A Little Bit of Déjà Vu (21 page)

An hour later, she laid the vegetable platter and an assortment of cheeses and crackers on the cocktail table in the living room. When the bell chimed in the center hall, Jake sprinted to the foyer to answer the door.

He pulled the elegant redhead standing on the threshold into his arms and squeezed her willowy figure close while he kissed her on the lips. “Rox, you look great. Damn, I’ve missed you.”

His ex-wife wore a sophisticated ivory linen dress that complimented her flawless complexion and coppery hair. She caressed Jake’s jaw and wiped her eyes. “I’ve missed you too, Honey.”

He took her suitcase and set it next to the coat closet in the hall. “You’re still planning to stay here tonight, right?”

“If you don’t mind. Where’s my future daughter-in-law? I can’t wait to meet her.”

Envy gnawed at Margie’s insides as she watched their exchange of affection from the living room. They didn’t behave like any divorced couple she’d ever known. Maybe Jake hadn’t insisted Alex make peace with his mother simply because he was worried about his son’s relationship with her. Perhaps Jake really hoped to reconcile with his ex.

Emma wandered out to the foyer, leaving Alex hanging back in the living room with Margie. Jake pulled her daughter forward. “Rox, this is Emma. Em—Alex’s mother. You can either call her Roxanne or Mom.”

She smiled and hugged the much taller woman. “I’m glad to meet you.”

Roxanne tipped Emma’s face up. “Jake didn’t exaggerate when he told me how sweet you are.” She held her at an arm’s length and studied the cornflower blue sundress Emma had worn. “And you’re just as pretty.” Roxanne glanced up as Alex stepped out of the living room. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I can’t believe how fast you grew up.”

His shoulders shuddered as he choked out a brusque, “Hi.”

Roxanne stepped closer and gently touched his face. “You look so much like your dad when he was your age.”

A terse nod seemed to be all Alex could handle. He brushed her hand from his cheek as if it were a pesky fly and led the way into the living room. “This is Emma’s mom, Margie Bradford.” Alex waved toward her, obviously stumped on how to address her to avoid confusion between her and his mother. Eventually he shrugged. “Mom, meet Roxanne, my uhh—
mother
.”

Roxanne smiled and clasped Margie’s extended hand, gazing at her with an assessing expression. “It’s nice to
finally
meet you, Maggie.”

Margie’s stomach twisted in a dozen knots as she glanced at the kids. Had they noticed Roxanne’s emphasis on the word finally and the fact she’d called her Maggie?

The doorbell broke the tension, and Jake let his ex-father-in-law in. He’d told Margie his son had continued seeing Roxanne’s dad, but Alex’s estrangement from his mother had strained his relationship with his maternal grandfather.

Alex made the introductions, and after Margie shook Alexander Warrington’s hand, the man pulled his grandson aside and fished an envelope from the interior pocket of his suit jacket.

“Take a walk with me, Alex. I have something for you.” The silver-haired man put his arm around his grandson’s shoulders and guided him down the hallway.

Jake and she had agreed to encourage the kids to do as much for themselves financially as possible. Was he going to allow his father-in-law to give Alex the easy way out?

When Nick and Helen arrived moments later, Margie sidled up to Jake and muttered under her breath, “Is your dad aware that I’m Emma’s mother?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I asked everyone not to say anything in front of the kids.”

Helen reminded Margie of Betty White from
The Golden Girls
. There was little wonder that Alex had thrived in the good-natured woman’s care. She was exactly how she imagined a nurturing grandmother to be.

Jake’s dad hadn’t changed much except his hair was now completely silver, and a few more wrinkles lined his distinguished face.

They all smiled through the farce of Jake’s introduction. Nick squeezed Margie’s hand and winked at her. “From what my son’s told us about you, I feel like I already know you.”

Jake jerked his head toward the kitchen. “Maggie, why don’t we let the kids serve everyone drinks? I could use your help.”

Gladly. Anything to escape the bubbling cauldron of tension in the living room.

~~~

Roxanne sipped the club soda Emma brought her and watched her son dote on his shy fiancée. He was so much like Jake. It took all of five minutes to see that Emma’s adoring devotion filled Alex’s need to protect her.

If Maggie had been anything like her daughter nineteen years ago, Roxanne understood exactly why Jake had fallen so hard for her. He’d always had a soft spot for ingenuous waifs—a role Roxanne had never been able to pull off.

For years, she’d tried to play the part for him, acting as a foil to his nurturing, alpha personality. Unfortunately, her need to call the shots herself was way too strong to ever be compatible with a man as dynamic as her ex-husband.

She kept one ear tuned to him supervising dinner in the kitchen while Maggie quietly made suggestions and put the finishing touches on the meal—all the while allowing him to
think
he was managing things.

Roxanne couldn’t help but admire the other woman’s ability to institute her own ideas while still pandering to Jake’s all-male ego. Unlike Maggie, Roxanne had never mastered the art of claiming her independence without coming across as a shrew or a spoiled brat. It still amazed her that Chris seemed to love her exactly the way she was.

She’d asked him to come with her that night, but he’d prudently rejected her invitation, insisting her reconciliation with her son was hardly the time to let Alex in on the fact his mother was having an affair with his father’s best friend.

Not that Alex’s abrupt, monosyllabic responses to her questions were much better than a ceasefire.

Despite how much gratitude Roxanne owed Helen for helping to raise her little boy to be such a nice young man, she couldn’t help feeling jealous. She ached to have him treat her with the same love and affection he showed Helen—or even his future mother-in-law, for that matter.

When Maggie announced dinner was ready, Jake seated her in the hostess’s position at the foot of the table near the kitchen. He took Roxanne’s hand and pulled out the chair for her on his right. “Sit next to me so we can catch up.”

Alex seated Emma next to her mom and took the chair between his fiancée and Roxanne, opposite his three grandparents.

Once everyone was settled, Roxanne’s father rose and held up his wineglass. “I’d like to propose a toast. To my grandson and Emma. May you have a lifetime of happiness together.”

Standing, Alex dug an envelope from his back pocket and ripped it several times before tossing the shredded pieces on the table. “We fully intend to, Gramps.”

Alexander’s mouth tightened. “Don’t be a damned fool.”

“I will not ask Emma to sign that!” Alex snapped, pointing at the torn envelope.

Roxanne rolled her eyes, unable to believe the bastard’s audacity.

The old fool scowled at her. “Would you please talk to your son and make him understand how much he’ll be worth someday and what he’s risk—”

“I know exactly how much is at stake,” Alex cut him off. “Your secretary has been forwarding Warrington’s quarterly financial reports to me since I was twelve. I’m probably the only high school senior who understands the concept of leverage ratio. Emma will be entitled to half of all I have in life. If you don’t like that, find yourself another heir.”

“You just don’t get it, do you, Dad?” Roxanne smiled at Jake. “Alex feels the same way I did when I got married. Unlike me, however, my son has the strength of character to stand up to you and refuse to ask his fiancée to sign a prenup.”

Alexander stared into his grandson’s unflinching gaze for a moment, then turned to Roxanne as he picked up the contract’s torn pieces and stuffed them in his pocket. “And that’s precisely why I’ll be naming Alex as my successor when I retire.”

As if she’d ever expected anything else. She had no doubt her father loved her and her sister Jessica. All her life he’d given them whatever they’d asked for—everything except his approval. All because they’d had the unmitigated nerve to be born minus a penis by which to measure their worth. In fact, the only thing she’d ever done right in her father’s eyes was to give birth to a male heir to inherit his corporate empire.

“And exactly when will you be retiring, Alexander?” Nick asked and served himself some salad Margie had passed to him. “If I recall correctly, you’re already sixty-seven.”

“Not until I decide our grandson is ready to assume control of Warrington. The company needs someone with a set of balls at its helm.”

Roxanne’s heart swelled as her son squeezed her hand under the table.

“I think Alex might have something to say about that.” Jake interjected and winked at her. “Especially if the NFL drafts him.”

“Over my dead body!” Alexander thundered.

“Don’t worry, Gramps. If it comes to that, we’ll have a taxidermist stuff you.” Alex smirked. “Then you can preside over the board for eternity and let my mother do the job she’s better qualified for than I’ll ever be. Have you looked at her division’s fiscal report, lately?”

Roxanne pursed her lips in a suppressed smile. Okay, so she might still have to earn her son’s love and forgiveness, but at least she had his respect for her business acumen. For now, that was enough.

~~~

Margie had never spent such a strained evening in her life. Throughout the meal, she chatted with Helen and Emma about the wedding and listened with half an ear to Alex debate the wisdom of a recent Warrington acquisition with his two grandfathers and mother at the other end of the table. The depth of the kid’s understanding of the business world amazed Margie.

She glanced up from her plate several times to discover Roxanne openly studying her. Jake’s beautiful, sophisticated ex-wife probably wondered what he’d ever seen in a little nobody like Margie.

The loving looks passing between Jake and Roxanne twisted Margie’s insides. By the time she served the creamy cheesecake Jake had ordered from Sally’s Sweet & Savories, Redemption’s bakery and deli, her nerves were tighter than a rubber band stretched to its limit. If the evening didn’t end soon, she would snap. She had no idea how to get through the next twenty-four hours with her sanity intact.

As soon as everyone finished their coffee, Margie jumped up as if a stick of dynamite had exploded under her seat. “I’m sorry to leave the dessert dishes to clear, but I’ve had a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer.”

“It’s okay.” Jake smiled. “You’ve already done too much. Dinner was great. Thanks.”

She said her good-byes to everyone and reminded Alex to make sure Emma got home at a reasonable hour. Jake escorted her to the front door and stepped out on the porch with her.

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Thanks again for all your help tonight.” He speared his fingers into Margie’s hair and claimed her lips in a tender kiss, holding her mouth prisoner under his.

Every fiber of her screamed at her to pull away, but the seductive teasing of his tongue paralyzed her. He slid his arms around her and held her snug against his hard unyielding body. Shivers rippled through her as he nibbled a path down her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat and murmured, “Rosebud, do you ever wonder?”

“About what?” she rasped, shoving herself away from him.

“What our lives would’ve been like if we’d—”

“No,” she lied.

The first few years after she’d married Dan, she’d fantasized constantly about the different path her life would’ve taken if Jake had still wanted her. She wasn’t about to start torturing herself like that again.

She turned and scurried to her car, calling back over her shoulder, “I don’t care to reminisce with you. Dwelling on the past will only breed remorse and bitterness.”

~~~

Maggie’s parting words continued to echo through Jake’s head even after he closed his eyes for the night. He’d never once regretted making love to her. That was her gig. He was too busy dealing with his resentment over the aftermath.

Even now, he couldn’t summon up a speck of remorse for himself—only for what he’d mistakenly done to her life. To regret those incredible hours in her arms would be like feeling sorry he’d taken a trip to the moon simply because he couldn’t make a second journey.

He’d fallen asleep that fateful night with every intention of simply holding Maggie. Except shortly before dawn, her fanny wiggling against his groin stirred the granddaddy of all hard-ons. In his semi-conscious state, it didn’t take much rationalization to decide to enjoy the gift his pals had generously given him. Especially after he plucked open her tiny pearl buttons and parted the front of her dress. She had the most perfect breasts he’d ever laid eyes on—just round enough to be sweetly feminine with nipples that literally begged to be kissed.

Her eager response strained his self-control to the limit. After feeling how excited she was, all it took was an encore of her innocent virgin performance to convince his Johnson he’d be doing her a favor to assuage her so-called
squirmy
feeling.

He hadn’t worn a condom in ages since Roxanne used a diaphragm, so he yanked open the night table drawer to raid Chris’s stash and found the carton empty.

Shit! He threw the box across the room. There was no way he was running through the halls with a woody, trying to scrounge up a condom at four in the morning. Instead, he searched through his billfold and blessedly found a worn packet squashed into the corner. It would have to do.

The look of wonder in Maggie’s eyes almost convinced him her desire really was out of control. When she came only seconds after he slid his fingers between her legs, he nearly lost it.

His heart hammered in his chest as her hand glided down his body and tentatively explored him. The look of utter fascination in her eyes nearly made him come. Her inexperience might all be an award-winning act, but it turned him on something fierce.