DAC_II_GenVers_Sept2013 (20 page)

“So you married Casey because the sex was good?” Jane asked.

“No. I didn’t have to marry him to get the sex. I married him because it was what he wanted. . .and needed. Casey’s very traditional, more like a man twice his age. His first wife let him act all bossy and controlling with her, which just fed that caveman he hides inside himself. It’s a constant struggle to keep him in line,” Alexa said.

Jane laughed. She bet they didn’t have a peaceful life. But he did look amazing in his uniform. She could see the allure. “From what I’ve seen, your husband loves you madly.”

“Yes. I love him too. That’s the other reason I married him. I’d like to think it was the main one, but at fifty I’m a lot more honest about how self-serving I am. It was definitely the great sex,” Alexa said.

Jane giggled, surprising herself. “So does the age difference still bother you?”

Alexa thought for a minute. “Bother me? Some I guess. I think there is a part of me that will always wonder if Casey is going to wake up one day and regret that he married someone so much older than him. Perspectives change, but isn’t that a risk every couple takes in their relationship? Divorce rates are going up all the time. I suppose somewhere along the line I decided to stop worrying about the future and just enjoy the present. Besides, Casey or I could die before my fears ever have a chance to become reality. I learned that lesson the hard way too.”

“Yes, but I’m competing with all the single women of Falls Church and their damn imaginations about how to get Walter interested in them. My allure is not as powerful as yours. You’re still gorgeous at fifty. You’ll look like this when I’m a wrinkled old woman at forty.”

“Artifice,” Alexa said firmly. “I understand smoke and mirrors. It’s a talent that can be taught. You understand it too I bet. You just haven’t applied all your business strategies to your personal life.”

“What are you talking about? Spa days, personal trainers, and wrinkle fillers?” Jane demanded on a laugh. “Even the thought of such things makes me cringe. Plus, they’re expensive.”

“Sure, those things can help. But looking young is cultivating the right attitude too,” Alexa said.

“If you know some secrets, write a book and help the rest of us,” Jane teased.

“Yes. Lauren has asked me to do that too,” Alexa said dryly, grinning at Jane. Mission accomplished, she thought.

“If you ever want to do a serious make-over, call me. I’d be glad to help. And Sydney lives for just such a challenge. We could dial back the years on you with some highlights and younger clothing styles.”

Still laughing at Alexa’s plans to help her, Jane stood and walked to the door, hearing Alexa’s laughter again over whatever dirt was on the back of her. “Thanks for the pep talk. I’m heading home to change into my baggy pants now.”

“Jane, that’s making yourself over in the opposite direction,” Alexa said dryly. “When you’re involved with a younger man, no frumping is allowed. Go for yoga pants and form fitting tees. They hold you in nicely, but still look hot.”

Jane shook her head. “My work clothes are not really frumpy. Walter likes when I wear my baggy pants. He seduced me out of my college t-shirt and gym shorts this weekend. I can’t imagine lace having a stronger effect on his interest. He’s a strange man at times.”

Alexa grinned. “T-shirt and gym shorts? Amazing. Aren’t all men strange though?”

Jane nodded and left then, letting the stunning older woman have the last word.

“Did you say ‘unprotected’?” Daniel demanded, dropping the hose he was wrapping.

“Yes, but it was a safe time of the month for her,” Walter argued, following his statement with a shrug. He didn’t care about Daniel not buying his explanation. He wouldn’t have changed a thing about how it had happened.

“No. No. No. No,” Daniel said, shaking his head to emphasize the lecture. “What were you thinking, Walter? No—skip that. I know what you were thinking. You actually
weren’t
thinking for once. But next time use your brain and use protection.”

Walter ran a hand through his hair. “Actually you’re right, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted to be with her. And it was way more amazing than I’d imagined too. And fun. . .God, it was fun. She gets glazed-eyed when she’s hot. Great sex shuts down that mega brain of hers. Do you know how flattering that is for me?”

“With your limited experience of real women, yes I can imagine. But what if she gets pregnant, Walter?” Daniel asked. “Older women can still do that. My aunt had a baby at forty-three.”

Walter sighed. “I don’t think I’d even care because that would increase the chances that Jane would consider marrying me. That is if she ever forgives me for this morning.”

Daniel picked up the hose and started wrapping it again. “I don’t believe this. I’m afraid to ask what happened this morning. I’m actually worried about you.”

Walter blew out a breath. “Since you seem to know what happens at my office before I do, I’m surprised Amanda didn’t tell you already.”

“You mean the lingerie party at North Winds? Yeah, she told me. Salvatino is getting similar presents from secret admirers here at the station because he has an unlisted phone at home. Chief told him the crazy women thing happens to some of the guys every year we do the calendar, but it dies down quickly,” Daniel said with a shrug. “Glad it’s not me though. I don’t need any help screwing up.”

“Jane had this. . .I don’t know. . sort of devastated look in her eyes when she came in this morning. I could tell she was lying about not seeing all that stuff. I couldn’t stand her looking like that, so I dragged her to the floor of the pool house. I only meant to kiss her and remind her about our great weekend, but she had on these skinny heels and one of those short skirts she wears. . . and oh hell. . .I got carried away. She must think I’m a beast. I am one around her,” Walter said, pacing back and forth as he spilled the story.

When he stopped and looked up, Daniel was staring at him.

“I know. I know. It was stupid.”

“I didn’t say it was stupid. I’m just surprised at you, and maybe a tad envious,” Daniel teased. “Hard to believe she let you do her at North Winds in broad daylight.”

Walter nodded, skipping over Daniel’s crudeness. “Not only is it like that now, it was like that even the first time. I had this sense that Jane would have let me do anything I wanted. But she was with me the whole way, you know? It has never been like that before. I know it’s just Jane.”

“Are you listening to yourself, Walter? I knew you had it bad, but what exactly are you hoping for with this woman?” Daniel asked.

“I want a real chance to prove we belong together,” Walter said. “That’s all. I just want a real chance.”

***

Jane dashed into her foyer, tossing her keys into the dish on the console table. She started up the stairs when a man’s voice stopped her cold.

“Jane? Is that you? I hope you don’t mind, but I used the key you gave me to get in,” he said.

Tears spilled over as she saw him, running hot down her cheeks as she backtracked and flung herself into the man’s arms.

“Ssshhh. . .what are the tears for? I’m home now. I’m home. I’m sorry I wasn’t better at staying in touch over the last year,” he said quietly.

Jane pulled away, stretching out to arm’s length, sniffing to try to get a good look at him through her tears. “You look great—a little too thin—but great. Why didn’t you call to say you were coming?”

He shrugged. “No phone. It died a couple months back. I didn’t have the money to replace it.”

“Elijah, I sent you money. Dad did too,” Jane said.

He laughed. “Yes, I know. But I was saving it to come home. Can I crash here for a while?”

“As if you have to ask,” Jane said. “Are you hungry? Let me fix you something. . .what? Why are you laughing at me?”

“You always insist on feeding the people you care about most. You got that from Mom,” he said.

Tears flowed again, and Jane used both hands to brush them away. “Yes I did. Thank you. Thank you for saying that. Now let me run upstairs and get dressed. I need to change my clothes, and then I’ll make us some lunch. I guess I’m not going back to work today after all. I’ll need to make a call. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

She turned to run back toward the stairs.

“What were you doing at work? The back of you looks like some guy dragged you to the floor and had his way with you,” Eli joked.

Jane laughed at the comment, but kept on walking. She wasn’t ready to explain her relationship with Walter to her brother.

***

“She’s not coming back today?” Walter asked. “Did she say why?”

Amanda shook her head. “No. She said she’d explain it when she saw you next.”

“Watch the place. Tell Brenner I had to go out,” Walter said, grabbing the jacket he’d hung behind the door that morning.

“Where are you going?” Amanda asked.

“Somewhere Jane can see me,” Walter said, heading out the door.

***

Discovering something in her hair, no doubt from the pool house floor, Jane decided a quick shower was needed. Then she could throw on some comfy clothes and make a nice lunch for her and Eli.

Ignoring the doorbell, she left it to Eli to answer it and climbed under the hot spray. She heard it ringing several times more and wondered if her brother was just going to ignore it. Had she placed an online order she’d forgotten about? She hoped it wasn’t Nathan stopping by again.

***

“Alright already. I’m coming,” Eli yelled loudly, abandoning his search for a clean shirt in his meager suitcase. He’d have to ask Jane if she had a spare of Dad’s anywhere until he could do his laundry.

Bare-chested and frustrated, Eli opened the door to a blond muscled giant who nearly blocked out the sunlight with his wide shoulders. If looks could have killed him, Eli knew he’d have been dead. What was the deal with this guy?

“Where’s Jane?” the giant demanded

Not liking his attitude, Eli crossed his arms, making sure his dragon tattoo showed. It tended to intimidate and often kept him from having to fight. “She’s in the shower, dude. What’s it to you where she is?” There was a full minute stare down which he fortunately won by just standing his ground.

“I guess it’s not what I thought it was,” the blond giant answered, before stalking to an SUV as big as he was and driving away.

Eli’s gaze followed the SUV’s spinning wheels as the guy floored it. He wondered how the man’s company stayed in business with his confrontational demeanor leading the way for an already intimidating physical form. He hoped whatever the guy had been trying to deliver to Jane wasn’t all that important. Maybe when she called about it, a delivery person with some manners could bring it by.

***

Jane was humming as she put together sandwiches. Hers weren’t on the scale of Gibaldi’s Deli, but they were still tasty.

“Looks great,” Eli said. “Thanks.”

Jane smiled as he took a bite. “Swallow first, then tell me who was at the door.”

“I don’t know,” Eli said, around his second bite. “I never got his name. I told him you were in the shower and he got into this huge SUV and drove off mad. I don’t know why he took an instant dislike to me, but you need to complain to the company that sent him. The guy had a terrible attitude.”

Jane blinked. No, it couldn’t have been. But it might have been. “Did the SUV have anything written on it?”

“Maybe. I wasn’t really in the mood to check after he glared at me for a whole minute like he wanted to knock my head off. Big, blond dude—his shoulders filled the doorway. He went immediately for intimidation tactics. ‘Where’s Jane?’ Moron. He was parked in the driveway. He obviously knew it was your house.”

Eli finished the rest of the sandwich and pushed the plate away.

“What?” he said, seeing Jane’s face turn ashen as she stared at his shirtless body. Her gaze dropped to his arm. “About the tattoo, Janey. . .it was a dumb idea. I admit that.”

“Did you answer the door without your shirt?” Jane asked.

“Yes. I couldn’t find a clean one. Why?” Eli asked.

“Elijah. . .did you even tell him you were my brother?” Jane demanded, flapping her arms in disgust.

“No. It never came up during our stare down. What are you talking about, Jane? Why are you upset? He was just a young punk who was obviously used to throwing his weight around,” Eli said, holding open his hands. “Look, he was glaring at me like I was a criminal. I could tell he wasn’t the kind of guy you want to mess with. So I got rid of him as soon as I could.”

Jane grabbed her keys, looked down at her robe, and then just tightened her belt. She couldn’t let Walter think she’d had another man in here today. Especially not after this morning. How could he have just left? If she’d found another woman at his place, she would have stayed to hear the reason. She knew that for certain because that’s what she’d done with Nathan.

But then she wasn’t a hot-blooded man with a crazy idea in his head. She thought of some of the dumb things her father had done when he was dating Lydia. Then she thought of how she’d felt walking in on Nathan and that woman in her own house. She knew she was still working to banish those ghosts from her memories. She didn’t want to risk creating similar ones for Walter.

“I’m going out. Do your laundry, Eli. If the guy comes back, tell him you’re sorry for being dense and introduce yourself. He’s my. . .my boss for the moment,” Jane said. “His name is Walter Graham.”

“Graham? Graham? Why do I know that name? And why are you chasing after your boss in your bathrobe?” Eli demanded. “Wait a minute. . .you work for yourself. You don’t have a boss. Jane? Are you sleeping with that guy—that punk kid? Where are you going? Do you think he honestly thought we were a thing? That’s double creepy. If he’s that strange, you don’t need to be involved with him.”

“I’ve lived without a brother for a year now, so don’t start with your lectures. My relationships are my business, Elijah. I’m guessing Walter got a wrong idea in his head because of your lack of clothing and lack of common courtesy. I don’t want him thinking wrong things for the rest of the day. I know how that feels and it sucks. Now I’ll be back as soon as I can clear up this misunderstanding. Don’t answer the door while I’m gone unless you’re going to help me make things right,” Jane said, slamming the door behind her.