More Nights With Kate (Jack Ryker) (9 page)

“What are you smiling about, Dad?” Brandon questioned.

“I’m just thinking back to when I was your age.”

“Wasn’t Jayne born when you were my age?” he responded
raising his eyebrows.

“Alright, I’m thinking about my first two years of
college.  Finish your lobster, punk.”

We shared a smile, and in that moment, I knew that my son
was coming into his own.  The events of the last few days had really
irritated him.  He had always been so conservative, that seeing me being
reckless made him angry and maybe even a bit jealous.  However, it may
have jolted him out of the complacent world that he had been living in for so
long.

“You know, Ellie, you and Kate could probably pass as
sisters,” I said realizing how much they both looked alike.  They both had
such beautiful eyes, similar facial features, and the same hair color.

“Hey, little sis,” Ellie said giving her a wink.  “You
and Brandon have to stop by The Cove and hang out with us some night.  It’s
a blast after dark.”

“Thanks, but Jack and I have a busy week coming up,” Kate
replied as she laid her hand on mine.

“Oh, are you two together?  I’m sorry,” Ellie replied
loudly.  “I assumed you were Brandon’s sister.”

“That would be me,” Jayne said with an amused grin on her
face.

“I’m so sorry,” Ellie whispered in my direction.

“That’s alright, it won’t be the last time that happens,” I
assured her. 

It suddenly occurred to me that not only did Ellie look like
a taller version of Kate, but Sasha was another tall blonde bombshell just like
Jackie. 
Is this the most annoying coincidence ever or did karma just
come back to bite me?  Brandon has always been a great kid, but can I
expect him to behave better than me?
  Suddenly I missed Eva, as she
would’ve tactfully handled the situation.  Since this was the first time
that I had ever seen Brandon come out of his shell, I wasn’t about to embarrass
him. 

“If you guys are coming along, you better go get whatever
you need for the night.  The helicopter will pick you up right down there
in about 45 minutes,” I instructed as Kate and I got up to leave.

He’s 24…
I kept telling myself as I walked
away. 
Hopefully, those two will go easy on him.

~~~

Kate

Jack stared off into the distance as the helicopter lifted
off.  The way the moonlight danced across the water provided a beautiful
backdrop.

“Thanks for the nice dinner,” I said to break the silence.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he replied before
retreating right back into his thoughts.

“Is everything alright?”

“I don’t know.  Both kids were so angry earlier. 
Judging by Jayne’s demeanor, she’s going to hit me with both barrels the first
chance she gets,” he postulated.

“Sorry, that’s probably my fault.  I didn’t realize she
didn’t know about your testosterone therapy.”

“What?  Why the hell were you two talking about that?”
Jack questioned with obvious irritation.

“Well, they were both grilling me about our behavior the
past few days.  It was a little out of character, so I blamed it on your
testosterone shots.  I didn’t want to take full responsibility for it.”

“I get it.  Yeah, she’s going to flip out.”

“Flip out?” I laughed.  “That’s something my dad used
to say when I was little.”

“Whig out?  Freak out? What’s the cool thing to say?”

“Definitely not Whig out… maybe freak out or go ballistic.”

“She’s going to go ballistic,” he said giving me a playful
nudge.

~~~

Jack

After touching down, Kate headed up to the Lido deck to call
her mom.  She was anticipating a tense conversation, so she wanted to make
the call from her new happy place.  I retreated to my old happy place… for
a quick cocktail.

“Lewis, my man, I’m in the mood for a double GlenDronach… no
rocks this time.”

“Mr. Jack, how have you been?  You look like the seas
are still a little rough,” he replied grabbing a snifter and the bottle.

“Oh, what would life be without a few waves?”

“You’ve got it, man.  It’s not the size of the boat;
it’s the motion of the ocean.”

“I don’t think that quote works in this case, Lewis.”

“Hey, it made you smile didn’t it?”

He was right.  I was smiling and overall everything
felt pretty damn good.  Just as my glass went dry, Brenda and Jayne came
walking in and took the seats next to me.

“Go ahead and get them what they want and then I’ll have a
double GlenDronach neat,” I told Lewis with a wink. 
I’ve been pretty
good all week.

After enjoying our cocktails and small talk for a few
minutes, Jayne hit me with the question that had been so obviously burning on
her mind.  “Why are you taking testosterone shots?”

“Because I had it tested… and it was low.”

“Does your cardiologist know about this?” she demanded as
Brenda got up and walked over to converse with Lewis.

“Yes, I talked to him before doing it and had follow-up
tests a few weeks ago.  If anything, it should have a positive effect on
my heart.  Do you think I would do something like this without consulting
him first?”

“I don’t know, Dad, you’ve been acting so strange
lately.  Doing things I never thought you would do, and now Kate tells me
that she thinks you are taking too much testosterone.  I’m not sure what
to think anymore,” she replied with teary eyes.

“It felt so good to have some vitality back; I may have
overshot a bit.  It’s hard enough for normal men to lose their
testosterone, having a deteriorating heart makes the decline even more
dramatic.  I needed a boost, Jayne.  I really needed to get out of
that funk.”

“I know, Dad, but don’t overdo it.  I know that you
like to
go big or go home
, but sometimes you need to use a little
moderation.”

“That sounds so much like my mother, and Eva, too, for that
matter.  They always balanced me out, but now Kate is much more like
me.  I guess I need to cut back a bit on the juice and use a healthier
approach.  My plan is to use aggressive exercise once I start stem cell
therapy,” I assured her.

Jayne shook her head and focused on her martini glass. “I
think you’re looking at stem cells as being another quick fix, just like a shot
of testosterone.”

“No, you’re wrong, Jayne.  What I’m looking for is a
miracle,” I whispered.  “I want a fucking miracle and a healthy heart for
the first time in 25 years.  I don’t want to slowly wither away like my
dad.  I want to live!”

“I hope you get your miracle…. I really do.  Just be careful,”
she replied tearing up once again.  “We lost Mom at such a young
age.  Neither Brandon nor I can stand the thought of losing you, too.”

I stood up, pulled Jayne to her feet and gave her a big
hug.  “You don’t have to worry, kiddo; I’m going to live to age 93.”

“I want that in writing,” she said releasing a stream of
tears against my cheek.

We heard the whir of the helicopter blades as it approached
the helipad.  Brandon and the girls were landing, so we could get underway
to Nassau.  The first thing that I noticed when they came through the
doorway was that both girls had changed into bikinis and cover-ups.  They
were all bubbly and full of life, so they were obviously going to party late
into the night. 
Ah, to be 24 again.

~~~

Kate

The conversation with Mom started out tense but actually
turned out to be quite enlightening.  Apparently, she and Jack knew each
other much better than Jack had led me to believe.  She, of course,
wouldn’t give me any details, only that he had been her first love and she had
ended up with a broken heart. 
That’s alright, I really don’t need to
know any details. 
The Jack that she described back then didn’t sound
anything like the Jack I knew.  She described him as a self-absorbed jock
who was more concerned with partying than spending time with his
girlfriend.  He had obviously changed dramatically since then.  From
everything I had heard, he was a family man who was dedicated to his wife and
kids
.  I’m not going to worry about it.

“Hey, you survived.” Jack laughed as he saw me coming down
the hallway.

“Yeah, she started out pretty mad but settled down as we
talked.  She claims that she was mad because I lied to her, not because we
are dating.  I don’t really believe that.”

“What else did she say?”

“Not much…  She claims to have known about us the day
she ran into me at Saks.  She says she didn’t buy my story for a second.”

“Cynthia is a pretty smart woman.  She’s been around
the block,” Jack replied knowingly.

“I know.  I don’t know why I even try to lie to her. 
She also told me that you two dated in college.”

Jack remained silent for a moment before saying, “What did
she have to say about that.”

“Only that you stole her virginity and left her with a
broken heart,” I replied wanting to see his reaction.

“She didn’t say that…” he replied with a gasp.

“Pretty much… she said you were kind of a playboy and she
ended up broken hearted.”

“That may be true, but I certainly didn’t steal her
virginity,” his tone turned serious.

“Okay, I made that up to get a reaction out of
you.   I honestly don’t want to know what happened between the two of
you in that department.” 
Gross.

“Well, I want you to know.  Cynthia and I got along
very well.  We had the same circle of friends, so we partied together
quite often.  Whenever we drank too much, we would usually make out and
wake up together.  It never went beyond having some fun.  After I
started dating Eva, however, your mother suddenly wanted to get serious as
well.   By then, I was so obsessed with Eva that no one could’ve pulled
me away.  Needless to say, she didn’t take it very well.  Our
friendship was strained for several years after that,” he explained while
looking me directly in the eyes.

“I can see why that would be hard.  It also explains
why my dad didn’t like you.  I’m sure he always knew how she felt about
you.” 

“It always bothered him, even though I didn’t feel the same
way.  I tried to talk to him a couple of times but to no avail.”

“Now I’m dating you.  I definitely don’t want to think
about how I would feel if I were either of them.” 
I don’t care what
Dad thinks at this point, but hopefully I can make it up to Mom.

The seriousness of the moment was interrupted by the sound
of laughter coming from Brandon’s room.  Both girls were laughing
hysterically, so I’m sure Brandon was doing something crazy.  He could
make some of the best facial expressions ever.  They were hilarious. 

“Sounds like they’re having fun, anyway,” Jack said sounding
a little envious.

“Oh, we’ll have some fun, too,” I assured him.  “It
just won’t be tonight.  I have a little too much to process at the
moment.”

“I totally understand,” Jack replied putting his arm around
me and kissing my forehead.  “I’m too old for you; your mother and I hung
out in college, and my daughter is almost three years older than you.  All
I can say is… I love you.”

“What’s more important than that?” I asked giving him a
smile.

“Nothing.”  Jack concurred, as he wrapped his arms
around me and pushed me backward through the doorway of our cabin.  “If we
both feel the same way, then nothing else should really matter should it?”

“I agree.  But it doesn’t mean I won’t have second
thoughts once in awhile, especially when it comes to my mother’s feelings.”

“I understand, but it’s not like your mother and I would’ve
ever gotten together.  Time passed us by years ago.”

“I know, but I just want to see her happy,” I told him
feeling the weight on my heart.

“Happiness is a choice, Kate.  If she chooses to be happy,
she will have a much better chance of finding someone to spend the rest of her
life with.  If she holds onto the pain and bitterness that your father
caused, it’s unlikely she will ever move beyond her current situation,” he
reasoned.

“I know she wants to move on, but it’s hard to do.  He
disappointed her so many times,” I replied, thinking back to all of the broken
promises over the years.

“That’s why she needs to let go.  He made her life
miserable, but now he’s gone.  She shouldn’t give him another day or even
another moment.”

“Can we have lunch with her next time we’re in the city?”

“Of course, I still consider her one of my oldest
friends.  As long as she isn’t hostile, I have no problem taking her to
lunch.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“You’re welcome.  Now let’s get comfortable, it’s been
a long night.”

Jack stepped behind me, reached around and began unbuttoning
my blouse.  Even though I still had a million different thoughts running
through my mind, his touch felt good.  He slowly worked his way down while
kissing the side of my neck. 
He knows exactly how to get to me
. 

“Is this helping to clear your mind?” he whispered.

“It’s a start,” I replied as a smile crossed my lips.

Just as my tension began to melt, there was a pounding at
our door.  “Dad, are you awake?” Brandon yelled.

“Yes, what’s up?” Jack answered, as startled as me.

“Sorry to bother you, but is there a different hot tub that
we can use?”

Jack had to laugh at the request.  “Yes, at the rear of
the main deck.  I’m sure the one on the Lido deck has already been drained
and cleaned as well.”

“We’ll use the other one, thanks.”

“Alright, Brandon, have fun,” he said rolling his eyes.

I excused myself to the bathroom.  Any romantic
encounter would have to wait for a more opportune time.  Not only was I
feeling distracted, but as the sounds of Brandon and the girls faded down the
corridor, Jack’s thoughts were elsewhere as well. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Jack.  Brandon is a pretty
smart guy,” I assured him.

“I know.  I just don’t trust those girls, especially
the blonde.”

“She reminds you of Jackie, too, huh?”

“Exactly.”

Jack

In some ways, it was great having the kids onboard the yacht
with us, but in other ways, it made things feel rather awkward.  I was
suddenly thrust back to the role of being a concerned father instead of having
fun with Kate.  It felt really strange being in such close quarters.

I woke up about 3:30 am, and things were eerily quiet. 
I couldn’t resist the urge to get up and check things out.  Slipping on a
pair of sweats, I quietly made my way out into the hallway.  After
standing there for a few seconds, there was definitely no sound coming from
Brandon’s room.  I walked down the corridor toward the back of the
ship.  As I descended the staircase, I was a bit relieved to find Brandon
wrapped up in a blanket on one of the couches. 
That’s the Brandon I
know and love.  He’s still more like Eva than me.
  He had been
acting so out of character earlier in the evening, that it had bothered me the
rest of the night. 

He stirred as I covered him up with a thicker blanket.
“What’s up?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came to check on you.  I wanted
to make sure you were behaving.”

“I always behave.  You know that.”

“You do, and that impresses me.  You came home with two
beautiful women, who were both flirting with you, and somehow you have the will
power to sleep on the couch.”

“Well, I have to admit… it was a combination of tequila, the
hot tub and the ocean waves that landed me on this couch.  I sent the
girls to the room just before I lost my dinner over the railing.”

“Ahhh, that happens to all of us at one time or
another.  Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’m fine as long as I stay propped up a little. 
Otherwise, everything starts to spin again,” he replied with a sour look on his
face.  “I’m not so sure I could’ve handled both of those girls anyway,” he
smirked.

“I was wondering about that.  The couch was probably a
wise choice, but there are two open cabins at the end of the hall if you want
one.”