Back to Luke (17 page)

“She called me,” Miss Ellie went on.

That shocked him. “What did she want?”

“To give me good news. And to pass it on to Jess. And to you.”

His pulse sped up. “Did she say that? To pass it on to me?”

“Not exactly.”

“I thought as much.” He expelled a heavy breath. “What happened?”

“She got her architectural license back.”

Good for her,
he thought. For a minute, pure joy
flowed through him. Then he remembered what she’d done to him, and he deflated like a balloon losing air.

“So she’s going back to California?”

“No. She’s staying in New York.”

That didn’t make sense. “Jayne went home? Hard to believe, given how the Logans handled this whole thing.”

God, she must have been desperate. After his accusations about the wiring, she’d obviously had nowhere else to go if she’d run to a place where there was absolutely no support.

“She didn’t go to the Hamptons. She’s staying in that apartment owned by her father’s firm in the city.”

He remembered the place well. Where it was. What they’d done there. He’d even run across the code to get inside when he’d been cleaning out the basement last week and come across boxes that held records from years ago. “Why’d she go to Manhattan?”

Reaching over, Miss Ellie grasped his hand. Her skin was paper thin and her vulnerability touched him. “She’s working in New York.” At his blank look, Miss Ellie added, “For Scarborough Associates.”

“She went to Ben?” He felt his blood pressure spike. “She went to the man who betrayed her?” Worse than Luke had. “How could she do that?”

“I don’t think she had a lot of options, professionally.”

What about personally? Damn it all, Luke could still see the guy standing in the sun like some Greek god with his blond hair and blue eyes, begging
J.J.
to talk to him. He remembered again Jess saying Jayne had loved Scarborough, and there hadn’t been any man since who meant something to her. She’d gone back to
him?

Well, screw it. Let her.

“I can see by your face you’re putting the pieces together. She’ll probably stay with Ben unless you do something.”

He shook his head. “No, Miss Ellie. Any relationship between me and Jayne now is out of the question.”

“Hmm. Then she’s going to be done with you, young man.” Miss Ellie stood. “You’re both so stubborn.”

Luke didn’t respond.

The older woman leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Just make sure that’s what you want or you could lose the best thing you ever had.”

“I already did, Miss Ellie.”

The woman’s expression was wise. “If you choose to, Luciano. Only if you choose to.”

I
N THE COOLNESS
of an early Saturday morning, Jayne ran in Central Park, trying to shake off the effects of a dream she’d had about Luke. It was another erotic one, and she woke up still feeling his callused fingers gliding over her skin, still feeling him full and heavy inside her. When,
when
would these dreams stop? It was hard enough keeping thoughts of him at bay during the day. Like now, as she weaved around other joggers, Jayne tried to forget the conversations she and Luke had had, but was unable to do so when everything reminded her of him.

I won’t jog with you, sweetheart, but I’ll rub your back—rub anything,
he added, winking,
when you finish.

She passed by women with cooing babies in strollers…

Do you want kids, Jayne? Because I do.

There were couples, feeding each other doughnuts under a tree…

Hmm, taste this cannoli, sweetheart.

Damn it, would she ever forget him?

When she returned to her apartment, she found another voice mail from Jess on her cell. Feeling lonely and depressed, she let anger at her friend’s interference surface. Without listening to his message, she called him back. He answered and she didn’t even say hello. “Stop calling me, Jess. I don’t want to hear what you think about all this.”

He said simply, “Cal lied. We just found out, which is why Mom didn’t tell you when you called her.”

“W-what happened?”

He explained the bizarre story to her.

Utter shock turned into hope, then fizzled into grim reality. “It doesn’t matter, Jess. What’s done is done. Luke and I can’t go back to where we were.”

“Of course you can. Come home and work it out.”

“New York is my home now.” Though it didn’t feel that way yet. But it would. Eventually.

“Are you back with Ben, Jaynie?”

“Not like you mean. I’m joining his firm. But we’re just friends.”

“Luke’s a mess.”

“I don’t care.”

“Look, everybody was wrong in this. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. And you and Luke both let each other down.”

“I forgive you.”

“Then forgive him.”

“No.”

After she hung up, Jayne burst into tears. Cal had confessed to lying. That meant this whole thing was all for nothing. Her relationship had been torn apart by
Luke’s unequivocal belief in Cal over her and by her leaving Luke when his family was in trouble.

Unfortunately, those were mistakes that couldn’t be changed. They’d both have to sleep in the bed they’d made.

What a waste.

L
UKE HAD PULLED
a muscle in his lower back and was so sore he could barely move. His overexertion of the past few days, to banish thoughts of Jayne, had backfired. He had to miss work today, and so his brain was wandering.

No surprise where it went…

First, Miss Ellie’s words:
Then she’s going to be done with you, young man. Just make sure that’s what you want. Or you could lose the best thing you ever had.

Jess hadn’t been any kinder…

You can’t do anything about losing Timmy, but you can fix this with Jayne.

Trying to stave off his misgivings, Luke showered and dressed. He was searching for his car keys when the doorbell rang. What now? Ready to blow off steam, he yanked it open.

And his jaw literally dropped.

Mick O’Malley had never been to Luke’s house in the six years he’d been back in Riverdale. That in itself was a testament to how much the guy hated him. Now that Mick was here, Luke just stood staring at him. He looked as bad as Cal, minus the bruises and the broken bones; he also seemed even thinner in a ragged T-shirt and ratty jeans.

“Can I talk to you?” Mick asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Luke opened the door wider.

Stepping inside, Mick stuck his hands in his pockets and surveyed the interior. “Nice place. I like all the wood.”

“Thanks.”

Mick nodded to a deck that was visible off the dining room. “Can we go outside? I’m better there.”

Where, Luke knew, Mick had often fled his father’s fists. Once again Luke felt guilty for not have given Mick the refuge at his home that he’d given Timmy.

On a deck that Luke had built, ironically while trying to deal with the tragedy of Timmy dying, they settled into Adirondack chairs that faced a wooded backyard. Mick was quiet for a long time, watching the trees sway in a cool July breeze. Finally he said, “I was wrong to blame you for Timmy’s death.”

Luke felt his throat clog. How long had he waited for that absolution? Longer, probably, than even
he
realized.

“Seems like I been mad at you my whole life.”

“We left you out, Mick. I understand that now.”

Mick faced him. “Yeah, you did. And I hated you for that. But I’m forty-two years old and it’s time to leave those things behind.” His eyes watery, he added, “And to make amends.”

The jargon was familiar. Luke had heard it before.

Mick’s going to A.A. too.

Amends
was a big word in Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Okay, Mick. I’m willing to do whatever you want.”

“I know it’s too late to make up for what I did. Taunting you about Timmy. I hurt so damn much, it was easier to be mad at you than face the reality of my baby brother’s death.”

“I know something about not facing Timmy’s death.”

“Can I, um, have something to drink? Nonalcoholic.”

“I’ve got soda.”

“That’d be good.”

Luke’s back pinched mercilessly as he stood. His mind racing, he fetched them sodas. When he returned, he handed a can to Mick and sat back down.

Finally, Mick said, “I feel bad, now, too, because of what I did with Jayne.”

“You didn’t cause the rift between us, Mick.”

“I tried to.” He popped the top on the soda and stared down at it. “I knew how she felt about you and I did my best to break you up. I convinced her you’d betrayed her. Now she’s gone. I feel like shit because of it.”

“Our problems go way beyond what you did.”

“I liked her, too.” He swallowed. “Not in the way you think. But as a friend.”

They sat drinking their sodas until Mick stood. “That’s all I got to say, except maybe you can forgive me someday.”

“I do forgive you. Right now.”

“Thanks.” He stared at Luke. “Forgiveness is important.”

After Mick left, Luke was antsy. He flitted from room to room, task to task, and finally decided he had to get out of the house. He gave Maria a quick call, found the set of keys she’d given him, and headed to her cottage on Keuka Lake.

Remembering how Jayne had loved the summer beauty of the hills and foliage of the Finger Lakes region as he drove up, Luke knew he shouldn’t go to the cottage because it would remind him of her. But after Mick’s visit and their talk about forgiveness, Luke knew he needed to think about Jayne. And he wanted to do it at the lake, where they’d connected over Timmy.

He was right. Once inside the cottage, Luke was slammed with memories.

Of Jayne’s sincere offer to leave him alone if he needed solitude…of Jayne kneeling before him on the porch…of her face when he gave her little Hattie…and of her violet eyes sparkling like jewels when he asked her to move in with him.

He’d lost so much, so damned much.

Deciding to take the boat out, he went hunting for fishing gear. His father had taught him to fish when Luke was just a boy. It was their time together, and his dad had shown him the mechanics of the sport, but also, by example, how to use the quiet time to figure things out. Luke packed up the equipment, sped to deeper waters, and sat in the boat, watching the water lap, holding the pole, feeling the sun beating down on him.

And willingly thinking about Jayne.

She’d gone out on the lake with him. She went down below and made love to him with feelings that couldn’t be faked. All weekend long, she gave of herself generously. Every single one of her actions during those four days had proved she’d cared deeply for him.

Instead of feeling worse at acknowledging that, though, Luke was buoyed by the thought and went back to the cottage with a lighter heart and ordered a pizza. As he was waiting for the delivery, he spotted the computer on the desk.

He never used the Internet anymore, but he was drawn to it tonight. When the machine booted up, the first thing he did was search Scarborough Associates. He read about the firm, Scarborough himself, and what kind of operation he ran. It was top-notch. Jayne could fit in there, regain her reputation and do the work she loved.

With another man!

While Luke was online, something made him do a search for Madison Conglomerates, the construction firm he used to work for, which was also in Manhattan. Though Elizabeth and Luke had ended badly, he recalled Granger Madison’s last words to him during his exit interview.

I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Tim O’Malley. I understand why you’d want to get away from all this. If I can ever do anything for you, let me know.

The company was prospering, too, despite the economy. Hmm, Elizabeth was vice president of sales. That was new. They were planning several projects. He noted one in particular, a concert hall for a local college. An architect hadn’t been hired yet.

Luke sighed. Leaning back in the chair, he stared at the screen a long time, contemplating what to do next.

J
AYNE WOKE
with a start and felt the other side of the bed. She was breathing hard, and tried to take in air. When her eyes adjusted, she recognized the decor—the four-poster bed, the high dressers and armoire in dark wood, the heavy window treatments. This wasn’t Luke’s bedroom—no skylights letting in the stars, no breezy windows. She was in her father’s New York apartment—still sleeping in the spare room—and Luke hadn’t told her loved her and everything was going to be okay.

It had been another dream.

Bereft, she sank back into the pillows. Damn, she was sick of feeling so bad. It had been a few days since she’d found out her license had been restored, and she should be on top of the world.

But she wasn’t. For some reason, good news made her miss Luke more, had her analyzing their separation
and her part in it. Sometimes, like now, she couldn’t believe she’d walked out on him when he needed her the most.

You’re a runner,
he’d said.

Was she, still?

Throwing off the sheets, she grabbed her laptop off the corner desk, got back in bed and booted up the machine. Without analyzing what she was doing, without being strong, she called up her e-mail, ignored Jess’s correspondence and hit New Message.

She typed in Luke’s e-mail address.

And wrote:

“Delete it,” she told herself as she stared at the blinking cursor. “You shouldn’t be apologizing, he should.”

But even as she said the words aloud, she knew they weren’t true. She’d been wrong, too, as she said in the note. And although nothing could bring the two of them back together, at least she could be honest with him and maybe they could part friends.

She pressed Send and went back to bed. For the first time in weeks, she fell right to sleep.

L
UKE SLEPT
at the cottage and in the morning called Jess to say he wouldn’t be at the site that day. He felt
good about what he’d done last night, but he needed more time to work things through in his mind. He had to check his e-mail, though, regarding some orders he and Jess had put in, so he went to the computer and called up his account. There was a message from Granger Madison that he was about to click on, but right beneath it was another that caught his eye—from [email protected]. He froze.

Then deflated. So, things had been put in the works already? He checked his watch. It was late enough for her to know. Jayne was e-mailing him about what he’d done. So why did he feel bad?

Because he wished she’d contacted him before he made the first move. It would mean something totally different.

Still, he clicked into the missive, which was an apology for walking out on him when Cal was hurt. Luke scrutinized every inch of the e-mail, trying to read between the lines, but there was nothing there.

His gaze landed on the time it was sent.

Three o’clock in the morning.

This
morning.

It took him a minute, then he grinned for the first time in weeks. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

J
AYNE HURRIED
into Scarborough Associates with a spring in her step. She’d overslept and was late getting here. But she felt good this morning. She didn’t know if it was because she’d reached out to make peace with Luke, or because she’d gotten her license back, or what it was. In any case, she was humming as she walked down the corridor.

Ben stepped out of his office into the hall, as if he’d
been waiting for her. “Jayne, could you come in here, please?”

“Sure.” She was still smiling when she went inside and found Ben wasn’t alone. Seated on his big leather couch was the most beautiful woman Jayne had ever seen.

Mounds of dark hair flowing down her back.

Dressed in a gorgeous yellow Armani suit.

Eyes, skin of a model.

Jayne said, “Hello.”

“Hello, Jayne,”

That was odd. Jayne didn’t know this person. She’d remember meeting someone so striking.

“Jayne, this is Elizabeth Madison.”

Elizabeth Madison?
Madison!
“I’m sorry, did we know each other when I worked for your company?”

“No, I wasn’t on staff then. I’m a friend of Luke Corelli’s.”

Oh, dear God, this was
Elizabeth,
Luke’s former fiancée. Jayne’s good mood changed to nervousness. And something else…jealousy.

“Have a seat,” Ben said, and when she did, continued, “Elizabeth is here as a representative of Madison Conglomerates. She’s come to offer you a job.”

“A job?”

“Our company is building a concert hall for SUNY Purchase. We want you to design it. My father says you did a good job for us years ago.” She nodded to Ben. “Scarborough Associates will supervise, of course, given what’s happened to you recently, but the job’s yours if you want it.”

Briefly, Jayne glanced at Ben. “Is this
your
doing?”

But Elizabeth answered. “No, it’s Luke’s. He contacted my father early last evening.”

“Luke did this? Why?”

“To call in a favor. Daddy admired and respected Luke. And we all felt bad about Tim O’Malley. My father told Luke if he ever needed anything….” She trailed off as if Jayne should be able to finish her sentence.

“I don’t understand.”

“Apparently Luke’s still riding his white horse. He called asking Madison Conglomerates to give you a chance to prove yourself again in the architecture world.” She shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Daddy said yes.”

“I see.”

“Do you? I came here myself to find out exactly what kind of woman could bring Luke to ask us for a favor. To my knowledge, he’s never done anything that resembled groveling before.”

Something was niggling at Jayne. “When did you say he called?”

“About six last night.”

A small smile blossomed inside Jayne. She’d written the e-mail in the early hours of the morning. And Luke had made the call to get her a job with Madison Conglomerates before he’d received her peace offering.

A
FTER
J
AYNE’S E-MAIL
:

Day 1

Day 2