Finders Keepers (25 page)

Read Finders Keepers Online

Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Finders Keepers
12.69Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
“Daddy, what's wrong with Mama? Why does she look like she does?”
“She drinks too much. She doesn't eat properly. She doesn't sleep, but she does take catnaps. All she does is cry and look through the photo albums. She refuses to do any kind of exercise at all. I can't even get her to take a walk. Her arthritis is getting worse. She's done all this to herself. I don't want you blaming yourself, Jessie.”
“She doesn't look well.”
She isn't well, Jessie. Tell me, did you finish school and do you have a job?”
“I only have one semester to go and I'll have my degree. I had a nice job, but I had to quit to come here with Sophie. I can get another one. I've been going to school at night. I met a nice young man recently.”
“It's about time. Is he from a good family?”
“I think so. I like him a lot. Thank you, Daddy, for not asking specific questions.”
“I just want you to be happy, Jessie. How are those dreams? Do you still have them?”
“Yes, but they're changing. The . . .”
“I think I hear Dolores ringing the lunch bell,” Barnes said hastily. “Come along, girls.”
Jessie took her seat next to her mother. Thea reached for her hand and squeezed it. It felt hot and dry. Her chair was so close to hers she could feel her mother's hot breath on her cheek.
Mother, please. If you hold my hand, I can't eat. Look, I can't stand this. I don't understand it but when you're close to me I feel like I can't breathe, and I get this panicky feeling. You need to move your chair, Mother. You make me feel like I'm in one of those awful dreams. It's the same kind of feeling. I know it sounds . . . weird, but it's the only way I can describe it. That's what I meant, Daddy, about things changing.”
Jessie stared at her father's white face. “Daddy, is something wrong? You look ashen.”
“It's gas.”
Jessie laughed. She cringed when her mother's shoulder touched hers, but she didn't move.
“How long are you staying, sweet love? There are so many things we can do. You can have the room right next to mine. There's even a connecting door. We can shop and dine out. We can take some little trips by car. It's wonderful, isn't it, Barnes? Our daughter has finally come home. We bought this house because of the pool and the tennis court. We know you love things like that. I had this patio garden designed with you in mind. I pictured the two of us sitting here playing chess or reading and sometimes listening to music. It's almost as beautiful as you are, sweet love. Tell me how much you missed your daddy and me.”
“Everything is lovely, Mother. I'm not staying. I have to get back and look for a job. I want to finish school. I couldn't come all this way and not stop to see how you and Daddy are doing. Sophie and I are leaving right after lunch. If you cry, Mother, I'll leave right now.”
“Jessie, darling, sweet love, don't you love me? You are being so cruel. Ask her, Barnes, how she can be so cruel to me when all I do is love her.”
“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom,” Sophie said.
“Mother, I have tried so often to explain to you. You refuse to listen to me. You frighten me. Right now my heart is pounding in my chest just sitting here next to you.”
“Sweet child, that's just because you're home with us. You're excited. I know you love us. Every girl loves her parents. Look at Sophie. She loved that worthless mother of hers.”
“That's enough, Thea.”
“You hush, Barnes. Jessie needs to understand these feelings. I don't want her to leave thinking she doesn't love me. Or us. Barnes, why don't you buy Jessie a Greek island, too?”
“Mother, for God's sake, I don't want a Greek island. I think it's time for us to leave now. Are you feeling better, Daddy?”
Barnes forced a chuckle. “It was gas. If you eat bread, it makes things right.”
“I'll have to remember that.” She turned to see Sophie standing in the doorway. “Are you ready, Sophie?”
“Yes.”
“Then I guess it's time to say good-bye.”
“We didn't show you the house, Jessie. I fixed a room for you. It's been waiting for you since the day we moved here. Please, let me show it to you. It's exactly like your old room back in Charleston. When you see it I know you'll change your mind and stay.”
“All the more reason not to want to see it. I hated that room, Mother. I truly hated it. I don't want to argue or fight with you. Can we just say good-bye and leave it at that?”
Thea wrung her hands as tears flowed from her eyes. “Will you come back?”
“I don't know, Mother.”
“Barnes, I want to go back to Charleston.”
“Good-bye, girls. Have a safe trip. I'll have the minister here say some prayers for Janice.”
“Good-bye, Daddy. It was a nice lunch.”
“Mama, take care of yourself. Please, Mama, don't do that. No, I don't want you to . . . Mama, don't.”
“Go, Jessie. I'll take care of your mother.”
“Run, Sophie. Fast. Can't you go faster?”
“Jessie Roland, what the hell was that all about?” Sophie demanded as Jessie pushed her into the backseat of the car. To the driver she screamed, “Hurry, get away from here. Take us to the airport.”
Struggling to take deep breaths, her face whiter than Sophie's blouse, all Jessie could say was, “I don't know.” She started to cry then. “What's wrong with me, Sophie? Why can't I love her?”
“God, I wish I knew, but I don't, Jessie. Now I
really
understand what you went through with her. Before I just saw bits and pieces. Jessie, she was fucking scary. Your father acted a little weird, too. He didn't have gas. You don't go white in the face from gas. He acted a little strange in the garden, too.”
“I know, and I don't want to think about it. I wish we had never come here.”
“I'm sorry, Jess.”
“No, you were right to make me come. It's me. I don't ever want to see them again. Do you think God will punish me for feeling this way?”
“Nah. He probably doesn't like them either.”
Jessie smiled. “You're probably right and that's okay with me.”
“Me too, Jess. Me too.”
 
“If there's anything I can do, Sophie, call, okay?”
“I'll work through it, Jess. There's no point in me going back to Atlanta. I can catch a flight to New Orleans in an hour. I want to see Jack. He's probably sitting in the apartment chewing his nails as we speak. I'm glad I kept the apartment. It gave me a home base.”
“You didn't ‘just keep it,' you bought the building.”
“I did. Three years is a long time to expect a landlord to hold an apartment. Listen, don't worry about your car. I called ahead to arrange with this company to drive your car back here to D.C. You'll have it in a couple of days. I know you're dying to get back to your apartment, so you can call Tanner. Be happy, Jess.”
“You too, Sophie. God, the third richest woman in the world. That's going to take some getting used to.”
The sudden grip on Jessie's shoulders was almost as fierce as the look on her friend's face. “Look at me, Jessie, and listen to me. All of that won't make a difference. I am who I am, and that's never going to change. I'm going to get on with my life just the way you're going to get on with yours. Don't forget, you promised to be my maid of honor. I'll call you when I set the date. Remember what I said. Be happy.”
“You too, Sophie.”
 
Still wearing her coat and gloves, Jessie dialed Tanner's private number in Texas. She shrugged out of her coat and was pulling off her gloves when Tanner's voice hummed over the wire.
“Hi. I'm back. I was wondering what you're doing this weekend. I have this outfit I bought for our New Year's date, and I'd hate to see it go to waste. We could go to the Shoreham and dance the night away or we could stay here at my apartment and . . .
do other things.”
“Tell me more.” Jessie shivered at the huskiness of his voice.
“A little of this, a lot of that. You know what they say about anticipation.”
“Tell me,” he whispered.
Jessie lowered her voice till she was whispering, too. “You'll have to wait and see.”
“Are you going to stand me up again?”
“+No,”
Jessie curled up on the sofa and snuggled into the corner. There was so much she wanted to say to this young man who made her blood sing.
They talked for hours before Jessie called a halt. “It's the jet lag, and I can't keep my eyes open.”
“Will you promise to dream of me?”
“I'll do my best. Will you promise to dream about me?”
“Jessie, I've dreamed of you every night since I met you. You are the first person I think about when I wake up and the last person I think about before I go to sleep. Does that answer your question?”
“I think so.”
“Are we falling in love, Jessie Roland?”
“I wouldn't be surprised, Tanner Kingsley.”
Good night, Jessie.”
“Good night, Tanner.”
Jessie managed to stagger into her bedroom, where she peeled off her clothes and slipped into her nightgown. She debated about washing her face and brushing her teeth. The world probably wouldn't come crashing down if she missed one night. Two minutes later she was sound asleep.
12
Jessie walked to the window to stare out at the dark, stormy night. Where was Tanner? Was his flight delayed? Was he sitting on a runway waiting for the maintenance men to de-ice the wings of the plane? She risked a glance at the small bedside clock. He was three hours late. She might as well take off her glamorous dress and the spike-heeled shoes that were making her feet cramp. Should she call the Shoreham and cancel their reservation? She parted the curtains again. Sleet slammed against the window in hard-driving sheets. Startled, she backed away. Only a fool would venture outdoors on a night like this. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Tanner Kingsley was no fool. The urge to cry was so strong she bit down on her lower lip.
A phone call would have been nice.
Jessie looked around at her neat, tidy apartment. She's spent hours cleaning and polishing. For what? So she could sit here decked out like a princess to stare at the gas logs that were burning so brightly. Alone. She eyed the expensive bottle of wine she'd purchased. She didn't have to look in the ice bucket to know the ice had melted an hour ago. She marched to the window again to part the curtains. The wind was still howling, the sleet still beating at the windows. She craned her neck for a sign of a car. No headlights could be seen anywhere on the street.
She kicked off her shoes and watched in dismay as tiny green sequins flew in all directions. Damn. She might as well take off the costly dress and put on her old woolly bathrobe. She was struggling with the zipper when her doorbell rang. Her face as radiant as the summer sun, she ran to the door and pulled it open. She gasped. “Tanner! You're soaked! I didn't hear a car. How did you get here?”
“I walked. It was the lesser of two evils,” he croaked. “I need to get out of these clothes.”
“You walked! From where? Why? Of course you need to get out of those clothes. Come in. Sit by the fire . . . no, no, go into the bathroom. I'll find something for you to put on. Hurry before you catch cold.”
“From Fourteenth Street. The roads were too treacherous and the cabbie refused to go any farther. We had a date, remember? I always keep my dates. I already had a cold when I started out earlier this afternoon, Jessie. I probably have pneumonia by now. Can you make me something hot to drink?”
“Yes, yes, of course. Just . . . just throw your stuff on the floor and take a hot shower. Yes, yes, that's good. Do that. I'll . . . I'll . . . what I'll do is make you a hot toddy and find something warm for you to wear. You don't look good, Tanner.”
“I feel like I look, too. Do you have any aspirin?”
“In the medicine cabinet.”
“I'm okay, Jessie. Wipe that look off your face.”
Jessie forced a smile. “Okay, Tanner.”
Jessie forgot about the sequined dress as she rummaged in her small closet for something that would fit Tanner and afford him some warmth. The only thing she could find was her woolly oversize bathrobe and a long baggy, flannel nightgown. She cringed when she tried to picture the handsome young man in her nightclothes. She hung both on the bathroom doorknob before she raced to the kitchen.
She'd never made a hot toddy in her life and only had a vague idea of what went into one.
When the teakettle whistled, Jessie scooped, dumped, and poured, adding a tea bag as an afterthought to the large soup cup. She carried the steaming brew into the living room and almost dropped the cup when she saw Tanner dressed in her clothing, standing by the fire. His face was flushed a bright red and even from where she was standing, she could see he was shaking.
“I have chills.” His teeth chattering, his hands trembling, he reached for the cup. In her eagerness to help him and alarmed at the same time, Jessie found her own hands trembling as she held out the heavy cup. Tanner's shaking hands allowed the contents to shoot upward and then downward onto the sequined dress. Jessie yelped with pain as the hot liquid soaked the dress. The cup safely in Tanner's shaking hands, she tugged and worked the zipper of the sparkling dress until it dropped to her feet. Tanner seemed oblivious to her near nakedness as he gulped at the fiery liquid. “What the hell is
this
?”
Jessie took a second to realize he wasn't referring to her or her skimpy attire. “Tabasco, whiskey, brandy, mint, and tea. Maybe you should get into bed. The fireplace doesn't really throw off any heat, and the windows are old and drafty.”
“That sounds good. I took six aspirin.”
“Six!”
“Yeah. Show me the way. You should get dressed before you catch cold.”
Jessie looked down at what Sophie had called her ethereal underwear and flushed the same color as the bricks on the fireplace. “I will as soon as you get into bed.”
“I like garter belts,” Tanner said as he grappled with the quilt and spread on Jessie's bed. “I like to hear those things
snap
.” Jessie flushed a deeper pink.
“I have some extra pillows.”
“I'll take two. How about extra blankets?” he said, his teeth chattering like castanets.
“I'll get them. Did you finish your drink? Would you like another one?”
“I finished what you didn't spill. Yes, I would like another one.”
It was on the tip of Jessie's tongue to say he was the one who spilled the drink, but she bit her tongue instead. Men were such babies when they got sick.
In the bathroom, she shook her head in dismay at the mess Tanner had left behind. It took her twenty minutes to wipe up the water and hang up his wet clothes. She used up another few minutes changing into her regular underwear, slacks, and a pullover sweater.
Whiny and fretful, Tanner called out, “What's taking you so long, Jessie?”
A frown built between Jessie's eyebrows as she made her way to the kitchen. This time she used a smaller cup to make the toddy.
Still flushed but propped up in a nest of pillows and quilts, Jessie could see that her houseguest was still shaking with chills. A devil perched itself on her shoulder, “Don't spill it this time,” she said sweetly.
“I liked you better in your underwear. What do you call that stuff you were wearing before?”
“Underwear.”
“The last time I was this sick I was ten years old. Do you think I have the flu or something?”
“Or something. I'm sorry there's no radio or television here in the bedroom. Maybe you should try to sleep.”
“I can't sleep when I'm cold. I know I have a fever. My skin feels hot and dry, and yet I'm freezing.”
“The aspirin should start to work soon, Tanner. Finish the drink. It will help you sleep.”
“Will you stay here and talk to me?”
“If you want me to. Do you want me to call your father or Irene?”
“God, no. By the way, Pop asked me to plead with you to take back your job. He said he understands about you having to go with your friend to her mother's funeral.”
“I'll let you know. I want to finish up my classes and graduate in the spring. It's only a few months. If I don't work, I can study during the day. I might think about going into the office one or two days a week. Right now I'm just not sure. Sophie's wedding is looming out there. I don't think she's set a date though. I'll need time for that. At least a couple of weeks. For now the answer is no.”
Tanner burrowed deeper into the covers. “Pop isn't going to like that. I feel like a wet noodle. I saw this movie once where a nurse saved a soldier's life by getting into bed with him and keeping him warm.”
“I saw that movie, too. They were in the snow in an igloo. You're in a warm bed with three quilts and a chenille bedspread. You're wearing flannel and wool, and you've had whiskey and aspirin. That poor man had nothing. You'll sleep better alone.”
“Was that a no?”
“Yes. I mean yes, it's a no. You're fighting sleep. Try to relax. I'll stay here with you. I could read you today's paper.”
“I read it on the plane. Tell me about you. From the day you were born. Don't leave anything out. I want to hear everything. Then I'll decide if we should get married or not.”
“Married! We hardly know each other.”
“I'm in your bed. I saw you in your unmentionables. I rest my case.”
“Are you saying, assuming I'm interested, that you wouldn't accept me as is? That you need to know
everything
about me from the day I was born?”
“I have a feeling that you harbor deep, dark secrets, Jessie Roland. I want to know what they are. I don't like things rearing up out of nowhere to slap me in the face.”
Jessie felt herself cringe. “Then, Mr. Kingsley, you need to rattle someone else's cage. My past, as you call it, is of no interest. I am what I am. That's another way of saying take me or leave me.”
“Will your parents come to the wedding?”
“What wedding are you talking about? If you mean ours, the answer is no.”
“My parents won't like that.”
“Ask me if I care, Tanner. It is what it is.”
“You are tough. Pop likes that trait in you. I don't.”
“That's too bad, Tanner. What you see is what you get. When and if I get married, I intend to work. I don't have any objection to sharing my money with my husband, but I will not account to him for what I spend. I'm independent now, and I don't plan on changing anytime soon.”
“The women in our family don't work.”
“Resa works. She's independent. Why should I be different?”
“Resa left the fold. If we get married, I don't want you to work.”
“I guess we won't get married then. Are you
that
wealthy?”
“We were. At this point in time I think the saying would be, we keep up appearances. I'm more than capable of supporting a wife.”
“Did something happen so that your fortunes were reversed?” Her words sounded so Victorian she flushed.
“You could say that. Bad land deals, water rights, and we had to cut back on our herds because of the water. Luke has us over a barrel. He's waiting for us to grovel, and Kingsleys do not grovel. Not ever.”
“I see,” Jessie said.
“No you don't, but that's okay. Our heads are above water. For now. Too bad you aren't rich like your friend Sophie, Jessie. I'd sweep you off your feet in a heartbeat.”
Jessie thought her heart would pound right out of her chest at Tanner's words. Sophie was right. Sophie was always right.
“Living paycheck to paycheck has its advantages,” she finally managed to say.
Tanner snorted. “Name me one thing. Just one.”
“It builds character.”
“Banks don't recognize character as a deposit. They like cold, hard cash.”
Jessie watched as Tanner's head drooped, and his eyes closed. He was finally asleep.
She sat in the small rocker, her hands folded, for a long time. She played their conversation over and over in her mind, liking it less and less as the minutes wore on. She stared at the sleeping man, her brow furrowed in thought. Yes, she was attracted to him. Yes, she was clearly infatuated with him. The truth was, she lusted for him. Was attraction, infatuation, and lust enough to build a foundation on? Sophie would say no, and she had to agree. Was she falling in love with Tanner Kingsley? More than likely. Maybe what she should do was move on before she became really involved. She nibbled on her thumbnail as she continued to stare at the man sleeping in her bed. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew: Tanner Kingsley was capable of breaking her heart. The big question was, did she want to take that chance? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Jessie tiptoed from the room, closing the door behind her. In the kitchen, she dialed Sophie's number from memory, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything.
It took a full three minutes before Jessie realized Sophie's voice didn't have the usual lilting tone she was accustomed to. “Would you listen to me! I'm just babbling here. What's going on, Sophie? You sound different. Are you still overwhelmed with all your mother's affairs? Did you and Jack decide on a date yet? You would make a beautiful June bride. Something's wrong, Sophie. I can hear it humming over the wire.”
“Jack isn't here, Jessie. He's off on a three-week job. We more or less set the date for June. We aren't planning anything big. Just a simple wedding with a few friends. I'll probably wear a suit and a small veil. It's iffy right now. My mother's affairs are running smoothly. Everything is in order. I did quit my job, though. I'm thinking of opening up my own offices.”
“That's wonderful, Sophie. I can see you running your own business. Now, tell me what's really wrong, Sophie? Did you tell Jack?”

Other books

A Liverpool Lass by Katie Flynn
My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin
Outbreak: A Survival Thriller by Richard Denoncourt
The Elusive Heiress by Gail Mallin
El arte de la prudencia by Baltasar Gracián
Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield
Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick
Lord Love a Duke by Renee Reynolds