Calling All the Shots (14 page)

But then he thought why the hell not? He already felt like crap
inside and maybe if he drank enough Jack and Coke he’d forget the way she’d
looked when she’d stood in the doorway of his apartment.

Or forget the way her hand had felt on his thigh. He threw his
glass across the plane. Dammit. That was what pissed him off the most. He’d
thought they had a real chance at happiness. She’d made him believe that they
could be a couple—a team—and together they would navigate through life.

He felt like a sucker.

But he knew that was just anger talking. Embarrassed by his
actions with the glass he went to pick it up as the flight attendant came out.
“Did you drop this?”

“No, I threw it. Sorry, I’m in a bad mood.”

“No problem. Can I get you another a drink?”

He shook his head. “But thanks. I don’t think alcohol is the
answer.”

“It never is,” she said. “But it helps us forget for a
while.”

“It does.”

“If you need anything…just ring or throw another glass,” she
said.

He gave her a half smile and watched as she went back up front
with the pilot. He had to get past feeling sorry for himself. This was his new
reality and he was going to have to deal with it.

He called his agent, who took the call despite the fact that it
was the middle of a holiday weekend and Jack knew the guy was with his
family.

“Maury, I need you to get me more work for next year. I want to
be so busy that I never have time to go home and sleep,” Jack said.

“Okay, what’s brought this on?” Maury asked.

“Nothing. You know I like to work.”

“I do,” Maury said. “But last week you said maybe you would
slow down a little and develop your own projects.”

Jack had said that. He’d had some stupid idea that maybe he and
Willow could do a show together. Not the matchmaking one but something new that
reflected them both. It had been one of the sappier things he’d thought of.

“That was last week,” Jack said.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll put out some calls today
and over the weekend but I doubt we’ll get any nibbles until Monday. I do know
they are looking for someone to host the New Year’s Eve live show on the West
Coast. I hadn’t brought it to you before because…”

“Because you thought I had a life, but I don’t. I just have a
career. I’ll do the New Year’s Eve thing. That’ll be perfect,” Jack said. Good
to know he wouldn’t be alone on that holiday thinking about Willow and maybe
feeling sorry for himself.

“I can’t help but think you’re reacting to something,” Maury
said. “You know I’m here if you need me.”

“I just need you to get me work so we both can make a lot of
money,” Jack said.

“Whatever, man. There is more to life than work,” Maury said.
“But you’re the boss so I’ll do what I can.”

Maury hung up the phone and Jack was tempted to throw his phone
across the plane the way he had the glass. There was more to life than just work
but not for him.

Finally he had the proof he’d thought had been out there the
entire time. The evidence that he was meant to be alone. Willow had gotten him
back for his idiotic actions when he’d been eighteen and he knew that he’d never
again feel that little bit of hope in the back of his mind that he might be
worthy of a relationship.

He should go after her, but his life had taught him that when
something ended he had no choice but to move on. And this time would be the
hardest to not go back.

His mom had always said that Jack was the luckiest boy she’d
known. And he had been lucky in many things but never lucky in love.

He just wished he’d remembered that before he’d let himself
fall for a woman with dark brown eyes, a soft cascade of straight black hair,
and a heart that was made of stone.

Fourteen

W
illow hadn’t realized it would be so hard
to figure out how to make up with Jack. She’d see him after Christmas when
Sexy & Single
taped their wrap-up show. And then
in February when they started taping their second season. But she couldn’t wait
that long to see him again.

She’d never had to do anything like this before but once Gail
had suggested she use the contacts and the skills she already had, it had made
sense. She’d taken her time purchasing some little gifts for him, hoping that
the gesture would be enough to get him to take her calls but he’d sent them back
unopened.

It had hurt but instead of giving up it had made her more
determined to win him over. She’d finally had to reach out to her contacts in
the industry, which she’d done with Gail’s help. Willow, who’d always spent so
much of her life by herself trying to keep from letting anyone know that she
cared, now had to bare her soul to people to get them on board.

Gail had arranged for Willow to meet with Rhia Montaine, and
that proved to be the key to the entire thing. Jack just wouldn’t see Willow or
accept any calls from her friends. Even Russell and Conner were being
ignored.

“I’ve just had a call from Jack’s agent,” Kat said, joining
Willow in the temporary offices they’d set up in a hotel room in Santa Barbara.
“He’s not happy that you went behind his back to the head of his agency to get
him to give you Jack’s location. And the only way he’ll forgive you is if you
use another one of his clients the next season of
Sexy
& Single.
”

“Just hold on to the information. I haven’t had a chance to
talk to Matchmakers, Inc. about the prospective clients we’ll be using next
season.”

“I know,” Kat said, putting her hand on Willow’s shoulder and
squeezing it.

Kat left the room and Willow went over the plan in her head one
more time. So much of it hinged on Jack. And she was in the one position she’d
never wanted to be in. She was vulnerable to him. She needed him, and if this
didn’t work, she didn’t care about her career or anything else because her life
wouldn’t be as fun or exciting without him in it.

She should have realized it sooner but she’d been blind to the
fact that without Jack she didn’t want to face the future.

Today she was going to take the biggest risk she’d ever taken.
Today she was going to throw away pride and hope that Jack would see that she’d
never hurt him the way she had in the past again.

Jack was taping a recap session with PJ Montaine on the beach
in Malibu. But Willow was being escorted there thanks to her calling in favors
and making promises to everyone in the industry through Rhia.

“I’m not pleased that I was steamrolled into helping you,” Rhia
said, entering the room. “Jack deserves—”

“To be happy,” Willow said. “I hurt him but I know he still
cares about me and I aim to fix that. To make up for what I did. I know that
using my contacts makes it seem like I’m manipulative but it was the only option
left open to me. I’ve tried calling and sending gifts. He won’t see me,
Rhia.”

“Okay,” she said. “But just so you know I’m coming clean with
him right away.”

“Fair enough. If this doesn’t work I don’t think anything
will.”

Willow hadn’t let herself think of failure at any point because
she needed to believe that she could still win Jack back. That they were going
to have their very own happy ending. If they didn’t she was going to die
inside.

“What do you need me to do?” Rhia asked.

“Well, I need your help getting that in the van and then we
will just follow you to your house,” Willow said.

“What is it?”

“A costume, something I think will make Jack smile and realize
exactly how sorry I am.”

Rhia shook her head. “I hope so. Like you said, Jack does
deserve to be happy.”

Willow got to her feet and started gathering all the things
they needed. She had a small crew with her and they slowly got all the stuff in
the van.

“Ride with me,” Rhia said.

Willow got into Rhia’s Toyota Prius and as they started the
drive to her house Rhia took off her sunglasses. “This idea of yours—it will
help Jack even if he doesn’t forgive you. I was shocked when I realized that he
didn’t understand how many people he’d helped over the years. You know he’s the
one who got me and PJ together?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, he did. Talked me into giving him another chance after
PJ cheated on me. It was hard but Jack understood that PJ had been pushing to
see how far he could go before he drove me away. I think that Jack might be
doing the same thing with you. I know I said I was doing this because you
blackmailed me, but I want Jack to have the same kind of happiness we do.”

“I want that, too,” Willow said. “When I started calling people
they were all more than happy to do something for Jack. He feels like a loner
but he’s touched so many people’s lives. Thanks for agreeing to let us do this
at your house.”

“No problem. While you’re on the beach trying to make things
right I’ll be ensuring that everyone is ready to surprise him. I do think you’re
pretty clever about Jack. How’d you get to know him so well?” Rhia asked.

Willow just shrugged. It was because she loved him but she’d
never said the words to Jack and she didn’t want to say them to anyone else
first. She needed that to be something just between them.

“I just know him now,” Willow said.

Twenty minutes later as she was being led down to the beach in
her costume she wondered if she knew herself as well as she thought she knew
Jack because this idea terrified her. She’d never put herself out there before
and this was going to be one big scary mess if Jack didn’t love her the way she
hoped he did.

* * *

There was a tent set up with chairs for the crew of
Extreme Careers.
The sun shone brightly. It was
a good day to be in Southern California even if it was December. PJ had just
gotten into position in a director’s chair with the rolling surf behind them.
Jack had suggested doing this on a soundstage but PJ wanted to be outside and
Jack hadn’t argued.

The cameramen were in position and the sound guys did one last
check of the microphones before the director came over. “Dude, before we get
started. There is someone here to see you. Since PJ is set up, I think you
should meet them over there.”

“I don’t think we have time for this,” Jack said, glancing in
the direction that Ben had pointed. Then he did a double take.

It looked like a large green frog with a crown and a pink dress
was waiting for him. Jack shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing.
But he couldn’t resist going over there. He knew he shouldn’t have sent back
Willow’s gifts but he’d been too mad when they’d first arrived and he had
already decided the next time she called he’d talk to her.

But this messagegram of hers had beaten him to the punch. He
had to admit he was intrigued by what she’d say through her messenger.

“Okay, this shouldn’t take long,” Jack said.

“Take your time, man,” Ben said.

Jack walked over to the frog and then stopped.

“I’m Jack Crown.”

“Yes, you are.”

His brow furrowed. “Willow?”

“Yes. I’m trapped in here because I was afraid to believe in
love. All the time you thought that I needed to kiss you to find Prince Charming
when it was really the fact that I was the frog. I was the one who had the curse
on her.”

“You were?”

“Yes. That’s why I acted so ridiculous,” she said. She reached
out and took his hand.

He stared into the fake black eyes. This was surreal.

“Jack, I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you enough to just go out
with you,” she said. “I’m sorry I never found the courage to tell you this
before, but it took losing you for me to realize that I can’t live without
you.”

“It did?” he asked then cursed under his breath. “I can’t do
this staring into the eyes of a foam head. I need to see your face.”

“You have to kiss me to turn me back into Willow.”

“Take off the head and I will,” Jack said.

She took off the head and set it on the ground. He stared down
at her. He had missed her more than he’d wanted to admit. He’d been able to keep
up the facade of anger during the day but each night in his dreams she’d visited
him and he’d held her close.

“I miss you,” she said. “All the time I was worried about you
leaving me. About you heading back here after our show was done taping, and I
never realized that if I didn’t give you a reason to stay, well, then you
wouldn’t.”

“What is your reasoning?” he asked, aching to reach out and hug
her, to pull her to him and never let her go. But he couldn’t do that. Not
yet.

“I love you,” she said. “I realized it that day in the Hamptons
but I was so afraid to let you see it. So afraid that if I admitted it out loud
then I’d be vulnerable. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t keep quiet anymore. I
know you don’t feel the same as I do.”

“You’re right,” he said. “I feel more than you do. I love you
so much I don’t know how to go on without you.”

“Really? Then why have you been pushing me away?”

“I had to know that I meant the same to you,” he said.

“Fair enough. I love you more than I thought I could love
another person,” she admitted.

He couldn’t wait another second, so he leaned over to kiss her.
She wrapped her green costumed arms around him and held on tight. It had to be
the best kiss he’d ever experienced but also the strangest.

“I’m sorry I was so stupid.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m glad you were. We never would have
found each other. I was getting tired of being turned down. I would have stopped
asking.”

“I was getting tired of saying no. I wanted an excuse to have
to see you. From the moment you walked back into my life I’ve been attracted to
you. I was just too embarrassed to admit it after the things I’d said about
you.”

“For my part I’m sorry I made you feel the way I did.”

“You already apologized for the past. I realize now that I have
to let go of that for us to have a future together. And I really want that.”

“Me, too,” Jack said. There was nothing he wanted more. “Is
there a way to get you out of this thing?”

“Yes, but you can’t do that yet. I have another surprise for
you up at PJ and Rhia’s.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind but I had to resort to blackmail to
get your friends to talk to me. But once I did they all wanted to do something
nice for you,” Willow said.

“Really? Why?” Jack asked, not sure what friends she was
talking about.

“You keep thinking you are a loner on your journey but you have
touched the lives of so many people. They all wanted a chance to say thank you.
And to show you that you are not alone.”

“Why did you do that?” he asked, touched that she’d gone to
such an extent for him.

“Even if you couldn’t forgive me and love me, I wanted to show
you that you are not alone.”

He hugged her close, unable to speak because he was choked up.
He hadn’t allowed himself to dream that they could find this kind of happiness
together and he knew he was never going to let her go.