Legacy of Love (17 page)

“Jackson!” Her green eyes lit up from within.” I knew you'd come back.” She reached for him and he slapped her hand away.

“Why'd you do it, Carla?” His jaw tightened.

She jerked back.

“Huh, tell me why you did it. Tell me what Michelle ever did to you.”

Her soft expression hardened. “She had everything, a beautiful home, a husband, a daughter. And I had nothing. Nothing when you left! We were planning a life together. Me and you, Jackson,” she yelled, jamming a finger in her chest. Her skin flushed. “I wanted to have children with you!”

“It was over between us long before we made it official, Carla. You know that. Things hadn't been right for a while.”

“It wasn't over for me.” Tears filled her eyes. “Couldn't you see that?” She stepped toward him and he moved away.

“Is that when you started sleeping with Travis? Were you screwing my sister's husband when we were together?”

“No,” she whimpered. “No. Not until after you left.”

He snorted his disgust. “I guess that made it okay. I can't imagine how I could have cared about you. How I could have thought…” He pointed a finger at her. “Go to hell and take Travis with you.” He spun away and ran down the steps.

“I hate you!”

Jackson was seeing red as he stomped back to his car. The rain was coming down heavier now but he barely noticed. Could she have been so twisted that she would use their breakup as a reason to destroy Michelle's marriage? What kind of woman was she and how could he have been so blind to have…

Levi stopped him before he got behind the wheel. “Let me drive.”

Without a word, Jackson got into the passenger seat and they pulled off.

 

Zoe sat at the window watching the rain build in intensity. Thunder rumbled in the distance and periodic flashes of light illuminated the dull sky.

Her spirit felt as heavy as the clouds that hung like water balloons in the sky. She hadn't heard from Jackson since he'd called that morning to say that they were leaving. And her calls to him had gone directly to voice mail.

Hopefully, they were close and the trip hadn't done more damage than good. She leaned her head against the cushion of the chair and closed her eyes.

The distant ringing of her phone pierced her consciousness. She blinked against the darkness that had enveloped the room and went for the phone on the nightstand.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby.”

“Jackson! When did you get back?”

“About twenty minutes ago. We just finished unpacking the car.”

“Are you all right?” She knew that he wasn't even as she asked.

“Feel like some company?”

“Always,” she said.

“See you soon.”

 

“She said she did it because of me, Zoe,” he spoke quietly into the dimly lit bedroom. “I feel responsible.”

Zoe squeezed his hand as they lay side by side in her bed. “There is no way you could have known. You can't blame yourself, Jack.” She turned onto her side. His outline was framed by the moonlight. She caressed his cheek. “Everyone made choices. Now they have to live with them. Carla can blame you all she wants, but in the end the choice was hers alone. Hers and Travis's. The only person's actions you can be responsible for are your own. That's it.”

He turned his head to look at her. “I get that but it doesn't stop the hurt, ya know?”

“I know, baby. I know.” She rested her head on his chest.

Jackson leaned back a bit and lifted her chin. His dark gaze skimmed over her face that to him was growing more beautiful everyday. “I'm falling in love with you, Zoe.” The words tumbled from his mouth like a prayer.

Zoe felt her heart jump. Her lips parted to speak, to tell him what had been born in her spirit but his mouth captured hers. And as she turned herself over to him she knew she heard the words echo in her soul, words that she didn't speak.

He knows
.

“W
hat am I going to do without you for three whole months?” Sharlene asked as they walked along the racks of their favorite boutique, Parade.

Zoe wanted to pick up some clothes suitable for New York nightlife, so she and Sharlene met after work to do some much needed shopping.

“Stay busy and keep Ray busy. How is that going, anyway?”

“I really like him. Great guy. Easy going. Settled. Great in bed,” she added with a wicked laugh. “And you're going to have Mr. Hot and Bothered all to yourself for three months.
And
they're putting you up in a condo. How lucky is that?”

Zoe beamed inside. Since she'd met Jackson,
her life had been like a fairy tale come true. He awakened something in her that had been dormant.
Love
. And everything he touched in her life became golden. She felt alive when she was with him and ached when they were apart.

“You want me to drive you guys to the airport in the morning?”

“No. We're going to take a car service.” She took a short black cocktail dress from the rack and held it up. “What do you think?”

“I think Jackson Treme has got a whole lotta trouble on his hands.”

Zoe grinned. “I think I'll take it.”

 

Zoe's stomach was a mass of butterflies as she packed her suitcase. This was a big step on a lot of levels, for her career and for her relationship with Jackson. She had the opportunity to make a real name for herself in the arts industry. If she was successful, the sky was the limit as to what she could do next. And for the next three months she and Jackson would actually be living together. Waking up and sleeping with each other, every day. What if it was a disaster? What if they realized that it was all a terrible mistake? What if he realized that he didn't love her after all?

She wouldn't go there. She wasn't going to sabotage everything with negative thinking. She pulled in a breath of resolve. She was going to be open, receptive, give in to her real feelings and see where
it took her. But what frightened her most was that everything that her grandmother predicted was coming true. And if everything else was true…

She picked up a blouse, looked at it then tossed it aside in favor of another. She was sorting through her toiletries when the phone rang. Crossing to the other side of the bed, she sat down and picked up the cordless phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Ma. How are you?” She tucked the phone between her cheek and shoulder and returned to her packing.

“I wanted to wish you a safe flight.”

“Thank you.”

“All the plans are underway for your party. You will be back in time, won't you?”

“Yes, I'll be back the first week in August if everything goes right.”

“It will,” she said with meaning. “How are things going with your young man?”

“Fine. He's…coming with me to New York.”

“Oh, for a visit?”

“No, he'll be staying with me while I'm there.”

Silence hung on the line.

“Oh. Do you think that's wise?”

Zoe's neck jerked back. “Wise? What do you mean, do I think it's wise?”

“I mean is it appropriate for you to be staying with a man…who's not your husband?”

Zoe shook her head in shocked disbelief. “I don't mean any disrespect, Ma, but that's none of your business. And you're the last person who should have anything to say about appropriate behavior,” she snapped. “You don't even know who my father is!”

The painful arrow of truth hit its mark and Zoe could feel it reverberate through the phone. She felt sick. No matter what kind of relationship she had with her mother, she'd never been disrespectful. No matter how much she'd disappointed her, failed on her promises. Zoe always remembered what Nana told her.
That's your mother. And you respect your mother
.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.”

“Yes…you should have. I owe you so much, Zoe. And I owe you the truth.”

Zoe's heart began to thunder. She slowly sat down on the side of her bed.

“When you get back, when you come home…we'll talk. Okay? Will you give me that?”

Her throat was so tight she could barely get the word out. “Yes.”

 

Jackson got out of the cab and helped Zoe to her feet. The driver got out and helped them take their bags out of the trunk. And much like typical tourists visiting New York, their eyes went skyward to the towering buildings that cut across the skyline.

“Gotta be impressed,” Jackson commented, taking out his wallet to pay the driver.

“Yeah,” Zoe said in awe, watching the yellow cabs fly down the busy streets, and the stylish pedestrians walking and talking on cell phones, oblivious to the swell of activity that would put most out-of-towners into overdrive.

The doorman of the full-service condominium met them at the curb with a cart to take their bags.

Jackson and Zoe looked at each other in wide-eyed amusement.

“I could get used to this,” Jackson whispered in her ear as they followed the doorman inside.

“What floor?” He turned to ask them.

“Twenty,” Zoe replied. “Twenty-two hundred.”

“Yes, ma'am, the penthouse suite.”

Zoe and Jackson snatched a glance at each other and mouthed “penthouse.”

They followed the doorman to the bank of elevators and tried to contain their excitement. He stuck a special key in the panel and the doors swooshed shut.

Exiting on the twentieth floor the elevator opened directly onto the suite.

“Where would you like your bags, sir?”

Jackson was momentarily taken aback by the sheer luxury of the space. “Uh, you can leave them by the couch. Thank you.” He dug in his jacket pocket for his wallet.

“That won't be necessary sir. It's all covered in
the HOA fees. You can pick up your elevator key at the front desk. And if there is anything you need, just pick up the white house phone.”

“Thank you,” Zoe was able to manage.

He dipped his head. “Enjoy your day.”

The instant the elevator door closed behind him, Zoe and Jackson whooped in delight. He swept her up and spun her around in a circle.

“I can't believe this place,” she said breathlessly. She walked across the open living space, the sound of her heels clicking across the gleaming hardwood floors that ran throughout the apartment. The window rose to the ceiling and looked out on the magnificent skyline of Manhattan. The kitchen opened onto the entertainment area and was totally high-end; stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and an L-shaped island.

The furnishings in the living room were straight out of HGTV's
Selling New York
. Now, Zoe knew her art and so did Jackson. The pieces that hung on the walls they both agreed were originals and so were the sculptures that sat atop the stone fireplace and the glass-and-chrome shelving unit.

“Let's see the rest,” Zoe said, taking Jackson's hand and walking down a short hallway. Double doors opened onto the master suite.

“Oh, my goodness,” Zoe breathed, stepping into a fairy tale.

The centerpiece was the king-size bed overflowing with pillows in a variety of sizes and a multitude
of color on a brilliant white overstuffed comforter. To the side was small sitting nook and the entire opposite wall was a massive walk-in closet.

“What's through here?” Jackson walked to another set of doors that opened onto what was no less than a spa bathroom.

“Okay, I'm done,” Zoe said looking around in wonder at the double sink, overhead cabinets, massive glass shower with a rain showerhead and then there was the Jacuzzi tub.

“This is unbelievable. Who lives here?” Jackson asked, testing out the high-end faucets.

“Chairman Lang said that it's leased to the museum for short and long-term guests.” She peeked inside one of the cabinets to find row upon row of towels and milled soaps and shampoos.

Jackson wandered out of the bath and turned the corner to find another bedroom and a smaller but no less exquisite bathroom. The next door opened onto a fully-equipped home office.

Zoe caught up with him in the hallway. She propped her hand on her hip. “So, uh, what do you think of the accommodations?” she asked.

“I think we're going to have to flip for the Jacuzzi!”

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked into his eyes. “I'm happy you're here with me.”

“So am I.” He kissed her lightly.

“And I can't wait to check out that king-size bed.”

 

Eager to explore the city during the day, they changed clothes, checked in with the front desk for the passkey for the elevator and ventured out.

The condo wasn't far from the museum, situated on East 88th Street and Madison Avenue. They walked over to Fifth Avenue, marveling at the shops along the famous avenue that they'd seen in magazines and on television and the amazing amount of people out shopping in the middle of a weekday. So much for a tight economy when it came to New Yorkers, Jackson had commented.

They found a little outdoor bistro and stopped for soup and sandwiches then they walked over to the Guggenheim.

“This is it,” Zoe said as they stood outside the ornate doors.

Jackson draped his arm around her shoulder. “You're going to do a fantastic job,” he said, sensing her trepidation.

“You think so?”

“I know it.” He kissed her forehead. “Come on, let's get back to our lap of luxury and relax. You have a busy day tomorrow.”

 

And it was. From the moment she walked through the door the following morning it was non-stop activity. She met with the staff, got a tour of the facility and was thrown directly into her new temporary job. She spent the better part of the day
reviewing what pieces the museum currently had in house and going over the budget and what grants were outstanding. By the time her day was over she was totally exhausted and was thrilled to see Jackson waiting for her in the lobby.

She walked right up to him and kissed him fully on the lips. “I'm so glad to see you.”

He put his arm around her and they walked out.

“How did it go today?”

“Tiring and exciting. There's so much to do in a little bit of time.”

“You can handle it. That's why they chose you and not someone else.”

She leaned against him while they walked. “Yes, they did, didn't they.” She looked up at him and smiled with a renewed confidence, feeling deep within that with Jackson in her corner, she could accomplish anything.