early tomorrow morning, pack the products discreetly for shipping, and get them to the post office.
THEY CAN WAIT. GO HOME. SOAK IN A TUB AND RELAX.
That sounded great. And then what would I do? Sit around missing Jack? No thank you
I typed, I WON’T BE THAT LONG.
It was a minute before she replied. DEIDRE, I’M WORRIED ABOUT YOU. YOU CAN’T BE THERE ALONE EVERY NIGHT. IF YOU DON’T GO HOME RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO CALL JACK AND TELL HIM YOU’RE WORKING YOURSELF TO DEATH.
You wouldn’t. Of course, she might have Carlos do it, which would get the same result. Jack would probably hire me someone to help me. What I really needed was Jack. The rest would take care of itself.
FINE. SHUTTING DOWN AND GOING HOME.
What a brat!
I’M GOING TO DRIVE BY AND IF YOUR CAR IS NOT IN YOUR PARKING SPOT AT YOUR APPARTMENT IN FIFITEEN MINUTES, YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR FROM ME.
I laughed. It sounded like she was practicing her mommy tone on me. YES, MAMA, I teased.
One last message from her.
FOURTEEN AND COUNTING.
I gave up. Allison really would show up here and then not only would I get no work done, but I‘d feel guilty about ruining her night. Closing my laptop, I slipped it into my drawer and locked it. The orders would have to wait till Monday.
It didn’t take me long to get home, even with a stop to grab a burger. But once I was inside and I ate, I realized Allison had been right. I needed a night home. I filled a bubble bath and slid in up to my neck. It felt nice, and it was comforting in a way, but it wasn’t Jack.
When the water began to cool, I got out, wrapped a towel around me and went to lie on the bed. Jack would be calling soon, and hopefully after that, I would sleep. Not likely, but one could still wish.
Once again there was a ding on my cell phone. I reach over and grabbed it off my nightstand. Really, Allison.
I’M HOME.
She replied. I KNOW. I’M AT YOUR DOOR. LET ME IN.
I loved her, but I didn’t want her here when Jack called. He’d end up cutting the call short and right now, I really wanted to hear his voice.
MOVE IT, WOMAN. I GOT TO PEE.
Well, that got my attention. I got up wearing only my towel and headed for the door. When I opened it, my jaw dropped.
“Jack, you’re…here,” I stammered.
His eyes roamed over me and said, “I see you have not learned your lesson about opening the door undressed.”
When he was inside and the door shut, I asked, “I thought you had a few more weeks in California.”
“Things changed.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I asked.
He stood there looking at me, then reached out, grabbed the towel and pulled me towards him. “And why are you still asking questions?”
That’s a good question. Whatever the answers were, they could wait till morning.
Jack tugged my towel one more time, and it slipped to the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, “I was just about to go to bed. Care to join me?”
Before claiming my lips, he said, “Definitely.”
He swooped me into his arms, arms that I had missed like oxygen itself. If I had fallen asleep and this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake till morning.
Chapter 24
Jack
I owed Carlos and Allison for helping me pull off this surprise. They really were good friends. And last night, being back home with Deidre was better than I imagined. It wasn’t about sex. What we shared was so much more. She was where I belonged.
I never thought I’d call somewhere ‘home’ again. But there was no other word to describe how I felt when I was with Dee. Having my own company and traveling the world was what I thought I had wanted. But what good would it be if it meant leaving Deidre all the time?
She stirred beside me and I said, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Deidre stretched and yawned. “I don’t recall doing much sleeping last night.”
“Complaining?” I asked.
She looked me in the eyes and asked, “If I say yes, what are you going to do about it?”
I laughed. “Although I’d like nothing better than to spend the day in bed with you, I believe you mentioned you had things to do for your mother today.” I knew all about the birthday party for Robert. It was supposed to have been a surprise, but