The Scale (Martha's Way) (21 page)

Jason glanced at the Rolex around his wrist. He had a few
minutes to spare. “You have fifteen minutes.”

As he walked out of the room, he heard his father mention
something to Blake about law, congratulated the couple once again and promised
to see them on the wedding day. It was something Jason couldn’t control. Blake
did forewarn him an invitation was issued to his father. Like it or not, Jason
couldn’t tell his friend who to invite to his wedding.

“I love you,” he heard Claire say to the older man. “I love
both of you. I miss my family.” He didn’t wait for his father’s response.
Instead, he quickened his steps down the hall into the large room he used as
his office.

Within seconds, the office door swung open. Jason kept his
attention on the wedding checklist on his desk. The tent had to be installed
after a few minor repairs. Tonight he would speak to Adam’s chef to confirm a
time for him to meet to finalize the menu. Both Keely and Blake had given
carte blanche
on the dinner preparation,
even though he always confirmed everything with them.

“You’ve put a lot of work into this place.”

He raised his head to look at his father. “Why are you here?
You know you’re not welcome.”

“We need to discuss my divorce to Agnes. She’s going to
request to look into your finances.”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t care. She can do whatever she wants.”

“I need you to come up with a strategy.”

“To do what?
Prove that she’s
mentally ill?” A slight chuckle escaped his throat. “You’re out of luck, Dad. I
told you this lawyer is no longer for hire.” Coming to his feet, he walked past
his father to grab a book on the filled bookshelf. “Did she catch you with your
pants down like I did or Mom did, for that matter?”

The question hung in the air. He waited for his father to
admit his infidelity. To his surprise, his father let out a deep sigh before
walking over to sit behind his desk. Once seated, he reached for the only
picture Jason had of them as a family.

“I didn’t cheat on Agnes. It’s the other way around. I
walked in on her.”

A part of him felt compelled to ask his father if the
discovery was as painful for him as it had been for his mother. Did he finally understand
how it felt to be betrayed? For so long, he’d carried so much anger toward the
older man and wanted to remind him how he had destroyed a life. But, as he
looked at the other man, he saw someone broken, tired, and alone.

“What do you need me to do?”

His father glanced up at him. “Had I been the one to fuck
up, I would have given her whatever she wanted.”

“Your offer is pretty generous,” he said with sincerity.

“She wants more. She’s angry.”

“Why?”

His father shrugged and let out a short dry laugh. “I
couldn’t tell you. I want to finalize this divorce by next week. I was able to
obtain a court date.”

Jason wasn’t surprised by that fact. His father was rich and
had donated a lot of money to help others. And his charm had a way of getting
people to do what he wanted. “I will come by tomorrow.”

“Let’s do dinner tonight.”

His mind went to Minka in her little shorts. “I have plans.
We can do lunch tomorrow.”

“What’s her name?” his father asked with a smile.

“Dad, this isn’t a reunion,” he reminded his father.
Agreeing to help was more of an obligation. “Minka,” he answered nonetheless.
“She’s Keely’s sister.”

“That explains the strong resemblance. You’re dining with
her?”

Jason nodded.

“I look forward to getting to know her.”

A soft knock on the door reminded Jason it was time for his
meeting for the photo shoot of the inn. “I have a meeting. I’ll see you
tomorrow.” He turned on his heels to exit the room.

“Jason,” his father’s voice called and he stopped at the
door. “Don’t break her heart like I did your mom’s.”

He turned to look at his father. “It’s different, and I’m
not a cheater.”

“When was the last time you committed to a woman?”

“I’m committed to her until next week. She understands
that.” With that, he walked out of the room, leaving his father with the only
picture he had of them with his mother in his hands.

He found Lisa walking through the foyer inspecting the
place. Dressed in a short skirt and a fitted jacket with her blonde hair pulled
into a bun, Jason decided she was more attractive in person. The pictures he’d
seen of her from the popular magazine where she was the chief editor didn’t do
her justice. Three days ago, he would have amped his charms and flirted with
her but today he only extended his hand to her as he introduced himself,
setting a professional tone.

“You have a wonderful place here, Jason. This is a hidden
charm. No wonder it’s so popular. We will do your inn justice.”

Jason nodded. Lisa was the chief editor for the famous Harbor
magazine based in Massachusetts. The magazine often did features on inns in the
states, particularly the Capes. He had been surprised when she contacted him
and expressed her desire to do a story on Martha’s Way.

“I understand you have a wedding here soon.”

“Next weekend.”

“Can we cover it?”

A frown crossed his face. He might not be the next in line
to promise forever to a woman, but he believed in the sanctity of marriage and
felt the presence of a reporter and a photographer not hired by the bride and
groom might be intrusive. “Why don’t you ask the bride and groom? I, myself
would say no, but this is their wedding. I’ll take you to them and you can
discuss it. I have to leave.”

“Hot date?” she asked with a smile.

He read the hidden message behind Lisa’s words and the
inviting smile. That was his usual cue to dive in or provide a vague answer to
let her know he was available. Instead, he thought of Minka. “Something
like
that.”

By the time he pulled into his driveway, he was physically
exhausted and mentally drained. He checked his watch. He was a half hour later
than the agreed time, but he did text Minka to let her know he was running
behind. The meeting with Lisa took longer than he’d anticipated. But in the
end, they did agree to do the photo shoot the day before the wedding. He also
spent time with his friends finalizing the layout as Keely wanted the place to
be. He had been grateful when Blake and Keely politely declined Lisa’s offer to
cover their wedding.

He made his way to the kitchen. The familiar smell of a
fresh-baked pie greeted him. Jason smiled, remembering the many pies his mother
used to bake. Between the doorways, he came to a halt at the image before him. Minka
was slicing what looked like peaches with her headset in her ears, her body
swaying from side to side to whatever tune she was listening to, her wild curls
loose around her face. She looked relaxed. Mesmerized, he stood back and took
in the sight.

A look of uncertainty crossed over her pretty face when she
looked in his direction, then she smiled—a sweet, beautiful smile that left him
short of breath. He walked into the room, reached over to touch her cheek and
brushed aside a little bit of flour.

“You had flour on your face.”

“Oh…”

Her hands went to the spot. He took them into his.

“Bad day,” she said as if reading his mind.

“Long day,” he admitted.

“In need of some TLC.”

He studied her, a little surprised by the suggestive tone of
her voice. “I’m dying to find out what you have in mind. I’ve missed you all
day. I’m going to kiss you now.”

Jason pulled her closer to him, loving the way she felt
against him as he took ownership of her lips. Once again, he couldn’t control
his desire. The kiss was rough with need. She wrapped her arms around his neck
to welcome him with equal desire. When he finally pulled himself away, he
watched her walk to the oven where she removed the pie and placed it on the
counter.

“I don’t think a woman has ever made me a pie before.”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I cheated. I got it
from the farm.” He took the pie from her and placed it on the granite counter.
“Did you meet Luc and Marjorie then?”

“No. The owners were making a delivery.”

“They are Forrest’s parents. They were good friends of my
mother.”

“Oh. Do they know your father?” she asked in obvious
surprise.

“They are friends as well,” he muttered. As much as the
thought unsettled him, he couldn’t tell anyone who to pick as friends. He
sighed, exhaled deeply and drew her closer, burying his face in her hair. “Do
we go straight to the pie or lovemaking?”

She chuckled. The sound was music to his ears. “I’m
starving. So, Mr. Montgomery, let’s eat first.”

The tension from the day left his body. “Then we eat pie and
make love.”

A soft laugh generated from her throat. “I’m getting a
feeling you only want me in your bed doing your bidding.”

He grinned and tapped his watch. “Can you blame me? Time is
not on our side.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Don’t give the scale
more power than it has earned.”

Steve Maraboli

Chewing her bottom lip, Minka
counted to ten before looking at the number on the scale. It couldn’t be. She
stepped off the scale and stepped back on, the same three digits glared back at
her. Once again, her weight hadn’t budged. Not even half a pound. In fact, if
she shifted a little more to the right, she had actually gained a pound. She
shook her head in disbelief. How much more could she do to get the scale to
start working in her favor? Oh yes, let’s not forget her nightly consumption of
wine with a certain sexy man.

Yeah, Minka Greene, slow down on the good times and
your cheeks will thank you for it.

In her birthday suit, she
stood in the middle of the large bathroom. Something had to be done, especially
since the chance of her slowing down on cuddling with Jason with a glass of
wine was slimmed. Maybe she needed to rethink her goal, at least until next
week. Feeling dejected, she walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom to get
dressed. Her sister and Claire were due to arrive any minute. She noticed the
shorts she wore the other day. It was a hot day and one of those days she
wished she had the confidence to expose her legs, but alas, that would mean she
would have to flaunt the dimples on her upper thighs. Nope. She needed tights. Within
fifteen minutes, she was dressed with her hair tied into a loose knot. She
applied the scant makeup she usually wore and finished it with lip gloss before
making her way down to the kitchen. Standing by the counter, her eyes rested on
the picture of Jason’s mother. Her fingers reached to touch the photograph. Dazzling
blue eyes similar to Jason stared back at her. The woman was smiling with the
wind blowing her hair, shading some of her visage. Minka found herself drawn to
her smile. It was very similar to Jason’s. When most relaxed, there was
something very comforting about him. Even during lovemaking, which was always
intense, she was able to find solace in his arms.

The doorbell rang then. Minka
grabbed a banana before going to greet her sister and friend.

“Where’s the big bad wolf?”
Claire teased.

“Paddle boarding with the
others.”

Keely smiled and winked at
Minka. “What a visual.” She walked by Minka and stepped into the hallway. She
scanned the house. “You’ve been keeping him busy, sis. He hasn’t done much
since the last time Blake and I were here.”

“Wow!” Claire exclaimed,
entering the house. “He’s done a wonderful job. This is great. Has Jason shown
you the before pictures?”

Minka shook her head. “No, I
know this house used to be his mother’s.”

“Yes, it was.” Claire walked
into the living room. Minka and Keely followed. “How do you like living here? I
haven’t been here in ages.”

“Well, I don’t live here.”

The other women exchanged a
look across the room. Minka walked past them to retrieve her vibrating phone.
She quickly read the text message from Lily.

I told my parents about the engagement. My brothers
are on a mission to find Nate. First kill ask questions later type of thing. I’m
doomed.
So looking forward to this weekend.
Say hi to
your sexy man. I’m looking forward to meeting him. Glad you’re having fun. Love
ya!

Minka sensed her sister as
she came to stand next to her. She closed the text and placed the phone in her
purse.

“Tell Jason you’re with us
until the evening. He can jerk off if he can’t wait.”

“Keely…” Minka shook her
head. “That was Lily. She’s coming to spend the weekend with me. She broke up
with her fiancé.”

“Who is Lily?” Claire asked
while admiring a picture of Jason and the others.

“My sister’s BFF. Nice girl.
I’ve met her a few times.”

“Cool,” Claire responded with
her usual enthusiasm. “Too bad I won’t be here to meet her. But in the
meantime, we have a sea salt scrub waiting for us. So let’s head to the spa.”

“I thought we were meeting
with a photographer or something.” Minka couldn’t keep up with all the details.

Keely smiled and sashayed her
small figure past her. “Change of plans. Guillermo apparently spoke with Jason
last night. Rita is at the inn right now for the decorations. Blake got the
band since my darling friend refuses to sing.”

“I’m on vacay,” Claire sang.

“You’re never on vacation.
You leave for Los Angeles tomorrow,
remember
?”