Please Remember Me (7 page)

Besides, there was Marlon.

How could one man, a cop at that, drive her insane and keep her wanting more at the same time? Because he was different from the men she’d usually chased. He didn’t define her by what she could do for him or what her father’s money could buy him. He saw the scared little girl who wanted to go home, and until now had shown her a bit of human kindness. So why did he want to tear her down?

Maybe the ‘I hate you’ remark? She balled her fists. How else was she going to show his lack of confidence hurt like hell? Tell him? Like that ever worked. She’d given her father the truth and he’d acted as though she wanted him to rip his own heart out.

Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. No. She wasn’t about to cry over one man who didn’t care and another who wasn’t interested. Forget it. The way her luck ran, Marlon probably knew the skeletons buried in her past, or worse, he’d talked to her father.

“Jaden! Can you come down here?”

When Judi called, Jaden sat up. Even her new friend knew she didn’t need to cry over stupid men. Pulling her hair back into a rhinestone clip, she rose from the bed and started down the stairs. “You needed me?”

Cell phone in hand, Judi grinned. “Sparks wants to go for walkies and Cass called. You left your phone down here so I answered. She wanted to know if you wanted to go to the dirt races with her. Sounds like fun.”

Fun? It sounded wonderful. Jaden took the device from Judi. “Heck yeah, I want to go. She told me all about how they drive in circles and get mud all over everything. She even said there were tons of hot guys in the pits—whatever those are. Now I’m not in the market for a man, but why not look at the goods? I’ve got nothing to lose and eye candy is fat free.”

“You gawk all you want, but realise some of those boys aren’t as naïve as they look. We grow them rowdy in Ohio, too.” Giggling, Judi grabbed Sparky’s leash from the kitchen. “No one has ever got nothing to lose. We all have something near and dear, even if we don’t realise it yet.”

Okay, what did Judi know? Nibbling her top lip, Jaden clicked the leash onto Sparky’s collar. He barked and slapped his tail on the carpet. “Do you know who I was, Judi? ‘Cause if you did, you wouldn’t warn me, you’d warn them.”

Thumps like the tap of a hammer on the roof peppered the conversation. Frowning, Judi shuffled papers on her roll top desk. “If you mean reincarnation, well, I don’t believe in that, but if you mean your life in Hollywood, then yes. Saying you were a pill is putting it mildly. You lived enough for three or four lifetimes, but I know that wasn’t you.”

“No, that was me. I ran with a rough crowd. Would you believe I have more than two million dollars waiting on me, but because I couldn’t get my head out of my ass, I can’t have it? If that’s what you mean by something to lose, I never really had it to begin with.”

When Judi frowned, Jaden nodded. “Yep. My mother left me a trust fund, but I can’t access it unless I do something charitable with it. Until this past year, I couldn’t get past my selfishness long enough to even consider doing something for someone else. I’ve got money from the last D-list movie I made, but it won’t last forever. I’m at rock bottom.”

Another round of thumps echoed in the room. “What’s going on out there? Are you tearing the roof off or did you give Steven the hammer for stress relief?”

“Steven went to Baltimore for business. His stress is of his own making, but the next time he calls and gripes at you, let me know. He can’t holler at me without getting an earful.”

Jaden grinned. Having Judi as a mother-figure felt nice, like a treasured gift she didn’t deserve.

A smile built at the corners of Judi’s mouth. “I didn’t want the porch to leak this winter so I have a boy here doing repairs.”

Before Jaden could question Judi’s statement, Sparky jumped and growled at her feet. Jaden shook her head. “Okay, okay. I guess you’re ready to go and I don’t want to clean up more piddle. We’ll be back.”

“I’ll see you after a bit.” Judi patted Jaden’s arm. “Call Cass. I think you’ll have a great time at the races. I know I did the last time I went. Plus, Sparks needs a few hours to rest. He’s not used to all the exercise.”

“You got it.” As Jaden strolled out onto the porch, a silver ladder blocked the stairs. At least it wasn’t grouchy Steven. Sliding on her sunglasses, she called back into the house. “Um, how am I supposed to get off the porch? The boy has the steps blocked.” She added, “The moron,” when she turned back towards the street.

A pair of work-boot-encased feet descended the ladder. Dusty jeans clung to the legs. Some men could get away with the grubby workman look. Wonder if the rest of him is hot? she mused. Once the legs came into view, Jaden realised who was responsible for the hammering. “Marlon?”

Peering between the rungs of the ladder, he grinned. “I’m Marlon, not moron, but thanks for shouting it all over the neighbourhood. People wondered and now they know.”

Her ears burnt. Great, she’d told him she hated him and compounded it with an insult. Wonderful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were up there. She said it was a boy.”

Even under the bill of his racing cap, his green eyes sparkled. The dimple in his left cheek deepened as his grin grew. “Would it have made a difference?”

Sparky yelped. Realising the dog wanted to go for his walk, she snapped her attention away from the thick muscles rippling underneath Marlon’s tight, dirt-smeared T-shirt. Heat swirled low in her belly. God, what would it feel like to smooth her hands all over his body? To clean him up after a long afternoon of hard work?

“Jaden Marie?”

Shifting her gaze from his chest to his eyes, she blushed again. Damn, he’d caught her looking. Her stomach clenched as the quivers made their way down her spine. She liked his appraisal, even if he said nothing at all.

Marlon nodded at the dog. “You’d better get moving. Sparky just peed on your tennis shoe. Are Azad originals waterproof?”

As she wriggled her toes in her high-heeled sneaker, the dampness seeped into her sock. Swell. She sighed—so much for name brand. Nope, the dog and the man weren’t going to break her mood. If Sparky wanted to walk, then they’d walk. If Marlon wanted to laugh at her, then let him laugh. Spying the side exit off the porch, she made a beeline for the second set of steps and shoved her sunglasses higher on the bridge of her nose. “I won’t melt. Come, Sparks. Let’s go for your walkies.”

With a happy yelp, Sparky surged off the porch and into the yard. Although it took a block to calm him down, she let him go at his own pace. At least she’d got away from Marlon and his mouth-watering body. If she’d lingered any longer, she might have told him flat-out she wanted him.

Sparky seemed to like walking three blocks north and sniffing the trash around the bakery before heading two blocks east to the municipal building then back the way they’d come. Along the way, Jaden admired the turn-of-the-century brick buildings lining the main drag of Crawford. Each storefront bore the owner or the builder’s name. Grand windows faced the street, some filled with goods, like in the hardware store, while others had plastic taped to the other side, hiding the emptiness.

Unless the stores had clothes, she’d rarely paid attention to the buildings in Beverly Hills. Heck, most of what she’d seen of California had been the inside of nightclubs and the interior of limousines.

As she strolled, her phone rang. Without looking at the ID screen, she flipped it open. “Hello?”

Her father spoke on the other end of the line. “Are you ready to come to your senses and come home? Ohio isn’t ready for Jade Weir, remember? We learned that when you chased Logan a year or so ago.”

Gritting her teeth, Jaden clenched the phone. “You don’t want me home because you care about me. You miss the ridiculous things I did that sold copies of your magazine.”

“You’re my daughter. I worry about you.”

“No normal father gives his little girl the green light to pose nude on her eighteenth birthday!”

“So that wasn’t a bright decision. It still doesn’t mean I don’t love you. But you’re a beautiful woman that men want to see. Call the pictorial my gift to the masses.”

“Gift? You charged ten bucks for the issue. You love that magazine, not me.” She kicked a rock in the middle of the sidewalk. “Now stop calling me. I don’t need a shadow.”

“I doubt it. Shadows work well in the right circumstances. Then there’s always airbrushing. Think about what I said.”

Before she could answer, he cut the connection. Jaden slid the phone into her back pocket with more force than necessary. Damn him! Damn Delish magazine. The tabloid rag ruined lives and tore relationships apart. And what did he mean about a shadow? Clicking her tongue, she got Sparky’s attention. “Let’s go.”

When Sparky stopped to nose a pile of leaves and snort, Jaden noticed the slap of footsteps on the sidewalk behind her. When she turned, a blond man with a jagged scar bisecting his right eyebrow like a C stared at her. She shivered. He reminded her of the endless throngs of paparazzi and grunt news people waiting for her to falter. “Can I help you?”

“Are you?”

Narrowing her brows, she wrapped her hand around Sparky’s leash. “Am I who?” The dog forgot the leaves and growled low in his throat. Maybe he read her fear. Or he didn’t care for strangers.

The man’s sky blue eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “You’re Jade Weir! Miles wasn’t kidding. He said you moved to town because you went off the rails. Fuck, yeah. Can I take you out sometime? I have my own car.”

Stepping backwards, she attempted to put distance between the blond fan and her position. “I’m Jaden Marie, not Jade Weir. I have the unlucky coincidence of looking like that blonde airhead.” On the inside she winced. Jade was a bimbo. Aw hell.

“No.” He shook his head. “I’d know that body anywhere. You chunked on a few pounds and need a diet bad, but you’re still doable. How about me and Miles at the same time? I heard you liked kink. He likes to use the video camera. Will that do?”

Sparky growled and barked. Spittle spewed from his jowls. The blond man jerked back a step or two. Her heart thundered in her chest. What a great time to have a dog! Maybe she’d get Sparky a brother or two—or ten.

“She’s not doable, into kink or any of that other bullshit you mentioned. You need to leave or I’ll make you leave.”

Jaden knew that voice. She whipped around and smacked into Marlon. Although the fur on Sparky’s back no longer stood on end, he continued to growl. She squared her shoulders and her fear ebbed a bit. Yes, maybe she needed the backup, and Marlon definitely made great backup, but what the hell? Was he following her, too?

“Who the fuck are you?” the blond man spat. “Her lapdog?”

With a sneer, Marlon’s lips curled. If it was possible, she’d swear he became larger and more imposing. “That’s Deputy to you, asshole.”

Ducking behind him, Jaden rolled her eyes. What movie did he get that line from? Sparky, apparently not interested in the fray any longer, tugged her back down the sidewalk.

Marlon’s voice, strong and sure, echoed on the lonely sidewalk. “Leave her alone. Jade Weir wouldn’t be caught dead in Crawford, Ohio.”

Tears pricked her eyes as she allowed Sparky to pull her away. Maybe his words were meant to send the jerk away, but they still pricked her ego. He saw her as worthless. Marlon knew about her party-hearty past and believed she still lived it. She stared straight ahead. The hunter green car rolled down the street before her. Well, swell. Another reoccurring annoyance. She caught sight of black hair and a pointy nose. Mirrored glasses hid the rest of the driver’s face. Where the hell was Bobby at a time like this? Instinct dictated she get far away from the cretin in the car—protection or not.

Thankfully, Sparky found his second wind. Shocked that the Basset could walk at such a quick clip, she headed home.

Marlon clenched his fists as the man walked away. He committed the jerk’s image to memory. If he wanted to pick at Jaden, then he’d have to go through hell first. The virtue of protecting and serving ran in his blood. “You’re safe.” Willing his heart rate to slow, Marlon turned. “Jaden Marie?”

No matter where he looked, she wasn’t there. How had she got down the sidewalk so fast with the low-rider dog leading the way? He didn’t recall hearing a car, so she hadn’t been picked up. Damn.

Breaking into a sprint, he headed towards the square. His heart pounded in his chest, and not from the brisk run. He worried that another zany, one with more moxie, would find her. What if another crazed fan decided to get violent? No, he couldn’t keep an eye on her twenty-four seven, but he would work like a dog to keep her safe anyway.

One block from the Pennywood house, he saw her. Sparky’s quick pace must’ve petered out and Marlon thanked God. If he could talk to her for a few minutes before she ran inside, maybe he could do some damage control. Throwing caution and his pride to the wind, he called to her. “Jaden!”

Although she didn’t turn around, she stopped. Sparky sat at her feet, panting. Her shoulders trembled. Was she crying? His heart squeezed within his chest. No one had the right to make her cry—not even him.

“Jaden? Honey? Are you okay? You shouldn’t be alone.”

Her voice came out shaky and just above a whisper. “I can’t hide and I can’t outrun him.”

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he rested his forehead against the back of her head. “What can’t you outrun? Who can’t you hide from?” He had an inkling, but if she’d just tell him, he’d help her. “Tell me, Jaden.”

Shrugging out of his grasp, she turned and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. “I’ll be okay. You don’t need to clean up after me.”

No, he wasn’t going to let her dismiss him. It didn’t matter that he’d more or less shoved her away the weekend before. Right now, she needed a friend and he insisted on being a rock for her. “The bastard got under your skin. You don’t deserve to hurt and I won’t let him treat you like shit. I’m not about to let any jerk who wants to exploit some socialite run my town, especially when that socialite doesn’t live here.”

She shook her head. “No. I am not leaving because you don’t want me around. I’m happy here. I like—”