“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Sydney asked, trying to keep her breathing steady.
Jake had walked into the park and was sitting on a bench, scrolling through his phone. For a moment, Sydney wished she could be out there with him instead of inside the truck telling her mom the bad news.
“What’s going on?” her mother said, her tone immediately filling with concern.
“Is Dad there?” Sydney said. “That way I only have to say this all once.”
Her mother called to her dad, and when his voice came on the line, Sydney started to tear up. She could really use a hug from her parents right then. In a shaky voice, she told them everything she knew, then finished by telling them she was with Jake and they were headed to Rian’s former workplace.
“Do you need us to come down, honey?” her dad asked.
“Maria and June are both on their way,” Sydney told her parents. “Thank you, though. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
After hanging up with her parents, she stayed in the truck for a few more minutes before climbing out and waving Jake back over.
Half-way through the meeting with Jake and Rian’s boss, Paul Smith, Sydney knew she needed a break. Jake and Paul had been comparing notes, and Jake had handed over files he’d brought from Rian’s condo. Sydney could see the pain this caused Jake, but he was one-hundred-percent determined, which brought her a strange sort of comfort. Jake might have known about Rian’s deception longer, but they were both in this together now. Sydney wasn’t the only one who’d been duped. Rian’s fraud ran deep into the realty company. Ironically, with Sydney’s position as VP of operations, she was over financial security as well, so this whole process was eye-opening.
“I’ll be outside,” Sydney told Jake in a quiet voice when Paul had to take a quick phone call.
Jake looked over at her. “Are you all right?”
She exhaled. “Yeah. I just need a break. No rush on your part though.”
“All right, if you’re sure,” Jake said. His gaze seemed to pierce right through Sydney, not missing a thing. “Text me if you need to go.”
“I will,” she said, then paused. “What’s your number?” They exchanged numbers, then Sydney left the room and went outside to wait in Jake’s truck.
For several moments she closed her eyes, letting all the information she’d learned soak in and fall into place like pieces of a puzzle. She still had so many questions, but mostly, she knew the answers didn’t matter all that much now. Bottom line, she’d been made a fool of, then dumped. She could cut her losses right then and there and walk away from the whole thing, let Jake do whatever vigilante work he felt the need to, and she could move on with her life.
First, though, she needed to start making phone calls and cancel her wedding plans. Hopefully some of the deposits would be refundable. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, then dialed the florist shop. After a short explanation, she called the catering company, followed by the rehearsal hall. With each phone call, she grew more resigned, but not more sad, which was a good thing.
She’d completed her final call, leaving a message with the minister, when the driver’s door of the truck opened.
“You’re still here,” Jake said, surprise in his voice.
“Yeah,” Sydney said with a shrug.
Jake was studying her as if trying to gauge where she was in her grief cycle. “Hungry?” he asked. “We can grab something if you want and go back to the condo. I can update you.”
Sydney knew she should say no, that she needed to regroup and start the process of contacting everyone she had sent invitations to. But she told herself that her friends could help her when they got into town.
“Sure, let’s get something to eat,” she said.
One side of Jake’s mouth lifted into a half smile. He really was good looking, but now wasn’t the time to let her thoughts go, and besides, the brother of Rian could never be a consideration, no matter how different they were.
“What sounds good?” Jake asked, starting the truck.
“Nothing,” Sydney replied. “I don’t think I could even taste food right now.”
“Well, then I guess I’ll have to surprise you,” Jake said as he pulled out onto the street. “I noticed a Thai place as I drove into town early this morning. Do you like Thai?”
“Sure,” Sydney said, although she knew she sounded far from enthusiastic. Maybe some curry would help her think more clearly.
They spoke little on the drive to the Thai place, and Jake went inside to order, leaving Sydney on the phone with the minister, who’d called her back.
When Jake returned, carrying a couple of bags of boxed food, Sydney’s stomach responded with a grumble.
As they drove back to Rian’s condo, Sydney said, “Where are you from, Jake? I mean, where do your parents live?”
“They own a ranch about an hour north of here,” Jake said. “My dad’s retired, so I manage the daily operations. My mom still does the accounting. Rian worked there for a couple of years after high school, then went to college. We thought everything was going well, until my mom got a notification of suspension in the mail from the college. Apparently, Rian had dropped out and had already married an older woman—all without telling anyone. I guess he saw an easier way to make money.”
The disgust in his voice was evident, and Sydney was grateful for that. “Did you go to college?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake said, glancing over at her. “But I love the ranch, always have. I don’t think my parents expected both of their sons to take over the family business, but believe me, they never expected Rian to take the detour he did.”
Sydney nodded. “The ironic thing is that I’ve dated some real jerks. I guess I didn’t dig deep enough with Rian. He turned out to be the worst of them all.”
Jake was quiet for a moment. “There are worse men out there, of course, but I’m tired of Rian hurting other people by his choices.” He slowed the truck and turned into the condo parking lot. When he pulled to a stop, he looked over at her and said, “Something inside me snapped when he talked about you like you were a means to an end—like you weren’t a person whose life just shattered.”
She held his gray-eyed gaze. The storm clouds were gathering inside of them again. “Thank you for telling me all you know,” she said. “I would have always wondered if you hadn’t shown up, and that would have been much worse than knowing the truth, despite how hard this all is.”
Jake’s hand rested on hers, and the warmth of his touch somehow made Sydney feel both stronger and calmer. “I’ll put it all to rights, Sydney.”
It was the first time she remembered he’d said her name, and something inside of her clicked, like déjà vu. Like they were supposed to connect. Of course, if Sydney was practical, she’d have met Jake eventually, being married to Rian. Or would she have? If Rian’s company hadn’t gone after him, how long would he have kept up the charade? Sydney would have married him, and then what?
She looked down at Jake’s hand on hers, so warm and strong, the pads of his fingers callused. “It looks like you do a lot of ranch work,” she said, turning over his hand, then moving hers away.
“Not nearly as much as I used to,” he said with a chuckle. “My dad tells me I’m getting soft.”
“You don’t look soft,” Sydney said, before clamping her mouth shut. “I mean... I don’t know what I mean. Forget I said anything.”
Jake gazed at her, the gray of his eyes clear and glimmering. “Let’s go eat.”
He opened his door and grabbed the bags of food. Before he could come around the truck and open her door, Sydney climbed out and joined him on the sidewalk. As they entered the condo, Sydney braced herself to feel the pain all over again, yet she only felt an echo of it. Inside she felt hollow, but she also wasn’t alone. She’d made the hard phone calls, and her friends were on their way to see her. She’d get through this no matter how hard it might be.
Jake set the bag
s on the kitchen table, and Sydney tried not to think of the times she and Rian had eaten there. Mostly they’d gone out, but it was always fun to eat in as well.
While Jake grabbed some drinks out of the fridge, Sydney set out the containers and opened all of the lids.
“You bought a lot of food,” she said. “I mean, I know you said you were hungry, but—”
“But what?” Jake said in an amused tone, coming to stand close to her. He set down a couple of forks and napkins, along with two water bottles. He turned to her and smiled. “You don’t think I can put this away.”
It was the first full smile she’d seen of Jake’s, and it made her want to sit down so she could breathe better. She took one of the chairs. “I guess we’ll see,” she said, telling herself that she really needed to clear her mind. Her brain was doing crazy things right now.
She focused on the food and putting a little of everything on her plate. The first bite of chicken massaman was delicious, and soon she was caught up in the good food and surprisingly comfortable company.
“Are you from Santa Rosa?” Jake asked after he’d taken several bites, followed by a swig from his water bottle.
Sydney told him about growing up with the best parents a girl could ever ask for, and how she’d been class valedictorian and homecoming queen in high school, but how that sometimes separated her from having genuine friends. “June was new to the school, and she and Maria and I were put into the same study group. The three of us hit it off and ended up going to Washington University together. June’s an accountant in Portland, and Maria does marketing in Seattle. Me... I’m lucky to have them as friends, even though I hate living so far away from them.”
“Sometimes friends can be better than family,” Jake said.
“Yeah, although if my parents had their way, I’d be married with a couple of grandkids for them,” she said, feeling a deep sorrow start to churn inside. The feeling was unexpected. She and Rian had talked about kids, of course, and he’d been eager to have at least one baby. But it wasn’t until this moment that Sydney realized she’d lost that dream too.
“Are your friends married?” Jake asked in a light tone, as if trying to bring her back from another round of tears.
“Not yet,” Sydney said. “Both are in serious relationships, though, and I was going to be the first—” She cut herself off. “I don’t know about men, but women seem to have this ticking clock inside of them that starts shooting alarms off around the age of twenty-four.”
“You can’t be much older than that.” Jake studied her with raised brows.
Sydney shrugged. “Twenty-six. How about you?”
“Uh...”
“You don’t know your own age?” Sydney said, smiling at him.
“I’m way past the ticking-clock age,” Jake said.
“Rian is twenty-eight, so you’re, what? Thirty?”
“Thirty-two,” Jake said. “And Rian’s thirty.”
Sydney shouldn’t have been surprised. It seemed that Rian hadn’t told her much of the truth about anything. “Your parents must be hounding you.”
“You could say that,” Jake said with a wink.
Sydney felt a spot of heat spread up her neck until it was a full blush. The curry was pretty hot, she decided. “So, no wife or kids?” she asked.
Jake set down his fork and took a long swallow of water. Sydney couldn’t help watching his tanned throat move as he drank, and she looked away before he caught her stare.
“There was a woman—Charlotte—a couple of years ago,” Jake said finally. “We were engaged, but it didn’t work out.”
It was Sydney’s turn to raise her brows. “Found out you were a gold digger, did she?”
He laughed, and Sydney laughed too. It felt really good.
“Actually, she was entranced by the rancher’s life, at least at first,” he said. “But when it came down to it, she preferred her city life.”
“Ah,” Sydney said. “And you wouldn’t give up the ranch for love.”
“Something like that,” Jake conceded. “It all made me realize that maybe I didn’t care for her as much as I thought I did. I could imagine living at the ranch without her, but not living in the city with her. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” Sydney said. She looked down at her empty plate. “This was really good. Thanks for bullying me into it.”
“It seemed you needed someone to boss you into eating,” he said.
When she looked up, he was smiling at her.
It had been a really long day, but even though it was now well past dinner time, Sydney was still sitting on Rian’s couch, talking to Jake. He’d told her about his childhood, and how Rian was always the risk taker. Jake was the steady sort of kid, more serious, more cautious. He had told her all he could remember about Rian’s other marriages. Jake had never met any of the women, until Sydney, but it seemed that she was the youngest of the lot.
Sydney also told Jake more about herself. What she liked about Santa Rosa, how much she loved her job, but how she missed her parents and close friends. “Rian filled that emptiness inside of me,” she admitted. “Maybe I was lonely... I don’t know. I had never really considered that we’d break up, but now that it’s over, I feel more betrayed than heartbroken.”
“And that surprises you?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, I mean, I figure I must have been in love with him,” Sydney said. “Or why else would I agree to marry him?”
Jake grimaced. “The heart is a strange thing. I thought I was in love with Charlotte too. But maybe I was staring loneliness in the face with my parents getting older.”
Sydney blinked. Was that what had happened with Rian? She was so caught up in getting married, living the rest of her life with someone, that she didn’t think to find out more about his background? Looking back now, she realized that whenever they discussed it, Rian had given her a really short answer, then changed the subject.
Her cell phone buzzed with a text from June. I’m at your place, are you home?
Sydney looked up at Jake. “My friend June is at my place. I’ve got to go.” She stood, and Jake stood at well.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” she said, feeling awkward. She’d felt as if she’d spilled a lot of personal things to Jake, and now she wondered if she’d ever see him again.
“If you’d like, I can keep you updated on Rian,” Jake said. “I don’t want to interfere too much. And if your friends want to talk, I’m happy to do that as well.”
“How long are you staying?” Sydney asked, glancing around at the condo.
“I’ll box up his personal stuff and stick it in a storage unit here in town,” Jake said. “I don’t want anything of his, and I don’t want my parents to worry about it. Whoever buys the lease can keep the furniture. Unless you want something.”
Sydney emphatically shook her head.
He nodded, and before she could understand or explain how it happened, he pulled her into his arms for a tight hug. His embrace felt good, strong and sure, and like he really cared.
“Again, I’m so sorry,” Jake said, his voice rumbling against her. “I know I keep saying that, but it’s true.”
“I’m sorry too,” Sydney said and drew away. Something inside her tugged her toward him again, but she forced herself to keep her distance and take a step back so she wouldn’t be tempted to return to his embrace. “I’m sorry for your parents, and for you.” She lifted a shoulder. “For me too, but I’ll get over it.”
He held her gaze for a moment, then turned and opened the front door for her.
She walked out of the door, neither of them saying another word, but she felt his gaze on her until she climbed into the car and drove away.
By the time she reached her apartment building, she felt teary again, but this time it wasn’t really for her own sorry experience, but for what Jake must face when he returned to the ranch and informed his parents that their youngest son had left the country.
June was sitt
ing in her car and climbed out as soon as Sydney pulled up. June wore black yoga pants and a pale green jacket. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. This was a casual look for June, who spent her days in a corporate accounting office.
Sydney hurried to hug her friend, then drew back and said, “Thanks for coming.”
“Where were you?” June asked. “I was worried.”
“I was talking to Rian’s brother, Jake, the guy I told you about.”
They continued to Sydney’s place. “You were okay being alone with him?”
“He’s so different from his brother.”
June gave her a sharp look.
“What?” Sydney asked.
June hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing.” Her phone rang, and she answered it. “Hi Maria. I just got here... yes, that sounds great.” She looked over at Sydney as she unlocked her apartment door. “Maria’s going to grab some death-defying fried food and shakes.”
“Sounds good,” Sydney said with a laugh.
“She said yes,” June said.
The last time Sydney had been inside her place, her world had been seemingly perfect. Now it was completely upside down.
“I’m going to change,” Sydney said. “Make yourself comfortable, and when Maria gets here, I’ll tell you guys everything.”
Sydney walked into her bedroom and flipped on the light, then crossed the room and closed the blinds. On top of her dresser were several bridal catalogs and magazines. She’d have to throw all of that out now. As she changed, she wondered if she should help Jake in the morning. He’d have to move a lot of stuff, and he might put things in storage that could really be thrown out. Of course, if Sydney helped him, she might get too zesty and throw everything out.
Smiling to herself, she opened her closet door to find a comfy t-shirt. It was strange that she’d just had the shock of her life, and here she was, looking forward to seeing Jake and perhaps even exchanging a few more Rian stories. Easy, girl, Sydney warned herself. Jake might be sweet, caring, and understanding... and really good-looking... but he was the jerk’s brother and pretty much married to his ranch.
The Falling Series Box Set Page 20