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"JUST BREATHE, HANNAH," Jon was saying as he helped her into her jacket.
Ed had already gone out to start the car and get it warming up, and Jon would be walking her out in a minute. She was almost ready to ask if she could just borrow his truck. It was one thing when he was here to act as a buffer. In fact both of the guys had talked and joked around so much for the past couple of hours that she hadn’t had to worry about anything except answering direct questions. Now she’d be stuck in a car with Ed all the way back to Lansing.
"I still don’t know what to say to him."
"Just wing it. You know which subjects to not to talk about, and I’d be adding the stalker to that list, too. See what he says, and go from there. Stop thinking about him as your father and just look at him like a new friend. You might find you really like him."
"I know," she sighed, dropping her chin to her chest. Truth be known, she already did like him. He really was a great guy. She just wasn’t sure that she wanted to complicate things with the truth. Not yet at any rate.
"All right. We’re going to head out there now. You know he’s going to expect us to kiss. Just a really quick one between friends, okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Yeah, not. But they were committed to making this seem real, so once in a while things like a kiss – a platonic kiss – would be necessary. It was all she could do to not remind him of his vow to only hold hands when he'd proposed the plan though.
"Don’t look so excited," Jon teased, grinning down at her. "I’ve actually been told I’m a pretty good kisser."
"Just don’t ask me for a critique."
"I won’t. You’ll think you’re kissing an eighty-year old uncle."
"Oh now there’s an appealing thought." They both laughed, and then he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door.
"Come on. He has to get up early tomorrow. Let’s give him a break."
The temperature might have been hovering near twenty degrees, but the second Jon’s lips touched hers, Hannah felt too warm. Contrary to the bland, quick kiss she’d been expecting, it lasted several seconds. It was just for show, she knew, but still... No question about it, whoever said he was a good kisser had been telling the truth. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as a tingling sensation raced through her, all the way to her toes. Her knees felt like jelly, and she started to lean into him, just as he pulled back a little.
"Uh-" Jon cleared his throat, looking as stunned as she felt. "Uh- Ed's waiting," he muttered, taking a step back and opening her door. As she slid into the passenger seat, he leaned in and said, "See you tomorrow, Hannah. Thanks, Ed. I appreciate it."
"No problem," Ed assured him. "I'll get her home safe and sound. I promise."
"I know. But even if I didn't trust you, with Tweedledee and Tweedledum on your tail, I wouldn't worry anyway. Drive safe."
"Will do."
And with that, she was alone in the car with her father, and they were heading down the dirt road that would take them to the highway, the pair of bodyguards' right behind them. Since she'd been added to the protection list earlier this week, the one assigned to watch over her tonight would be parked outside her apartment, waiting to make sure no one tried to hurt her on the way inside.
"How do you get used to them?" she asked, after several moments of silence.
"I don't. I doubt anyone else has either." Coming to a stop at a dark intersection, he glanced at her. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess. We don't think the guy will bother you, but better safe than sorry."
"I can't argue with that. And it's not your fault. You didn't ask for any of this to happen." So... One taboo subject touched on already. She hoped she'd have better luck keeping her mouth shut with the others.
"Sure didn't. I'm kind of wishing I'd chosen another career though. I'd have probably made a small fortune as a clown."
As he'd intended, Hannah laughed, though she wasn't amused at all. She didn't know how he could joke about the fact that someone was bent on killing him. After finding out she'd essentially been stolen from her real father, she'd really hoped to have some time to get to know him. To decide if he was someone she wanted in her life – and she was beginning to think that she did.
"So... Where are you from, Hannah? I can't place the accent," he said, changing the subject. Great, like this topic was better.
"Austin," she lied, hating the way it felt when the word hit the air.
"Texas?" From the corner of her eye she saw his head snap in her direction before he looked ahead again.
"The one and only."
"What made you decide to move to Michigan?"
"I wanted a change. I'm not terribly fond of hot weather, and this seemed like as good a choice as any."
"In this economy?"
"I'm a secretary. I figured I could get a job just about anywhere. Besides, what's not to like about the state? You have four seasons, are surrounded by water – water with islands, I might add. You have sand dunes, and Michigan Adventure. And most important, you have snow. So basically you have a little bit of everything. Even tropical weather."
"True enough. The humidity in the summer sucks, doesn't it?"
"That's one way to put it, yes."
Not even a quarter of the way to her place and they'd covered two subjects she'd hoped to avoid already.
"Jon seems happier since you started dating." And now for the third.
"You think so?" She searched her brain for something else to talk about but came up empty.
"Yeah. He hasn't had a girlfriend in quite some time." Another turn and they were on the highway. "I just- You seem like someone who is intelligent."
"Thanks. I hope so."
"No, I mean-" She waited while he searched for whatever it was he wanted to say. "You can understand if I say Jon has a hard time opening up to people."
"I have noticed that, yes."
"I'll just bet you have. Most people give up too fast, but if someone decided to stick around, I think that could change."
"I'm not sure what you're saying."
"I'm not really sure either. Mostly I guess I wanted you to know that he's a great guy, and if you're patient, you'll find that out for yourself."
"All I can tell you is that I'm not planning on going anywhere." She figured that was the safest answer she could give. And it was the truth. Just not for the reason Ed was probably thinking now.
"I'm glad to hear that, although if he keeps working you like a dog on that house of his, you may be ready to run for the hills."
"I don't mind," Hannah told him, laughing. "I actually enjoy it. My dad – liked to work on houses." Her heart sank as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Of all the things she could have said, bringing the man who may have helped steal her from Ed into the conversation was the last thing she'd wanted to do. Next thing she knew, she'd be telling him who she really was.
"Liked?"
"He died." Keep it general, she though. No specifics. She didn't know if her mother actually corresponded with him, or whether he knew her adoptive father had died or not.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you work on houses with him?"
"No. He didn't think it was a good thing for girls to be doing."
"Ah. A protective father. Is that why you're a secretary?"
"Yes," she said with a snicker. "It was that or being a teacher or a nurse. I couldn't do the nursing thing because I have a really weak stomach."
"No patience with kids either?"
"No, I like kids. I just didn't care for everything I saw in the news. All the strikes and fights over pay and benefits. I prefer a more peaceful, stress free life. I will admit that for a while, the idea of a few months off every year sounded pretty good, but in the end, it wasn't for me." She glanced over at him. "I know you mentioned a strange desire to be a clown, but did you ever want to do something else?"
"Not really, no. I grew up playing cops and robbers. I mean, what wasn't to like about California motorcycle cops, or private detectives living on a beach in Hawaii?" He sighed dramatically. "I have to say the job is nowhere near as glamorous as it was portrayed on television."
Hannah laughed, but couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, he meant by that? Dealing with the crimes, or the stalker who was so intent on terrorizing and killing him. She suspected it was the latter.
"I'll bet you're looking forward to retiring." The brief silence before he answered made her wonder if he had doubts he'd live long enough to see that day.
"Yeah. Sure. Retirement would be great." She couldn't help herself, reaching out to squeeze his arm.
"You'll have a long and happy retirement – Ed. I know your friends. You're going to be around for a long, long time. They're going to do whatever it takes to make sure of that."
"Thanks, Hannah. I hope you're right."
~~~~~
"HEY, HANNAH," SHIRLEY said, walking up to the tiny booth, sitting her bottle of water down on the tabletop and sliding into the seat across from her.
"Hey yourself." She pasted a smile on her face because she was glad to see her 'laundry day friend.' "The kids are doing the clothes this week?" she asked, keeping a watchful eye on them as they filled washers and loaded quarters into the slots.
"Yes they are. All I'll be doing is supervising."
"What did they do this time?" Usually those kids were very well-behaved, but every now and again, they got in a little trouble.
"They decided Maizie would look better with a trim and a dye job."
"Oh no!" Hannah didn't feel bad about grinning when she saw Shirley fighting a smile. She did, however, feel a little bad for Maizie, a pure white American Eskimo dog. Unfortunately it didn't sound like she was white anymore.
"Oh yes. I suppose you could say it's my fault for deciding to sleep in this morning, but oh my word. Look at this." She pulled out her cell phone and brought up a picture that made Hannah giggle until tears rolled down her face.
"Poor Maizie!"
"Poor Mazie? Poor me, you mean. I'm the one who's going to have to take her out in public for walks."
Not only was Maizie sporting a new 'do' that was rather short and spikey, the spikes were a rainbow of blues, reds, greens, and yellows.
"Do you have any food coloring left at all?"
"About half a bottle each. Apparently they stretched it by adding each color to a little water first."
"Oh my goodness."
"Uh-huh."
"The more I look at it, the cuter she is. You certainly don't have to worry about losing her in the snow." She couldn't help it and snickered again.
"There is that."
"Well, I'm sorry the kids got creative, but I really needed the laugh."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Hannah sighed, wondering how much she should share. Or if she should just make something up since her whole life was turning into a lie anyway. In the end she decided to just give the basics of what was going on – without revealing why.
"I'm seeing one of my bosses now."
"The single one, I hope."
"Ha! Like I'd ever date a married man. No, it's Jon."
"I thought you said he was a nice guy." She twisted the top off her bottle and took a long drink.
"He is. It's just some friends of his invited us for supper tonight."
"And you're nervous?"
"I feel like condors have taken up residence in my stomach."
"Have you met these friends before?"
"Oh yes. They're really nice."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I wasn't dating Jon before."
"I'm not really following you here, Hannah."
"We just started dating. I'm not even used to being half of a couple when we're all on our own."
"How many boyfriends have you had?"
"Obviously not enough." She could count on one hand the number of guys she'd dated or gone steady with, but the last one had been more than two years ago, before her dad had gotten sick. She was totally out of practice for a normal relationship, and she had no experience at all in a fake one – if she didn't count the one with her parents. That had been nothing but a lie from the beginning. Of course she hadn't known about it either, so it wasn't exactly the same.
"If you like Jon, and you like his friends, then don't worry about it. You're a pretty, personable girl. You'll be fine. And if you can't stop stressing over it, treat them like you would a customer."
"Hmm. I think I like that idea," she said, knowing it probably wouldn't work. She didn't eat meals and socialize with customers. In fact, in the construction business, she'd never really had an opportunity to deal with the home buyers. That was Dan Mulholland's job. As a trained realtor, he was in charge of selling all of the homes C&J built. But Shirley was trying to help – and it was good advice. "I'll just be glad when it's tomorrow. The next time won't be so bad."
~~~~~
HANNAH WAS AFRAID SHE might throw up. It had been hard enough dealing with Chris and his questions all week, harder even than enduring Sam and Holly’s discreet, questioning glances during the movie. But this supper with Dan and Jess... She didn’t know how in the world she'd pull it off. She’d always been a sorry excuse for an actress, and had hated the one semester of drama she’d taken in high school. The teacher had known it, too, and only cast her as in supporting role with short, non-speaking parts in the two plays she’d had to participate in, in order to pass the class. It had been the only ‘D’ she’d ever received.
"They’re never going to buy this," she muttered, trying to steady her hand enough to apply a little mascara as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. At the rate it was going, if she did manage to get it on at all, she'd look like a freak, which would be fine if it were a costume party and she and Jon were trying out for Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. His acting skills were only marginally better than-
"Whoa!"
Even in monster terms, thinking of the word ‘bride’ in connection with Jon Rambo wasn’t anywhere she wanted to go. Especially not after that kiss earlier in the week. She hoped there were no more repeats of that. And as she gave up on the mascara, twisting the wand back in the tube, she knew she was lying to herself about that.
That kiss had just about knocked her socks off, and she spent far more time than she should have reliving it – and wishing for a repeat performance. She'd had a total of four boyfriends, real ones, and been kissed many times, but none had ever affected her that way. Or made her wonder what it would be like to spend hours wrapped in their arms, but every time she thought about Jon, that's exactly what came to mind.
Taking a few fortifying breaths, slow and deep, she put the rest of her makeup away, and then went to sit on the edge of the sofa to wait. He’d said it would be casual, so she’d opted for a pair of navy slacks and a soft white sweater. Maybe she should have worn jeans. Her ‘boyfriend’ would be wearing them since he rarely wore anything else. She’d be overdressed and just make the situation worse, but just as she’d jumped up to change, she heard his knock on the door.
Too late now.
~~~~~
JON DIDN’T KNOW WHY his breath caught at the sight of Hannah. It wasn’t like she didn’t dress nice at work. Usually slacks and a sweater, or even dresses and skirts, depending on the weather. Must be it had something to do with it being a fake date, and he’d been trying to get into that mindset for the past couple of hours.
"You look nice," he said, his voice gruff. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. And thanks, Jon. You look nice, too."
His smile was probably lacking in warmth, but at least he made the attempt as he took her jacket from her, holding it while she slipped her arms in. He wasn't used to them making personal comments, and he wondered if she found him attractive at all.
"You feeling up for this?"
"Nope."
"Just remember, we’re dating, not engaged or married. And even if we were, they wouldn’t expect us to be all over each other. So all we really have to do is act like we usually do. Like friends."
"No hand-holding or anything then?"
"Well, yeah. Some of that. Let’s start now. That way maybe you won’t act like I’m trying to assault you when we get there."
Why he made that suggestion, he didn’t know, but he grabbed her hand and held it on the way out to the truck, where he opened the passenger door for her.
"That wasn’t so hard, was it?"
"Uh- No. Not at all." If her tone was anything to judge by, she wasn’t being entirely honest.
Jon ducked his head to hide a grin as he walked around to the driver’s side. Anyone would think the woman hadn’t been on a date before. Of course he knew that she had. As beautiful as she was, she probably went through men like he went through tissues when he had a cold. Even as the thought formed, he knew it wasn’t a fair assessment, and he climbed behind the wheel and buckled himself in. He knew enough about Hannah to know that she would have to care about a man in order to date him, and caring wasn't something you could turn on and off like a light switch.
"Time to get this show on the road." He burst out laughing at the sick little smile on her face. "You know, some women consider me a pretty good catch."
"Except you don’t want to be caught, right?" she asked, reminding him of a conversation he’d just as soon forget. This was definitely a case when his foolish words were coming back to bite him on the butt.
"Right."
~~~~~
KATE MULHOLLAND EITHER remembered her few encounters with Hannah, or she was used to enough people in her life that she warmed up to her fairly quickly, though it was clear she preferred to snuggle on Jon’s lap – even to the exclusion of her parents. It was absolutely adorable, and Jon seemed completely at ease with the little girl.
She searched her memory to see if she could remember him interacting with any of the kids when she'd been around the group, but nothing really came to mind. He must be good with them though because the toddler seemed to be in love with him.
They’d finished a lovely supper of beef stroganoff when Jess served a luscious dessert that Hannah was glad was here and not at her apartment. A white cake layered with vanilla pudding, frosted with sweetened whipping cream, and topped with cherries combined to make a confection so wonderful she feared she could eat every last bite of it – without any help.
But dishes were finally cleared away, the Mulholland's working together to rinse and load the dishwasher like they'd done it a million times, which they probably had, and now everyone was relaxing in the comfortable living room. A fire burned low on the hearth, and Jess sat on the love seat, leaning into her husband, whose arm was wrapped around her shoulders.
"How long before we need to get ready for a painting party?" Dan asked, gazing at the flames dancing around the embers that used to be a log. Hannah thought he might have dozed off for a moment, but then he glanced over at the sofa where she, Jon, and his daughter sat.
"A few more weeks. Things are going a little faster now that I’ve got some regular help," he said, grinning as his eyes met Hannah’s.
"You sure know how to romance the girls," Jess said, then gasping softly added, "Not that he does a lot of dating, mind you. I was just smarting off."
"I know what you meant," Hannah said with a chuckle, watching as pink colored Jess’s cheeks. "But I don’t mind. I’m learning a lot about remodeling. Who knows? Maybe in a few weeks I’ll trade in my secretarial position to help with the houses on the site." At that, Jon and Dan burst out laughing.
"I don’t think so," Jon told her, shaking his head. "Chris would never speak to me again. You know how he felt about Harry working on the crew."
"Yeah, but he liked Harry. He just didn’t know it at the time."
"No," Dan said in agreement. "Chris denies it all the time, and maybe he actually believes it, but he’s a chauvinist through and through."
"Chris is all right." Hannah thought it was kind of cute, truth be told. Her other boss wasn’t so much a chauvinist as he was old fashioned. Cooped up in the modular with him so much lately, she was getting to know him better, and found him to be a sweet guy.
"He is that," Jess said, nodding. "More so now that he’s turned into Ward Cleaver." A smile curved her lips. "Jon, look." They all grinned when they saw that Kate had fallen asleep, her cheek resting against Jon's chest, her hand fisted in his white dress shirt. "Want me to put her to bed?"
"Na. She’s fine here." To Hannah's surprise, he kissed the top of her head, bringing to mind the kiss they'd shared earlier in the week. The room felt too warm as she remembered his lips against hers, and she almost wished she could trade places with Kate.
~~~~~
HANNAH PULLED THE BED out from the sofa, and then changed into a pair of fleece lounge pants and a long sleeved tee shirt before grabbing the book she was currently reading from the dresser, and climbing under the covers. Once she was comfortable, the lamp turned low, she removed the bookmark and planned to read herself to sleep.
Except she couldn’t get tonight out of her mind. After a while, Jess had taken Kate up to bed and, discovering that she knew how to play euchre, they teamed up – girls against the guys – and played cards until nearly midnight. It was only then that she’d begun to relax and actually enjoy herself as she and Jess proceeded to beat the pants off Dan and Jon, winning every game but one.
They were a fun couple to hang out with, and it was nice to see the social side of Jon again. Not that he was ever rude – except for those times when he thought someone might be stalking and threatening a friend – but he always seemed to hold a large part of himself back from whatever was going on. Like he was standing outside a window looking in, and she wished she knew what had happened to make him that way. Was that what Ed had been discreetly referring to the other night? That if someone was willing to invest the time, it might make him feel like he belonged?
The way he acted about the fake dating, she wondered if a woman had broken his heart at some point in his life. Some people just never recovered from things like that, and the thought of someone hurting him that bad made her sad. Jon was a great guy, and she would bet that he’d treated her like a queen.
Just remembering how sweet and gentle he’d been with Kate, and how much she obviously adored him, she knew it hadn’t been him that had caused the problems in the relationship.
Shaking her head, she laughed at herself because her imagination was working overtime tonight. Not only had she concocted an old girlfriend, but one who had ruined Jon for anyone else for all time. He was probably just a reserved person, preferring to save his charming personality for his circle of close friends.
With that, she focused on the words on the page and began to read.
~~~~~
KNOWING HE’D NEVER be able to sleep, Jon decided to sweep the house. Not that the floors actually needed it, but he didn't have the energy or ambition to mess with any real work. Besides, he was one of those people who found the slow, repetitive movements relaxing and figured it might be just enough to send him into dreamland before sunrise.
This whole thing with Hannah was weirding him out. And if she didn’t get her act together soon, she was going to start raising suspicions. For the first half of their ‘date,’ she’d been uncomfortable and acted like he had cooties. The rest had been fine, but he knew they needed to spend more time together so she learned to be at ease in his company.
Obviously, the few times he’d had her out to help hold the drywall while he nailed it to the studs wasn’t enough. He would have to talk her into helping with the taping, maybe several days a week. And he was just going to have to suck it up and take her out sometimes, too. Supper, a movie. Nothing major like dancing or anything, just things that would throw them together in more social kinds of situations.
He’d mention it to her at work on Monday. Or maybe he’d call her in the morning. Just talking on the phone might help, too. At least it would for her. Thanks to him deciding he needed to kiss her Wednesday night, he didn't know what it would do for him.
It had to have been because he hadn't had a girlfriend in too long, but the way she felt in his arms, how soft her lips had been against his, those memories were never far from his thoughts the past few days. Which might be why he was tempted to kiss her again when he dropped her off a short while ago. Instead, he'd walked her to her door, his hands securely in his pockets as he waited for her to lock her door, and then he'd practically ran out to his truck so he could head home.
Someday he'd have to talk to Dan about all of this. If Hannah decided to come clean about her true identity.