Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) (20 page)

***

“You can’t be serious?” Jacob paced backward and forward while his lawyer kept talking. Another buyer had made an offer on the building he wanted. It was cash, unconditional, and too good for the owners to turn down.

Jacob had arrived at Alex’s place earlier in the day. With Emily due home tomorrow, there were still a few things they needed to do in the nursery. Just small things like wallpapering, assembling the crib, and putting the curtain rods in place. He guessed that’s what you got when a baby arrived early.

Everything had been going well, until he’d answered the call from his lawyer. “How long have they given me to come up with the money?” The response he got wasn’t what he wanted. “I can’t find twenty million dollars in seven days.” His lawyer’s words were short and to the point. So were Jacob’s. “I’ll call you back.”

He left his phone on the dresser and stared at the teddy bear wallpaper.

Alex ran a roller along the seams of the paper he’d just hung, then stepped back, admiring his work. “Not bad. Is everything okay?”

“There’s been another offer on the building in New York. I’ve got seven days to come up with the money or I’ll lose it.”

“And you need twenty million dollars? Are you crazy?”

“That’s my portion. Another investor is partnering with me. He’s putting in eighteen million.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me that the building’s worth thirty-eight million?”

Jacob ran his hands through his hair. “The building’s worth a damn sight more than that.”

“Have you had any offers on your land?”

“I’ve got one conditional contract and another contract to look at. It’s not enough to go unconditional on the property in New York.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. He could go back to Daniel Sullivan, ask him if he wanted a bigger share of the investment in the property. But it was still too much of a risk. No matter how much he wanted the building, he wasn’t prepared to lose everything he’d worked hard for.

“I guess you’re used to dealing with that amount of money.” Alex frowned at his brother. “But with that kind of debt I’d never sleep at night.”

Until Jacob moved back to Montana, sleepless nights had been part of his life. When he couldn’t sleep, he worked. When everyone else was awake, he worked. Not working sixteen hour days had taken a long time to get used to.

“Is there anything else you can do?” Alex asked.

“Not a damn thing except come up with the money.”

Alex handed him the roller. “In that case you can hold this while I get the next sheet of paper ready.”

Twelve months ago, standing in a nursery and staring at teddy bear wallpaper would have been as foreign to Jacob as walking on the moon. Now it seemed as natural as breathing. Even when he’d been remodeling houses, or building them from scratch, there’d been tight time frames that needed to be met. The only time frame they were working to at the moment was Emily’s homecoming.

“Would you be devastated if the deal didn’t go through?” Alex asked.

Jacob watched his brother get the next sheet of paper ready. He unrolled the length he needed, then used his utility knife to cut along the trim guide.

“More disappointed than devastated.”

“So what’s the big deal? It can’t be that bad living here. Or is that the problem?”

Jacob picked up a wide brush and dipped it in wallpaper paste. “It would have been a new start.”

“You weren’t going to hook up with blondie again, were you?”

“Blondie married someone else.”

Alex frowned. “Doesn’t stop some women.” He took the brush and slapped glue on the back of the paper. When it was ready, he carefully lifted it across to the ladder. “Watch the bottom of the wallpaper for me. I don’t want it to tangle like the last sheet did.”

“I was on the phone at the time.”

“Precisely. Concentrate on the job in front of you and the rest falls into place.”

Jacob snorted. “Hanging paper doesn’t even come close to buying a multi-million dollar property.”

“It does if your wife is coming home tomorrow. I want Emily to be impressed, not take Cooper back to the hospital.”

Jacob stood still. “He’s got a name? Since when?”

“Watch the paper,” Alex groaned as he moved up the ladder. “You’re supposed to follow me, not stop in the middle of the floor. For such a hotshot in the world of property development, you’ve got a lot to learn.”

“I started wallpapering with dad before you did.”

“Yeah, right. You stuck around until I became his apprentice and then we didn’t see you again.”

Jacob laughed. “Probably about the time I started noticing Missy Matthews. So, your son is called Cooper Green. I like it. What did you do with the other names you’d shortlisted?”

Alex’s face went pale.

“You okay?” Jacob asked.

“Emily’s saving them. She wants more children.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?”

Alex put the paper smoother he was holding in his tool belt. He looked down at Jacob.

“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked.

Alex’s eyes filled with tears. “She could have died. Cooper could have died. I can’t go through that again.”

Jacob thought of all the things he might have said to anyone else. Emily’s doctors had told her that what had happened wasn’t common. She could expect normal pregnancies if they chose to have more children. But that didn’t mean a thing. Alex knew the risks were minimal, but it didn’t change what they’d been through.

Jacob passed his brother a handful of paper towels. “Have you told Emily how you feel?”

Alex blew his nose. “Not yet. She’s so happy. Cooper’s a great baby and Emily can’t wait to get home.”

“I feel bad. You’ve been to hell and back and I’m moaning about someone putting an offer on a building.”

“Guess it’s all relative.” He took a deep breath and started moving the wallpaper around again. “I’d better get this paper on the wall or it’s going to dry. Everyone will think you hung it.”

“Thanks,” Jacob said dryly. “Anything else you’d like to say before I start building Cooper’s crib?”

“Yeah. Make sure it doesn’t wobble.”

“Very funny.”

Alex pointed toward the door. “I left the crib in our room. The box is leaning against the ensuite wall. You can put it together on the landing if it’s easier?”

Jacob looked around the large bedroom. There was enough space to fill the room with the wood and hundreds of screws he’d need. “You might want to reconsider your superior construction knowledge. If I make the crib on the landing, it won’t get through the door when it’s finished.”

“You’re joking?”

“Nope.”

“Who designs a crib that can’t go through a standard doorframe?”

Jacob started moving some of their tools around. “Doesn’t make sense to me, either. I’ll be back soon.”

“Jacob?”

Jacob turned and looked at his brother. “If you want coffee you’ll have to get it yourself.”

“I don’t want coffee. Thanks for listening.”

Jacob nodded. The look that passed between them went beyond what any words could ever mean. “You’re welcome. Next time, don’t wait so long to tell me how you’re feeling. I’m always here for you.”

“Same goes for you. And if you’re sensing my brotherly affection from there, I’ve changed my mind. I’ll have two sugars with my coffee.”

Jacob smiled as he left the room and headed toward the kitchen. He’d call Daniel, send a text to Molly, then make two cups of coffee. It wasn’t a bad lineup of things to do. Especially when he considered that his next big mission was to put a crib together.

But that was Montana for you.

***

Jacob wilted under the glare coming from the four women sitting at the table with him. He’d asked Annie, Sally, Becky, and Rachel to meet him at Angel Wings Café. It was easy for Annie. All she had to do was run across the road from her afternoon job at the lawyer’s office. Becky’s florist store was a stone’s throw away, and Sally and Rachel would normally have driven past on their way home from school.

It all made perfect sense, except the café’s location wasn’t the reason he’d chosen to be here. From the moment he’d called them, he knew Molly’s sister and her friends weren’t going to be happy. He needed to be in a place with lots of people, lots of distractions and lots of noise.

When he’d decided to go to Los Angeles, he’d asked Becky and Molly’s friends if they’d like to share a private plane with him. He was going to surprise Molly and bring her back to Bozeman in style.

As of this morning, the plane would still be going, but without him.

The stony silence around the table made him wish his brother could have walked in about now.

“Let me get this straight,” Becky said with a clipped Irish accent that tore him to shreds. “You’d be going to New York on the day of Molly’s exhibition? Do you know how much she’s looking forward to seeing you?”

The last sentence was said with such disdain, that Jacob wondered if he’d make it out of the café alive. He needed to focus on the positives and leave his sorry excuses behind. “The plane I’ve chartered will take you to Los Angeles. You’ll be met by a chauffeur and taken to the same hotel Molly’s staying at.”

Rachel’s blonde hair bounced around her shoulders as she shook her head, completely disagreeing with him. “Do you think it matters if we’re flying on a chartered flight? We’re used to sitting in economy with our knees in the back of someone else’s seat. What matters is Molly. For some reason, she cares about you.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. “Look at what she sent me this morning.” She almost flung the phone across the table.

Jacob read the text. Molly was helping to put her framed photographs on the wall. She was looking forward to seeing everyone. And did Rachel know if Jacob was still coming? She hadn’t heard from him since yesterday and she was looking forward to showing him her work.

Damn
.

“She probably says that about everyone,” he muttered.

A collective hiss erupted around the table.

Sally leaned forward. Her green eyes sparkled with something close to murder. “Do you have no conscience, Jacob Green? Molly’s heart was torn in two by a man who cared more for fast money than a lasting relationship. Are you really that shallow?”

He was beginning to get irritated. “Molly’s my friend. She knows the building in New York is important to me. She’ll be disappointed, but I can’t change my meeting with my business partner. If I don’t go to New York on Friday, this deal won’t go through.”

“And is that such a bad thing?” Annie asked. “I heard that it was pretty risky from the start.”

Jacob’s eyebrows twitched. “You heard? From who?”

“There’s no reason to get all macho-man on me. I’m engaged to a man who’s best friend is a reporter. Word gets around.”

Jacob took a sip of coffee in case he said something he might regret. “Tess and Logan are in Fiji, sitting on a beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How did he hear about the building I want to buy in New York?”

Annie shrugged her shoulders. “I guess he has his sources. But that’s not the point. The point is that Molly’s counting on you being there.”

“I can’t be there on Friday. I’ve contacted the Gallery. They’ve got someone taking photos and videos of the exhibition. I can look at those.”

Becky turned her nose up. “Doesn’t that sound…I don’t know…a little strange? You’re going to miss one of the most exciting moments in my sister’s life, then watch what happened in photos someone else took. I’d say you have more of an Irishman inside of you than you realize.”

Becky didn’t look as though she’d just complemented him.

If Molly’s friends knew that he’d paid for the photographer, they would have stabbed him with the forks sitting beside their cakes. Yes, cakes. Whoever thought you could sweeten a woman’s mood with a decadent treat smothered in chocolate, was wrong. Four living, breathing examples of how not to bribe women, were still glaring at him.

Becky folded her napkin and left it beside her half-finished mug of hot chocolate. “Well, is there anything else you might say in your defense before we leave?”

“Only that I care about Molly. I wouldn’t miss her exhibition unless what I needed to go to was important.”

Becky nodded at the three other women. “Do you have anything more you’ll be needing to add before we leave?”

Sally and Annie shook their heads.

Rachel looked him straight in the eye. “Thank you for the chartered flight. You didn’t have to do that for us, especially now that you aren’t joining us. Molly would have loved to have seen you, but I think you’re going to be the person who misses out the most. You don’t get many chances in life to share a special moment with someone. And this is one of those moments.”

With those parting words, Molly’s sister and friends gathered their coats and bags and headed toward the cafe’s front door.

Caitlin, their waitress, stood beside him. “Would you like me to clear your table?”

Jacob looked at the four slices of untouched cake. He pulled Becky’s toward him. “No. I’ll have another cup of strong black coffee. No sugar.”