“Uh, hi,” he greeted her. “You’re not easy to track down.”
The dusky aroma of his aftershave overpowered her senses, triggering memories of their private times together that were still too painful to recall. Nonetheless, her heart rate immediately picked up on its own volition. “You seem to have broken the code.”
He gave her a shy, schoolboy smile. “I had to see you.”
Her brain said, “Close the door and don’t say anything more,” but she stood there frozen, a wave of confusion paralyzing her. Her fury over his lie rekindled, the heat mounting higher than the first time, but the very sight of him generated another kind of heat inside her core. The two reactions warred against each other. She wanted to be in his arms again, for all this deception and secrecy to never have occurred, and at the same time, she was tempted to slap his face repeatedly for letting her down.
He looked so innocent, so concerned.
So unaware that the jig was up.
“How dare you come to my parents’ home?”
He flinched, the smile disappearing. “You didn’t leave me much choice. No call, no text message, no email.”
She paused a second to compose herself. Her heart pounded so furiously, she could barely speak. “Jasper. I told. Him.”
“Didn’t you owe me an explanation as well?”
His question so threw her; she grabbed the door jamb to keep from falling. What gave him the right to be the wounded party? He was the one who’d set this whole mess in motion. The insensitivity of his question helped her regain her balance, both physically and mentally. She didn’t have to take this. “You?” she spit out. “Why should I be up front with you when you hid so much from me?”
“You mean that business about me
using
you?” he bristled. Then, dropping his shoulders, he said, “Look, Reese. I thought we had something going. But people on the way to that kind of relationship don’t run out on each other.”
Her ears buzzed with her growing rage. “I thought so too, but what kind of relationship allows you to let me think you’re a bona fide chef?” There. She’d said it. Confronted him. Her mother would be pleased.
He took a step back, seemed to shake himself, following up with a bland smile. “We, uh, never really discussed that detail.”
Still falling back on his charm to worm his way out of things. Had he not learned anything about her? “Don’t insult me by skirting the issue, Nick. You’re a fraud. You’ve been fooling everyone, including me. You. Can’t. Cook.”
****
Nick stumbled back against the grillwork framing the porch. She knew. Somehow she’d learned his terrible secret. A sharp pain torpedoed his gut. This was worse than he feared, though it certainly explained why she’d quit the show. He tried to catch his breath. She had him, dead to rights. No point denying it. “H-how’d you find out?”
“I overheard you. During your
secret
run-through with your aunt the other night.”
“You were there?” The sweet fragrances of summer tickled his nose. Geez, his life was ripping apart at the seams and here he was, inhaling flowers.
Get a grip, man.
Her voice flat, Reese said, “I fell asleep trying to get rid of my headache. When I woke up, I thought the studio was empty. On my way out, I heard you talking.”
How many times had he kidded Leonie for her stupid rule about everyone clearing out early on Thursday nights? She’d been right to worry.
“I haven’t liked fooling everyone,” he began. God, that sounded lame. “That’s partly why I’ve been so anxious to leave, before someone found out and exposed me.”
She didn’t speak for a bit. At length, she asked, “Then why didn’t you?”
He wasn’t following. “Why didn’t I what?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a grown man, Nick. If you wanted off the show, why didn’t you just leave?”
Reese sounded like Dave Macklin. Dave didn’t understand either. Nick attempted an explanation. “I couldn’t just leave. She’s always been there for me. I owed her.”
“Forever?”
“Well, no, it was only supposed to be until the show got up and running. That night at
Solange
? While you were throwing in your apron, I was trying to quit my job too.” He gave her a wry chuckle. “Ironic, huh? Except, you succeeded. I caved and agreed to stick around awhile longer.” He knew that sounded weak, so lacking in backbone, but his allegiance to Leonie defied rational justification.
Reese shook her head vigorously. “She’s a self-centered, control freak. Why do you continue to placate her?”
Reese had no idea what it meant to be deserted by virtually everyone in her life except one person. He ran a finger across the brass letters that said ‘The Grandquists’ that were attached to the mailbox just outside the door. “I grew up in a nice place like this too. But I didn’t have the family to go with it. Not even a mother. Just my aunt.”
The woman he’d traveled so far from the city to see stared back at him. She still didn’t get it. He could see the lack of understanding in her narrowed eyes. That frustrated him. If she felt anything for him at all, why couldn’t she just accept his explanation?
“You have no idea what it’s like to feel alone, deserted by even my mother. Only Leonie stuck by me. I’m indebted to her for that.”
Reese’s expression was like that of a stranger. “How long do you plan to pay back that debt? Surely it’s been met by now? Or does she own your soul for life?”
“Of course not,” he returned, annoyed. “It’s just that…that….” He didn’t know how to finish.
“You can’t…or won’t answer?”
“I-I—”
“Whichever. It doesn’t matter. Go back to Manhattan, Nick. I’ve told you what you came to find out.”
When he didn’t turn to go, shaking, she focused teary brown eyes on him. “As long as your aunt comes first, there’s no future for us.” In one swift movement, she retreated behind the closed door, and any hope he might have had for reconciliation went with her.
He stood there a minute, the full impact of her words taking awhile to register, the sour taste of bile filling his mouth. Finally, he turned and dragged himself to his car, haunted by the look in her eyes. She no longer seemed angry or disappointed. Instead, what he’d seen there had been pity. He winced, remembering that same look in the eyes of Leonie’s house staff in the days following his mother’s departure. His mother, and now Reese, couldn’t stand to be around him, and his aunt couldn’t let him go. Now there was life balance for you.
****
Reese leaned back against the closed door. Tears streamed down her face, preventing her from seeing her way clear to move away. She felt nothing like she thought she would once she’d faced him. Not vindicated. Not satisfied. Just empty.
“That couldn’t have been easy.” Her mother stood in the kitchen doorway, several men’s socks dangling from her hands.
Reese sniffled. “How much did you hear?”
“Not much. I only knew who it was because you called him Nick. I assume you had it out with him?”
Reese padded over to her mother. “Let me have those. I’ll finish folding.” Her hands needed something more to do than swipe at her eyes. Or pull her hair.
“Great! I’ll do the linen closet upstairs. It’s in nine-one-one condition.” On the steps to second floor, her mother called back, “Just leave everything in the laundry room. I’ll get it later.”
The guys’ T-shirts had probably never been folded so precisely. Reese concentrated on making each line razor straight to keep from thinking about her run-in with Nick, but eventually, despite her best efforts, the memory intruded anyhow. He’d come all the way out to Connecticut to check on her. Even though she hadn’t shown him the courtesy of telling him she was leaving. Actually,
because
she hadn’t told him.
Then she’d made him stand on the front porch rather than invite him in. It suddenly dawned on her that he hadn’t been using his crutches, just the boot. Good for him, his ankle truly was recovering from the injury. On the other hand, hadn’t he admitted he’d prolonged the crutches time just to extend her time co-hosting? Yet another lie.
Had she been too hard on him? He hadn’t denied lying about his cooking skills when she’d accused him. Instead, he’d tried to rationalize his behavior by telling her about the great
debt
he owed his aunt. How could that woman use him so? More to the point, why did he let her?
She didn’t care. She and Nick were history. Couldn’t think about him anymore. She had her own challenges ahead. Nick would have to face his battles, or not, without her.
She scooped up the laundry basket and headed for the boys’ rooms. One less time her mother would have to lug the stuff. The boys had better pitch in on occasion and do some of their own laundry, or they’d never survive in the outside world. Like her? Forget that.
As she reached the top step, the front doorbell rang again. She hesitated. Her heart jumped into her throat. Was Nick giving it one more try? Could she trust herself to turn him away a second time? But since her mother was still battling the linen closet, she had no other choice than to play greeter.
“I told you—” She clamped her mouth shut. It wasn’t Nick. It was Jasper Walters.
“You haven’t been answering my emails or calls. You weren’t at your apartment when I tried there, so I came here. I hope that’s okay?”
Remembering her bad manners with Nick, she invited Jasper in, showed him to a seat in the living room. “I’m sorry I didn’t respond. I planned to get back to you in a few days.”
He settled comfortably into the plush chintz sofa, folded his hands. “I’ve been worried about you. If you weren’t here, I hoped your family could at least reassure me you were okay.”
Were he and Nick tag-teaming this visit? Nick’s appearance having failed, maybe Jasper, waiting in the car, was now here for a second attempt? But his concern touched her. Even if he did have the bad sense to come with Nick, she owed him some kind of explanation.
She took a seat near him. “I appreciate your concern. I’m fine. As fine as can be, anyhow.”
The older man sat forward, his forehead narrowed. “
As fine as can be
? That’s what had me concerned.”
He seemed unaware of the scam Nick and Leonie were conducting. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt. “I’m sorry I left so suddenly. I tried to get over that article. I really did. But I got to thinking, if Leonie would go to such lengths to embarrass me so I’d leave, she wouldn’t stop until I did go. In fact, her efforts to sabotage me would only escalate. I’d prefer to invest my energies working on my own goals rather than fight her.”
He folded his hands, sighed. “I’m sorry it worked out that way. You were a true asset to the show.”
She attempted a smile. “Thank you. But now that Nick’s ankle has almost recovered, I’m sure he can handle the hosting duties solo again.”
“I don’t know about that.” He told her about his decision to exit the show himself, when Leonie decided she could replace Reese.
A sharp pain squeezed her chest. “Oh, Jasper, I never meant for my actions to affect you.”
He shook his head determinedly. “Don’t worry about me. I left because I couldn’t stomach the way Leonie was running things.”
Did that mean he knew about Nick’s secret? She still needed time to digest that information herself, so she wouldn’t ask. “Leonie has decided to co-host with Nick?” Nick hadn’t mentioned that. Or was that the real reason why he’d shown up on her doorstep? Of course! He was manipulating her again, trying to get her to return so he wouldn’t have to co-host with Leonie.
The anger she’d worked so carefully to dispel by folding laundry reheated. Her hands shook so much she had to grab hold of her thighs. Damn Nick! To think she’d almost sympathized over his strange relationship with his aunt. But she had to suppress those feelings for now. She didn’t want to take them out on her former boss.
“Leonie thinks she can take over where you left off and everything will be fine. But you and Nick had chemistry. She doesn’t understand that.”
Reese ran her hands up and down over her sweats in a vain attempt to take in all Jasper was telling her and not explode. “Are you going back?”
He ran a hand over his chin. “Returning would be bad for Leonie. Me, too.”
She leaned in closer. “I don’t understand. Why would you even care about—” She stopped, bit back the words on the tip of her tongue. Jasper and Leonie? All these revelations had her reeling.
He hung his head and nodded. “Not easy to admit, but yes, I care about the woman. But if I went back, she’d think she’d won, that I was agreeing to her tactics. I can’t let her think that.”
His expression had grown melancholy, sad, his eyes hang-dog. She felt for him, to have such strong feelings for a woman focused only on herself. “I’m sorry.”
Good for you, Jasper
.
He issued a wry smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m here to check on you. Particularly that cryptic statement you made about not being able to handle
deception
.”
She’d intentionally kept her words vague in the letter she’d left for Jasper. She hadn’t known how she wanted to deal with the farce Nick and Leonie were putting over on everyone. She still didn’t. “I’m sorry I was so cryptic. I’d learned some things about Nick that disturbed me.”
He gave her a questioning look.
“It’s private. I’d rather not go into it.”
If he knew what she was talking about, he didn’t say. “What are your plans now?”
Wasn’t much point keeping her plans for her own show from him at this point, so she told him.
His gaze moved about the room, assessing her new environment for the first time. “You say your entire family is involved in this production?”
Before she had a chance to tell him about bringing professional staff on board once the demo was finished, from the doorway where he’d apparently taken up sentry duty, Seth announced, “All five of us plus a friend of the family.” He crossed the room, extending his hand to Jasper. “I’m Seth, the oldest brother. Who are you?”