Page 25 of Masked in Deception
“Jackie…why have you never had a girlfriend?” I ask him as he stops to check for traffic before pulling onto the road.
He turns to face me, allowing me to see a moment of sadness before switching back to his usual charm. “Well, I was under the impression I was going to have to marry your bratty ass, so what was the point?” He reaches over to pull a strand of my hair before fixing his gaze back on the road and pulling out.
“Seriously, though, Jack, why?”
Silence fills the car, and Jack shifts into a faster gear. I’m about to ask again when he answers. “Well, for the longest time, I was just fucking around with Ledger. We were young guys with no sense and too much money in our trust funds for our own good. Then my dad passed away, and you remember how I was. I wasn’t in any shape for a relationship. I was barely back on my feet when Ledger and I opened the club. And then for the last little while I’ve been...never mind.”
Jack's hand is still resting on his gear stick, so I place mine on top. The touch sends a shock through my body, barely allowing me to get out my question. “You’ve been what?”
“I’ve been hung up on someone,” he says, flipping his hand around to interlock our fingers, then pulling our hands over to his thigh. The implication takes my breath away.
It seems neither of us can think of anything else to say. I turn on some Christmas music to cut the silence in the car and hold on to his hand for dear life, only letting go when he has to switch gears again. His desire for our contact seems to mirror mine because every time he has to let go, he quickly finds me again. Our hands continue that dance the entire way to my mom’s house.
We walk to the house, still hand in hand, but he lets go as soon as I open the door. The confusion painted across my face is question enough.
“I can’t stay tonight, Princess.” He steps closer and gently wraps a hand around the back of my neck before placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll be back soon, though, I promise.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him into a hug. “You pinky promise?” I ask, not having any interest in letting him go to actually link our pinkies.
“Pinky promise, baby girl.” He places another lingering kiss on my forehead before he turns and walks away.
Chapter twenty-three
30 years old
After taking the night to cool off, I’m finally able to make good on my promise and spend some time with Margot. I couldn’t have gone inside with her. Our relationship has been complicated for years, but the past couple of months have taken that to new levels. Something happened in that car that we need to discuss.Talk. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I had gone inside with her last night, talking would've been impossible.Well, for her at least.
Watching Ledger get married last night was just too emotional for both of us. That’s what it was. Today will be fine. We can catch up on things and hang out like we usually do.
“You came back!” Margot launches herself into my arms the moment I open the door, sending shivers through my body. And removing any confidence I had that I would be able to function properly today.
I return her hug, squeezing her until she squeaks. “Of course I did, Princess. We pinky promised, remember? Where’s Blanche?”
“Oh, she’s still at her rehearsal. Won’t be back for another hour or so.”
Fuck. I was counting on Blanche being here to babysit us. Keep her adopted son from losing his mind over something as simple as holding hands like a horny teenager and fucking her daughter on every surface of this giant-ass house.Fuck.
Be cool, Jack. Just keep the conversation moving.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I can’t believe she didn’t rope you into being in it like she did Ledger. You’re a much better actor than he is.”
Margot drops my hand, her perfect posture slacking as she looks away. “Um, well…I stopped doing that years ago.”
“But you loved acting. What happened?”
“Mom and I had a big falling out over a role I had in a play she was directing when I was in high school, and we both decided it was probably best if we didn’t work together like that anymore. It honestly helped our relationship tremendously, so I’m not mad about it.”
How did I miss that? Of course something had to have happened for her to stop acting. But I’m such an asshole, I didn’t even realize she had stopped. I missed so damn much of her life. Even now, I barely know her. We text pretty much every day, but I’m missing things. I’m practically a stranger. “Fuck, Margot, I…I missed so much.”
“But you’re here now.” She steps into me, my hands naturally falling to her waist as hers clasp around my neck. I watch as the desire in her eyes grows as our embrace continues.
By some miracle, I’m able to step back, putting enough space between us so I can think straight again. “Margot, as much as we text, I still feel like strangers compared to how close we usedto be, and thatkills me. I can’t go another day without knowing everything that’s been going on in your life.”
Margot sighs dramatically.Hasn’t acted since high school, my ass.“Fine. Come on, let's get comfy.”
I follow her to the living room and plop down on the couch opposite the side she’s sitting on with a rigid posture. “Relax, this isn’t an interview. I just want to know what you’ve been up to.”
Time flies as I listen in awe while Margot tells me about her many endeavors. I don’t know why I’m so surprised by it all. She’s always been brilliant and headstrong. I feel like I’ve been stretched to my limit just managing the club, but here she is, navigating her time between different jobs, organizations, and projects while keeping a perfect GPA in her accelerated master’s program.
