I pushed my hand through my hair, looking at the pile of work on my desk, and spoke through my cell phone to Elz.

“My God, the temp they assigned to your dad is a joke. I swear it doesn’t look like she’s done one thing since I’ve been gone. Well, maybe one thing—his calendar looks somewhat in order. But she hasn’t processed any of these records and forms. There’s a ton of your dad’s mail here to be opened and screened, as well as the routine mail to be answered and routed. I bet I have two good hours of filing just to get this material properly marked and accessible for immediate use. I told you your dad was keeping something from me. I’m glad I followed my instinct and came to the office, since we were already downtown.

“Have you and your mom made it back to Bainbridge yet?”

“Yes, just pulling into the drive now,” Elz said.

“Good deal. Are the guys there?”

“I thought they would be, but I don’t see the Eleanor. Oh, wait, it must be parked out back because I see Devon and Reed throwing the football in the yard.”

“Well, I’m gonna stay and see if I can make a dent in this heap. I’ll be out there in a little while.”

“All right. Will you be here by dinnertime?”

I looked at the clock on the wall—5:17. “Nah, I’ll grab a bite down at the deli before I head that way.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later, then.”

“See ya.” I clicked my phone off, slipped it into my back pocket, and delved into the mound of work in front of me.

 

 

My gaze hit the clock on the wall as I stretched—7:25. I looked back at the clean desk before me and felt a swell of satisfaction. Well, this would no doubt confuse the heck out of the temp come Monday morning. I threw my disposable coffee cup in the trash, grabbed my purse, and headed for the elevators.

 

 

Pushing through the door of the deli with my dinner bag in one hand and drink in the other, I headed down the street toward the bench I usually sat on when eating from this delicatessen.

“Jaymi.”

I turned to see who was calling me, and my face lit up. “Tom.” I changed direction to meet him.

“Hey, stranger.” He grinned.

“Hey, yourself.” We shared a quick kiss and hug. “What are you doing?”

He glanced at the bag in my hand. “By the look of it, same as you—about to get some dinner.”

“Where’s Leah?” I shot a quick glance past him down the sidewalk. “Isn’t she with you?”

His face soured. “You haven’t heard?”

“No. Heard what?”

“She left me and the kids for that big shot realtor who sold us the house.”

I felt my stomach sink and my eyes stretch wide. “Oh my God. I can’t believe that. Leah’s so sensible.”

“Yeah, well, clearly she’s not. She hasn’t called or seen the boys in more than a month. That hasn’t been easy on them—they’re only four and eight. They don’t understand. Hell, I’m thirty-five, and I don’t understand.”

Struggling to believe something so self-centered about someone I’d considered a friend, I had to force myself to close my sagging mouth. “I’m so shocked to hear this. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for you and the boys, Tom. If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Right now, everything is stable. I have to work longer hours at the office to pay for help with the boys and the house, but that’s fine as long as my kids have what they need.”

“So, is that why you’re downtown at this hour? Working late?”

“Yes.” He turned to look at the office building. “I really need to work even later tonight so I won’t have to come back to the office tomorrow and miss Caleb’s soccer game.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Mrs. Stevens has family to be picked up at the airport in”—he looked at his watch—“about an hour and a half.”

“Say no more. I’m on it.”

“What? You can’t be serious?”

“Of course I am. I’ll be glad to go over and watch them.”

“Man, Jaymi, are you sure? That’s not why I told you. I was just thinking out loud.”

“Yes, Tom. I’m sure. That’s the advantage of having friends.”

“God, you’re a princess. Normally I’d say no to such a generous offer, but I really want to be there for my son tomorrow. I won’t make you twist my arm. I accept.” He smiled. “I’ll be pretty late; you may want to plan on spending the night in the guestroom.”

“That’s fine. I’ll let Elz know. I’ve been staying the summer at Bainbridge.”

“Oh yeah? Sweet. So why are you downtown? Surely not work—I haven’t seen you at the office in a good while.”

“Well, partly it is for work. It’s why I’m here so late, but Elz is getting married, and we were down here earlier taking care of some business for the wedding. I decided to check on things at the office and get some work caught up for Mr. Valli, since I’ve been off all summer.”

“I heard about Elz getting married. The CEO’s daughter’s wedding is big news at work. So who’s the lucky guy?”

“You know what—how about I wait here while you go inside and make your order? We can catch up over dinner.”

 

 

 

How else might I kill time? We’d already had dinner, and before that, I’d shopped with Celeste until my eyes had crossed and until my fingers couldn’t hold another bag—shoes, a purse, three dresses and two pairs of jeans, lingerie, jewelry, perfume. I’d even helped her shop for beauty products and now held the bag to prove that. I stood in downtown Boston with more than a hundred thousand dollars of merchandise in my hands.

I looked down at the bags and saw the names of the famous stores bright as day, advertising my stupidity for lugging them around—especially the names to the jewelry stores, which accounted for a good ninety percent of the cost.

“Cel. Let’s take these bags back to the hotel. I haven’t considered how risky it is to be walking around with them. Besides, they’re a pain in the arse.”

She smiled and leaned into me, her moves stiff and unnatural as ever. It was awkward, and I didn’t know why, exactly. Her mannerisms had never bothered me before. In fact, they were part of what drew me to her, as they held at bay any true attraction. I was quite comfortable with the way things were. It helped me feel stable and sure of my future.

“I’m sure the real reason you want to go to the room is because you want to be properly thanked for all you’ve bought me, darling,” she said.

It turned my stomach to think of bedding her again. It never had before. It was a responsibility required to nurture the relationship and a place to milk my cock. That was something a man should be thankful for, wasn’t it?

She motioned to the bags. “I had no idea you’ve missed me so much as all of this.”

“I couldn’t possibly measure the level at which I’ve missed you, Celeste.” How do you measure something that isn’t there? “All I’ve bought for you today, you deserve.” Because I owe you something. “I didn’t do it to be paid. I want you to be happy. Actually, I was thinking we could drop these off, get changed, and then walk to a few of the nearby nightclubs. I want you to see as much of Boston as is possible while you’re here.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest?”

No, I’m not. But to be fair, neither are you. You don’t love me any more than I love you. You love the prestige and quality of life my title and money give you. And, due to my genuine lack of emotion for you, I love the peace of mind gained in knowing you can never hurt me.

Since my hands were full, I nodded my head, urging Celeste to initiate our trek back to the hotel. “Shall we?”

We rounded the last corner, and I experienced a familiar sensation. Slowing my pace, I scanned the area and stopped cold when my gaze landed on Jaymi sitting on a bench with an auburn-haired man I’d never seen. My hackles rose when I distinguished the genuine smile on her face, and I immediately judged the long and lean businessman to be my enemy.

“Darling, what is it? What do you see?” Celeste’s words pulled me back to her.

“Oh, ur…nothing. I just thought we forgot a bag at the restaurant, but it’s here.” I began to walk again, unable to take my eyes from the couple across the way—couple? My feet stepped from the curb and I crossed the street.

“Jerr?” Celeste called, and I heard her step after me. I ignored her, unable to stop my irrational actions.

I heard Jaymi say to the man who sat close beside her, “Staying the night won’t be a problem, but I’ll need to have a cab take me to Bainbridge pretty early tomorrow morning. Elz has some things planned.”

I would swear my heart stopped.

“No, no need for a cab. I’ll give you a ride,” the man said. “But only after I make you breakfast. I have a strong suspicion you will have earned it.” He laughed, nudging her with his shoulder.

I scowled. “Jaymi. What is this?”

She looked up in surprise and smiled. “Oh, hey, Jarrett. I thought you were back at Bainbridge.”

“Well, what a coincidence, because I thought you were back at Bainbridge.” I couldn’t hide my resentment, and her smile faded.

“Darling, what’s going on?” Celeste came to a stop beside me.

Jaymi’s gaze jumped to Celeste’s face, then slid down her stiff form, and to the bags in my hands, pausing when she saw the ones from the jewelers. Her expression turned to confusion, then recognition and pain, then nothing. She stood and extended a hand toward Celeste. “Hi, I’m Jaymi. You must be Celeste.”

Celeste reluctantly took Jaymi’s hand, and if I know Celeste at all, she lifted a snooty brow. “How do you know my fiancé?”

My gaze never left Jaymi as I used a flat tone to answer in her place. “Her friend is marrying Devon, the friend I told you about.”

“I see,” Celeste replied.

I was still not smiling, and still stared at Jaymi. “You’re being rude, Jaymi. Who is your companion?”

“Oh, sorry.” She turned to the man who rose from the bench. “Tom Wright, meet Jarrett Phoenix, and this is his…fiancée, Celeste Wyndham.”

God, I hated that Celeste referred to me in front of Jaymi as her fiancé. She always did that. I hadn’t formally asked her to marry me yet, although she often implied that we’d be married, as did others, and I didn’t correct them. But still. I wished she would wait until it was official to make such comments.

“Jerr, darling, have you not informed this young woman of who you are? Mr. Wright, my fiancé should have been introduced as Marquess of Phoxdale. He’s the firstborn son of the Duke of Seton. And I am Lady Celeste Wyndham. My father is the Earl of Canton.”

I heaved a sigh. “Celeste, we’re in America; give it a rest, please.”

“Well, I don’t care. Does the queen cease to be queen in America?”

I ignored her and said to the one beneath my gaze, “You’ve been keeping secrets, Jaymi. I distinctly overheard you saying to Mr. Wrong here—”

“Wright,” the man corrected me.

“Oh, pardon me.” I turned my gaze on the man. “I stand corrected. Mr. Wright.” I mimicked his American accent. I knew it was childish, but at the moment, I was too angry to give a shit. I looked back at Jaymi. “As I was saying, I distinctly overheard you saying to this man that you intend to spend the night at his house, but that you’ll need to have a cab take you to Bainbridge in the morning. Of course, that won’t be necessary since he intends to give you a nice little ride after he makes you a well-earned breakfast.”

Jaymi’s eyes stretched wide and then narrowed on me as she leaned into the man, nestling beneath his arm. He looked a bit distracted but promptly slid it around her, tugging her close. I gave him a look that affirmed my wish to break his arms, fingers, and any other part of his body that had touched her. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit, and he tightened his hold, causing her to rest her hand on his chest.

She said, “I believe that’s a private matter between Tom and me. You know, for a guy who doesn’t even tell his friends his fiancée is coming in from England, you sure are a nosy-body who expects everyone to answer to you.”

Celeste huffed. “My arrival was a surprise. He didn’t know I was coming. And I don’t appreciate how you’re speaking to him. Have you no respect for your betters?”

Shit! “Celeste! Would you stop?” I turned to glare at her.

Her finely plucked brows shoved into her forehead. “Are you really going to make out like I am the one out of line here? This nobody just insulted you.”

Jaymi gasped, and I wanted to slap Celeste for her arrogance. I’d not stand for her insulting Jaymi in such a manner. Certain she’d continue to do that very thing, I ushered her toward our hotel. “Let’s go, Cel. Now.”

She turned without another word and strutted across the street and into the doors of the Resplendent. I followed but looked over my shoulder at my Jaymi in the arms of the other man. It was all I could do to just keep walking.

 

 

 

Tom looked at me. “What was that all about?”

I backed away from him. “I’m sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position. It’s just that he gets me so frustrated at times. He acts like I don’t have the right to have a boyfriend when he evidently has a fiancée. I knew he had a girlfriend, but the fiancée part is news to me. I mean…not that it matters; we’re just friends.”

“Uh-huh. And his fiancée is such a charmer to boot. Jeez, what a witch!” He looked toward the hotel. “And so stiff I think I saw a corncob bulging from the crack of her ass.”

I laughed. “Yeah, go figure. I wouldn’t have pegged Jarrett as going for a pompous snob like her. It’s not like the man I’ve gotten to know. He often comes off as arrogant, but honestly, I think a lot of it is show.”

“Well, he sure didn’t waste any time shutting Lady Pompous down when she insulted you. And a person would have to be blind not to have seen he was jealous of me. Are you sure you two are only friends? Seems like a lot more.”

“Yes. Friends. Nothing more. I mean, sure there’s an attraction between us, but I would never get involved with a man who is in a relationship.”

“What about a man who was in a relationship but isn’t anymore?” He gave me a broad smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

I laughed, patting him on the chest. “Yeah, well, we’ll see, Romeo. But for now, you can put the charm away.” I looked at my phone to check the time. “Since I’m babysitting for you, and Mrs. Stevens has to leave, I better head on out to your place.”

He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and held out a fifty. I frowned. He pushed it toward me. “For the cab.”

Realizing I didn’t have enough cash to get me all the way out to his place, I took it. “Thanks.” I slipped it into my pocket.

“No, princess, thank you. I’ll probably be finished by one a.m., hopefully earlier. You don’t know how much I appreciate this, Jaymi…really.”

“I’m glad to do it. Oh, since I’m not going home beforehand, is there something of Leah’s I can sleep in?”

“Are you kidding? What she didn’t take, I donated. Just get something of mine. I have white-collars hanging in the closet, and there are T-shirts in the second drawer of my dresser. I don’t think any of my shorts would fit, but the shirts will be long on you.”

“Okay, that’ll work.”

“Great. Oh, and there is an unopened toothbrush in my bathroom, top drawer. The toothpaste is there as well.”

“Got it.” I leaned in for a hug goodbye. “I’ll see ya later on, then.”

“All right.” He hugged me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “Thanks again, princess. I’ll call Mrs. Stevens and let her know you’re coming.”

I nodded, and we parted ways.

 

 

 

I dropped the curtain and turned away from the window, still seeing the image of Jaymi’s lips connecting with that man’s. It’d been hours since I saw it happen from this very spot and thought my chest had caught fire and would burn me through. But the mental picture was as strong as that moment and as tormenting as that moment…more so because now I not only visualized the scene in my mind, I wondered what they were doing at this moment, and why the hell he’d given her money as if she was his responsibility?

I looked over at the bed where Celeste lay snoring and felt thankful she was finally sleeping. After the encounter with Jaymi, we’d come back to the room and fought all night rather than going to the clubs. And, thank God, rather than doing other things.

Celeste knew I was not faithful to her, and although she didn’t like it, she tolerated it as long as she still held her prestigious place at my side. But she was upset about Jaymi even though I swore to her nothing had happened between us, hence the fight.

I grabbed my phone from the table and went into the bathroom to make a call.

“Hi, Jarrett,” Elz said when answering.

“Hello. How are things going?”

“Oh, fine here. Are you enjoying your visit with Celeste? Devon told me she flew in to surprise you. How exciting, huh?”

“We’ve fought all evening. Listen, is Jaymi there?” Please say she is…that she came home.

“Oh, um…well, no, not exactly. See, she worked today, and—”

“Look,” I cut her off, not wanting to hear any pretexts. “Spare me the excuses. I know about Mr. Wright and that she is spending the night at his house.” I cringed at the sound of it coming out of my mouth.

“Ah. Well, why did you ask if she’s here then?”

“I thought maybe she’d changed her mind. Can you just give me the man’s address, please?”

“I don’t think I have— oh wait. Mom has it. She called him for it so she could send a wedding invitation.”

I scowled, wondering why Olivia would send him an invite unless he and Jaymi were close. When in the hell had she had time to get close to this joker?

“I’ll go downstairs and get it from Mom. I’ll text it to you.”

“Appreciate it.” I ended the call and used the hotel phone to ring the front desk for my car to be brought around.

 

 

“You have arrived at your destination,” my phone’s GPS said, and I pulled to the side of the road. The house was a nice stone and brick combination that looked fairly new. There were no lights on, and I swallowed against my fear and anger. Will I be able to handle what I might find?

I killed the engine and grabbed my cell, noticing the time—12:08. My feet hit the pavement and I headed up the walk.

Ding-dong. I slipped my hands into my jeans pockets, worried about what I might do to the man when he opened the door if they were unbound, and I waited…impatiently.

Ding-dong. Pound, pound, pound.

My hand went back into my front pocket. Come on, come on, come on—The door pulled open, and I received a fist in my gut…not literally, but one more painful. Jaymi stood before me in nothing but a man’s white-collar shirt and her hair messy.

Looking surprised to see me, she stepped out the door, pulling it closed behind her. “Jarrett. What on earth? Are you trying to wake the whole house?”

“You’re damn right I am, Jaymi! Although by the look of it, you weren’t sleeping.” I pushed her aside and let myself into the entry.

She ran in behind me. “Are you crazy? Get out of here.” She pointed toward the door. “Right now, Jarrett! I mean it!”

I scanned the open floor plan and saw the kitchen, living, and dining rooms were empty, and there were two hallways jutting off in opposite directions. “So where is Mr. Wright?”

“He’s not here!”

I stared at her. “Where is he, Jaymi—which room?”

“I’m babysitting for him. Now, would you please leave?”

“Babysitting? Dressed like that? My arse!”

“It was last minute, and I didn’t bring any of my own stuff. It was either this shirt, which has pockets, or a thin T-shirt that I didn’t feel comfortable wearing.” She frowned. “You know what? I don’t owe you that explanation. You’re being fricking ridiculous. Now get the hell out of here before you wake the kids.”

“You expect me to believe this guy isn’t home, and that you’re here looking like that because you’re babysitting?”

“Yes I do, Jarrett. Do you think I would lie to you?”

“I think you are lying to me. I saw how you two hugged up to one another.”

“I did that to put you in your place. You’re standing there with your fiancée and think you have the right to question me?”

“Bollocks, Jaymi! You’re still lying to me. From my window, I saw you kiss the man! I wasn’t even there at that time for you to put me in my place.”

“We’re just old friends. My family has been friends with him and his wife, or soon-to-be ex-wife, for years. Argh! Again, why am I explaining this to you?”

A door off the kitchen opened. Turning, I saw Wright step through and felt a lump build in my throat when I saw he was wearing what he’d had on earlier, and he had a briefcase in hand. He was also holding a paper sack from a grocery store. Oops. He stopped mid-step when our eyes met, a look of irritation creasing his forehead. He closed the door and set the items on the counter. Coming toward us, his gaze swept Jaymi’s state of dress. “Jaymi, is everything all right? Where are the children?”

Jaymi put a distressed hand against her forehead, and then pointed to what I assumed was the wing with the children’s bedrooms. “They’re in bed, asleep. God, I’m so sorry, Tom. I feel terrible. This isn’t what it looks like. I didn’t invite him, I swear. He just now arrived; in fact, you must have already been in the garage when he got here. He had to speak to me about something and I was already in bed reading when he got here. He was just leaving.”

And if she thinks I’m leaving without her, she is high on drugs. “Well,” I said, “how convenient is this? Seems Mr. Wright won’t need to take you home in the morning after all, Jaymi, since I am here now and can do that.” My look said I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I felt awful that I’d accused Jaymi, but at the same time I felt elated and like a ton of weight had been lifted off of me.

Looking tired, Jaymi turned her gaze to Wright. “He has a point. I’ll change and get my things. But you should know, your boys were wonderful. We made you something that we were going to present to you at breakfast. Tell them I’m sorry I missed out, but that I know they can do the presentation we worked on all on their own.”

Wright looked moved by her words. His eyes quickly swept over her, standing there in his shirt. I hadn’t a doubt of his family-oriented imaginings. Jealousy seeped through my bones, as I envisioned her with this man and his sons at the breakfast table, honoring him with the gift they’d made especially for him.

I wanted their conversation to end, so I said to Wright, “My apologies for intruding at this late hour.” I looked at Jaymi. “If you’ll get your things we can get out of this man’s hair.”

 

 

 

I closed the door to the Eleanor and headed for the front steps of Bainbridge. I was so angry and humiliated I hadn’t said a word to Jarrett all the way home. I heard his door shut and footsteps following me. “Jaymi.”

I didn’t answer and reached for the front door handle, hoping to God Elz had unlocked it when I called to let her know I was on my way.

“Jaymi, stop this.” Jarrett took me by the arm and turned me toward him. “I’ve apologized, and I apologize again. I should have trusted you.”

“Trusted me? What makes you think you have the right to distrust me? Even if Tom and I had been in bed making crazy love to one another, how could that make me untrustworthy?”

Jarrett scowled. “Let’s just say you need to be thankful you weren’t doing that when I arrived.”

“Why, Jarrett? Where were you until midnight tonight? And stop avoiding the question. How could that make me untrustworthy? I don’t remember making any commitments to you and I certainly don’t remember hearing you make any commitments to me. But if we had made such commitments, could you stand before me now and claim you have been faithful to them today?”

He stared at me, his silence twisting my gut to think of what he and Celeste probably did the minute they found themselves alone. I had to get away from him before I lost it.

I said, “Look, I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s please just forget about this. I’ve had a long day, and I’m tired. Besides, I imagine you need to get back to your fiancée before she finds you missing. I feel pretty sure she doesn’t know what you’re up to. Good night, Jarrett.” I entered the house, leaving Jarrett staring after me. I slumped against the closed door and pressed my hands to my face, holding in the tears. I heard nothing from him. Minutes ticked by and I wondered if he would ever leave, but I finally heard the Eleanor start up and take off.