Facade (13 page)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kylee

One month later …

“Jacoby!” I yell from my bedroom, frantic.  “Have you seen my blue notebook?”

I know it’s here somewhere, I just saw it a few days ago.  The photo shoot for my book is happening today, and I really want to call the photographer and make sure everything’s okay.  I just need to find that damn notebook with her phone number.

“No, babe.  Haven’t seen it.” 
Shit
.

I’ve made serious progress over the last month.  As Mira likes to say, I got my head out of my ass and am focusing on my future.  I’m just about done with my book, my editor is lined up and the photographer is taking the pictures for the cover.

Kneeling on the floor, I look under the bed and happen to find it, along with Jacoby’s pants.  How they got under the bed, I don’t know.  I pull out the notepad and grab the jeans by the legs, sending his wallet crashing to the floor.

Leaving
the wallet back on the floor, I pick up my cell to call the photographer before I forget.

“Hey, it’s Kylee Anderson.  Just making sure we’re still on for today,” I say when she answers the phone.

“Yep.  The model should be here within the hour.  I’ll send you some test shots when I’m finished.”

“
Toski, could you be any more amazing?  I’ll wait for those pictures and we’ll go from there.  Thanks again,” I say, ending the call when she says bye. 

Now, back to the other issue
; Jacoby’s wallet.  I pick it up, placing it on the edge of the dresser so he doesn’t forget it when he leaves for work later. 
Best girlfriend ever, I know.

I decide to not let the demons win, and I don’t go through his private property.  We’ve been going strong for a month and this is one of those things that can rock the boat.  Once I look inside, I can’t take it back.  I trust him, and if there’s anything he wants to tell me, he will. 

I walk into the living room to find Jacoby wearing next to nothing and talking on the phone.

“
Of course I’ll handle it, he’s my client.  I’ll stay until it’s finished.  I don’t care about anything but getting this project completed.”  Jacoby hangs up the phone, turns around and looks a little nervous that I’m standing here eavesdropping on his conversation.

“Kylee, hey.
  Didn’t know you were out here,” he says, looking in every direction but my eyes.  That nasty little gut feeling is back.

“Okay, what’s going on?  My girly-sense is going off like crazy.  Talk to me.”

Jacoby stands from the couch, walks toward me and puts his hands on my hips, drawing me into his body where I melt into him.  It’s kind of sad the response I have to him.  No matter what’s going on, if I’m upset or frustrated, he’s right here to make all the concerns in the world disappear.

“Is it okay if we talk about it tonight? 
It’s going to take more than a few minutes to figure this out.”  My palms suddenly feel very clammy and my stomach is turning so quickly, I’m pretty nauseous. 

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.  If you’re gonna dump me, can you just do it now
?  My stomach is in knots, Jacoby.”  Honestly, I would rather wait as long as possible to be dumped, but this is the kind of thing women say, and I’m no different than the rest.

“It’s nothing to be worried about.  Just some
thing I need to take care of.  Don’t worry.”  I seem to remember that in all the TV dramas, when someone says “Don’t worry,” that’s what everyone does and it’s usually for the right reasons. 

“I’m probably going to worry, but if you wanna wait until tonight, that’s fine.  I’ll be patient,” I lie. 

Jacoby takes off for his day at the office.  Since we’ve been together, he’s cut back his hours at the office considerably, to spend more time with me and get to know each other. 
Must be nice to be the boss.

With nothing else to do, I sit down in my office and get to work finishing my book.  Even after a month of having this amazing space to work, it doesn’t feel real.  Inching closer and closer to the self
-imposed deadline, I’m panicking more and more every day.  What if people hate it?  What if they slam it?  What if they love it and want more?  Oh, the possibilities.

After three solid hours of writing, I type those magical words that I’ve dreamed of since I started this journey. 
The End. 

The very first thing I do is call Jacoby, who doesn’t answer the call.  I’m sure since it’s his one day in this
week, he’s pretty swamped, so I let it slide.  I don’t realize that I’m sitting in my chair and staring at the screen for over twenty minutes before my text notification goes off.

Jacoby –
Sry I missed ur call.  What’s up?

Me – I finished!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jacoby – Ur book?

Me – YEP!!

Jacoby – I’m so proud of you.  Dinner?  My place?  I’ll get us something special. 

Me – K.
  Sounds wonderful!

Jacoby – My girlfriend … the author

Me - *blushes* shhhh not ‘til it’s published

I walk into my
bedroom, toss the phone on the bed and start digging around in my dresser looking for something to wear.  Eyeing the red lace bra, panty and garter set in my lingerie drawer, I pull it out, fully intending to celebrate tonight.

My shower is quick so I can spend more time on getting ready.  Preparing to totally wow Jacoby, I throw my hair in a tight bun, put on a grey pencil skirt, a white button
-up blouse and black nylons over the lingerie. 
Naughty librarian always wins.

Jacoby sends me a warning text that he’s on his way home.  Since it’s going to take about the same amount of time for me to get to his place, I gather up my purse and coat, throw on my black five
-inch stiletto pumps and I’m out the door.

I don’t know how, but I beat Jacoby to his house.  We exchanged keys earlier in the month, but under the pretense of emergency purposes only.  I feel weird just walking into his house without him home.  Deciding to wait on him to get here, I check my email and social media sites for the fifteen minutes it takes him to arrive.

“Why didn’t you just go in?” Jacoby asks, carrying bags of food. 

“I don’t know.  Didn’t feel right, I guess.”  I take one of the bags from him so he can unlock the door.

Once all the food is on the counter, Jacoby takes his time admiring my attire.  His eyes slowly wander up my body, taking time to appreciate the extra effort I put forth.  When his gaze stops at my breasts, the heat emanating off of him takes me by surprise and I’m almost positive we’re going to eat a cold dinner, yet again, tonight.

“You grab the wine, I’ll grab the food.”  I look down at my clothes, surely missing something.  He was just staring at me like
I
was the food. 

Doing as he requests, I grab a bottle of wine from the fridge and a couple glasses from the cupboard and head into the dining room.  Jacoby’s quick on my tail, carrying plates and silverware.

We sit down at the table, I pour us each a glass of white zin and Jacoby puts a piece of grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and some kind of rice down on my placemat.  Picking up a piece of broccoli, the tension is so thick I can feel it down to my bones.

“So, what I wanted to talk about,” Jacoby says out of left field, causing me to almost choke on a bite of
broccoli. 

“One of my very important clients is in a bit of a bind.  The foreman that was hired for the job flaked and I need to go handle it.” 
Okay, this isn’t so bad.

“Oh, that’s all
?  You had me stressed all day for that?”

“It’s in
Vancouver, Kylee.  I’m going to have to stay until the job’s finished and they just started.”

“Okay, so how long is that? 
A few days, weeks, what?” I know this is his job, but in the last six months, he hasn’t gone anywhere for work that was more than an hour away.

“I’m not sure, but since the job’s just started, it’s probably going to be months.  I’m thinking of just leasing a house for six months.  It’ll make sense.”

“There’s nobody else that can do it?”  There has to be another person that can help out in situations like this.  Companies can’t just expect a CEO to drop everything and clean up messes and shit.  That’s what employees are for.

“There might be, but I’ve already told them I’m relocating to Vancouver for six months.  It’s my company,
Kylee, I have to do everything I can to make sure it stays ahead of the game.”

I get it, I really do, but every time we take a step forward, we take two back.  It’s like a fucking yo-yo and it’s a little much for me to take in right now.

“Jacoby, I know you have a company to run, but how could we not talk about this.  You said communication and you’ve just made a decision that affects me just as much as you.  You didn’t even consider my feelings did you?”

“No, honestly I didn’t.  I knew you would be upset about me leaving for a while, but I didn’t think you would be this mad.”

“I’m not mad, my feelings are hurt.  You said yourself that there are other people to do the same work and you could stay here.  Why is that not a viable option for you?”

Jacoby huffs and shoves his hand up to his hair. 
He’s not understanding why I’m upset and continuing to explain it to him is going to do nothing more than frustrate me.

“I need a minute,” I say, standing up and walking upstairs. 

Now that I’m up here, I realize there are so many rooms that I’ve never even bothered to enter.  Is one of these his daughter’s?  Has Dawn slept in the same bed as we do?  When he’s having sex with me, does he think of her?  Does he not want to be with me?  Is this his way of running from me?  Does he have another girl up there?  If he wanted to be with me, he would’ve asked me to go with him.

Reaching the door directly across the hall from Jacoby’s bedroom, I open it, only to find the most precious room any little girl could dream of.  Light pink walls, all white furniture, Barbie dolls galore and a rack of dresses to play dress-up. 

I pluck one of the play dresses off the tiny hanger, only to realize that it belongs to Cinderella.  The rest of the Disney Princesses fall in line.  This entire scene is reminding me of a book Mira let me borrow.  I think it was called Entice by S.E. Hall.  Basically, the one Disney-crazed girl has a birthday party and wants everyone to come dressed as a Prince or a Princess.  The book’s amazing, but that scene in particular keeps circling my brain.

One of the girls in that book was a Daddy’s Girl on top of her strange adult obsession with cartoons, but who am I to judge.  I remember reading the first book in that series and feeling sad that my own daddy didn’t love me like Laney’s dad loved her. 

Now, I’m faced with the fact that Jacoby already has his little girl.  Judging by the amount of toys, time and effort put into this little girl’s haven, I won’t be able to compete.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not one to ever try to come between anyone and their family, but Jacoby and I are really starting to get to a point where we can move forward, and since he’s already done this before, it won’t be a first for us. 

All of my important firsts have been with him and I just feel left out.  I’m more sad and disappointed that he’s waited until I’m emotionally invested before he springs this on me
, and now once I’m ready to move past it and go forward, he’s leaving me for half a year. 

“This is Shelby’s room,” Jacoby says, sneaking up behind me.  He tries to wrap his arms around my waist, but I step forward, unable to be soothed by his touch at this point.

“I figured.  Unless you have some strange fetish we should discuss,” I say, flatly.

“Can we talk about this
, please?”

“Jacoby, what is there to talk about?  You made your decision and it’s not a fair one.  You want me to be in your life and
have you in my heart.  Well, that means that sometimes you have to think of my feelings and you didn’t.  There are a lot of things you could have done, but you chose not to do them.  This is the second time you’ve blindsided me with life altering information and never once thought to talk to me before hand.”

“
Kylee, let me get someone else to go.  I didn’t think it was that big of a problem.”

“That’s the exact point I’m trying to make.  It
is
a big deal.  You not understanding why I’m upset is a problem and the fact that you still don’t get it; that speaks volumes.  I’m gonna take off.  I’ll call you later.”  I brush past him, walk downstairs and have my stuff in my arms before he reaches the landing.

“
Ky, wait.”

“You need to think about what being in a relationship involves.  I’m no expert in this field, but I know enough to not hurt your feelings or make you feel insignificant.”  I turn my back, walk out the door and gun it out of the driveway before he has a chance to stop me.

Note to self – always follow your gut instincts; they’re usually right.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jacoby

It’s been a week and a half since I last saw Kylee.  I’ve wanted to call her, text her, go to her house.  Shit, at this point, I’d send carrier pigeons if I thought it would help. 
She said she’d call, but never has.  I need to tell her what’s going on with this and apologize, but I think I might have really blown it this time.

The work days drag on, the house is lonely and food has no taste.  I miss her;
everything
about her.  From the way her hair cascades around her face when she’s sleeping to the annoying way she scrapes the plate with her fork when she’s eating; everything. 

Mira’s back from her vacation, and even
she
won’t give me anything to go on.  Believe me, I’ve tried, but it’s worth a second shot.  Leaving my office, I walk down the short corridor to Mira’s desk.

“Hey, do you happen to have the files for the Vegas
project?”  I ask as a lead-in to a much deeper conversation.

“Yeah, they’re around here somewhere,
hold on.”  Mira shoves a pen into the messy pile of hair on top of her head and shifts through a few files in a stack.  “Got it.”  She hands the file to me without making eye contact.

“Thanks.  Have you talked to Kylee?”  I really don’t have the patience today for subtly.  I’ve had a liquid lunch the last two days and if I don’t make some headway, it’s going to be a third.

“I have, yes,” Mira responds, still without looking at me.

“Is she okay?” I ask in a hushed tone.

Mira turns in her chair with a scowl on her face, “I don’t know, Jacoby.  I’m your employee and this is inappropriate.  But if we weren’t in a professional setting right now, I might tell you that not talking to her about the Vancouver deal before making your decision really hurt her feelings.  Also, one might say you were quite the jackass for not mentioning your child sooner.  I might tell you that a year ago, I didn’t think Kylee would ever give her heart away.  It’s also quite possible that I would tell you that you might want to go to her.  She’s sad, lonely and confused.”  The scowl diminishes, leaving behind a sneaky smirk.  “A little bird might have told me that she’s planning on publishing her book this evening, and she’s going to be at my house at six for a little celebration.”

If I didn’t
suspect Skylar may kill people for a living, I would kiss the hell out of Mira.  This is exactly the kind of news I wanted to hear.

“Mira, you’re amazing.  What did I ever do without you?”  I squeeze her shoulder and she gives me an endearing look.

“Keep breaking my friend’s heart and you’re going to find out.”  Mira turns around and gets back to dealing with paperwork.

Going back to my office, I grab my jacket and car keys, walking quickly to the front desk where Tiffany’s looking at me like I’ve just stole
n her candy bar.

“Mr. Roberts, it’s only three.  Are you leaving for the day?”

“Tiffany, I understand what time of day it is and I’ll be gone the rest of the day.  Also, please turn your access card, parking pass and timecard in to Mira.  You’re done here.  I sent Mira an email detailing your termination and she’s expecting you in her office within the hour, packed and ready to be escorted out of the building.  I’m sure you’re regretting trying to hurt Kylee right about now,” I say, not bothering to give a glance in her direction.  She’s screwed up royally and the unemployment line’s calling her name.

“But, Mr. Roberts,” Tiffany starts to say as the elevator door closes in her face.

Me – Watch her pack up her stuff.  I don’t want her back in my building.

Mira – U got it.  Can I hit her?

Me – I didn’t hear that.

Mira – I’m hitting her.

Me – This thread will self destruct in 2 minutes.

Mira –
ur dumb, but ok ..I won’t tell u if I d
o


Release day is going to be a huge milestone for Kylee and I want to make it perfect.  There’s a small part of me that is ready to stay home so I don’t wreck her night, but my heart tells me to be with her; I
wouldn’t miss this for the world.

By the time I make it through my front door, I have less than an hour before I need to leave.
  This is the first shower I’ve taken in over a week that doesn’t feel like I’m drowning in my own sorrows.  A ray of light shines through me and all I can imagine is Kylee.

It takes everything in me to not palm my cock at the thought of Kylee, but I need to stay strong.  It might sound stupid, but the only way I want to come is with her wrapped around my dick in one way or another.   Needless to say, I’ve had a raging case of blue balls over the last ten days.  Between thinking of her, dreaming of her or seeing a picture of her in my phone, I’m constantly fucking hard.

Since I’m not sure if we’ll be leaving after dinner at Mira and Skylar’s, I opt for a pair of dark washed jeans and a pale blue collared shirt; more than enough to be casual and not too much where I look like a pompous ass.

This is going to go one of two ways; she’s going to freak out and ask to never see me again or she’s going to be so happy
that she jumps into my arms.  I, for one, am hoping for the latter of the two choices.

I make my way up to the eighth floor, knock on the door and wait impatiently for someone to answer.  I’m thinking it’s going to be Sky or Mira on the other side, so I’m sure you can guess my surprise when the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is staring back at me.

“What are you doing here?” Kylee whispers.  She walks into the hallway and closes the door behind her.

“Mira invited me.  It’s your big night, I wouldn’t miss it,” I say with all sincerity.

“She shouldn’t have.”  Kylee looks back at the closed door and shoots daggers through the thick wood at her traitorous friend.

“Listen,
Ky, we don’t have to talk about anything tonight, but I want you to know I’m not going to Vancouver.  Bill is going to take care of it.  I just wanted to be here for one of the most important nights of your life.  This is a big deal, and no matter what, I’m going to be here for you.  That’s what love is; being there for that person even when it’s killing you to not actually be
with
them.”

I think I see her body sway, like she’s about to pass out.  I put my arm out to catch her and she leans into me, putting her hand on my forearm.

“Don’t say shit like that.  You always do this.”

“What did I do?”  I’m blowing this and blowing it hard.

“Make me realize exactly why I fell in love with you.  How it would be too hard to forget about you and move on with my life.  Why I’m so scared to be with you.”  Kylee lightly drags her fingers across my arm, sending a jolt of hope straight to my heart. 

“I’m really not trying to do anything.  I don’t want you to forget me and move on.  Why are you scared, Kylee?  I know I said we didn’t have to talk, but I can’t let you say something like that and not elaborate.  What scares you?” I plead.

Kylee pulls me into an embrace, wrapping her arms around my neck.  God, she smells so fucking good.  I’m trying really hard to mask the erection that’s jutting into her stomach, but she keeps pulling me closer.

“I’m terrified for the same reasons you are.  I love you and want to be with you,
it’s not just the Vancouver thing, it’s your daughter,” she says and my heart plummets.  I would give up anything for Shelby.  It’s going to hurt like fucking hell, but I can’t ever choose anyone over my child; it won’t ever happen.  “I don’t want to break up and her be hurt. It’s not just us, it’s
all
of us.  I would never forgive myself if I hurt that little girl’s heart.  I think that’s why I overreacted about you leaving town.  This has been plaguing my mind for days.  I would stay because I wouldn’t want to be
that girlfriend
, but then I would be just like my mother.  It’s a double edged sword.”

I take a step back and she lets her arms fall to her sides.  Taking her face in my hands, I look into her eyes, the lush green irises lacking their usual luster, and kiss her forehead.

“Kylee, my last girlfriend broke up with me because of my daughter.  You’re scared to be with me because of my daughter.  That’s a huge difference.  People get together and break up.  Shelby has done amazing with mine and Dawn’s separation.  I love you and you love me.  This,” I motion between us, “is worth a shot.”

Tears start to fall from Kylee’s eyes, and I can’t lie and say mine aren’t a little misty, and she looks to the ground.  “
What if something goes wrong with us?  What if I won’t break up with you because I don’t want to hurt Shelby?  What if I’m not going to be strong enough?”

“Listen, if you wake up one morning and decide you don’t want to be with me anymore, you leave me.  It’s as simple as that.  I’ll even make you the same promise.  Someone very wise told me, your spouse will disappoint you, your kids will eventually leave you and your parents will eventually die; the only thing you can do in life is to do what makes
you
happy,” I place my palm over her heart, “let me make you happy.”

That’s all it takes.  Kylee slightly
jumps, wrapping her legs around my hips, and kisses me with so much passion I can barely stand it.  Pushing her into the door, I return the love, knowing that we can make it through anything as long as we communicate.  I wrap my fingers in the most beautiful red hair I’ve ever seen and deepen this kiss, giving her a part of my soul. 

“What the hell is going on out …” Mira says, opening the door and sending me staggering with Kylee still coiled around me.  “Oh.  Do you guys need some more time?” Mira smirks and raises her eyebrows at Kylee.

“We’re coming in,” Kylee says, taking my hand and leading me into the apartment.

“Hey, man.  What’s going on?” Skylar asks from the living room.

“Nothing really.  Excited for Kylee.”

Mira has a full feast
laying on the counter in celebration of Kylee’s big night.  I kick my shoes off at the door, hang my jacket on the hook and meet Kylee in the dining room.

“Mi, grab Jacoby a beer
, please,” Kylee says, staring nervously at her laptop that’s set up on the table.

“Why do you look like you’re about to puke?”
Mira asks Kylee as she hands me my beer and leans over Ky’s shoulder.  “Just hit the fucking button already.”  Mira goes for the finger pad and Kylee slaps her hand away.

“What button do you need to push
?”  Did Staples really come out with an easy button?  Where do I get one?

“She needs to hit this little fucker that says
‘Publish’ so her book will be sent to the distributor.  She’s been staring at it forever.  I’m going to push the fucker if she doesn’t do it already,” Mira tries to snake around Kylee’s body but is stopped by an arm flying through the air.

“Okay.  Okay.  I’ll push it.  It didn’t feel right a few minutes ago.  Now, it just seems … right.”  Kylee looks at me and I smile back.  I pluck her off the chair, sit on the cushion with her on my lap and kiss her shoulder.

“Push the button, Red.  You got this,” I encourage, silently freaking out for her. 
What if her book flops?  What if she gets depressed and gives up on the only real dream she’s ever had?  This is a lot of fucking pressure.

Kylee’s finger hovers over the
mouse pad.  I grab her wrist, making sure the two connect as she drags the cursor to that pesky little button that’s sure to give me a heart attack.  I then move her to the left click button and press it.  Kylee pulls her hands back, puts them over her mouth and gasps.  Mira’s not far behind with her cell phone out, taking pictures of Kylee and me sitting at the table, the page that says ‘Publishing’ and of course, one of herself leaning over Kylee who’s still in a state of shock.

“You did it,” I whisper in her ear.

“I did it.”  She leans in and kisses me on the cheek.  “I couldn’t do it without you.  I didn’t know what it was, but now, I know it was because you weren’t here.  Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for loving you.”

Leave it to Mira to interrupt such an amazing moment with her throat clearing sounds.  “Ahem, so, does this mean you now have a plus one to our engagement party?  Well, not really an engagement party, more of a get together to tell all of our friends, family and such.”

“Wait, you haven’t told everyone yet?”
Kylee questions, obviously taken aback.

“Nope.
  We told you and that’s it.  I’m sure you told Jacoby, but we wanted to tell everyone together.  And…we’re not so sure how everyone is gonna take it.  It’s not the first time I’ve been engaged, ya know.”  For a second, Mira looks really sad, but then she looks back at Skylar and the sadness is gone, replaced with overwhelming joy that I can actually feel.  I hug Kylee closer, knowing exactly how Mira feels right now, staring at the man she’s hopelessly in love with.

“Yeah,
I guess I do, don’t I?” Kylee says, grinning at me with the same look that Mira has.

“
I would be honored to be your plus one, but I’m kind of shocked I didn’t get my own invite.” Mira rolls her eyes and gives me her ‘my best friend trumps you, buddy’ look.