After his third time calling Jaci’s condo, Jena took pity on him and divulged where Jaci would be at four o’clock, which was why Ian stood on the sidewalk in front of the Women’s Crisis Center, freshly shaved and showered, in dress pants that were at least a size too big—he knew he’d lost some weight since his injury, but until today hadn’t realized how much—and his only designer white button-down dress shirt.
On the border of a gentrification-in-progress neighborhood, to the far right stood luxury, soon-to-be waterfront condos, while to the immediate left were rundown, mostly abandoned storefronts. It looked like the nondescript building the center had taken over had once been a massive corner bank.
Through a large plate glass window framed by an artsy interpretation of colorful flowers and meandering vines, Ian saw a young, meek-looking woman sitting all alone behind a reception counter with sliding panes of glass at her chest level. Ian tried the heavy glass door. Locked. Good. Then a buzzer sounded, followed by a click, and Ian could open the door without one question asked or answered through the dented, partially dislodged intercom speaker to his left.
That would have to be fixed. He started a mental list. The lobby was small, with six matching chairs—not old, not new—a small table with well-read magazines neatly fanned on top, and a plastic storage container filled to overflowing with children’s toys. It kind of looked like a doctor’s office waiting room, only the pale yellow walls, colorful artwork, and the table with fresh coffee and pre-wrapped, single-serving food items/snacks made it feel more welcoming.
“May I help you?” the woman asked with a smile.
“Is Jaci in?”
“Who may I say is asking?”
“Ian Eddelton.”
The receptionist spoke quietly into the phone. Nodded. Then looked up at Ian. “She said to go away, Mr. Eddelton.”
Did he honestly expect she’d welcome him with open arms? “Please tell her I’m here to apply for the head of security and facility maintenance position.”
She relayed the message.
“Miss Piermont said to tell you the position has been filled.”
His insides felt suddenly hollow when the hope and anticipation that’d built up all afternoon, evacuated the premises. Because the more he’d thought about it, while awake most of the night and alone most of the day, the more he’d realized he wanted the job and the opportunity to get out of the condo to do something meaningful with his days, to earn a regular paycheck, and, to be honest, to see Jaci every day.
At least until he moved on.
But he’d blown it.
Ian stood there, contemplating his next move.
Threaten to break down the flimsy wooden door and search until he found Jaci. Because job or no job, he needed to apologize for last night’s misunderstanding.
Take a self-guided tour around the outside of the building to search out another way to access the interior.
Plead his case to the hopefully easily persuadable young woman looking up at him questioningly and convince her to let him in without violence.
Deciding option three was the way to go, Ian planned out his appeal. But before he had the chance to put any of his eloquent, carefully chosen words to use, the flimsy wooden door opened to reveal Jaci. She wore royal blue scrub pants with matching rubber clogs, and a pink scrub top with cartoon characters on it.
She looked tired and inconvenienced.
Not a good combination.
But when the outside door to the lobby opened and a small woman dressed in baggy, worn clothes, who couldn’t be more than sixteen, walked in carrying a small baby, Jaci managed a warm, welcoming smile. “Come in. I expect the doctor any minute. Have you been here before?”
The woman didn’t look up from the floor.
“You’re safe here,” Jaci said, approaching the woman cautiously, compassionately. “Can I help you with your bag?”
Ian stepped out of the way. At his movement, the woman flinched and shifted her body to cover and protect her baby.
“It’s okay.” Jaci tried to calm her. “That’s my friend, Ian. If he makes you uncomfortable, I’ll ask him to leave.”
In that moment, Ian realized just how big a compliment she’d paid him by trusting him to walk amongst the center’s vulnerable clients unsupervised. He’d had no idea of the magnitude of that responsibility until he’d experienced that young woman’s fear of a man she didn’t even know.
A beat up black and rust-covered Honda skidded to a stop half onto the curb.
The woman gasped. “Please. He will be so angry. I seek refuge,” she said in heavily accented English. That’s when Ian caught a glimpse of her swollen eye, split lip and bruised cheek.
A dark-haired man, possibly of Mexican descent, jumped out of the car and stormed toward the front door. Jaci wrapped her arm around the woman and guided her into the center. “Andrea, call the police. Carla, I need your help,” she called out.
The baby in the woman’s arms cried out.
“Loosen your hold,” Jaci encouraged, her voice calm. “No one is going to harm you or your baby.”
Damn straight. Not as long as Ian was around. He hurried outside eager to meet the low-life, abuser, who was in for a little abuse himself if he didn’t back the hell off. “Stop right there,” Ian commanded.
The man halted about five feet from Ian like he’d collided with an invisible wall. So there were some functioning brain cells in his head after all.
“That woman,” the man said, his English only marginally better than the woman’s. “I saw her in the window. I am here to take her home.”
Not a chance. “She’s requested to stay for a while.”
“She is my Maria, my girlfriend.” He stepped forward. “The baby is mine. I take care of them.”
“Back off.” Ian stood tall and crossed his arms over his chest no-way-you’re-getting-past-me style. “One look at your girlfriend’s face and I can see how well you take care of her.”
The man exploded in rapid fire Spanish.
“No hablo español, buddy. English.”
“What happened to her face?” the man screamed. No way could he have faked the anguish in his voice or the complete and utter devastation on his face. More Spanish. “Did she go to her brother for money?” Spanish. “I told her not to go.”
Whoa. Pay attention, Ice. Assess. Evaluate. Things were often not as they appeared to be.
“I need to see her.” The distraught man, probable teenager, who stood a good foot and a half shorter than Ian and looked to weigh no more than Jaci, tried to push past him. A sure sign he’d moved past thinking clearly. “I need to see she is okay.”
“Hold on.” Ian stopped him.
“I’m going to kill her brother,” the man yelled, twisting away, pacing back and forth.
Ian looked around. “You probably don’t want to be saying that out loud in front of witnesses. And what good will you do your girl and your kid in jail?”
“No more than I’m doing now.” He jammed his fists into the pockets of his loose-fitting jeans so hard Ian half expected them to slide down to his knees. “There is no work for me. Our rent is late. Soon we will have no place to live.”
Poor kid. “You sure you didn’t touch her?” Ian asked.
“Last night we had a fight. I yelled. I said things I should not have.”
Ian could relate.
“But I would never hit her.” His eyes filled with tears. He wiped them away. Embarrassed. “I love her.”
Ian felt sorry for the guy, down on his luck, with a wife and kid to support. It hit home a truth: No matter how bad you think you have it, there’s always someone worse off than you are. “Look. Get out of here. The police are on their way. I’ll talk to them.” Ian didn’t know if the man was in the U.S. legally or illegally. A run in with the law could make things even worse for him. But...Ian stared into the man’s eyes, “If I find out you lied to me, and you are in fact the one responsible for hurting Maria, I will hunt you dow
n and you will wish you’d stuck around to deal with the police.”
“What will happen to Maria?” he asked, panicked, glancing frantically up and down the street.
“We’ll take care of her and the baby,” Jaci said from the doorway.
Shoot, exactly how long had she been standing there?
“They are both in with our doctor now,” Jaci went on.
The man’s eyes went wide. “The baby. She was hurt, too?” He wobbled. Ian reached out to steady him.
“Maria is scared and she’s not talking. But the baby’s cry is strong, which is good, and she’s moving her arms and legs. As soon as Maria lets us examine her and the baby, we’ll know more. If the doctor thinks either one needs to be evaluated in the Emergency Room, we’ll transport them.”
The man groaned and dropped his face into his hands. “I can’t leave them. I don’t want to live my life without them.”
Ian glanced at Jaci and understood exactly how the guy felt. Lord help him.
“She’s upset.” Jaci walked onto the sidewalk. “I give you my word I will not leave here tonight until she and the baby are settled.”
Of course she wouldn’t. As tired as she looked, Jaci put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own.
“Will you ask her to call me?”
Jaci smiled. “Yes.”
“I will come for her tomorrow morning. When do you open?” he asked.
“You are welcome to come by any time tomorrow, but I can’t guarantee she’ll be ready to talk to you.”
“Then I will wait all day if I have to.”
Not alone he wouldn’t. “You promise to stay away from Maria’s brother tonight, and I’ll meet you here at nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” Ian said. “We can look into finding you a job while you wait.”
“Gracias,” he said to Ian. “Thank you.” He turned to leave then stopped. “You will tell Maria I love her,” he said to Jaci. “And ask her to kiss our little angel for me.”
Jaci set her hand on the man’s shoulder. “I will.”
Ian hung around to talk to the police who arrived with the smell of Maria’s boyfriend’s exhaust still in the air. Ian explained what’d happened. Jaci came out to share that Maria had gone hysterical when she was told the police wanted to speak with her. Thankfully they didn’t push the issue.
After the policemen drove off and Jaci returned to work, Ian stood on the curb, looking toward the horizon, no reason to go inside, not ready to head home.
“You handled that situation exactly the way I’d want my head of security to handle it,” Jaci called out from behind him. “The job’s yours if you still want it.”
Ian’s spirits lifted instantly. He turned to her. “I thought you said the position was filled.”
“I lied. But I can’t in good conscience let you walk away when you are what the crisis center needs.” She held out some papers. “Here’s the job description, salary and benefits. Look them over and let me know—”
He decided not to tell her it’d only be temporary lest she rescind the offer. “I’ll take it.” To bring the building up to spec and work up security protocols. Then he’d search out his replacement and would not leave until the new guy was trained and performing to Ian’s high standards.
Jaci didn’t look happy or relieved. In fact she showed no emotion at all. “Fine. Please put finding someone to drain and clean up our parking lot and deal with the flooded vehicles at the top of your list.”
“Roger that.”
She turned to walk back into the building. “I have to get to work.”
“I’m sorry about last night,” he called after her. Not the sex part, but the misunderstanding afterwards.
“You should be.”
He jogged to the door and opened it for her. “How are you getting around?” She’d been with him until almost eight last evening, and she’d left for work before seven that morning. Did car rental places open before seven in the morning?
“The home care agency I work for provides visit cars for the nurses. I took a taxi to work and a taxi here.”
“How will you get home?”
“If I’m done by the time Carla has to leave she’ll drop me off. Or I’ll call a cab.”
He hated the idea of her being driven around by strangers. “I’ll hang around and give you a ride.”
“Thank you. But it’s not necessary. I won’t be done before nine and depending on what happens with our newest arrival, I may not be able to leave until well after that.”
“I’ve got nothing better to do.” He walked into the building it was now his responsibility to maintain and secure, feeling an unexpected sense of pride. “It’ll give me a chance to fill out this paperwork and look around.”
“C’mon, then. I’ll introduce you.”
Finally. An invite into the inner sanctum.
“Then Carla can give you a tour.”
* * *
On Saturday night, ten minutes after they were supposed to have left for the yacht club, Jena rushed into the living room. “I’m sorry.” She fumbled with an earring. “I thought I heard Annie stirring. Have you seen my shoes?”
Jaci held up a second pair of the exquisite pumps that graced her own feet. “You look beautiful.”
Splurging on matching style designer liquid shine sequined, one-shoulder, fishtail gowns turned out to be worth every one of the many dollars spent. The blue of Jena’s dress played up her slightly paler complexion and eyes. And Jaci loved the way the champagne color of her own dress shimmered against her skin tone. The ruched waist accented their slim figures, before flowing down to pool on the floor at their feet.
“Absolute perfection,” Mrs. Calvin said with a clap of her hands. “Don’t you worry about the twins. You go out and have a wonderful evening. They are in good hands.”
Three pairs of hands as Mrs. Calvin had brought two of her pre-teen granddaughters to assist her. Not that she needed the help. According to Jena, she’d raised five children with a husband who was away on business for weeks at a time. Yikes.
“I have complete confidence,” Jena said. But she rattled off several reminders including when the twins would likely be waking up, to make sure to keep them each in the same colored outfits as they have on, and to check the temperature of the formula before giving the girls their bottles, anyway. Standing in the doorway she said, “I’ll have my phone with me every minute. If you have any questions or anything seems hinky, call me right away.”
“We’ll be fine, dear.” Mrs. Calvin tried to reassure Jena. “But I’ll be sure to call if I need you.”
“Thank you,” Jena said. Still not leaving.
Jaci wanted to tell her it was okay if she didn’t want to go. Regardless of how much she needed Jena there. She could work something else out. Would have to. She let out a breath. Jena had to come first. “You don’t have to come,” Jaci said. “I’ve attended fundraisers without you before.” None as important as this one.
“I want a night out. I need a night out,” Jena insisted. “I have spent the day psyching myself up for the confrontation with Jerald. If I wimp out all my practiced comebacks and your wonderful pep talks will have been wasted. I think if you pry my hand off the frame of the door I’ll be good to go.”
Jaci looked down to see Jena did in fact have a white-knuckled grip on the doorframe. She covered Jena’s cold hand with her own. “Are you sure?”
Jena nodded.
So she inserted two fingers between Jena’s palm and the door, broke the hold, and they were off. “Hinky? Did I honestly just hear you use the word hinky?”
They laughed.
“I forgot how nice it feels to get all glammed up in expensive clothes,” Jena said in the elevator, pinching the diamond studded J necklace their mother had given each of them on their tenth birthday.
“Jerry always said, ‘You have to spend money to make money.’ In this case, a few thousand dollars on clothing, accessories and appearances will hopefully net the crisis center a
few hundred thousand dollars in donations.”
“I promise to dance whenever I am asked, to engage in tantalizing conversation, and be my most enchanting self to benefit your cause.”
“You’re the best,” Jaci said. And she meant it.
The limo awaited them right outside the front door. On the way to the yacht club, Jena indulged in a glass of champagne, to calm her nerves. Jaci declined needing to stay alert.
“I asked Jerry to show up half an hour early so we can corner him before our guests start arriving,” Jaci said.
“How’d you get him to agree to that?”
“I told him there was someone special I wanted him to meet. Now pay attention.” She reviewed their schedules for the evening. “At exactly twenty minutes before ten—”
“I take the rear stairs by the kitchen and meet you in the upstairs bathroom outside ballroom C,” Jena said. “Where we’ll exchange dresses and lives and you’ll go off on yet another secret caper while I stay behind and pretend to be you. I close down the event, I take the limo home, and we meet up in the kitchen for a celebratory job-well-done toast at midnight.”
God willing things would go that smoothly.
“I love the quiet, elegant beauty of a fully decorated ballroom before the ambiance is defiled by a swarm of people looking for their seats and disturbing their place settings,” Jena said.
“The centerpieces look even nicer than I’d imagined.” An abundance of white dendrobium orchids atop clear glass pedestals so guests could converse across the table without obstruction.
“They’re magnificent, and so are you,” Jena said, pulling Jaci into a hug. “I’m so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished in three short years.”
“Jena?” Jerry’s voice killed their touching moment. Jaci glanced at the Movado bangle watch she’d retrieved from her safety deposit box for the occasion. Right on time as always.
“Jena, honey, is it really you?”
“No Jerry, she’s a living, breathing figment of your over-active imagination,” Jaci deadpanned.
As usual he ignored her and pulled Jena out of her arms and into his. “I was hoping you’d show up tonight. Preston will be so pleased.” Right onto the business of marrying them off, he stepped back, took out his phone and started to text.
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