“Ooooh,” moaned Tisha. “I think I’ve got to push.” With her hands on her belly, she began breathing in short spurts.
“Me, too!” said Jack. “I need to push this gas pedal to the floor, because I know nothing about birthing babies.”
* * *
Jack paced the floor of the emergency room, thankful they’d gotten Tisha to the hospital in time. Tisha had insisted Eden go into the labor room with her, and Jack was now thankful she had come along.
He reached for a cigarette and put it in his mouth when the desk nurse looked up from her phone call and told him no smoking was allowed.
“Right,” said Jack, running a hand through his hair, not able to think straight anymore. This wasn’t the way he liked to wake up in the morning. He was worried about Tisha, and now felt bad that he hadn’t done more to help her, knowing she was a single, pregnant mother.
Eden walked out of the labor room, removing a mask and gloves.
“Surgery go all right, Dr. Eden?” He flashed her a nervous smile.
Eden looked at him strangely, obviously not having a sense of humor. She came up to him, slipped her arms around his waist, and they shared a kiss.
“Thanks, I needed that,” he said and kissed her again.
“Don’t you want to know what she had?” asked Eden, looking so bright and happy as if it was her own joy.
“Gallstones?” Jack smiled and pulled her closer.
Eden hit him playfully with the gloves. “It was a girl, Jack. And she named it after me.”
“No kidding! That’s wonderful.” He kissed her again.
“She’s beautiful, Jack. You should see.”
“I do see,” said Jack, looking into Eden’s eyes.
She blushed. “Tisha doesn’t have anywhere to go,” she said. “She’s got a new baby, four kids, no husband, no money, and as of today, no home.”
He watched Eden give him that little pouty lip and knew she wanted something from him. Didn’t everyone?
“What are you trying to say, Eden?”
“I was just wondering if we could fix up the room above the garage for her and the kids to stay in until she gets back on her feet again.”
“That room’s got no electricity or running water, not to mention a toilet.”
“Well, then why don’t we give her the apartment above the restaurant and we could stay above the garage instead?”
He noticed she was using the word “we” a lot. He also noticed she was good at getting him to do whatever she wanted.
“My father’s coming back soon, Eden. He’ll need to use the apartment since his place is under construction. I can’t give it to Tisha and the kids.”
“Then how about that room over the garage?” she asked again.
“That’ll mean having to hire someone to fix it up.” And that would mean getting himself further into debt, although he didn’t want to sound heartless and say this.
“How soon can they have it done?” she asked.
“Well, Nathan’s brother does construction, and he’s got an uncle who does both electric and plumbing. Maybe if I talk to him –”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. Eden jumped up and down and covered his face with kisses.
“Oh, thank you, Jack. I can’t wait to tell Tisha. She’s going to be so relieved, not to mention happy.”
Eden rushed off down the hall and disappeared. Jack ran a hand over the stubble on his face, wondering how he was going to pay for all this.
“Why do I keep getting myself into these situations?” he asked himself. Now, he had only one thing he could sell to make enough money to fix up the place for Tisha and the kids. And he wasn’t going to have an easy time letting go of his car.
Chapter 20
Eden was thrilled with the way the room over the garage had turned into a two-bedroom apartment with a bathroom, almost overnight. The doctor kept Tisha in the hospital a few extra days since she was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. He wanted to keep a close eye on her.
Today was the day Tisha would bring the new baby home, and Eden had involved everyone at the restaurant in preparing a special welcome home party for Tisha and Baby Eden.
“Your mama is going to be so surprised at the little party we planned for her,” Eden told Patsy as she picked one last flower from her garden to add to the bouquet.
“So I have another sister?” asked Patsy.
“You do,” she told her with a smile. Patsy looked a little jealous, and Eden knew it wasn’t going to be easy for the little girl. “You’re the biggest girl in the family, Patsy. You have an important job of showing the baby around your new home.”
“I’m glad I’m going to be living here by you,” she said. “I like you. I like Jack, too. When are you going to have a baby?”
Out of the mouth of babes, she thought. The exact question had been on Eden’s mind, too, since she was late with her cycle. Ever since the night she’d lost her virginity, she had somehow known something was different inside her. Could she be pregnant with Jack’s baby? And what would she do if she were? Well, she didn’t have time to think about that right now because there were things to be done.
“You go give these flowers to Ruthie to put in a vase,” Eden told Patsy. “And tell Uncle Jack it’s time for us to go pick up your mama and the baby from the hospital.”
“Okay,” said the little girl, smashing the flowers as she grabbed them and skipped down the stone pathway that led through the arbor.
“Whoa, there,” said Jack as he bumped into Patsy in the archway. “Slow down, Sweetie.” He sent her on her way, and then walked over to Eden. “What’s this I hear? You’re referring to me now as Uncle Jack to the kids?”
“Well, if we’re all going to be living here like one big family, they have to call you something,” Eden told him.
Jack stopped in front of her and gave her a quick kiss. “The garden looks beautiful, Eden.” He handed her a rose. She recognized it as one from her garden, but the thought of his romantic gesture made her smile.
“Thank you, Jack.”
Jack looked up at the room above the garage and the workers who were just finishing up. Nathan had been wonderful and brought in a whole crew so the job would be done before Tisha got back. The only problem was, it was going to cost him more than he’d planned on spending. He ended up buying all new appliances for Tisha and trundle beds for the kids. He also decided to buy a big screen TV along with a neighbor’s second-hand computer loaded down with educational software for the kids. He didn’t mind doing it because they deserved it. Tisha had always been there to help him out whenever he was in a bind, and now that she didn’t have a man in her life, he only wanted to help her out as much as he could. But damn, he wished he hadn’t had to sell the convertible to do it.
“We should get going,” said Eden. “Where did you park the car? I haven’t seen it in the garage these past few days.”
“I’m not driving, Eden. I’ve got a friend coming to take us to the hospital.”
A horn beeped in the alley. Jack took Eden’s arm and escorted her toward the sound. She saw Missy sitting behind the wheel of Jack’s convertible and didn’t understand at all what was going on.
“Missy? What are you doing driving Jack’s car?” she asked. “And where have you been lately? I haven’t seen you since the night of The Ruby’s grand opening.”
Giggling, Missy took off her sunglasses. “It’s my car now, Eden. I bought it from Jack.”
“You did?” Eden’s eyes snapped over to Jack, and then back at Missy. Jack loved that car and was always so protective over it. To sell it, he had to have been really hurting for money.
“We’d better go before we’re late,” said Jack. He opened the door, and Eden climbed in the back. She figured Jack would sit in front with Missy but, instead, he smashed his tall frame into the tiny back seat next to her.
Missy stepped on the gas, almost giving Eden whiplash the way she spun the tires as she pulled away. Eden
noticed the cringe on Jack’s face and the urgent way he was patting his pocket for a cigarette, but he couldn’t find one.
“So why did you sell your car?” Eden asked Jack.
“A man does what he needs to do.” He kept a stonelike face and, although his arm was around the back of the seat behind her, he stared out in the opposite direction.
“Jack said he needed the money for something more important.” Missy looked back and forth in the rearview mirror as she spoke.
“Oh, Jack!” Eden felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach. “Don’t tell me you sold your car to make the room for Tisha?”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
Suddenly, Eden felt horrible. It was her idea that they help Tisha, but she didn’t know Jack would have to sell his car to do it. She never meant for that to happen. It was too late now to do anything about it.
“How did Jack know you needed a car?” Eden asked Missy.
“Nathan told him,” answered Missy. “Nathan and I are dating now, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” said Eden. “What does Martin have to say about that?”
“There’s not much he can say when he’s in jail,” stated Missy.
“Jail?” cried Eden. “What happened?”
“He was using me, Eden,” explained Missy. “He only wanted me for my money. I’m just glad that Nathan saw what was going on and convinced me to back out of the deal with Martin. It seems he was running a drug ring right from the back room of The Ruby and got caught.”
“Really? How come I didn’t know about this?” asked Eden. “Jack, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I only just found out about it myself, Eden,” Jack told her. “It seems the big bust came the day we took Tisha to the hospital. Too bad I missed it. I would have loved to have seen Noble’s face when they hauled him away in cuffs.”
“Well, I guess The Ruby won’t be getting that good review after all,” commented Eden.
“It’s been closed down until they can further investigate,” Missy informed them.
Eden knew this would bring Jack so much more business. All The Ruby’s customers would now be coming across the street to eat instead.
“That’s good news for us, Jack, isn’t it?” she asked him.
“We’ll see,” was all Jack said, and just kept staring in the other direction.
Chapter 21
The welcoming party for Tisha’s baby had gone well. Eden couldn’t stop holding the little cutie. She’d told Tisha she’d be happy to babysit all of her kids, and had tied her manta on her back and put the baby in it, showing Tisha how they carried babies back home.
Jack was quieter than usual, and Eden wondered if he was all right. The end of summer wasn’t far away, and his father would be returning soon.
The business had been picking up slowly but surely, and the customers seemed to like the idea of a Peruvian bistro. But they still had so much to do before they announced The Golden Talon’s grand opening. There were walls to paint, chairs to reupholster, and they needed to do an overall decorating job to make it look authentic. Eden knew all these things cost money. Money that Jack no longer had.
Missy was still loaded with money and offered to give Jack a loan. His male pride was the only thing stopping him from accepting it.
Everyone worked hard day and night to get the place ready. Eden was mostly kept busy with the kids, since Tisha was supposed to be on bed rest for a while. Eden didn’t mind, but it was taking away from her time with Jack. He’d been so preoccupied lately that she wondered what was bothering him.
They’d been sleeping in the same bed every night, yet they only made love about once a week. Each time, Jack made sure they used protection, but she still wasn’t comfortable with that habit. Most of the time, though, they were both so tired that they fell asleep even before their heads hit the pillows.
The summer flew by, and as the seeds in Eden’s garden grew and flourished into beautiful plants, Jack’s seed within her grew as well. She was certain now that she was pregnant. When she bought a home pregnancy test and saw the results, she was excited, frightened, and confused all at the same time. She had to talk to someone before she burst from trying to keep the secret, but she didn’t know whom to trust. Eden wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Jack yet. He had so many other worries on his mind with the bistro and his father coming home next month. Plus, she wasn’t showing yet, so she figured she would wait. They had never talked about marriage, and Jack prided himself of being a bachelor. Eden didn’t even know how he felt about kids. She decided she would just wait until they were having an intimate moment together, and then mention it. Yes, she would wait until the time was right.
* * *
Jack stood in his office staring at the airline ticket to Peru that he bought for Eden. He was no longer sure he’d done the right thing. When he bought the ticket over a month ago, he believed he’d be happy to be doing what the professor wanted him to do. He wanted to do the right thing, and this was the only way he knew how.
Normally, Jack wasn’t one to care about doing what was expected. But then his father gave him the chance of a lifetime to make something of himself. Now, he had the whole world in his hands . . . as well as Eden’s world.
He’d grown to love Eden in the short time she’d been in his care. It was going to be hard to let her go and he couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her. She’d helped him to face his weaknesses and care about making things better. He no longer wanted her to leave, but she had a family in Peru. Her mother, half-siblings, and the people she loved were waiting for her, and she had never even been able to contact them. He was Eden’s only hope of returning home, so he had no choice but to buy her the ticket.
He sat down in his desk chair, swiveling back and forth, just staring at the ticket in his hand. Her flight was scheduled for the end of September. It was right before his father was to return. Was it a subliminal fear that made him do that? Didn’t he want his father to know about Eden? He was no longer sure. Alastair Talon would never accept Eden, there was no doubt about that. His father wouldn’t like the fact that his only son had fallen in love with a girl who had nothing, lived in a primitive part of the world, and with a simple culture of which she was proud. Part of him wanted approval from his father, but another part of him only wanted to please Eden. He figured by buying the ticket, he would be making both of them happy. The only person who wasn’t happy was him.
“I did what I had to,” he mumbled, trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing. He threw the ticket down on the desk and reached for a cigarette, only stopping when Eden’s words echoed in his head that he shouldn’t smoke. She’d been trying to get him to stop smoking and drinking lately. She told him it was bad for his health and also the health of the people around him. He supposed she was right. He threw the pack of smokes on top of the ticket to Peru.
“Who are you talking to, Jack?” asked Nathan, entering the office.
“Someone who no longer exists.”
“What does that mean?” Nathan slid his butt onto the desk and grabbed the pack of cigarettes, eyeing the ticket in the process.
“I’m not the same Jack Talon I was a few months ago.” Jack reached out and snatched the pack of cigarettes from Nathan, tossing them into the trashcan.
“Hey, what you doing?”
“There is no smoking allowed in here, you know that.”
“Well, so do you, yet you never seemed to let that stop you.”
“Things need to change around her, Nathan. People need to change.”
“People? Do you mean you?” He looked down at the ticket on Jack’s desk again. “Does this all have something to do with the airline ticket sitting on your desk by any chance?”
Jack picked up the ticket and studied it, propping his feet on the desk and leaning back in his chair. “This has everything to do with it.”
“I see.” Nathan nodded in thought. “You’re sending Eden home, aren�
��t you?” Nathan seemed shocked as well as disappointed.
“I’m doing the right thing, Nathan.”
Nathan hesitated before he answered. “I see.” He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. “Does Eden know about this?”
“Not yet.”
“When did you plan on springing it on her?”
Jack shrugged. “The ticket is for the end of September, so sometime before then.”
“I see,” Nathan said again, unnerving Jack each time he said it.
“What do you see?” he growled. “And why the hell do you keep saying that?”
“What I see is a man who is in love with a wonderful woman but is too damned stubborn to admit it. You think by sending her home you’ll make up for all the wrong you’ve done. That you’re going to redeem yourself by putting Eden back in the mountains where she came from.”
“Damn it, Nathan! I’m just trying to do what’s right. The professor told her I’d help her get back home, and I’ve got to honor the man’s dying request.”
“Even if it tears you apart in the process?” asked Nathan. “And what do you think it’ll do to Eden when she finds out you no longer want her?”
“She’s got a family back in Peru, Nathan. She wants to go back.”
“She’s also got a family here now, in case you haven’t noticed. What makes you think Eden’s not in love with you just like you’re in love with her?”
Jack threw the ticket on the desk and got to his feet. “What is all this talk about love, Nathan? And since when did you become such an expert on the subject? Did Missy put that lame idea in your head?”
“Just asking,” said Nathan coolly. “I just call it like I see it.” Nathan turned and headed for the door.
“Don’t say anything to Eden about this,” Jack pleaded with him.
“That’s your job,” Nathan answered. “Good luck,” he said with a two-finger salute as he headed out the door.
Bistro Bachelor: Working Man Series - Book 2 Page 17