Moonlight and Roses. Jackie Braun

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      She didn’t dispute that. Instead, she said, “They love one another.”

      “They love Holland and the lifestyle it affords them,” Zack countered.

      “You used to love Holland, too.”

      “Yes. I loved it enough to want to see it evolve.” He let out a sigh. “It’s not worth getting into again. Not over the phone and not with you, Mom.” She’d always been in his corner. “I know you supported my ideas.”

      “I did and I still do. I know you’ll do well.” There was a hitch in her voice when she said, “I just wish Michigan weren’t so far away.”

      “It’s just a plane ride,” he said lightly.

      “Yes, just a plane ride,” she repeated. Then, “Are you upset about Mira?”

      “Not the way you think.”

      “Good. Mira is a nice young woman, but she wasn’t right for you, Zack. You never would have been happy married to her,” Judith said.

      “That much we can agree on. So, when are they planning to make it official?”

      “In the spring.” She hesitated a moment before asking, “You’ll come home for the wedding, won’t you?”

      “What and ruin my black sheep image?” His laughter held no humor. “Sorry, Mom. I think I’ll send my regrets.”

      “There will always be a place for you here.” Judith’s voice was low, broken.

      “I know that’s how you feel, Mom, and I appreciate it. Really, I do.” Left unsaid was that his father and cousin had long made him feel like an outsider. Mira’s defection had been the final straw. There would be no going back, at least not until he’d achieved some of the ambitious goals he’d set for himself.

      “Are you happy?” his mother asked quietly.

      “I’m getting there.” The reply wasn’t only for her benefit. Zack meant it.

      “That’s good. I want you to be happy even more than I want you here. I love you.”

      “I love you, too, Mom.”

      After hanging up, he decided to call it a day. The sun had set already, and he was tired and not likely to get much more done—especially now. He felt too unsettled, too restless to sit behind his desk and sift through papers. His stomach rumbled noisily and he realized he was also hungry.

      When he stepped out of his office, he noticed that Jaye was still in hers. Through the open door, he could see her hunched at her desk, reading a report. Her hair was in its usual utilitarian braid and she wore a flannel shirt that looked to be at least a couple of sizes too large. A bottle of spring water sat open next to her elbow, and she was munching on a granola bar.

      He stopped at her door. “Please tell me that’s not your dinner,” he said.

      Jaye glanced up at the sound of his voice and blinked as if trying to focus. In the past week Zack had learned one thing about her: she was no slacker. The woman put in long hours and gave everything she worked on her undivided attention.

      “Sorry? What did you say?” she asked.

      He motioned toward the bar of rolled oats and raisins she held in one hand. “I was just wondering if that was your dinner.”

      “Oh?” She shook her head. “A late lunch, actually.”

      “It’s going on seven.”

      She glanced in the direction of the window, as if just realizing it was dark outside. “A really late lunch, then,” she said.

      He leaned against the doorjamb. “I can see how you manage to stay so slim. Got something against real food?”

      “This is real food, but to answer your question, no. I just didn’t have time to stop for a meal today.”

      He nodded and straightened, intending to be on his way. But he found himself saying, “I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat before I head back to my hotel. Would you like to join me?”

      Jaye eyed him the way a scientist might study an acutely contagious test subject and said nothing.

      “You know, you’re hell on a man’s ego,” Zack drawled, snorting out a laugh afterward.

      “Sorry. I just…I just don’t think that we should—”

      “What?” He cocked one eyebrow in challenge. “Be friendly? I’m not asking you out, Jaye.” Thinking of Mira and all of the pain and disillusionment she’d caused, he added with great feeling, “Believe me, I’m not interested.”

      “And you have the nerve to say I’m hell on the ego,” she replied dryly.

      He closed his eyes, rubbed them and sighed. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”

      “Bad day?”

      Zack shook his head. “Just a long one. A long week, for that matter.” Now the weekend yawned before him. More than likely he would spend it in his office. Better there than alone in a hotel room with nothing to do. “Well, I’ll leave you to your late lunch. See you Monday.”

      He was turning to go when Jaye said, “Friday is pizza night.”

      He angled back. “Pardon?”

      “It’s Geneva’s night off. She’s my housekeeper. She plays bridge with her friends on Fridays, so I make pizza.”

      “From scratch?” He was having a hard time picturing Jaye puttering around in a kitchen. She didn’t appear to be the domestic sort, given her affinity for men’s shirts and steel-toed work boots.

      She shrugged. “It’s not like it’s rocket science. Besides, I buy the dough already made from a pizzeria in Sutton’s Bay. Saves me time.”

      “I see.” He motioned with one hand. “So, are you extending an invitation to me or are you just sharing information?”

      His ego took another beating when she took her time answering. “I’m extending an invitation, one coworker to another.”

      He decided not to point out that technically he was her boss. “Gee, glad we have that straight.”

      Jaye tossed the uneaten portion of her granola bar into the trash. “Give me five minutes to finish up here.”

      “Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

      Jaye didn’t know what had possessed her to invite Zack to dinner, and at her house no less. She didn’t want him in her home, invading more of her space. But there was no use wasting time regretting it now. The deed was done, and unless she planned to uninvite him, which she didn’t, she was going to be spending the next couple of hours in his company.

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