Something Precious

by M. Clarke

  I felt bad that Matthew had to get involved, but he knew everything before I’d gotten to Becky’s house anyway. I was already humiliated and ashamed, so what was another person added to the list of people who knew what had happened? Surely Chloe would spread the rumor that she and Jax had slept together. Yes, according to Jax, they didn’t have sex, but who was to say they hadn’t kissed or more?

  Oh, God! Thinking about it, the only thing I could see was Chloe’s lips and hands all over my Jax, and him letting her. He was letting her seduce him and looking at her the way he’d looked at me when he wanted me. I covered my face with both of my hands as if I could stop this image, but it would not relent.

  My schedule didn’t start until ten, so I took the opportunity to be lazy and checked my emails. I was glad I had decided to take my laptop. I needed it anyway to Skype. Ugh! Jace’s birthday party was this Saturday. Thinking about the detailed email I had to send to Jax gave me a headache. If I planned it right, I wouldn’t have to be there, if in the end I decided not to go; I could make the phone calls and take care of everything from afar. I would email Jax to let him know that he just needed to show up. Yes, that was what I would do. Then I fell back onto the pillow. My eyes hurt, my nose was stuffy, and I had a huge headache.

  “Rachel?” A knock on the door pulled me out of my sleep.

  “Come in, Becky,” I groaned. My head was still pulsating like a heart beating.

  The door cracked open. “I brought you coffee. You want?” She didn’t wait for me to respond. After she set it on the dresser, she sat next to me on the bed.

  “Thanks, Becky and not just for the coffee.”

  Becky ran her fingers through my hair, pulling it away from my face, like she had when I was younger. I felt like a child again.

  “Any time. I’m here for you, little sis. Are you going to work? Matthew told me before he left that you didn’t have to go in. I just need to tell him so he can rearrange your schedule.”

  I sighed and sat up. “I need to go. I have to take care of the special projects that were handed only to me, and I promised Jace I would stop by to see him.”

  Becky’s hand rested on top of mine. “That’s a good idea. He’s just a little boy. I’m sure he’s confused. He’s been through a divorce, so he’s probably wondering if the same thing will happen. That’s all he knows.”

  Great! I knew my sister wasn’t trying to make me feel bad, but that was actually how I was feeling. Taking in my sister’s advice, like I always did, I got up and made sure I was presentable by checking my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My eyes were swollen and I looked like shit, like I’d had a long night from being wasted. How could I go to work like this? But I had to. Feeling drained, I headed back out to see Becky out the door.

  Jackson

  After I dropped off Jace, I headed toward Rachel’s office and then stopped. Every ounce of me urged me to see her, but a part of me said to back off. I needed to give her time and space. But sometimes time was the last thing a person needed. Oh hell. Maybe I could get a glimpse of her.

  Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, I looked out of place, but some of the ones that knew me waved a friendly hand and smiled. I nodded with a knowing grin and walked on by. Judy, Rachel’s assistant, let me know she wasn’t in yet, but I could go to her office. I looked at my watch. It was almost ten. Was it my imagination or was Judy grinning like a Cheshire cat? She had never smiled so big like that before. Could she see right through me? Did I look like crap? I felt like crap. I ran my fingers through my hair, making sure my hair was in place.

  “Judy, did Rachel tell you what time she would be in?”I asked.

  “No. I got an email from Mr. Knight, letting me know the schedule has changed.”

  Great! Of course Matthew would know what had happened. Hopefully, Becky had believed me and told Matthew the truth. Fuck! They were going to believe whatever anyway.

  “Thanks.”I was just about to leave her when she smiled big again, as if something was up, making me uneasy. “Everything okay?”I gave her a quick nervous grin.

  “You sure know how to make Monday brighter.”She fluttered her eyelashes at me.

  I knew when women flirted with me, and though that sounded like a flirt, it didn’t quite sound like one, sort of. Who knew? Having had a restless night, I couldn’t put two and two together.“Thanks.”I arched my brows in confusion and walked into Rachel’s office. What in the world? Now I understood her words.“You sure know how to make Monday brighter” my ass. This was nice and all, but who the fuck sent all these?

  Vases of red roses filled her office. There must have been twenty of them. I had thought about sending her a dozen, but I didn’t want to seem like a kiss ass and push her further away. Now, I was so glad I hadn’t. They would have been lost in there. Looking from one rose vase to another, I searched for a note. Right in front of her seat on her desk, it sat. Every angry nerve in me urged me to open it, but I had no right.

  Get a grip, I screamed in my head. It could be from a company. Many of the fashion houses sent gifts to promote their lines. Rachel received small gifts all the time, just like I did. Knowing I had to hurry, I left her office. Forget about this!Rachel loved me. She wasn’t seeing anyone behind my back, I told myself. But maybe someone knew we were broken up...this quickly? I had to remind myself that in this industry, rumors spread fast.

  Rachel

  Nobody knows I told myself, seeing Judy smiling at me. Oh God! She can tell. Why was she smiling at me like she knew something? And would she smile at me like that if it were something bad? So maybe I was reading her wrong.

  “Good morning, Judy.” I gave her a faint smile, hoping she couldn’t see the bags under my eyes. Makeup did wonders if it was done right.

  “How are the wedding plans coming along?” she asked.

  Oh good. The rumor hadn’t spread yet. “Great.” I tried to sound cheerful, and with a smile I headed to my office.

  “I have to say, Jax sure knows how to make your Monday.”

  Huh? I turned slightly to her, flashing my eyes with bewilderment. Not knowing what to do or say, I smiled again and closed the door behind me. The smell of roses immediately whiffed through my nose. It was so strong I wondered if someone had sprayed the scent all over my office. When I looked up, what I saw before me was beautiful, yet scary. I was overwhelmed by the color of red jetting out at me.

  Jax had sent me flowers before, but never this many. I didn’t know what to think. In a way, my anger subsided, just a bit, and it even put a smile on my face. I knew Jax loved me. And now that I’d had time to think, it wasn’t about Chloe anymore. It was about what I wanted. How I felt. Getting married was a final for me, and I wanted to make sure Jax was the right one. Once I got married, I wanted to be committed to that one person solely for the rest of my life.

  As I marveled, feeling like I was in the middle of a rose garden created just for me, I picked up the note that was sticking out. It was hard to miss. The white stood out from the surrounding red. I opened it and took out the card.

  Dearest Rachel,

  It was wonderful to finally find you after all these years. You still look amazing and beautiful. I would love to take you out to dinner. I’m not letting you get away this time. I’ve sent you an email.

  I can’t stop thinking about you!

  Jonah

  My heart stopped for a second, feeling a little disappointed that the flowers weren’t from Jax. I didn’t know what to do. Yes, Jonah was my high school crush. He was also the one that got away; however, I didn’t want to start anything with him. I knew that if I didn’t end this, he would pursue me until I gave in. He was clear about that when we had met again in New York, and he was clear about that in his note.

  A part of me felt like I was cheating on Jax, even though I hadn’t done anything. I couldn’t ever let him find this note, and I certainly wouldn’t want him to see all these flowers in my office. Not only would he be suspicious, he would be hurt, especially since we w
ere having problems. He would get the wrong idea.

  I ripped up the note and tossed it into the wastebasket and opened my email. It was difficult to concentrate when I felt like the center of a giant rose, especially when I sat down. If Judy had come in, she wouldn’t have been able to find me.

  I popped my email open. Since I’d already looked at work emails this morning, I didn’t have that many showing on screen, so the personal ones from Jax, Stacey, and Jonah were easy to spot. I opened Jax’s first.

  I know I’m supposed to give you space, but I just want to let you know that I love you. Please don’t wait too long. It’s driving me crazy.

  Tears welled in my eyes. Oh Jax!I didn’t mean to make him hurt too, but I had to do this. I messaged him back to let him know that Jace’s birthday party was all taken care of.

  Then I clicked on Stacey’s email.

  Rachel,

  You’re not replying to your texts. Please call me. I’m worried about you.

  How did she know? Jax must have told Hendrix. I deleted that email and decided to call later. Moving on to Jonah’s, I didn’t know why I felt guilty opening it up.

  Rachel,

  Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed talking to you. I know I seemed too forward, but I can’t get you out of my mind. Like I said before, you were the one that got away. And I’m going to do everything I can so that it doesn’t happen twice. Meet me for dinner. Any time you would like. I won’t take no for an answer. Word gets around real fast in this industry. I know you’ve moved out of your house. I don’t know the reasons, but it’s a sign that we were meant to have a second chance. Second chances rarely come by. Don’t let it slip away.

  Thinking of you,

  Jonah

  I dropped my head down, feeling the pressure. As much as the idea of dating Jonah appealed to me, and the thrill of the what-ifs, I couldn’t just jump into his arms. It wouldn’t be fair to Jax or to Jonah. I was going to take this time—the time I’d needed when I first broke up with Greg. Not that Jax was a rebound boyfriend or a replacement. I really did fall in love with him.

  The best thing for me was to ignore Jonah. Jonah was also a fashion model, and being in this industry, from what Jax had told me, rumors spread fast. Why did Jonah have to be a model? Why was I attracted to them? That was a stupid question, but why couldn’t Jonah be a doctor or an accountant...anything besides a model.

  Looking at my schedule again, I realized I had another hour to kill. Matthew wasn’t kidding when he had asked Becky to tell me to take the day off. After I had refused to do that, he said to take the morning off and that he would rearrange my schedule. I sure was lucky to have a great brother-in-law. Regardless of the many negative reasons why I shouldn’t be working for my brother-in-law, there were also many positive ones.

  As I had promised Jace I would visit him, I stepped out of the office and headed to the daycare. This was going to be hard.

  I carefully swung the door open to see children sitting in a circle for reading time. Jace got up when he saw me and ran to me. “Rachel.” He buried his face in my stomach and held me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe. I thought he was going to knock me over.

  “Let’s step outside, Jace.” I reached for his hand and led him out the door. Just beforehand, I had let his teacher know that we would be right back.

  In the hall, I knelt down to Jace’s level and looked at his adorable face that looked so confused. “Are you coming home, Rachel?”

  “Not today.” I looked away for a second and then turned back to look into his eyes.

  “Are you mad at me?” His dimples disappeared when he pursed his lips.

  I ran my hand down his arm. “Oh no, Jace. I’m not mad at you.”

  “Then you’re mad at Daddy.” He crossed his arms. “Then I’ll tell him to say sorry to you and you say okay, then you come home.”

  I forgot how fast he had grown up, and I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with a soon-to-be five-year-old. “It’s difficult to explain. Grown-up problems are not that easy, Jace.”

  His green eyes darkened with slight anger. “You told me not to run away from my problems, but to fix them. You’re running away from Daddy because of my mom, right?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering how in the world he was able to figure that out, but then I remembered back to when I was four. I knew when my parents got mad at each other. They didn’t know I knew, but I did. Kids were a lot smarter than their parents gave them credit for.

  I stood up before I could spill my guts to him. “No. It’s because of me.”

  Jace looked up and tilted his head in confusion. I didn’t expect him to understand my reason. But the expression on his face and what he did next killed me. His green eyes lost the happy spark and his lips tilted down. With his shoulders drooped, he walked past me and opened the door.

  With a sniff he said, “You don’t have to come to my birthday party, Rachel. I know you don’t want to be there.” Then the door closed, and I didn’t know what to do. The truth was, I didn’t know if I would be there, and I didn’t want to lie to him.

  Chapter 21

  Jackson

  I met up with Josh and Nathan during a mid-week meeting regarding the Knight menswear line. They had heard about the breakup between Rachel and me. I explained to them that it wasn’t a breakup and Rachel just needed space. But I think I had more hope than they did. Surprisingly, they apologized because they felt like they had said a little too much to Rachel regarding Chloe and how she would do anything to get what she wanted. They were not fans of Chloe for sure.

  “That is fucked up.”Josh sleeked his dark hair back.

  “I definitely like Rachel better for you,”Nathan said, taking a gulp of his beer.

  I had met them for dinner and brought Jace with me, along with my iPad so he could watch Ninja Turtles, and had I made sure to bring headphones.

  “I don’t know what else to do to convince Rachel that Chloe means nothing to me,”I sighed, and then dipped my head low.

  “What you need to do, which you can’t really do, is kick Chloe out of your life for good,”Josh suggested.“It’s a no-win situation. How do you kick your son’s mother out of his life and yours?”

  I looked down at Jace. He was taking small bites of his California roll and smiling. He must have seen that movie dozens of times. How does he not get sick of it? Kids. They were a mystery for sure. As much as I sometimes wished I had never met Chloe, we’d had some good times, and we made Jace.

  Nathan gave me a concerned expression as he dipped his tuna roll into the wasabi sauce and shoved it in his mouth. “I don’t mean to spread rumors, but I think besides Chloe, you need to keep an eye out for Jonah.”

  “Jonah?”I barked out. I didn’t like the fact that I felt threatened. “Which one?”

  “Jonah Hutchins,”Nathan answered with malice in his tone.

  “Why the hell for?”My tone rose as I felt myself becoming irate. I had a feeling he was going to say something I didn’t like.

  Nathan took a bite into a piece of salmon sushi and showed me his phone. It was a picture of Rachel and Jonah walking together at the after-party. He had his arms around her waist, and her body was close to his chest in a protective way.“This was on Knight Fashion’s Facebook page. I don’t know Rachel that well, but I know Jonah, and he will do anything to get what he wants. So—you didn’t know they were friends?”

  I looked away when he put his phone down.“No, I didn’t.”My tone was low and heavy. As I wondered how they knew each other, Josh answered.

  “Apparently, Jonah and Rachel went to high school together. He was all over her at the after-party. You should have seen the way he looked at her,”Josh informed.

  I could imagine his hungry eyes on her as he tried to claim her as his. Then I saw his dirty hands, touching where he could. I felt sick to my stomach, and the spicy tuna I’d just swallowed felt like acid going down my throat. That bastard!He knew Rachel was engaged.
He had to have known from the ring on her finger, and I’m sure she would have mentioned that she was engaged, right?

  When I looked up, Nathan nudged Josh with his elbow and scowled at him. They had wanted to meet with me to cheer me up, but they were doing the opposite. Actually, they were telling me the truth. The truth I hadn’t known. Could the reason Rachel wanted to have space be Jonah, and seeing Chloe in my bed just added fire to the already dying flame? And the roses in her office—they must have been from Jonah. My heart twisted in the most painful way. There was more to this than I had thought. My worries deepened and grew. I realized for the first time that there was a possibility that I would lose Rachel for good.

  “Hey.”Nathan took me out of my stupor.“Josh and I were pretty buzzed. We could be wrong about Jonah. He brought his friends Melissa and Carson. I’m sure it was just the excitement of meeting up after all these years.”

  “Yeah,”I tried to smile for my friends’sake, but I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that it wasn’t just the excitement. The roses in her office told me otherwise. I looked at Jace’s empty plate. His eyes were still locked on the screen, oblivious to our conversation.

  “How are your parents?”Josh asked, trying to change the subject. I watched him pour more soy sauce into the sauce bowl.

  I shook my head, thinking about how messed up this all was. We were supposed to get married in less than three months. What the hell? If she truly loved me, then she wouldn’t be giving me the runaround and saying she needed space.

  “My parents don’t know yet. I haven’t let anyone know that the wedding is off.”I was so glad they weren’t home to hear the gossip that would surely spread to them. I blinked and realized that I hadn’t answered his question.“They’re great. Thanks for asking. They are vacationing in Europe right now. How are yours?”Stupid me realized I had made a mistake.“Sorry, I meant your mom.”