More Than One Night

by Tuhart, Marie

  “Sweetheart.” He drew her into his lap. “What’s really bothering you?”

  Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes. “I’m not very good at dinner parties.”

  “Why don’t I believe that?” His fingers smoothed her hair down. “You talk to people all the time while working, tonight will be no different.”

  Yeah, it will be. She’d have to remember which fork to use for what, watch what she said and, most of all, put on the act of her life. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t. And she hated it already.

  “It’s going to be more social than business. All the men are bringing their wives or girlfriends.”

  “And what would you do if I wasn’t in the picture?”

  He hesitated, then said, “I’d call on old friend to accompany me. But you’re in my life and I intend to keep you there.”

  His words warmed her heart. She was being silly. This dinner party would be different from the ones her mother used to play hostess at where all the women looked down at her mother. Beth could handle this. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she kissed his cheek. “Sorry to be such a pain. I’m a little nervous.” She slid off his lap before he could stop her and took her own seat.

  “There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’ll be there with you.”

  “Then I’ll be fine.” She ignored the way her stomach tumbled around.

  ****

  Shutting the door to his apartment after another dinner party, several weeks later, Jake called, “Beth,” and followed her into his bedroom, rubbing the back of his neck. While dinner wasn’t a disaster, it was very interesting. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”

  “I told you I was no good at dinner parties.” She shimmied out of the gold dress and pulled on her robe.

  “You were doing just fine.” And she had been, over the last two weeks, they’d gone to their fair share of dinners with his clients and friends. She was a natural with his clients and friends as he knew she would be. But tonight had been different; she’d been on edge from the second they walked into the restaurant.

  “Yeah, until Paul Chandler asked what I did for a living. Why didn’t I think before I answered?” She hung the dress in his closet, next to her other ones, before turning to face him.

  His heart stilled at the anguish etched in her features. “Paul’s an ass. Why are you making a deal of this?”

  “Because it is a big deal.” Her fingers played with the frayed robe belt end. “I saw their faces, the shocked looked saying Jake was slumming tonight.”

  He strode over to her and took her by the shoulders. “I can’t tell you they weren’t thinking that, the problem is they’ve forgotten their roots. They’re all self-made millionaires, like me.” He tried to pull her to his chest to comfort her.

  “Right.” Shrugging away his hands, she stormed out of the room.

  Damn it, they needed to talk about this, get it all out in the open. There was something else bothering her, something she wasn’t telling him. Changing his own clothes, he found her in the kitchen staring out the small window which had a fantastic view of the building across the street.

  “Honey.” He tried once again to comfort her by pulling her into his arms, to let her know he was there for her, but she jerked away.

  “I can’t do this. Not tonight.” Flopping down onto one of the kitchen chairs, she began opening the mail they’d brought from her place earlier.

  “Leave the mail until tomorrow. It will wait.” But this couldn’t and he wouldn’t have it festering between them all night.

  “I don’t want to rehash what happened tonight.”

  “We need to talk this out. I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again.” Unable to stand still, he began to make coffee. Something told him it was going to be a long night.

  “You don’t get it, do you,” she said in a soft voice that almost broke his heart. He flipped the coffee make on then faced her. “I’m a nothing, Jake. I don’t have money or a pure lineage. I’m just a bartender who has trouble meeting her monthly expenses.”

  “I don’t have lineage either,” he reminded her. “It’s what’s inside.” He thumbed his heart before striding over to her.

  She tilted her head back. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I?”

  “Just a tad.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. When he stepped back, he watched her try to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We can work this out between us.”

  “You’re right, we can. I just need some time.”

  “Time is something we have plenty of.” The ring he had bought was burning a hole in his safe, but he would wait. He had to do to this right or she’d walk out on him. Brushing another kiss against her soft lips, he straightened and went to pour them both some coffee.

  He smiled when she ripped an envelope open, then silence before she said, “What the hell?”

  Turning with two mugs in his hand, she was staring down at the letter in her hand. “A problem?” He set a mug in front of her before taking his seat.

  “You tell me.” Their gazes clashed when she looked at him, angry fire flashing in her blue eyes. “You paid off the hospital bill?”

  Wincing, he could only nod. He hadn’t told her about that. He’d planned on it, but after reading the PI’s report a week ago, he was still trying to work out everything he’d read in the more than thorough report on her life. The hospital bill had been the last thing on his mind.

  But he didn’t blame her for her fears. He only wished she’d share them with him instead of keeping her own counsel. He couldn’t fight her demons if she didn’t let him in to do so.

  “Why?”

  “Because I…wanted to.” He really wanted to say because he loved her, but she wouldn’t be receptive in this frame of mind. He should have said it earlier, but each time something held him back and he wasn’t sure what it was.

  “You wanted to,” she repeated. “It’s always about what you want, isn’t it, Jake?”

  Oh brother, he hated those words and her tone of voice. Frowning, he stared at her.

  “I should have listened to myself.” Now her tone was quiet, almost too quiet. “You were wrong for me the second I saw you, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re not making sense.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I was giving you a little help. Everyone needs a little help now and then.” He reached for her hand.

  Her chair crashed to the floor as she jumped to her feet to avoid his touch. Anger visible in every line of her body.

  “Why are you so angry?” he asked.

  “Because I’ve told you before I don’t want you paying for things for me. I can take care of myself. How did you find out about the hospital bill anyway?”

  Jake rubbed the back of his neck. He wouldn’t lie to her, not now. “Mr. Howard called one morning you were out getting breakfast. I picked up the phone.”

  “And he just told you about it?”

  “No. At first I thought something had happened to you, some accident or something. But when he explained, I told him I know someone on the board of directors.”

  “And decided to use your clout to delve into my life, my problems.”

  “I could take care of it, so why not? One less thing for you to worry about.”

  “It was my worry, my problem, not yours.” She threw the letter at him.

  Anger seeped into his veins. This had been building for a while. Now he knew why he’d been holding back in telling her that he loved her. She’d been biding her time to find an excuse to leave him. His heart grew heavy. “I sleep in your bed, kiss your body, make love to you, but helping you with a small bill is an issue.” He pushed away from the table. “When are you going to trust me? When are you going to tell me about your childhood? About your mother? About being homeless?”

  Her mouth dropped open and her blue eyes went stone cold. “How did you know I was homeless as a kid?”

  Damn, how could he slip up like that? Probably because he was tired of pus
sy-footing around it. “Didn’t you tell me?”

  “No, I didn’t.” She glared at him. “You’ve had someone spying on me.”

  “Not spying, only checking into your life.”

  “Why, Jake?”

  “How the hell else am I going to find out about it?” He rocked on his heels. “You sure as hell won’t tell me about it.”

  “This isn’t going to work. I can’t be what you want me to be.”

  “And what the hell do you think I want, Beth?” How could she know, when she never asked him?

  “You want what all rich men want—a little dress up woman, one who’s always at his beck and call. Oh, give her a fancy house, gorgeous clothes and expensive jewelry and she’ll be happy. That’s not me.”

  “No, it’s not. But I never said that was the type of woman I wanted.” Hell, she was carrying more baggage than he realized.

  “Not in words, but in actions.” She waved her hand in the air as she spoke. “You went out and bought the big screen TV after you agreed not to. I picked out one dress at Cecila’s shop, yet you brought a dozen and put them in the closet. You keep pressuring me to take the day shift, and taking me to dinners and parties I don’t belong at.”

  “Your TV died, you need more than one dress, the day shift would give us more time together and I wanted to show you off to my friends and business associates.”

  “I’m not a new car to be shown off. I’m a woman.”

  “Show off was a poor choice of words.” But in a way it wasn’t. He did want to show her off, to show the world the woman he loved. “I’m proud of you and I wanted you by my side in all things, business and pleasure.”

  She shook her head. “This isn’t going to work.”

  Cold spread from his toes to his brain. The second time she said those words. “What isn’t going to work?” But he already knew the answer. He could see it in the way she held her body, arms crossed over her stomach, the slight trembling of her lip. She was going to walk away from him again.

  “Us.” She spread her hands out, palms open. “I told you when we first met, I’m a pizza and beer kind of girl. You’re more caviar and Chambord.”

  “And the two shall never mix.” This time he shook his head. “Life isn’t that clear cut, Beth. Stop being afraid of being like your mother.” He couldn’t believe he said the words, but he had to. “You’re using my money as an excuse to cover your own fears.”

  “We want different things. You want a woman you can show off, I want a man who wants me, just as I am.”

  “I see.” His words weren’t making an impact. He glared at her, all reason gone. The gloves were coming off. “Let me tell you something. If I wanted the type of person you’ve described, I’d be married by now. Any number of women I’ve dated over the last few years would fit the bill.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Go to them.”

  He caught her by the shoulders before she could flounce away. It was time for some home truths to the woman he loved. “I don’t want other women, I want you. I’ve always wanted you.” He took a breath before continuing, “I hired the PI before we started dating when I was trying to find you after our first night together. Maybe reading his full report was a mistake, but I’ve waited for you to open up, to talk to me, to trust me.” He glared at her. “But don’t you understand?”

  “Understand what?” She tried to squirm away from his hold.

  He took her face between his palms, his heart splintering with every word. “I love you.” His gaze captured hers. “I love you for who you are.”

  Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss against her lips. “I need to think.”

  Her words hit him hard in the stomach. He’d done everything he could to make her see that he loved her and wanted just her, the way she is now.

  “Think all you want, but take a deep look inside yourself, Beth, and figure out who it is you really don’t trust before you end up alone for the rest of your life.” Releasing her, he marched out of the kitchen and into the living room. He stood by the window gazing out at the city until he heard her soft footfalls.

  He watched her reflection in the window. Head held high, she strode by and into the bedroom, only to return minutes later dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. She picked up Rosie from her bed and cuddled the dog in her arms.

  “I’ll be in touch,” she whispered before opening the door and walking out.

  The click of the door shutting drove a knife into his heart.

  Chapter Eleven

  “He’s really gone from my life.” Beth said the words out loud the next morning. She couldn’t believe she’d walked out on Jake. All night, she sat on her sofa waiting from him to march into her apartment, sweep her into his arms, carry her into the bedroom and hold her close all night.

  She’d apologize for storming out and he’d apologize for blowing up. They’d make love and everything would be okay. But it wasn’t. Jake was gone. Hopelessness crashed through her when she finally admitted that staring at the front door wouldn’t make Jake magically appear.

  Rosie started barking when someone placed a key into the lock. Jake! Beth sprang up off the sofa, smoothing her hand down the front of her robe. Darn, she should have brushed her teeth earlier, fixed her hair and maybe put on something a little more seductive.

  She held her breath as the door opened.

  Carla stepped inside her apartment.

  Beth flopped onto the sofa. It wasn’t Jake, it would never be Jake. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fought to blink them away before Carla saw them.

  “What are you doing here?” Carla asked.

  “Hey, what’s the hold up?” Karen pushed her way past Carla. “You’re not supposed to be here, Jake said—oomph.”

  Karen stumbled forward as Theresa pushed her in the back. “Come on, let’s get this done before they get…”

  Beth stared at her friends.

  “Where’s Jake?” Carla asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Beth.

  “Gone,” she whispered, her heart crumbling. She wouldn’t cry, not in front of her friends.

  “Gone where? Another business emergency?” asked Karen.

  “Jake is out of my life. Forever.” Just saying the words brought a fresh onslaught of tears and this time she couldn’t stop them from falling. Damn it, life wasn’t fair and she was crying over a man again.

  She closed her eyes. But if life was fair she wouldn’t have fallen madly, head over heels in love with Jake Masters and she wouldn’t be nursing a broken heart.

  “Why?” Theresa asked, then went on without waiting for an answer. “No, wait, forget the why. Tell us exactly what happened.”

  Opening her eyes, her friends were gathered around her all offering support. Tears flowed faster now, she didn’t deserve these wonderful women or their sympathy.

  “This is all my fault,” she blurted out.

  “Tell us,” said Carla.

  For the next forty minutes, she told her friends everything, from the first night with Jake, until she walked out on him last night.

  “I don’t get it, why is he hung up on trust?” Beth sniffed, then blew her noise using the box of tissues Karen had given her.

  “Well I do,” said Karen.

  “You do?” Beth lifted her head. Her friends knew her better than Jake, but they weren’t yelling that she was wrong.

  “Yes, Jake is typical male scum. He was looking for an excuse to end things and you gave him one.” Karen waved her hand in the air.

  “Run, run, run—that’s all men do when they find something they can’t handle,” said Theresa.

  “Stop it. Jake isn’t like that, you know he isn’t.” Beth stared at her friends. They knew how much Jake meant to her. Why were they painting him as the villain? Because she said so? She blinked, the blinders were coming off and what Beth saw she didn’t like.

  “He left you before, what’s so different about this time?” asked Carla.

  “I left him. Of all the stupid things I�
�ve done in my life, I let him into my life, my apartment, my sanctuary, and…” A sob caught in her throat. “Oh God, I love him so damn much.” And it was her fault. She didn’t trust him with her inner most thoughts about her mother or herself.

  Tears flowed again, and Carla enfolded her in her arms. “That’s what we needed to hear.”

  “Huh?” She sniffed and grabbed more tissues out of the box. She was so confused.

  “We were being sarcastic, trying to make you realize how much you love Jake and how much he loves you,” said Karen.

  “But I left him.” Grabbing more tissues, she blew her nose.

  “So? Don’t you realize it yet? He wants to share your life, your entire life, not just pieces of it,” said Theresa.

  “He’s living with me, how much more can we share?”

  “How about your childhood with your mother? How you felt growing up with her and her lovers? Share your fears, your memories, your life with him,” said Carla.

  Damn, her friends knew how to lay it all on the line. But they were right. “He already knows.”

  “From a damn report. But not from you.” Carla tapped Beth’s chest. “What’s in your heart? The hurt, the pain, the hopes and dream even if they are shattered dreams.”

  “I can’t.” She couldn’t open herself up to the pain, let alone the emotions that would tear her to shreds. She had to keep them buried or they’d destroy her.

  “When are you going to get this through your thick skull? Jake isn’t like Don or any of the other guys you’ve dated,” said Karen.

  Beth folded her arms over her chest and stared at her friends. “Why are you all suddenly defending Jake? You were ready to hang him a few minutes ago.”

  “To make a point, and we can see the mistake you’re making,” said Karen.

  “The only mistake I made was falling in love with a man who doesn’t trust me.”

  “Bull shit.” said Theresa. “You’ve the one who hasn’t trusted. Come on Beth, Jake has tried everything to be honest with you on most things. He hid paying the hospital bill because deep down he was afraid you’d bolt and you proved him right.”