Sweet Deal (22 page)

She’d been right. He didn’t want to sit there working for someone else for the rest of his life, all safe and secure, but bored and frustrated. He’d never been afraid to take risks.

He thought of Shelby getting fired from her job for something she hadn’t even done, how she’d been kicked in the teeth, but hadn’t let it get her down, how she’d gone on with dogged determination and optimism that everything would work out fine. And how when
he’d
been kicked, he’d let it drag him down and keep him there.

He wasn’t going to be like that anymore. He closed his eyes briefly as he considered what he was about to do. Yeah. He was going to do it.

Then he rose to go into his boss’s office.

“You’re kidding me,” Tom said, moments later, staring at him. “You’re quitting?”

“Yeah.” Jake ran a hand through his hair and gave a weak smile. “I’ve given this a lot of thought and it’s what I want to do.”

Tom leaned back in his chair. “We’ll miss you, Jake. You’re bright and talented. Could I convince you to stay? Is it more money you want?”

“No. It’s not the money.” He briefly explained his plans to Tom, who, despite their different styles, had been good to work for. “The usual notice is two weeks, but if you need me to stay longer while you find a replacement, I can be flexible.”

“We’ll see, thanks. Maybe we have someone internally we can move into your position.” He shook his head. “Wow. That takes some guts. I wish you well, though.”

“And keep me in mind if you need a consultant.” Jake grinned.

His boss laughed. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Jake returned to his office, excitement building in him now that he’d done it. Holy shit! He’d quit his job. He laughed out loud, alone in his office, eager to share his news with Shelby. He didn’t want to tell her over the phone though. He’d go see her later, tell her in person, and celebrate with some sheet-twisting sex, maybe. He knew she’d be happy for him, after her encouragement last night, and he wanted to see that approval on her face, to know she had his back.

Oh man. He was in deep, no doubt about it. It was terrifying. Exhilarating. But terrifying.

He worked late, emerging onto the sidewalk in the evening sunshine. Much of the rush-hour traffic had disappeared, although the downtown street was still busy with people going for after-work drinks or dinner. His eye was caught by a woman standing at a parking meter, fiddling with it.

She looked up and saw him. His footsteps slowed but he kept walking toward her.

Her smile was lovely, if a bit hesitant. “Hi.”

“Hi, Gianna. What are you doing here?”

“Just…um…parking.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“I never heard back from you,” she said in a rush. “You said you’d think about it. I’m going crazy, Jake! I wanted to see you!”

“I’ve been busy.”

Her eyebrows slanted down. “With that girl? The one who works for Andrew?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you in love with her?”

He stared at her, unwilling to go there even in his own mind.

“Just have a drink with me,” she said, laying her hand on his arm.

Were they really having problems, her and Andrew? He searched her face. Maybe he should talk to her, find out what was going on. Maybe in some way this would help him help Shelby.

“Okay.”

“It’s late and my mind isn’t working.” Andrew leaned back in his chair. “Let’s call it a night and talk more about this tomorrow.”

Shelby nodded and gathered up her papers. “Okay.” But even though her head was pounding and she was so, so tired, she wasn’t finished. She’d shared with him what she’d learned about the intake process and changes that needed to be made to it, and how it impacted the new payments system project. She’d wanted to make sure she had all her facts and figures straight before she talked to him. He liked facts and figures. Now she and Andrew had spent hours going over everything, and she sensed his concern about the project. But she still hadn’t shared her potential solution.

It was late. She rubbed her throbbing temples, still tired from the funeral and everything that had happened, and then catching up with work.

“Go home,” Andrew said gently. “Better yet, let’s go get a drink. You could probably use it.”

She bit her lip and looked away from him. How many times could she say no? He knew she had a boyfriend now. She’d made sure to mention Jake as much as she could when he’d asked about Adam’s funeral and how Kiara was doing. She was tired and all she wanted to do was go home, but maybe she could still talk a little business and tell Andrew she thought she knew how to fix things so the project could move forward.

“Sure. Okay.”

They left the office together and walked down the street and around the corner to the small bar they sometimes went to for happy-hour drinks, Callahan’s, a popular after-work place.

They walked into the dimly lit bar, and the noise of voices talking mingled with music and clinking glasses surrounded them. Shelby blinked. Why had she agreed to this? She really just wanted to go home. And see Jake. But Andrew was her boss, and her job was important to her.

She scanned the room for an empty table, and they walked a little farther into the room. Booths lined one wall, but they were all full too. “Maybe the bar?” she said, going on her toes to speak into Andrew’s ear.

“I guess.”

They moved toward the long bar of polished oak and glass, a huge mirror behind it. They found two stools near the end of the bar, and Shelby climbed up onto one. The mirror behind the bar reflected the room back to her. Reflected the image of a man who looked like Jake. A smile breaking across her face, she swiveled on her stool to look at him in person, to make sure it was in fact him, ready to go over to him.

It was him all right, but he wasn’t alone. He sat at a small table in the dim recesses of the bar with a dark-haired woman who had Shelby’s eyes almost popping out of her head. Andrew’s wife!

Her mouth fell open as she stared at Jake and Gianna, sitting side by side, their heads bent close together, talking in what appeared to be an intense conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew turned too to see what she was looking at. Shelby made a squeak of warning but it wasn’t even a word and it was too late. He too had spotted Jake and Gianna. She turned her gaze up to Andrew, sitting beside her, watched the reaction on his face—eyes widening, brows drawing down, mouth opening and closing and then opening again.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he breathed. His cheeks got very red and his breath came fast and shallow.

Chapter Eighteen

Shelby turned back to Jake and Gianna, her own heart doing a tap dance beneath her ribs, a chill gripping her as if someone had just turned the A/C in the bar on full blast. A million questions flooded her brain, backing up and spilling over each other. What were they doing here? Why were they together? What?
What?

Okay, she knew he already knew Gianna, because he and Andrew had planned to go into business together. But the way they were sitting there, side by side, heads close together, looked intimate. It made her stomach hurt.

Andrew slid off his stool. Shelby put out an arm to stop him, but why she had no idea. It was his wife, sitting there with another man. He shook her hand off, fire blazing in his eyes, his mouth a grim line, and strode toward the small table.

Jake and Gianna hadn’t apparently noticed them either, but Jake looked up as Andrew approached and came to a halt in front of the table, his hands curled into loose fists.

Shelby scrambled down off the stool and trailed behind Andrew. Was he that furious to see his wife with another man? There couldn’t be anything going on between Gianna and Jake.
Could there?

But it hurt to see him with another woman, she had to admit, even though she tried to tell herself nothing could be going on. Even though technically she had no stake in this. She and Jake didn’t have a real relationship.

Except, after the night after the funeral, she’d realized maybe Riley and Myra had been right and she had been in denial about the truth. Now she knew she was in love with Jake.

Andrew, on the other hand, had a right to be pissed. The way Jake and Gianna had been sitting there and talking so intimately didn’t look like two strangers having a casual drink together. It just didn’t make any sense.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Andrew demanded, earning a couple of startled glances from the three men at the next table.

“Andrew!” Gianna’s head whipped around and her hand flew to her throat, her dark eyes huge. Shelby’s throat tightened and she pressed her lips together. She turned her gaze to Jake. He blinked at Andrew, but of all of them, he was the only one who seemed unaffected. Then he looked at her. Their eyes met.

Shelby stared at him, every question bouncing around in her brain surely showing on her face. And a flicker of something—what?—passed over Jake’s face.

What the hell was going on?

Okay, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he’d agreed to have a drink with Gianna.

Shelby stood there staring at him with such confusion and pain in her pretty blue eyes it felt like a knife in his own chest. And Andrew…hell, the guy was ready to burst out of his skin with rage. When Andrew turned furious, hurt eyes on his wife, another twinge of remorse snapped inside Jake. Maybe he hadn’t really thought this through. Yeah, he’d thought if he had a drink with Gianna, which would be
only
a drink and would be completely innocent, he’d be able to convince her that maybe she and Andrew should get some counseling or something. He’d thought that if they fixed their marriage problems, maybe Shelby wouldn’t have to worry about Andrew anymore. He’d never thought Andrew would come along, or that he’d look so…decimated by seeing them together.

And so did Shelby. He hadn’t thought about her knowing about this, either. She looked so hurt and bewildered, which kind of confused him. Did she really care that much? About
him
?

“Andrew, relax,” Jake said to the man who used to be his friend. “We’re just having a drink.”

“No.” Andrew shook his head. “Uh-uh. You don’t have ‘just a drink’ with the person you were once in love with.”

Shelby’s gasp had everyone turning her way. Her eyes widened, but she never took them off Jake.

“In love with?” she asked, voice quivery and soft.

“Shelby…” Jake began, but wasn’t sure what he was going to say.

Andrew scowled at her. “You didn’t know?”

Shelby shook her head slowly. She still didn’t take her eyes off Jake, and perspiration broke out beneath his shirt and suit jacket. He ran a finger inside his collar. The tie was already loosened, the top button undone, but it still felt constricting.

“You and Gianna…?” Shelby’s face drew into lines of confusion and disbelief. He could see her agile brain processing things. “I knew you two knew each other…but…I don’t understand.”

“This is fucking nuts,” Andrew snarled. “Gianna, what the hell are you doing here with him?”

Oh boy. Jake waited for more shit to hit the fan when Gianna told Andrew what she’d told him. She bit her lip, glanced at Jake. His whole body went tense.

“We ran into each other on the sidewalk outside,” Jake said quickly. “She suggested having a drink. I thought, what the heck? We’re old friends.”

“Friends!” Andrew snapped. “Bullshit.” He slapped both hands flat on the table, the impact sloshing the wine right out of Gianna’s full glass. He ignored it. “What the hell are you playing at, Jake?”

“I’m not playing at anything.” Jake tried to swipe up some of the spilled wine with a paper napkin before it ran off the table, his heart still jumping. Jesus, Gianna was the one who was stalking
him
, begging to see
him
.

“Oh for—” Andrew’s jaw tightened as if he was grinding his teeth. A vein pulsed at his temple. “You know you are, you sonofabitch. You’re still not over her. Maybe you had some twisted idea of getting back at me by going after Gianna, but you’re an asshole for doing this to Shelby. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.”

White-hot anger rose inside Jake at the accusation but he fought for control. “Andrew…be careful…” Acutely aware of both Shelby and Gianna taking all this in, Jake tried to warn his old friend not to say too much with his wife there. If Andrew showed his feelings for Shelby right in front of Gianna, well, there was no way Jake was going to be able to avert that fucking train wreck. He cast a look at Shelby again.

A frown creased her forehead. “Get back at you for what?”she asked slowly. “What went on between you two? You told me you were thinking of starting a business together. Why would you want to get back at him?”

“Because of me,” Gianna spoke up. Her fingers trembled and her voice shook but she lifted her chin and spoke up. “Jake and I were in a relationship. We were thinking about moving in together. Jake and Andrew were best friends and we all spent a lot of time together. It’s true, they were going to start a business together, and then Andrew and I fell in love.”

Shelby made a small noise that struck Jake like a hammer blow and made him wince. He looked back and forth between Gianna and Shelby, watched Shelby’s throat move as she swallowed, saw her eyes close.