The Inn at Dead Man's Point (16 page)

Cara and Nick were two of the happiest people he knew, because they’d made a conscious decision not to let money come between them. Nick was a proud man, and Cara never threw her money in his face. She quietly helped the family, like sending Al to college and setting up a college fund for all the Donatelli kids. If someone needed something, she was always there, but she didn’t flaunt her wealth. Nick and Cara were equals in every way that mattered.

They already had three kids, and now that they were expecting another baby, you’d think someone had handed Nick the most precious gift imaginable. Al wondered what it would feel like to have the woman he loved give him that kind of gift.

If Jenna left, he might never find out.

<>

Mattie lay in the nursing home, sleepy from the pain medicine they kept her on. Her arm didn’t hurt nearly as much now that she’d had the surgery. The nurses said it was healing nicely. After it healed and she could take care of herself, she’d move back home to the inn.

She didn’t need Jenna.

She didn’t need anyone.

<>

Sophia met Phillip at the parking lot by the park at seven, as usual. He’d bought a house nearby, but he hadn’t moved in yet. He was having Nick’s company remodel it. The big house in Canterwood, the one he’d shared with his wife, had been sold, and he’d moved into an apartment until the work was done on the house overlooking Gig Harbor bay.

Her clothes were getting looser and she felt healthier from the fresh air and exercise. Phillip was looking better, too. The first day they’d walked a short distance, but they’d increased that gradually until they were walking most of the way around the harbor and back three days a week.

They’d talked about their spouses until there was nothing else to say, and Phillip talked a little about his law practice. He’d been practicing law for a number of years, and now his oldest son was gradually taking over the business. Phillip had older clients he’d kept, like Mattie Worthington, people who didn’t want to deal with a younger attorney, but he was working less and less these days. That gave him more time to be with Sophia, and she welcomed the companionship.

She’d been devoted to her kids since Vincent died, but they were all grown up now, all married and happy except Alessandro, and he would be married soon. He was madly in love with Jenna and he treated little Katie as if she were his own.

Helping with her grandchildren, cooking for the family, and being an advisor when they needed to talk gave her a lot of pleasure. She thought it was enough until she met Phillip. Having a wonderful friend and companion, someone she could talk to about anything, filled the hole in her spirit left empty after Vincent died.

“Sophia, how about dinner Friday night? There’s a new restaurant I want to try.”

“Sounds good to me.” They’d gone out or she’d cooked nearly every Friday since the night she’d cooked dinner for him. It had become a habit she looked forward to.

She threaded her arm through his as they walked around the harbor. He put his hand over hers and smiled.

How she loved spending time with this man.

<>

Wednesday morning, while Alessandro worked upstairs, Jenna left a note on the kitchen counter and strapped Katie into her car seat. It was past time to go to Seattle and check on her apartment. Aside from two quick trips to check on the mail, she hadn’t been back since she’d moved to the inn. She should be home in plenty of time for Katie’s nap.

Katie chattered about Sophie, and Jenna smiled. She’d had friends at pre-school, but she’d never connected with another kid like she had with Sophie. Nick and Cara’s little mop-headed daughter was adorable, and she and Katie were good together. It would be cruel to break them apart at this point, but Jenna had scoured the local newspaper for jobs and found nothing she could qualify for that would pay enough to support them. Since Brian and his parents had stopped paying child support, she had to find a good job with decent benefits.

As she pulled into the apartment complex parking lot, she spotted Brian’s SUV. Was he living here now? She parked and released Katie from her car seat. “Looks like Daddy is here, Katie.”

As soon as she unlocked the front door, she knew he wasn’t alone. Sounds of love-making came from the bedroom. He had another woman in
her
bed. Not that Jenna wanted to be in there with him, but the thought that he was
with
some woman in her bed made her very uncomfortable.

Katie called, “Daddy,” and the bedroom grew quiet. Jenna held onto Katie’s hand, so she didn’t run in there.

After several seconds of silence, Brian called, “Jenna? Are you here?”

“Yep. Right here in the living room with Katie.”

“You could have knocked or something.”

Or something
was right. How long had he been living here with whoever that was in there with him? The furniture had been rearranged and there were fresh flowers on the kitchen table. He and his girlfriend were making themselves right at home.

She sat down on the sofa and thumbed through the mail. There were no utility bills, so she assumed Brian had paid them. Was that what happened to her child support? Had Brian been using it to live on?

He came out of the bedroom barefoot, his hair mussed, and lipstick on his face. “Having a good time, Brian?”

“I was until you got here.”

“Someone new?”

“Uh... Jenna, you said I could stay here.”

“Yes, I did. I just came to check the mail and see if I still had an apartment. Do I still have an apartment, Brian?”

“I thought you were living in Gig Harbor.”

“I was, but if I can’t find a job there, I plan to move back at the end of the week. Is that a problem?”

“Hell, yes, it’s a problem. I’m paying the rent. That means I get to live here.”

She sighed deeply. He’d found a new girlfriend and moved her in for the duration. It could be a week, a month, or six months, but Brian’s affairs never lasted much longer than that.

A pretty girl with long black hair came out of the bedroom. She looked like a college cheerleader. He introduced her as Gabriella. “Look, Jenna, you have to give us time to find another place. The gay nerd will let you stay at the inn, won’t he?”

She looked him in the eye and told him what she knew he didn’t want to hear. “Alessandro Donatelli is not gay.”

“How do you know?”

Jenna lifted her chin. “How do you think I know?”

“Dammit, Jenna. I told you not to do that stuff around my daughter.”

“And I told you not to let your father smoke around her. Did he tell you she ended up at Urgent Care that evening?” Brian wasn’t there when she’d picked up Katie. He probably hadn’t been there since she’d dropped her off three hours earlier.

Brian’s eyes widened. “No.”

“Katie is not going to your father’s house again, and speaking of your father, I need some child support, Brian.”

“Isn’t my old man paying it?”

“Nobody is paying it.” She stood. “I’m going back to Gig Harbor. If I can’t find a job this week, I’ll call so you can move out. Okay?”

“Not until the end of the month, Jenna.” He reached in his pocket and handed her two hundred dollars. “It’s all the cash I have on me. If you’ll give me until the end of the month, I’ll send you a thousand more.”

She took the money. “Fine. End of the month. I’ll expect a check by Friday.”

After taking Katie to the bathroom, they headed back to Gig Harbor. “Katie Bug, it looks like you get to spend a few more days with your kitty friends.”

And Alessandro.

<>

Jenna spent the afternoon on the phone, calling the help wanted ads in the newspapers. She found a job in the Bremerton area that she’d qualify for, but it didn’t pay enough to live on even if she was still getting child support, which she wasn’t.

It was nearly nine that evening when she got a phone call from Cara. “Jenna, sorry to be calling so late, but I just now got Johnny to sleep. He’s had an upset tummy today, so he wanted me to hold him.

“I understand you’ve done office work before, and I’m desperate for an assistant. Teresa has been working for me for several years, and she thought she could return after the babies were born, but she’s got her hands full. I could put an ad in the newspaper, but I don’t have the time or patience to interview people, and I hate to hire someone I don’t know. Would you be interested in the job?”

“Did Alessandro put you up to this?”

“Al mentioned to Nick that you were looking for work, and the timing is perfect. I thought I could get along without an assistant, but there’s an important meeting coming up in California at the end of the month, and I need to be ready for it. With three kids and a queasy stomach, I’m getting behind.”

Jenna wanted to scream
Yes!
but she knew Alessandro had arranged this.

“I’ll pay the going rate and I have a benefit package for all my employees. The hours won’t be regular, and I’ll want you to travel to California with me from time to time. Katie can come along. The staff at the estate watches the kids while I’m working there.”

She sounded serious. Maybe this wasn’t about Alessandro. “You’re serious about this job?”

“Serious and desperate. I need you, Jenna.”

“Then we’ll give it a try, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll leave. No hard feelings.”

“That’s good enough for me. When can you start?”

“As soon as I find a daycare or school for Katie.”

“Bring Katie along for now. Sophia’s here. She and Bridget watch the kids while I’m working. How about nine tomorrow morning, here at the house?”

“I’ll be there. Thanks, Cara.”

Jenna hung up and let out a loud whoop. She had a job.

Alessandro trotted down the stairs. “Something happen?”

“I’m going to work for Cara.” She playfully slapped his arm. “As if you didn’t know.”

He grinned. “I didn’t, but I’m not surprised.”

She told him about Brian taking over her apartment. “He won’t stay forever, but in the meantime, I don’t have an apartment.”

“You don’t need it now. You can stay right here.” He kissed her and whispered, “Let’s celebrate.”

Jenna cocked her head and looked him up and down. She knew what he had in mind, and she was more than ready. She turned on the old radio in the living room and twisted the dial until she found good dancing music. Moving to the music, she strolled over to Alessandro and draped her arms around his neck, so close she could feel his erection. “It doesn’t take much to...” She gently bumped him there. “. . . excite you, does it?”

Al growled low in his throat and moved slowly to the music, one hand on her ass and the other threaded through her soft hair. He brushed his lips across hers and whispered, “Kiss me, woman.” He should have brought some condoms downstairs. If she was going to tease him like this down here, they’d never make it up to his bed. He wanted to throw her down on the rug, rip her clothes off, and bury himself deep inside her.

Still holding her behind against him, he slid his hand under her shirt and released her breasts. Brushing his hand over her nipples brought a moan, but he wasn’t rushing it tonight. Tonight, he wanted to bring her along slowly and make her beg for it. She was so responsive and she gave so much of herself, he wondered if he could hold himself back that long.

They danced around the living room, moving as one, so close they could have shared the same heartbeat, and then the song on the radio changed to a bouncy tune. He turned it off and they walked upstairs together, stopping every few steps for a kiss. They looked in on Katie and continued to the end of the hallway, to his bedroom.

To an unforgettable night of slow, sweet passion.

<>

Jenna woke to a little girl calling, “Mommmy.” Alessandro was still sleeping in bed beside her.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Katie.” Jenna glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed. It was already eight o’clock, and she had to be at Cara’s at nine. Making love half the night before starting a new job was probably not the best thing to do, she thought as she rushed around to get ready in time.

At six minutes to nine, she strapped Katie in the car and drove to Cara’s house. It wasn’t far, and they were only a minute late when they arrived. Sophia met them at the door and took Katie down to Sophie’s room to play.

Jenna followed Cara into her office, which was on the top level of the house. It was fully equipped with two computers, a fax and copier, bookshelves, file cabinets, and a big window seat that overlooked the water. It looked like a comfortable sitting room instead of an office. Working in here would be a pleasure.

“Teresa kept a notebook of information. She called it her bible.” Cara opened drawers in the desk. “Ah, here it is.” She handed it to Jenna.

They sat at the round table in the corner and talked about Cara’s estate, about the office she kept in San Francisco for her investment staff, the foundation she’d established in her mother’s name, and the art museum she’d had built to display her grandfather’s art collection. “I hold quarterly meetings with the board members of the Monica Andrews Foundation to review what we’re funding, who is requesting money for what, and so forth. Mary Margaret McMillen, who heads the foundation, sends me information to review before the meetings, and it’s usually enough reading material to keep me busy for a month. I don’t have time to read it all before the next meeting, so I need help with that.”