by Cooper, Jodi
“Believe me I know.”
“So are we going to do any more dates like this?”
“Yep. We’ll do as many as we can until I figure out a way to tell my Mom and the investors.”
“Well, no rush. I kind of like being the only people in a place. No wait or anything.”
“Well then you and I are going to have a lot of fun.”
Frank comes back to the table and places the food in front of us and my mouth begins to water.
The chicken is steaming, the macaroni is the cheesiest I’ve ever seen and the collard greens look heavenly. I bite into the chicken first and it immediately falls off of the bone.
I moan sounds of pleasure and before I know it I’m devouring the whole meal. I don’t say anything and neither does Rhett until we’ve both finished eating.
“That was heavenly,” I say. “I’ve never eaten something that tasted so good in my life.”
“I know, it’s why I come back so much. That and the red velvet cake,” he says
“I don’t think that I have any room in my belly for dessert.”
“Trust me you’ll make room for this. Or you can just take it home with you.”
I nod my head as Frank comes and clears the plates off of the table. “Was everything to your liking?”
“Oh yes! You have definitely made a fan out of me. I will be back,” I say eagerly.
“I’m glad that you enjoyed yourself will you two like dessert now?” he asks.
“Yes,” says Rhett. “Two big slices of Red Velvet Cake and two cakes to go.”
“Be right back,” he says.
“Why’d you order two cakes to go?” I ask.
“Because I know that you’re going to enjoy it so much and will want a cake of your own,” he says.
“That confident, huh?”
“Of course.”
Frank returns to the table and places the most delicious slice of cake in front of me and sits two boxes of cake at the end of the table. “Hope you two enjoy the cake and have a wonderful night.”
“Thanks,” I say as I take in the cake.
It looks divine with the frosting and what looks like roasted walnuts or pecans on top. I stick a large bite in my mouth and immediately my eyes roll into the back of my head. “This is—oh my gosh!”
“It’s the best!” exclaims Rhett as he bites into his.
We both finish up our cake and I am tempted to eat a slice of the cake that Rhett has gotten for me but I don’t.
I know that I will just pig out on it when I get home.
We wave goodbye to Frank, get back into the heavenly Bentley, and begin the drive back to his place.
Once there he opens the door for me again and I step out.
“I had a great time with you tonight, Rhett,” I say as I push a strand of hair behind my head, feeling like a girl with her first love.
“I know. I did too. I can’t wait to do it again,” Rhett smiles.
Damn – that is a perfect smile.
We stand in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, our eyes connecting again.
I could melt under those eyes.
“Well I guess I’ll better get going back to my place. I work for this guy who is just impossible. He’s always on my ass about the littlest things.”
He laughs. “Well, I’ll have to tell him to quit being so hard on you.”
“Much appreciated.”
“See you in the morning, Rhett,” I say as I get into my car with my cake and begin the drive home.
This night was perfect and I hope that there are many more like it in the future to come.
Chapter 12
Over the next few weeks, Rhett and I continue to go on many more secret little dates.
We have gone to the bowling alley, putt putt, and almost every really good restaurant in town that I have wanted to try.
At work, we’re completely professional so that no one is suspicious about our relationship and he has been sober for almost a month.
Things are starting to look up for him and I’m glad that I have been playing a part in making him a better person.
We were supposed to have dinner tonight, but my Mom wants to see me and since I haven’t seen her in a while I couldn’t turn her down.
I pull into her yard and go up the steps and immediately she opens the door and hugs me.
“Jessica!” she exclaims.
“Mom, you act like I’ve been gone years and not a month,” I say as I gently push her away.
“Well, it feels like that long. You don’t even call and check in anymore. How’s work?”
“It’s actually a lot better. Rhett has been sober for about a month now and I’m actually learning a lot from him. He now seems a lot like the Rhett I knew when we were younger.”
“See? Now aren’t you glad you’ve stuck things out.”
“Yeah, I really am.”
She stares at me and I see a glint in her eyes. “You’re glowing! Are you dating someone? Who is he? Do I know him?”
“Mom, I’m seeing someone but we’re not ready to talk about it yet. It’s complicated so you can’t say anything. But you said you called me over here because you had something important to tell me and I know that you’re deflecting with my personal life,” I say.
She sighs. “Well, you would be correct.”
We walk into the lounge room and Mom hands me a cup of tea.
“Well, um, sweetheart, you know I love you…”
“Just spit it out Mom,” I roll my eyes.
“I don’t know how to tell you this… but your father got approved for early parole. He’ll be out in a few days.”
I jump up out of the seat. “What! I thought he had like twenty years or something. Why’s he getting let loose so early?”
“Good behavior. He was eligible for parole and the board approved him. I know that you have ill feelings towards your father…”
“Ill feelings! Ill feelings! Mom, I hate that man! He ruined my life and yours. He made everything so hard for us. I didn’t have any friends and people were afraid to take a chance with hiring you because of what he did. He deserved to stay in there longer.”
“Calm down, sweetie. He is still your father… and he is still my husband.”
Those words sting. Mom never filed for divorce because she was afraid of being a divorcee. I pleaded with her to leave the man that destroyed our lives but she never did.
“Where’s he going to stay when he gets out?”
“Well that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. He will be staying with me,” she says.
The blood rushes out of my brain and I feel helpless. “Are you serious, Mom? You’re really going to take him in?”
“He’s still your father and still… officially, my husband.”
“Who’s a criminal! Mom, I don’t know why you’re being so laid back about this. I mean… I don’t even know what to say right now.”
“Say that you support me.”
“You know that I can’t say that because I don’t support you in this. I can’t ever support him. He humiliated the whole family. The guy is selfish, Mom. All he thinks about is himself and you want him back in your life?”
“He’s changed, sweetheart.”
“I doubt it. He’ll tell you anything just so he can have a place to stay.”
“It’s not like that…” she starts to say.
“Well, I don’t care, Mom. I can’t support you on this. I’m sorry,” I say as I get up to leave.
“Jessica!” she yells after me but I don’t stop.
I just keep going.
I get into my car and drive with anger.
I have to go to the one person who can help me make sense out of this situation: Rhett.
Chapter 13
I press the code for Rhett’s penthouse door and rush inside.
He’s sitting on the couch and when he sees how distraught I look, he rushes over towards me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“My father is getting out of prison soon and my Mom is taking him back in. She’s taking him back! That’s what she wanted to talk to me about tonight,” I sob into his chest.
“What? I thought that your Dad got twenty years?” he asks.
“He did but he also has good behavior and Mom said that he was parole eligible and they approved him. It’s not fair. The guy ruined my life and hers and here she is wanting to make things easy for him.”
“You know how parents are. They never see things our way. And is it possible that even after everything that he’s done that she still loves your Dad. Love can be a very powerful drug, you know.”
“But I don’t see why she would want to involve herself in his messiness. Let him find another place to stay is what I say.”
He laughs. “You’re really upset this about this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and it’s not funny. I was teased relentlessly because of this man. I lost all of my friends. Couldn’t get any new ones and, worst of all, I was forced to move away from you. In my book, he’s a grade A jackass,” I say.
“And how does it feel to get all of that out?” he asks.
“It feels fine. I guess I just needed to vent, although I still really don’t approve of the situation. I think that he can find someone else to stay with,” I say.
“Maybe your Mom is all he has. After all, he did lose everything.”
“I guess that you’re right. If I had no place to go I know that my Mom will always be there.”
“See now there you have it. How about I run you a warm milk bath so that you can relax a little and then I’ll order us some pizza or something?”
“You have no idea how nice that sounds right now.”
“I think I have a pretty good idea,” he says as he kisses my forehead.
His chair is calling my name so I sit down on it and begin to flip through the channels when something catches my attention.
I hurry to turn up the TV to hear what the reporter has to say.
“We have just found out that John Jacobs will be released from federal prison in just a few days. You may remember Jacobs from the high profile case over fifteen years ago in which he was given twenty years for conspiracy to murder, fraud and embezzlement. Jacobs smuggled over 3 million dollars from his company but due to good behavior and a good parole board, he will once again be amongst us. All I can say is that I hope this particular leopard has changed his spots,” says the reporter.
I turn the TV off and bury my face in the pillow. Now the whole world knows that my father is getting out of jail.
And how would this look on Rhett?
After all I was his personal assistant.
Maybe his partners didn’t need to know that we were an item for them to use this information against him. I just really want to curl up in a ball and cry somewhere but I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn around and see Rhett standing there.
“I heard the news report and you’re going to be okay. Trust me. I have your back on this. I won’t leave you alone. We’re not kids this time,” he says. “Now I ran your bath water. Take as much time as you need and I will order the pizza for us.”
I nod my head and head towards the bathroom.
My whole body is drained and I know that this soak is just what I need.
I slide out of my clothes and into the water and immediately, my body starts to relax.
I don’t think about my Mom or my Dad and just focus on myself with what’s going on between Rhett and I.
Once the water gets cold, I let the water out of the tub and wrap a fluffy white towel around me. I know that the pizza hasn’t arrived yet so I collapse on his bed for a much needed nap.
Today has been an extremely draining day.
****
I wake up the next morning with the sun blaring in my eyes.
One quick glance at the clock tells me that I’ve slept through the night.
I wonder why Rhett didn’t wake me?
Maybe he knew that I really needed to rest.
I see that he has an outfit laid out for me and I pull it on and go out in search of him.
As I get closer to the living room, I begin to hear voices and I realize that his mother is in there.
Damn.
She is not the person I want to see right now – especially with everything that’s happening with my father.
I start to panic because she doesn’t know that we are an item but then I remember that I’m his personal assistant, so I have a perfectly good reason to be in his place this early in the morning.
I go into his office and grab some files and head out to the little place in the kitchen where I usually do my work if I’m here.
“Hi Mrs. Williams,” I say as I enter the room.
“Hello Jessica. Lovely to see you. I hope Rhett isn’t working you too hard,” she says.
“No ma’am, he’s not,” I say as I take a seat at the table.
I glance at her one more time and realize that she hasn’t changed that much over the years.
She still has long and curly brown hair and the brightest blue eyes.
She doesn’t have a wrinkle on her face but it’s been rumored that she dabbles in botox, and from how her face doesn’t move that much I can see that rumor might have a little truth to it. I act like I’m into the file and doing some work while slightly eavesdropping in on their conversation.
“So Rhett, sweetheart, I hear that you are making quite the impact around the office these days,” she says.
“Yes, I decided to clean up my act,” he replies.
“That’s good because I was worried about you honey. I didn’t know if, or when, you would ever come to your senses.”
“Yeah, me either. But like I said I’ve decided to turn things around. But what I really need is a business manager. One who has my best interest in mind because I still think some of the partners are trying to get me out.”
“Really? Even after you’ve been showing change?”
“Yes, Mom. I know that they want me down and it’s not going to happen but I think I may have someone to come on my side. I just have to see if I can convince them to come on board.”
“And why wouldn’t they?”
“It’s complicated, Mom.”
She nods her head. “I see. So when are you going to settle down with a nice young lady?”
I almost choke but I pull it together really quickly and continue to listen.
“Mom we’ve been over this. I’m not interested in talking to anyone you have in mind for me.”
“I have someone else who is very pretty. Her name is…”
“Mom. I’m not interested.”
“Come on, honey. Don’t tell me that you’re still thinking about that piece of white trash that you dated.”
“Mom! Emma was not ‘white trash’. And we haven’t been dating for two years!”
“I’m just saying that you should meet some of the girls…”
“I’m not interested Mom.”
“They’re all nice girls Rhett. I think anyone of them could make you happy.”
“Or make me miserable,” he mumbles under his breath.
“I just think that you need a strong woman. One that will help you build up this company and not help you tear it down. A nice girl from a nice family. That’s all that I’m saying.”
“Those girls are not my type.”
“Come on Rhett. You have to find someone.”
“Look Mom, you want me to date the perfect girl. Well, I am dating the perfect girl…”
“Oh, she’s not trash, I hope?”
“She not trash. She’s perfect,” Rhett takes a glance at me. “And she’s sitting right there at the kitchen table.”
“Oh…” Vivian takes a look at me and I can do nothing but smile.
“Yes, Jessica and I are dating and I really don’t care who knows about it right now,” Rhett states firmly. “She has been there for me in my darkest hour and has pulled me up. Sh
e’s the reason why I am able to run this company as well as I have. Without her, I’m pretty sure that the partners would’ve had me out already. So excuse me for not wanting to date any of the plastic girls that you keep sending my way!” he yells.
A shocked expression crosses my face as I stare from him to his mother.
I wait for her to get mad and yell at him for making the biggest mistake of his life but a small smile spreads across her face instead.
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” she says.
“You are?” I ask.
“Of course. I knew that you would be the right girl for Rhett the moment your Mom asked me to help you land the interview. You’re outgoing, smart, strong, and I knew that you wouldn’t take any crap from him. I knew that you were just what he needed and I’m just glad to see that I wasn’t wrong,” she says.
“So you really aren’t mad?” asks Rhett with a look of confusion.
“No sweetheart, why would you ever think that I would be?” she asks.
“Oh, I don’t know, because of the types of girls that you try to push off on me,” he says.
She shrugs. “So, I didn’t want you lonely and those are the only types of girls that I know, so cut me some slack.”
I laugh.
She is as down to earth as she was when we were younger. “So are you sure about this? I know that you know my father is getting out of jail in a few days and I don’t want to harm Rhett or the company’s reputation.”
“You won’t do any such thing, sweetie. You aren’t your father and anyone can see that. As a matter of fact I think that Rhett should bring you on as his business manager. You have the degree, the ability to stand up to this man and obviously you have the personable skills,” she says.
“Actually that’s what I was planning on doing anyway,” Rhett states before turning to me. “Jessica, you are one of the smartest people that I know and I know that you will always have my best interest in mind, so what do you say?” he asks.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life,” he replies.
“Well in that case, yes,” I say as I kiss him on the lips. “I would love to be your business manager.”