Bachelor's Special (14 page)

Truth be told, she didn’t want to know. The thought of having a child with her life so unstable scared her. She needed to push her fear aside. No more taking the easy way out by burying something unpleasant under the covers, pretending it didn’t exist.

Jill pushed her plate away. Though she gobbled down her omelet and sipped her peppermint tea, the fruit went untouched. She glanced at the clock. Chet’s habit of picking up his meals in the kitchen, then retiring to his office was still in effect. He might not want to be in her presence after Mel’s speech, but she didn’t even want to think about his reaction once Gina got a hold of him.

Damn it, she’d talk to Chet tonight. This had gone on long enough. She’d coddled him by not approaching him about what happened on the boat, and now to add a pregnancy scare to the mix would only compound the stress if she didn’t say something. She might like to think of Chet as a friend—hell, she wanted them to be friends—but the fact remained that he was really her boss.

As she cleared away her plate, Chet emerged with his empty one.

“Chet, I’ve had enough of this polite avoidance. We need to talk.”

The edges of his mouth pulled upward. “I think you’re the one with psychic abilities. I was just going to say the same thing.”

“I have two things we need to get out in the open. First off—”

The chime of the doorbell startled them both.

Now that she’d made the decision to spill her secret and clear the air about wish lists and baby makers, she wanted to do it uninterrupted. “I can get it,” she squeaked.

“No, go ahead and finish up here.” He turned and walked through the arch that led to the front hallway. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is and we can sit down and talk.”

Her unsteady breathing went well with the knots in her stomach. He sounded as determined as she felt. All of this agitation was due to Chet stress. She’d have to coin a new medical phrase. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she hummed a song from her childhood, one her mother used to sing, while she scraped her plate and finished cleaning up.

After several minutes, muffled voices drifted into the room. Her heart stalled.

Gina.

She barged through the archway, her heels clapping across the floor. Her piercing, canned laugh blanketed the room. The weight of Barracuda’s stare settled across Jill’s back. Seconds later the hair at her nape stood on alert as she sensed Chet enter the room. She placed the last plate into the dishwasher, then turned to face them.

The smug smile on Gina’s lips and the pinched skin around Chet’s eyes told the story.

“Is what Gina says the truth, Jill?”

“Depends on what she said.”

Chet’s hardening features killed any hope of understanding she expected from him. Her butt connected with the counter, and her hands clenched into fists as they curled around the edge to replace the support leaving her legs.

The fluffy omelet she just devoured bubbled in her gut. The room grew hot. Jill blinked several times, the clammy wetness of her skin gave warning that she was either going to hurl or faint. Acid rose up her throat as she ran from the kitchen to the tiny powder room off the hallway in the foyer.

Not caring that the door stood open, Jill bent over the porcelain bowl. Strong, firm fingers bunched the hair at the nape of her neck.

Chet. With everything swirling around them, he’d shown his good side yet again. Though threatened with the possibility of a child he didn’t want, and with his crazy ex-girlfriend in his home, he’d still followed her to make sure she was okay.

Jill sank to the floor and leaned against the wall, squeezing her eyes tight to stop the spinning. Water poured from the faucet and a cold cloth pressed against her forehead. Chet’s reassuring touch comforted her as he crouched beside her, rubbing her shoulder with his other hand. He murmured soothing words and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

He’d make a great friend—if she could only think of him as one exclusively.

Tears pricked her eyes. If she were pregnant, Chet was the type of guy who would stick around, stay in her life. Because it was the right thing to do. That wasn’t what she wanted. No woman would.

She didn’t want a man in her life unless he
wanted
to be. Baby or not.

Chapter Sixteen

After several minutes of sitting alongside Jill on the bathroom floor, Chet helped her to her feet. She swayed, then steadied herself against his chest.

His gut tightened as her fingers pressed into him. Since Mel’s revelation, he managed to keep a determined distance from Jill in hopes she wouldn’t get any ideas about them as a couple.

But his desire for her hadn’t cooled one iota. From the sensation and awareness crawling over his skin, he was more in tune to her sexually now than before. Guilt overwhelmed him. Now wasn’t the time to let her gentle touch or clean soap scent affect him.

Though he missed their time together, he wouldn’t allow himself to be lured into a relationship he didn’t want. But he might not have much choice.

Him, a father? His insides curdled with dread and a pinch of fear. “Do you need to lie down?”

She shook her head, but the motion must’ve disoriented her because she pressed her palm to the side of her face and squeezed her eyes closed.

“I can carry you.”

“No. No, I’m fine.”

But her voice didn’t sound fine. He strained to catch her words.

Jill sucked in a breath, raised her head, and opened her eyes, but she wouldn’t meet his. He helped her into the sunlit foyer, where they found Gina nonchalantly leaning against the wall. Ankles crossed, she twisted a large diamond ring around one finger. Tiny creases outlined her lips, and her nostrils flared when she inhaled. From experience, Chet waited for the unkind words her vicious expression warned would come.

“And you once told me I’m conniving. Looks like Jill has a dark side. It makes me think of a conversation we had years ago.”

“We had several, and most of them didn’t end well.”

“Let me narrow it down for you. The one where you accused me of tricking you, using you. After you accused me of being a liar. When you said your money attracted all kinds.” Gina’s voice scratched across his skin. She pushed away from the wall. “You’re falling for it all over again.”

Jill’s shoulder trembled beneath his hand, and he tried to pull her into the shelter of his arms, but she stiffened.

“Gina, I don’t think now is the time for a walk down memory lane.”

“Now is the perfect time. I must admit, Jill, you went way above and beyond what I’d go through to snag a man. Now you’ll have a lifetime commitment from Chet. Of course your figure will be ruined.” Gina’s gaze raked over Jill. “Not something I’d do, I’m a firm believer in getting rid of…well, varmints.”

“Enough, Gina.” One of his fights with Gina before they’d broken up had been over children. He’d found out too late that Gina had become pregnant with his child but erased what she termed “the problem” before he’d even known.

“I still have the name of my doctor, if you want to give Jill a ride to the clinic.”

“You’re a sick woman.” Together Jill and he would work through this and do what’s right for them. They shared similar values. She wouldn’t even consider
that
option.

“You’re turning into a bigger wimp than I would’ve suspected. Don’t you see she tricked you, Chet?” Her gaze turned to Jill. “Hats off to you, you went a step further than I was prepared to go.”

“Are you always so full of hate?” Jill’s voice came out soft but full of impact.

Gina moved toward Jill, then thought better of it when Chet blocked her path.

“Go home to your husband, Gina. Learn to be a wife.” Chet glanced at Jill. Her chin trembled and she tilted her head toward the floor. Under normal circumstances, she would never sit by and accept Gina’s words without a few choice retorts of her own. But she didn’t have the strength.

Gina’s laughter clawed across his back. How had he ever found her beautiful? He wanted nothing more than to get her away from Jill.

“That marriage is dead and buried, Chet. I thought I’d give you another try, but since Jill is going to bog you down with a kid, you’re out of the running.”

The mention of his possible child softened his heart. He’d hardened himself against the idea of marriage, but never considered the possibility of a child. Not after Gina. Protectiveness swept through him. Not just for his child, but for the woman carrying it. “Not a chance, Gina. On your way home, why don’t you stop and get some help.”

“Whatever. I’m off to calmer waters. I just wanted to make sure you knew how Jill tricked you. How you’d pay for the rest of your life.”

Although Jill remained quiet throughout their exchange, her body jerked at Gina’s words. She pushed away and flung herself into the restroom. The lock sounded and he heard her heave.

“Domestic bliss. Enjoy it, Chet.” Gina’s voice echoed across the high ceiling of the foyer. She adjusted her purse strap and flicked him a dismissive glance before she walked out the door.

“Good riddance,” Chet muttered. Soft sobs from the other side of the bathroom door hammered his chest, sucking the oxygen from the room.

If she were pregnant, which seemed likely, both of them would accept their responsibility and make the best of this. They might not be in love, but that was no reason they couldn’t come to some type of arrangement.

…

“I think I know my own body, Chet.” Jill shifted positions in the formal wood chair. After Barracuda left and Jill finished in the restroom, they’d drifted into the paneled dining room to talk. “Let’s not make this bigger than it needs to be right now. I mean…I’m not even a week late.”

“You have to admit it’s a possibility. Neither of us bothered with protection.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, and Jill’s heart shattered. All this upset and stress because of an unconfirmed pregnancy.

If only she’d been able to talk to him first. Or gotten off her duff and taken a test so she at least had the backing of facts. Gina’s big mouth should be condemned. Jill reached across the dining table with the intention of covering his hand with hers, but the hard set of his mouth deterred her.

She took a deep breath. “We don’t know anything for certain.”

“Are you telling me pregnancy never crossed your mind?”

“Well…no. It did, but there are other factors, too. My life’s been a mess. It’s probably just everything coming to a head, stressing me out, making me sick.” She held her palm to her forehead. Cold, clammy skin met her fingertips. “I haven’t taken a test, or seen a doctor.”

“I can’t believe things got so carried away.” His shaky fingers brushed across his head. “I’m never so careless.”

“We were both careless. Things…well, things happened,” she said, amazed at how calm she sounded when panic consumed her.

“I wanted you from that first night, but after discovering all you’d been through I tossed that idea out the window. I had no intention of taking what we started any further.” He jerked his head to meet her gaze. “And now this. I’m not interested in anything long term.”

“And you think I am?”

“I know you are.” He rubbed the side of his neck.

“Not like this.”

“Why didn’t you come to me with your suspicions?”

“That was the plan when the doorbell rang.” She sighed.

A tense line skated across his brow. “Why tonight? Why not right away?”

“We weren’t exactly on friendly terms… You have to admit our relationship has been a series of ups and downs. First we’re set up and you think I have ulterior motives, then I come to work for you and neither of us can deny our attraction—Chet, we’re a mess.” Her attempt at humor flopped. “But tonight I couldn’t take the tension between us any longer. We needed to talk about this, and the day on the boat.”

Chet stood and shoved his chair back under the table. He gripped the backrest until his knuckles turned white. “The boat. Damn it, Jill. Mel only confirmed the need to keep my distance. I’ve never wanted anything long term and I never will. And you want it all—something I can’t give.”

“None of this is news to me, Chet. I’ve never asked you for anything more. We don’t want the same things and I know that. But it’s no reason we can’t be friends.” Her gut clenched at the word “friends.” Could they be just friends when their obvious attraction shot past the moon?

He nodded, loosening his stranglehold on the chair to tap his fingers along the wood instead.

“Either way, we’re jumping the gun.” She tried to ease the awkwardness of their silence with a laugh, but only succeeded in mimicking a frog with hiccups.

“If you’re pregnant, we’ll get married.” Tight-lipped, he stared her down. “A child needs a stable environment. I refuse to shuffle any child of mine between homes.”

“No! You need to
stop!
” Jill sat tall. “I’ve barely wrapped my head around all the events of the last couple of days. I don’t need you adding marriage to the pile.”

Chet’s stiff expression and rigid stance shook her to the core. Dread filled her at the trapped look in his eyes. “If you’re preg—”

“If I’m pregnant, I won’t have my life turned upside down any more than it already will be.”

“Too late.”

“This is no reason to break glass, buy the cow, or jump the broom. Not in this day and age. We don’t need to be married to share responsibilities.” How could he suggest marriage? From the expression locked on his face that shouldn’t be an option. And if it was, it’d be the last one. A baby shouldn’t change that.

And she refused to be forced into a loveless marriage. No matter how well they got along as friends, marriage should include love front and center. If you didn’t have that, any union would be doomed.

“Think of the baby, Jill.”

“I am. I grew up in a home where my mother and father ‘did the right thing’ for the sake of their child. Me. And I can tell you firsthand it was no picnic listening to their fights about who ruined whose life more.”

“That’s them. We won’t be like that.” Chet pressed his palms into the table as he leaned in.

“Really? Let me give you the breakdown. Forced marriage, resentment, the cold shoulder followed by vicious fights and nasty accusations. Then the fun starts, each parent sharing their woes with their child, until the poor kid can’t help but wonder if her parents would’ve been happier if she’d never been born.” Her lungs seized and she fought to ease the burn with a breath of air. “I wouldn’t wish that type of life for any child. I won’t do it to mine.”

The room stilled. Chet swallowed hard and pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jill’s chest ached as she rose to her feet. “We’re getting heated over something we don’t even know exists. Let’s do this smart. I need to take a pregnancy test.”

His face pinched and his coloring grayed. Jill swallowed at the sudden change.

“Oh, I’ve no doubt you’re already playing this smart,” he said in a deadpan voice.

Jill’s tummy shifted. “What do you mean by that?”

“Do I need to spell it out, Jill?”

“Apparently.”

“Gina might have a point here. You could’ve tricked me. Seduced me in the pool to have a revolving credit line for your business.”

The temperature of her body rose to an all-time high. “W-wh—?”

“If you’re pregnant, I’ll accept responsibility. We’ll do the right thing and get married for the sake of our child, but I’ll never forgive you for tricking me.”

“Tricking you?” Anger fueled her movements until she stood before him, toe to toe. Where had this about-face come from? “You’re as crazy as your ex. As for marriage, it wasn’t my suggestion, but yours.
Yours!
”

“Don’t blame me for you getting pregnant.”

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“Everything makes sense now, looking back.” One brow slanted at a harrowing angle. “You were the one who initiated what happened in the pool.”

“Well, you certainly didn’t object. It takes two, as the saying goes.” Her fingers itched with the desire to slap him, or grab him by the shirt and shake him until he came to his senses.

“But it only takes one to come up with a plan.”

“Are you serious? Think about it, Chet. Who was the one at a loss? Who was upset and embarrassed? It certainly wasn’t you. You didn’t sleep with your boss.”

“Maybe you’re an actress as well as chef.”

“You’d be the one to figure it out, smart guy. Why don’t you punch in the number to the security team at your disposal? You’re the one who does background checks on any woman you might be interested in enough to date. Or should I say bed?”

“Like I said, Gina may have pegged you from day one. Sleep with me and assure your future. Quite a meal ticket.”

“I’d rather starve.” She stepped back, the cement lining her stomach crumbled. Did he actually believe his own words? “Are you still living in the past and letting that woman control you?”

“She doesn’t control me.” Each word rolled off his tongue with a boom.

“You could’ve fooled me. Your inability to trust anyone is all because Gina’s in control. I’m sad, Chet. I’m sad that you can’t trust me.”

“I can’t trust anyone.”

“I see that.” She took a gulp of air. Pain filled her chest and her head throbbed. “If I am pregnant, you don’t think a baby will affect my dreams, ambitions?”

“You’re the one who wants a family. Hell, you want it all. This is part of
all.
”

“I do, but not like this. The timing has to be right, and so does the man.”

Chet’s jaw tightened.

Before she’d met Chet, her life had been at an all-time low. Out of work, barely able to pay her bills, and refused for every bank loan she’d applied for. But none of those things compared to this.

“You act like I had some big scheme to get Chet Castle’s money. The only plan I had for my future—
my
future
—
was running a catering business.” Jill jammed her hands into the pockets of her capris to hide their shakiness. “If I’m pregnant, everything will change.”

“For both of us.”

“More so for me. I wanted to be up and running, successful enough to hire staff. Then, if I ever married and had children
—
” She choked back a sob. “Well, hopefully I’d have a great staff and would be able to cut back on hours and raise my family myself.”

His face remained emotionless. “You’re very convincing, Jill.”

He still doubted her. After all their talks over the last several weeks, she’d felt they’d shared a strong bond, an understanding. They’d grown to know each other. They might have had their moments of doubt or uncertainty, but she thought they’d become friends. Wrong. “How can I raise a child and still fulfill my dream? I can’t.”