by Dara Girard
James’s love for his mother bothered her. She didn’t want to care. The Fortunes had never cared about anyone. Did they care about building their wealth by stealing from others? They were users and James was only using her to please his mother. It was only fair that she’d use him in return.
Chapter 16
“And that’s when we knew.”
Flo clasped her hands together with a happy sigh at the end of Ava’s tale. “What a wonderful love story.” She looked at Edgar. “Don’t you think?”
He sipped his wine. “Almost sounds unbelievable.”
Flo dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “He’s not a romantic.”
“Wonder when we’ll see Jackson.”
“He’s probably out somewhere celebrating his freedom,” James said.
“I wouldn’t say that.” A familiar voice said from the entryway.
Flo turned with delight. “Jackson!”
Ava stared at him. He was back earlier than expected. He had reneged on his promise to stay away for two full days. She’d hoped to have a meal with his parents without him present.
Jackson entered the room pointedly ignoring her as if the scent of the coconut rice and spiced grilled chicken set on the table had captured his attention. “Have I missed anything interesting?”
“Ava and James were just filling us in on how they fell in love,” Flo said.
Jackson took a seat across from Ava as Abigail quickly set a place for him at the table. “I’d love to hear it sometime.”
Flo frowned. “But I thought you already heard it since you agreed to this charade.”
“Right,” Jackson said quickly. “I meant I’d love to hear it again. Ava’s good with stories.”
“I was right,” Rudy said with pride. “I knew I was right. It wasn’t you up there next to her.”
Jackson patted his brother affectionately on the head. “Yes, buddy.”
“So where did you disappear to?” Edgar asked.
Jackson fixed Ava with a look. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Bet it included a woman,” Edgar said.
Jackson nodded, filling his plate. “Oh yes. A dangerous woman. I just don’t know how to pick them.”
Flo nodded in agreement. “Perhaps your brother could give you some tips.”
He sent his brother a secret look. “I’m all ears.”
“All settled in?” Jackson asked Ava as they and James sat in the great room after dinner.
“Yes.”
“Where did you put her?”
“I’m in the bedroom down the hall from him,” Ava said not wanting to be spoken of as if she wasn’t there.
Jackson looked at his brother and started to laugh. “Really?”
James nodded.
Ava looked at them confused. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” James said, but Jackson couldn’t remove his grin.
“Tell me about that room,” she asked him.
Jackson looked at James. “Can I?”
He shrugged.
“She may get upset.”
“She’s already upset.”
Ava scowled. “Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.”
James pointed at her. “See?”
“It’s his other room,” Jackson said.
“Other room?”
“Yes, it’s the room he used to say was his when he invited someone over, because he doesn’t like anyone in his real room.”
Ava looked at James. “So you lied to your girlfriends?”
He thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t call it lying. It is my bedroom, just not the main one.”
Jackson smiled. “And now it’s yours.”
Ava wanted to say something to remove Jackson’s smug expression, but Flo came into the room and stopped her.
“Ava? May I see you for a minute?” she said.
She hesitated sending the brothers a considering glance.
Jackson’s smile grew. “Scared we’ll talk about you? Don’t be. You can bet on it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then you shouldn’t be scared of what I will say to your mother.”
Ava stood in triumph when she saw his smile disappear.
Chapter 17
“What happened?” James asked the moment Ava was out of the room.
Jackson sighed, wishing he could tell his brother the truth. “I got into trouble with a guy I owe some money to.”
“For hours?”
“You’re lucky I’m still in one piece.”
James expression changed to concern. “Do I need to do something about him? Do you need money?”
“No, it’s fine. That’s why I sent you the text. I’m sorry.”
“That’s all you’ve been saying lately.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow. I promise.”
“At least Mom’s happy. Ava agreed to this charade for at least six months.”
Jackson leaned back and grimaced. Six months! “That’s something.”
“Did Sylvia get in contact with you?”
He sat up. “Why?”
“She let me know, thinking I was you, that she’s looking into Ava.”
Jackson pulled out his cell phone. “I haven’t gotten any messages.”
“What did you expect to find?”
“Not sure, just guard your accounts.”
“We signed a prenup and there will be one joint account. Everything else will remain separate.”
“Good,” Jackson said through tight teeth.
“You sound like you don’t like her.”
“I don’t.”
James sent his brother a searching look. “You did before. A lot. Why the sudden change of heart? I thought it was just cold feet.”
He glanced up then lowered his voice. “I did too until—”
“Your mother is so sweet,” Ava said, coming back into the room and taking her seat next to James. “She just wanted to make sure that I felt welcome.” She looked at them. “Did I interrupt anything?”
“Yes,” Jackson said.
“No,” James said.
Ava nodded. “I guess I’ll believe my husband.”
Jackson shot her a look. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
“Jackson was just filling me in on what happened after the wedding,” James said, trying to ease the tension between them.
Ava lifted a brow. “How interesting. Tell me about it.”
“Bookie troubles,” Jackson said.
“Gambling is a vice. You should be careful.”
“I plan to be. You should too.”
“I don’t gamble.”
Jackson grinned. “I wouldn’t say that.”
James cleared his throat. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing.”
“We’re family now,” Ava said. “Let’s be cordial.”
“We’re alone. Let’s not pretend that any of this is real.”
“We still have to be careful,” James said. “The walls have ears.” He stood. “I’m heading to bed.”
Ava waited for James to leave, checking the hallway to make sure no one could overhear them, before she turned and glared at Jackson. “You’re not supposed to be back yet.”
“I gave you enough time.”
“What are you trying to do?”
He looked bored. “Nothing.”
“You’re making your brother suspicious.”
He shrugged. “Can’t help it. He knows me. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“You will this time.”
“He will find out the truth eventually.”
“But not yet.”
“Don’t worry, you’re still in control…for now.”
“Pull another stunt like that and I’ll make my threats real. You should have seen your mother’s face when I told her how much I loved her son. But if you want, I can just as easily tell her the truth.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You’re going to be nice to me the next ti
me we meet my dear brother-in-law.” She stood and left.
Jackson watched her go, resisting the urge to trip her. He secretly hoped she’d have a tumble down the stairs or have an accident in the kitchen. He had to get rid of her some way. He’d been played. They’d all been played, his stepfather the most, and there was nothing he could do about it. Yet.
But a lot could happen in six months and he wouldn’t squander a minute. He wouldn’t let her win without a fight.
Chapter 18
A shadow went past her window. She wasn’t one to believe in spirits or ghosts but her bedroom had an eerie feeling at night.
She heard something shuffle in her closet.
“Who’s there?” she called out then noticed that the light in the closet was on.
She was sure she’d turned it off. She crept over to it and went inside to see if something had fallen. The closet door closed behind her. She spun around and tried to open the door, but it was fastened shut. How had she managed to get locked in? She banged on the door then screamed.
Moments later it swung open and James stood there wearing grey cotton pajamas. “What’s going on?”
She dashed out of the closet and looked around the room. “I couldn’t get out. Someone locked me in.”
“I didn’t see anything,” Jackson said, coming into the room dressed in a green and black stripped robe, “and it locks from the inside.”
Ava looked at him surprised; he should have left and gone to his apartment by now. “What are you still doing here?”
“It’s called a family house for a reason.”
Ava turned back to James. “I didn’t make it up. Someone locked me in.”
“Why would someone do that?” James asked.
“To scare me.”
“There’s no reason to scare you.”
“Who would want to do that?” Jackson asked.
“Sure you don’t know?” she challenged him.
James frowned. “Why would he want to lock you in a closet?”
Jackson shoved his hands in the pockets of his robe with a smug grinned. “Yes, why would I want to do that?”
Ava glared at him, knowing she couldn’t share his motive without revealing what she’d done to him. It was a petty revenge, but it worked. “Never mind.”
“Perhaps it was a nightmare,” Jackson said. “I can relate. I feel like I’m living one right now.”
“Go back to bed,” James said to him. “I’ll stay with her.”
“No,” Ava said quickly. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” James sent his brother a look. Jackson nodded then left.
“It’s embarrassing enough,” Ava said when Jackson closed the door behind him. “You don’t have to do this. At least I didn’t wake up anyone else.”
“Hmm.” James sat on the edge of the bed, like a looming dark presence in the bright white room. He looked up at her, thoughtful. “You and Jackson know something that I don’t. What is it?”
Ava rubbed her arms, feeling suddenly bare in her pale blue cotton nightgown. “Nothing.”
“I know Jackson locked you in the closet. He did it to me once when we were kids.”
“Why?”
He measured her with a cool look. “I made him mad.”
Ava shook her head. “You don’t have to stay. He can try to get rid of me but it won’t work.”
“Why would he want to get rid of you?” James asked in a soft voice.
She’d said too much. Damn Jackson and damn James for being so observant. She searched her mind for the perfect lie. “Before I knew you’d switched places, at the rehersal dinner I may have said something that I shouldn’t have. I thought he was you after all and…” Her words trailed off.
James nodded encouraging her to continue. “And what did you say?”
“I…” She chewed her lip, hoping to look properly contrite. “I said James—you—dressed better than him. That he had the flair but you had the taste. I’d hoped you’d talk to him and convince him to tone it down a little. It’s not my fault that he was really Jackson.”
James nodded and Ava felt her tension easing as she watched him swallow her lie. “That would do it. His style means a lot to him.”
“Yes.”
“You’re lucky I convinced him not to wear the red suit he really wanted to wear to the wedding.”
“Red?”
“He called it crushed mauve or something, but it just looked like red to me.”
Ava sat on the single reading chair that faced the bed. “That would have been ridiculous.”
“It would have matched your dress.”
“My dress?”
“Yes.” James nodded with a faint smile. “He initially had ideas about that too. Mom persuaded him otherwise. He likes to put on a show.”
“That’s true.”
“But it’s his style that first caught your eye, right?”
Ava felt her tension return. Was James questioning her motives? She had to be careful not to criticize Jackson too much; she had planned to marry him after all. “What?”
“On the cruise. I noticed you watching him.”
She blinked trying to remember. Edgar had invited her on a night cruise and she’d met Jackson for the second time, as she’d planned. But she didn’t remember James. “You were there?”
He nodded.
“No, you weren’t. I would have noticed you.”
“Really?”
“I would have remembered if there had been two of you.”
“But you didn’t.”
She frowned. “How could I have missed you?”
“Think back to the balcony. Did you notice anything about that moment that was strange?”
Ava let her mind drift back to the time on the cruise. She’d spent time flattering Edgar and was heady with a chance to meet his stepson again. She took a break to get away and enjoy the sea air, the breeze toying with the hem of her silk blue dress. She’d been surprised to see Jackson alone on the deck.
“How did you get up here so fast?” she asked him.
He turned to her surprised and opened his mouth, but she waved his words away. “Never mind. I don’t care. It’s nice to see you out of that jacket. What are you trying to be, eh? A disco ball?” She held up her hand again. “That was a rhetorical question. I know you’re into fashion more than I am.”
She was about to say something else, but he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to the side just as a young man reached the railing and lost his dinner over the side.
“I guess someone had too much to drink,” Ava said, wondering why she suddenly felt nervous. There was something different about Jackson, steadier, more in control. His arm around her shoulder made her body warm in a way it never had been before.
“We should get back before we’re missed.”
“You go first,” he said.
She remembered returning to the lower deck and seeing Jackson in the hall. “Did you run here?” she asked him amazed.
“What are you talking about? I’ve been looking for you.”
She looked up towards the stairs. “Why were you looking for me when we were just—”
“I have someone I want you to meet,” he interrupted and then she forgot her confusion and pushed the incident from her mind. Now she understood as she looked at James. “That was you.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You didn’t give me a chance, for one.”
“For one? What’s the other reason?”
He shrugged, his heated gaze holding her still. “At that moment I wanted to be him.”
She folded her arms and looked away not trusting herself not to fall prey to his invitation. “You should probably go back to your room. I’m fine now.”
“You haven’t broken my rules yet so you’re still safe.”
“I don’t feel safe.”
He stood. “I’m a man of my word.”
/> Ava also rose to her feet, not sure what he would do next. She wanted to be prepared. “When you’re not lying.”
He smiled and patted the bed. “Go to bed.”
She scuttled past him and got under the covers. But the extra sheets didn’t make her feel any less vulnerable. “You don’t have to stay.”
He took her seat in the reading chair. “I’ll leave in a minute.”
She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, but when she lifted her head moments later, the chair was empty. She hadn’t heard him leave.
Chapter 19
For two weeks Ava studied the Fortune family, learning their habits and routines. Her days at BioMed Solutions didn’t take up much attention, since her tasks were easily managed and she’d studied the entity for years, but understanding the family dynamics at home had become a new part of her plan. To her relief, Jackson stayed at his apartment. She sensed James had a hand in convincing him to leave after the closet incident, but she would never ask him.
Rudy was the easiest to keep track of. His routine was the most unchanged. A week ago he’d returned from an adult resort camp with lots of stories and presently worked hard on his business. He wanted to take the bus (for some reason he found buses fascinating), but his family provided him with a driver.
His craft business was created out of necessity and was the only opportunity for employment. Although he had achieved a university degree in History and had strong computer skills, no company would hire him for even the most basic tasks. Edgar had briefly created a position for him at BioMed Solutions, but Rudy had felt stressed and unhappy. In response, his family encouraged him to create his own business. At first he ran it online from home until he expanded to a boutique in town, which he shared with two other artists.
For the past five days he’d been moody and more aggressive than he’d been before. Because Ava had been studying everyone so closely she noticed his behavioral change first.
At dinner she noticed he wasn’t eating, which was strange because food was one of his loves. His family worked hard to manage his weight knowing that obesity and diabetes were high in people with Down syndrome.