The Billionaire's Mistaken Mistress - Part 2 (Contemporary BWWM Romance) (4 page)

              “Pride, I guess. It got me into trouble as a kid, and it still gets me into trouble now. I guess that goes to prove I'm not very smart. You are, though, you see? Don't think for one second that I don't know how hard you study. You're a bright girl, and I'm glad to have you back.” He pulled up alongside the corner of Jessie's block. “Just don't blow it. A girl with your intelligence could end up running the diner one day.”

              Jessie climbed out of the SUV, and with the passenger door open she turned to lean into the vehicle. “Thanks for the lift, Burt. Thanks… for everything. You're a kind man, but don't worry. I won't tell anybody,” she said with a wink. Burt chuckled in amusement as she waved goodbye. “I'll see you tomorrow, okay?” she added as she shut the door.

              Burt drove away leaving Jessie with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He had unknowingly helped her reach a decision regarding her baby when he mentioned her future in the diner. He clearly wanted her to stay for a very long time, perhaps forever, and that's the last place she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Burt had worked hard to build the diner from the ground up, and she respected that enormously, but growing old living on tips just wasn't what she'd planned for herself. No, she needed to make a difference, and having this baby was only going to hold her back. First thing in the morning, she was going to call the clinic.

              When Jessie walked into the diner the next day to begin her lunch shift, she caught sight of Burt who winked at her and nodded. It was his tacit way of asking her if she was all right now, and with a small wave of her hand and the flash of a smile, she silently replied that she was okay. She headed to the back room where she put on her apron and tied her hair back, officially ready to hit the floor and start taking orders. Melanie was also in the back room, wrapping the strings of her apron around herself and pulling them to the front for a double tie. Burt loved scheduling the two together, it seemed, and lately Jessie had been just fine with that. Despite their past bickering, the two were diligent workers who could cover breakfast and lunch rushes with relative ease. Now that they actually got along, they were somewhat of a dream team for Burt.

              “You okay?” Melanie asked as Jessie finished preparing to handle the lunch patrons.

              “Yeah, why?”

              “You look different somehow,” her new buddy commented.

              “Probably because I finally made a solid decision. I made an appointment for tomorrow morning at the clinic,” Jessie divulged quietly after a quick glance to ensure nobody could overhear.

              “So, you really gonna' go through with it? Ain't gonna' change your mind or nothing'?” Melanie looked concerned but Jessie nodded that the decision was indeed final.

              “I think you're doing the right thing,” Melanie said after a moment of deliberation. “One thing this has taught us is that it's true: girls like us never get a lucky break. We gotta' work for want we want. I'm with you on that now. No more celebrity daydreams for me, no way.” She opened the door and the smell of burnt steak came rushing in, instantly making Jessie feel nauseous.

              “No fancy cars or rich men. Just hard work. See you out there,” Melanie added as she left to begin her shift.

              Jessie closed the door used the small mirror attached to the back of it to quickly fix her hair and make her usual last-minute adjustments. Girls like us, she thought to herself. One day I'm not going to be that girl, she promised.

              Heading onto the floor, she found that Earle Jackson had once again taken his seat at table four. Today, however, Jessie felt invincible. The night before, she had defied death. Earle Jackson could give her all the grief he could throw at her, but she'd field it all off and keep her cool. What was the point of blowing up at the lonely loser? This diner was just a temporary stop for her, and she reminded herself that was merely passing through.

              “Hey, Jessie,” Earle shouted at her across the busy restaurant the moment he spotted her. “What would you recommend from this charming menu?”

              “I don't know, Earle,” she yelled back above the chatter in the diner. “How about something really chewy to stop you shooting your mouth off for five minutes?”

              A flurry of chuckles sounded through the restaurant, and even Earle laughed. He wasn't quite ready to stop his customary banter, though.

              “Yeah,” he replied. “I need something to sink my teeth into. How about you, Jessie? You finally going to let me show you a good time tonight?” He flicked his tongue in and out of his mouth, a sexual gesture that made him look more like a lizard than the sex machine he intended.

              “No thanks, Earle, I'm too busy taking out the trash tonight, which is what I'll do with you if you don't shut up and order,” she joked with a smile.

              Again, the place fell into fits of laughter, only Earle wasn't laughing this time.

              “Aw, Jessie why you gotta' do me like that? You know you and me were made for each other!” he fired back.

              Jessie made her way to his table and stood in front of him with her pen and pad, tapping her foot and locking her gaze onto his eyes while smirking confidently.

              “Let's see. I've got here a double cheeseburger and extra fries. Is that right, Earle?” she asked, and leaned in to whisper, “Maybe you'd like some extra ketchup again, too?”

              Earle's entire demeanor changed and he immediately shrunk in his seat, defeated and embarrassed by the memory of their last encounter.

              “No, uh, no extra ketchup today, please.” He said timidly. “But I will take a...”

              “Black coffee?” she interrupted. “I know.” Jessie smiled as she casually strolled into the kitchen to relay the order.

              She was still in a state of resignation after having called the clinic to arrange her abortion. She just wanted to make it through the next day's early morning procedure and move past this terrible period in her life. She was well aware that it would be the most upsetting and soul-destroying moment of her life, yet she fought hard to maintain an air of calmness and control that she hoped would see her through the day.

              It was just before the lunch shift was over, however, when Melanie caught her attention with the wave of a hand and pointed at the diner's lone television. It was mounted to the ceiling, and Jessie glanced up to see a breaking news story that rendered her motionless. Kimberly Harwood was making the news yet again. Melanie hurried behind the counter to find the remote and crank the volume up.

              “
Kimberly Harwood flew into JFK yesterday evening without her billionaire husband, John Harwood. John Harwood was reported to not have left her side since her mountain accident off
...”

              Jessie snapped out the television-induced trance and carried on wiping down tables. Sensing that Jessie had no interest in the story and that she just wanted to move on with her life, Melanie turned the volume back down and went about taking another order.

              “Say, Jessie!” Earle shouted over to her. “Looks like John Harwood is back with that beautiful wife of his. You don't have to be a mistress anymore, you know. If you want a real man, you and I could...”

              Earle stopping short in the middle of an inappropriate comment was unusual for him, and Jessie looked over to see what had so abruptly ended his sentence. At that moment she noticed that the entire diner had grown quiet and that everyone seemed to be looking over her shoulder at the restaurant's front door. Jessie slowly turned around in dread and, for a second, worried that Kimberly Harwood had stopped in for another dramatic appearance. Maybe she wanted to brag that she had won back her man, and if that was the case she'd be getting a face full of ketchup, too. Possibly even a side of mustard.

              As her eyes reached the door, the wash rag she was holding fell the floor and she stood just as frozen as the diner's patrons.

              “Hello, Jessie.”

              Standing in the doorway was John Harwood, looking just as out of place in the diner as his wife had weeks earlier. He wore a dark suit and crisp, white shirt with a deep red tie and the same Italian shoes he had so eagerly kicked off during their one night of passion. His face was serious, his skin tanned, and his hair freshly cut. He stood tall and broad against the rickety diner entrance, with its peeling lettering and ancient “OPEN”' sign still swinging from the door having closed behind him.

              Jessie didn't answer him, but managed to regroup and pick the wash rag up from the floor. Without saying a word, she headed to the counter to retrieve a new rag and began nervously wiping down a table she'd already cleaned as the entire establishment watched the scene unfold in silence. Marching across the room and refusing to make eye contact with the diner's spectators along the way, he approached Jessie and gently laid a hand on her arm. She felt the recognizable spark of his touch along with a brief wave of affection, but quickly remembered how much she hated him for what he had done to her and withdrew her arm from his reach.

              “I'm sorry,” he said. “You have every right to be angry with me.”

              “I'm not angry,” Jessie snapped, clearly upset as she continued wiping the table without looking at him. “But if you don't mind, I'm kind of busy here.”

              “Before you throw me out, at least listen to what I have to say. Please. Then I'll walk away and you'll never have to see me again,” he asked without taking his eyes off of her.

              Jessie cast a look around the diner. The place was packed, yet she had never heard it so silent. You could hear a pin drop, and it almost felt as though time itself was standing still. Burt was craning his head out of the kitchen, but even he remained motionless and you could tell that he had no intention of interrupting by demanding she get back to work. At the other end of the diner, Melanie stood open-mouthed and wide-eyed with her arms folded across her chest. It was show time, and all eyes were on them.

              Jessie looked at her watch. “You've got thirty seconds. My shift is over soon, then I'm out of here.”

              “Okay, I better talk fast then.” John cleared his throat and looked around the diner at their captive audience. “I suppose you know I stayed in Italy for a few days after my meeting. I was worn out and just needed a damn break. Believe me, I would have called you to join me but somehow Kimberly found out I was there and followed me everywhere. The whole time, she just showed up wherever I was, trying to get me to take back the divorce papers. I couldn't escape the woman.”

              Jessie put down the cloth she was wiping the table with and stood with her eyes looking at anything and anyone other than John.

              “Then there was the accident,” he continued, “and the medical staff recommend I stay at the hospital with her since she was slipping in and out of a coma. They thought me being there might somehow help keep her conscious, so I did what I had to do and didn't leave her side. Her injury made it hard for me to pursue the divorce, and it would have been even harder had she slipped into a permanent coma. You have to believe me when I tell you it's all that I wanted, Jessie. You're all that I wanted. The hospital refused to let me keep my cell phone on me. They were worried it would interfere with their sensitive equipment, and I didn't have your phone number anyhow. We kind of skipped that whole phone number exchanging thing, if you recall. Occasionally I'd sneak out of the hospital and try to reach you here at the diner, but the phone would just ring and ring. I sent somebody to track down your number and asked them to contact you as well. I gave them several messages to deliver, along with a package full of souvenirs I bought you along the trip. Turns out I sent the wrong person. Kimberly had been paying them to make sure I didn't contact anyone, let alone a female, and that includes my own personal assistant. You met her, remember? Heather Bryant?  Yeah, even she stopped getting my messages and was worried sick about me. It was a nightmare, to say the least. I only found out about Kim's deceit two days ago and rushed back here to see you. To see you, and to fire my supposed messenger,” John laughed weakly.

              Slowly Jessie turned to look at him. His blue eyes were filled with that same sincerity she'd seen weeks earlier, and he also looked extremely nervous.

              “I asked my people if they'd heard anything from you, and they said no. I didn't know you hadn't received a single thing from me, so I thought you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. You're a beautiful girl in a city full of men who would kill to be with you. I assumed you met somebody else, and that hurt me more than you'll ever know,” he said as his eyes welled with tears.

              “I thought you didn't want to know me anymore,” Jessie muttered, her jaw beginning to tremble as she struggled not to burst out crying. “You had Kimberly back in your life.”

              “When I told you it was over between me and her, I meant it, Jessie. Since the day you walked into my office, I knew who I wanted, and it wasn't Kimberly.”

              Jessie glanced at Melanie, who was now holding onto the counter as if she might faint. Her eyes were hopeful and also filling with tears. Jessie looked at Burt next. He wasn't angry, and his raised eyebrows indicated that he was encouraging her to speak to John.

              “You didn't really try hard enough to get a message to me, John,” she eventually said.

              “I know you think that, but I did the best I could given the circumstances I was under. My trip to Italy was complete hell thanks to Kimberly's insanity. When she finally did regain consciousness, she refused to sign the divorce papers and demanded we fly back home together immediately. She was sick of being cooped up in that hospital and wanted to return to her posh lifestyle here in the states. I used that as leverage and told her we weren't leaving that damn hospital until she signed the papers. She's a stubborn woman so it took some time, a bit too much time, but it eventually worked. She caved and signed them. I had to promise her a small fortune, but she signed them.”

              “You did that?” Jessie said.

              “What else could I do? I wanted to come back here with good news. I've been completely smitten with you since the second you walked into my office in the same beat up shoes and stinky apron you're wearing now.” He paused and looked at Burt with a smile adding, “No offense, sir.”

              When he spoke, he seemed so earnest and tender, but Jessie still didn't know what to make of his seemingly outlandish story. He may very well be lying, but what would be the point of that? What did he stand to gain by walking into a seedy diner at lunchtime and spilling his heart out in front of all of these people? He sensed her conflict and continued on.