Bought His Life (23 page)

In the worst-case scenario, the authorities might lock them all up. Jones mistakenly identified as senile because of his age and the outrageous, but true, story. He and Lawson as con artists and people wanting to exploit the system.

No. Not the authorities at this moment. They may be used as scientific guinea pigs, or worse, be they could be considered government traitors. There had to be another way.

He checked the time and passed on making coffee, fearing the aroma would wake her, and went to the restaurant.

Emy’s Place
served breakfast while Jack finished up the canapés Emily had noted on the bulletin board. Betty and Rick took care of the guests and Jack prepped the party menu.

The day was scheduled tight, but it was moving rather fast. Breakfast was almost done. They were closing after lunch, and dinner for the family was scheduled for six o’clock. The cocktail party was set for nine. Jack was caught up and ready. He looked forward to meeting Jen and sharing their good news, but he was worried about Lawson not making it on time. He wasn’t even aware of his present location or condition.

The phone rang.

Betty had her hands full with a family of four kids and four ice-cream sundaes, so Jack walked out of the kitchen and picked up the phone.

“Good morning,
Emy’s Place
.”

“Good morning. Is Em there?” a female voice asked.

“She’s not available at the moment. Can I help you?”

“Ugh, no. Tell her it’s Kimber and to hustle her butt over to the phone. It’s important.”

“Kimber, hello. It’s Jack. Emily will be happy to hear from you. She’s been worried about—”

“Jack?”

“Yes. We’ve been waiting to hear from you. Are you in trouble? Do you need help?”

“Lawson’s Jack?”

“Yes. Am I correct to assume you’re still with Grey?” He heard a male voice muffled in the background but couldn’t understand what was being discussed. “Kimber?”

More interference. The wires were loaded heavy with morning calls.

“Jack, you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Just tell Em that we’ll be at the restaurant before dinner.”

“We?”

“Yup. I’m sure she won’t mind if Lawson joins us. Not after she hears the news.”

“So Grey
is
with you?”

No response, just laughter.

“I’d like to speak with him,” Jack tried again.

Was Kimber giggling into the phone? “Um, he’s sort of tied up at the moment. We’ll see you guys soon.”

A kiss, then a click traveled over the wire.

What the hell was going on?

He returned the phone to the base and raised it to his ear, determined to let Emily know that Kimber was all right. No one came on the other end. Was the operator on a coffee break?

“What’s up, sugar?” Betty walked over and handed him the family’s order. “Need some help?”

Jack didn’t know how to answer. He’d had no need for the telephone during the past week, and he didn’t know how to reach Emily. “I’m going to run over to the house and tell Emily that Kimber called. She’s coming tonight.”

“Good. That’ll make Em happy.” Betty retrieved the order and took it over to Rick. “But she’s not home,” she called over her shoulder. “She’s taking John to the barber this morning. Call her cell.”

How the heck was he going to do that? He stuffed his hands in his pockets and raised his shoulders. “I’ll just wait for her to come in.”

“Nah.” Betty picked up the phone, pushed a button on the top then the number one. “It’ll make her happy to hear about Kimber. Tell her now.”

Jack accepted the handset and put it to his ear. Emily’s voice sounded on the other end. “Hey, gorgeous. Where are you?”

“I’m unavailable at the moment. Please leave me a short, and I mean short, message and I’ll get back to you.”

Dumbfounded, Jack stared at the phone.
This just means I need to get ‘in touch’ as Rick says. And fast.

The door chimed, and Emily swept in with a beaming Jones holding her arm. Jack met her gaze and smiled.

“Trying to reach me?”

Jack gave her a thumbs-up and walked over to the table she was leading Jones to. “Looking all snazzy for the big night, Jo—John.”

“Yeah, some of us don’t deal with time as gracefully as you, Jack.”

They laughed and sat around the table. Betty brought over three cups of coffee and a piece of pie, which she set in front of Jones.

“Hey, what are we? Chopped liver?” Emily teased.

“Hey, back. It ain’t your birthday,” Betty smirked and propped her palms on her hips.

Jack tapped Emily’s hand and commanded her attention. “Kimber called.” He held up his hand to prevent her interruption. “She and
Lawson Grey
will be here tonight, together, and before dinnertime.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “She’s still with Lawson?”

Betty pulled up a chair and Jones chuckled. “At least we know she’s safe.”

“Safe?” Jack asked his old friend. They both knew that in the traditional sense, Lawson was nothing close to safe.

Jones nodded. “Safe.” He insisted, then chuckled. “You don’t know our Kimber. It might be Lawson who’s in danger.
”

“He’s probably right,” Emily said. “So how about we finish up in here and take care of lunch before we go get dressed for the big night?”

Jack shook his head but decided to abandon his coffee and return to the kitchen without further conversation. There was nothing he could do about the Lawson-Kimber situation at the moment.

“Betty, will you take Pops home after coffee? Jack and I need to finish the canapés—”

“Done,” Jack called over his shoulder, rounding the counter. “But we do have a few things to do about setting up.” At the kitchen door, he turned and saluted Jones, then bowed to Betty. “I’ll see you later, folks.”

Emily stood. “Thanks, Betty. And you,” she said to her grandfather, planting a big kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you later, alligator. Get some rest so we can dance all night.”

“Deal, baby girl. I’ll hold you to it.” Jones winked and placed his hand in the small of Betty’s back to guide her out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The stage was in place, and the lights were turned low. The dance floor was swept clean and small tables with white tablecloths and candles were arranged around the perimeter.

In the back of the room was one long table with flowers and a pretty package for Pops. Emily had used her grandmother’s good china and her mother’s silverware for the nine settings, and was proud to have the opportunity to celebrate such a special day with her family. She lit the candles and leaned back, smiling at the sight.

“What are you thinking?” Jack walked up behind her and ran his hands down her arms.

“I was thinking how lucky we are to be here—all together.” Leaning against his chest, she closed her eyes. “In a few minutes, the family will gather, blow noisemakers, wear silly paper hats and sing Happy Birthday. What could be better?”

“You’re blessed to have such a great group of people in your life. Jones is… Well, he’s John Mitchell. Kimber has some spunk. You know, on the day we met, she gave Lawson the finger?” He paused, but she didn’t offer an explanation. “And I haven’t really met your Jen, but from what I remember at the sale, she was a very pretty girl. Plus, her interest in, and that A on, her Bermuda Triangle paper really made a great impression on an old navy pilot.”

“She’s special.”

“She must be. She’s your daughter.” Jack kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. Cradling his chin in her shoulder, he held her close and swayed as if dancing. “I can’t wait to get to know her.”

“After tonight, you’re going to be a big part of her life. You’re already my life. So that makes this family your family.” She looked back at him and smiled. “How do you feel about that, Jack?”

“Wonderful. I feel wonderful and lucky.” He held her for a long time, enjoying the beat of his heart against her back then he lifted his head and kissed the side of her temple. “I love you, Emily. I love you so much.”

“Are you ready for all this family?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve waited years for them.”

She turned in his arms and smiled at him with so much love it made his pulse race.

“I also want to give our Jen a brother or sister one day. And preferably before I’m too old to walk at our children’s high school graduations.”

“I love you, Jack.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached for his mouth. “And I’m so lucky,” she breathed against his lips. “Our family keeps growing.”

“Since Kimber and Lawson are definitely coming, it makes seven. Who are the other two guests?”

Emily turned and looked up at him. “My cousin Meagan and her boyfriend, Pete. They’ve been out of town, but they wouldn’t miss the party for the world. I’m also so happy Betty is joining us. She’s so much more than family.”

“Sounds promising.” Jack smiled, brushing his lips over hers. “They make a nice pair.”

“More than you know. He’s been after her for a while now. Betty seems to be coming around.”

“I’d say it’s more than that. They have something special between them,” Jack said in an assured manner. He sounded as if he had insider information. “Don’t look at me like that, Emily. It’s not my fault I’ve been trained to observe details.”

She fell back against the circle of his arms. Arching away from him, and swinging her head left to right, she smiled. “Yeah, it must be the irresistible charm you military boys have.”

“Must be,” he said, claiming her lips and kissing her to prove her theory.

“Excuse us, but can we get some service in here?”

Emily pulled away from Jack and to see her sister-in-law standing inside the front door with a suave Lawson beside her.

“Kimberleigh Jane Mitchell, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“Gosh, Em. It’s nice to see you, too. I’m doing well. Thanks for asking.” Kimber rolled her eyes, rambling on. “By the way, this is Lawson Emanuel Grey, the man who led me astray these last few days, and the man who is the reason you shouldn’t call me Kimberleigh Jane Mitchell any longer. As of last night, I’m Kimberleigh Jane Mitchell Grey. Mrs. Lawson Emanuel Grey.”

Emily clasped Kimber’s waving left hand and stared at it. A simple gold wedding band adorned her ring finger.

“Oh my God. You’re married.” She pulled Kimber into her arms and hugged her tight. “I guess all guys aren’t so bad after all.”

Jack cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Pleased to officially meet you, Kimber, and congratulations. Grey is a good man who needs a better woman to keep him straight.”

“I’ll try my best, Captain.” She released his hand and stepped back, allowing room for Lawson to join them.

“She doesn’t need to try at all. She’s stuck with me,” Lawson said, approaching Emily. “Nice to see you again, ma’am.”

“Now that we’re family, you can lose the ma’am, Lawson. Please call me Emily.” She opened her arms, and Lawson removed his hat and engulfed her in a big hug.

“I’m honored to be part of the family.” He turned to Jack and shook his hand. “Good to see you, Captain.”

“You, too, Grey. By the way, Emily’s fully aware of our job assignment.”

“So is Kimber.” Lawson sighed with relief then laughed. “I couldn’t keep the whole truth from her.”

“We need to talk when the party is over and figure out how we’re going to handle the situation. Evaluate all our options. We’re not going anywhere, and—” The door chimed. Jack continued speaking in a lower voice as Jen walked in. “And we need to explain our relationships to Jen.”

“She knows,” Em whispered. “I told her everything last night.”

“Hey,” Jen said, waving a pregnancy test in the air.

Emily’s knees went weak, and she would have dropped if it weren’t for Jack’s arm snaking around her waist and steadying her.

“This family sucks at keeping secrets,” Emily mumbled, and gladly fell into the chair Lawson offered her. She twisted to pick up a glass of water from the table.

“Yeah,” Jen added, kissing her mother and moving to stand before Jack. “I’d like to hear about this one.”

“Jack, this is Jen.” Emily made the obvious introduction. “Jen, this is the special guy I told you about.”

“He’s a hottie,” Jen cooed, taking Jack’s hand and swinging it out and high, making a show of eyeing him. “You did us proud, Mom.”

“Thanks for the approval and ego boost. Now can I give you a hug, Jen?” Jack asked, spreading his other arm.

“For sure,” the girl replied and fell against his chest. “Just be good to my mom,” she said in a low voice.

He cupped the back of her head and kissed her hair. “I promise.”

Em overheard the quiet exchange and for that instance in time, she knew her world couldn’t get any better. She was so happy.

Kimber cleared her throat, and Jen went into the woman’s open arms. “Hello, my favorite auntie.” Jen moved on to Lawson and gave him a kiss. “Nice to see you again, Lawson. I guess you really do know my aunt.”

“That I do, Jen.” He hugged her and kissed the teen’s forehead. He flashed his wedding band. “I’d like it if you called me Uncle Lawson, though.”

“Wow. More surprises. This is so awesome,” Jen said, going up on her tiptoes and pulling both Lawson and Kimber into a joyful huddle. “Awesome and strange.”

“Actually, it isn’t that strange. When you bought that box at the garage sale, you effectively bought our lives,” Jack explained.

Lawson nodded. “Each of you had a piece of us, and we needed it back.”

“You left us no choice, but to make contact.” Jack looked at Lawson, who shook his head for Jack to continue. “We each had our targets, and it just so happened that they were all gorgeous. But Lawson, I can promise you, the biggest surprise is yet to come through that door.”

“Go on, Captain.” Lawson stood beside Jen, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I think we need to clarify the situation
before the dinner party starts.”

“Actually, that is news we need to share with the family
at
dinner,” Jack said.

“Fine, fine,” Kimber shouted, flaying her arms in the air. “Can we stop pretending we didn’t all see my fifteen-year-old niece walk in here flashing a pregnancy test all over the place? Fuck, Em, go pee on a stick. I am dying over here.”