Love Rising: Spring (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 4) (14 page)

Jocelyn leaned back as far as she could to try and see into
his apartment. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell backward into the crocus
bed. She struggled to stand up and then gave up, laying flat on her back,
staring blankly at the still-bright sky. Today was the spring equinox when the
day was exactly as long as the night.

Yesterday, at this time she was prepping the apple torte for
dinner with Jeremy. She was thinking about him, his smile, his glasses and his
lousy sweaters. She was happy yesterday.

Bright bursts of light flickered behind her eyes. The sky
slung overhead like a big blue canopy. Jocelyn lay surrounded by purple blooms
with her legs propped up, her hands on her sternum and tried not to pass out.

Jeremy Marks was a good man, she thought. He made everything
she wanted to do feel possible. Why didn’t she see it last year when he was
still in love with her? She’d been so intent on landing Hudson Grace. Jocelyn
shuddered at the memory now. Hudson was happy with Michael—like
really
happy. Love rises where it wants
to. It isn’t in her control. Maybe if she stayed here long enough, Jeremy would
come to the window and see her lying in the crocus bed and he’d come down to
make sure she was all right.

Jocelyn closed her eyes and let herself drift into the dream.
The stage door would bang open, slamming against the wall as Jeremy ran outside
and dropped to his knees beside her. Jocelyn could see the tan cords he wore to
work, the woolly knit sweater vest and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Mud
from the crocus bed would stain his knees.

Someone tapped her cheek. “Jocelyn? Can you hear me?”

“Is she dead?”

She heard his voice far away.

“I have to tell you something,” she whispered. “I was going
to tell you last night but I chickened out. I can’t breathe.”

“Of course she’s not dead. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“She says she can’t breathe. Should we call an ambulance?”

His face bent over hers, worried. He was so handsome. How
did she not see it before? His was the face she liked best to look upon. She
read that somewhere and it came back to her now. Whatever love was, it didn’t
care about agendas or poor prospects or bank accounts.

“I’m sorry I said those terrible things to you.”

“She’s hit her head. She’s delirious.”

“Look what she’s done to the crocus bed. Those blooms will
never fully recover. Jocelyn!”

The voice was no longer far away but right beside her and bellowing
in her ear.

Jocelyn opened her eyes, blinking at the faces above her. Mrs.
Murdoch, Lydia Rutherford, Mrs. Gurney, Reverend Carver and the local amateur
actor, Mr.
Raquette
stood in a circle around her.

“What are you guys doing here?” she asked. “Where’s Jeremy?”

“Mr. Marks is eating spaghetti at the diner the last I saw
him,” Mrs. Murdoch said in a chilly voice. “He is not expected to attend our meetings.
It is Wednesday evening, Jocelyn. We are here to convene the regular meeting of
the board of directors. More to the point—what are you doing lying in the
theater’s crocus bed?”

“I—I must have passed out.” She touched her hand to her
forehead to clear the fog in her brain. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last
night.”

Lydia Rutherford instructed Mr.
Raquette
to help her sit up. “Put your head between your knees,” she said briskly.

“What does that do?”

“I don’t know. It’s what they do on television. Try it and
see.”

Jocelyn bent over double, her hair sweeping the grass and
rested her elbows on her knees. Oddly, it worked. Her breathing returned to
normal and she felt calmer.

“I’m sorry. I came here looking for Jeremy and I must’ve fallen.
I haven’t eaten today. You said Jeremy isn’t here? That’s a relief. I thought—I
thought—”

Jocelyn burst into tears, alarming the theatrical society’s
board of directors.

“She’s worried sick about her father, the poor thing,”
murmured Lydia Rutherford. “Norman is in the hospital. I heard he had a heart
attack.”

“No, no, it was not as severe as that, although he will have
to take better care of himself,” Reverend Carver said. “Your father is going to
be just fine, Jocelyn. I visited him this afternoon and he’s in good spirits.
The doctor expects a full recovery.” The reverend patted her on the shoulder,
sympathetically.

“I fear it is not her father upsetting her,” said Mr.
Raquette
ominously. “It is that cad of a fiancé. He leaves
his girlfriend alone with her worry while he consumes a spaghetti dinner. I
would not have expected this of our Mr. Marks. But every leopard has his
spots.”

“You are talking nonsense,” boomed Mrs. Murdoch over Jocelyn’s
head. “Jeremy is not Jocelyn’s fiancé. That engagement notice was a decoy. Wasn’t
it Jocelyn?”

“Jocelyn, is this true?” Lydia Rutherford crouched beside
her, getting her pretty pink pumps covered in mud.

Jocelyn raised her tear-stained eyes. “We tried to tell you
at the hardware store but then you placed that big order as a wedding present
... I needed the money ... I’m sorry, Mrs. Rutherford. I’ll give you a refund.”

“Oh my dear, I don’t want a refund. Scout loves the baby
products. If anything I’ll be ordering more from you. But why did you put that
notice in the paper if it wasn’t true?”

“It wasn’t me,” Jocelyn said with as much force as she could
muster. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

“I believe you.”

All eyes turned to Mrs. Murdoch in astonishment.

“In fact, I am certain you did not place the classified ad
because I know who did. I saw this individual stuff a piece of paper into
Andrea’s camera case. I will not reveal this person’s name until I’ve spoken
with Shelby Porter. I’ll leave it up to her to decide what to do with the
information. I have a personal reason for keeping silent but suffice to say, Jocelyn
is innocent.”

“Vindicated!” she shouted and flopped back into the crocus
bed.

“For God’s sake, get her out of there before we have nothing
but stalks left!”

Mr.
Raquette
and Reverend Carver
lifted Jocelyn to her feet. She was covered in mud and crushed purple blooms.

“Thank you, Mrs. Murdoch.” Jocelyn rubbed her forehead,
smearing dirt across her face. “I’ll fix the crocus bed, I promise. I’m a better
gardener than I am an actress. Ask Jeremy.” She colored and looked at her feet.

Mrs. Murdoch coughed discreetly into her hand. “Well,
Jocelyn. I have some news that might cheer you up. I’ve had a call from a third
party interested in investing in some local start-ups. Your name came up as the
producer of organic bath products along with five other suppliers. The
investment money would be funneled to you through your bank manager and
dividends reported and paid out each year from your tax information. There is
more to it than that but I would be happy to sit down with you and the bank
manager to discuss the details if you are interested. What do you think about
that?”

Her first thought was one of pure joy. A financial investor
was the answer to a prayer! Her expenses would be covered in time to launch her
new product line for the summer and fall.

And then Jocelyn came crashing down to earth. Jeremy had
asked her if she would ever consider an investor. This couldn’t be a
coincidence.

“Who is the investor?” If it was Jeremy scraping together
his birthday money out of pity, Jocelyn was not interested. She already owed
him enough for the hospital bill.

“It’s a small consortium with a mandate to re-invest in
local owner-operated businesses. They believe grassroots entrepreneurship is
the way forward to reducing unemployment in rural communities. They are very
hands-off though and it is not a charity. You will be expected to provide
detailed reports to the consortium manager.”

“And you’re sure I’m not the only one they’re investing in?”

“Absolutely.
At least five other
businesses met the criteria. The project is being streamlined through the bank.
I was asked to provide a reference for you, which I was able to do, and gauge
your interest. If you are not interested, they will choose another candidate.”

She broke into a wide smile. “Yes, I’m interested. Thank
you, Mrs. Murdoch. This is great, really
great
news. I didn’t know how I was going to make it—you have no idea. Oh god, this
is fantastic!”

Letitia
Murdoch nodded her head
and began to move away. “Well, that’s all settled. I’ll let this third party
know you are on board and we’ll get the ball rolling. Jocelyn, I’m sorry to
leave you but we must get to our meeting now. Will you be all right to get
home?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks again. And thank you for extending
Jeremy’s health insurance to cover my dad’s hospital stay. I know you did it
because you thought we were engaged and I promise I’ll pay it back, but it
really eased my stress load.”

Lydia Rutherford exchanged puzzled glances with Reverend
Carver and Mr.
Raquette
. “Jeremy’s salary doesn’t
include health insurance. We included it in our original offer but he declined.
He said he didn’t need it. He’s a young man and young men think they’re
invincible. If he has changed his mind, he should let us know as soon as
possible.”

Lydia Rutherford smiled encouragingly. “I don’t know what
happened between you and Jeremy but I know what I saw in
Noden’s
the other day. You two were meant for each other. Talk to him. Don’t lose
hope.”

The older woman gave Jocelyn a fast, hard hug and then
hurried away after the rest of the board members. The sky was dipping into
early evening and turning to ink. Jeremy still hadn’t come home and Jocelyn had
a long ride ahead of her.

Hope was just another thing she couldn’t afford. If Jeremy
didn’t have health insurance, then who paid for Norm’s medical treatment?

LETITIA MURDOCH sauntered down Main Street, enjoying the
spring day and the gentle bustle of commerce and pedestrians. She skirted the
town green, well aware the grass was too damp to walk upon even if the mayor
hadn’t posted warning signs everywhere. The bookstore was her usual destination
on Thursday afternoon but today she opted to walk to the town limits. She needed
privacy to make the phone call she had spent a sleepless night rehearsing.

Kenneth Marks answered on the second ring. He had given her
the number to his private line.
Letitia
tilted her
head as though that would improve the reception for the cell phone. She could
not get used to these gizmos. After this conversation, it was unlikely Kenneth
Marks would welcome
Letitia’s
phone calls anymore. He’ll
probably ask for his phone back. And cancel the funding for the theater.

“
Letitia
!
Good to hear your voice. I’m happy to hear this business with Jocelyn Tate is
resolved. I’m having the paperwork to transfer the investment money drawn up
right now. I’m assuming that’s why you’re calling.”

“There’s another matter I should bring to your attention.”
Letitia
squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the
inevitable explosion. “I would not consider Jocelyn and Jeremy finished by any
stretch of the imagination. While I am sure they are a long way from getting
married, it seems Jocelyn has fallen in love with your son. I saw her yesterday
and she was in terrible state. She was looking for Jeremy.”

“She must have found out about his money. It’s the only
explanation. Don’t try to convince me this girl of whom I have heard so much
about—none of it flattering—is actually in love with my son.”

“To be fair, Kenneth, you are getting your information from
a prejudiced source. Janice
Feron
is determined to
upset you to the point of launching a lawsuit against the
Gazette
. She has an axe to grind and she’s using Jocelyn Tate as her
whetstone. I’ll be the first to admit that Jocelyn is a gold digger. But I
cannot in good conscience allow you to believe that’s what is going on here.
This girl loves your son. I saw it with my own eyes. She was comatose in the
crocus bed for heaven’s sake, waiting for him to come home! This is not the
Jocelyn I know. She is unaware Jeremy has a trust fund. I have taken care to
keep the information confidential. Kenneth, I must assume that Jocelyn’s
feelings are genuine. I thought you should know.”

There was a frosty silence on the other end of the line.

“Is it your opinion that my son will ask this girl to marry
him?”

“I believe if they talk it out—whatever their current
trouble is—they will fall into each other’s arms as young people do, and
recklessly decide to spend the rest of their lives together. They are young,
they are in love and their fathers are opposed to the match. What could be more
intoxicating than that?”

“
Her
father is
opposed? What right does he have to object? His daughter would be lucky to get
Jeremy—of all the bloody cheek.”

Letitia
rolled her eyes.
“According to Norm Tate, Jeremy is poor and has chosen to pursue an unreliable
profession in live theater. If I were him, I would feel the same way. Norm
thinks his daughter can do better. With her looks and the right introductions,
Jocelyn Tate could marry very well indeed. But Kenneth, against all odds, she has
fallen in love with your son.”

“This is ridiculous,” Kenneth Marks fumed in her ear. “I don’t
care how pretty she is, she is not the sort of young woman that will fit into
Jeremy’s life, and by that, I mean the life he will have when he receives his
trust fund at age twenty-five.”

“Isn’t that why lawyers invented pre-nuptial agreements?
Have one handy in case they spring an engagement on you and make her sign it.
Problem solved.”

“Jeremy won’t allow it. He’s a stickler for doing the right
thing.”

Kenneth was silent on the other end, no doubt thinking over
his next move.
Letitia
was getting chilled standing
in the middle of the sidewalk. She didn’t expect the call to take so long or
she would have gone to the bakery for a cup of tea and a scone.

Her friend was a moral man and an honorable businessman, but
ultimately, Kenneth Marks was a rich man. He was accustomed to getting his way.

“I have the solution,” Kenneth said. “Jeremy knows I’m
providing the investment in this girl’s business. It’s quite simple. I will
withdraw my offer if he pursues a personal relationship with her. In two years,
when he turns twenty-five, he can do as he pleases. The trust fund was his
mother’s money and entailed to him alone. We set it up the day he was born. I
never imagined—neither of us did—that she wouldn’t be here to see him inherit.
We thought we’d live forever.”

The silence that followed was long and heartfelt.

“Kenneth,”
Letitia
said kindly, “I
wish you would trust your son’s judgment. He’s no fool. I think you are being
too hard on Jocelyn.”

“Perhaps.
But if I am, she’ll
choose Jeremy and not the investment money. Two years is a long time to wait for
a greedy young woman. We’ll see how long they last.”

He hung up before
Letitia
had a
chance to say good-bye.

♥

ANDREA TAPPED the edge of her spoon against her milkshake
glass. She didn’t know why she ordered a milkshake instead of coffee like
Jocelyn did, but now that it was here, she had to drink it.
Five
hundred calories.
No dinner again.

She was nervous and she had no reason to be nervous. She
sucked on the straw with an air of disinterest. Jocelyn had wandered into the
diner, looking for Jeremy and found Andrea instead. It was Jocelyn’s
holier-than-thou attitude that grated on Andrea’s nerves. She acted like she’d
never made a mistake in her life when the whole town knew that wasn’t true.

The waitress came and took their order. In a fit of nerves, Andrea
went off her diet and ordered the clubhouse platter—easily the most calories one
could inhale in a sitting. Bread, chicken, bacon, mayo and loads of fries all washed
down with the chocolate milkshake because she couldn’t stop herself.

Jocelyn ordered coffee and a side of toast.

“I’ve got a late night at work tonight,” Andrea said by way
of explanation although Jocelyn hadn’t said anything. “I’ll be missing dinner.”

Jocelyn was high on some buzz cloud. Some wealthy investors
had picked her company to dump a pile of money on and Andrea was almost puked
with disgust when she heard the news. There was poor Jeremy, madly in love with
her and Jocelyn had no feeling for him at all. She had no feeling for anyone.
Why did she get so much attention? Jocelyn Tate was, tall, thin and exquisite.
She was so beautiful Andrea almost forgot she was a person.

“I don’t understand why you’re so hot to find Jeremy all of
a sudden. You usually avoid him like a disease.” She sucked on the straw
complacently.

“Not that’s any of your business—I want to give him the good
news about the investment. Have you seen him around? That’s all you have to
tell me.”

“No, I haven’t seen him. It’s possible he’s avoiding you.
That’s something you might want to think about.”

Jocelyn laughed. “Why would he be avoiding me? What have I
done? It wasn’t me who put the ad in the paper and let my co-worker take the
blame. Jeremy told me Jason said he did it—and you let him take the fall for
you. Don’t come off all innocent eyes and
what-who-me?
I know it was you.’

“Sure, it was me—it was a
mistake
. You know what mistake is, don’t you, Jocelyn? Like when
you tell everyone you’re going out with a man almost twice your age and he’s
actually in love with a TV star.”

“Daytime soap opera actress.
There’s
a big difference.” Jocelyn sounded cool but she was red in the face. “That ad
didn’t get into the paper by mistake. You did it on purpose. There is no way you
could’ve read that announcement and thought it was real.”

“Nope.
You’re right about that.”
Andrea sucked on her straw and met Jocelyn’s eyes with a bland stare of
contempt.

“You admit it?”

“I admit nothing because there’s nothing to admit. It was a
mistake and if you don’t like it, tough. I don’t know what you’re so freaked
out about. It’s not like you didn’t get what you wanted. Jeremy Marks hasn’t
seen you for what you really are yet. Looks like you still have a shot at
marrying rich. But I’d act fast if I were you. He’s bound to see your true
colors sooner or later and then some lucky, more deserving girl will have a
chance with him.”

“Like you for instance?”

Jocelyn was hot in the face. Andrea had obviously struck a nerve.
Princess Grace was seriously pissed off.

“No, not like me,” she said blandly. “Jeremy is a friend. I
don’t have a stupid-ass crush on the guy and I’m not going to get one now just
because he’s Kenneth Marks’ son. I’m not like you.”

Jocelyn looked pointedly at the milkshake glass. “You got
that right. You’re not like me. Keep shoving food in your mouth, Andrea. Maybe it’ll
make you feel better for coming out with random insults to avoid taking
responsibility. Why are you dragging Jeremy’s dad into this?”

Andrea didn’t plan on saying anything but after that crack
about her diet, nothing would have stopped her. Jocelyn Tate deserved to have
her ass handed to her.

“Kenneth Marks is rich.
As in
Fortune 500
rich.
As in the much-ballyhooed one percent rich.
Look him up. I’m
surprised an enterprising girl like you hasn’t checked out Jeremy’s portfolio
before this. Oh, that’s right! You assumed because the guy
worked
for a living that he was worthless! Oops. Wrong again,
Princess. Jeremy Marks is a trust fund baby. The fucking heir to the throne and
you threw him back for being poor. Hah!”

Andrea almost choked on her milkshake; the look on Jocelyn’s
face was too hilarious. “Go on, go after him! Don’t let it end this way! Hunt
the guy down and declare your love. I’m sure it’s not too late. What are you waiting
for? Did you already find somebody else?
Ryan McIntyre, for
instance?
A little bird told me you corralled him in his office on
Wednesday after hours.
Strictly business, of course.”
Andrea laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. I won’t breathe a word of it to
Jeremy. The poor bastard can find out what you are like on his own.”

Jocelyn bolted from the booth, her face chalky white. She
looked like she was going to be sick. She flung open the door of the diner,
leaving Andrea to pick up the check.

Andrea shrugged. It was worth it to get that reaction.
Freaking out because she’d scorned Jeremy and ruined her chances at
landing a rich husband.
Andrea was so delighted with her handiwork that
she ordered a piece of pie to celebrate.

♥

JOCELYN STUMBLED into the brilliant spring day.

Jeremy lied to her.
Okay, maybe he didn’t lie to her but he didn’t tell her the whole truth and he
promised he would. Everything he said when they were together made sense now.
The clubs his father belonged to. The private schools paid for by his mother’s
insurance money—he even lied even about that. The girlfriend named Ashley—her
father’s medical bills!

She was a shallow human being—a gold digger—but the night
she slept with him, she thought he trusted her as much as she trusted him.
Obviously, he didn’t. Jeremy didn’t tell her who he was because as soon as did,
he wouldn’t believe her a word that came out of her mouth. Jocelyn had an
agenda. Jocelyn was the sort of girl rich guys couldn’t trust. That’s why he
didn’t tell her.

Kenneth Marks must have found out about her. Of course he
did. He would’ve done a background check as soon as the notice appeared in the
paper. In that moment, Jocelyn was as baffled and humiliated as it was possible
to feel, and that included the day Norm had smacked her in the street.

She lurched away, jogging down Main Street, her eyes hot and
teary. It was really over this time. She never wanted to see him again. What
could she tell him now that he would believe?
I had an epiphany, Jeremy and now I know I love you. Coincidentally, I
figured this out around the time Andrea told me you were rich
. He was a
goofball—he wasn’t stupid.

And neither was she. They had a deal and he broke it. She
was one hundred percent honest about herself and he used that information
against her. He pretended he liked her, he pretended he trusted her—he
pretended
they were the same—!

Jeremy pulled up beside her in the Toyota. He waved at her
to stop.

Jocelyn froze in her tracks. Her breath literally stopped in
her throat. Seeing him again—it felt like they’d been apart for months. He was
so ... eager. Why was he happy when she wasn’t? Jocelyn drew her arms around
her middle and fixed her eyes on the sidewalk. As luck would have it, the
street was busy at this hour.

“Can we talk?” He was trying to make himself heard through
the passenger side window. “Get in.”

She opened the door and slumped in the seat, one leg stuck
out to make it clear she wasn’t staying. The door swung open over the sidewalk.

“Can you—please,
Joce
, it’s kind
of personal. Can we talk with the door closed?”

She slammed it and stared through the windshield. “Say what
you have to say.”

Jeremy swallowed and beat a nervous tattoo on the steering
wheel. “How’ve you been?”

“Absolutely fantastic.
How have you
been?” She glared at him. “Did you enjoy your all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner
on Wednesday?
Letitia
Murdoch told me you were at the
diner stuffing your face with pasta. I’m glad to hear our break-up didn’t upset
you for long.”