The Girl of His Dreams (Bachelor #1)

by Janet Nissenson

  As they finished up lunch and walked the two short blocks to the stadium, Jordan wondered if he could somehow muster up the courage to call Ian over the next day or so. It would gall him a little to have to actually apologize to that arrogant bastard after some of the harsh, untrue things he’d said, but Jordan didn’t want to jeopardize Aubrey’s chances of getting a job. He’d do anything for her, he realized, even swallow his pride and kowtow to Ian if necessary. Now all he had to do was work up the nerve to dial Ian’s number, and mentally prepare himself for the stern tongue lashing he’d have to endure prior to asking for another favor.

  ***

  As luck would have it - probably bad luck the way his life had been going lately - Jordan didn’t have to summon up the courage to call Ian on the phone - because the two men wound up running into each other the following morning at the gym. Jordan had somewhat intentionally been avoiding the place, not ready for a confrontation with Ian just yet, but also because he’d been too gloomy and depressed to exercise.

  Last night, however, he’d made the decision that he wasn’t going to just sit around and mope for even one more day. It had been over two weeks now since Aubrey had blown up at him at the charity ball, and fled San Francisco the next morning. And while he’d promised to give her space and time to think things through, Jordan’s patience was wearing thin by now. After arriving home from the baseball game - an outing that neither he, Finn, nor Max had really enjoyed, especially since the Giants had gotten trounced, losing by seven runs - Jordan had forced himself to snap out of the funk he’d been in and take some definitive actions when it came to getting Aubrey back.

  He would start, he’d decided, by manning up and calling Ian, both to offer up a grudging apology and then to plead his case for Aubrey and the job opportunity that he hoped was still available. Next, he would find out, one way or another, exactly where the love of his life was taking up residence at the moment, and send her the biggest, most lavish bouquet of flowers she’d ever received. No, he’d corrected. Aubrey wasn’t impressed with big, lavish, over the top displays. He would send her a dozen yellow roses, her favorite, with a simple note that read something like “Haven’t stopped thinking of you for even one second. I love you more than words can express and hope that you’ll be ready to talk to me soon.”

  Next, Jordan had figured, he would start an all-out campaign to win her back - sending her sweet, romantic texts and emails, leaving voice mails begging for her forgiveness, ordering her a dozen yellow roses a day plus other little gifts she might like that weren’t overly extravagant. And he wasn’t prepared to stop until she either agreed to talk to him or took out a restraining order against him.

  He’d felt a hundred times better after deciding on his course of action and resolving to stick to it. For the first time since Aubrey had stormed out of his life, he’d actually had a decent night’s sleep and had woken up this bright and sunny Sunday morning with a whole new outlook on life. And that had included dragging his lazy ass to the gym for the first time in more than two weeks, only to stop short upon entering the locker room and seeing Ian already there.

  Jordan cleared his throat, trying not to let the other man’s scowling expression intimidate him. “Hey, Ian. Funny running into you here. Uh, not because you’re not here almost every day of the week while I usually come up with every excuse in the book not to work out. No, it’s because - well, I was actually going to give you a call tomorrow. You know. To apologize and stuff and see how - well, how everything was going.”

  Ian was unsmiling as he gave Jordan a rather scathing look. “I see. Well, fortunately you can do that in person now, I suppose, instead of having to work up the nerve to do so over the phone.”

  Jordan smiled wryly. “Is my fear that obvious? You have to admit that you were awfully terrifying the last time we saw each other. “Not,” he added hastily, “that you didn’t have every right to be pissed off at me. But I would like the chance to apologize, Ian, and to explain a few things. And to ask a favor. For - for Aubrey, that is.”

  Ian shrugged. “If you’re referring to her job interview with the company, that’s not something you should be concerned with. I would never hold your very unwise actions against her. And, yes, I suppose we should talk. We could have coffee or breakfast after our workouts. I’ll let Tessa know I’ll be a little later than planned. Given what a soft heart she has where you’re concerned, I’m sure she’ll be pleased that we’re talking again.”

  Jordan resisted the urge to heave a huge sigh of relief, not wanting Ian to see just how anxious he was. “That would be great, Ian. I’ll just meet you back here whenever you’re finished with your workout.”

  Ian gave a short nod, then walked toward the locker room exit. “Right, then. See you in two hours.”

  “Two hours!” gaped Jordan, but found he was talking to himself since Ian had already left the room. He shook his head in mingled amazement and revulsion, wondering what the hell he was going to do with himself for two hours, given that his normal workout lasted a scant hour. And that was on a good day, when he wasn’t nursing a hangover and was feeling ambitious. Ian, on the other hand, was famous, almost legendary, around the gym for his intense, rather brutal workouts.

  ‘Guess you’d better pace yourself,’ Jordan muttered beneath his breath as he slowly made his way out to the cardio room.

  Ninety minutes later, though, he was fried, having jogged on the treadmill, all but destroyed his calf muscles on the Stairmaster, lifted weights until his arms and shoulders felt like Jell-O, and did a series of sit-ups on the slant board until he feared he’d throw up if he tried even one more. Meanwhile, thought Jordan in disgust, Ian was likely still going strong, probably swimming an endless number of laps in the pool, or hefting insanely heavy weights, or pummeling some unsuspecting opponent in the boxing ring unless he’d had to settle for the punching bag this morning. Jordan shuddered, making sure he was nowhere near the boxing room just in case Ian decided to recruit him as a sparring partner.

  Instead, he passed the next thirty minutes by soaking in the hot tub, regretting that there wasn’t enough time to get a much needed massage, then taking an extra long shower. Jordan had just finished getting dressed when Ian walked back inside the locker room, though even after a grueling two hour workout he’d barely broken a sweat.

  “Are you even human?” grunted Jordan as the other man began to strip. “There was a rumor going around for awhile that you were actually part Cyborg. How can you have just finished working out for two hours and still look like you’re ready for more?”

  Ian shrugged carelessly. “Practice,” was all he said in response as he made his way toward the showers.

  Less than ten minutes later Ian had showered and dressed with an effortless efficiency, leaving Jordan to wonder somewhat sardonically if he went through all aspects of his daily life with the same sort of smooth precision. The one exception, thought Jordan smugly, would likely be in the bedroom. Tessa was definitely not a woman to be squeezed into your schedule, or fitted in between appointments. She was the sort of woman a man could lose himself in, could linger over for hours and hours, and keep locked up in his room for days at a time.

  Exactly like Aubrey, thought Jordan longingly. And there had, in fact, been more than a few times in their short-lived relationship when they’d barely left the bedroom all day. When he’d feared that no matter how many times he made love to her that he would never feel sated, would always need more. And now that he’d been separated from her for more than two weeks, the longing he felt to hold her in his arms was becoming a physical ache, and he was more determined than ever to do whatever it took to win her back. Including choking down a meal under Ian Gregson’s fearsome regard.

  As Jordan held the door open for Ian to pass as they left the gym, Ian gave him a wry, rather reluctant smile.

  “No need to look so worried, Jordan,” he drawled. “I’ve already taken all of my aggressions out this morning on the pu
nching bag.”

  Jordan felt himself beginning to relax a bit, taking it as a good sign that Ian could actually crack a joke - something he didn’t do very often. “Good. Not that I’d blame you for taking a few swings at me. Nothing I don’t deserve.”

  Ian shrugged. “I suppose that’s up for debate, isn’t it? Now, where should we eat? What about Sweet Maple? It’s just around the corner and shouldn’t be too crowded quite yet.”

  Jordan grimaced and shook his head. “Uh, not there, if you don’t mind. Not that the food isn’t great, it’s just - well, I might have dated one of the wait staff there a few months ago. And while there’s a chance she might not work there any longer she did have the weekend breakfast shift as I recall.”

  Ian shook his head in chagrin. “I see. And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Very well, then. The Grove it is. Unless, of course, another of your former dates works there.”

  “The Grove will be fine,” replied Jordan rather meekly.

  It was less than a half mile walk to the restaurant, and fortunately no wait for a table. Ian ordered a predictably healthy meal of poached eggs on avocado toast and tea, while Jordan, who wasn’t particularly in the mood to worry about things like cholesterol or fat grams this morning, selected eggs Benedict served with hash browns and coffee.

  While they were waiting for their food to be served, Jordan hesitantly began what he knew was going to be both an awkward and unpleasant conversation.

  “So,” he mumbled. “I, uh, suppose I should start off by apologizing to you, Ian. I’ve already told Tessa all of this, but I don’t know how much she passed on to you of our conversation over lunch a couple of weeks ago.”

  Ian leaned back in his chair and took a leisurely sip of his tea. From the rather arrogant, almost smug look on his face, it was obvious he wasn’t about to make this easy for Jordan. “She told me everything, of course,” he replied calmly. “There’s nothing Tessa and I keep from each other. So, yes. I understand your reasons for not telling the two of us about Aubrey, about keeping it a secret for as long as you did. But while I might understand your reasons I certainly don’t agree with them, Jordan. It would have been much better for all of us if you’d just told Aubrey the truth from the beginning, and then found a way to break the news to Tessa and me.”

  “Yeah, I get that,” sighed Jordan. “Though I didn’t exactly lie to Aubrey. More like a lie of omission than anything.”

  “Splitting hairs there a bit, Jordan?” asked Ian admonishingly. “Or simply trying to justify your ill-advised actions?”

  “The latter, I guess,” acknowledged Jordan reluctantly. “But I was intending to tell all of you sooner than later. I suppose I just wanted a little more time with Aubrey, to make sure that she really cared about me. That she loved me as much as I loved her.”

  “Hmm.” Ian set his mug down. “So you really are in love with her then. Though is it truly Aubrey you profess to love or simply a substitute for my wife?”

  Jordan winced. “I never imagined myself in love with Tessa,” he protested. “It was - well, I don’t know what it was like exactly. I’m a little too old to be having crushes on girls, so I guess a more accurate term would be infatuation. Tessa was so different from all of the other women I’d dated over the years, something I’m sure you’re well aware of. Shy, a little naïve, certainly not a practiced flirt, and she didn’t seem to have an aggressive bone in her body. She was sweet and kind and actually blushed when I teased her. And I can’t tell you the last time a woman did that in my presence. She was - well, a breath of fresh air, I suppose, and she intrigued me. Captivated me. And I’ve never been as envious of anyone in my life as I was of you, Ian. Especially when I saw the two of you together and realized how much you cared for each other, how connected you were. I’d never even come close to having someone love me the way Tessa so obviously loved you, had never felt even the tiniest sort of connection with a woman, and definitely not the sort you two shared.” He paused for a moment before admitting, “And I wanted that sort of relationship for myself, hard as it is to believe. Maybe I thought that having a woman like Tessa would make that happen.”

  Ian was silent as their food was served, and didn’t speak for several minutes afterwards as they began to eat. And when he finally broke the silence, Jordan was startled at his words.

  “I can’t really blame you, can I?” asked Ian, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. “How can I blame any man who’s attracted to someone as beautiful and as special as my wife? Of course, I’d never tolerate anyone doing more than admiring her from afar, or even flirting with her a bit as you persist in doing. Though there were a few times I was tempted to punch you in the nose when I thought you were taking it a bit too far.”

  Jordan didn’t bother to suppress a shudder. “Hey, that’s just who I am, Ian,” he joked weakly. “Flirting is second nature to me, always has been. And I never, ever took it too far, at least in my opinion. I always respected the fact that Tessa was your woman, and that she was crazy in love with you. Even if she’d ever given me the slightest hint that she was attracted to me, I still would never have crossed that line. But she never did, as I’m sure you’re well aware. What the two of you have is something so special I can’t even put words to it. It’s like some grand, epic love story that would have been made into a movie back in the fifties, the kind of love that poets write about and all that stuff. God, look at me, would you? Getting all mushy and sentimental. If Finn heard me now, he’d deny ever having known me.”

  Ian did smile this time, and his hazel eyes twinkled in amusement. “It is rather hard to believe, I’ll admit. And you’re right about the way it is between Tessa and me. One of the reasons I never took you to task for flirting with her was because I trusted her so completely, knew that she’d never even think of flirting back, much less going beyond that point. Though I did entertain the thought of persuading her to change doctors, in order to keep her as far away from you as possible. But I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, especially because for some reason she actually likes you.”

  Jordan chuckled. “I told you before, she’s very kindhearted. And if we’re talking about making someone feel uncomfortable, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve accompanied Tessa to every single appointment she’s ever had with me.”

  Ian shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t take that one so personally, Jordan. Frankly, there’s no way in hell any man is ever going to put his hands on my wife outside of my presence, no matter how clinical it might be.”

  Jordan felt himself starting to relax, this dreaded meeting with Ian actually going far better than he had feared. Enough so that he felt emboldened to ask for that favor now.

  “Look, I know that no matter how often I apologize to you and Tessa it’s probably still going to take some time to smooth everything over,” began Jordan. “But I wanted to ask you, Ian - plead with you if necessary - not to take any of this out on Aubrey. She’s as innocent in all of this as you and Tessa are, and I hope I didn’t screw up any job opportunities for her with your company. I hope - that is, I knew she was supposed to have some sort of follow-up interview, and I wanted to make sure that was still a possibility.”

  Ian pushed his plate away, then refilled his mug from the ceramic teapot that had been left on the table. “Not only is it still a possibility, but it’s already happened. Aubrey had her second interview a few days ago, and I believe she’ll be starting with us week after next.”

  Jordan was visibly startled at this news. “She - she is? Wow. That - well, that’s great news. I’m really pleased for her. And very grateful to you. Thanks, Ian.”

  Ian made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Nothing to thank me for. Aubrey earned the job all on her own. The department manager who hired her was very impressed, and is certain she’ll be a valuable addition to his staff. I take it, then, you haven’t heard anything from her since - well, since the night of the ball?”

 
“Not a word,” admitted Jordan defeatedly. “I promised I’d leave her alone, and let her figure out what it was she wanted to do from here. But it’s been over two weeks now, and I decided last night that I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing any longer. I’m going to do my damndest to win her back, Ian. But I couldn’t start trying until I spoke with you first, cleared the air, and begged you to still give her a job if that’s what she wanted.”

  “Well,” replied Ian with a chuckle that sounded positively evil to Jordan, “not that listening to you beg and grovel doesn’t sound tempting, but I suppose there’s really no need for it any longer. You should save the begging and groveling for when you talk to Aubrey. Though I have a feeling she’s not quite as furious with you as she was at first.”

  Jordan didn’t bother to hide his excitement at this announcement. “You - you’ve seen her then? Talked to her? I gave Tessa her contact information, you know, but I have no idea what happened after that.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen and talked to her. Frequently, in fact. It’s a little difficult to avoid doing so when someone’s your houseguest after all.” At Jordan’s perplexed look, Ian continued. “Tessa was so anxious to speak with Aubrey face to face that we flew down to San Diego the day after she talked with her on the phone. They had lunch together, and then arranged to meet with the social worker who’d helped coordinate Aubrey’s adoption. The social worker confirmed that the two of them are actually half-sisters. Tessa’s mother evidently found herself pregnant again at some point - little surprise, given how irresponsible she was - but did the right thing by giving Aubrey up for adoption. Tessa’s mother never mentioned a word about it to her, and Aubrey apparently had no desire to learn anything about her biological parents.”