by Josie Brown
Jillian cleared her throat. “Your Honor, I don’t raise my children alone. My fiancé, Caleb Martin, has arranged his schedule to dovetail with mine so that one of us is always with the children.”
“I object to another man raising my poor deceased son’s child!” Rona exclaimed.
“You were not opposed to his brother, Jeffrey, in the little boy’s life,” Judge Marsh countered. “Jillian, as opposed to Jeffrey, is Mr. Martin gainfully employed?”
“Yes, Your Honor. He is a parks ranger with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. However, he’s already given notice so that he can make the children our first priority for however long I plan to work.”
“In other words, she’s marrying her manny,” Rona muttered.
“Mrs. Frederick Senior, you’re testing my patience,” Judge Marsh warned her.
Seeing the fear in Rona’s eyes, Judge Marsh added gently, “Scotty is very lucky to have two such accomplished women vying for the opportunity to raise him. To your credit, I feel both of you have presented valid reasons for guardianship. Sadly, considering the animosity emanating from both sides, sharing these duties would present more problems than any court would want to adjudicate. Nor does either of you present the ideal solution on your own.” The judge leaned back in her chair. “I am heartened that both of you have a support system in place. For now, I will leave Scotty in Jillian’s hands. However, Rona may have the child at least two days out of the week. Is that understood?”
Everyone nodded.
“And sometime within the next sixty days, I will arrange with your attorneys to visit the child in the environment provided by both families. Not to worry, you’ll be given twenty-four hours’ notice. At that time, I anticipate I’ll meet both Jeffrey and Caleb.”
Instinctively, Jillian looked at Rona, who was wincing.
Jillian wondered, why is that?
Barry waited until they were outside before asking Jillian, “Should I attempt to get Rona to agree to some sort of partial custody, perhaps setting the two-day custody in stone? It seemed to me that Judge Marsh was indicating that it’s the best course of action.”
Jillian shook her head. “Didn’t you hear Rona in there? She accused me of going after Scotty’s trust fund! She thought just two days a week was a slap to her face. She won’t settle for less than taking him away from us. She’s out for blood.”
“I’m afraid you’re right.” Barry paused. “Jillian, from what I can tell, Jeffrey is Rona’s Achilles’ heel. Is he worth investigating? She may back off if we sling enough mud at him.”
“He’s the black sheep of the family,” Jillian conceded. “And Scott had Jeff claim he was the twins’ father when he tried to get out of paying child support!”
“Ouch.” Barry shook his head. “I take it that went nowhere?”
“It had nowhere to go,” she insisted. “It wasn’t true. The girls had a paternity test, but Jeffrey disappeared before it could be validated with a test of his DNA.” She frowned. “As it turns out, it was never needed. Scott…he finally did the right thing when it came to the girls.”
Barry smiled. “Good to know. Still, let me see what I can dig up on Jeffrey. We may need something more down the road.”
Jillian nodded. “Do what you have to do.”
* * *
Also 11:06 a.m.
“Wow! Powder as far as the eye can see!” Reggie Pudberry exclaimed. He looked around at the various peaks rising and dipping around them on Tahoe, Nevada’s Mount Rose.
Jade nodded. They’d been here three days and she was still awed by Tahoe’s splendor. “It was sweet of Sam to suggest that we use her family’s private cabin for a long weekend getaway.”
This was not easy for Jade to admit. She had her suspicions that Reggie’s tall, dark, and gorgeous Cal-Berkeley teaching assistant, Samantha Hartness, had a crush on the professor.
Thank goodness she stayed home, Jade thought.
All the more reason to let Reggie enjoy every moment they had in this glorious winter wonderland. “Hey listen, big boy: today, instead of babysitting me, why don’t you take on one of the more advanced trails? I’m sure it’s been no fun following me down the beginner slope to make sure I don’t break my neck.”
As if on cue, two seasoned skiers zipped by them.
Surprised, Jade’s left foot slipped out from under her.
Reggie grabbed her arm before she lost her balance and fell down the hill. Laughing, he pulled her close. “Heck, no. I’m having too much fun helping you find your balance. Sort of like a game of Twister.”
“Only a lot colder,” Jade muttered. “Frankly, I wouldn’t mind heading back to the cabin and helping myself to a hot cocoa and a good book”—she looked around—“if I could find my way back. I seem to get turned around. All these trees look alike.”
“All the more reason we should stay together. I’d hate for you to stumble onto an experts-only trail and get run over.” Reggie brushed a few flakes of snow off her cheek. “You’re a better skier than you think you are.” With a sly grin, he added, “And you’ve always followed instructions well. Especially last night.”
She laughed. “You mean when I rubbed Ben-Gay on your sore spots?”
He winked. “Well…one spot in particular.”
“Hush!” Blushing, she looked around. “I did no such thing! You’re incorrigible!”
Scooping up a handful of snow, he packed it between his fists, then tossed it at his fiancée, Jade Pierce.
Jade took three steps back—
But stopped when she realized that one more would send her tumbling down the hillside.
To fend off the snowball, she lifted her hands to her face, only to realize it had already dissipated into a hazy curtain of sparkling crystal dust.
“I could have killed myself,” she chided him.
Reggie shook his head. “Nah. Broken a leg, maybe.”
She stared down the steep slope. “And you’d have to cancel your research trip to England in order to look after me.”
Reggie laughed. “In your dreams! Come hell or high water, I’ll be in England—thanks to Sam. She’s something special, asking me to co-author the research paper on Shakespeare’s stay in Lancashire. Can you imagine what it means for my career if we dig up some early work in Hoghton Tower?”
“Yes. You’ll both be famous,” Jade muttered. “You’re quite a team.”
Reggie rolled his eyes. “Jade, trust me: the last thing you should feel is jealous—of Sam, of all people.”
“Ha!” Jade scowled. “I see how she looks at you!”
“You’re right. When she looks at me, she has stars in her eyes. She sees me as a stepping stone to a distinguished career as a Shakespearean Scholar—and that’s all.” He grinned slyly. “You, on the other hand—”
“Don’t say it,” Jade warned him. “I’m just…the fiancée.”
“And I’m lucky to have you.” He kissed her nose. “Speaking of which, when are our nuptials, anyway? I thought you’d have it all planned out by now.”
“I’m trying hard not to rain on Jillian and Caleb’s parade,” Jade sighed. “But at the rate they’re going, I think we’ll beat them to the punch.”
“Good. The sooner the better,” he assured her “The longer you stay single, the more likely it is that you’ll come to your senses and fall in love with someone younger and a heck of a lot more attractive than me.” His grin faded. “Speaking of which—”
Jade held up her hand. “Reggie, please, don’t bring up Harrison yet again!” She knew that Reggie was wary of Jade’s co-worker at Cal’s Art History Department. When he joined them at Thanksgiving, he thought nothing of nudging Jade into drinking too much champagne—
Or encouraging her barbs at Sam, who had attended the dinner as Reggie’s guest.
Reggie frowned. “In fact, I was going to say—”
He was interrupted by a shout—“Hello!”—coming from behind them.
Reggie and Jade turned around to
find Sam skiing in their direction. With her long dark hair flowing behind her and a hot pink ski suit that hugged every curve, it was no wonder she turned the head of every skier in her wake.
Jade wondered, what the heck is she doing here?
Still, by the time Sam reached their side, she’d hidden her disappointment.
Sam plucked Jade’s sleeve with her gloved hand. “You’re wearing my favorite ski suit,” she laughed.
“I’m sorry! Reggie told me you said I could borrow any of them hanging in the cabin since I didn’t have one of my own.” Jade looked at Reggie. “You hadn’t mentioned Sam would be joining us.” She hoped she sounded nonchalant as opposed to how she really felt: dismayed.
Sam’s eyes shifted from Jade to Reggie. “Didn’t you tell her I called last night?”
“Jade had already fallen asleep,” Reggie admitted. “By this morning, it had already slipped my mind. I was too anxious to get out to the slopes. We only have two more days before getting back to the grind.”
“Agreed. That’s why I decided to come up and join you.” Sam closed the top snap on Jade’s ski suit. “By the way, you look adorable in it, Jade.”
“Thank you.” In order to move away from Sam, Jade knelt down on the pretense of examining her ski boot. Now that Sam was there, no more running naked in the lodge, let alone making love on the furry bear rug in front of the fireplace.
Yes, Jade was pissed. But by the time she straightened up, she’d forced her lips into a smile again. “In fact, I was heading back to the cabin. Why don’t you two hit a couple of the experts-only trails and meet me back there in a couple of hours for a late lunch?”
Reggie frowned. “But you just said yourself that you don’t know the trails well enough to find your way back.”
“I’ll take her there.” Sam waved him on. “One of the best advanced trails—Wild Card—is right around the corner. Why don’t you start there? I’ll meet you at the top in half an hour.”
“Gee, thanks!” The look of joy in Reggie’s eyes said it all: he didn’t need a second invitation. He was off in a flash.
Just as he disappeared from sight, seemingly out of nowhere, a conga line of skiers raced down the hill. One brushed by Jade so closely that she took a step back—
Off the trail—
And off the hill.
It was probably just a second, but it seemed as if time froze as she hung in mid-air—
Until Sam grabbed her around the waist.
“Oh, my God,” Jade murmured. “I think you saved my life! How can I thank you?”
Sam showed her: she kissed her on the lips.
Shocked, Jade slapped her.
Seeing the pained look on Sam’s face, Jade felt sorry for her. She reached out.
Sam, hurt, took a step back—
Into three skiers who were racing downhill.
They slammed into her, burying her under a tangle of limbs and skis.
They lay there for so long that Jade thought they were dead. Finally, the skier on top groaned. Easing herself off the others, she fell into a snowdrift.
Her friends cursed as they untangled themselves, revealing Sam.
Her eyes were closed. Her crumpled body, legs and arms akimbo, resembled a rag doll tossed away by a child.
Her eyes fluttered open. Her attempt to sit up was accompanied with a pained moan.
But as Jade tried to help Sam to her feet, Sam’s pained scream echoed through the canyons cleaving Mount Rose. “You idiot! Thanks to you, I’ve broken my leg!”
“Oh, my God! Sam, I’m so sorry!”
Sam glowered, but said nothing.
One of the other skiers was already on his cell phone to the resort’s paramedics. “They’ll be here with a stretcher in ten,” he assured Sam.
All Jade could think about was what she’d say to Reggie:
Yes, about the kiss.
But also about how she’d broken his assistant’s leg, putting their research trip to London in jeopardy.
“What, exactly, happened again?” Reggie stared at Jade and then at Sam, who lay flat in the hospital bed. Her leg, now bound in a cast, was cantilevered so that it was raised slightly.
Jade and Sam exchanged guilty looks.
Finally, Jade murmured, “I almost fell down the hill. Sam grabbed me just in time. But then she…”
Sam’s eyes grew big. Her stare pleaded with Jade, please, don’t…
Reggie shook his head, confused. “Then what?”
“She stepped back and got clobbered by the three skiers coming down the hill.” Jade shrugged. “They couldn’t help it, and neither could Sam. We were just too close to the edge.”
Reggie nodded. “It’s all my fault. I should have stayed with you. I was the one who should have seen you home.”
“Don’t blame yourself. It’s really no one’s fault. It’s just a fact of life.” Sam shrugged. “I guess I won’t be going with you on the England trip.”
Reggie’s eyes opened wide. “What do you mean? Why not?”
“The owners of the Hoghton Tower have changed the dates in which we’re to do our research,” Sam explained. They’d prefer we come prior to Easter. Otherwise, we’ll be there at the opening of the tourist season, which they depend on to secure the tower’s upkeep revenue.”
Reggie shrugged. “Well then, we’ll just have to postpone it until later in the year when you’re healed.”
“That wouldn’t work. The grant we received says the work has to be done prior to August of this year.”
“You’ll be off crutches by then,” Reggie insisted.
“But it’ll still be tourist season,” Sam countered.
Reggie shook his head. “You did all the prep work and the research. I refuse to go alone.”
“Don’t be a fool, Reggie. When it comes to Shakespeare, you channel him like a medium. You’re a savant. You’ll notice that I didn’t preface that with ‘idiot.’ I’m in a generous mood.” Sam chuckled, but stopped when it pained her.
“Research is just one part of the process. It’s still a two-person job. One person has to catalog our findings—”
“And you’ve got just the person to do it with you.” She looked over at Jade.
Jade’s eyes grew big. “Who…me?”
Sam nodded. “You must be good. Why else would Harrison be so jealous of you?”
She has a point, Jade realized.
“But Dr. Annandale won’t like it. She’ll give away my job at the museum.”
“Don’t worry about Taylor. She’ll be thrilled for you,” Sam promised. She smiled up at Reggie. “Besides, I’ll still be the co-author of the project.”
“No matter what we find, you get top billing,” Reggie declared.
Sam laughed—gingerly this time. “I won’t fight you on that.”
Reggie turned to Jade. “Well…what do you say?”
“I…I don’t know what to say!” She shook her head in wonder. “Oh! Oliver! We can’t just take him with us. Brady would never agree to it.”
“That’s what Skype is for,” Sam assured her. “I do it all the time with my nephews.”
“Well…okay,” Jade conceded. “Reggie, would you mind if I had a few minutes alone with Sam?”
“Sure, okay.” By his cockeyed grin, Jade could tell he was curious about what she might say to his assistant. He knew better than to ask. Instead, he leaned down to kiss Sam on the forehead.
Jade waited until he closed the door before taking Sam’s hand. “I never knew—”
“I know. That I had feelings for you.” Sam turned her head toward the wall.
“But…you must have known I was straight,” Jade exclaimed. “I mean, my God! Reggie and I are living together!”
“Harrison led me to believe that you…well, that you swung both ways. It made him angry when you wouldn’t let him get into your pants. He’s such an egomaniac that he thought the only logical explanation was that you were gay. Ironic, isn’t it?” Sam shrugged.
Jade teared up. “I hate the fact that people find it so easy to rewrite my life.”
“Trust me, they do it to me, too,” Sam assured her. “When you’re gorgeous, it comes with the territory.”
Jade blushed. “You truly are beautiful. I’m just—”
“You’re just insecure,” Sam said. “I wish I could say it’s part of your charm, but it isn’t, any more than your jealousy.” She laughed. “At first, I thought you were playing hard to get. I also thought it was your way of throwing Reggie off the scent.”
“Sam, I love Reggie with all my heart.”
“I realized that after the Thanksgiving debacle. After that, I’d hoped we could just be friends.” A tear fell on her cheek. “I had to pick up a book from the English Department. Harrison passed me in the hall. He claimed you’d told him it turned you on to know I…well, you know.”
“How could he? I never said anything like that to him!”
“I think he was getting back at both of us for rejecting him. Stupid me, I fell for his lie because I wanted to believe it was true.” Sam looked at her broken leg. “I guess I had this coming.”
“He’s awful!” Jade shuddered. “One good thing about going to England is that I won’t have to work with him again.”
“You shouldn’t let him chase you out of the Art Department,” Sam insisted. “The best revenge is doing well. With the Shakespearean project in your quiver, Dr. Annandale will see you as a proven asset, especially when it comes to fundraising for the department.”
“Good to know.” Jade sighed. “Look, don’t worry that I’ll say something to Reggie that will make it uncomfortable between the two of you. As far as I’m concerned, this little misunderstanding is just between us.”