Love Left Behind (43 page)

As I made my way into
the lobby of the building, I heard people approaching Jackson, asking for his
autograph and picture, and he cheerfully complied. I wasn't feeling as upbeat
as Jackson sounded. Now that we were giving our relationship another try, his
appeasing ways had disappeared and he was being downright overbearing. Jackson
was probably used to getting his way since the world seemed to cater to
celebrities, and I wondered how I would handle this new side to him. He had
always been a force to be reckoned with, even when we were younger, but now he
seemed dictatorial at times.

I shook my head, trying
to clear my thoughts. I needed to concentrate on work today, not mull over
Jackson's bossiness. He was taking up way too much of my thoughts lately.

"Good morning,
Marie," I said on my way into my office. "Can you step into my office
for a few moments? I have a lot of things I want to go over."

"Of course."
Marie jumped up, grabbing a pad and pen, and followed me into my office. She
took notes dutifully as I rattled off the things I needed for her to do today,
relieved that I had such a capable assistant. I made sure to inform her to
refuse all calls from the press.

"That's it for
today, Marie. Unless there's anything you want to go over with me."

Marie hesitated,
looking eager and cautious at the same time. "Do you mind if I ask you a
question about Jackson Reynard?"

I was surprised that
Marie broached the subject. Since I had started working for Forrester, she had
been nothing but professional. While I loved Celeste, I was happy that my own
assistant didn't insist on meddling in my personal life. However, Marie had
been forced to deal with my personal life once the press started hounding me
for comments. I thought it was only fair that she get to ask her question.

"Sure."

"Is it true that
you and Jackson were together before he got famous? That he's been pining away
for you this entire time?"

I cleared my throat,
bemused that even dependable and even-keeled Marie would be interested in this
soap opera. "It's true that Jackson and I had a relationship before he
became famous. As for pining away for me, only he can answer that."

Marie looked like she
wanted to ask more questions, but her professionalism got the better of her, so
she just nodded and left my office although she was grinning from ear to ear. I
guess Jackson had been right. Everyone loved a fairy tale.

I was spared a barrage
of questions from Celeste until after lunch, when she stopped by my office. She
closed the door behind me, looking like she was going to burst.

"You've been
holding out on me," she said accusingly although her eyes were bright with
excitement. "I saw Jackson's interview last night and I finally put two
and two together. I can't believe I didn't realize that Jackson Reynard was the
Jackson you were dating while you were at Mass Comm!"

I had been waiting for
Celeste to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I smiled at her indulgently
as she almost quivered with excitement. "It wasn't something I wanted to
remember, Celeste. It was a hard breakup, and then when Jackson pushed his way
back into my life, I was hoping I could extricate myself without anyone finding
out about our past."

"And now?"
Celeste asked, practically bouncing up and down in her seat opposite my desk.

"And now, things
are a little different. Jackson and I are going to try and give our
relationship another chance."

"I can't believe
it!" Celeste squealed. She clasped her hands, looking at me dreamily.
"Jackson Reynard. I'd leave my husband for one night with Jackson
Reynard."

I snorted, shaking my
head. "Don't think I haven't heard all your lovey dovey conversations with
your husband. You forget I used to sit right next to you at Mass Comm."

"Okay,"
Celeste relented with a grin. "I wouldn't leave my husband, but I would
still love one night with Jackson Reynard. He's so hot, plus he always looks so
intense. I wouldn't mind some of that intensity directed towards me, especially
between the sheets."

I burst out laughing at
Celeste's outrageous comments, considering Jackson and I were dating again.
Nevertheless, I didn't take offense. I reminded myself that people thought of
Jackson as a public commodity, a celebrity to be discussed and picked apart. As
much as it bothered me, it seemed to come with the territory.

I fielded the rest of
Celeste's questions, trying to keep the details to a minimum. After she finally
left my office, I was able to get back to work. I grimaced when my cell phone
rang and I saw Trisha's name pop up. At this rate, I would never be able to
leave work at six.

"Hi, Trisha,"
I said resignedly.

"Emma, everywhere
I turn I see pictures of you and Jackson together. And now he's told everyone
about the past and that he's trying to win you back. What's going on? You're
not back together, are you?"

I knew Trisha wouldn't
be happy with the news that Jackson and I were giving our relationship another
shot. She had seen firsthand what the end of our relationship had done to me.

"We were kind of
forced together by circumstance. Candace Stile was lying about being involved
with Jackson. She just wanted the publicity before her debut as a singer. With
all the ridiculous stories floating around about me, Jackson wanted to put an
end to it. He and his publicist thought the best way was to tell the truth
about our past. With a little stretching of the truth about his relationship
with Candace. He didn't think anyone would believe him if he outright denied
dating her."

"So this is just
for show?"

I hesitated before
answering. "That's how it started, but...Jackson and I decided to try
again, to see if we can make it work this time." Trisha's silence told me
exactly what she thought of the idea so I hurriedly continued. "I know
what you think, Trisha, but I still love him. I...I don't think I can be happy
without him."

"Emma, I want you
to be happy, but have you forgotten what he did to you? He cheated on you with
Claire the
entire
time you were
together! How was he able to justify that?"

"He's apologized
and admitted that it was a mistake, but I haven't really asked for an
explanation. I can't even think about Claire without wanting to scream."

"So you're just
letting him off the hook?" Trisha sounded sad and disappointed. "He
doesn't even have to be accountable for his actions? I love you, Emma, and I
want you to be happy, but how do you know he'll be faithful this time?
Especially now that he has women throwing themselves at him. How can you trust
him?"

My heart felt heavy
listening to Trisha, knowing that she was right. We could never wipe the slate
clean if I never got an explanation as to why Jackson had been unfaithful. It
had been a constant question in my head, but I kept pushing it back, not
wanting to ruin what we were starting. But I knew eventually I would have to
broach the subject to truly give our relationship another chance.

"I'm not letting
him off the hook. I believe him when he says he loves me and he's sorry. I'm
planning on asking for an explanation, but not just yet. There's so much stuff
to deal with right now with the press hounding us." I pressed on the
pendant beneath my blouse, trying to calm my anxiety.

Trisha sighed heavily,
and I felt the weight of her concern. "Okay, Emma. I guess you have to do
what you think is best. Remember, I'm always here for you. Sean too. He
practically threw his cane at the TV last night during Jackson's interview,
thinking that he was exploiting you."

I ended the call with
promises to contact her if I needed to talk. My earlier exuberance was dampened
by the reality of Trisha's words as they sunk in. I knew she was right. I would
have to ask Jackson for answers, not just blindly wish away his infidelity.

I forced myself to
concentrate on work for the remainder of the day, as difficult as it was. I had
two client meetings, fortunately at my office, and I could see that they were
interested in more than their upcoming advertisements, their eyes curious as
they studied me. I pretended that nothing was out of the ordinary, even when
one of them slyly asked me if I had seen
Crossing
Wires,
Jackson's latest movie. I just glibly answered that I didn't have
much time lately to watch movies and continued with my presentation.

By the time six o'clock
rolled around, I was relieved. Despite my earlier anxiety, I was eager to see
Jackson. He had texted me that he was outside my building and I hurriedly shut
down my computer and packed up my things.

"Bye, Marie,"
I said as I passed by her desk. "Have a great weekend."

"You too,"
she replied with a smile that was wider than normal

I was waiting for the
elevator when I heard Celeste call out my name behind me. I turned as she
rushed towards me, her purse slung over her shoulder.

"I heard that
Jackson's downstairs waiting for you," she said breathlessly. "Can I
meet him?"

I resisted the urge to
roll my eyes. It was amazing how quickly news spread. Someone had probably
spotted Jackson outside and now everyone would be whispering about it. Despite
my exasperation, I figured it wouldn't hurt to introduce Jackson to Celeste.
Maybe it would lessen her curiosity.

"Alright, but
don't barrage him with questions, okay?" The elevator doors opened and we
both stepped inside. I gave her a meaningful look, not wanting to discuss
Jackson in the crowded elevator, and Celeste seemed to get the message, just
nodding eagerly.

Craig was waiting outside
by the SUV when we stepped out of the building, straightening when he saw our
approach.

"That's a
Mercedes-Benz G63," Celeste said, sounding awed. "I didn't even think
they were available yet." Celeste's husband was a car enthusiast and she
picked up a lot of knowledge at the car shows he was always dragging her to.

I shrugged, not knowing
much about cars. My heart leapt when the back door opened and Jackson stepped
out, grinning at me.

"Forget the
car," Celeste muttered as we drew closer. "I see something else I
like better."

I rolled my eyes and
Jackson gave me a questioning look as he leaned down to hug me, giving me a
quick peck on the lips. "Hi, sweetheart, how was work?"

"Good," I
answered simply. Jackson didn't let go of me, wrapping his arm around my waist
so that our sides were pressed together, facing a gawking Celeste.
"Jackson, this is Celeste. We used to work together at Mass Comm and now
we both work at Forrester."

Jackson smiled widely,
holding out his hand. "Celeste. Good to finally meet you. I used to hear a
lot about you when Emma worked at Mass Comm."

Celeste seemed
delighted that Jackson remembered her, taking his proffered hand as she
grinned. "It's so nice to meet you! I'm a big fan. Little did I know that
the Jackson Emma always talked about years ago was
the
Jackson Reynard."

Jackson winked at
Celeste and she positively glowed from his attention. What was it with people
and celebrities? I had never understood the allure of worshipping people that
were no different from us. Then again, dealing with the demons of Jackson's
betrayal had previously left a bad taste in my mouth when it came to
celebrities.

"We'll have to go
out for drinks sometime," Jackson said as he drew me towards the SUV.
"But now I have to steal Emma away. We have dinner reservations. It was
good meeting you."

"You too!"
Celeste exclaimed, looking positively thunderstruck at Jackson's suggestion of
getting together sometime.

"Have a good
weekend, Celeste," I said, amused at her cartoonish expression of glee as
we climbed into the car. She waved at us as Craig pulled away.

"All the adoration
must get tiring," I said with a sardonic smile. "How do you put up
with it?"

Jackson smiled back
faintly. "It actually does get a little old. Don't get me wrong, I
appreciate all my fans. They're the ones that make my movies successful, giving
me the freedom to choose which roles I want. But it would be nice to be able to
live my personal life anonymously."

Jackson wrapped his arm
around my shoulders and I cuddled close, relishing the feel of his hard body
against mine. "Maybe we should leave everything behind and move to Bora
Bora," I joked. "We can spend our days fishing and our nights
listening to the ocean."

Jackson's arm tightened
around me as he kissed the top of my head. "Just tell me when you want to
go." Jackson's tone was serious and I looked up at him. There was no
answering smile on his face at my jest as he gazed back at me unflinchingly. I
lowered my head, leaning against Jackson's shoulder again. I didn't know how to
reply so I decided it was better not to.

It took a while to get
to Romero's because of rush hour traffic, but I enjoyed the ride, feeling
cocooned in the safety of the car, the sounds of the city muffled. Craig stared
resolutely ahead and I soon forgot he was even there. I was slightly
disappointed when the car pulled up in front of the restaurant.

Jackson opened the car
door and exited, turning to take my hand and help me out. I was grateful,
needing the help since the SUV was high off the ground and I was in heels.
Jackson stopped to say a quick word to Craig, and then led me inside the
restaurant.

"I guess not
everything can stay the same," I commented as I looked around. From the
outside, Romero's had looked exactly the same, but they had done a full renovation
inside. The dark wood paneling had been replaced with bright white walls with
accents of blue. The worn out chairs and tables with red-checked tablecloths
had disappeared, and in their place were modern looking white tables with sleek
plastic molded seats. Instead of feeling cozy, the restaurant looked
sophisticated and chic.