
Sean took her hand, “But there is something between us, don’t you agree?”
Before she could answer him, her cell phone rang.
Jennifer jumped to pick it up.
“Yes?”
“Jen, that you?” It was her sister’s voice.
“Joanne! Are you okay?”
“Everything is fine, please, don’t call the cops,” her sister said.
“Where are you?” Jennifer asked again, stunned at hearing her sister’s voice after all this time of fearing the worst.
“I am with Ken, you were right about that. How did you find out?”
“Never mind that,” Jennifer said. “I want to see you, where are you?”
“We’re in Austin,” Joanne said.
They talked for a bit, then Jennifer said, “Give me your address. I will be there as soon as I can.”
“Please don’t, Jen,” Joanne started saying.
"It is either that or the cops," Jennifer insisted, and Joanne gave her the directions.
Sean packed up their picnic while Jennifer was on the phone.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“How far away is Austin?” Jennifer asked.
“A few hours,” he said. “I will take you.”
Jennifer protested, but he insisted. "It won't take long, and by tonight, it will be all over."
Jennifer thought about what her sister had put her family through over the past weeks. She called her mother and shared the good news with her. Angela burst into tears.
“She really is fine?”
Jennifer assured her that she was and that she would find out exactly what was going on as soon as she got to see Ken and Joanne.
“Ken? Are you sure she is with him?” Angela said sharply.
“Yes, why?” Jennifer asked.
She then heard for the first time that the reason why Joanne and Ken had broken up was because he was still married. Even though they had been separated for some time, they had not yet divorced. This was the reason why Angela had not approved of them being together and had, in fact, put pressure on Joanne not to see him.
When they arrived in Austin a few hours later, Joanne confirmed everything. When the sisters saw each other, Joanne burst into tears, and they embraced.
"I'm so sorry, sis," Joanne said. They went into the small flat that Joanne and Ken were renting, sitting down on a threadbare sofa. Ken came into the room and the way he looked at Joanne convinced Jennifer that they really were in love.
“I feel terrible about all of this,” Joanne said, looking at Sean. “I shouldn’t have led you on, I guess, but I was always hoping Ken was going to come to his senses. And when I called him from Texas, he said he was coming to get me.”
"It's true," Ken said. "The time without her was the worst of my life. I couldn't live without her. When Jo said she'd give me another chance I wanted to make sure that she didn't change her mind."
“But why didn’t you call us to tell us what was going on?” Jennifer said.
“I wanted to be sure things were good with me and Ken, that he really started the divorce proceedings and then I was going to let you guys know,” Joanne said in a low voice, glancing at Ken.
“We kinda lost track of time, didn’t we, honey?” Joanne said, leaning forward to kiss Ken.