Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) (30 page)

“Is your phone handy?”

“Who do you need to call?” Garrett’s finger was
poised to dial.

“I’m afraid we’re in this one alone, my love. I need
the light.”

“Sounds cozy.” Garrett moved to her side.

Jade took down the abstract painting to the side of her
father’s desk revealing a large wall safe.

“Hold the light up so I can see the keypad.”

“Jewels? Bearer bonds?”

“Nothing that sexy.” Jade pulled the handle,
swinging open the heavy door.

Jade ignored the piles of money and the stack of
velvet-covered boxes. She knew what she wanted and it had nothing to do with
shiny baubles.

“The Feds tried everything to take down Al
Capone.” She removed a small, green book and several files. “Do you
know how they finally got him?”

Garrett grinned. Well, hot damn. “Tax evasion.”

“Give the man a cigar.” Jade closed the safe,
letting Garrett replace the painting. “With his usual arrogance, my father
has been defrauding the U.S. government while keeping the paper trail ten feet
from his desk. On top of the misdeeds they’ll find in these files, he won’t buy
his way out of this.”

“He’ll know that you’re responsible.” Garrett gave
her a fast, hard kiss. “I can’t wait to see the look on that old bastard’s
face. It should be plastered on every news cycle for quite some time.”

“Hide these under your jacket.” Jade handed Garrett
the book and files. He pushed the papers into the waistband of his pants,
tucking his shirt in. When he buttoned his jacket, there was only a barely
discernible bulge. “Good. I don’t want my father to realize we have
them.”

As it turned out, they finished just in time. No sooner had
they locked the office door and returned the key, the FBI led her father to the
room. They stopped when they saw Jade.

“Miss Marlow.” The taller of the two agents spoke.
He held out his identification. “I understand you witnessed what took
place in the garden between your father, Stephen Marsh, and Teresa
Benson?”

Jade briefly looked at her father. There was a warning in
his eyes.

“Witnessed?” Jade moved her gaze to the agent.
“I don’t know if you could call it that. I overheard part of the
conversation.”

“We’ll need you to make a statement.”

“Agent…?” Garrett gave the man a friendly smile.

“Simms.”

“Agent Simms. Miss Marlow is exhausted. You can imagine
how traumatic it has been for her seeing her ex-husband again, even from a
distance.” Garrett took out a card, handing it to the agent. “Here is
the number where you can reach her. Tomorrow should be soon enough.”

Before anyone could object, Garrett hustled Jade past the
agents and out of the house.

“Slick.” Jade gave him an admiring smile.

“Let’s keep moving. I won’t feel safe until we’re
home.”

Jade wouldn’t feel safe until they put those papers into the
proper hands. Agent Simms and his partner seemed a bit too chummy with her
father. She wasn’t going to trust just anyone. The first thing to do was make
copies. Multiple copies. She wasn’t taking any chances that the papers would
mysteriously
disappear before they could be processed. Then they needed to figure out to
whom they should go.

“With this line, we’ll be lucky if we get home by dawn.
The mass exodus of guests is running the valets ragged.” Jade suddenly
smiled. Of course. She had the perfect solution. “Let me have your phone
again.” Taking it, she tapped the keys. She didn’t have to look it up; she
knew this number by heart.

Intrigued, Garrett listened to the one sided conversation.

“Hi. Are you busy? Beverly Hills. No, the old place.
Right. Bye.” Jade handed the phone back. “Gather the troops. Troy is
on the way.”

IT WAS AN interesting group that piled into the yellow cab. A
legendary screen siren, her equally famous producer husband, and their stuntman
son took the backseat. The front was occupied by Hollywood’s hottest director
and his notorious girlfriend. Certain his wife would never believe him, Troy
worked up the nerve to ask them to pose with him for a picture. To his surprise
and delight, they not only agreed, but Callie Flynn also kissed his cheek. He
had proof. On his phone. In color. Troy would be dining out on this story for
the rest of his life.

“Come by for dinner tomorrow.” It wasn’t a
question. Callie blew kisses at Jade and Garrett before she took the hand Caleb
offered her. They entered their house arm in arm.

“I can’t wait to hear what you two were up to,”
Nate got out of the cab. He leaned back in through the open door. “Are you
good?” he asked Jade.

“I’ve never been better.” She patted Nate’s hand.

There was little said on the ride home. Jade and Garrett
were content to hold each other. Silently, they weighed the implications of the
night’s events. What it meant to them and their future.

“Thank you, Troy,” Jade shook the cabbie’s hand
after Garrett paid him. “You’ve been more than a driver to me. You’ve been
a friend.”

“I’ll miss you.” He nodded toward Garrett.
“Something tells me you won’t be making any more late night rides.”

“No.” Jade smiled when Garrett gave her a long,
speculative look. “At least not alone.”

“I wish Sable had left with us.” Jade removed her
shoes as soon as she was in the door. Deciding a cup of tea sounded like a good
idea, she headed for the kitchen.

“She’ll want to get as much taken care of as
possible,” Garrett said. Seeing what she was doing, he took two mugs from
the cupboard “My guess is she’ll head home tomorrow. She can always fly
back if they need her.”

“Tomorrow? So soon?”

“You don’t need a bodyguard anymore, thank God.”

“I know.” Jade hadn’t thought this far ahead. She
would miss her new friend. “Harper Falls sounds like a nice place.”

“It is,” Garrett nodded. “Only seventy or so
miles away from the Canadian border. Where, coincidentally, I will be filming
Exile
starting next week.”

“I forgot about that.” Jade scooped some loose tea
into a strainer.” You’ll be gone for over a month.”

“You could come with me. Hear me out,” Garrett
continued before Jade could answer. “I know you have a business to get up
on its feet. I can’t expect you to drop everything to spend time with me.”

“Why not?”

Puzzled, Garrett took the cup Jade handed him. “Why not
what?”

“Why can’t you expect me to spend time with you? I only
have one job booked. I can plan that from anywhere.” Jade sipped her tea.
“I’ve never been to Canada.”

“I’ll be busy most of the time.”

“I can entertain myself, Garrett.” Jade hid her smile
behind her drink. “Even in the bedroom.”

“Put the cup down, Jade.”

“Why?” Jade gave Garrett a wide-eyed innocent
look. “I just fixed it.”

“In two seconds, I’m going to kiss you.” Garrett
set his mug on the counter. “I might stop.
Might
. Around
dawn.”

“
Just
kissing?” Jade carefully placed her
mug next to his.

Garrett put a hand on each side of Jade’s face. His eyes
were such a deep purple it took her breath away. Sometimes she would fantasize
about a man loving her. It seemed like a wild, far away kind of thing that
happened to other people. Even then, she never dreamed of being loved so
deeply. It made her want to laugh and cry all at once.

“Happy tears?” Garrett wiped them away with the
pads of his thumbs.

“You have no idea.”

Garrett kissed her with all the love she had seen shining in
his eyes.

“I tell you what,” he lifted Jade into his arms.
“Between kisses, you can tell me all about it.”

“PROMISE YOU’LL COME back for a visit.”

“And you promise to stop by Harper Falls on your way
back from Canada.”

“Deal.”

Jade sat on the edge of the bed as Sable packed her bag.
Garrett had called it. When Sable finally took her leave of the FBI, she made
sure they had all the information they needed from her. She assured them she
would return to Los Angeles if necessary. The way things looked, she didn’t
think that would happen.

“Those FBI guys were damn pissy considering we did most
of their work for them. By the time they left, their case was wrapped up in a
pretty bow. I hate to call sexism,” Sable sighed. “Unfortunately,
sometimes it is what it is.”

“You work in a testosterone-driven business.” Jade
watched with admiration as Sable fit everything neatly into one suitcase.

“I knew what I was getting into.” Sable closed the
bag. “First the Army, followed by personal security. They are worlds still
dominated by men.”

“For now,” Jade added.

Sable laughed. “That’s what I said to my last C.O. He
believed men ran the Army, so I should get on my knees and do what comes
naturally.”

“What did you do?”

“I blew.” Sable winked. “Right out of the
Army. Women are making strides in the military. Slowly. To do so, you need a
sympathetic Commanding Officer. Even if I had given him what he wanted, I never
would have risen very far in the ranks.”

“I’m sorry.” Jade understood on some level. There
came a point when you had to walk away.

“It’s time.” Sable held out her arms. “Give
me a hug.”

Jade squeezed hard.

“I wish you would let me drive you to the
airport.”

“Airport goodbyes are the worst.” She picked up
her bag. “Better to do it here.”

“All set?” Garrett gave Sable a warm hug.
“Your taxi is waiting.”

“Troy?” Jade asked.

“Who else?”

Garrett handed Sable a manila envelope. After a brief
discussion, they decided that Alex Fleming and the others at H&W Security
would know how to handle the papers Jade took from her father’s safe. Sable was
happy to play messenger.

“It won’t take long,” she told them. “Alex
knows the highest of the high. You’re hitting your father where it hurts the
most, Jade. In the bank account.”

Later, Jade sat curled up next to Garrett. They were
watching one of his mother’s movies. Jade’s favorite. It was a love story with
plenty of laughs mixed with a few tears. Best of all, it had a happy ending.

“She was a legend in the making,” Garrett said,
pride in his voice.

True
, Jade thought, snuggling closer. However, no
matter how many movies his mother made, as far as Jade was concerned, Garrett
was her best production.

THERE IS AN amazing thing that happens when you open your life
and your heart to another person. So many old hurts drop away. Not because they
no longer exist. It’s because they cease to matter. You now have another person
to focus on instead of yourself. A partner to help ease your worries. Garrett
didn’t suddenly become everything. He became a large, important, central piece
of the puzzle. Right next to her. Over the coming years, the other parts would
shift. Change. Morph into other things. Jade knew that Garrett wasn’t going
anywhere.

The sun was setting in the Vancouver sky. The days filming
on
Exile
were done. They had been in Canada for almost two weeks. The
time that she and Garrett spent together was limited. He was busy juggling
shooting schedules and temperamental actors. Not to mention broken hearts.

As predicted, Hamish’s affair with Lynne Cornish had ended.
Badly. To help his friend, and keep his sanity, Garrett juggled the shooting
schedule to make sure the ex-lovers were never on set at the same time. Not an
easy task considering she was the leading lady and he was the assistant
director. Somehow, Garrett made it work.

Jade spent her time selling herself online. So to speak.
Word of mouth was all it had taken for her calendar to fill up. She neither
needed nor wanted to accept every job that came along. She picked the ones that
interested her. All the preliminary work could be done on her computer. It
filled up her hours. When Garrett found some free time, she put work away. It
worked out perfectly.

Tonight they were relaxing on deck of their rented cabin
after a romantic dinner for two.

Sable had called that afternoon to inform Jade that the
government had frozen all of Anson Marlow’s assets. The ball was rolling. It
would be interesting to see where it stopped. Interesting, but not vital. Her
father was the past. As was Stephen Marsh. She wanted them to pay. However, she
wasn’t going to obsess about it. She would rely on the judicial system to do
its job. Jade had more important things to occupy her time.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“I’m all for that.” Garrett smiled before his
sipping his beer.

“Garrett Landis. Will you marry me?”

Garrett looked at the box Jade held out to him. A square
box. One that looked like the kind a man would give a woman.

“Open it.”

“Honey,” Garrett took the box. He didn’t have any
choice. Jade practically shoved it into his hand. “I know our relationship
has been anything but traditional.”

“Exactly.” Unable to wait, Jade took back the box.
She lifted the lid. “Ta da.”

“That’s…”

“An earring.” She removed the single stud.
“Your mother told me you got your ear pierced when you were a
teenager.”

“I did,” Garrett nodded. “Did she also tell
you that she made such a fuss that I took the earring out that night and never
wore it again?”

“She mentioned it. She helped me pick this out. Purple
jade.”

Garrett took the stud. The color was deep and intense.
Almost one of a kind.

“Looks like I’ll be getting my ear pierced.
Again.”

With a delighted laugh, Jade threw her arms around him.

“Is that a yes?”

Holding her close, Garrett whispered, “You’ll never get
rid of me now.”

Jade melted into Garrett’s kiss.

Forever with the man she loved. This was better than any
dream.