Chapter 21

“You’re in an awfully good mood this morning,” Chad noted as he ate his full breakfast.

“Must have been the love-making last night,” Jamie offered. It was all she could think of; she couldn’t tell him she was excited about talking to Jake.

“It was great, wasn’t it! Let’s do more of that. Pass me some of that jelly shit.” It’s orange marmalade, she said to herself. It’s not that hard to say. “Hey, I invited Nikki and Dale over for dinner on Saturday. Maybe you can whip up something nice for them.”

“Sure,” Jamie said sweetly, masking her annoyance. Nikki was pretty much her best friend, and Dale was alright, but what annoyed her was that Chad had just invited them without consulting her first. “Hey, I’ve gotta head in early, you know? New responsibilities and all that.” She reached for her purse and stood up to leave.

“Yeah, sure thing, babe. It’s such great timing, you getting that promotion, seeing as how I quit my job yesterday.”

Jamie stopped dead in her tracks. Quit your job ... or got fired? “You quit? You think that’s a good idea?”

“Well, times have been tough and they hired a new sales guy.”

She looked at him sternly. They hired a new sales guy because you haven’t met your quota for the last six months.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get something else, something better. You know I can talk my way into anything, right, babe?”

Jamie said something that she wouldn’t have three weeks ago. “Maybe you could talk your way into a normal job?”

Chad glared at her for the snarky comment. “You know I can’t do that nine-to-five shit, that’s for suckers. The real money is in sales. That’s my expertise.”

Jamie wanted more than anything to be talking to Jake instead of this... man. “Well, get looking. I’ve gotta run.” She left without kissing or hugging Chad.

As soon as she’d started her car, she called Jake on her cell phone. He picked up on the third ring.

“Hello, Jamie.” His deep, melodious voice thrilled her to her core.

“Hi, Jake,” she answered quietly. Why am I suddenly tongue-tied?

“You doin’ okay down there?”

No, I am most definitely not! “Sure, I guess. How about you?”

He gave a small chuckle. “Probably about the same as you.”

“Really, Jake? Because ... I ... I’m not ... you said you had news?”

“Well, that was a smooth subject change! So listen...” Jake went on to describe the revival of Montana Skies and all that that entailed. “ ... and all of this means I will be down in Hollywood for I think four nights.”

“I’m coming to see you,” Jamie blurted out.

“I was hoping you would, honey, but I don’t know when it is yet.”

“I don’t care, Jake, I...” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she choked back her sobs. “I can’t... (sniff) ... I can’t live like this. I just can’t ... live without you.”

“Honey.” Jake’s voice also cracked. He tried again, speaking deliberately. “There’s a hole in my life. You put it there; only you can fill it.”

“Daddy,” Jamie whispered.

“Babygirl.”

“There’s so much I need to tell you.”

“I have a lot to say to you also. But let’s save it for when you come see me. Assuming this show works out, it can ... change everything for us.”

“I like hearing that, Jake. Us. I need us to be Us.”

“We will be, I promise you.”

“You can’t lie; remember the Cowboy Code?”

“I’m not lying. I can’t live without you either, and I won’t.”

Later that afternoon, Jamie turned the key to her apartment and stepped inside. She was rather surprised to find her best friend, Nikki, sitting on the couch in her living room, completely naked with her legs spread open.

“Hello, friend,” Jamie said sarcastically. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until Saturday night. Looks like you forgot your clothes today?”

“Ummm,” was all Nikki could muster. She immediately closed her legs and made a hand-bra in an attempt to cover her breasts. Then Chad walked into the living room, also naked, holding a can of whipped cream.

“Okay, baby, I read about this in Penthouse Forum. Get ready for some fun!” he said, his voice booming throughout the living room. When he saw Jamie standing at the front door, the can of whipped cream hit the floor. The look of guilt mixed with terror in his eyes was quite evident.

“Jamie ... ummm ... what are you doing home?”

“There was a high-speed chase that ended with the car taking out a transformer near the mall and knocked out all the power, so we all went home early.” All three of them looked at each other for several awkward moments until Jamie finally broke the silence. “Looks like I caught both of you at a bad time.”

“Jamie, let’s talk about this. It isn’t what it seems.”

“Not what it seems?” She looked at Nikki. “How long have you been fucking my fiancé?”

She looked down sheepishly. “For the last three months.”

“Once a week?”