Ivory Tower (7 page)

Jenna glanced up at
Mags
,
thinking it was some sort of joke. There was no expectant look on her friend’s
face, no “I’ve found you a way out.” In fact,
Mags
was
focused on the list of gifts and givers she jotted down, not on the envelope
Jenna had just opened.

She glanced at her mother, whose irritated expression
validated that the card wasn’t from her. Jenna read the card again and then,
her heart pounding, excused herself.

Safely alone in the bathroom, she opened the envelope. Her
hands shook so hard, it took a couple tries to rip it open. They shook even
harder as she read the missive.

“If you feel like
your life is running away from you...if your life is not your own, then grab hold
of your destiny. Leave. Now. Go to the airport, to the Alaska Airlines
Executive line and give them your name. Someone has contacted us on your behalf
and we would like to help. We can help. But you must take the first step. You
must decide to help yourself by walking out of this wedding shower and into a
future filled with possibilities.

Take the chance.

Jenna sank onto the edge of the bathtub, her legs no longer
willing to hold her up. What the hell was going on? Leave the shower? It had
taken every ounce of willpower she owned to excuse herself for these few moments.
She’d never be able to leave, even if she wanted to.

She read the computer printed note again. Whoever sent it
knew she’d be here tonight, at a wedding shower. They also seemed to know she
had lost complete control of her life. Could Josh have sent this? He’s the only
one she could think of, besides
Mags
, that she’d
talked to about the frustrations of the past few weeks.

A quiet knock on the door reminded Jenna she’d been in here
a while.

“Jenna?”

Mags
.
With relief, Jenna opened the door and yanked her friend
inside, locking the door behind her.

“You all right?”
Mags
asked. “Geez,
you look white as a ghost.”

Jenna handed her the note. “Did you send this?”

Mags
read it and then looked up, her eyes wide. “It wasn’t me.
Who would do something like this?”

“Josh?”

“Maybe, but it’s not really his style, is it?”

“No,” Jenna said, thinking of that scorching kiss in front
of her mother and how he'd wanted to confront her mother and have it out. “He’s
generally more direct than that.”

“So...what are you going to do?”

“I—I don’t know.”

Mags
slapped the paper into Jenna’s hands. “I think you should
go. Do it.”

“I don’t even know who sent it.”

“So what? Do what it says. Take the chance.”
Mags
grabbed her by both shoulders. “You are about to go
from your mother’s house to your husband’s. You’ve never done anything strictly
by yourself and for yourself, except for that little bit of college you didn’t
finish because your father got sick.” She shook her gently. “Jenna, go. Grab
the bull by the fucking horns and do this for
you
. Make a choice that has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Jenna pulled back and hugged herself. “I don’t know. I need
some time to think about it.”

Mags
blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ll try to buy you a little
time, then.” She opened the door, but turned briefly back to Jenna. “Go for it,
my friend. This may be your only chance.”

Jenna locked the door behind
Mags
,
trying to decide what to do. If she went, how long would she be gone? She was set
to marry in a little over a week. She couldn’t ditch Josh. She needed to call
him, ask his opinion. She reached for her cell phone, but it was tucked in her
purse in her friend's bedroom. Damn.

Sharp raps on the door startled Jenna and she knocked over
some lotions on the counter when she jumped. “W-who’s there?”

“Jenna, open this door.”

She knew that hiss. Her mother had found her. Jenna leaned
against the door, but didn’t open it.

“You get back out here this minute. You’re embarrassing me.”

Jenna glanced down at the envelope in her hands, then up at
the closed door, and felt relief lift the edges of her mouth.
Thank you, mother.
Decision made, Jenna
assured her she’d be out in moments, then listened until she heard her mother walk
away.

Slipping out of the bathroom, she retrieved her purse from
the bedroom, then used as much stealth as she could muster to slide by the
opening to the living room and into a kitchen bustling with servers who didn’t
even know who she was.
Mags
looked up as she passed,
caught her eye and, with a sly smile, nodded in the direction of the back door.

In seconds, Jenna was outside and headed to her car which,
thankfully, was not blocked in. She flew out of the apartment parking lot, eyes
focused on the rearview mirror more than the driveway. She wouldn’t put it past
her mother to see her car leave and chase it down.

It wasn’t until she hit the freeway that she started to
breath. And laugh. She lowered the window and loosened her grip on the steering
wheel. Warm September evening air rushed in, sending her hair flying. It felt
wonderful.

Chapter Seven

Jenna's good mood lasted until she parked in the long-term
lot at the airport. It sunk in that she didn't know where she was going. Hell,
she didn't even have any luggage to check. This was crazy. She needed to go
back home, apologize to her mother, and resume her life. It wasn't so bad, was
it?

She opened her car door, but didn’t get out.

This may be your
only chance.

Mags’
words rumbled through her head and sliced the ribbon on
her indecision. Slamming the car door, Jenna stalked toward the terminal. At
the counter, she gave her name to the attendant, fully expecting the woman to
look at her like she was crazy, proving that this was some wild hoax.

Without even a glance at her computer, the airline employee
greeted her. “You're right on time, Ms. Wilton.”

Jenna's jaw hit the floor as the woman continued.

“All we need is your identification and we’ll get you on
your way.”

Jenna let the
words filter through to her conscious mind, then dug out her driver’s license
as the woman waited patiently.

“Thank you,”
she said as Jenna handed it over. “I’ll just print
your
tickets and the concierge will escort you to the lounge where you can wait in
comfort for your flight.”

“Uh.” Jenna’s mind went blank. What do you say to a
stranger sending you who knows where, that seemed in the know, when Jenna
herself didn’t have a clue. “Thank you?”

The printer spewed out tickets to a place Jenna had no clue
about. The woman organized the paperwork, looked up, and smiled. “Your luggage
has already been checked and will be waiting for you at your destination.
You've been pre-cleared through security and will have priority boarding in
about half an hour.” She motioned to a young man standing nearby. “John, will
you escort Ms. Wilton to the first class lounge, please?”

“Certainly,” the good-looking beach-bum-turned-airline-worker
said. “If you'll come with me?”

Jenna clutched the ticket and followed along like he was
the Pied Piper, her head in a dense fog. They'd been expecting her. Even knew
her name. This wasn't some colossal joke?

In very little time, she was ensconced in the lounge with a
cocktail she barely remembered ordering. She took a sip. Sweet. Not her normal
style. But tasty. Come to think of it, normal was the red wine her mother
tended to like. This was...fruity. And good. Jenna decided she liked it.

With a glance around the room at others waiting for flights,
Jenna’s situation reasserted itself. What the hell was happening? She stared
down at the ticket folder, almost afraid to open it. Where was she being sent?
And by whom?

This was beyond crazy. She should leave. Go back home and
take whatever her mother dished out. Better to hash out the known than the
unknown.

Just as Jenna opened the ticket to see her destination, her
cell phone rang.

****

“Hello?”

Relief flooded Josh at the sound of Jenna's voice. He'd
been beyond shocked to find out she left in the middle of her wedding shower.
As soon as he'd made sense of her mother's shrieks, he disconnected and punched
up Jenna's cell. Her mother indicated Jenna had vanished and no one had any
idea where she'd gone.

Crap.
Could this be related to that damn application he'd sent in
on a whim? He could feel his blood pounding, flushing his skin like red-hot
needles filled with acid. Would they send her on some odyssey without telling
him? Without even a note saying “hey, the shit’s about to hit the fan?” He’d
been out of his mind to send in that app.

It had been a day of selections for the wedding. Jenna's
almost constant acquiescence to her mother's wishes had frustrated him beyond
any measure he could tolerate. So when he'd stopped in a bar for a quick drink
to relax that had turned into three, he'd pulled out the application in his
pocket. It was folded in quarters and a bit rough around the edges, but Josh
didn't care. He let the whiskey rid him of any inhibitions and filled it out.

Never once thinking anything would come of it. He obviously
didn’t think the whole thing through.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

“Jenna.” He breathed her name, thanking the heavens she
answered. “Where are you?”

“I—” Jenna started to laugh. “You wouldn't believe me if I
told you.”

“That's not an answer,” he said, knowing he sounded snippy,
but unable to stop himself. “I'm worried about you. We all are. Your mother
called me.”

“I bet she did. How is she?”

“Furious is too mild a description. She said you weren’t
answering your phone. Did you really run out on your wedding shower?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Care to tell me why?”

“I'm...not sure I can.”

“Well, try, damn it. Your mother just jumped down my
throat, thinking I knew where you were and wouldn't tell her.”

“I'm sorry, Josh. I really am. I needed to get out of
there.”

He raked his free hand through his hair, wondering how he
could ask her about the application without really asking her. “Where did you
go when you left?”

“I'm at the airport.”

“Why the hell—”
Calm
down, man.
Josh tried. He really did. But this whole thing was starting to
freak him out. He’d faced down board members and merger giants with less fear
than he felt at this moment. Fear that trickled in a cold sweat down his back.

“You're leaving town?”

“Umm, I guess so.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I need some time, Josh.”

“Time for what?”

“Time to sort out my thoughts.”

“Is this about the company I sold? Because I don’t give a
damn about the money. I’ll give the shit away.”

“No, Josh,” Jenna said. Her voice sounded tired. “It’s not
about the money. Well, not exactly. The money is just a symptom of a lot of
things that have been going wrong lately.”

Fear skyrocketed into a bone-numbing dread that oozed out
from his heart and permeated his body. “Then this is about us?”

“No. Yes. Hell, I don't know. What I do know is that I've
spent way too many years under my mother's microscope.”

“You know I've always agreed with that assessment.”

“I do. And it's one of the reasons I love you so much. You
don't pressure me and you give me the time to work things out for myself.”

He heard her deep breath through the phone before she continued.
“I need time, Josh.”

“Now?”

She was silent and time stopped. Josh’s brain shut down as
his heart flash-
froze
for several moments. “At least
tell me where you are going.”

Paper rustled on her end and Josh heard a distinct “huh”
before she answered him. “I'm not sure I should.”

“Well, you can't leave this close to our wedding without at
least telling me where you'll be.”

“I can't?”

“Damn it. I have a right to know.”

The heavy sigh was back. “Like I had a right to know you
sold your company for millions of dollars?”

Wow. He knew he had that coming, but it stung, nonetheless.

“I’m sorry,” Jenna said. “I’m saying crazy stuff right now.
Maybe you do have a right to know. And maybe this isn't fair. But you're going
to have to trust me for a bit and give me some time.”

This was fucking ridiculous. “What's sent you on this
pilgrimage, Jenna? Your mother? Can’t you cut the apron strings from here? I’ll
back you up one hundred percent. You know that.”