by Lyn Cote
“I’m not discussing anything here.” Troy folded his arms. “You’ll take her side. She’s your daughter.”
Mike stared at him as though he couldn’t believe what Troy had just uttered. “I won’t be doing any of the talking. You two will—”
Troy swung away toward the front door. “I’m leaving. Melissa, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer—”
Suddenly, before Annie’s horrified gaze, two little boys appeared in the kitchen doorway. Austin and Andy rubbed their sleepy eyes. Then Austin did a hop. “Mommy!” he crowed.
“Go back to bed,” Troy warned them.
Ignoring their father, the two of them, both squealing, stormed their mother and wrapped themselves around her legs.
Melissa bent over, hugging them back, murmuring a broken, teary greeting.
“Mommy’s home! Mommy’s home!” The twins danced and jumped around her, but without letting go.
Lord, protect these little ones, Annie prayed silently, as she edged closer to the boys.
Jack stayed at her side. Suddenly, she realized she was glad he was here. His presence bolstered her.
Troy glared at Melissa, whose eyes now glistened with unshed tears. “You boys have to go back up to bed,” he insisted.
“But Mommy’s here!” Austin declared as though their father were blind.
“Not for long,” Troy started. “She doesn’t care about you—”
Jack lunged at Troy, grabbing the front of his shirt. “That’s enough,” he hissed. “Don’t use your kids like weapons.”
Annie gasped.
Red-faced, Troy sputtered, shocked. He grasped Jack’s hand as if to yank it away.
“No. Don’t, Troy.” Annie rose onto the balls of her feet, ready to step between the two men who stood nose to nose. This isn’t happening.
An uneasy silence hung over than all. Annie realized she’d stopped breathing, and drew in air.
Austin and Andy retained their hold on the denim of their mother’s jean shorts. “Mr. Lasater, don’t hurt our daddy,” Andy implored.
Annie ached for him as Andy’s lower lip trembled.
Jack let go of Troy’s shirt. “I won’t.”
Troy muttered under his breath, still glowering at Jack.
“I think,” Jack said in a calm tone, “Annie and I will take the boys upstairs.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Shall we help them get settled down again for the night?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.” Mike spoke up, moving to stand by Jack.
“But we don’t want Mommy to leave,” Austin said. Neither boy released his death grip on Melissa.
“Your mother will be here in the morning.” Mike bent down to look them in the eyes. “I promise.”
“But we want her now,” Andy objected, nearly whining.
“Don’t go, Mommy,” Austin pleaded.
Annie’s throat clogged with swallowed tears. Mike made eye contact with each twin. “Your mommy and daddy need to sit down and talk things through so we can settle when Mommy is coming home for good.”
Troy’s face flushed with anger. “I won’t be manipulated.”
“Neither will I,” Melissa muttered.
Mike straightened up, giving both his daughter and his son-in-law warning glances.
“No one will be manipulated,” Annie said, finally able to speak.
“And no one will be allowed to hurt others,” Jack asserted with a significant nod at the twins. Turning toward the boys, he squatted and opened his arms. “Guys, kiss your mommy good-night and come with me and your aunt. You will see your mommy here in the morning. I promise.”
The twins gazed up at their mother. The question Will you be here in the morning? was plain in their identical expressions.
Melissa bent her knees and again gathered them into her arms. “I’ll be here in the morning, guys. And I’ll make you sausages and pancakes with raisin smiles, just the way you like.”
This worked. Each twin took a turn hugging her neck and smooching her. Then they rushed Jack.
Lifting one in each arm, he rose. “Come on, Aunt Annie, let’s get these boys back to bed.”
Annie led him through the kitchen and motioned him up the back stairs that connected to the two flats. Cool relief whistled through her. She closed the door behind her, so the twins wouldn’t hear any more acrimony. Jack’s quick action had shocked her, but it had stopped Troy from doing any more damage. Dear Lord, help us. Help my dad downstairs.
In the upper level, Jack let the boys lead, his hands in theirs, to their room. They pushed him toward a large rocker in one corner of the room.
Jack allowed this. As soon as his seat touched the chair, both boys claimed a portion of his lap. “Read us a story,” they begged in unison.
Jack looked to her, asking her silently what to do.
Why did he look so natural doing this, caring about the boys and trying to help? It isn’t fair—it makes me love him all the more. But she nodded her approval and then trusted her voice. “I think that’s a good idea. Why don’t each of you pick out a book for Mr. Lasater to read you?”
While the twins scrambled to choose their favorite books, Annie smoothed the purple sheets and thin summer bedspreads on their twin beds. Anything, just so she could put some distance, a buffer between Jack and her. The memory of their kiss remained always just below the surface, tempting her to believe Jack might be waking up and notice her as more than his business associate.
And this setting was dangerous. Being here with Jack was only a short step from imagining that she and Jack were the mother and father and she was doing this for their sons. Or maybe daughters?
It didn’t help that she’d let herself draw closer to Jack when she’d known she should have drawn away. Without Tom at LIT, she must stay with Jack until he got his feet under him. She couldn’t resign. But spending her days with him was becoming more and more of a severe test. And more than ever before, they were being thrown together over and over here with her family, in her home neighborhood. Renting that storefront so close to home had been a big mistake. It would make it more and more difficult to break with Jack.
“What’s wrong, Aunty?” Austin asked.
She looked up. “Nothing’s wrong. Why?”
“You look like Mommy does when she says she has a headache.” Andy ran across the short distance and hugged her waist. Austin followed.
Oh, Lord, protect these children, and keep their family together. She hugged and kissed both twins. And then she led them back to Jack. They climbed onto his lap. His unique scent—aftershave or soap, and Jack himself—filled her head. She moved away, fearful of letting her response to him show. The turmoil had stirred her up. She was suddenly glad that Patience was out for the night with friends. Her cousin had suffered enough with her mother’s situation and she didn’t need this.
Jack opened the first book and began reading Green Eggs and Ham. He caught on to Dr. Seuss’s rhythmic verses, and before long had the twins smiling again. Then he closed that book, laid it down on the foot of the nearest bed and opened the final book, Tell Me a Story.
Annie sat down on the side of Andy’s bed, facing Jack. But she tried not to react to his story reading. Another talent she’d never guessed he possessed.
Jack’s voice became quieter and lower as he went through the story of different animal babies who asked their mothers to “tell me a story” and then, as the mother read to each, the baby animal fell asleep.
Annie blinked as his soothing voice increased her languor, making her eyelids heavy. With a yawn, she gave in and lay down on the bed, trying not to imagine Jack, lying beside her with an arm around her.
Jack droned on, “And the baby fox said to his mother, ‘Tell me a story...’”
She closed her eyes, letting his deep, even voice flow over her. The cotton sheet was cool and soft against her cheek. Jack can take care of the boys...
“Annie,” Jack whispered. “Annie?”
She opened her eyes and realized that sh
e had almost fallen asleep. “Jack,” she whispered back, “why are we whispering?”
“I need you to help me,” he said. “I don’t want to wake them.”
Enmeshed in her own drowsiness, she made herself sit up and look at him more closely. Both twins had fallen asleep in his arms. One white-blond head lolled over each arm.
Rising, she tiptoed over and drew Andy into her arms. She carried his small, completely relaxed, warm body to bed and laid him down. She kissed his cheek and whispered, “Sweet dreams.”
Andy squirmed into his pillow but did not waken. Jack followed her lead and did the same with Austin.
Once again, seeing Jack caring for a child touched her heart.
Trying not to show this, she led him out into Troy and Melissa’s living room. She looked around, remembering helping Melissa, a new bride, pick out the gleaming white paint and Victorian roses wallpaper for the room. “I thought Melissa was the luckiest girl in the world.”
“Pardon?” Jack spoke at her elbow.
His voice made her shiver. “Nothing.” She turned and smiled tentatively at him. “Thanks. You’re great with the boys.”
He said in a gruff tone, “I hope those two downstairs don’t act up like that again in front of their boys. They don’t deserve two great kids if they’re going to throw tantrums like that.” Jack looked grim. “What triggered this?”
She led him to the nearby couch and sat down. “Dad called me while we were at the county club to tell me that Melissa had Troy served with separate maintenance papers today.”
“Separate maintenance?” Jack sat down beside her, making the sofa dip.
“She had a lawyer contact Troy to set up an agreement for them to live apart.” Annie hated having to tell him this.
“Isn’t that like a pre-divorce or something?” Jack wrinkled his nose.
“I don’t know, but I do think I know why she did it.”
“Why?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
Again, his clean-soap scent filled her senses. “Troy said she couldn’t see the boys. I’m pretty sure that the separate maintenance agreement would force Troy to let her include shared custody with visitation on a regular basis.”
“You think that was her motivation?”
Resisting the urge to smooth back his hair, Annie nodded.
“That wasn’t a pretty scene downstairs.” His voice betrayed just how intensely Melissa and Troy had upset him.
“No, it wasn’t.” Annie watched him, wondering if Sandy and Cliff had enacted any such scenes in front of him.
“I hope the two of them wake up or grow up before they end up hurting their kids,” Jack said, repeating what was obviously his main concern.
And it touched her heart. She could only nod.
They heard hasty footsteps on the back stairs. Annie rose and so did Jack. Together, they faced Troy as he entered the room.
“You two can go now,” Troy said in a sullen tone.
Annie nearly asked, How did it go? But Troy’s demeanor spoke volumes. “The boys are asleep. Good night, brother-in-law.”
“Good night.” Troy stalked past them to his bedroom.
Annie and Jack exchanged looks and headed toward the front stairs. Annie wanted to show Jack out before she faced her sister and dad downstairs.
At the front door, Jack paused. “I’ll say a prayer for you and your family. Good night” He leaned forward as if to kiss her again.
That kiss, that wonderful, disturbing kiss. She looked into his eyes and saw the sympathy, concern and the desire to stay. With her? She hardened herself against him and stepped backward. “Good night Jack. See you tomorrow.”
On Saturday morning, Jack watched Annie painstakingly press the masking tape along the window frame. She’d called him yesterday and suggested they paint their new office. He wanted to tell her his good news, but doing that in this setting didn’t seem appropriate. Or was it his new heightened awareness of Annie that made it difficult to start a conversation? Or was it that he had kissed her here just days ago?
Why had he begun to discern things about Annie he’d never noticed before? “I’ve never done much painting,” he muttered.
“Goodness! We’re not ready to paint yet.” Annie gave him a tart look.
He noted again the faint freckles dotting her nose. Why am I noticing Annie’s freckles? “Then, what are we doing?” He tried to work up some enthusiasm for this, but couldn’t. He’d much rather stand and stare at his new sales manager.
“We need to move the shelves out to the alley for disposal and then sweep the floors. Then we can scrub the walls and spackle the nicks and cracks.”
Even this list of unappealing chores didn’t dull his new and very keen concentration on Annie Petrov. “That’s all I need to know now,” Jack said. “Thanks. Are you sure we couldn’t just hire this done?” Annie shouldn’t have to do this kind of stuff.
“This little bit of work? Working with one’s hands is good for the mind—my dad’s favorite reason for us helping him,” Annie said, grinning and scanning the dilapidated-looking store. “The bottom line is still the bottom line, Jack. We need to be careful of it while we’re—you’re—buying Tom out.”
Jack couldn’t argue with that. But he almost said, While we’re buying Tom out is the right way to say that. LIT wouldn’t be LIT without Annie. Now why had that popped into his head? Was it because Tom had moved on to follow his dream? Would Annie decide to leave him too someday? Something Tom had said about Jack proposing to Annie replayed in Jack’s mind. What an odd thing for Tom to say.
“Besides, help is expected later.” Annie turned back to the window. “It won’t take long for us to get this place ready to paint. And the painting will go fast.”
He wanted to ask her about her sister’s situation, but didn’t know how to bring that up, either. So he decided he might as well get this done. “Where’s the broom?” he asked instead.
“In the back room, and I rented a Dumpster for us. It’s in the alley.” After motioning, Annie turned back to concentrating on masking the window.
“Okay, boss.” Jack saluted her and heard her chuckle in reply.
In the back room, he located the new broom and dustpan and peered out the door at the bright green Dumpster in the narrow alley. Leave it to Annie to think of a Dumpster. Then he returned to the large room and began to lift the first piece of shelving. The metal groaned and grated against the aged, painted hardwood floor.
“Wait.” Annie swung around again. “I’ll help you with that. It will go quicker and do less damage to the floor if we work together.”
“This is heavy.”
Annie lifted her end. “They’re more unwieldy than heavy.”
Jack couldn’t argue with her—at least, not while walking backward, clumsily carrying a hunk of metal...and watching Annie’s shapely legs.
With her upper body hidden by the bulky shelf, he found he could finally tell Annie the good news. “I finished last night,” he said to his unseen sales partner.
“Finished?” Annie, still unseen, asked.
“Yes, late last night, I finished the Hope security software update in record time—” he backed through the door to the rear area “—and issued new passwords to a few key people at Hope Medical Group.”
“That’s great, Jack. Was your dad pleased?”
“I don’t know. I just e-mailed him the news and sent the new passwords via sealed office memos from their central office.” Jack pushed the rear door open with his back and entered the alley.
“I’m relieved. In the back of my mind, I was worried about a hacker messing around with patient files. That would be scary, dangerous.” She looked around the shelf and nodded toward the Dumpster behind him. “Just a little farther,” she murmured.
“Well, the medical files were never accessed by the hacker—just the financial accounts.” He set his end of the shelf down and with Annie’s help managed to stack them next to the Dumpster. “My dad w
ill take these to the recycling center and we’ll get a tidy sum for the metal.”
“Hi, we’re here!” A female voice from inside the store summoned Jack and Annie in from the alley.
“Patience! Claire!” Annie greeted a pretty blonde and an equally pretty brunette, both dressed in faded jeans and shirts, waiting in the back room. “Jack, you remember my cousin, Patience Andrews?” She motioned toward the blonde.
“Sure.” She did look familiar. A little. He shook hands with her.
“And this is Claire Oberlin, an old friend from here in the neighborhood.”
“Patience, you recall,” Annie announced with obvious pride, “just graduated with her education degree with honors and is looking for a fall teaching job.”
He nodded. Okay, where’s this leading?
“And Claire is in law school,” Annie said with identical pride.
“Hi, Jack.” Claire, the brunette, held out her hand to him.
He shook it politely.
“Did you ask him yet?” Patience asked.
“No—”
Annie turned to him, her expression brimming with... excitement?
“Contingent on your approval, of course, I’ve hired Patience to do our clerical work part-time this summer.”
“Don’t we need someone full-time?” he asked.
“I’ve also hired Claire part-time.” Annie looked at him expectantly.
“Yes, so the two of us together make one whole employee,” Claire said with a grin.
“Is that all right?” Annie looked up at him with doubt “Things have been so hectic—”
Jack swallowed. Annie wore a delicate gold chain around her neck, and for some reason, it called for his attention. He made himself look at Claire and Patience and tried to figure out why their arrival felt like an intrusion. “It’s fine, great,” he said, forcing some enthusiasm into his tone. These were evidently special friends of Annie.
“And we’re here today to help—gratis,” Patience added. “What do you want us to do?”
“We need to finish moving this old shelving out and clean up.” Annie grinned. “Then the painting begins!” For the next few minutes, the four of them, in teams of two—he and Annie and the two young women—“wobbled” the shelves out to the alley and deposited them next to the Dumpster.