Friends--And Then Some (14 page)

“Chez Philippe?”

“That’s the one.”

Jake breathed a quick word of thanks then rushed back to his cab, revving the engine with such force that a billow of black smoke shot from the tailpipe.

Jake’s cab roared through the streets toward Chez Philippe. He ran two red lights and prayed a cop wouldn’t pull him over for speeding.

Once he was within a block of the restaurant, Jake pulled to a dead stop. What was he going to do once he arrived? To rush in and demand that Lily leave with him simply wouldn’t work. He’d only end up looking like a jealous idiot. He could picture her now, looking up at him with disdain and quietly asking him to leave. He needed a plan.

He parked on the street, not wanting the valet to take his cab. The fact was, Jake wasn’t sure the valet
would
take it.

Hands buried deep inside his pants pockets, Jake strolled into the classy place as if he’d been dining there for years. The maître d’ stepped forward expectantly.

“May I help you, monsieur?”

“A table for one,” Jake said confidently.

“Monsieur, I regret that we only seat gentlemen wearing a suit and tie.”

“You mean I have to have a suit and tie even before I can spend my money?”

“That is correct. I sincerely regret the inconvenience.”

Jake scowled. “Do you mind if I sit and wait?” He motioned toward an empty chair.

“Sir, we aren’t going to change our dress code this evening.”

“That’s fine, I’d just like to wait.”

The stoic expression altered for the first time as the maître d’ arched a skeptical
brow. “As you wish.”

The rush of whispers from the front of the restaurant caused Lily to glance up from her plate. As she did, her breath caught in her lungs. Jake was standing there, and from the look he tossed at her, he was furious.

Lily felt the blood drain from her face. Jake was looking at her as though it required every ounce of restraint he’d ever possessed not to march across the room and confront her.

“Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Rex was saying.

Lily stared at him blankly. “Yes, it does.” She hoped her response was appropriate.

“Good. Good,” Rex continued, obviously pleased. “I thought a young filly like you would enjoy an evening on the town.”

The first time she’d met Rex, Lily had torn Gram’s house apart looking for that crazy song on the chance he’d suggest spending an evening with her. A lavish date with a rich man had been Lily’s dream for many years. She was a fool if she was going to allow Jake’s foul temper to ruin tonight. She forced her chin up a notch. Jake had made his views of her plain, and she wasn’t going to let him wreck her evening.

“Where would you like to start?” She planted her elbows on the white linen tablecloth and rested her chin atop her folded hands, staring at him expectantly.

“There’s a small dance floor at the St. Francis.”

“That sounds grand,” Lily simpered.

“We could have our after-dinner drink there as well, if you like.”

“That would be wonderful.”

From the corner of her eye, Lily noted that Jake was pacing the small area in front of the maître d’s desk. A smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. She certainly hoped he got an eyeful. The memory of the insults he’d hurled at her earlier was enough to encourage Lily. She wasn’t much of a flirt, but with Rex sitting across from her and Jake just waiting for the opportunity to pounce on her, Lily gave it all she had.

Jake had claimed she was a schemer; she was only proving him right. Once he saw the way she behaved with Rex, he would get the message and leave.

The waiter approached their table with the bill. While Rex dealt with it, Lily took
the opportunity to glance in Jake’s direction. The shock of seeing him had faded and was being replaced by indignation. He had a lot of nerve.

“Are you ready?” Rex asked.

“Yes.” Lily’s heart constricted as Rex pulled out her chair and she stood.

Her wealthy escort placed a hand on the small of her back, urging her forward. Lily looked up at him with adoring eyes, ignoring Jake. She held her breath as they approached the front desk, wondering if he would cause a scene. Indecision showed in his eyes and she quickly glanced away.

For his part, Jake battled with uncertainty. He’d been a fool to have followed her there. He felt he ought to punch the lights out of that oil-rich Texan and grab Lily while he had the chance. But he couldn’t do that. Lily would never forgive him and he already owed her one apology.

The hem of her skirt brushed his leg as she scooted past him and Jake jumped back as though he’d been burned. His eyes demanded that she look at him, but Lily refused. She tucked her hand in the crook of the Texan’s elbow and glanced up at him adoringly.

Unsure of what he should do, Jake stood where he was for an entire minute, silently cursing. If he had any sense left, which he was sincerely beginning to doubt, he’d go back to the marina and forget that Lily had broken her promise.

Once outside, Jake’s feet felt as though they were weighted with concrete blocks. He gave a companionable salute to the valet as he passed.

Lily and the Texan were in the backseat of another cab, pulling out of the circular driveway, and Jake stepped back as they sped away.

As he returned to his taxi he increased his pace. He couldn’t ignore the gut feeling that something was wrong with Lily and Rex. The
feeling
had always perplexed him. He hadn’t
felt
right about Lily and Rick, either, but this time the sensation was far stronger. If anything happened to Lily, he’d never be able to forgive himself. Foolish pride no longer dictated his actions; he was driven by something far stronger: fear.

His hand slapped the side of the taxi and he jumped inside and revved the engine. It took only a minute to locate the other cab driving Lily and Rex. Jake stayed a fair distance behind them, fearing that the other driver would suspect that he was following
him.

When they entered the downtown core, Jake relaxed. The other cab was in his territory now and Jake wove in and out of traffic without a problem. The driver dropped Lily and the Texan off at the St. Francis Hotel. Jake couldn’t fault the man’s taste. He rounded the corner and was lucky enough to locate a parking space.

The doorman opened the tall glass door as Jake approached the hotel entrance. Music from the piano bar filtered into the lobby from the cocktail lounge and he headed toward it. Although his gait was casual, his eyes carefully scanned the darkened area for Lily. When he spotted her sitting at a tiny table in the middle of the room, he heaved a sigh of relief.

As inconspicuously as possible, he took a seat at the far corner of the bar so he could keep an eye on her without being seen.

“Can I help you?” The bartender spoke and Jake swiveled in his seat to face him.

“A beer,” he replied “Any kind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Right away.”

Sitting sideways, Jake propped an elbow against the edge of the bar and centered his attention on Lily. She really was lovely. Jake couldn’t blame Rex for being interested. Jake recalled the day he’d taken her out on the
Lucky Lady
and the way she’d perched on the bow, laughing. The wind had tossed her hair in every direction, making her resemble a sea nymph, soaking in the early summer sun. Something had happened to him that day—something so significant that he had yet to determine its meaning. From that moment on, Jake concluded, his life had been in a tailspin.

The bartender delivered his beer and Jake absently placed a bill on the counter. Holding the thick glass with one hand, he took a long sip. It felt cool and soothing against his parched throat. He set the glass back onto the bar.

Glancing in Lily’s direction again, Jake noted that Rex had reached for her hand and held it in his own. He leaned across the small table, talking intimately with her. From this distance Jake couldn’t read Lily’s reaction.

Without thinking, Jake slid off the bar stool and stood. His fist knotted, but he managed to control his immediate outrage. Another man was touching Lily, and although it appeared innocent enough, Jake didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. Furthermore, he
trusted that overweight Texan about as much as he did a rattlesnake.

Several couples were gliding around on a small dance floor on the other side of the lounge and Jake watched as Rex stood and helped Lily to her feet. Jake downed the remainder of his beer when the Texan escorted Lily to join the dancing couples, bringing her into his arms. Holding hands was one thing, but dancing was another. There was nothing more Jake could do but act. He ate up the distance to the dance floor in three huge strides.

Lily wished she hadn’t agreed to come to the bar with Rex. She felt like a fraud. She had no desire to share a drink and conversation and had even less enthusiasm for dancing. Rex’s hands felt warm and sweaty against her back and she resisted the subtle pressure of his arms to bring her closer.

They’d already circled around the small dance area once when Lily glanced up and noticed Jake coming toward her with abrupt, angry strides. She knew she should be furious, but her heart responded with a wild leap of pleasure. After her behavior in the restaurant, Lily had been disappointed in herself. Rex was a nice man. He didn’t deserve to be used.

Jake tapped Rex’s shoulder. “I’m cutting in.” He didn’t ask, but simply announced it.

Rex looked stunned. “Lily?”

“That’s fine,” she murmured, dropping her gaze. “I … I know him. This is Jake Carson.”

Jake took Lily by the waist, pressing her to him as he whirled her away.

“Jake—”

“No, you listen to me. What kind of game are you playing?” He pushed the words through clenched teeth. He was being unreasonable, but he didn’t care. He wanted answers.

“I’m not playing …”

“You assured me that you wouldn’t be seeing Daddy Warbucks.”

“That was before.”

“Before what?”

“Before you
assured me
that I was a nuisance and asked me to leave your
precious boat.”

“Consequently your promise doesn’t mean anything?”

“No,” she cried, then changed her mind. “Yes.”

“Dinner was bad enough, but did you have to come here as well? What’s the matter? Didn’t that fancy restaurant give you ample opportunity to flaunt yourself?”

Lily was too outraged to answer. “Let me go.”

“No. I’m taking you home.”

“Rex will take me home.”

“No way. You promised me you wouldn’t be seeing that rich bullfrog, and I’m holding you to your word.”

“You can’t make me do anything.” Lily didn’t understand why she was fighting Jake when the very sight of him made her heart race. If only he would stop behaving like an arrogant fool, she’d tell him that she longed for him to take her home.

“I don’t have much taste for making a scene, but I won’t back away from one if that’s what you want.”

“You’re acting crazy.”

“Perhaps.”

“There’s no question about it. You’re bossy, stubborn, and unreasonable.”

“Great. Now that you’ve named my personality traits we can leave.”

“Not without saying something to Rex.”

Jake relaxed his hold. “I’ll do the talking.”

“That’s hardly necessary.”

He didn’t answer as he gripped her hand in his and led the way off the dance floor. The other couples cleared a path for them and Lily wondered how much of their heated conversation had been overheard. Embarrassment brought a flush of color to her cheeks.

Rex stood as they approached the small table.

“I’m taking Lily home,” Jake informed the older man.

“Lily, is that what you want?” Rex eyed her seriously. His brows formed into a sharp frown as he waited for her to respond.

“Jake’s an old friend,” she said, trying to explain.

“I see,” Rex said slowly.

“I hope you do,” Jake added. His hand continued to grip Lily’s as he headed out of the cocktail lounge, half pulling her as he went.

In her heels she had difficulty keeping up with his wide strides and paused momentarily to toss an apologetic look over her shoulder, wanting Rex to know she was sorry for everything.

“Are you happy?” she asked, once they hit the sidewalk.

“Very.” He thrust his face toward her. “Don’t ever pull that trick on me again.”

Recalling all the lessons on ladylike behavior Gram had drilled into her over the years, Lily battled to keep her temper. She only partially succeeded. “And don’t you
ever
do that to me again.”

“Keep your promises and I won’t,” Jake barked.

They didn’t say another word until they were inside the cab headed home.

The anger was slowly dissolving inside Lily. Everything had changed in the past few weeks and she didn’t know if it was for the better. A year ago, she’d started playing piano at the Wheaton with so many expectations. In that time she’d dated two wealthy men and met Jake. Rick and Rex weren’t anything like she’d dreamed. Jake was Jake: proud, stubborn, and so very good to her and Gram. She’d ached over the loss of something precious and wonderful—her relationship with Jake—and prayed it wasn’t too late to salvage it.

“I thought you didn’t care anymore what I did,” she murmured, longing to explain why she’d accepted Rex’s invitation.

“Believe me, it wasn’t by choice.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

“Then why did you …”

“I couldn’t care less who you date,” he lied smoothly. “But you’d given your word about that Texan, and I was determined to see that you kept it.”

“That’s why you followed me tonight?” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

“Right.”

“I see.” She clasped her hands together tightly in her lap. She’d hoped that he’d admit that he cared for her and had been concerned about her welfare. But that was clearly too much to expect in his present frame of mind.

Jake dropped her off in front of Gram’s and drove away as soon as she closed the car door.

Once inside the house she struggled to maintain her composure. Gram was asleep and Lily was grateful for that. She would have had trouble recounting the events of this evening. Nothing had gone right, starting with accepting Rex’s invitation to dinner.