Jane Millionaire

Instantly the image of being ensconced between Rob’s legs in the large tub popped into her head. He could scrub her back. Then she’d do his. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the images of where all that back washing might lead.

“Thinking about taking a long soak?”

She opened her eyes and met JP’s amused gaze. “Something like that.”

He laughed, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to one of two sofas in the room. “Tell me, Jane. If you had to choose at this very moment, who would you pick?”

“Is this for the record?” she asked as they sat on the closer of the two flowery couches that had been set up for the crew to use.

JP propped his feet up on the sturdy wooden table angled between the sofas before he answered. “Does it make a difference?”

“I guess not,” she admitted. “Steve or Jeff.”

“Why Steve?”

“Because he can laugh at himself.” She pushed a strand of hair back. “He doesn’t seem to take life too seriously, which is amazing in and of itself with his background. He works as a private investigator in Texas and is ex-military. He didn’t give in to the urge to try to dominate me during our basketball game, and I think he could have won had that been his objective. He’s fun, intelligent, athletic and knows how to take care of himself without being overbearing. In real life, we have a lot in common.”

JP nodded, as if pleased with her answer. “And the good doctor?”

She shrugged again. She’d felt a connection to Jeff from that first dance they’d shared. “Jeff’s an amazingly generous man. I like him a great deal.”

“Why?”

“He’s a wonderful man.” Even if his kiss appealed about as much as a desk job. Why couldn’t he kiss like Rob? For that matter, why couldn’t he just be Rob? Or Rob just be one of the bachelors?

“But?” JP asked when she didn’t elaborate on her feelings regarding Jeff.

“I can’t figure out why he’s here. He says he needed a break from his mission work, to meet someone and forego formalities because he’s ready to marry and doesn’t have time for a normal courtship.”

“And what part of that can’t you figure out?”

“Why he’s really here. He thought I was someone else and I think that’s the only reason he’s here.” She pulled her knees up to her and wrapped her arms around them as she continued. “He’s gorgeous, smart, witty, and fun to be with. My date with him was dreamy and super romantic.”

Or would have been had he been the right man and said right man hadn’t crashed the party to remind her continuously that she was with the wrong guy.

“Why would he go this route to look for a bride? Why would any man?”

“Adventure? Giving in to an impulse? Fame? Who knows what triggered these guys into signing away a month of their lives?” JP pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket and stuck it in his mouth without lighting it. “Why did you?”

She should have seen that one coming.

“I was ready for a change.” True, although she hadn’t known it when she’d flown out of California. She’d thought her life was almost perfect, except for her breakup with Dan and Jessie’s escapades. But, she’d been deceiving herself. She’d been lonely even while surrounded by family and friends. “How long have you known Rob?”

Oops. Where had that question come from? She eyed JP’s cigar with disgust, but gratitude that he hadn’t lit it. Such a nasty habit, similar to her always having to ask questions she had absolutely no business asking. She squeezed her knees tighter. Nasty habit, indeed.

“Since he was fifteen.”

“You knew his wife?” She straightened into an upright position as she stared at JP.

His mouth fell open and the cigar dangled precariously from his lips. “He told you about Mandy?”

“He mentioned her,” she admitted, thinking she really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. “I’m sure it’s on tape around here somewhere.”

Sometimes she forgot everything was being recorded. Like right now. Although she’d searched for a camera, she never had figured out if the studio was a camera safe zone or not. But she’d dealt with enough high tech surveillance equipment to know that even something that looked like a simple fountain pen could record. It was highly possible that Rob could watch this later. Ugh.

“Mandy was an older woman who dazzled Rob during an impressionable period of his life. He’d just hit stardom in the box offices. She swept in and had him chained to her faster than you could blink an eye.”

“She was older than him?”