Eleanor sighed, glad to hear from her friend, but disappointed the call wasn’t from Carl. She really needed the information on Jake. She’d hoped to act on it at dinner that night. “I can’t tonight. I’m having dinner with Dad and a business associate.”
“That fine brother you’ve been talking about?” Megan asked. Eleanor found the enthusiasm in her friend’s voice disgusting. “How about I come over and have dinner with yawl?”
Eleanor rolled her eyes. Sometimes it amazed her that Megan was her best friend. “Not tonight. Tonight’s all business.”
“But I want to meet him.”
Eleanor flinched at the whine in her friend’s voice. She and Megan were both only children, but she hoped her own behavior wasn’t as spoiled as Megan’s. “You’ll get to meet him. I promise. But not tonight.”
“Are you interested in him? Is that why you don’t want me to meet him? I thought you said you weren’t interested in him.”
Goodness, Eleanor thought, how had she allowed herself to get into a discussion about men with Megan on a night when she didn’t have four hours to waste? “I’m not interested in him, Megan. We’re discussing business tonight. I don’t think this is the right time for you to make your move.”
The silence made Eleanor think Megan was considering the truth in those words.
“When will you introduce us? You know there aren’t many good men here in Lamar. If you’re not interested, then I definitely am.”
Eleanor glanced at the nightstand, at the miniature grandfather clock that had been her mother’s. “It’s getting late, Megan. If I don’t hang up, I’m going to be late for dinner.”
“Well, you tell that brother about me now. I want his appetite whetted before he meets me.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes again. When Megan was between men, which she always was, she got a bit desperate. She’d been that way since she and her mother had moved to Lamar and the two girls had become fast friends. The other eighth-grade kids had called them “the odd couple” and the name had stuck. The beautiful Megan and the smart Eleanor. Nobody could figure out what they had in common, but everybody knew they were best friends. An odd couple, but an inseparable one. “I’ve gotta go, Megan. Let’s go shopping tomorrow. I’ll tell you all about Jake then.” That seemed to appease Megan because she hung up without much protest. Eleanor jumped up and went into her closet to find something suitable to wear. Since she’d already given Mr. Mason an eyeful, she wanted to be sure her dress for dinner was representative of the woman she truly was.
She settled on a navy Carole Little suit and a bone blouse with a baby doll collar. The ensemble would cover her from neck to mid-calf, revealing nothing of her shape and in no way hinting at the navy French-cut silk panties and matching lace bra she’d have on underneath. Satisfied she’d picked the perfect outfit, she strode to the kitchen for a bite to eat before dinner. When she arrived at her father’s house tonight, she didn’t want hunger to distract her. Her task tonight was to grill Mr. Mason and find out the real reason for his and his father’s sudden interest in the Lamar Daily News.
***
Jake placed the last of his underwear in the chest in the Sanders guest room, still amazed at how quickly Mathias, as he had instructed Jake to call him, had convinced him to move into his home though Jake had been determined to stay in a hotel or find a rental unit. Mathias was almost as bad as Jake’s father. Neither man understood the meaning of “no” and both pushed until they got their way.
“A young man should enjoy himself, see the world, experience life,” his father had told the young adult Jake when he’d expressed an interest in working for Mason Publishing. “You don’t have to work, Jake.”
Jake had tried to explain that he knew he didn’t have to work; he wanted to. But Randolph hadn’t listened. And over the years Jake had found it easier to go along with his father’s wishes. He’d learned early that a man with money could always find things to do with his time—and his money.
Over the years Jake had engaged in one venture after another, and though he’d made a great deal of money, he’d never found his niche, a spot where he could stay and flourish. Sometimes he blamed his father for his rolling-stone-like relationship with work. But he knew much of the responsibility lay squarely at his feet. He could have dug in his heels at any time, but he hadn’t.
He shook his head, forcing the negative thoughts away. He’d been surprised and honored when his father had asked him to work this deal with the Lamar Daily. Not because it was a big deal, but because this was the first time his father had asked for his help. He’d work this deal, all right. He’d come up with a proposal so fantastic his father would regret waiting so long to give Jake a place in the family business. Yes, with this deal Jake would prove to himself and his father how capable he really was.
Jake turned back the homemade quilt on the generations-old four-poster bed and stretched out to pass the time until dinner. He hadn’t planned to live in the Sanders home, but it appeared that was exactly what he was going to do. The room, furnished with a desk, nightstand, and armoire, or chifferobe, as Mathias had called it, that matched the bed and chest, was comfortable, which was all Jake needed.
Well, he also needed privacy, but maybe that could be arranged. He wouldn’t even consider bringing a woman to Sanders’s home. Hopefully, the beauty at the pool had her own place with enough privacy for their pursuits. He still didn’t have any idea who she was, but he guessed she was one of Eleanor’s friends. Hopefully, he could get Eleanor to introduce him.
***
Eleanor entered the patio doors of her father’s house promptly at six. Though she would deny it, she was anxious about meeting Jake. She wondered what he would think of her appearance tonight. Well, it really didn’t matter as long as he realized that the Eleanor he was going to do business with was this Eleanor and not the Eleanor he’d seen by the pool.
“Eleanor, you’re finally here,” her father said when he walked into the living room with Jake trailing behind him.
“You make it sound like I’m late, Dad. It’s only six,” she answered her father and smiled in Jake’s direction. Her eyes drank in the sight he made in the tan Armani suit that molded to his form like a woman to her lover. Casting those thoughts aside, she extended her hand. “Welcome to Lamar, Mr. Mason.”
She noticed the twinkle in Jake’s eyes. Was he thinking about their earlier meeting? Or did he know where her thoughts had been? She sincerely hoped not.
“Mr. Mason’s my father, I’m Jake,” he said in a deep baritone voice flavored with a hint of New York accent. He took her hand in both of his and squeezed it softly before letting it go.
Eleanor felt the tingle from her hand up her arm and down her body all the way to the toes of both her feet. Heavens, she had to get control of herself. It was just as she’d figured. Jake Mason was a womanizer. He probably expected her to swoon at his feet. She flashed what she hoped was a haughty smile that only partially turned up the corners of her mouth. “Jake it is then.”
Mathias clapped Jake on the back and said to him and Eleanor, “Why don’t we have a before-dinner drink?”
While Mathias prepared their drinks, Eleanor and Jake seated themselves. Unfortunately for Eleanor, she and Jake both chose the couch. She wondered if he did it on purpose. Did he know how flustered he made her? Was he thinking about their earlier meeting?
“So you’re interested in our paper, Jake. For the life of me, I don’t see what Mason Publishing wants with a small-town paper like ours.”
Jake allowed his gaze to travel from the bun atop her head, to the string of pearls that lay around the prim collar of her blouse, to the navy pumps on her feet before focusing on the lipstick-less lips that had mouthed the accusation. And it had been an accusation. He was sure of it. “I asked my father the same thing, Eleanor. His interest surprised me as well.”
Eleanor bristled. It was one thing for her to wonder about Jake’s intentions for
her paper, it was a whole other thing for him to suggest that the Lamar Daily wasn’t worth his time. She leaned toward him and spoke softly, but clearly. “Well, I know you don’t see it and that’s why I want you to know right up front that I’m going to fight you all the way on this. Your dad may have used his friendship with my father to persuade him that this was a good deal for us, but I don’t believe it for a minute.”
Mathias brought their drinks before Jake could comment, which was probably good since Jake hadn’t formed a comment. Well, he mused, it seemed there was more to Little Eleanor than he’d first thought. She might dress like a mouse, but she definitely had a mouth on her.
“Are you two getting to know each other?” Mathias asked with obvious hope that they were.
The saccharine-filled smile that Eleanor gave her father almost made Jake laugh. “Of course, Dad. I think Jake-and I are coming to an understanding. Aren’t we, Jake?”
Jake took a swallow of his drink, which turned out to be sparkling water, before answering. When he did, he spoke to Mathias. “Eleanor was telling me what to expect during my stay here in Lamar.”
Mathias took a seat in the wing chair next to the couch. “I’m sure Eleanor will help you get settled. Even though you won’t be here very long, we’ll make you as comfortable and as welcome as we know how. Won’t we, Eleanor?”
Eleanor lifted her glass to her lips and gave her smile again. “He can count on it, Dad.”
Jake coughed to cover up the laughter that bubbled up in his throat.
“I was thinking that maybe we could have a party to introduce Jake around.”
Eleanor coughed then and Jake knew she was choking on the idea of giving a party for him. “Now, Dad, maybe Jake’s not interested in that. He’ll probably be going home every weekend anyway.”
Jake smiled what he hoped was a good imitation of Eleanor’s fake smile. “On the contrary, I’m here for the duration.” Her eyes widened and he added, “At least until our business transaction is complete. Your dad has even offered me his guest room. It seems I’m going to be a member of the family.”
Two
Jake watched the corners of Eleanor’s lips droop and that fake smile slip from her face. She was good, though. She recovered so quickly that if she hadn’t already made her feelings clear, he’d question whether he’d really seen the change in her expression.
She smiled in the direction of her father, then said to Jake, “He forced you, didn’t he?” Before Jake could answer, she turned to her father. “Dad, I’m sure Jake was only being nice. I’ll help him look for a place tomorrow.”
“No, you won’t, Eleanor,” Mathias said. “Jake is staying here and that’s that. I won’t hear of my best friend’s son staying in some run-down apartment.”
Eleanor placed her glass on the cocktail table in front of her. “The Ferguson house is empty. I’ll see about renting that for Jake.”
Mathias shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Jake can stay here. Besides, I get lonely in this big house all by myself.”
Jake saw Eleanor roll her eyes toward the ceiling. He wanted to laugh. He had the feeling Mathias often used his “loneliness” as a ploy to get his way.
“Right, Dad, but let’s think about Jake.”
Jake watched the conversation ping-pong between Eleanor and her father. It irritated him that they were discussing him as if he weren’t present. Even though he agreed with Eleanor that he’d much prefer to stay somewhere else, for some perverse reason, he couldn’t let her have her way. “I kind of like the idea of living near someone I know,” he offered. “And since I know only you and Mathias, I think here is great.” He took a long swallow of his drink. “Unless you know of a place near where you live?”
Eleanor shot him a look that said she knew he was toying with her. He acknowledged her with a smile.
“Well,” Mathias began, “you get to live near both of us. Eleanor lives in the cottage out beyond the pool.”
Jake couldn’t let the opening pass. He glanced over at Eleanor. “Still living at home,” he said, then shrugged his shoulders in disdain. “I guess it’s cheaper.” He delighted at the ire that flashed in her big, brown eyes, knowing his tone left no doubt to what his real thoughts were about a twenty-eight-year-old woman still living at home.
“It’s not the money,” Mathias said. “It’s the pool.”
Jake pulled his eyes from Eleanor’s pinched face and looked at Mathias. Thoughts of the pool brought thoughts of the beauty he’d seen. He wasn’t too sure now that Eleanor would introduce him to her friend. He might have to fend for himself. “So, she’s a swimmer?”
Mathias gave a “humph.”
“More like a fish. She and Megan make sure that pool gets more than enough use.”
Megan. That must have been who she was. “That must have been Megan I saw in the pool when I arrived earlier.”
The sound of Eleanor’s choking brought Jake’s eyes back to her.
“What’s wrong with you, Eleanor?” Mathias asked, leaning toward her.
She patted her hand against her chest and shook her head. “I’m fine, Dad, something went down the wrong way.”
Mathias looked at her for a few long seconds as if he wasn’t sure he could believe her. Jake saw his concern and felt a bit envious of the relationship between this father and daughter.
“All right, then,” Mathias said, “but be careful. Why are you drinking so fast anyway?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened at her father’s question and she glared in Jake’s direction. He knew she would give her dad an earful because of that comment. He also knew she’d wait until he was gone.
“So,” Jake asked Eleanor, “was that your friend Megan I saw earlier in the pool?”
“Right, Jake.” Eleanor thought he was being sarcastic.
“Maybe you could introduce us sometime.”
She studied his face. Was this man kidding or did he really not know that she was the woman at the pool? “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
The question in his eyes was immediate.
Eleanor felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. He really didn’t recognize her. And after the way he’d stared at her. Lusted after her. He didn’t even know who she was. The cad didn’t even recognize her. Though she hated to admit it, she was hurt.
“Megan was here today?” Mathias asked. “Why didn’t you invite her to dinner?”
Eleanor slowly moved her head from side to side. By the way her father was carrying on, you’d think Jake was a visiting relative instead of a business associate planning to gobble up their newspaper. Where was the man’s head these days? “I didn’t think it was appropriate to invite Megan to a business dinner, Dad.” There was no mistaking the censure in her voice.
Mathias stood and pointed at the two younger people as if they were disobedient children. “You two are too much alike. All you think about is business. Well, this is more than business and you had better face it. Randolph and I have been friends for years and no business deal is going to stop that. Now come on, let’s eat dinner.”
***
It was the longest dinner Eleanor had ever endured. And the most infuriating. Her father obviously thought Jake’s presence ranked right up there with the Second Coming. He hung on to every word the man said. And Jake Mason said a lot. About nothing. The amount she’d learned about Mason Publishing’s intents for their paper could be held in a thimble. The man was closemouthed. Yes, closemouthed and smart. He was weaseling himself into her father’s confidence just as his father, Randolph, had done. Her father was being set up like the fatted calf. She had to help him because he was too blinded by the Mason men to even know he needed help. She shook her head in dismay.
“Something wrong, Eleanor?” Jake asked.
Eleanor directed her gaze to him. Had he been watching her? Had he finally realized she was the woman in the pool? She flashed him a smile. “No, everything’s great, Jake. Jus
t great.”
Jake sat back in his chair. He’d actually enjoyed the dinner and he’d had to refine his opinion of Miss Eleanor. Although she was a bit homely, she did have spirit. And he liked that. He liked her. And he liked baiting her.
“So when do you think we should have the party, Eleanor?” Mathias asked. “We want Jake to feel welcome.”
Eleanor cut a glare in Jake’s direction, before turning to her father. “I don’t know, Dad. We’re going to be awfully busy.”
Mathias waved his hands in dismissal. “You’re always busy. What about Megan? She could plan it for you, couldn’t she?”
Eleanor knew Megan would love that. “What about Ms. Delaney? She could do it.”
Mathias shook his head at her reference to his one-day-a-week housekeeper. “No, Megan is the right person. I still can’t believe you didn’t invite her to dinner.”
Eleanor didn’t want to get back on that again. “Okay, Dad,” she said, “I’ll ask her.” She looked at Jake. “She wants to meet you anyway.”
“She wants to meet me? Why?”
Eleanor looked away from him and played with the dessert pudding Ms. Delaney had prepared. Never would she tell him she’d showed Megan his picture. The man was conceited enough as it was. “Well, Dad talks about you all the time.” When she saw the smug, masculine, too-good-looking-for-words expression cross his face, she couldn’t help but add, “Megan doesn’t think anybody could be all that Dad has made you out to be.”
“Eleanor,” Mathias warned. “What’s wrong with you tonight. Jake’s our guest.”
Jake laughed. “That’s all right, Mathias,” Jake said. “I’m beginning to think of Eleanor as the bratty little sister I never had.”
Eleanor opened her mouth for a retort, but nothing came out.
Mathias stared at Eleanor and chuckled. “You’ve done the impossible, Jake. You’ve made Eleanor speechless.”
***
Between the Lines Page 2