Chapter 11
Jamie checked with the front desk and asked to be notified if there was any major change in her dad’s condition. It took everything not to cry as she left and took a cab back to the office so she could collect her car. Finally alone, she let the tears fall.
“Only till you get to your apartment. Then it stops,” she mumbled to herself. She grabbed a Kleenex and mopped her face. For one split second in the elevator she had thought Alex had been flirting with her. With her! Then it had all been blown to smut and he told her he’d said the words because he felt sorry for her. Pity compliments? Life didn’t get any lower.
She blew her nose and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand as she approached the house. Pressing the button to open the gates she opened her window, hoping the fresh air would hide the redness on her face.
Thankfully she didn’t see Alex’s car or the driver he used during business hours at the office. She pulled into her usual spot and hurried out of the car, keeping her head down as she made her way to her place.
The Olympic-size pool in the backyard steamed in the cool afternoon air. It was the start of winter and the pool was still open. Only Alex Reid would pay to heat his outdoor pool warm enough to be tub temperature. Jamie was tempted to strip down and jump in it. Skinny dip in the middle of the afternoon, in the winter, in a billionaire’s house. Chubby beached whale splashing in the water. How sexy! She laughed out loud as she unlocked her apartment suite and stepped inside.
She stepped back outside when her brain clicked and she realized she’d missed a box outside her door. She reached down and picked it up. A note on top told her Murray had been cooking for her again.
Carrying the cooler to the kitchen, she set the items in the fridge and dropped her car keys on the counter. Maybe she’d eat later, she wasn’t hungry now. Inside her room, she stripped out of her skirt and blouse and let it fall to the floor in a wrinkled heap. She crawled into bed in just her bra and panties, not caring if she’d locked her door or not. It didn’t matter. Nobody was going to come in.
She stared at the boxes still near the wall waiting to be unpacked. At least she would be able to finally get her stuff organized during her time off.
She turned over and pulled the expensive duvet around her and closed her eyes, exhausted and hating her life.
Jamie spent her first day off from work at the hospital with her father. Her mother and Christine were gone for the morning. The strain of yesterday kept things awkward but she kept her dad company while he went through different tests and watched old reruns of Criminal Minds. Her job was never brought up in conversation and, much to her relief, neither was the wedding. Jamie drove him home from the hospital later that afternoon when the doctor finally cleared him with firm instruction to be back again tomorrow for some testing.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said when they were in the car. “I know you’re a good employee and you don’t have reason to be fired. As far as I know.”
“As far as I know, I don’t either.” She kept her eyes on the road and hoped it kept her father from asking more. She had a terrible poker face, but it didn’t matter, he was caught up in his own issues.
She watched him from the corner of her eye. As much as her family was a pain at times, she still loved them. She didn’t want to see him down. “Hey, Dad, do you think next Wednesday you would be up for going out for dinner?” Jamie asked him. “Someplace with decent atmosphere and healthy options, of course. You need to keep down on the cholesterol like the doctor told you to. I’ll ask Christine, and you ask Mom? My treat for all the hassle. How about Michael Angelos?”
“You’re treating?” He grinned. “I’m sure I can make it. What’s the occasion? It’s not often that you want to go out to dinner with your family.”
Jamie smiled sadly. Of course he wouldn’t remember. Why would he when he’s only attended two his entire life? “I know I usually don’t like to, but next Wednesday being my birthday and all, I thought it would be nice.”
“Good idea. Christine will take Stephen as well, of course.”
“Of course.”
She didn’t see her father for the rest of the week. He was supposed to be resting, but he started doing work in bed and banned everyone from his room, even his wife, which made her particularly snippy. Christine called her nonstop and had her running wedding errands left, right and center. At the same time, Jamie was able to finally unpack her things and rearrange the furniture to feel more like home. Nothing, however, kept her from thinking of Alex.
She heard the gym equipment in the morning and waited until she was certain he had left before going in there herself. Trying to avoid him didn’t help, he entered her mind all the time and that kiss dominated her fantasies. It was wrong of her to keep thinking of him, but she couldn’t help herself. Alex Reid was the sexiest man she knew. It was very hard not to be tempted by him.
Images of him working out, building up a sweat, left her unable to sleep. She’d lie in bed while he worked out, waiting for him to leave at six and then spend an extra hour in the gym, on the treadmill or bike, or even in the pool. With all the stair running and healthy eating from the past while, Jamie’s workout clothes grew baggier than they already were. She refused to go out and buy new ones. She didn’t need sexy, tight stuff to look ridiculous in. Part of her begged her inner self to go out and buy spandex capris and a hot pink sport bra so one day in the gym she could be there beautifully sweaty from a workout and have Alex come in and stop in his tracks. It would never happen, but hey, it was fun to imagine the scene playing out.
She’d be glistening with just the right amount of sweat, her blonde hair pulled into one of those sexy ponytails. It would be straightened instead of her usual wavy, curly messy bun she normally wore. She’d be walking—no, running in her pink top and perfectly fitted capris. Or it could be short spandex shorts fitting her curved ass just perfectly. She’d smile when he walked in, maybe wave or nod, unable to hear him because of the iPod music blaring from her earbuds.
Alex would be shocked, his mouth hanging open as he walked over to her. “Where’d you go? Half of you is gone!”
Okay, he wouldn’t say that. Way too stupid.
She would wake herself up by throwing the covers off, and head to the gym in ugly, baggy stuff, or her one-piece square looking bathing suit that didn’t have an ounce of sexy to it.
On Monday morning before she headed back to work, she got a knock on her door. She had gone in to Alex’s gym in the hopes of possibly seeing him so she could make sure they would be fine at work. She didn’t want to show up to his office and the work day be impossible to get through. Alex didn’t come in so she finished her workout on her own.
When the knock sounded again, Jamie set aside her laptop and tried to shake the images of flower girl accessories and popular wedding songs from her mind as she answered the door.
Alex stood inches from her, dressed in a suit and ready to head in to work. He played with his collar before the corners of his mouth briefly rose. “I’d like to apologize,” he said quietly. “I overreacted and it was out of line. I should not have acted that way and I promise it will not happen again.” His eyes ran over her. “I’m glad you are coming in to work.” He turned to go.
“Wait,” Jamie said, biting her lip. “Thank you for the apology, and for the time off. I really appreciated it. I’m glad I’m coming back to work now too.”
His expression lightened. “You might not be when you see how much work you have to catch up on.” He winked at her and shoved his hands into his long jacket pockets as he turned to go, whistling.