Chapter Fifteen

Portland was freaking magical. And wasn’t that a trip for her to even think? Bridget loathed all things magic and here she was waxing poetic about how enchanting this city was. Since their arrival, everything had been wonderful. They’d gone at each other like bunnies, one romp after another, always wanting more. Dinner last night had been crispy, deep-fried deliciousness. Then this morning after another round in bed and in that amazing shower, they’d stumbled out into the world to a cloudy but mild day.

Jack took her to the Rose Garden and the Japanese Gardens and they wandered around holding hands, taking pictures together and enjoying the stunning surroundings. The Japanese Gardens captivated her and they strolled for hours though the lush green world. The trees were massive and created a natural canopy that filtered the low gray light of the world, and the hint of mist in the air made it seem otherworldly. She watched koi fish swim through the little pools and streams with Jack’s arms around her and his chin resting on her shoulder. Everything blended perfectly with nature. Even the stone and wood structures grew moss as though the earth were making them its own.

Eventually, they left and found a great local donut shop to stop for a quick bite and warm coffee. Bridget hummed at the sugary, melty deliciousness of her glazed brioche donut. “This is so good.” She moaned.

Jack’s eyes widened and he coughed on his sip of coffee.

“You okay?” She chuckled and took a bite of her heaven-as-a-donut, another tiny whimper escaping her lips.

“Good. I’m good,” he choked out. “I just thought I was the only one who could make you make those noises. Clearly I need to up my game.”

Bridget licked sugar off her lips and smiled. “I’m certainly willing to let you try over and over again. I’d hate for you to feel you weren’t the best thing in my life to make me respond in ecstasy.” She nibbled the dough. “But this donut is pretty damn close.”

Jack growled and grabbed up their trash, clearing the table with a swiftness that left her stunned. Then he held out a hand. “Time to go. I gotta show my girl how much better I am than some pastry.”

She slipped her palm in his and stood. “By all means, feel free to remind me.”

 

* * * *

 

Later, after another round or two in bed followed by a nap, Bridget woke to Jack nuzzling her neck with soft kisses. “Mmm, again?” She grinned. “I could be persuaded.”

“Much as I would love that, and it does pain me to say no, we have dinner reservations.”

“Reservations?” She peeked up at him. “Are we going somewhere fancy?”

He shrugged and a hint of pink appeared in his cheeks. “I wouldn’t say fancy-fancy, but it’s a nice place. You should have a dress or something. I told your sister to pack for it.”

“Oh my. Who knows what Sarah would pack for me.” She climbed out of bed and showered, then used that plush vanity seat she’d grown so fond of to fix her hair before stepping into the little black dress her sister had packed. At least Sarah hadn’t taken it upon herself to buy a new dress that was way more risqué than she preferred. Or more likely, Sarah hadn’t had the time to go shopping for her. This dress fit Bridget’s style, but she worried it wasn’t dressy enough. The sleeveless black sheath was overlaid with black lace that gave a higher scoop neckline and came down to cover her arms. Her silver kitten heels added a little flash of sparkle.

She examined herself in the full-length mirror and chewed her bottom lip. Was it enough? This hotel was already more than she’d imagined and the suite was incredible. She should make sure Jack knew he didn’t need to spend this kind of money on her. She had no idea how much this trip was costing him, but it couldn’t be easy to cover on what he made from the lumber mill.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “You ready, honeybee?”

Her smile was unstoppable. She secretly loved when he called her that. He had given her a pet name. She’d never dated a guy who’d done that before and it made her feel special. Walking out, she clasped her hands together as her stomach fluttered with nerves.

His gaze drifted over her with an awestruck expression. “Wow. You look beautiful, Bridget. That dress”—he slowly smiled—“is spectacular. I’m going to be the envy of every guy at the restaurant tonight.” He reached for her waist, pulling her to him.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” She ran her hands up the midnight blue suit jacket he wore. She wasn’t lying—he looked heart-poundingly handsome. The suit had obviously been tailored to fit his wide shoulders and tall frame and damn, did he wear it well. “Come on, we’d better go now or we might not leave at all.”

He tucked her hand in his arm and they made their way down to the rideshare car waiting for them. They pulled up outside a small, romantic-looking Italian restaurant and they seated the two of them at a table upstairs, away from most of the other customers.

“What kind of wine do you like?” Jack studied the list and glanced up at her.

“I don’t know. Red or white is fine. Although red sometimes gives me a headache.”

He nodded and glanced at the list again. “How does the sauvignon blanc from Willamette Valley sound?”

She looked at the menu and the breath in her lungs seized. “Jack,” she wheezed, “that bottle costs two hundred and fifty dollars.” She ran her eyes over all of the prices. Shit. The cheapest bottle of wine was ninety-five dollars. “I could just get a glass of their house white. I’m sure that would be good.” And still probably twenty bucks for one stupid glass. Bridget opened the menu and sweat broke out along her neck. Everything on this menu was priced outrageously. “Jack…”

He covered her head with his. “Honeybee, it’s okay. I knew what I was getting into when I made the reservation. Please don’t worry about the bill. I’ve got it.”

She bit her lip and gave a slow shake of her head. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you spending this kind of money on me. It’s just dinner, for crying out loud.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but another man called out his name.

“Jack! It is you. Where’ve you been?” The guy walked over with a bright, perfect smile and a bright, perfect woman alongside him.

Jack stood up to shake hands with this new guy and kissed the woman on the cheek in greeting. The man was in a suit very similar to Jack’s and the woman, well, she looked like she’d stepped directly out of a page from Vogue. Her red dress, stiletto heels and matching clutch all had to be from some very high-end designer, not that Bridget could even begin to guess which one. Her blonde hair was upswept in a fancy knot and her makeup was flawless, her lipstick a perfect red to match her dress. Then they all turned her way, and Bridget had never felt more out of place in her entire life.

The woman looked her over like a specimen in a science lab and from her expression, she found Bridget lacking. She held out a manicured hand. “I’m Sabrina Van DerKamp, and you are?” She blinked her fake eyelashes twice.

“I’m Bridget Wildes. Nice to meet you.” She gripped Sabrina’s limp hand and shook it once.

Sabrina’s eyes widened. She shifted her fingers to give a light squeeze then leaned in to air-kiss both of Bridget’s cheeks. “A pleasure.” The pinched expression on her face when she stepped back gave away her lying words. She turned that bemused expression on Jack. “What are you doing here?”

Jack stepped closer to Bridget and put his hand on the small of her back. The warmth of his palm radiated through the fabric of her dress in a soothing manner. She leaned back just slightly into his touch. “Taking my girlfriend out for dinner. Stephen, this is Bridget. Bridget, this is Stephen. He and I have known each other most of our lives.”

Was this a close friend of his? Anxiety knotted in her stomach. How did he know these people? And if these were the kind of people he normally hung out with, what was he doing slumming it in Fallbank? With her?

“Lovely to meet you, Bridget.” Stephen stepped in and kissed her cheek.

She pasted her customer smile across her features. “Yes, um, same here.” She cut her eyes to Jack to take his cue on how to proceed.

Sabrina spoke up instead. “We must join you for dinner! It’s been too long since we’ve seen you, Jack, and I’m simply dying to know more about your new girlfriend.”

Jack turned to her and she kept her polite mask in place as she said, “Of course, it would be nice to get to know some of Jack’s friends.”

They all sat and their server came back over to take drink orders. Two bottles of the insanely priced wine were ordered along with appetizers, and Bridget sat with her hands folded in her lap, fake smiling and wondering how long this evening was now going to drag on.

“Jack, what is with this beard on your face? You look like a wild beast!’ Sabrina trilled out a laugh.

“Just something different I’m trying out. It helps keep my face warmer when I’m out working.”

“Oh yes.” She let out that high-pitched giggle again. “You always were one to prefer manual labor over a desk in a corner office.” She turned her calculating blue eyes on her. “Bridget, darling, tell us all about you! How did you two meet?”

“Bridget owns her own store. She’s brilliant at it.” Jack smiled and reached out to cover her knotted hands with his.

“Oh, what kind of store?” Stephen asked. “I always enjoy meeting other entrepreneurs.”

She relaxed a fraction and turned one palm up to wind her fingers through Jack’s. “It’s mostly a body product shop, although we also have candles and teas and other things like that. All herbal based and handmade items. It’s been in my family for centuries. That’s where we met, actually.”

Jack laughed. “I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but some of the other guys from work dragged me there and she has this amazing beard conditioner. It fixed the itching and makes the hair really soft, like magic. Plus, she was too pretty to say no to.”

Bridget flushed and looked down for a moment. When she looked up, Sabrina was peering at her. “How fascinating. You make all of these…items yourself? And your family has been passing these recipes down, you said? Like a coven of witches?”

Sabrina laughed at her own joke, but Bridget couldn’t find it in herself to fake it. Thankfully, the server came back with the wine and took their orders. Bridget picked the least expensive meal on the menu. She cringed at what the bill would be at the end. At least they would be splitting it between the two couples.

Jack piped up after the orders were placed. “Bridget is an herbalist. She knows almost everything there is to know about plants and what they can do for people.”

An herbalist. She’d never thought of herself that way, but it fit. Like the root workers of long ago, back when medicine study was prohibited to females and the wise women passed down their knowledge. She squeezed his hand under the table.

“How quaint.”

Stephen cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So when do we expect you back in Seattle?”

Jack shrugged. “Not sure yet. I don’t have a lot of motivation at this time to leave Fallbank right away.”

He shot a wink at her and Bridget’s smile turned from fake to real in an instant. At least he wasn’t acting ashamed of her.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “You’re still out playing lumberjack? And you like it? Have you invested in a flannel company and are trying to make it successful?”

“Logging is really hard and takes a massive amount of skill,” Bridget snapped. She wasn’t about to let some spoiled rich girl dismiss what her friends did and the industry that kept her town alive. “It’s also consistently ranked as the most dangerous job in America. It has the highest fatality and injury rate of any other non-military job on the market. Even higher than the police.”

Stephen furrowed his brows. “And your father just let you go off and do this, Jack?”

“He didn’t let me do anything. I made this choice myself.” Jack clenched his jaw for a second, then changed the subject. “So what’s going on with you, Stephen? How’s business on your end?”

The topic of Bridget or Fallbank and logging didn’t get brought up again. Bridget spent the rest of the meal enjoying the absolutely delicious food, including dessert that was heaven in her mouth. And she had to admit the wine was the best she’d ever tasted. She wasn’t sure it was $250 good, but it was far and away better than what she drank at home or at restaurants in town.

When the check came, the two guys argued over it a bit, but in the end Jack paid for the entire meal. Bridget’s heart pounded at what must have been well over a thousand dollars. For four people. For dinner. She swallowed down her nausea at the extravagance. She was having trouble drowning out the tiny voice in her head telling her Jack might be loaded and was hiding that fact from her.