LITMIR.BIZ

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stroked his jaw and sighed.

      “I’m sorry if you wanted to hear you stink at acting. But I don’t think so.”

      A crooked smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “I admit, I was hoping that was the case. Makes my decision harder now.”

      “Sorry?” she squeaked.

      He released a noisy breath. “Don’t be. I asked for your opinion. I appreciate you, Jess,” he said. “I trust your judgment. I, uh...sort of got caught up in the scene. Hope you didn’t mind about the little kiss I gave you.”

      Little kiss? If that was his little kiss, what would a real, genuine, from-the-heart kiss feel like from her one time brother-in-law? He didn’t know the kiss had sent her senses soaring, and it would have to stay that way.

      She’d never admit she’d wanted to kiss him. He was her brother-in-law, for heaven’s sake. He was her employer now. And he was a good, decent man who’d never take advantage of her situation. She knew all that about Zane.

      Of course he’d wanted to stay true to the script. He’d delved so deeply into character that he didn’t want to lose the momentum of the scene. But, oh...for that brief moment when he’d looked into her eyes and her heartbeat soared, she believed he, Zane Williams, really wanted to kiss her.

      And it had been a wow moment. “No, I didn’t mind at all.”

      Her cell phone on the desk rang and she jumped up to answer it. “Oh, uh, excuse me, Zane. It’s Mama.”

      “Sure.”

      He began to rise, and she put up her hand. She wasn’t going to have him leave his own office. “No, don’t get up. I’ll take it in my room.” Her mother’s timing couldn’t have been better. She needed to get away from Zane and the silly notions entering her head.

      She walked out of the office and climbed the stairs. “Hi, Mama.”

      “Hi, honey. How’re you doing this afternoon? Oh, I guess it’s still morning there.”

      “Yes, it’s just before noon. I’m doing fine.” Her heartbeat had finally slinked down to normal since Zane’s kiss a few minutes ago.

      “Really?”

      “Yes, I’m fine.” It was weird how distance and the new surroundings made her see things differently. She wasn’t thrilled with the way her life was turning out—she’d invested a lot of time on Steven Monahan—but she didn’t need to worry her mother over it. Right now, she was taking it one day at a time. “Actually, I’m glad you called this morning. I have news. Zane’s personal assistant, Mariah, had to take a leave of absence. Her mother’s very ill and, well, since I’m here and Zane needs help, he’s asked me to take over the position. It’s temporary, but I won’t be coming home this week or the next, probably. I might be here longer than that.”

      “Oh, that’s good, honey.”

      “It is?” There was something in her mother’s too-cheerful tone that raised her suspicions. She entered her bedroom wondering what was up? “What I mean to say is, I’m sorry Mariah’s mother is ill. Bless her heart. I’ll be sure to say a prayer for her. But you staying there for a little longer might be best for you, after all.”

      Really? Her overprotective mother—the woman who had set her alarm at 3 a.m. every night to get up and check on her two sleeping little girls when they were young, the woman who’d worried and fretted during their teen years, and the woman who, after Jessica’s disastrous nonwedding, arranged for her to move into Zane’s house just so he could keep an eye on her—that mother was actually glad that she wasn’t coming home anytime soon?

      Now she knew something was going on.

      She lowered herself onto the bed. “Why, Mom? What’s happened?”

      “I hate to tell you this, honey. But better it come from me than you hear about it another way.”

      Her heart nearly stopped. Was her mother ill? Was it something severe? She flashed back to Janie’s death. How the news had seemed unreal. She’d gotten physically sick, acid drenching her stomach and her breaths coming in short, uneven bursts. Now she held her breath. “Please, just tell me.”

      “Okay, honey. I’m sorry...but I just found out that your Steven eloped with Judy McGinnis. They just up and left town two nights ago. Went to Vegas, I hear. The whole town’s crackling about it.”

      “W-with Judy?”

      “I’m afraid so. I never expected that from Judy. Honey, are you okay?”

      She might never be okay again. She’d just learned that the man she’d banked on for three full years, the man who had sworn up and down in her dressing room on their wedding day that he wasn’t ready for marriage and that it wasn’t anything she’d done, had just gotten married. The fault was all his for not recognizing his problem sooner, he’d told her. She’d believed he had commitment issues. But now she knew the truth. He wasn’t ready for marriage to her. Instead, he chose one of her bridesmaids to speak vows with.

      Judy had been her friend since grade school. Oh, God. She’d accepted losing Steven and any future they might’ve had together, but losing Judy’s friendship, too? That was a double blow to her self-esteem. They’d both betrayed her. Made a fool out of her. She hadn’t seen the signs. How long had Judy and Steven been hooking up behind her back?

      Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

      Being here and having a new sense of purpose in helping Zane, she was beginning to feel better and gain control of her emotions. But now, fresh new pain seared her from the inside out. What an idiot she’d been. That was the worst part of all, this hopeless sense of loss of herself. Her heart ached in a way it never had before. She felt herself slipping away.

      She couldn’t give in to it. If she did, she’d be totally lost. She couldn’t dwell. She wouldn’t let their betrayal dictate her life. She wouldn’t curl into a pitiful ball and let the world spin without her.

      “Jessica?”

      “I’m going to be fine, Mama. I just need some time to digest this.”

      “I’m here if you need me, honey. I’m so, so sorry.”

      “I know. I love you. I’ll call you tonight. Bye for now.”

      Jessica pushed End on her cell phone and faced the mirror. Her mousy-brown-haired reflection stared back at her through tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses. “What’s happened to you, Jess?” she muttered.

      She was tired of feeling like crap. Being a victim didn’t suit her. She wasn’t going to put up with it another second. The old Jessica had to go.

      It was time for her to take hold of her life.

      * * *

      Afternoon breezes whispered through Zane’s hair as he sat on his deck, gazing out to sea. Dylan McKay sat beside him, sipping a glass of iced tea. He didn’t mind Dylan’s company as long as he wasn’t pressuring him about taking on an acting role.

      “How soon before you’re all healed up and ready to start living again?” Dylan asked.

      Not soon enough for him. The confinement was getting to him. The only good thing about being temporarily disabled was that he didn’t have to make any decisions right away. And he was milking that for all it was worth.

      “The blasted boot comes off on Monday.”

      “And how’s the wrist doing?”

      His wrist? He flashed to trying to shave himself this morning. He’d been hopeless. Mariah usually took him to the barber twice a week. He hated being so damn helpless, and Jess had rescued him. She’d given him a clean, smooth shave and for a second there, as she leaned in close to him, her honeyed breath mingled with his and his body zinged to life. Electricity stifled his breathing for those few moments.

      Jess?

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