Come Back To Me (17 page)

"Thinking about going to
work for them Mr. Bradford?" Eliza raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing like that. Oh by
the way, I'll be gone to Texas for a couple weeks to visit my
parents, why don't you take the time off too?"

"I would but I can't afford
to." She shrugged.

"Eliza, take the damn time
off, with full pay, of course."

"Really!" She
beamed.

"Yeah, have fun, go do
something for yourself. You're always here taking care of my ass;
take care of yourself for once."

"Oh thank you so much!" She
ran behind his desk and hugged him.

"You're welcome." Jake
smiled.

Once Eliza left his office
he picked up the phone to make a not-so-nice call. It was around
lunch time and he hoped that Emily wouldn't answer; no doubt she
would recognize his voice.

"Brewster here." a scruffy
voice answered.

"Yeah, hi Mr. Brewster my
name is Jake Bradford; I have a law firm here in the city. There
were some things I needed to discuss with you if you have a free
moment."

"I've heard of you, good
things of course. What can I do for you?"

"Well sir, I have some
concerns about an employee of yours, an Emily Mills."

"Yeah great girl, smart as
hell. What concerns might you have?"

Jake took a breath and
steadied his voice. "Mr. Brewster, you know as well as I do that
there is nothing more important in our line of work than the
Attorney Client Privilege. That being said, your secretary was
overheard this weekend telling private information about clients of
yours."

He heard a curse under the
old man’s breath. "You know, I had suspicions about her, but her
résumé spoke for itself. Well this is not welcome news at all." He
paused. "Don't worry I'll take care of it. Thanks for bringing it
to my attention Mr. Bradford."

"You're welcome; I just know
that I would hope someone would be looking out for my business as
well. Have a good day sir."

"Same to you."

Jake placed the handset back
in the cradle and let out a sigh of relief. He knew what was
coming, and sure he felt bad for what he did. But this would
protect Emily, which was the bottom line.

The day drug on and Jake was
beat by the time five o'clock rolled around. He needed to get home
and pack for the trip to Texas. On the way to his car, his phone
rang. The caller ID said it was Emily. His heart raced.

"Hello." He
answered.

"Jake, it's me. Can I please
come over?" She sobbed.

"Em, are you
okay?"

"Not really, I
just..."

"Are you home?"

"Yeah."

"I'll come over to your
place; let Gary know I'm coming okay?"

"Okay." She hung
up.

Obviously his plan worked,
but he still felt guilty for what he did. Jake high tailed it to
her place, and parked by the front of the building.

Gary recognized him in the
lobby and let him go up, no questions asked. Getting on the
elevator, he ran his hands through his hair, and let out a big
breath.

The elevator reached the
sixth floor, and he was right at her door. I was like he could
smell her from between the barrier, his cock jumped to life. "She
needs comfort, not a quick fuck jackass." he told
himself.

Jake knocked, and Emily
swung the door open. She pulled him into the foyer, and threw her
arms around him in a bear hug. She was still sobbing. Jake cupped
her face and tilted it back to look into her baby blues.

"Hey babe, what's wrong?" he
already knew.

"I-I, got fired today!" She
whimpered.

"What? Why?" He
prodded.

"I don't know. Mr. Brewster
pulled me into his office, and told me I didn't have a job anymore.
I thought I was doing great, and now this."

"Maybe they were downsizing
or something like that." He suggested.

"Who knows? This is just a
big disaster Jake. Ever since I moved my life has turned to shit!
Maybe I should just move back to L.A."

"Hey, so you hit a rough
patch, it happens to all of us. Maybe you just need some time away?
Time to unwind and relax?"

"Probably so. Fiji is nice
this time of year." She smiled.

"Texas is too..."

"Texas? What's in Texas?"
She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Actually I will be for the
next two weeks. Time to visit my parents, and get away for a while
you know." he shrugged.

"Jake, that's your family
time. I am not going to tag along so you can babysit me." She
frowned.

"And what if I want you
too?"

"So let me get this
straight...you want me to spend two weeks, at your parents ranch
with you?"

"Yup." he
grinned.

Jake's stomach was in knots
waiting on her reply.

"Okay!" She
beamed.

"Really?"

"Yeah why not. Might be fun.
Although I don't make a very good cowgirl."

He laughed. "That is yet to
be determined Miss Mills."

Her agreeing to get away
with him made him smile from the inside out. He loved visiting his
parents a couple times each year, but had never brought a woman
with him.

The anxiety set in. How
would he play this? Was she is "girlfriend" or just a
"friend"?

Twenty-Four

As upset I was over losing
my job, the thought of getting away with Jake was giving me such
happy thoughts. I couldn't wait to see where he came from, and meet
his parents. They had to be great people, he turned out
wonderful.

"I guess I need to pack
huh?"

"Get to it, the flight
leaves in two hours. I'll run home and pack, then swing back by to
pick you up."

"Wait, Jake I need to get a
plane ticket!"

"I'll take care of it, just
get yourself ready okay."

He kissed my forehead and
headed out the door. I stood in the living room, wondering what
sort of stuff I needed to take for a trip to Texas?

I dug out my luggage, and
splayed it open on the bed. Opening my closet door I felt anxiety
come over me. All I had in there was designer clothes, I didn't
want his parents to think of me as some snooty rich girl. I dug
through the choices and found some simpler items that weren't so
flashy, and threw them in the suitcase. I packed some shoes, and my
toiletries, then grabbed some bras and panties. "That should do
it." I said, looking at the overstuffed bag.

I heard a knock at the door.
"Coming." I shouted from the bedroom.

When I opened the door Jake
was waiting with a huge smile on his gorgeous face.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever
be."

"Let's go then." he grabbed
my suitcase and wheeled it out the door.

Every time I boarded a plane
I felt like I was running from something. This time it didn't feel
like that at all. I was happy, happier than I'd been most of my
life, and I had Jake to thank for that.

We boarded the plane, and
were ushered to the first class cabin. We took our seats and waited
for the plane to taxi on to the runway.

"Thank you Jake." I
whispered.

"For what?"

"For letting me come along,
I know this is your family time, I promise I won't get in the
way."

He frowned. "Look, I know
there are certain things you're used to in L.A, but this is
different. Mom and Dad are just regular people...they work hard,
and play hard, you know?"

"Why would that bother me?
All my life I wished I could be just a regular person Jake. Do you
really think the red carpet was where I wanted to be?"

"I don't
know…
I know that's what you grew
up with."

"You are such a
snob."

"How
so
?"

"You are actually
looking down your nose at my upbringing! Do you really think I
enjoyed being dragged from one party to the next? That I begged my
parents for the spotlight? Hell I wished every damn day that I
could escape all that. I wanted a normal childhood. I
want
a
normal life."

"Define normal?" He
asked.

"Well normal to me would be
a steady job that wasn't handed to me. I want to someday settle
down, get married, and have babies. You know the "picket fence"
fantasy that every girl dreams of."

"Hmmm, interesting. I'm
sorry, I just thought..."

"You thought wrong Jake. The
glitz and glamour isn't me. At all." I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you will fit in on
the ranch then." He laughed.

"Maybe so."

Jake held my hand through
most of the flight, and the contact was welcome. If had been a
longer ride, I would have taken him in the small plane bathroom and
inducted us into the mile high club. Maybe he was already a member?
Bad thought.

The plane landed at Dallas/
Ft. Worth international airport, and my nerves began to make an
appearance. I had to push the sick feeling down.

Jake had a rental car
waiting, and we took off from Dallas, headed south. The ride was
pretty silent, I was pretty sure he was just as nervous as I was.
So I let it slide. Jake drove about thirty mile outside of the
city, and turned onto a dirt road marked with a wooden archway.
There were fences connected to it, and they went as far as the eye
could see. It looked like something from an old western. He drove
down the road about three quarters of a mile and we came upon a
beautiful two story log cabin.

"Jake this is beautiful!" I
exclaimed.

"Home sweet home." He
smiled.

His face gave me so much
joy; I could tell he loved this place. Even though it was my first
time there, I loved it too.

There were numerous barns,
and buildings scattered around the property, and I could see the
horses in the pasture. This was a place I could stay forever, so
serene and perfect.

Jake stepped out of the car,
and lifted our bags from the trunk. I slowly climbed out and took a
whiff of the country air. It was so refreshing, no smog, or smoke
to clog my nose. It was like my senses were heightened. As I took
in my surroundings, I heard a female voice call from behind
us.

"Jake!"

I turned to see a gorgeous
woman, in her fifties, coming down the steps of the wrap around
porch.

"Hey mom." Jake
yelled.

"Oh Jake, it is so good to
see you again! It's been too long honey."

"Yes it has mom. You look
great."

During their pleasantries I
felt out of place, like I had been forgotten. But this wasn't my
homecoming, it was Jake's. My parents would never give me a welcome
like this; they would just say "hi" and walk off. I felt the love
beaming off of Jake's mom, and it made me tear up
inside.

"Oh mom, this is
Emily."

His mom turned to me. "Well
look at you! Such a beautiful woman." She turned to Jake. "Isn't
she?"

"Yes mom she is."

I beamed at their
compliments, and felt my cheeks flush. This was what it was like to
have a loving family. My parents loved me but not in the way the
Bradford's shared love. I was envious of what they
shared.

"Well you two have had a
long flight, I'm sure you want to get settled in. Jake I made up
the guest room; you can just throw your bags in there. Dinner
should be ready around six."

"Thanks mom. I think I'll
show Em around a bit before dinner." He looked at me.

"Sounds great." I
smiled.

Jake led us up a beautiful
staircase, and down the hall. At the end was a large room that felt
so cozy and inviting. There was a mahogany four post bed in the
center, and at the end was an antique trunk. The bed was covered
with what looked like a handmade quilt, and matching pillow shams.
I ran my hand across it to find it was just as soft as it
looked.

"My grandma made that." Jake
said.

"I love it."

Jake watched me check out
the rest of the room, and the adjoining bathroom. It was just as
welcoming. The walls were done in a dark panel, and the floor was
tiled with a light brown color. The pedestal sink was standing
beneath an antique iron trimmed mirror, and the bathtub and shower
were set back in the wall. I couldn't wait to relax in the
tub.

"Ready for a tour?" Jake
called from the bedroom.

"Yeah, just let me change my
shoes."

"Wouldn't want to get horse
shit on your Jimmy Choos would we." Jake chuckled.

"Smart ass!" I said under my
breath.

I riffled though my suitcase
and found a more sensible pair of flats, and threw them on. "Okay
I'm ready."