THE MORNING SO far had gone pretty smooth, even when Jeannie arrived to pick Dustin up for the return trip home. Morgan made the most of the few hours he had left, making pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse with chocolate chips in them, while Sunday morning cartoons played in the background. He was surprised that, even though Dustin was up until almost midnight himself according to Bert, the little boy was up and ready to go before seven that morning. He was surprised, but also pleased he was given a little more time with his son.
Of course, the first thing on the little boy’s mind was who Jacqui was and was his daddy dating her. “I really like her. And Bert is funny.”
“You think Bert is funny? He seems grumpy to me.”
Dustin poured syrup on his pancakes. Shrugging, he said, “He just pretends to be grumpy. He doesn’t really mean it.”
“Oh, he doesn’t, does he? That’s a pretty good act.”
“He’s really nice. I like him.”
“And you like Jacqui, huh?”
“Mhm. She seemed sad sometimes, but she was fun too. She has a huge house.”
Morgan laughed. “That she does.” He watched as Dustin stabbed some of his breakfast with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. “I kind of like her too. However, right now, we’re just friends.”
“That’s okay, too.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Morgan said with a chuckle as he tousled his son’s hair. “Now, after breakfast, we need to get you cleaned up for your mom.”
Jeannie and her new boyfriend, Ned, were there five minutes before ten, ready to hit the road. She looked happy for once and wasn’t argumentative. Instead, she was grateful for Morgan taking Dustin and allowing her to have the time with the new flame. Dustin seemed to like him as well and, to be honest, that tugged on Morgan’s heart strings. He didn’t want to be replaced, and with his traveling, it was a fear that seemed very real to him. As he watched Dustin and Jacqui interact last night, he realized how much he missed being part of a family at times. He never really knew what he was throwing away by all of his selfish excursions with other women. It turned out, he had thrown away a large chunk of his life, of Dustin’s life, and now another man could very well be the one to enjoy all of Dustin’s milestones. His heart clamped in a burst of pain at the thought.
Jeannie had promised to call him when they were safely home again, just so Morgan wouldn’t worry. That was a switch as well. She had always wanted him to worry before as part of his punishment, her control over him in her mind. She was softening up and he was glad to see it. She deserved it, really, just for putting up with him for as long as she did.
The apartment seemed explosively silent with Dustin gone. Morgan stood in the middle of the cramped living room, a small Hot Wheel car Dustin had left behind in his hand, and a feeling of being alone washed over him. He didn’t do alone well at all. He glanced at his cell phone on the kitchen counter. Normally, he would call someone like Stacey Rogers and have a little afternoon booty call, but that thought turned his stomach. He couldn’t go to a bar or a casino, because he’d find himself in the same situation. Some skirt would snatch his eye and soon he would be trying to snatch what was under the skirt.
He scooped his keys off the counter and headed for the door. There was shopping to do for Bert’s house. He might as well use that to distract him from the void that was threatening to consume his day and mood. As he bounded down the stairs of his complex, he wondered how Jacqui was feeling. She hadn’t called him to cuss him out, so she was either still asleep or extremely pissed off. He’d give her a little more time before calling to find out which one it was. If he was lucky, she was still sleeping.
As he pulled out of the complex, he hit the Bluetooth on his phone and dialed Faith Greer. It was time to get her scheduled to train his new troops.
Three rings and her sultry voice came through the phone. “Well, well, well, Mr Brewer. I thought you forgot all about me.”
“There’s no way anyone could forget you, Faith, dear.” He found himself smiling, his mood a little lighter. “I was calling to see if you were ready for a working vacation. I can get you a ticket for this coming Tuesday. I’ll clear it with Jed, if you’re ready to escape that office for a while.”
“Escape? I run the show finally.” She laughed as if joking, but he knew she was serious. Hell, Faith ran the show even when she didn’t have the title. “Everything still as we discussed?”
“Yup. Just three days. Bring you in Tuesday night and you can train them Wednesday through Friday and then Friday you’ll be back on your way home. Short and sweet.”
“Paid like last time?”
“Uh huh. And the hotel, food, and some adult beverages are all on Rutherford. I’ll even toss in some extra overtime to sweeten the pot.”
“What no strawberries and whipped cream this time?”
He laughed, but the memory tightened his pants and he had to shift things around before he became too uncomfortable sitting there. “And here I thought you were behaving for a while. You and Selby open everything back up?”
“Not really, but you aren’t something new to open. You’re unfinished business.”
He could hear the evil grin in her voice and could just imagine the mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “I’ll have to make sure strawberries are in season then.” He knew he wouldn’t, but he wasn’t ready yet to let the world know that Morgan Brewer was being a good boy. “So, how about it? You ready?”
“Sure. You clear it with Jed and then just give me the details of the flight. I’ll be ready.”
“Great. I’ll call you when I know the rest.”
“Sounds good.” There was a few more pleasantries shared, several sexual innuendos and Morgan felt his mood lightened by the time he hung up the phone. He was looking forward to having Faith around for a couple of days. Besides being great at her job, she was good for bringing his spirits up as well. She always seemed to be in a good mood and he could use that positive influence for a while. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so nervous and uptight, but it was there, his nerves wound tight. That was a lie. He knew why. It was Jacqui. His game had turned on him without his knowledge and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The idea was to have some fun, get Jacqui to lighten up. Now, he found he had feelings for her and those feelings were keeping him from behaving as he normally would. The whole situation was confusing him.
He pulled into the Home Depot parking lot, his phone still in his hand. Before he could stop himself, he hit Jacqui’s name in his contact list and listened to the phone ring. Only one way to find out if she was pissed off or not. With his eyes closed, he prayed she was just hungover and not irate.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oh god, am I hungover. She had managed to keep from getting sick, but that didn’t mean her head wasn’t spinning and her stomach a roller coaster of nausea. She wanted to throw up, but she didn’t, and she wasn’t sure which was worse. If she could empty her stomach, perhaps she would feel a little better. It had been too long since she felt this way and she couldn’t remember the best way to get over it.
“There is no best way,” her father said when he brought her some toast and a cup of hot, black coffee. “Only time cures a hangover, just like only time sobers you up. From what I hear you had several rum runners, so you probably still have some of that in your system. I suggest just lying back and closing your eyes for a while.”
“I can’t close my eyes. Every time I do, the room spins and the bed is like a merry-go-round.”
Her father laughed. “Yup, you overdid it, all right. Poor Morgan had a hell of a time carrying you inside.”
“Good. It’s the least he deserves for what he did to me.”
“He did to you? He forced those drinks down your throat?”
She glanced over at her father, the sunlight coming through the windows hurting her eyes. “No, he didn’t force them down my throat.” She laid back some more, closing her eyes. “I guess I got caught up in the shedding of my isolationist habit and went too far.”
Bert waved off the idea with a flip of his hand. “Nonsense. Everyone lets go once in a while.”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts. I know why you’re afraid to cut loose, but you were in safe hands last night. Morgan even sat in here beside you for a few moments to make sure you were okay before taking his son home.”
She groaned at the thought of Morgan seeing her like that. “He must think me an idiot.”
“You really are clueless sometimes, you know that.” Bert shook his head, and she could only stare at him, confused. “He was thinking no such thing. He was worried he had pushed you too far. He was blaming himself.” He stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “That man likes you and I’m not stupid enough to miss the fact that you like him as well. So you had too much to drink. I’ll bet Morgan does it on a regular basis. You’ll know better next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
He let out a sigh. “Well, that’s up to you. You don’t have to drink, but you do have to have some fun. And Morgan Brewer is good at getting you to do that. I like him.”
She gazed at her father, the grumpy old man’s face seeming softer than usual. She smiled at him. “I like him, too.”
“Good. Now, get out of bed. Sophia is cooking some real breakfast with greasy bacon. Just what you need to settle that stomach.”
She groaned louder. “Just the sound of that makes me want to barf.”
He cocked his head at her, a smirk creeping over his face. “Did my daughter just use the word barf?” Then he laughed as he rolled himself out of her room.
She watched him leave and would have shaken her head at him, but the way her stomach felt right then, any movement was bad movement and would lead to disastrous results. She rested her head back on her pillow, closing her eyes a moment to still the movement that was only in her head. She was surprised she wasn’t feeling the guilt that should have been there. The last time she allowed herself to drink that much, she lost her family in a plane crash. That guilt had changed her life for the past two years. It should be sending her into a tailspin with her behavior last night and how she allowed herself to get drunk again. Yet, it didn’t.
She felt sick, probably would all day. But she didn’t feel guilt. Or remorse.
And then Vince’s face flashed across her mind and she did feel guilt, but for a whole other reason. He didn’t seem happy when he saw her with Morgan at the casino and she couldn’t blame him. He had tried to be there for her a year ago and again just recently. Both times, she had turned him down. First, because it had been too soon and second, because she was too embarrassed about the first time. And guilt-ridden. She had felt like she had betrayed Marc back then and now…now, she just didn’t want to deal with how she felt when it first happened. She wanted new, different. Vince, while a good man, was still part of what was. Being with him would keep too many memories at the surface. She needed distance. Morgan gave her that.
She forced herself to move, dragging herself out of bed and toward the bathroom. After running cold water over her face, she leaned against the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Dark circles had formed under her eyes, which themselves were bloodshot. Her hair was a mess, and her lips were dry. She looked as bad as she felt and deserved every minute of it.
But she didn’t feel guilty.
As she finished brushing her teeth, she heard her cell phone ringing beside her bed, the sound a sharp shriek that echoed in her head. She only answered it to shut the damn thing off.
“Jacqui?” Was he smiling at her? She bet he was smiling at her. “No offense, but you sound like shit.”
“I feel like shit.” Yes, he was definitely smiling.
“How bad is it?”
“I don’t think I’ll be leaving my bed anytime today. Or drinking again anytime soon.”
He chuckled. She knew he was smiling. “I’m sorry. I did try to stop you, just for the record. But you were determined.”
Jacqui reached for her purse to grab some aspirin. She needed to silence the drummer in her head. “I know. It’s my fault.” As she reached into her purse, she saw the envelope Morgan had stuffed in there the night before with her winnings. She pulled it out, opening it as she did. “You gave me the winnings?”
“I gave you your winnings. You were pretty adamant about that as well.” She really wished he would stop laughing. It was not only embarrassing, but it also hurt her head. “I did keep my winnings, however.”
She smiled and then stopped. It hurt her face when her cheeks pushed up. “Did your son get off okay?”
“He did. Thanks for asking. He had a great time. He even asked about you this morning.” It sounded as if he wanted to say something else but didn’t. She wondered what he was keeping to himself. She heard him take a deep breath. “Well, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t mad at me. I did have a good time last night.” He paused, but only for a moment. “I hope we can do it again. Soon.”
“I’d like that.” This time, she couldn’t stop the smile on her face. “I’d like that very much.”
“Good. For now, I’m heading out to get the things I need for your dad’s house. I can get the renovations started this week.”
“There’s a key under the front mat. I know, not a very original hiding spot. You can let yourself in to do the work if we’re not around.”
“Trusting me with the hidden key, huh?”
“I’m trusting you with a lot of things.” She was smiling as she said it and it was true. She did trust him. He wasn’t the womanizer he seemed to be in the beginning, the player he pretended to be in order to hide whatever it was he was running from, growing up probably. He was someone she wanted to know better.
“I like that,” he said, his voice a husky whisper, as if her confession caught him completely unawares. It caught her by surprise, as well.
“Well, don’t read into it. I am hungover, you know.”
He busted out laughing. “I won’t. Promise.”