by Karina Sharp
Jenny bids her goodbyes, hesitantly. She has been a bit off lately. I can’t put my finger on it, but being a high school senior, trying to decide your next path in life is sure to weigh heavily on anyone. I don’t try to push the issue; I simply remind her that I’m available should she ever decide to talk. In the wee morning hours, we all retire to our respective bedrooms in an attempt to try and get a few hours of sleep, but it is of no use to me, I am too excited.
Lexie, Emily, Anna, Teresa, and I have a fabulous Her day at a high-end spa and end it with a nightcap at Jack’s house. Teresa admires all of the remodeling Jack has commissioned for the estate. Exhausted, I am sad to go to bed, knowing that my friends depart tomorrow, but happy to snuggle with Jack.
Closing the bedroom door behind me, I exhale wearily and drag my feet into the bathroom to brush my teeth. On the vanity sits a white box with a red satin bow and a large bouquet of blue forget-me-nots. My name is written in lovely black script across the front of the envelope which houses a short note that simply reads,
Forget me not, for you, my heart sings
Forget me not, for you, devotion I bring
Forget me not, for it’s you that I covet
Forget me not, for your spirit I shan’t forget
Happy 4th and 5th anniversaries.
All my love,
Just Jack
I swallow down the weight that has appeared in my throat and gently untie the ribbon. Inside of the box sits a lovely, emerald silk negligee. I delicately lift it from the box and place the soft fabric to my cheek. I suppose for the gift of silk, he decided to remain traditional. Under the garment lays a brass key. I don’t know how it pertains to either silk or the fifth anniversary tradition of wood, but I have no doubt I’m soon to find out. I put on the green gown and place the key in my palm. Turning the corner from the bathroom doorway into the bedroom, I clear my throat, cueing Jack to look up from his laptop.
His eyes, hot with lust, become heavy-lidded as he places the computer on the nightstand. “That color looks more amazing on you than I imagined.”
I’m glad we both agree. I make my way to the bed, sure to keep my eyes locked on Jack. Crawling on my hands and knees across the bed, watching Jack’s erection spring to life in his boxers, I speak sweetly. “Thank you. I have an excellent personal shopper.” Before moving in on Jack, I sit back on my heels and lift the key, holding it out in front of me. “I have some questions before I move any further.”
Jack swallows and the left corner of his mouth lifts upward. “An interrogation?”
“Something like that. I’m assuming my wood gift is not what’s happening in your boxers and instead has something to do with this key.”
He grins. “You assume correctly.”
“Care to expound on that?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I go into the bathroom, change into some frumpy sweats, and it’s a tundra all up in this bedroom until you answer.”
“You drive a hard bargain, but okay. I will make this easy. I could have been all clever and said it’s the key to my heart or something, but I don’t need to give you a key to it- you have it in its entirety. Instead, it’s the key to my home, which is framed and made from wood. There are some original pillars which my family has used to shelter them for hundreds of years, and there are some very new pieces that only you and I have enjoyed. I would like to share all of it with you and make it our home. I guess what I’m asking is-”
“Yes I will move in with you!” I interrupt him. I can’t help it. I’m super excited.
“You didn’t even let me finish.” Jack smiles widely. “But, that’s a yes?”
“Yes, it’s a yes.”
Jack blinks his eyes slowly and excitement dances wildly in his deep eyes. “I love you, Journey.”
He gently pulls my face into his, placing his lips lightly against mine in a grateful kiss.
I place my forehead to his, beaming. “I love you too.”
***
A week later, Jack surprises me with a trip to New York City. He remembered that I have never spent a great deal of time in NYC. A driver meets us at the airport, which is a bit unexpected. Jack is usually one to drive himself or take a cab. Aside from the occasional limo here and there, I’ve always taken the transportation of the common man, and have never had a personal car service or driver.
“Journey, this is an old friend of mine, Jimmy. Jimmy, this is my girlfriend, Journey.” What is it with everyone I meet having a name that starts with J?
Jimmy’s eyebrows raise, “Is this the same girl who you used to talk about years ago? The doctor?”
I grin in Jack’s direction, who is running his hand over his head, and extend my hand. “I think you’re right. It’s nice to meet you, Jimmy.”
“A pleasure to meet you too, Doctor.”
“Just Journey, please.” I silently chuckle, realizing that I’ve repeated Jack and Jenny’s joke.
We slip into the back of the dark sedan, and I feel very important. Jack would never be so ostentatious as to hire a limo to drive us around town, but everyone knows, unless you’re trying to make a particular statement, some of the wealthiest people on this planet are in the backs of those black full-size sedans with the darkened windows.
I notice that Jack never tells Jimmy where to take us. Of course Jack would have it all set up in advance; that’s how he rolls- planned and precise -which is one of the reasons I love him. I’m not quite as organized or meticulous as he is, so we balance out one another.
Like a young child full of wonder, I look out all of the windows, taking in the sights of the proverbial city that never sleeps. “How long did you live here?”
“About ten years.”
“Did you live around here?”
“I lived in Chelsea, which is near Central Park.”
“Oh.”
“We can go see it, if you want.”
“That would be fun! I want the Jack Croft tour of New York.”
“Do you ever miss going to galas and soirees?”
“Sometimes. Why? Would you like to go to one?”
“My parents used to attend a ball at the MET every year, and I kind of miss it. I don’t miss going to a function every single weekend, but I would like a reason to dress up and socialize every now and then.”
“That can be arranged. We usually buy a table and just gift the tickets to people, but we can go.”
“Yay!”
We arrive at the Four Seasons in downtown Manhattan. Jimmy hops out of the car and opens the door for us, then grabs our luggage, handing it to the bellhop. Jack bids Jimmy goodbye, and we head into the hotel.
We ride the elevator to the top floor of the hotel and go down the hall to our suite. The only word I can think of to describe it is “divine.” I’ve stayed in some of the nicest resorts around the world, and my parents had money, but they didn’t have private driver, presidential suite money. They more had social connections of people who had private villas and fancy yachts that we rented or were invited to use with them and some other friends along as well. This lifestyle is an entirely new ball game for me. Still, a lot of this just doesn’t scream Jack.
“Do you often have a personal driver and stay in top floor suites?”
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“I love it. It’s...divine. I just- It doesn’t seem like the Jack I know to throw his money around so overtly. I don’t know...it all feels strange somehow. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s as though you feel like you need to do these things to impress me.”
“Don’t I?”
“No. I would have been just as happy at the Holiday Inn in a regular room. I just feel like things are a bit cliché, you know? I meet a handsome stranger in a foreign country one day who happens to be a gazillionaire, or something crazy like that, and then he showers me with insane gifts and jewels. Then, before you know it, he will be wining and dining me in the exotic locations, in the most lavish hotels, and tellin
g me how to dress and when and what to eat. The next thing I know, you’ll have your on-call OB/GYN certifying that I’m on birth control.”
Jack throws his head back and laughs, seemingly quite entertained. “You think this,” he sweeps his hands around the room, “is cliché?”
“Well...kinda… Yeah… In movies and romance novels, anyway.”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m not a gazillionaire. I’m not even a billionaire.”
“Whew! Thank goodness.”
“Rest assured that I don’t have any doctors on-call as I never really thought your reproductive health to be any of my business. Furthermore, I trust that you’re a responsible adult who would communicate to me if there was a fear of pregnancy or STD. I promise that I will never tell you how to dress nor force you to eat. Next time, I will make sure we stay in a roach motel.”
“Thank you!”
“I do have some gifts for you, but they’re anniversary gifts- the rest of them, to be exact. Would it ease your mind to know that I spent zero dollars on them?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because I didn’t spend a dime on them.”
I smile up at Jack, focusing my eyes on his, when his mouth curls up into a smirk.
“Except this one and that vase of forget-me-nots on the table.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope. I open it and see a card that has a simple, red, glittery heart in the center of it. I open it and read:
Forget me not, for you I am unworthy of
Forget me not, for it’s you that I love
Forget me not, for my soul I shall give
Forget me not, for it’s you that I live.
A toast to our 6th, 7th, and 8th anniversaries, plus many more to come.
Cheers!
Your Sweet, Sexy Jack
My stomach flutters and heat rises from my core. Looking back on my reservations and hesitations, when I was so full of myself and wrapped up in the opinions and activities of those around me, I can’t believe that I left this man. I left our love up to chance, and I will forever be indebted to chance for bringing us back together for the rest of eternity. Never again, will I allow my fears and superficial things govern my life.
“Jack, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you or the second chance to have you, but I am the luckiest person in the world. I don’t deserve you, but I will do everything in my power to earn you.”
“I’m not exactly perfect and honestly, back then, I don’t think I was even open to seeing things through your eyes. You being you is what makes you- us -deserving of a second chance. You lift me into Heaven just by being you.”
“Oh Jack,” I breathe, allowing my chest to relax and body fall into his firm and safe arms. “I love you more than I can ever say, and you bring light to my life that is brighter than a million suns. Or downtown Tokyo. Take your pick.”
“Can I choose both?”
“Of course you can.”
We enjoyed a beautifully intimate night that fed into this morning. We are currently on the Jack Croft tour of New York City. Jimmy drives us by Columbia University, to some of Jack’s favorite places to eat and shop, and then to a large, upscale building in Chelsea.
“This is it.”
“This is what?” I ask.
“This is where I lived. Wanna go inside?”
“Can we do that? You don’t live there anymore. Or do you?” I narrow my eyes, suspiciously.
“I don’t actively live here, no, but I still own some real estate here, including my old penthouse. Let’s go see it.”
“Okay, but if you’re trying to Pretty Woman me, I’m going to be so mad at you.”
Getting out of the car, then holding the door for me as I do, Jack asks, “How could I Pretty Woman you? That’s impossible. You’re not a hooker.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, really I don’t, but I’m going to say that I do, just to make you happy.”
Rolling my eyes as we pass the building’s doorman, I don’t see that his attention is focused on me. “Greetings, Mr. Croft. Who is this dashing young lady?”
“Phil, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Journey Ferrer. Journey, this is one of the building’s doormen, and my personal favorite, Phil.”
Phil’s weathered eyes grow larger, lifting with his salt and pepper eyebrows. “So nice to meet you, Doctor. Is this the same-?”
Jack nods in confirmation.
“Please, just call me Journey.”
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
“Has Henrietta been by lately?”
“Yes, sir. She was just here yesterday morning. Everything should be in order.”
“Thanks, Phil. We’re going to head up.”
“It was nice meeting you,” I call out to Phil as we board the elevator. Once the doors close in front of us, I look over to Jack. “Did you tell everyone and their brother about me?”
“What if I did?”
“I don’t know. I’m more curious, really. Is that why you insist on introducing me as ‘Doctor?’”
“Maybe. Or maybe I do it just to drive you crazy.”
“I’m sure it’s both.
The elevator reaches the top floor, and we step off directly into a space with high ceilings and an open floor plan.
“This is where you lived while you were in college? I mean, I wasn’t hurting, but my college living quarters were nowhere near this extravagant.” I walk over to the large, picture windows in the living area that provide sweeping views of Central Park. “And why couldn’t we stay here instead of The Four Seasons?”
Jack turns bashful. “I don’t expect you to understand, Journey, but you know I’m not one of those people who flaunts things. Plus, I didn’t want you to freak out because I own this place.”
“Why would I freak out?”
“I don’t know. It’s silly, I suppose, but between both of my parents’ holdings and my own personal investments, I own a great deal of real estate. I guess I just didn’t want to turn into a George Foster.”
“Oh, Jack- so sweet and oh so sexy, yet so humble... Not a single atom in your entire body is anything like George Foster. Do I really care to know every single detail about your holdings and finances? No. But, this is a little different. You actually lived here. Our lives together started while you were living here. That’s fantastic to me.”
“Well, your next anniversary gift is in here.”
“In here?”
“Mmm hmm… Maybe we should play ‘Hot and Cold.’ I’ll tell you when you’re getting warmer or colder.”
“Umm...okay.”
I walk around the room aimlessly, but with the assistance of Jack, I begin to hone in on his office and the desk it houses. On the desktop, I spy a metal picture frame with a printed picture in it. Inspecting it closely, it’s a candid photo of the two of us standing on the beach in Cabo, holding hands. “Who? How long have you had this?”
Jack smiles. “Rico took it, unbeknownst to me. He printed it and mailed it to me after our last trip there. He also made the frame. They replaced the barstools in The Green Monkey, but Rico salvaged some of the metal from which they were constructed and crafted this.”
“I’m speechless. Has this been here ever since?”
“Yup. At first, I spent many hours staring at the photo. I think it perfectly captures our essence. When I left to go back to my parents,’ I left it here, returning to it and unable to remove it since.”
“It’s fantastic, Jack. I don’t get the iron piece of it, but I don’t care.” I pick up the frame and trace our outlines with my finger. It’s a beautiful picture, and we do look very much in love. I touch the metal’s rough surface, and realize it’s made from iron. “The frame.”
“Exactly.”
It’s as if this picture, and Rico, captured and predicted something we couldn’t. It’s our crystal ball, showing where we belonged all along.
“This is my favorite gift, I think. I love it.”
“No, I think it should stay here. I think it belongs here.”
***
Jack takes me to Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty. With this outing, he gives me our seventh anniversary gift, copper. We take pictures at its base, ride the elevator as far as we can, then walk up the dizzying and narrow spiral staircase to the top where we take many more selfies, and he crowns me his lady with my very own foam crown, made from the likeness of Ms. Liberty’s. We also visit Rockefeller Center, where it takes me a moment to realize that it is our eighth anniversary celebration. As I study and appreciate the intricacies of the bronze statue in the middle, Jack keeps me in his arms, allowing his intoxicating scent to wrap around me.
We retire to our suite in The Four Seasons one final time for this trip, eight of our missed anniversaries now properly celebrated. The last thing I remember before falling asleep is thanking Jack for everything and saying, “You’re some kind of wonderful, you know that?”
To which Jack replies, “You’re my kind of wonderful.”
Chapter 24
May
Jack
A month has passed since Journey officially moved in with me. Our days have turned into weeks that eventually turned into a routine. Journey and I have been helping Jenny study for her finals and prepare for graduation. Journey is also preparing a special surprise for Jenny to reward her achievement in finishing high school as her class’ Salutatorian. Jenny has applied to several schools, with our help, and has gotten a few scholarship offers for cheerleading from just about all of them.