“Let it go to voicemail,” he ordered. “We’re having a father-daughter luncheon, and I’m not sharing you right now.”
She chuckled. “Fine, but if Ed McMahan was calling, and you caused us to miss it, don’t blame me.”
“I’ll try my best.”
They both laughed, and went back to eating. Janae’s phone beeped, indicating she had a message, but she ignored it and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with her dad.
Chapter Eight
Matt tugged Janae into his arms and kissed her lips. She moaned, leaning into his chest. An ache in her heart wouldn’t let her go. She wondered how long she and Matt would be together before it didn’t hurt to be separated from him. Maybe she felt this way because they weren’t married yet. With a little mental discipline, she might be able to get a grip. At least she hoped so, because he traveled all the time.
“This stupid trip comes up after I promised you I would stick around for a while.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Damn it, I’m sorry, honey.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. This is your job.” She tried to shrug it off. “Plus, absence makes it all the sweeter when you come back.”
“That’s no comfort. I want you in my arms now.”
She chuckled. “I am in your arms.”
“Permanently.”
“How would we pee?”
He laughed. “All right. I get it. You won’t miss me.”
“Oh I’ll miss you, baby. I miss you already, and I wish you didn’t have to go or I could come with you.”
“You could.” He looked hopeful.
“Not this time. We’ve got a lot going on at the job. Dad needs me.”
He nodded. “Then wait for me, okay? I’ll finish what I have to do and get back here. I’ll call as often as I can.”
“I know you will.”
Final boarding call came over the loudspeaker for Matt’s plane. He could have been seated long ago, but they had wanted extra time. Janae clung to him a little longer, and he kissed her until her lips grew numb.
When he pushed her gently away, she saw the reluctance in his eyes and his movements. She could make him feel better about the trip if she told him about her decision to marry him. Knowing him, he’d be on cloud nine for the entire time he was away. Still, she hesitated to say it out loud. She was sure she would do it now, just nervous about speaking it into the ether.
“I love you,” he said, backing away.
She opened her mouth to tell him she loved him too when a small crowd of late travelers separated them. The next time Janae got a clear view of her baby, it was the back of his head as he passed through the gate’s doors.
“I love you, too, Matt,” she whispered to him, although he couldn’t hear her.
On her way back to her car, Janae checked her messages. She frowned, realizing she had forgotten to listen to the one from the unknown number. The person had called three times but left one message. Sighing, she ticked the play button and waited.
Kyler’s distinct tone came over the line, and she stopped walking in shock. “Janae Wilson, this is Kyler Foust, Matt’s brother.”
“Duh.”
“I’m calling because my grandmother and I would like to meet with you for dinner. We would prefer it if you would keep the meeting between us and not tell Matt. Once you hear what we have to say, I think you’ll agree that it’s better to keep him out of these proceedings.”
“Proceedings? Since when were we in business negotiations?” She wanted to stop the message and delete it but decided to hear the jerk out.
“I’ve reserved a table…” He named a restaurant she had visited with Matt not too long ago. So the whole family loved to throw their money away on overpriced food. Kyler and Margaret didn’t surprise her in this regard though. “The reservation is at seven on Tuesday.”
“Wait, today?” She double-checked the day on her phone, but she already knew. That’s what she got for ignoring the message for two days. She wondered what they would do next if she blew off the meeting. Something told her the arrogant bastards wouldn’t give up. They would just harass her until she listened to their spiel about how she wasn’t good enough for Matt. Well, if they wanted to open themselves up for her telling them where to go, who was she to stop them?
Since she had the rest of the day to stress over the stupid meeting, she called out of work and puttered around her house. She did some spring cleaning and packing up old clothing for giving to Goodwill. After her small apartment was done, she wandered around downtown Boston, not shopping because she didn’t have the extra cash, but people-watching and browsing through various shops.
By six, Janae was back home and in the shower. In order to meet with the Fousts, she chose a simple but stylish outfit, a casual black dress with patchwork half-sleeves. At first she stressed over what to wear. Then she came to the conclusion that whatever she chose, Kyler and Margaret would still look down on her. The dress didn’t cost several thousand dollars. Hell, she’d gotten it on sale for twelve ninety-eight. The two of them would still see her as pond scum. They could kiss her ass.
Twenty minutes before seven, she left her apartment to drive to the restaurant. Good thing she’d gotten her car out of the shop because she didn’t have the cab fare. Matt had been chauffeuring her around, but he was gone.
Janae knew the restaurant was about forty minutes away, but they could wait. Just as she pulled into the parking lot, Matt dinged her phone with a message.
“Hey, honey, what are you doing?”
Oh, about to meet with your family so they can tell me how much of a loser I am.
“Nothing much.”
“I want to call you...”
She tensed. If he called now, she would have to think of an excuse to get him off the phone. Lying to him in text would be just as bad. She didn’t like lying to him.
“…but I have a meeting in five. Will it be too late to call at eleven? I want to hear your voice.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll wait up for you.”
“Great.”
Since he didn’t add any other sentiments, she knew he really did grab just a minute to text her. Feeling warm and confident in his love, she entered the restaurant and approached the host.
“I’m meeting Kyler Foust. Is he here?” she said.
The twenty-something man with hair jelled to a point in the front and wearing a crisp black uniform smiled at her. “Welcome, ma’am. Let me check the register.”
Janae glanced around. The soft lighting and the fact that she always refused to wear her glasses meant she couldn’t clearly see all the faces of the guests. Maybe it was the malevolence rolling off Margaret that helped her identify the woman on the far side of the restaurant. Janae could almost feel her eyes burning into her skin, trying to set her on fire where she stood.
“I think that’s them,” she said pointing.
“Oh, yes, the reservation is under Ms. Margaret Foust. Lester will show you the way.”
Despite the fact that she wasn’t so blind she couldn’t find her way, she followed Lester. Kyler stood when she reached the table, probably from breeding more than a wish to be polite. Margaret didn’t acknowledge her existence as she ate a salad.
Wow, classy. They started without me.
Not that she intended to eat with these people.
“You’re late,” Margaret snapped when she sat down. “Tell him what you want so he doesn’t hover forever!”
Janae realized Lester lingered, and she gave him her order for an apple sangria and nothing else. She’d put something on her stomach before leaving home because she knew she would need a bit of alcohol to get through tonight, but she didn’t want to be smashed because of drinking on an empty stomach.
“Well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” she said.
“Aren’t you going to order something to eat?” Kyler asked.
“Let’s not pretend this is a social date, okay? You’re here to try to harass me
. I’m here to tell you to kiss my ass.”
Margaret set her knife and fork down carefully beside her plate and raised hard eyes to Janae. “I would appreciate it if you watch your tone while you’re in my presence.”
“No.”
Both their brows rose. Margaret reminded Janae of her dad when she flared her nostrils in outrage, but Margaret’s nose was so thin and high—she guessed there really wasn’t any resemblance.
“Excuse me?” she spat.
“You heard me.”
The waiter arrived with Janae’s drink, and she thanked him then took a hearty sip. Her nerves began to settle right away, and she set the glass down.
“Get to the point, Margaret. I don’t want to be here, and I’m sure you don’t either. Trying to command me to curb my tongue or whatever is pointless. You already think I’m beneath you, so it shouldn’t matter what I say.”
Kyler interjected. “That doesn’t mean you can disrespect my grandmother.”
“But she can disrespect me? Look, we’ve had this argument. It’s old. Get to the damn point. You want me to stop seeing Matt? The answer is no. Next question.”
“I won’t be manipulated by the likes of you, young lady.”
“You chose the date and time without letting me decide if I would come or if it was convenient,” Jane pointed out. “That should be enough power for you. If you’re afraid to state your business, I can go now.”
There it was, that splotchy shade she aimed for in Margaret’s skin. She had driven the woman over the edge in her anger, and Janae mentally patted herself on the back.
“We want,” Kyler began, but Margaret held up her hand.
“I want you to stop seeing my grandson. That’s not a request. It’s a demand. And before you refuse again, you should know I’m prepared to disown him and fire him from his position at my company.”
Janae’s mouth fell open. Was she serious? She would hurt her own grandson to get rid of Janae? Maybe it was a bluff to see if the money was what Janae was after. Her thoughts were validated when Margaret continued.
“Let me be clear. Matthew will be poor. He won’t be able to maintain the house he lives in. The trips, the income, all of it will dry up. Also, in case you’re wondering, he doesn’t own stock in the company. Once I cut him out of my will, even if I die, everything I own will go to Kyler.”
Janae shook her head, at a loss for words. What kind of person tries to control another by making them suffer? She looked over at Kyler to gauge whether he was just as depraved as his grandmother, and all she saw was an expression just slightly less chilly than Margaret’s. Meeting her gaze, he spoke up.
“I’d like to add that should my grandmother leave me anything, I won’t be looking out for my brother. He should know better how to conduct his own life, but since he can’t, Margaret and I had to step in. I won’t let him risk our livelihood by his stupidity.”
“Shut your mouth,” Janae almost shouted. Several heads turned their way, and she tried to get a hold of her anger. “You can talk down to me all you want. I don’t care because I know my worth. But I’ll be damned if you’re going to trash talk Matt when he’s not even here to defend himself. Is this how you treat him, how he’s been thought of between the two of you all his life?”
“You don’t know anything about us,” Kyler said.
“Oh, I know plenty, more than I want to know. I know he’s better off without you two assholes. Yeah, don’t look shocked. You’re assholes. Do you want me to repeat it? We don’t need you. I’m not giving up Matt even if he’s dirt poor. You’ve proven to me that you two don’t know him. He’s sweet and perfect and a great person who doesn’t look down on anybody. I can’t even imagine how he turned out so good when you two are so disgusting.”
“You—” Margaret began.
“Shut the hell up! Nobody wants your damn money, and you’re showing how insecure you really are by trying to control Matt. Are you scared he won’t love you if he loves me? Well too bad. I would never ask him not to see you, even after we’re married.”
Two sets of eyes bugged at her mention of marriage. She would have laughed if she weren’t so angry. In fact, she’d gone off more than she intended tonight.
“Like I said, we don’t need you, and even if Matt and I have to eat Oodles of Noodles every day for the rest of our lives, he would be a lot better off than with a couple of backstabbing family members like you. Good night.”
Janae scraped her chair away from the table and stood.
“You’re making a mistake.” Margaret didn’t look at her. Her bony lined hand trembled as it gripped her wine glass. “Matt’s inheritance isn’t my only card.”
“Whatever, Grandma.”
Janae left them sitting there and stormed out of the restaurant. Later, as she drove home she wondered if she had gone too far. Her dad had raised her to respect her elders but she had called Margaret an asshole and told the woman to shut up. Thinking about it, Janae pressed a hand to her mouth. She burst out laughing.
“Oh man, I let her have it.”
She could have done much worse but imagined Kyler and Margaret thought what she said was bad enough. They probably figured they were right about her from the way she behaved, but she didn’t care. She was confident about Matt’s love.
“He won’t leave me, even if I did call his Nana an asshole. If I called her a bitch maybe, but not asshole.”
She cracked up again and kept snickering all the way home.
Chapter Nine
For all the fun Janae had cursing out Kyler and Margaret, she paid for it the next morning when she woke up sick as a dog. Vomiting until it seemed like her stomach touched her back, she hugged the toilet bowl for the better part of an hour.
At last, she felt like she could take a breath without retching and climbed shakily to her feet. The bathroom swayed around her for a minute, but she shut her eyes and waited it out. Pressing a hand to her head and then to her painful stomach, she whimpered.
“I must not have eaten enough before I had that drink. Either that or those fools stressed me out more than I thought.”
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen as if she’d been crying. Just great. All she needed was for her dad to start worrying about her health. Well, it was nothing a few eye drops and a hot shower couldn’t take care of.
After she was dressed, she tried to make herself the breakfast she ate on most mornings—a sausage and egg toasted mcmuffin. The scent of the greasy sausage almost sent her back to the bathroom, so she dumped everything in the trash.
In the car, she dialed Monique who answered on the first ring. “Hey, Monique. Is my dad in yet? I just tried his phone, and he’s not answering.”
“Good morning, Janae. He’s in, but…”
Janae frowned. “But what?”
“I think maybe you should talk to him yourself.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do. He’s not picking up.”
“No, I mean, well… Something’s happened.”
“I’m not into the cryptic talk. Can we make it plain, please?” Janae didn’t mean to snap at the woman, but her stomach still felt queasy, and driving fast on the highway wasn’t helping her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Janae waited for her to say more, but she remained silent.
“Get him on the phone, Monique.”
Janae picked up the sound of knocking and Monique’s voice calling out, “Mr. Wilson, Janae is on the phone. Mr. Wilson?”
The sound of jiggling the doorknob and more knocking. Janae started to worry. Had her dad had a heart attack or something? No, that wasn’t it. Monique was acting strange. That meant the problem had something to do with work not her dad’s health.
“I can’t get him to answer, Janae.”
“No worries. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Janae disconnected the call, worrying all the more. Her dad was a people person. He loved them around him at all times. He coul
d hardly stay in his office even when he was drawing up plans. Normally, he would leave his office door open so he could talk to Monique. She didn’t seem to mind.
When Janae strode into the office, her dad’s door was still closed, and when she tried to open it, she found it locked. She banged on the door. “Dad, you unlock this door right now.”
She almost laughed at the roll reversal. So many times in her teen years, her dad had said the same thing to her. Janae loved her privacy, and she enjoyed just shutting herself away with her thoughts and work. Peace and quiet was her thing.
Her dad didn’t answer, so she kicked the door.
“You can open up, or I get one of the guys in here and break the door down. Better yet, I can call the fire department, and they can take it down with a hatchet.”
At her desk, Monique snorted. Janae knew the fire department and the hatchet would have been overkill, but let him get nervous and open the damn door. After a minute, she heard shuffling around in her dad’s office. Soon the lock turned, and he opened the door. Before her dad turned away, she caught a glimpse of his face.
“You look like hell, Dad. What’s going on? Did you even go home last night?” She followed him into the office. The area had a distinct scent of body odor, and her stomach churned. She stopped dead and backtracked to the doorway. “Come to my office, and we’ll talk about it.”
Janae pivoted and hightailed it out of there. She sprayed lavender scent from a can of air freshener she kept in her personal supply cabinet. Some of the men visited the office smelling ripe.
Her dad slogged into her office and dropped into a chair. Janae couldn’t help noticing the slump to his shoulders and the disillusionment in his eyes. She forgot her sickness and his scent and hugged him. “Daddy, what’s going on? Please talk to me. I know we can work it out.”
He looked up at her slowly. “Janae, I didn’t want to tell you, but I can’t pull myself together enough to pretend.”
Give Up On Me Page 6