Professor Feelgood (Page 58)

Jake turns to me as the crowd goes wild. “Did you do this?”

“No,” I say, horrified on his behalf. “I think this is one of those activities I mentioned earlier. Or else Max is trying to give you free publicity.”

“He’s just met me. How can he hate me already?”

The crowd starts chanting ‘Feelgood’, and Jake runs his hand through his hair. “Fucking hell.” He takes in a breath and heads up onto the stage, and as soon as the ladies in the audience get a good look at him, they start screaming.

Jesus, you’d think they’d never seen a gorgeous lovelorn poet before. Get a grip, ladies.

Jake gives a self-conscious wave as he crosses the stage to shake Max’s hand.

“Thanks for helping out, Jake.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He sounds relaxed, but his face is telling a whole other story.

“So, you’ve downloaded the app and filled out your questionnaire?”

“I have.”

“Great. Are there any single ladies out there who’d like to test their compatibility with Professor Feelgood?”

The resulting screams almost deafen me. Every woman around me shoots her hand up so fast, I’m surprised it’s not followed by a sonic boom.

Max chooses ten ladies to come up onto the stage, and as they gather around Jake, he shoots me a look, like a condemned man praying for a phone call of reprieve. Alas, I can’t help him. I just hope he plays along and keeps his cool.

NINETEEN

____________________

The Whole Truth

“TWO LADIES TO GO,” Max announces, and the crowd cheers like they’re watching a gladiatorial match. So far, none of the ladies have had above fifty percent compatibility with Jake, and their reactions have been comedy gold. As for Jake, he’s been as charming as I’ve ever seen him. He greets each woman warmly and manages to always look disappointed when their scores bottom out. I know he’s probably in hell, but he’s doing a good job of hiding it. I’m surprised to discover I’m proud of him. If Sid were here, he’d be jumping out of his skin. The HEA app may be destined to be a worldwide phenomenon, but the star tonight is definitely Jake.

“Hey, you.” I turn to see Joanna smiling at me. “How’s it going?”

“Jo!” I hug her more tightly than I intend, but damn, it’s good to see her. I’ve been treading water all night, and at last my life raft has arrived.

“Oh, shit, ow.” She pulls back. “Steady on, She Hulk. Human bones break easily.” She looks up at the stage. “So, your boy is killing it up there. Was this planned?”

“Not by me. But to whoever organized it, I’m grateful. It’s amazing exposure.”

Jo scans the crowd. “If some of these ladies had a touch more alcohol in their systems, Jake would be drowning in an avalanche of flying panties. At the very least, he just got a stack of new followers. Even Sarah Jessica is intrigued. She wants to know if he’d be free to take part in a charity bachelor auction she’s organizing. I told her that you’ll have him chained up in his writing cave for the foreseeable future.”

My face must give away what Jake and I spoke about earlier, because Jo looks confused.

“What did I miss?”

“Jake has realized I shouldn’t be his editor. I thought it would take a week for him to see the error of his ways, but apparently a day in my delightful presence is all it took.” I try to hide how crappy that makes me feel, but there’s no fooling Joanna.

“Ouch. So you have to go from begging to leave to begging to stay?”

“Yes, and I feel like an idiot. I don’t know what the hell I want any more.”

Her mouth sets into a determined line as we watch Max finish his presentation. “Asha, let me tell you a little story.” She links her arm with mine. “When I was a kid, I had this teddy bear that my grandma gave me. His name was Vlad the Impaler, and I loved him with all my heart.”

I frown. “You named your teddy Vlad the Impaler?”

“It was this whole thing. Bram Stoker played bridge with my great, great grandfather, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, when I was visiting my uncle who’s the head valuer at Christie’s auction house, he noticed Vlad was a Steiff.”

“A Steiff?”

“Steiff bears are the most valuable in the world, and Vlad was a particularly rare one. My uncle said that if I decided to put him up for auction, he could go for a few hundred thousand dollars.”

I pull back. “Seriously? For a teddy bear?”

She nods. “I couldn’t believe it, either. I mean, I’d had Vlad for years and had totally taken him for granted, and then suddenly, BAM. I see him with different eyes, because someone reminded me how unique and precious he was. Amazing, right?”

“Yeah,” I say, seeing right through her. “That is amazing.”

She looks over at Jake with a smug smile for a few seconds before turning back to me. “Just making sure you realize that what I’m saying is a metaphor for you and Jake. When you were kids, you took him for granted, but now, even with all the drama you guys have been through, you’re starting to realize his true worth.”

“Yes, Jo. I got that. Thanks.”

“Good, because my boobs have all sorts of feelings about the two of you, so I’m going to need you to sort out your crap. Either that or spring for some erotic massage for my chest, because I’m totally uncomfortable with all this sensation.”

I laugh. “So, teddy bear story was bullshit?”

“No. Vlad was very real. He just wasn’t worth three-hundred grand.”

“I thought that was nuts.”

“Yeah, in the end, he ended up being sold for one point three million.”

I laugh as Max finishes his presentation. After the crowd gives Jake a huge round of applause, he exits the stage, but before he can get to us, he’s mobbed by people wanting pictures with him.

“I’d better go rescue him so we can talk,” I say. “It might be too late to change anything, but I at least have to try.”

Jo nods. “There’s no easy fix for you two. Just suck it up and stop snarking long enough to really listen to what the other has to say. Hopefully you can let the poison out of some old wounds.”

So many old wounds. So little time.

“What are you waiting for?” Jo asks, giving me a gentle push in Jake’s direction. “Go claim him. Speak your truth. Own your mistakes. Woman up.”

I hand her my clutch. “Hold this. I’m going in.”

_______________

I take a deep breath and pull my shoulders back before striding over to where Jake’s trying to extricate himself from his fans.

“Excuse me, folks,” I say and slide my hand into his. “I need to borrow the professor for a while. Look out for his book coming soon from Whiplash publishing. It’s going to be amazing.”

I pull Jake toward the dance floor, trying to ignore how hot his hand feels around mine.

“Thanks for the save.”

“You earned it. You got through that whole demonstration without cursing anyone out. I was impressed.”

“Good to know I can still impress you. Why are we heading to the dance floor?”

“Why do you think?”

When we get to the middle of the dance floor I turn and face him. He glances over to where the orchestra is playing, “The Way You Look Tonight.”