The Sapphire Pendant (18 page)

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“Would you care?”

“Not really.”

He rubbed the back of his head, feeling the beginning of a lump. “Then, no, I didn’t.” He looked up at her. She was too close, damn it. He could feel the shape of her thigh between his legs, and it didn’t help that her breasts were crushed against his chest. Their shirts were wet, leaving only a thin layer of cotton to separate him from her nakedness. He could see the outline of her bra. He inwardly groaned. He stared up at her for a moment, watching a glob of mashed potato slide down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. Even though her face looked a mess, he still had a wild desire to kiss her.

“What are you up to, Jasmine?” he asked, his breath warm against her face. “What type of revenge are you seeking? Emotional blackmail, perhaps? Do you wish to ruin my reputation?”

She pulled away from him, aware of their closeness and the feel of his pounding heart beneath hers. “Is that possible?”

He sat up and wiped peas from his forehead. “Would you like it to be?”

“No.”

“No pranks or tricks up your sleeve?”

“No. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “That’s a dangerous statement to believe. Are you willing to shake on it?”

“Yes.”

She held out her hand and he shook hers. When he let go, her hand was covered in mashed potatoes. She watched as it slipped down her palm and plopped to the floor.

“You disgusting—” She stopped and patted the side of his face, smearing the potatoes on his cheek. “Thank you for your trust.”

He began to reach for her, his eyes glittering with the playful promise of revenge. He halted when he saw something glittering around her neck.

Chapter 14

“Hold on. What’s that?” he asked in an odd voice.

Jessie sat back and looked down at herself. “What’s what?”

He lifted the necklace from her neck. His warm fingers brushed against her skin, sending goose bumps up her arms.

“Is this what I think it is?” His voice was hoarse.

“What do you think it is?”

He slowly shook his head. “No, let’s not play games now. Not now. Just answer me.”

Jessie clutched the necklace in her fist. “It’s nothing.”

“This is the necklace I gave you.” His eyes pierced into hers. “Why are you still wearing it?”

Jessie began to stand, but Kenneth grabbed her wrist. “Answer me.”

Her voice was soft. “Do you want it back? Is that it?”

“Do you want to give it back to me?”

She let her hands fall in her lap.

He stared at her in disbelief. “I can’t figure you out. You act like I’m scum, and yet you still wear the necklace I gave you years ago.” His eyes fell on the necklace. “That stupid, dented piece of crap.”

She covered it from his disgusted gaze. “It isn’t a piece of crap.”

He leaped to his feet. “I forgot; that’s the title you reserve for me. The guy who worked hard to save enough money just to give that to you, because you meant a lot to him. I’m the worst person in the world, because I hurt you. Well, here’s a news flash: you hurt me. I discovered that because you were so quick to despise me, that deep down you already did.”

“You gave me every reason to despise you.” She unlatched the necklace. “Do you want it back?”

He pushed a chair hard against the table, causing a glass to topple and crash to the floor. “I don’t know why I bother. Even a rock isn’t this dumb.”

Jessie inwardly flinched. He was right. She could no longer pretend to misunderstand what he was saying. “It was the first piece of jewelry anyone had ever given me.” She held it up in front of her. Her parents had thought her too boyish for such things. “I wore it out of hope, a fantasy…that on some level, what happened between us was real.”

“It was real.”

She ran a hand down her arm. “No, it never existed.”

“Jasmine—”

“It started out as a dream. A guy was going to take me to the prom. Not just any guy—Mr. Perfect.”

Kenneth winced, glancing away.

“I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted to see my family’s face when you walked through the door. I dreamt of how people would stare when I arrived at the prom with you. I sat and waited. My family asked me what I was doing, and I told them that my prom date was coming. He never did.” She bit her lip, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. How pathetic she must have looked. “My mother called up my cousin, and he took me. I made excuses for you in my mind, some of them quite imaginative. You would have been impressed. Then, on the drive home, I saw you on Lover’s Hill, making out with another girl as if your very existence depended on it.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It wasn’t what you thought.”

She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. I know what I saw.”

“Just listen for a minute.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “It was going to be everything you’d dreamed of.” He began to count on his fingers. “I had the tux, the limo, the corsage, the tickets, the dinner reservations. I remember that the day was clear and I vowed you’d have the best prom ever. It was only an hour before I was to meet you when everything changed.”

Her heart began to pound. Here came the truth—the reason she had been avoiding all these years for fear that she would forgive him. “What happened?”

Kenneth opened his mouth to explain, but no words came forth. The truth was that his father had come back into his life. He had threatened to tell everyone that Kenneth was the illegitimate son of a drunk if he didn’t give him money. Kenneth had been so ashamed that he couldn’t look at anyone…be with anyone. Until Regine offered herself to a young man who felt his entire world had collapsed on him.

“Could you…?” He silently swore. Here at last was the perfect opportunity to explain, and he couldn’t. He couldn’t give her what she wanted, what she deserved: the truth. “Could you just accept that I wanted to be there?” He clasped his hands together and let his gaze fall. “But I couldn’t see anyone, least of all you. I was staring up at the stars, thinking of what I would say to you when Regine came and discovered my weakness.”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “Lucky girl. I didn’t realize you had any.”

He met her gaze, pleading with her to understand. “Everyone does.”

She pounded her fist on the table. She was sick of his dishonesty. “Why can’t you just admit that you used me? I’ll understand. I’ve been angry this long. I know you didn’t want to take me. It’s the deception that makes it worse.” She took a deep breath and relaxed her hands. “I understand ambition and I understand the price of family loyalty. What I don’t understand is why you need to pretend to be something you’re not.”

“I never used you,” he said, his tone hard. “I’m sorry I missed the prom. I’m sorry you saw me with Regine, who had nothing to do with you. What I don’t understand is why you act as if I betrayed you. We were friends; I messed up. Why wouldn’t you just let me make it up to you?”

“Because you can’t make up for betrayal with a dinner date.”

He rested his head back and threw his hands up, exasperated. “How the hell did I betray you?”

“You broke a bargain.”

He sat up. “What?”

“You convinced me to give up my scholarship so that Eddie could have it. You wanted Eddie to be given a chance. Remember? You said I’d get other chances and that I didn’t have to worry. You said you’d make it up to me, which I thought was the prom. I was so stupid that I believed you, and I spoke to Eddie and my sponsor to let him have the money instead of me. But did I get any other offers? No. So my father had to sell a treasured family heirloom in order to pay for my schooling.” She laughed bitterly. “Which was a waste, because I never completed it anyway.”

He frowned. “But I never told you to do that.”

“Yes, you did. You said how wonderful it would be if Eddie had my opportunity. We talked about it for nearly an hour.”

Color drained from his face. He looked ill. “I was just talking, Jasmine. I had no idea you would take me literally.”

She gripped the edge of the table. “Of course you did. You knew how much I loved you. You knew that I would do anything for you.”

He looked horrified. “That’s not true. We were friends. Maybe you had a crush, but you were young and—”

“I was young and I had a heart, and you broke it. Was I so insignificant to you that you couldn’t even see how I felt?”

Her heart crashed to her feet when she saw the look on his face. He hadn’t known. All this time she had thought he had spitefully captured her heart and broken it, when he hadn’t known he had captured it in the first place. False pride laughed at her again. How could he have known? He had never really seen her. Plain, boyish jocks didn’t care about stupid high school dances. They were just pals and would understand. She glanced up at him. He was too still. She jumped up and shook him. “Breathe.”

He continued to stare at the wall.

She shook him harder. “Stop that or I’ll punch you.”

He took a deep breath and began to cough.

She fell back into her chair. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

He didn’t hear her. His voice was quiet, as if he were in a dream. “I could never figure out why you hated me so much. What had I done that—”

She shrugged, wanting to make light of it. “Well, it’s all over now.”

“Why didn’t Eddie tell me?”

“Who knows?”
Who cares?
 
She wanted to forget everything. “It’s okay.”

He shook his head. “No wonder you hated me if you thought me capable of that. You thought you were in love with me and I…”

She touched his sleeve. His face was so anguished; she could almost see the painful memories flash in his eyes. He remembered his sadness and added hers. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

“I should have known.”

“You couldn’t have known. How would an eagle know a blade of grass worships him?”

She would forgive him, but she would never trust him. How could he have known he was the first love of a young girl desperate to fit in? Their past was a setup meant for heartbreak: French lessons in the park, on the bay. She sighed, forgiving the foolish girl she’d once been. “It didn’t matter anyway.”

“It does matter,” he said, with a vehemence that shocked her. “You were my best friend. You were the only one who…You were all I had, the only person I could share my thoughts with. He knew that, and he turned us into enemies.”

His best friend?
 
She didn’t understand what he was saying, but she knew he couldn’t blame Eddie. “No, I turned us into enemies. I played the woman scorned and enjoyed it. I never gave you the chance to explain, because…” Her voice fell. “I didn’t want a reason to care about you again.”

“And now?”

“Now what?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Can you care about me again?”

She narrowed her eyes, cautious. “Be friends?”

He nodded.

She chewed her lower lip, unsure.

“Jasmine, remember when you used to collect stones?”

“Yes.”

He held out his hand. In the middle of his palm sat a turquoise stone. “You gave this to me.” He came around the table and stood in front of her. “You’re not the only one who had hope.”

“Kenneth, I didn’t give you this.”

He looked down, stunned. “You didn’t?”

She tweaked his chin. “Gotcha.”

“Up to your old tricks.” He grinned. “I should have known.”

She stared at the floor, not knowing what else to say.

His voice changed, “Jasmine, it’s nice to see you again!”

She glanced up, startled. “I’m sorry?”

He hugged her and spun her around. “It’s been a long time!” He kissed both her cheeks. “How long has it been? Ten, twelve years? You look great. What have you been up to?”

Jessie laughed. “What are you doing?”

“I haven’t been up to much. I’ve been helping this company widen its profit margin. Radson Electronics. You might have heard of it?” He lifted an eyebrow, inviting her to play along.

She smothered a grin. “Oh, yes. I think so. Michelle talks about it all the time. I’m glad you’re working there. I know how hard it is for you to keep a job. I, on the other hand, work for this crazy workaholic, looking after his niece. Fortunately, I’m having so much fun; I don’t mind finding paper clips in my salad.”

His eyes burned into hers. “I missed you.”

I missed you too
. “Yeah.”

He hugged her again. She’d remembered this most about him. He had always been affectionate: pulling her hair, kissing her forehead, grabbing her hand. It felt good to be in his arms. Too good.

She wrinkled her nose. “This is disgusting. We’re covered in food.”

He shrugged. She could feel the muscles in his chest move against her. She briefly shut her eyes. “Who cares?” he said. “I just got one of my best friends back.”

One of his best friends? Doesn’t he have enough friends?
 
She pulled away. “So you’ve conquered your only enemy.”

He laughed. “Not quite. Some board members want me to resign; some family members would like me dead—”