Something About Lorelei

by Sandi Lynn

“Did you forget something?” I asked.

  “No. I want to run an idea by you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I think you should pack a bag and come stay at my penthouse. At least until Sunday.”

  “Why?” I frowned.

  “Because you can’t take Hope to and from school. She’s going to need help in the mornings, especially with breakfast and at night with dinner. You’re still recovering, so it would just be easier to stay at my place. That way, I can still take her to school in the morning and pick her up. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be covered, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

  I sighed. As much as it all made sense, I wasn’t so sure.

  “I don’t know, Jack. This is our home and I’m comfortable here.”

  “And you’ll be comfortable at my house. I’ll make sure of it. Things would just be easier. Plus I have a lot of food.” He smiled.

  “Do you have any tea?” I narrowed my eye at him.

  He walked to the kitchen and grabbed the three boxes I had sitting in the cabinet.

  “I do now.” He winked.

  The fact of the matter was I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t get Hope to school in the mornings and I couldn’t pick her up. With Stella and my parents being out of town, Jack was my only option at the moment and he knew it.

  “Fine. I’ll go pack a bag.”

  “Do you need any help?” he asked.

  “No. I can do it myself.” I got up from the couch and stumbled to the bedroom.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Jack

  When we reached my penthouse, I showed Lorelei to the other guest room upstairs.

  “Here’s your room.” I set her bag down on the bed. “Hope’s is right across the hall. Make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thanks, Jack.” She gave me a small smile.

  Looking at my watch, I noticed it was almost time to pick up Hope.

  “Hope will be out of school soon, so I’m going to head out now.”

  “Okay. I can’t wait to see her.”

  “We’ll be back soon.”

  I walked down to the limo and climbed in.

  “Good job getting Lorelei to stay with you,” Tony spoke.

  “It was the easiest way. She’s in no condition to take care of Hope on her own right now.”

  I stood outside the front doors of the school and Hope walked out with a smile on her face. A smile that made me smile.

  “How was school today?” I patted her head and took her backpack from her.

  “Good. Are we going to visit my mom now?” she asked.

  “Yes. But we’re not going to the hospital,” I replied as I slid in next to her in the back seat.

  “Where are we going?” She looked up at me with her blue eyes.

  “Your mom got out of the hospital today and she’s staying with us at my house until she’s fully recovered and she can take care of you on her own.”

  Her eyes widened. “She’s home?”

  “Yes, and she can’t wait to see you.”

  “So I’ll be staying with you and her until she’s better?”

  “Yes, Hope.”

  She reached over and threw her arms around my neck.

  “That’s the best news ever!” she exclaimed.

  When we stepped out of the elevator, Hope ran into the living room and found Lorelei sitting on the couch with her sketchbook.

  “Mommy!” she yelled as she ran to her and hugged her tightly.

  “Hey, baby. How was school today?”

  “It was good. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m feeling better, sweetie. I missed you so much and so did Luna.”

  “I missed you too. I’m so happy you’re out of the hospital.” She climbed onto her lap.

  My phone rang, and when I looked at it, I saw that Coco was calling. I excused myself and went into my office.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey. My trip got cut short, so I’m on the next flight out. How’s everything going?”

  “Fine. Lorelei got out of the hospital today and she’s staying with me for a few days until she’s fully recovered.”

  “Who are you and where’s my brother?” She laughed.

  “Very funny. We need to talk tomorrow, so come straight to my office. No, in fact, come straight to my penthouse in the morning. I don’t want anyone in the office to overhear us.”

  “You’re scaring me, Jack. What’s going on? Does this have anything to do with Bradley?”

  “Yes. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  I walked into the living room and took a seat next to Hope and Lorelei on the couch.

  “What does everyone want for dinner?”

  Lorelei arched her brow at me. “Are you cooking?”

  I shrugged. “I can maybe cook something. I make a mean hot dog and macaroni and cheese.” I grinned.

  “He does,” Hope spoke.

  “But, how about we order something in? Maybe a pizza, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican. You name it.”

  “I want tacos!” Hope expressed.

  “Tacos sound good, Miss Hope. What do you think, Lorelei?”

  “Tacos it is.”

  “Are you hungry now or should we wait a while?” I asked them.

  “We can eat later. I’m going to get a snack and then do my homework now so we can watch a movie later. Just the three of us.” Hope smiled.

  “And what movie would that be?” I asked.

  “Cinderella.”

  I raised my brow. “Haven’t you seen that like a billion times?”

  “Yes.” She giggled. “But I love it and you never watched it, have you?”

  “No. I haven’t.”

  “Good. Then we can all watch it together later.” She took Luna and walked away.

  I followed her into the kitchen and cut her up an apple. I placed the slices on a plate with some peanut butter as she sat down at the table and started her homework. I took another plate of apples and handed it to Lorelei.

  “Apples?” I asked.

  She smiled as she took one from the plate and bit into it.

  After dinner, Hope changed into her pajamas and summoned me to sit down to watch Cinderella.

  “You can sit next to me, Jack.” She smiled as she patted the couch.

  Lorelei fell asleep more than halfway through the movie. I wish I could have done the same thing.

  “Isn’t Prince Charming the best?” Hope asked as she looked at me.

  “He’s not all that.” I grinned.

  She giggled. “Yes he is. He never gave up finding Cinderella, his true love. Then he made her his princess. That’s why he’s the best.”

  “Do you have a crush on Prince Charming?” I asked.

  “Maybe.” She giggled.

  Just as the movie ended, Lorelei woke up. She looked like an angel while she slept and I couldn’t help but steal glances at her from time to time.

  “Okay, kiddo. It’s time for bed. Go brush your teeth and I’ll be up there to tuck you in.”

  “Okay, Jack, but I want my mom to tuck me in too.”

  She went upstairs and I looked at Lorelei.

  “You missed half the movie.”

  “I’ve seen it a million times.” She smiled. “I can practically recite every line.”

  “I bet you can.”

  We both got up and went to tuck Hope in. When we reached her bedroom, she was already in bed. Lorelei pulled the covers over her and kissed her good night.

  “Good night, kiddo.” I patted her head.

  “Don’t forget to say good night to Luna.” She held her doll out to me.

  “Good night, Luna.” I shook her small cloth arm.

  Hope giggled as we turned off the light and stepped out of the room. I followed Lorelei into her room to make sure she settled in comfortably.

  “Are you tucking me into bed, Jack?” She raised her brow.

  “Do you want me to?” I smir
ked as I stood in front of her.

  “I’m more than capable of tucking myself in.”

  I ran my thumb across her cheek and stared into her tired eyes.

  “Thank you for staying here. I know you wanted your own bed, but this way was easier for everyone.”

  All I wanted to do was to climb into bed with her and hold her for the rest of the night. These emotions that consumed me were new and I wasn’t quite sure how to handle them.

  “I’m sorry, Lorelei,” I whispered as I stroked her hair.

  “For what?”

  “Everything.” I leaned in closer and softly brushed my lips against hers.

  She placed her hand on my chest and pulled away. “I’m tired, Jack. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  I walked out of her room, frustrated as fuck, and went downstairs and poured myself a scotch.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Lorelei

  Climbing into bed, I placed my fingers on my lips, still feeling the tingling sensation of his soft kiss. I forgot to take my last antibiotic pill for the night, so I climbed out of bed and went downstairs where I saw Jack sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, holding a drink.

  “I thought you went to bed.”

  “Why are you up?” he asked.

  “I forgot to take my pill.”

  I walked into the kitchen and took a pill from the bottle that was sitting on the counter. Jack followed behind, opened the refrigerator and handed me a bottle of water.

  “Thanks.”

  He nodded his head and went back to the living room, pouring himself another scotch.

  “What’s wrong, Jack? I can tell something is bothering you.”

  “Nothing. Go to bed, Lorelei,” he spoke in a harsh tone.

  “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  He took in a sharp breath. “Fine. Sit down.”

  I sat down on the couch and he proceeded to tell me about what his mother had done. I was in shock to say the least.

  “Now I have to tell Coco tomorrow and I’m not sure how she’s going to react. Unfortunately, she’s in love with that asshole.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You and me both.” He paced around the room, throwing back his drink. “Listen, I’m sorry for kissing you earlier. It was a mistake and I got caught up in the moment. I’m just happy you’re feeling better. I’ll see you in the morning.” He set down his glass on the bar and walked up the stairs.

  A mistake? Another mistake he made with me. The only reason I pulled away was because I couldn’t let myself get wrapped up in him again. If I had kissed him back, I would have. I was still trying to deal with the fact that I didn’t tell him about Hope from the beginning. I’d never forget the look on his face that night he came to my apartment. The disappointment that his eyes displayed as they stared at me played over and over in my head. I fucked up, but so did he with the things he said, and I wasn’t sure if we could ever get past that.

  ****

  The next morning, I showered and threw on a pair of leggings and a long t-shirt. When I walked into the kitchen, Hope was sitting at the table eating waffles and Jack was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, baby.” I kissed Hope on her head.

  “Morning, Mommy. Jack made me waffles.”

  “I see that.”

  “Coffee?” he asked in a bitter tone.

  “Yes, please.” I walked over to where he was standing.

  “Would you like breakfast? I make some pretty mean waffles. Just ask Hope.”

  She giggled. “He burnt the first two waffles and had to throw them out.”

  “I can make my own breakfast. You’ve done enough.” I lightly touched his arm and he pulled away.

  “Let me. You go sit down and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  “You better do as he says, Mommy.” Hope smiled.

  I sighed and took my coffee to the table, where I sat down next to Hope. After setting the plate of waffles down in front of me, Jack took a seat across from us.

  “Coco may be here before I get back,” he spoke as he sipped his coffee.

  “All right. I’ll be on the lookout for her.”

  As soon as Hope was finished eating, I kissed her goodbye and walked her and Jack to the elevator.

  “Have a good day, baby.”

  “I will, Mommy. You too.”

  I stood and watched as Jack took Hope’s backpack from her and placed his hand on the top of her head. A feeling washed over me that I couldn’t describe. For a brief moment, it felt like we were a family. He was still angry with me for last night and his attitude still carried on this morning. He wasn’t happy when I pulled away from him. I shook off the feeling, went back to the kitchen, and poured another cup of coffee. A few moments later, I heard the elevator doors open and Coco walked in.

  “Lorelei, so happy to see you out of the hospital.” She walked over and lightly hugged me.

  “It’s good to see you, Coco. How’s everything going?”

  “Meh. As well as could be expected, I guess.”

  She took down a cup from the cupboard and poured some coffee into it.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  “He took Hope to school. He’ll be back soon.”

  “Ah. Okay. Do I smell waffles?”

  “Yes. Would you like some?”

  “I would love some. I haven’t had waffles in years.” She smiled.

  I took two waffles from the freezer and placed them in the toaster.

  “I must say, it’s nice to see you here in Jack’s kitchen. The only woman I’ve ever seen here is Madeline.”

  “Really?” I cocked my head in disbelief.

  “Yeah. Jack never let the women he was with spend the night. It was always sex and goodbye. A swift kick out the door.” She smiled.

  “We aren’t having sex any more. I’m just a guest in his home.”

  “You may not be having sex now, but I’m sure you will be again.” She winked.

  I could feel my cheeks redden as she stared at me.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, sweetie. Between you and me, I think you’re a breath of fresh air for Jack and he knows it.”

  Putting the waffles on a plate, I took them over to the table.

  “Well, Jack screwed up when he found out about Hope and told me that he had made a terrible mistake and to forget about what happened between us.”

  Just as I said that, I heard the elevator doors open and Jack walked into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Coco.” He walked over and kissed her cheek.

  “Hey, Jack. So tell me what’s going on.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Jack

  Pouring a cup of coffee, I sat down at the table across from Coco. I didn’t know how to tell her. This was going to be a double blow. It didn’t only involve our mother, but her boyfriend, who, for some unknown fucked-up reason, she loved.

  “Our mother is being blackmailed. That’s why she had Bradley take the money from the company and put them in the offshore accounts.”

  She cocked her head as a shocked look settled in her eyes. “Who would blackmail our mother? And better yet, why?”

  I glanced over at Lorelei, who gave me a pained look. She knew this was something I couldn’t bear to tell my sister. This would hurt her deeply and I dreaded the words leaving my mouth. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.

  “Jack?” She paused as she looked over at Lorelei and then back at me. “What the fuck is going on?”

  I took in a deep breath as I prepared to deliver the devastating news to my sister.

  “Joshua is blackmailing her.”

  “What?” Her lips gave way to a small unsure smile. “Why? Why would my boyfriend blackmail our mother?”

  “Joshua found out something about her and he threatened to go public with it unless she paid him off to keep quiet.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense. What did he find out abou
t her?”

  “Apparently, our mother hired someone to go work for Flourishing Fashions Magazine to spy on them. They reported back to her and she stole their ideas, used them in our magazine, and put out the editions before Flourishing could.”

  “That’s crazy. Mother would never do anything like that. Where the fuck are you getting your information from? You are way out of line, Jack.” She got up from her seat and headed towards the living room.

  “I got the information from our dear mother herself. She came over here the other night and told me. She knew it was only a matter of time before I found out, so she decided to come clean.”

  She stood in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed, shaking her head.

  “When did this happen?”

  “A couple of years ago.”

  “How could we not have known what she was doing?” Coco yelled.

  “How would we? You know how she is. How she’s always been. The magazine is her company and if she didn’t want us to know something, she would go to any lengths possible to make sure we didn’t.”

  “That stupid little fucker Joshua! I’ll kill him!” She clenched her fists. “I knew something was going on with him. I’ll bet you a million dollars that after he got that money, he was going to leave me. He’s been having an affair, Jack.”

  “What?” I yelled.

  “I don’t even care. He doesn’t even know that I found out.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “About two weeks.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me?”

  “Because I knew you’d go after him and I wanted to handle him on my own.”

  “What were you planning to do?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure out something.” She looked down.

  “Listen, Coco.” I walked over to her and clasped her shoulders. “You can’t let him know that we know about this yet. We have to figure out a way to stop him from getting that money.”

  “How? If he goes public with the information about Mom, it will destroy the company.”

  I sighed. “I know.”

  “We need to talk to her, Jack. Are you coming into the office?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll see you there.” She placed her hand on my arm. “I’m happy you’re feeling better, Lorelei. We’ll talk soon.”

  As soon as Coco left, I turned and looked at Lorelei.