Someone other than him, she meant.
That was harsh. Especially for her, who didn’t seem to have a vindictive or mean bone in her body. Every time he thought he had her pegged, she did something to completely blow his perception. Or was this an act? A part of her cover. Or did she really feel that way? Either way, it worked just fine for him, because he didn’t do forever. He didn’t even do long-term.
“So what you’re saying is you’re dumping me. After one night?”
“Come on, Jordan, you can’t dump someone that you aren’t technically with. I like you. I could probably love you. But there’s just no future for us. It’s not what you want. You’re not a forever kind of guy, and that’s what I’m looking for. What I need.”
This was the part when he should be relieved that she was giving him an out, so he wouldn’t have to break her heart later. So why instead did he feel…slighted?
“I’m almost thirty. If I’m going to have a family I have to start thinking about settling down. Oh, and speaking of settling down…” she let go of his hand “…look what came in yesterday’s mail.”
He took the white card she held out. It was an invitation. For Drake and Megan’s wedding. “Wow. How totally inappropriate.”
“I know. What moron thinks it’s okay to invite the woman he dumped for his fiancée to the wedding? It defies logic.”
“Not if you’re an arrogant ass.”
“I keep thinking about how it must have made Megan feel that he even wanted to invite me. I actually feel sorry for her. Granted, she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she’s a sweet person.”
“Should I assume you won’t be attending?”
“Are you kidding? I won’t even justify it with a response. But you’re right, I do need to go to the reunion. To show him that I really don’t care about him anymore, because honestly, I don’t.”
“I’d still be happy to go as your date.”
“I think this is something I need to do on my own. And under the circumstances, I don’t think it would be a good idea. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like us to be friends.”
How many women had he used a variation of that exact line on? Probably too many to count. To date, he was friends with none of them.
What if he didn’t want to be “friends”? What if he wanted more?
As far as he could tell, he had two choices. He could honor her wishes and back off, or he could agree with her, tell her they could be friends, then seduce her anyway.
Jane sat at her desk, finishing up a few last minute things so she could meet her family for dinner. She glanced over at Jordan’s office. Other than a short lunch meeting, he’d been in there all day with the door shut.
She had been stressing all day, worried that she’d overdone it with her let’s-just-be-friends speech that morning. She hoped that by turning him down, she would actually make him want her more. That he would see it as a challenge. Telling him that she was looking for a serious relationship had been a risky move, but she had given it a lot of thought and she was confident it would do the trick.
At least, she was trying to be confident. Deep down she was terrified that she had completely blown it. All she could do now was wait for his next move. The ball was in his court.
At six-thirty she shut down her computer, grabbed her coat and purse, then rapped on Jordan’s door.
“Come in,” he called, so she opened it. He was at his desk, engrossed in whatever was on his computer screen.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving for the night,” she said.
“Okay,” he said, glancing up at her. “I’ll see you Monday.”
“See you Monday.” She closed the door, frowning. She had half expected him to mention the date that they were supposed to go on Saturday night, and maybe suggest that they go as friends.
He was taking her brush-off a little too well.
She walked to her car, a knot in the pit of her belly. In her attempt to fix this, had she only made matters worse?
It wasn’t until she was at the restaurant, and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door, that she remembered her family hadn’t yet seen her new look. The suit and high heels she couldn’t do much about, but she could probably slip into the ladies room and remove her makeup before going to the table.
Take off her makeup? What was she, a child?
No, she was an adult woman who had just as much right to wear makeup as anyone else, and wear whatever clothes she wanted. Whatever weird hold her family still had over her, it needed to stop.
Besides, knowing them, they probably wouldn’t even notice.
The hostess took her coat and she walked to the table, where everyone was already seated and had been served drinks. And contrary to what she had anticipated, there were no birthday balloons or banners. No gifts in sight.
Well, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to celebrate. “Hi everyone. Sorry I’m late.”
Everyone looked up to greet her, and seven jaws dropped in perfect unison.
Okay, so maybe they would notice.
Mary was the first to find her voice. “Oh my God, are you wearing makeup?” she asked, as if Jane had just committed some unforgivable crime. Both Mary and her mother were wearing makeup and no one seemed to have a problem with that.
“Yeah, so what?” she said, sliding into the empty chair beside her sister and setting her purse on the floor by her feet.
“What did you do to your hair?” her oldest brother Richard asked.
“I had it styled.” She opened her menu. “Have we decided what we’re ordering?”
“What’s with the suit?” her brother Will asked. “Did you come from a costume party or something? And where are your glasses?”
A costume party. Nice.
She glared at him. “I traded my glasses in for contacts, and the suit is new.”
“Is this about Drake?” her father asked. “I heard that he’s engaged.”
He would have to bring that up. “This has nothing to do with Drake or anyone else. I just felt like I needed a change. And I don’t appreciate getting the third degree.”
“Can you blame us for being curious, sweetheart?” her mom said. “We hardly see you, then you come in looking so…different. Sometimes I feel as if I don’t even know you anymore.”
Was it too much to expect her family to be happy for her, or at least support her decisions? Why did everything have to be a fight with them? It seemed as though whatever she did lately they saw as a further departure from the fold.
“I think she looks fabulous,” Richard’s wife, Cyan, announced, and Jane sent her a grateful smile. “That suit is super-chic and I love the new hairstyle. The cut and color really complement your complexion and the shape of your face. And the shade of shadow you’re wearing really makes your eyes pop.”
Cyan was the owner of a fashion consulting firm that catered to the uber-wealthy and chic, so the compliment really meant something coming from her.
“I think she does too,” Sara piped in. A quiet and unassuming first grade teacher, Will’s wife tended to fade into the background during family functions. Sort of like an adorable potted plant. It wasn’t easy competing for attention with a bunch of outspoken, power-hungry professionals. Jane knew. She had been trying most of her life, but she lacked the killer instinct. Which is probably why she’d let her family roll over her and make her decisions for her for so many years, and why they felt so threatened now that she was finally gaining her independence.
“I don’t think anyone is suggesting that Jane doesn’t look good,” her dad said, shooting Sara a look that made her shrink low in her chair. Always pick on the weakest, that was her family’s motto. “We’re just concerned.”
“Are you having some sort of premidlife crisis?” Richard asked.
“Can we just drop this?” Jane asked.
“You don’t have to be such a bitch about it,” Mary mumbled and Jane had the very immature inclination to pull
her hair. It was her freaking birthday for God’s sake, or at least it had been Tuesday, and not a single one of them had even acknowledged it.
The waiter appeared to take their food orders and along with the lasagna she doubted she would even eat, she ordered a pomegranate martini. After he left, the conversation turned to the family practice, which under normal circumstances would irritate her, but she was just relieved they were no longer focused on her. She ordered a second martini when the salad was served, then another when the main course arrived. At the rate she was going, she’d have to take a cab home.
She picked at her dinner, trying not to let it depress her that despite what she’d believed, they really didn’t plan to celebrate her birthday. Her entire family had forgotten. The minute they had gotten over the initial shock of her new appearance, she was back to being invisible. They didn’t even ask her about work, or what she’d been up to.
Jane decided that she would duck out before everyone ordered an after-dinner drink. She opened her mouth to tell them she was going, when behind her someone said, “Jane?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, her heart plummeted. In an instant this dinner went from sad and depressing to her worst nightmare.
She turned in her seat, hoping it just sounded like him, but was actually someone else, and for a second she thought maybe it was. In faded jeans, cowboy boots and a black, untucked shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Jordan looked like a regular guy—albeit a breathtakingly gorgeous one.
“I thought that was you,” he said.
She shot up from her chair. “Jordan…hi.”
This could not be happening. Her undercover assignment did not just walk in on dinner with her entire family! “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the bar, having drinks with a friend. I was just getting ready to leave when I thought I saw you sitting there.” He flashed her a grin that made her stomach flop. “Small world, huh?”
One hell of a lot smaller than she’d ever imagined. Although she had the sneaking suspicion that their bumping into one another was no accident.
Yes, she had hoped he would pursue her, but not in the middle of a family dinner!
“Honey,” her father said. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”
Jane realized everyone at the table was watching them. Figures that now they would notice her. Although it was Jordan they were focused on.
She had no choice but to introduce him.
“This is Jordan Everette. Jordan, this is my family.”
He shook hands with everyone, and she hoped that once the introductions were out of the way, he would leave.
“Jordan, why don’t you pull up a chair, have a drink,” her father said.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“Don’t be silly,” her mother said, in her sweet, Southern-belle tone. “We would love it if you’d join us.”
“In that case I’d be happy to.”
Crap.
He pulled up a chair from a neighboring table and sat beside Jane, lounging casually, so close their thighs were practically touching. She wished he would back off a little. She didn’t want her parents to get the impression that they were involved.
Her father signaled the waiter and everyone ordered drinks. Jordan asked for a Chivas on the rocks. Jane ordered another martini.
“So, do you and Jane work together?” Rick asked Jordan.
Jane’s pulse started to hammer. She had told Jordan about how she was deceiving her family about her job, but if he slipped up and said something about them working together at Western Oil, she was dead meat.
“No, I’m in the oil business,” Jordan told him.
She was so relieved that if she hadn’t been sitting, her legs would have given out.
“What do you do?” Will asked.
“I’m in management.”
Jane could see everyone digesting that information. Her family could smell money and power a mile away, and though Jordan wasn’t dressed like an executive, and he was young, the platinum Rolex on his left wrist said he was either old money, or at least upper middle management. They probably figured he pulled in a salary in the low to middle six figures. And she wasn’t about to set them straight.
“So, are you two dating?” Mary asked.
“Mary!” Jane snapped.
“I’ve asked her out,” Jordan said, grinning adorably, draping his arm over the back of her chair and pinning her with that judgment-wrecking gaze. “But she turned me down.”
He was obviously teasing her. She just wished he would do it from a little farther away. The scent of his aftershave was shorting out her brain. His looks he couldn’t really help, but he could at least have the decency not to smell so darned good.
She tore her gaze from Jordan’s and turned to her sister. “We’re just friends.”
The waiter brought their drinks, then Jordan asked about the law practice, and that became the focus of the conversation. Though her defection from the fold was mentioned, thankfully no one dwelled on it. In fact, her name didn’t come up much at all. But of course her parents didn’t hesitate to sing the praises of her sister and brothers and their many legal accomplishments. But what else was new? Jane may have had more of her own accomplishments if they hadn’t continually held her back. She was hands down a better attorney than her sister, yet Mary had been allowed to build an impressive client base while Jane had been given the grunt work.
She was sure they were all curious as to why someone so charming and personable and devastatingly attractive would have any interest in being friends with someone like her. Maybe that was why Mary flirted shamelessly the entire time. Maybe she thought that because he and Jane were just friends, it was okay. Or maybe she was doing it to show her up. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Jane had skipped two grades, so she was only one grade behind her sister in high school, and it never failed, if she showed any interest in a boy, Mary would go after him with all pistons firing. And if Jane complained, Mary’s answer was always the same. “What’s the big deal? It’s not as if he would ever go out with you.”
And she was right. But that didn’t make it hurt any less, or make Jane feel any less betrayed.
After a second round of drinks, Jordan said he had to go.
“It’s early,” her mother said. “There’s no need to rush off.”
“Yes, you should stay,” her father said.
“I really need to go.” He pushed up from his chair. “It was a pleasure meeting everyone.”
“The pleasure was ours,” her father said, shaking his hand.
“I hope we’ll see you again,” her mother said, shooting Jane a look that said she was out of her mind for not snapping him up and marrying him at the first possible opportunity.
“It was really nice meeting you,” Mary said, shaking his hand and holding it several seconds longer than Jane considered appropriate. Would it be totally immature to give her a good hard knock in the head?
When she finally let go, Jordan turned to Jane. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
Jane knew that if she stayed after he left, she would be subjected to the third degree all over again. She didn’t like being ignored, but being grilled wasn’t a whole lot of fun either. There was no happy medium with her family. Leaving with Jordan was her only chance for escape, so she hopped to her feet and said, “I should get going too. I’ll walk out with you.”
Eleven
“Are you sure?” Jordan asked.
She was so sure. “Yeah, I should get home. It’s been a busy week and I’m exhausted.”
She said a quick goodbye to her family, who didn’t even implore her to stay. Nice. It was great to know that they cared.
Only as she walked away from the table did she realize just how tipsy she was feeling. When she and Jordan got to the lobby, and were waiting for the hostess to fetch their coats, she leaned up against the wall for stability.
“Your family seems nice,” Jordan sa
id.
“Yeah. They do seem nice.”
His brow rose. “Are you suggesting that they aren’t?”
“They’re a family of extremes. Either they’re demanding and bossy and trying to run my life, or they ignore me completely.”
“You know that your sister is jealous of you.”
She laughed. “Jealous of what? She’s pretty and successful.”
“And she obviously doesn’t like you having something that she can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
He reached into his jeans pocket and handed her a business card. Mary’s business card. “She stuck it in my hand when I was saying goodbye.”
Jane shook her head. Un-freaking-believable. Clearly nothing had changed.
She tried to hand the card back to him and he said, “You keep it. I won’t be needing it.”
That made her smile.
The hostess appeared with their coats and when Jordan helped her into hers, she nearly lost her balance.
“You okay?” he asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.
“Yeah, I think I had two or three martinis too many. My family often has that effect on me.”
“Then you shouldn’t be driving.”
“I would never drive impaired. I’ll call a cab.”
“Why would you pay for a cab when I can give you a lift home? I’ll even arrange to have your car delivered to you so you don’t have to come back and get it.”
It would be silly to turn down the ride. Now that she knew she still had his interest, she had to be sure to keep it. Without overplaying her hand this time. “That would be great, thanks.”
He ushered her outside and handed his valet slip to the attendant, who dashed off and pulled up a minute later in a shiny silver sports car that looked a little like the Batmobile. And very expensive. It was exactly the sort of car she pictured Jordan driving.
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