The Perfect Storm (The Blake Boys Book 6) (13 page)

After Sam suggested Bubba’s impromptu tackle may mean he wasn’t truly over the situation, J.J. felt compelled to talk to him again. He couldn’t risk letting any lingering jealousy come between them. Bubba acknowledged that there were old feelings of jealousy from high school, when all the girls wanted J.J. but Bubba was just too shy to talk to any of them. He told him that Sam represented an ideal, which he’d ultimately failed to follow through on. She was beautiful and smart, the kind of woman who turned heads and commanded respect. But she just wasn’t the one.

J.J. returned to the office ready to tackle the rest of the day. He was headed to New York with Seth to do the interview on
Sports Now
.

“Anna Beth, I brought you back a piece of that red velvet cake you love.” J.J. set the bag on his executive assistant’s desk.

She turned around, the stricken look on Anna Beth’s face meant something was terribly wrong.

“Are you OK?” J.J. went over to her and put a hand on her forehead.

Anna Beth closed her eyes and sighed.

“If you’re not feeling well, go home.”

“It’s not that. I have some distressing news. I was internet surfing on my lunch break and I came across something I don’t think you’ll like.”

“What’s that?” He was used to seeing inflammatory things online about one of his brothers. It was the price one paid for being famous. He hoped it was nothing derogatory about Tate’s engagement. His fans understood but some were still seething that his latest CD wasn’t the panty dropper they were expecting.

Anna Beth pulled up the site and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The entertainment news post was dated today, and the headline read:

Eden Masterson-Blake Joins the Cast of the New Reality Show, Texas Tycoons Ex-Wives

He didn’t bother to read the article. Right now he was trying not to lose his cool. What the hell was Eden thinking?

“Anna Beth, get my divorce attorney on the phone.” He yanked on his tie and went into his office.

Two hours later he was sitting with a scotch in hand, looking out the office window. The divorce attorney assured him that Eden appearing in a reality show was a blatant violation of their lengthy divorce settlement, and that everyone involved in the production would be put on notice. It did little to appease him, because he knew that Eden would just find another way to get his attention. He knew her well enough to know the campaign to get his attention started with the phone calls he wouldn’t answer. Then the governor’s garden party with that jerk Dax and the anniversary diamonds. She had to know that once she started playing that game, that he’d lose any interest in discussing anything.

* * *

J.J. watched as the camera crew made final preparations for the interview. He hadn’t done one in a while, but one look at Seth’s calm demeanor and he felt at ease. This part of the job always seemed tiresome to him, but he was proud of Seth for always handling situations with finesse.

“You OK?” Seth said as he took a seat.

“Yeah. It’s just been a while since I’ve been in front of the camera.”

“You get interviewed all the time.” Seth laughed.

“And I always stray from the topic of football.” J.J. smiled.

The interviewer, Tom Sherman, entered the room and introduced himself. J.J. knew of the sportscaster and appreciated the tact he’d taken with his comments after the accident. Many other reporters relentlessly flooded the gate of his Colorado home hoping to get a shot of him in a wheelchair. The press became so obnoxious that he’d moved back to Texas for his rehabilitation. Eden hadn’t been happy about it, but he knew the serenity of the ranch would help him heal.

“Seth, John, good to see you. It’s a rare treat to do an interview with two great quarterbacks from the same family.” Tom shook both their hands. A few minutes later he began the interview.

“I am here today with the infamous Blake Boys. John and Seth Blake are part of a football dynasty that has seen some legendary moments. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him for an extensive interview after he renewed his contract with the Philadelphia Titans, in case you missed it. But what we’re here to talk about today is the inspiration for his stellar career: his brother John, who had a successful career in his own right with the Denver Colts until a life-altering injury took him out of the game. His injury and subsequent retirement has truly been a loss for the sport of football.”

J.J., stunned by the interviewer’s comments, let Seth take the lead in the conversation. Listening to his brother go into detail about how proud he was of his brief career and modeled his after him, made him feel good. Seth joked that he followed J.J. around when they were kids and always looked up to his big brother and appreciated his guidance. Seth had even provided them with the old home movies that their father used to shoot of them.

“J.J. was the greatest inspiration of my life to pursue football professionally. He’s a great big brother and a terrific friend.”

“So there’s never been any sibling rivalry between you two?” Tom joked.

“No, our parents didn’t tolerate that. We were raised to look out for each other and be happy for each other’s successes.” J.J. laughter.

“Seth, you took time off from football to be with J.J. when he injured his knee, with no regard for any backlash of your own budding career. Why did you do it?” Tom continued.

“My brother needed me and that was more important than my career.” Seth smiled.

When he got injured, Seth had just started out with his first team. Despite the damage he could have done to his own career, he left to return to ranch to help J.J. work through the agony of the injury and the recovery. They never talked about it, but the gesture was never lost on J.J. He’d been the big brother all his life, whenever one of his siblings were down, he’d go over and dust them off and tell them everything would be alright. It was strange at first to see their roles reversed, but Seth staying by his side was one of the most touching things anyone had ever done for him. It was a shining example of the family values their parents had instilled in them.

As the footage rolled of his last great game, bittersweet memories rushed to the surface. For a moment the world had been his oyster. Tom asked questions focusing on the bond between brothers and made a few comparisons to their stats. He closed with saying that the Blakes were a fine family who groomed great football players and joked that maybe someday one of Seth’s sons would carry the torch.

When the interview was over, J.J. and Seth decided to have a quiet dinner at the hotel. J.J. checked his messages while Seth called to check on Morgan and the kids. Sam had called and left a message. It felt so good to hear her voice. The waitress came back to the table with their drinks and took their meal order. Seth disconnected the call.

“How are Morgan and the boys?” J.J. asked.

“Good. Momma’s doing all she can to spoil them before we return to Philadelphia.”

“It’s amazing how the two of you manage. Morgan still doesn’t want a nanny?”

“No. She’s still plagued with scenarios of seductive, killer nannies. Even though I’ve told her it would never happen.” Seth laughed.

“We both know no other woman has a chance in hell.” J.J. clinked glasses with Seth. “Thank goodness you didn’t model your personal life after mine.”

“I don’t doubt for a moment that you didn’t love Eden. It was a good marriage for you at the time.” Seth shook his head.

“But it wasn’t good for the family. I should have picked up on Eden’s abrasiveness towards everyone else.”

“Well, we’re not going to collectively get along with every new member of the family. But if it makes any difference, we all think that Sam is great.” Seth winked.

J.J. sipped his scotch. “Thanks.”

“How are things progressing?”

“It’s a new experience for me, dating a strong-willed woman who gets into fist fights and carries a gun. Her job can get dangerous and I don’t like it. Some of her clients are high profile people who have threats against them. She sweeps rooms for bombs and crazed lunatics concealing weapons.” J.J. put his drink down on the table with a little more force than he needed to.

“Don’t forget she rescues Tyler every now and again.”

“Don’t remind me. I don’t know what I’d do if—” J.J.’s voice trailed off.

Seth’s eyes widened. “She can handle herself. I know that doesn’t stop the worrying, but she’s good at her job.”

The waiter came with the food, and once everything was placed on the table, they dove in.

J.J. put his fork down and looked at Seth. “Am I a chauvinist for not wanting her to do that job anymore?”

“No. I think you’re a man in love who doesn’t want his woman hurt.” A jaw breaking smile flashed across Seth’s face.

In love?

J.J. picked up his drink and downed it.

* * *

Sam opened the door to her condo and collapsed on her couch. She wanted to take a shower and make herself a big bowl of ice cream, but right now she couldn’t move. It had been an adventurous day teaching self-defense techniques to the Blake women. They were nice, down to earth ladies who were very friendly, and it felt more like she was spending time with friends than protecting one of her most important clients. There were a few subtle questions about her intentions towards J.J.—she knew they didn’t want him to get hurt. But she took it all in stride and enjoyed them, especially the boys. Children normally made her nervous, but when Morgan thrust Colby into her arms so she could go to the bathroom, it felt good to hold him. She was amazed at how Morgan juggled all three of them with ease.

Since J.J. had been out of town for the
Sports Now
interview, being with his family quelled some of the loneliness from missing him. They’d only been seeing each a short time, but he was quickly becoming part of her everyday landscape. It had been a long time since she’d been in a relationship but it felt good. She constantly reminded herself that history wouldn’t repeat itself. The situation was different. She was different. J.J. wouldn’t be shot in the line of duty. He worked on the top floor of an office building with security she’d overseen, for heaven’s sake.

Sam kicked her sneakers off and reached for the remote. Her cell phone rang. The display said Blake Enterprises.

“Hi, Sam.” Anna Beth said cheerfully into the phone.

“Anna Beth, how are you?” Sam sat up.

“I hate to bother you at this late hour, but I didn’t know who else to call. Mr. Blake is away doing that interview.”

“No problem. What’s up?”

“I got a call from someone named Gerard at the Trinity Health Spa. Mr. Blake’s ex Eden was there and left a diamond necklace and earrings behind after her spa treatment. Gerard said he didn’t have a current number for her so he called Blake Enterprises. He assured me that he would put them under lock and key until someone could pick them up.”

“Thanks Anna Beth. I’ll take care of it.” Sam ended the call. How the hell does someone simply forget expensive trinkets like that?

She had a full schedule tomorrow but it wasn’t an issue to pick up the jewelry from the spa. She could stop by an appraiser friend to make sure none of the stones had been switched. The difficult part would be delivering them to the former Mrs. Blake. Eden now lived in a million-dollar home in a posh gated community about two hours away from Dallas. She couldn’t wait to hear the explanation of how a small fortune in jewels was left at the spa.

* * *

Sam rang the doorbell for the third time. She’d had a long drive and she was anxious to get back on the road. She’d done things for clients before; she just wished it wasn’t J.J.’s ex-wife. Finally the door opened. Eden seemed pretty dressed up for the late hour, wearing a fuchsia, off-the-shoulder sequined top and a pair of white pants. She wore a ruby necklace with matching bracelet. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail that flowed over her shoulder and her makeup looked like it had been applied by a professional stylist.

“Eden Masterson?”

“That’s Eden Blake.”

“I apologize. I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Sam Carson. I work for Regency Private Security Group, the company that oversees security for the Blake family. We met at the governor’s garden party.” Sam put on a tight smile.

“I remember you.” Eden swished around the contents of the drink in her hand. “What do you want?”

“We got a call that you left a necklace at the Trinity Health Spa.” Sam handed her a jeweler’s box.

“Come in.” Eden pouted.

Sam followed her into the living room where the ex-Mrs. Blake proceeded to mix another drink. It looked like Eden had faired pretty well in the divorce. In addition to letting her retain all the luxury items he’d bought her, J.J. also bought her a lovely house. A Mercedes and a Jaguar were parked in the driveway. The house was furnished with expensive furniture and there were a few paintings on the walls that Sam remembered being insured. What stood out the most is a picture Eden had on the console table of her and J.J.

The living room had an intimate feel to it, candles were placed around and soft, romantic music came from the premium sound system. Eden picked up a remote control and turned on the lights then proceeded to walk around extinguishing the candles with a snuffer. Had she been expecting someone else?

Then it clicked. She’d been expecting J.J. to deliver the jewelry himself.

Eden threw the box on the couch. “Would you like a drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“You came an awful long way to deliver this. Doesn’t Regency have secured couriers?”

“Such expensive pieces of jewelry required a personal delivery. We took the pieces to the jeweler and had them cleaned and made sure none of the stones had been replaced with fakes.”

“J.J. must be pleased with your…full service.” Eden gave her a once over.

“I’m committed to overseeing the security of the entire Blake family.”

“Funny, I’ve never seen you on the ranch before.”