Marrying Mister Perfect (24 page)

“I know you didn’t like my decision to do
this show, but I’ll ask you to be civil to my guest,” she said to
her father.

Mr. Henrickson muttered something that
sounded like, “Worse than your mother.”

“I heard that, Frank Henrickson,” came a
drawl from the vicinity of the kitchen where Mrs. Henrickson was
slicing her famous pecan pie.

Frank winced and turned to Jack with his
teeth bared in a parody of a smile. “How have you enjoyed
Murphysboro, Jack?”

Jack seized the olive branch with both hands.
“It’s a lovely town, Mr. Henrickson. I’m very grateful to Marcy for
showing me around today.”

“I’m surprised she remembered the way around
herself,” Mr. Henrickson muttered. “Running around on the show for
weeks at a time and forgetting everyone she left behind.”

Marcy rolled her eyes and mouthed “I’m sorry”
at Jack, but he had to admit, he didn’t mind Mr. Henrickson’s bark.
He liked the older man, his fight and the obvious affection for his
daughter. Jack could do worse than to marry into the Henrickson
clan, if he hadn’t had his heart set on making ties with the
Tanners.

Jack smiled at Frank Henrickson, determined
to enjoy the evening, end it quickly, and call Lou.

Miranda had given him back his cell phone
before he headed to the Henrickson house, telling him he was
allowed one call as long as he kept his mic on.

He might not be able to get things settled or
talk about how they felt, but he had to at least hear Lou’s voice
and try to get some hint how she was feeling.

Had that kiss been as electric and
life-changing for her as it had been for him? Why had she rushed
off so quickly, almost using Emma as a barrier to keep him at
bay?

One horrible thought wouldn’t leave his mind.
What if she thought that kiss had been a horrible mistake? What if
she was still expecting him to bring home a replacement bride and
free her to roam the world without him? He could easily go through
to the end and not choose anyone and go home only to find that Lou
wanted to leave because he’d made a pass at her in the Jacuzzi.
They’d both been drinking. What if it had just been lust and now
she regretted it?

He needed to talk to her.

#

“I’m sorry about Daddy. I think he was
playing it up for the cameras some. He isn’t usually quite such a
bear. At least not so obviously.”

Hand-in-hand, Jack and Marcy strode down the
front walk of her parents’ house toward the cars waiting in a row
on the narrow street. The cameraman in front of them backpedaled
quickly to keep them in the shot while another crew trotted
alongside. A third camera on a tripod at the edge of the lawn
captured their progression from a wider angle. Just another day in
the life of Mr. Perfect.

“I liked him,” Jack said honestly. “He
obviously loves you. What father wouldn’t worry about his daughter
doing a show like this? There’s a lot of opportunity for
heartache.”

Marcy paused, tugging him to a stop with
their joined hands. She glanced at the cameras hovering nearby and
stepped closer, lowering her voice. The microphones would probably
still catch their conversation, but it was all the privacy they
were going to get.

“Is your heart going to ache, Jack? I got the
impression today you aren’t really in this anymore. Did something
change?”

The woman was too perceptive by half. “I…”
What was he supposed to say? Could he admit it? Tell her about
Lou?

Marcy shook her head and raised her hand palm
out in a stop sign. “You don’t have to tell me. If you like one of
the other girls more than me, if you’ve developed genuine feelings
for someone, I don’t want to stand in the way of that. I really
like you, Jack. I might even be talked into falling in love with
you if you wanted me to, but I don’t get the sense that you do. And
if you…” She hesitated, searching for words, which was something
Marcy so rarely did, he found himself paying even closer attention
when she continued in a low, serious murmur. “If you know who
you’re going to walk off into the sunset with now, and you want
someone else to take along with you to the end who you won’t feel
guilty leaving standing there… I’m just trying to tell you I won’t
get my heart broken if I come in second.”

For a minute, Jack said nothing. He wasn’t
sure what he was contractually allowed to say.

Marcy gave him a wry little smile. “I know
you’re not allowed to tell me, one way or the other. And I know I’m
supposed to be throwing myself at you with my heart wide open, but
I get the impression that’s not what you want anymore. So maybe you
could give me a sign?”

Jack glanced at the cameras and mic booms
hanging around them. “I really like you, Marcy,” he told her,
projecting for the sound guys. “You’re very
perceptive
and
understanding
. I can definitely see us going a long way
together.”

Her smile lit her face, filled with so much
relief he doubted she’d ever really been that interested in falling
in love with him. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Marcy might
be one of the girls who wasn’t there for the Right Reasons, but she
certainly looked like she had her heart set on starring in
Mister Perfect
’s companion show,
Romancing Miss Right
next season.

“I can’t tell you what a weight has just been
lifted off my shoulders,” she gushed. “I’m happy to hear… how much
you like me, Jack.”

She pulled him into a hug and when they drew
back, her smile had a mischievous, secretive edge. They both knew
half that conversation would end up on the cutting room floor. The
editors would make it look like they’d had an intense
I-really-want-to-confess-my-love-but-I-can’t-yet moment together.
The hug would be shown from an angle where it might be mistaken for
a passionate kiss.

She’d said a weight had been lifted and his
own load had definitely been lightened. He felt so much better
having a partner in crime. Someone who would wink at him during the
Elimination Ceremony. Someone whose feelings he didn’t have to
crush when it finally came time to say goodbye.

Jack slung his arm around her shoulders and
they walked together to the cars that would separate them for the
night. Tomorrow they would meet back in LA for the Elimination
Ceremony.

The day after that, he would see Lou.

But he couldn’t wait that long to talk to
her. He needed to hear her voice. He needed to hear that she didn’t
think kissing him in the hot tub was the single biggest mistake of
her life. He felt like a teenager who’d just scored a date with his
dream girl and expected to find out it was all a cruel hoax.

As soon as Marcy was tucked into her car, he
walked quickly back to the SUV that would carry him to the airport,
pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked. When the
segment producer frowned, he flashed his devoted father smile.
“Just wanna check in with the kids before it gets past their
bedtime,” he explained.

The producer gave a slight nod and Jack hit
the speed dial. One ring. Two…

“Hello?” She sounded breathless—and
heavenly—like she’d just run in from outside to grab the phone.

“Lou.” For a second all he managed to say was
her name. Memories of the last time he’d seen her flooded his
brain. That skimpy red bikini, the miles of smooth skin, the way
her blondish hair curled at her nape from the humidity. His blood
heated at just the thought. Man, he was a goner.

“Jack. Uh, hi. Um… how was your week?”

“Long. I missed you.”

“We miss you too!” she exclaimed, her tone
way too bright and way too fake. “Would you like to talk to the
kids? They’re right here. TJ’s been dying to tell you about his
friend Joey’s frog.”

TJ had been wheedling for a pet for a long
time. He kept a detailed list of which of his peers had animals
they cared for to prove he was not, in fact, too young for the
responsibility. That wasn’t what concerned Jack. What bothered him
was the forced, stilted way Lou was fobbing him off on the kids. As
if she couldn’t bear to talk to him for another second. His stomach
clenched nervously.

“Lou...”

“Here’s TJ!”

He heard a momentary fumbling and then his
son’s voice piped through the line. “Hey, Dad. Did you know frogs
are one of the easiest pets to care for? You can look it up. And
Joey says his frog…”

Jack listened with half an ear to his son’s
sales pitch while the majority of his brain searched for
explanations for Lou’s awkwardness. Explanations that did not
involve her being mad at him for molesting her last weekend.

TJ finally wound down and Jack promised they
would discuss the intricacies of frogs again when he got home day
after next. Emma was next, but her part of the conversation didn’t
last long—she’d hadn’t really gotten the knack of phone
conversations. When his daughter chirruped goodbye, he heard Lou
again.

“So, uh, nothing much to report here,” she
said, exaggeratedly casual. “You had a good week then?”

“Long,” he repeated. “I’ve been wanting to
call you for days. I wanted to talk about—”

“You sound like you’ve been really busy. Us
too! You know how crazy it can get around here. And I know what an
important week this is for you. Meeting all the in-laws.”

“You can always call—”

“No, no. I figured you would call when you
were free. And you did! So there you go.”

“Lou, we need to ta—”

“I better get the kids to bed. School night
and all. But I’ll see you soon, right? Just a couple days. TJ’s
been wanting to go to the corn maze. Maybe you can take the kids
with one of your Suitorettes when they come visit next week. Give
the kids a chance to have fun with them, her, whoever. Right.
Bedtime! Bye, Jack.”

The call disconnected suddenly and Jack
dropped the phone to his lap, dropping his head back against the
SUV’s headrest. That had not gone well. Lou was cheery as all hell,
but every bright and sunny word out of her mouth had increased his
nerves. She hadn’t let him get a word in edgewise. She didn’t want
to hear what he had to say about last weekend.

Lou didn’t want to talk to him.

That could only be a bad sign. Jack
swore.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

“I talked to Jack last night.”

Kelly dropped the plates she’d been clearing
into the sink so suddenly they would have shattered if they hadn’t
been made of twin-proof material. She pivoted and pinned Lou with
an eager gaze. “And? Did he say he loves you?”

“No.”

Kelly visibly deflated. “No?”

Lou closed her eyes, reliving that awful
phone call. She’d been half-longing for half-dreading Jack’s call
all week. She’d almost considered not answering, but the kids had
been home and wanting to talk to their dad and she hadn’t been able
to deny them. If only that hadn’t meant that
she
had to talk
to him. God, had it ever been awkward. “When he first called, he
just said my name and then there was this long silence. Like he was
waiting for me to apologize for jumping him last weekend or
something.”

“I’m sure that isn’t…”

“Dead silence, Kel. No ‘I adore you’, no ‘I’m
so glad we kissed.’ Nada.”

Kelly rallied, quick to jump to the best
conclusion. “Maybe he was nervous too.”

“About what? That I’d reject him? He’s Mr.
Perfect, for crying out loud! Who rejects Mr. Perfect?”

“Jessica from Season Two.”

“That was a rhetorical question, Kel. And
Jack has never seen Season Two, so he can’t be worried about me
pulling a Jessica.”

“So what did you say?” Kelly asked. She
abandoned all pretense of doing dishes and sat next to Lou at the
table.

Lou groaned. She’d been an idiot. An
unqualified idiot. “I told him he should take the kids to the corn
maze with one his perfect Suitorettes and that I didn’t have the
right to expect calls from him. Or something like that.”

Kelly’s face fell. “Oh, Lou. That’s awful.
He’s going to think you don’t want him.”

Lou steeled her jaw. “I’ve been thinking
maybe that’s a good thing. We got carried away in the Jacuzzi and
things happened that shouldn’t have happened. If we’re going to
have a relationship, we have to go into it without our eyes open,
not just because we’re both so drunk and horny we grab the first
available body. We have to consider the kids. A relationship
between us is bound to impact them. Especially if it doesn’t work
out. If we don’t have the same vision for our future, if I think
we’re happily ever after and he thinks we’re friends with benefits…
I just can’t take that, Kelly, and I can’t do that to the kids. I
need to know he’s really there for me, for the long haul, and not
just because it’s convenient. I have to know that it’s real. And I
can’t know that while he’s tangled up in that damn reality TV
show.”

To Lou’s surprise, Kelly nodded slowly. She’d
expected her friend to be on the side of impulsive romance, but her
expression was sober. “You’re right.”

Hearing Kelly agree with her made Lou’s spine
sag in defeat. She’d secretly hoped Kelly would talk her back into
pursuing Jack. She wanted someone to tell her to do the
irresponsible thing and go after what she wanted. But she just
couldn’t justify it if Kelly, Ms. Romance-Conquers-All, agreed with
her.

Lou took a deep breath, trying—and failing—to
convince herself that she hadn’t just lost out on the best thing
that might ever have happened to her. “After
Marrying Mr.
Perfect
is over…”

And Jack is engaged to someone
else
…

Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Lou
sniffed them back. “After all this, if he’s free and interested,
we’ll sit down and talk about it. We’ll be adult and rational. And
if it isn’t meant to be—” The words caught in her throat.