“I’ll have you know that no one beats me at Scrabble with Friends,” Jake commented.
Holly smirked. “Yeah, well. Those days are about to end.”
“Oh you think so, huh? Would you like to bet money on that?” Jake asked.
“All right you two!” Tim cut in. “Let’s just play the game.”
The game went on for a couple of hours before the last remaining letters were placed on the board.
“Z—Za,” Todd said. “That gives us thirty-six points for the win.”
“What kind of a word is ZA?” Gale asked, flustered.
Todd crossed his arms like an umpire listening to a coach's tirade. “I use it all the time on my online word games. Care to challenge us on it?”
“No thanks. We believe you,” Geraldine said, wanting the game to end already.
Jake glanced at his watch. “Oh, it’s getting to be about that time. I better head out.”
“Awe, really?” Kacie asked with a pout.
“I wish I could stay longer, sweetie, but I have to get home to my own family. We will all get together again real soon, I hope.”
After everyone said their goodbyes, Holly said, “I’ll walk you out.”
Out on the driveway, Jake kissed Holly’s hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “I had a wonderful evening with you and your family. They are great people.”
He looked at her so intensely that her heart nearly leaped and did a pirouette. “I think they really liked you too, especially my little sister.”
“She’s a doll, just like her big sister.” Jake’s hand cupped the side of Holly’s face. His thumb slid back and forth across her cheekbone as he lowered his head and softly kissed her mouth. “I love you. I don’t care if you are too shy to say it back.”
Feeling guilty, Holly looked down.
“I know you’re still hesitant, but I think your actions speak louder than your words.”
“Jake—”
He pulled Holly into his embrace to where she was all heat and soft curves against him. She hid her face in the crook of his neck. “I’ll call you later, okay?” Jake said. He broke from his grip on her, held her at arm’s length, and gazed at her face as if to store the image of her in his soul forever. “Happy Thanksgiving, beautiful.” He then got into his truck and drove off.
All Holly could think about when he drove away was ending this experiment so she could finally say the real words back.
***
December 4, 2013
The next couple of weeks flew by like the Santa Ana winds. Things at the office were crazy with Christmas fast approaching. It seemed like every client wanted that special date for either their holiday company party or of course, New Year’s Eve. All the while, Jake and Holly were inseparable. When the two were alone together, they were all over each other like a couple of teenagers or in each other’s bed, making love until they were exhausted. With the relationship in full-bloom, Holly practically spent every waking minute with him when she wasn’t at the office. Her love for Jake had intensified with each moment that passed by.
The two were having lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant right on the beach of Santa Monica when Jake brought up some interesting news.
“So, I know I don’t mention it often, but I love to travel,” he said, taking a bite of his lobster sandwich. “I’ve wanted to take a vacation for the longest time.”
Holly took a sip of iced tea and looked up at Jake. “I can’t even remember the last time I got out of Southern California.”
“So I was thinking—” Jake pondered the words in his head before he finished. “I’d like to head out to the Caribbean after the first of the year and was wondering if you would possibly care to join me.”
The seafood salad that Holly went to shovel into her mouth never made it. “Uh—wow. Really?” She was a bit blown away by this unexpected offer. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to take time off with Emma on maternity leave. “It’s hard for me to leave my job for pleasure excursions, but yes, I would love to join you. I’ll see what I can work around. ”
“We’ll figure it out, right?” Jake said, delighted. He took her hand and gently touched her fingers with his lips.
The thought of their first romantic vacation together made her weak in the knees. “Somehow, I always do.”
***
Holly came back to the office that day in a daze, still coasting on the wonderful afternoon she had spent with Jake. Todd noticed her dreamy state right when she walked in the door.
“Um, what have you been smoking or are you just happy to see me?” Todd asked.
“I just came back from lunch with Jake.”
“And?” Chris asked.
Holly sat on top of Chris’s desk and in slight disorientation said, “He asked me to go to the Caribbean with him next month.”
“Oh…my…God.” Todd put his hand over his mouth as though he had said too much. “He’s so going to ask you to marry him, Holly.”
Chris pushed some documents to the side of his desk and replied, “Holly, you know this thing with you and Jake is getting a little out of hand.”
“Look, I know I’ve been hiding it, but now is the time to tell you two that my feelings for Jake have turned genuine.”
“Obviously. We figured that out a long time ago,” Todd said. “And if I recall, you swore you weren’t going to let this happen.”
“Well, it did.” Holly shrugged. “Not to worry. I know exactly how I’m going to handle the situation.”
“He doesn’t even know your real name and you expect to go on some romantic getaway with him? How are you going to pull that one off?” Chris asked.
Holly hopped off the desk. “I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“I don’t think you should go on that trip with him until this experiment is over,” Chris said, raising an eyebrow and glowering at her.
“And I don’t think you should be having a baby with someone without being married,” Holly retorted.
That shut him up right away.
“Oh, this woman called earlier today.” Todd handed Holly a pink sticky note. “She said if you have time she would like you to drop by her house to discuss business.”
Victoria Cain—the sixty-year old bombshell that Holly hadn’t heard from in months was finally ready to make a decision.
“Awesome. I’ll give her a call and make sure I see her today.”
***
Holly drove to Beverly Hills and pulled up to the expected mansion, which actually looked like a fortress. Victoria Cain lived in an enormous estate fashioned from with palm trees and lush foliage. Victoria greeted Holly at the front door dressed in a formfitting blue and white, floral silk kimono.
“It’s so lovely to see you again,” Victoria said as she led Holly through the marbled foyer that gave away to rich hardwood flooring. “I apologize for being out of the loop for so long. I’ve been extremely busy with work.”
“Hey, it happens to the best of us,” Holly said.
The ceilings throughout the house were painted beautifully in gold and the sidewalls were decked out in fancy tapestries. A lovely, spiral wrought-iron staircase led up to the second story of the house. It reminded Holly a lot of her father’s house.
“So what is the typical procedure?” Victoria asked as she walked Holly into the living room. It was large and airy and of course, exquisitely decorated in warm hues. The room had a Tahitian feel to it—wicker chairs with several tropical scenic portraits and paintings.
Holly took a seat on a rich pearly white couch that was covered in throw pillows. “Well, we can start off by you telling me a little about yourself and what you are looking for in a man.”
As Victoria listed everything on her boyfriend agenda, a framed photo on the fireplace mantel caught Holly’s attention. Someone strangely familiar in the picture stared back at Holly like a ghost haunting her. The longer she continued to glare at the photo, the more Holly’s heart sank a little deeper in her chest. She focused in on the
photograph and recognized the young man wearing glasses and braces. Holly thought she had to be seeing things.
“Okay, I have one quick question for you that’s totally off topic,” Holly said, interrupting Victoria’s rambling.
“Yes, of course.”
“If I may ask—who is that boy in the picture on the mantle?”
Victoria looked over her shoulder. “Oh, that’s my son when he was fourteen,” she said. “My ex-husband and I actually adopted Jake not too long after that photo was taken.”
That’s exactly when Holly felt like a bomb had just dropped and exploded in her face. It only took a moment for her heart to be blown to smithereens. It couldn’t be, she thought. Victoria Cain was not Jake McClusky’s mother.
“He’s thirty-three now and actually looks quite different. He’s been dating a girl who did a total 180 on his whole look. I keep asking when I can meet her and he keeps telling me that it’s going to happen soon. From what he tells me, he seems pretty serious about her.”
In the middle of Victoria’s speech about her son, Holly just zoned out. Victoria Cain, Jake McCluskey’s mother—Victoria Cain, Jake McCluskey’s mother, went through her head hundreds of times. It got to the point where Holly felt like throwing up.
“Honey, are you okay? You’ve gone as white as a sheet,” Victoria said.
“I just got a massive dizzy spell, but I’ll be okay. I apologize. Please continue from where we left off.”
“Oh yes. Sorry to get side-tracked, anyway—”
Holly knew she was a complete fool for thinking that she could have pulled off a real relationship with Jake. It was time to face the facts: this was an experiment and the woman sitting before her had just reminded her of exactly that. Actually, it was more so a sign telling her that she could not date Jake without the risk of everything blowing up in her face. There was only one thing left to do and that was to call an emergency meeting with Dr. Adams.
***
The two met up for breakfast the next day because Dr. Adams only had time in the morning to meet. Cat had been on some bizarre vegan diet ever since Holly could remember. Instead of ordering breakfast, the doctor asked for a green salad and a side of marinara sauce.
“So are you going to tell me the reason why you wanted to meet with me today?” Dr. Adams asked as she poured the marinara sauce on top of her salad.
In despair, Holly looked down at her plate of syrupy waffles. “Something happened yesterday.”
“Okay, would you care to elaborate or are you just going to keep me guessing all day?” Cat took a bite of her salad and washed it down with some iced tea.
“I have a client—” Holly began, “I have a client who just so happens to be Jake’s mother.”
All at once, the doctor stopped chewing and put down her fork. “What? How on Earth did that happen?”
“Honestly, I had no idea about any of it until yesterday. I showed up at her house and then I happened to see a picture of him on her mantle.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, obviously, I can’t see Jake anymore.” Holly pushed a soggy piece of waffle around on her plate. The topic of conversation left her with no appetite. Jake had called her five times since yesterday and she hadn’t bothered to call him back. “Things have become complicated and I think I need to finish off this experiment the way I started.”
“Which was?” Cat asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I go back to dating multiple men.”
“Holly—” The doctor dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and continued, “I’m concerned that you’ve genuinely fallen for the man.”
“Not entirely,” Holly lied. She looked down into her plate again, this time in shame. “That’s why I’m doing the right thing and ending the relationship before it spirals out of control.”
“It’s not going to be as easy as you think,” Cat said with a snort.
“I know, but it has to be done. I’ve already come up with a plan to let him down gently.”
“As well as your fans?”
“Hey, this is the game I’ve come to learn to play.”
Yes, Holly’s heart ripped in two knowing she’d have to do this to a man she loved and adored, but she had no choice now that his mother was involved in the club. For the first time in Holly’s life, she’d be the one breaking someone’s heart.
December 14, 2013
Sparks101.com- I Teach Women How Men Think
The Do’s and Don’ts of Texting in a Relationship.
Class is now in session.
Once upon a time, I couldn’t have been more against text messaging. I believed it took far more effort to type out a word than to dial a damn phone number, but my beliefs have changed. For me and everyone else, we have to agree that texting is obviously more of a convenience factor. For instance, so you can’t be making personal calls at work? Hey, try texting! It will make you look more inconspicuous. Some people can get away with texting all day and no one at the office will even notice what’s going on as long as they work it right.
Many women, as well as men, have no clue about texting etiquette in a relationship. A person can easily end up being dumped just because of simple miscommunication of a meaningless text message. Also, full conversations by text message can lead to things becoming terribly misconstrued. It’s best not to take anything too seriously when it comes to text messaging. Analyzing every text you receive will only make things more complicated in a relationship.
DON’T: Text Incessantly: Honest to God, there is nothing more irritating to a guy then when you start blowing up his phone with your one-hundred mindless text messages. Plenty of women can do this all within an hour. Usually these type of girls will end up having a conversation with themselves because he will most likely never respond to one text.
DO: Send Only One Initiation Text: If you do not receive a response, then DO NOT continue texting him. The ball is in his court, so you WILL wait. Unless you plan on making yourself look desperate, I suggest you control yourself.
DON’T: Have Serious Conversations by Text: If you have something vitally importantly to talk about, don’t hide behind a text message. Text messaging is considered the most impersonal way of communication. In addition, the message you are trying to get across could end up going a very different direction than you intended.
DO: If you must talk about something important, send a message stating that you need to talk by phone and leave it at that.
DON’T: Nag or Harass a Guy by Text Message: Often when in a relationship, women think they have the right to text a guy every five-minutes with mindless banter. Want to kill a relationship? This is a surefire way to do it.
DO: Get Over yourself and Save the Drama for Yo Momma: If you want to keep that boyfriend, pick your battles. And yeah, think it over before bitching him out by text message. Ask yourself if it is truly worth it and then proceed from there.
DON’T: Text at Inappropriate Times: Unless you know him well, don’t be texting him at all hours of the night. It’s rude and inconsiderate and he’ll probably be turned off by it. Also, if he’s at work and specifically asks you not to text him, you best listen.
DO: Find out what times are best for texting each other before you get text happy and blow it for yourself.
DON’T: Keep Texting All Day: Like everything in life, texting must also be done in moderation.
DO: At Some Point, Cut the Conversation Off and Give Your Thumbs a Break: He’s not going anywhere—no need to wear things out.
Class dismissed.
Lesson 14
December 27, 2013
In Los Angeles, Jake McClusky stood in front of a jewelry store contemplating a decision that would change his life forever. In the end, he had always believed that life was too short for regrets and happiness was too fleeting for hesitation. He knew that if he didn’t make up his mind that day, he might never work up the nerve to do it again. Something in his gut told him th
at Darlene was a woman worth every penny and that he needed to step up to the plate.
Jake took a deep breath and walked through the doors and into a shock of intense air-conditioning. The bling inside this store almost blinded Jake like strong sunlight. A female friend had suggested this store, mentioning that Neil Lane jewelry adorns many of the Hollywood A-listers with amazing vintage lariat necklaces, brooches, and earrings at awards ceremonies. Evidently, Jake had never done this before, so he was not prone to this type of scene. Surrounding him were glass cases displaying millions of dollar’s worth of diamonds, semi-precious stones, gems, garnets, opals, and sapphires, as well as gold and silver. In a place like this, anyone could easily burn through their entire life savings with just the swipe of a credit card. There were so many things to choose from that it became a bit overwhelming and Jake didn't even know where to begin. He felt intimidated by the wealthy people browsing the store. A woman his age was outfitted in a dress that looked more costly than the diamond encrusted watch on her delicate wrist. On the other side of the room, an older man had a cashmere sport coat tossed casually over his shoulder. Even at a distance, his clothing screamed that he was worth gobs of money.
At that moment, all Jake could think about was how he would present this gift to Darlene on their trip to the Caribbean.
A pudgy, middle-aged man with gray thinning hair, sporting a suit and tie, approached Jake. “Hello, sir. How can I assist you today?”
This man’s eyes seemed to be questioning Jake’s appearance. He had shown up in holy jeans, square-toed boots, and a faded Hollister t-shirt. Even though Jake came from money, he never thought he fit into the snobbish category. He had always been good at keeping a low profile by blending in with the middle-class crowd.
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