The Will (Magdalene #1)(115)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“Amond—” I said louder.

“Later, Josephine,” he said and I heard the disconnect.

I took my phone from my ear and snapped, “God!”

“Coffee’s up,” Tom declared from behind me.

I whirled and again saw a dark window as well as two white paper coffee cups sitting on its ledge.

But no Tom.

“How much do I owe you?” I asked into the vacant window.

“Come for another omelet, bring Jake, those’re free,” Tom’s voice replied.

He hardly had to bribe me to come eat another of his omelets. They were superb. In fact, I’d no idea why I hadn’t returned to get one already.

I peered into the shadows and eerily still saw nothing but, well, shadows and some little red lights that undoubtedly indicated cooking implements were on.

Very curious.

I would, of course, come for another omelet. But I couldn’t take freebie coffees.

“Tom, really, I’d like to pay,” I said into the shadows.

“Not takin’ your money so get that coffee to Jake while it’s hot.”

I stared at the window.

Then, clearly with no other choice, I grabbed the cups and said, “Thank you. I’ll see you later for an omelet.”

“Tell Jake I said hey,” Tom replied.

“Will do,” I told him.

I took the coffees, left mine black, poured a frightening amount of sugar and two powdered cream packets into Jake’s and called another farewell to Tom as I started to move to my Cayenne.

I was again waiting for Jake outside the back door to the gym but was only there approximately two minutes before Jake’s big truck pulled up.

He parked, got out and walked to me, doing all this smiling.

“Two days in a row. I would say I’ve proved my point,” I announced as he made his way to me. “Now, are you going to give me a key?”

He didn’t answer me at first.

No, even with two cups of coffee in my hands, his arms closed around me and I was forced to hold my arms out at the sides to save the mysterious Tom’s rather delicious coffee. This was made a more difficult endeavor when Jake bent his head and kissed me dizzy.

He answered only when he lifted his head and he did this with a, “Yeah.”

Alas, I forgot my question.

“Pardon?”

“I’m giving you a key.”

“Oh,” I mumbled.

He smiled again.

Then he let me go, tipped his head to my hands and asked, “One of those for me?”

I didn’t answer his question.

I blurted, “Amond is coming to check you out.”

His brows went up. “Come again?”

“Dee-Amond, a friend of mine and an award-winning hip-hop artist who you may have heard of has learned that Henry sacked me. I’ve informed him I’m staying in Maine and met someone. He’s protective of me. After he shoots his video with Henry, he’s coming to check you out.”

“And?” Jake queried when I stopped speaking.

I stared at him a moment before inquiring, “This doesn’t upset you?”

“What would upset me is if you lived a life where no one gave a shit about you and didn’t get worried when you made a major life change and lost your job. This guy worrying about you says he’s a good guy who cares about you. He comes, he’ll see we’re cool. So no. I’m not upset some famous rap star is comin’ to check me out.”

I didn’t know what to say but I did know what to think and that was that Jake Spear was…the…bomb.

“What also would upset me is if you keep starin’ at me instead of givin’ me my cup ‘a joe that I know’s from The Shack so I know it’s gonna be good but not so good if it’s stone cold.”

I belatedly handed him his cup.

He took it, hooked an arm around my waist and yanked me into his body, dipping his head so his face was close to mine.

“Every singer, designer, model you know showed up here to check me out, the kids out, I wouldn’t give a f**k,” he told me quietly. “In fact, I want that. They’re the only family you had so actually, I want to know that part of your life. So bring it on.”

Good God.

“You keep getting more wonderful,” I whispered.

“Baby, it’s not yet seven, got my girl who hates to get up early in my arm, a coffee from The Shack she got for me, and I’m gonna get me some in about two hours. I’m thinkin’ you keep gettin’ more wonderful too.”

“Good answer,” I replied.

He grinned.

Then he dipped his head to touch his mouth to mine.

After that, he let us in, opened the doors while I turned on the lights, and then he gave me a key.

About two hours later, after Jake took Ethan to school while I stayed at his house and did the breakfast dishes, he returned, dragged me up the stairs and “got him some.”

In doing so, he gave me some too.

And it was wonderful.

* * * * *

Two days later, I’d just paid for Alyssa and my lunch of rather delicious cobb salads at Weatherby’s Diner when my phone rang.

Again.

“Jesus, you’re popular,” Alyssa noted as I ignored my phone (again).

“Word has gotten around that Henry fired me,” I explained, tucking my still-ringing phone in my bag. “And also that Gran has died. I’m getting dozens of calls a day.”

And I was. Some sharing condolences. Most sharing shock that Henry and I were not “together” anymore.

I’d learned from these calls that it seemed quite a few people thought Henry and I had an open relationship but in the end, it was me for Henry and Henry for me.

This also meant that, again, others were clued in far faster than I was about what was happening around me.

There were also job offers, one from a rather talented up-and-coming designer based out of New York who would “die” if I’d offer my services, even if I worked from Lavender House and only went to the City once every month or so.

“With your connections, darling, you’d have me where I wanted to be five years ago and do it in six months,” he’d said.

Of course, I thought this was rather sweet, if perhaps incorrect. But I was thinking about it and Jake was prompting me to do it.

“Gives you to us most of the time, but you still stay connected to who you are. Best of both worlds, babe,” he’d said.

I was thinking he was right.

I was also thinking that I had a great many acquaintances who I was finding, with their kind concern, were really friends and I wanted to stay connected to them because that kind concern was heartwarming.