Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) (21 page)

Caitlin gave him an understanding smile. “Would you like some cream with your cake?”

“Do I look as though I need it?”

Caitlin nodded. “A man doesn’t come away unscathed when four women look at him like that. You must have done something bad to upset Annie. I’ve never seen her so mad.”

Jacob sighed. “You’re right. You’d better make that a bowl of cream. I’m going to need it.”

As soon as Caitlin had gone, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He pushed speed dial and waited for his brother to answer. “Where are you?”

“At Jake’s Hardware stocking up on fencing supplies. What do you want?”

“Do you feel like helping me eat four slices of chocolate ripple cake?”

There was silence on the end of the phone.

Jacob frowned. “Alex? Are you there?”

“Of course I’m here. What have you done?”

“I’ve just made four women incredibly annoyed with me, and I’m about to upset Molly.”

“Where are you?”

“Angel Wings Café.” A loud grinding noise vibrated through the phone. “What’s going on?”

“Jake’s showing someone how to use an orbital sander,” Alex yelled over the noise. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t do anything.”

Jacob figured his brother’s instructions didn’t involve eating cake. He picked up a fork and started attacking the piece in front of him. If he was lucky, the sugar might make him feel better. Or worse. Or something in-between that he didn’t want to think about.

***

Alex finished his first slice of cake and his second cup of coffee. “Man, you’re in serious trouble.”

“Is that your professional opinion, or something that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“It could be either. Especially if you’re not going to eat that last piece of cake.”

Jacob slid the chocolate sugar rush across the table. “How is Cooper enjoying his crib?”

The fork in Alex’s hand paused halfway to his mouth. “I don’t know. He can’t talk.”

If Alex didn’t have a grin on his face, Jacob would have thought his brother was serious. “You mean the baby sign language classes haven’t worked?”

“Cooper’s too young. But you should have seen him last night in his bath. He loves the water.” Alex reached into his pocket and pulled his cell phone out. “I took photos…”

He passed his phone to Jacob and gave him a running commentary about each picture of his son. The little guy sure looked happy, and so did Emily and Alex.

Apart from the bath photos, there were dozens more…pictures of Cooper arriving home from the hospital, sleeping in Alex’s arms, and a whole series of Cooper’s first ride in his stroller.

Jacob passed the phone back to his brother. “They’re great photos.”

“We’re lucky to have him. So, are you going to tell me what the big New York meeting is about? I thought the property deal wasn’t going to happen?”

“So did I, but Daniel’s come up with another option. He wants to bring another investor in.”

Alex looked worried. “You’ll still have to front up with some pretty impressive cash, though?”

“That’s why I’m going to New York. If we don’t work out the details this week, we’ll miss the seven-day deadline.”

“Why Friday and not another day?”

“The other investor is flying in from Florida. It’s the only day all three of us can get together.”

Alex sunk his fork into his chocolate cake. “How does Molly fit into all of this?”

Jacob frowned. “Apart from the fact that I told her I’d be at her exhibition, and she’s looking forward to showing me her photographs, she doesn’t.”

“Sounds to me like a big involvement. No wonder her sister and friends want to strangle you.”

Jacob remembered the look Becky had sent him as she’d left the table. “Strangulation would be too quick for what they had in mind. A slow and painful torture would have suited them better.”

“So, apart from that, what are you going to do about, Molly?”

“I’d better call her.”

“Good idea.” Alex sounded as though Jacob wasn’t the brightest kid on the block. “And you’d better do it before her sister tells her. If I were you, I’d call her now.”

Jacob looked around the café. “It’s too noisy in here. I’ll go out to my truck.”

“Do you want me to wait?”

“Yeah. I might need another coffee after she tells me I’m an idiot.”

“It’s only taken her a few weeks to work that out?”

Jacob ignored his brother. If Molly didn’t understand how important the meeting in New York was, she might never forgive him.

His biggest worry was that he might not be able to forgive himself. Molly’s exhibition was important to her. He knew he’d be letting her down, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

Alex stopped him as he started to leave the table. “How serious is this thing with Molly?”

Jacob sat back down. “I miss her when she’s not around. I find every lame excuse I can think of to see her, and when I spend time with her, nothing else matters.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open. “Hold off on that phone call. You and I need a different strategy.”

“We do?”

“Yeah. You’re in love with her.”

Jacob stared at his brother. He didn’t know what to say except the truth. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone. Do you know what the best thing is? She doesn’t care about my money. She likes spending time with me. That’s why I’m in trouble. The exhibition in Los Angeles is important to her and I can’t be there.”

“There’s no other option. Your meeting in New York has to be on a different day.”

“I’ve tried. We can’t change it.”

Alex opened a paper napkin and pushed it across the table to Jacob. “I guess we’ve got no choice but to work out what you’re going to say to Molly. Do you have a pen?”

Jacob found a pen and looked down at the napkin. He wrote the first thing that popped into his head.

Alex sighed. “Good start. But saying sorry on its own won’t work. Now you need the reasons why you’re sorry and what you’re going to do about it.”

They worked on the list for more than fifteen minutes. By the time they’d finished, Jacob had three napkins full of words that told him he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

With a sinking heart, he left the café. Until he made the call, he’d never know how Molly felt about him not being there. And afterward, he might wish he’d never found out.

***

Molly adjusted the largest photograph in the exhibition. She lifted the left edge of the frame, stepped back, then took it another gentle nudge higher.

“Do you want me to move it while you supervise?” David Sloane, one of the gallery owners, said from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled her thanks. “I’d appreciate your help. It’s a big photo and needs to be hung just right.”

Molly was thankful for David’s help. Both owners of the gallery had been amazing. From the moment she’d arrived at the airport, nothing had been too much trouble. She’d been worried that the photographs wouldn’t arrive in time. But David had assured her that the freight company would get them to the gallery undamaged and on time. And they had.

By the time Molly walked into the gallery, David and John had unpacked all of her photographs. They’d placed them against the walls where they thought they were best suited and were waiting for her seal of approval. Invitations had gone out to the glitterati of the art world more than a month ago and their promotions plan was up and running.

David stood patiently beside the big photograph, moving it until she was happy with the result. “You’re a talented artist, Molly.”

“Thank you.” She stood beside him and lost herself in the image. It was one of her favorite photographs.

She’d taken the picture on a ranch not far from Bozeman. It had been a moody day that reminded her of Ireland. The sky had been a boiling mass of deep navy and gray clouds. A storm hadn’t been far away. Spears of sunlight had found their way through the menacing clouds, and they lit the pasture below with shafts of color.

The photograph was all the more dramatic for its size. It pulled you into its depths, told the story that Molly had seen. You could almost taste the rain in the air, feel the wind that pushed the tall grass across the fields. It was a powerful image of the land she loved, and one that she was proud to display.

David looked around the gallery. “Everything’s ready for tomorrow night. The caterers are arriving at five o’clock, doors open at six for a six-thirty start. How are you feeling?”

Molly took a deep breath. “Excited and nervous. It’s a big night.”

David nodded. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Your photographs will sell themselves. Enjoy the evening, make new contacts, and have fun. Are you all set to meet the reporters tomorrow morning?”

Molly nodded. “I’ll be here at ten o’clock, sharp.”

“Great. I’ve got some other work to do, but take your time here, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

While David was speaking with someone from a lighting company, Molly walked around the gallery. She was still finding it hard to believe that she was exhibiting her work in Los Angeles.

Her cell phone beeped in her pocket. She pulled it out and smiled when she saw who the call was from. “Top of the day to you, Jacob Green. What would you be calling me at this hour for?”

“Hi, Molly. I wanted to speak to you…”

Jacob sounded worried, as if he had the weight of the world sitting on his shoulders. “Has something happened? Is Becky all right?”

“Becky’s fine. Nothing’s happened. Not yet, anyway.”

“What are you talking about?”

She heard Jacob curse, then a loud bang, then another curse. “What’s going on?”

“I dropped some papers and banged my head on the steering wheel.”

Molly frowned. “And what would you be doing talking to me in your truck? You could have waited until you were more comfortable.”

“No…I…I’ll just pick up the papers.”

Molly waited for him to gather whatever he’d lost. Her gran had always told her that patience was a virtue and one that Molly was in short supply of. Her gran would have been happy with the progress she’d made in that area, especially since meeting Jacob. But he’d drive a saint to distraction with the amount of muttering coming down the phone.

“Have you got your papers, yet, Jacob?”

“I’ve got them.”

He cleared his throat and Molly sighed. It sounded as though he was getting ready to address a special meeting and not talk to her. “Are you sure everything is all right?”

“It’s about tomorrow night…I can’t make it.”

His words came out in a rush. Molly ran through what he’d said, replayed his short sentence in her head. The thought of Jacob not being here left her speechless.

“Molly?”

“I’m here.”

“I need to go to New York. We might have found another option for purchasing the apartment building. We could bring another business partner in, but they can only meet in New York on Friday.”

Jacob might have been telling her she’d won a million dollars for all the notice she was taking of him. Her brain had switched off at the,
I need to go to New York,
part.

She felt the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that her ex-husband had begun. The same feeling of being let down that had ended in tears, and ultimately, betrayal.

She wouldn’t grovel for a moment of Jacob’s time like she had with Rowan. She wouldn’t put her needs behind that of a man who wanted nothing in life except what he felt he deserved.

“It’s a shame you won’t be here. I was looking forward to your company.”

“I know. I’m really sorry. I tried to postpone the meeting, but we couldn’t change the date. We can go out to dinner when you get back. You can tell me all about the exhibition.”

There was a hopeful note in Jacob’s voice that had no place being there. After she’d left Rowan, she’d vowed that she wouldn’t let any man treat her so shamefully again.

She wouldn’t let the disappointment she was feeling overshadow her exhibition. Opening night would be a success, with or without Jacob Green. “I’m sure someone else will be happy to tell you about tomorrow night. I’ll be staying in Los Angeles for a few extra nights. It will be old news by the time I return to Bozeman. Good luck with your meeting in New York.” She paused, stuck between,
I don’t want to see you again,
and,
how do I end this call?
She thought about what Becky would have said, but she wasn’t Becky. “I need to go now.”

She heard Jacob’s voice as she disconnected the call. She took a deep breath, wiped the tears off her face, and pulled her shoulders back.

It was a fine day for a walk. She would get some fresh air, explore the store down the road, and buy something nice for dinner.

She had things to do, people that cared about her, and a hole in her heart that needed filling.

***