Jordan Paydan had certainly come through for her. When she hadn’t even been aware that she’d been in need of rescuing.
CHAPTER NINE
“I HOPE YOU slept well,” Jordan said as she stepped into the kitchen the next morning. Jess had awoken and immediately followed her nose to the origin of the smell of brewed coffee.
He was already dressed in gray pressed slacks and a crisp collared navy blue shirt. She looked down at her thick cotton socks and ragged sleepshirt with a cartoon depiction of a sleeping kitten on the front.
He handed her a steaming cup and any thought or care about her appearance fled. All she cared about right now was the caffeine.
“I slept great. Thanks.” She really had. The award ceremony had taken a lot out of her last night. She’d fallen into slumber as soon as her head hit the pillow at half past midnight. “Are you headed out?” she asked, gesturing to his clothing.
He nodded. “There’s a property over on Park Avenue I’ve been meaning to look at, for a potential acquisition.”
“No rest even on a Saturday morning for you, then?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“So I have the morning to myself?” she asked with a bit too much enthusiasm.
Merriment filled his eyes. “Don’t sound too disappointed.” Amused sarcasm was clear in his voice.
Jess simply laughed in response. The truth was, she could use some time alone. Jordan’s presence was wreaking havoc on her emotions. She needed some downtime to try and process it all. Maybe she’d find some paper and pens and do some sketching to help ground her. As it was, she was practically jumping out of her skin in anticipation of the theater show later this afternoon. She needed a distraction. Several sights from yesterday were etched in her mind, and her soul was crying out to get the images out in some type of physical form.
“I just wouldn’t want to keep you from your work, is all,” she replied.
Without responding, he glanced at his watch then set his mug down on the counter. “I’m going to get going. If you do want to head out, the car and driver are available. I can text you the number to call. Or there are shops on the first floor, as I mentioned yesterday.”
Jess shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll enjoy the solitude.”
“All right, then. I’ll see you in just a couple of hours.”
Jess gave him a small wave as he walked out then drained the rest of her coffee. She realized too late that she’d never asked him where he kept the paper and pens.
He had to have writing materials here. He was a businessman, after all. Jess doubted he’d mind if she used some. She wouldn’t need much; she could work small.
She walked over to a mahogany writing table she’d noticed in her entry hall and pulled open the top drawer. There was indeed a writing pad and an elegant, silver ink pen sitting there in the center. But that was not what drew her eye. The drawer also held a three-by-five framed picture. Jess drew in a breath and picked it up.
He appeared to be not much older than ten or so when it had been taken. Jordan stood between an older gentleman who had to be his father and a breathtakingly lovely woman with an angelic smile. His mother. Jordan had her eyes and high cheekbones. They all looked so happy, so content to just be together. Jess rubbed her thumb over the image as it seared into her brain.
Jordan’s apartment was very much like the mansion back on the island in that there were no photographs hung on any of the walls. In fact, the only photo she’d ever seen of Jordan outside of a gossip website was the one she held in her hand.
Jess had never considered herself to be particularly nosy. And she certainly hadn’t meant to be snooping. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the image in the frame. An uncomfortable feeling settled over her. She was clearly invading his privacy. If Jordan wanted this picture seen, he would have set it out on top of the desk.
It nagged at her that he’d hidden it. She could guess why. Jordan had had so much love in his early life. Only to have it all torn away. Of course, he had Sonya but that relationship came with an extraordinary amount of responsibility. And though countless women would be more than willing to share his life with him, the loss he’d endured was so clearly depicted in this one photograph.