Sweet Salvation (26 page)

“I hate to do it but I’m going to have to ask them to rerun the numbers and come back for another meeting with the accountants. This is just too important with millions of dollars on the line.”

“Dollars and asses are on the line here, so call ‘em back, ten more times if you have to, until it’s right and to your satisfaction. I’m glad you’re on top of it, Stacy.”

“Yeah? It’s scary, but I like it on top and I’m giving it all I’ve got. So we’ll do it again and again until we get it right.”

“And you’ll be watching out for my ass?”

“Yes, while I’m covering mine, because I sure don’t want to screw up and get spanked.”

“What in the hell are you two talking about?”

Stacy and Marc looked up at Jared in surprise. They hadn’t even heard him come in.

“Excuse me, I’m a fairly mild-mannered man, but I have to question why my best friend and fiancée are talking about her liking it on top and getting her ass spanked.” His eyes shot to Marc’s and he raised a brow in question.

At the affronted look on his face, Stacy realized how their conversation must have sounded out of context; anyone walking down the hall would have wondered the same thing. When she looked at Marc’s identical look of dismay, she realized he’d come to the same conclusion. Their eyes met and in unison, they burst out laughing.

Jared wasn’t amused and said her name impatiently. Stacy promptly stepped up to explain. “It wasn’t my real ass, darlin’. We were referring to my job—my proverbial ass as it were—and the collective ass of the clinic, in general.”

“That’s as clear as mud.” Jared replied nonplussed.

“Bud, your girl’s proverbial ass is going to save the clinic one day, mark my words.”

Marc ruffled Stacy’s hair affectionately before leaving. As he walked to the door he chuckled, “As for spanking her ass, I’ve got a redhead at home who keeps me occupied, so no worries. Sorry if I’m leaving you hanging, Stace, but I’ve got a procedure.” He grinned at Jared once more and left with a wave to Stacy behind him.

Stacy looked after him with a frown as she finger-combed her hair. “I wish he would stop doing that; it makes me feel like a golden retriever.” Looking at his still frowning face, she rose and went to get her purse. “Jared, we were talking about financial projections and spreadsheet formulas. You’re not really upset, are you?”

“No, I trust you implicitly, sweetheart, but imagine how it would have sounded to someone else.”

“I’m glad it was you.” She sighed, fanning her face in mock relief. “I’ve found a discrepancy in the disclosures, which is how all the ass comments got started.”

Walking over to him, she looked up, her head angled far back to meet his eyes. She’d worn low-heeled pumps today, for the last time, she promised herself. Talking to Marc and Jared was giving her a crick. “You want to take a look?”

Stepping into her office, he closed the door and pulled her against him. His hands found her bottom without fail as a sexy grin spread across his face. “I’d love to take a look, honey. Are you suggesting we skip lunch?”

“Smarty,” she chided, pushing at his chest playfully. “I meant take a look at the spreadsheet, not my ass.”

“I know what you meant, but I don’t do spreadsheets. If you’re stumped, call one of the accountants. We pay them to do those kinds of things, but I’ll be happy to take care of their carpal tunnel or tendonitis if all the data entry in those spreadsheets gets too much for them.” He dipped his head to nuzzle her neck and inhaled. “Mm… your hair always smells so good. What is that?”

“My cherry blossom shampoo.”

“Just the smell of you gets me hard,” he growled near her ear as he pressed his proof against her soft belly.

Even though Stacy would have liked to run some things by him, he found ways to get out of it, like now. He always dismissed or deferred anything to do with the financials, both billing and the budget. He said he didn’t ask the business office to do surgery, so likewise he was not planning at looking at their claims. He begrudgingly learned about coding his office visits and procedures because he liked to be paid, but that was it.

While her mind wandered, he continued to play. He demanded her full attention with a fist beneath her chin as he angled her face up for his kiss. “I want your mouth, Stacy-mine. Kiss me.” Slowly, he tasted her lips, his tongue teasing along the seam until she opened for him. He sank into her sweetness, stroking his tongue along hers and exploring every hidden recess. Finances forgotten, she moaned helplessly, her fingers curling into his shirt as she clung to him. If not for his hands gripping her backside, she would have melted in a puddle at his feet.

He pulled back, allowing her a reprieve for some much-needed air. He began nibbling along her plump lower lip made pink and swollen from his attention, instead. “In a minute, I’m going to lay you across your desk and bare that proverbial ass for my pleasure. Before I lose all ability to think rationally, why don’t you tell me what was so important that you needed to tell me now instead of waiting for tonight?”

“Oh! They found a buyer for my parents’ house.”

He lifted his head and stared intently down at her. “Are you okay with that, Stace?”

“Yeah, at first I wanted to turn down the offer, but I’ve rented it for three years. It’s time.”

“It can’t be easy to lose the house you grew up in though. What happens next?”

“Since it’s vacant right now, the buyers want to fast-track the sale. They should be ready to close at the end of next week. That means I’ll have to get my things out of the storage room pretty quick.”

“That doesn’t give us much time.”

“I thought I’d just head down this weekend and go through it. I also need to sign a power of attorney for the realtor so I don’t have to go back for the closing.”

“I can go with you this weekend since Ben’s on call.”

“I didn’t mean for you to—”

“How much are we talking about?

“A bunch of boxes, some old furniture, but Jared, you don’t have to come. I can go—”

“I know you’re not suggesting going alone.”

“I’m not helpless. I moved myself three years ago and drove up here in my Jeep all alone.”

“You weren’t with me then. We’ll fly down. Do you have an appointment with the real estate agent?”

“Saturday at two o’clock, but I thought I’d drive.”

“It’s fifteen hours in the middle of the winter with reports of snow and ice storms in the southeast every time you turn on the TV. We’ll fly.”

She frowned up at him, hating when he was right. Without any other valid excuses, she knew it was inevitable; Jared was going to see where she grew up.

Walking over to her desk, he commandeered both her chair and her laptop. “Let’s see what our options are. Come here.” He patted his thigh as he plugged in the mouse, eschewing the touchpad that he hated for some reason.

She walked over to him, watching over his shoulder, but that wouldn’t do. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap, seating her between his spread thighs. As she watched, he pulled up the Delta website and started clicking.

“Jared?”

He snorted a little laugh. “I’m right here, baby.”

“Uh, I’ve never flown before. Can’t we just drive?”

Looking up at her in surprise, he shook his head. “That would be a thirty-hour round trip in forty-eight hours. I don’t think so. You’ll like flying. We’ll be there in an hour and a half. Look, there’s a flight out on Friday at six and we can be back Sunday evening.”

He reached into his pocket for his wallet as she studied the screen.

“Those are first-class seats; two will cost over two thousand dollars. That’s ridiculous.”

“I’ve got this, babe. Is there a hotel you know of nearby?”

“You won’t find anything near my house except the roach motel. Try downtown. It’s only a twenty-minute drive.”

Before she knew it, he was reserving two nights at the Marriott and the tally, with hotel, rental car, and airfare was well over three grand.

“Stacy, I’ve got this,” he said, brushing aside her protests as he clicked more buttons and their e-tickets and reservation information began to print.

“You can send those to your phone.”

“I like to have paper as a back-up too.” Leaning back in her chair, he slid his hand up her back to her nape, where he squeezed gently. “Okay, baby. Now tell me why you don’t want me to see where you grew up?”

* * *

“Turn up here at the next left.” Stacy sat forward nervously, looking through the windshield of their rented Chrysler 300. Jared had selected a premium car to accommodate his long legs, but Stacy got the feeling he would have gone for a luxury model if she hadn’t been with him. She wasn’t used to having unlimited funds. It was going to take some time to get used to it.

He turned onto Belmont and drove through her old neighborhood, her childhood playground. Nothing much had changed. The small single-family homes were built on square city lots and packed so closely together that the Smiths knew when the Joneses next door were happy, fighting, or getting busy.

“It’s the white one there on the left with the maroon shutters.”

When he pulled into the driveway and parked, a rush of memories flooded back and Stacy couldn’t help the tears that flooded her eyes. Looking at the front door, she half expected her mother to come rushing out to greet them. Or the garage door to go up where she would find her father tinkering on his latest jalopy. Stacy’s control splintered and she fell to pieces.

“Baby,” he murmured, the anguish in his voice audible even through her tears. He slid back his seat and pulled her into his lap, holding and rocking her gently while she sobbed out her grief.

“I still can’t believe they’re gone, Jared. I miss them so much even after all this time.”

“I’ve got you, honey. Let it out.”

Her hand crept up and wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in his neck. After several minutes, she pulled herself together enough to warn him. “This isn’t going to get easier, darlin’. There’s a ton of memories in that storage room.”

She pulled back and reached for her purse where she’d stashed several packs of tissue. Before she could find them, Jared presented a handful. Looking at him through her tears, she gave him a watery smile. “Were you a boy scout by any chance?”

“Absolutely not.” He sounded offended. “I was an Indian guide, YMCA all the way.”

That earned him a sad little laugh, which was better than her waterworks of a moment ago. Mopping her face and blowing her nose, she sucked in a deep steadying breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them a minute later, she put her fisted hand against his chest and nodded decisively. “Let’s do this.”

They spent the next several hours going through boxes. It was difficult for Stacy as she went through her history and wept over the bittersweet memories, often laughing through her tears. They stopped only for a lunch break and a thirty-minute meeting with the realtor. The agent was courteous and efficient, going over all the details of the contract quickly and concisely, then left with all the documents needed for the closing. Stacy was pleasantly surprised to be netting a nice profit of fifty thousand dollars from the sale. The only other business was the movers who came by for an estimate, charging Jared triple their usual fee for the rush job. Stacy felt it was highway robbery, but Jared had shut her down, sending her inside while he dealt with the contract.

* * *

Later that night, Jared had an exhausted Stacy tucked into his side on the big king-sized bed. As she curled into him, soft, warm, and sweet-smelling from her shower, he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her still damp and fragrant hair. Today had been hard and emotionally draining. Despite the initial bout of tears, she’d done well and probably would have managed doing it alone, but he was glad he’d insisted on coming. Never would he have left her to deal with it all alone.

They were propped against a pile of pillows, looking through one of the photo albums she’d taken with her that day. Flipping through the pictures, she gave Jared a play-by-play of her life.

“Look, here I am on my seventh birthday—gap-toothed, scrawny, and awkward.”

Jared studied the picture of a pixyish girl, with long curly white-blond hair, stunning sapphire eyes, and an impish grin. He didn’t see scrawny or awkward, he saw beautiful and he saw Stacy—except for the missing front teeth.

“Can I put in my order for one, just like that? I’ll take a blond, blue-eyed boy as well.”

“No, I want my little boy to have chameleon eyes and dark hair just like his daddy.” She closed the album and set it aside before curling up against him, an arm around his waist, her cheek against the warm smooth skin of his chest.

“Thank you for coming with me, Jared. I would have fallen to pieces without you today.”

“Nonsense, you did great. But I’m glad I could be here for you.”

“I was gushing tears like a leaky rain barrel.”

He smiled against her hair; another Nana-ism no doubt. “Anyone would have shed some tears in your situation.”

“I suppose.”

“Can you tell me now why you didn’t want me to come with you?”

“Because I’m stupid.”

His hand slid down to her backside and squeezed one of her cheeks. He didn’t tolerate negative self-talk from his girl, no matter how exhausted she was. “Care to rephrase that, Stacy?”

She looked up and he could tell she read his eyes correctly because she bit her lip and quickly looked away. “I know I’m not stupid, Jared, I just don’t always act like a smart woman sometimes. I was embarrassed for you to see where I grew up.”

“Why? There wasn’t anything wrong with your house. Your dad worked hard as did your mom and they were able to give you a safe stable home.”

“Yeah,” she murmured as she pressed her face into his chest. “And they gave me love, unconditionally for twenty-three years. I never doubted it.” She paused as she pushed up, propping a forearm against his chest as she stared into his green eyes. “I get that from you too—every day. I think that’s why the nightmares stopped as soon as I moved in. You saved me from that terror. I feel safe again with you, Jared. You made it possible for me to relax and sleep again. Thank you.”