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“I’m fine,” she said, opening her eyes again. “Everything is fine. You don’t need to be here. I have it on the best authority everything will be straightened out tomorrow.” Pause. “Ian. Ian is the authority. Who else would it be?” Pause. An alarmed expression washed over her face. “No. Not going to happen. Forget it.” A longer pause. Jada shook her head. “I’m telling you no. There’s no reason for it.”
Ian had a hard time pretending he wasn’t listening in and wondered what had her so concerned.
Jada’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “I’m a full-grown woman and I don’t need your interference. Mom, make him back off.” Pause. Pause again. “I love you, too, but it’s not going to happen.”
Ian couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He touched her arm and raised his eyebrows in an “is everything okay” gesture.
Jada covered her phone. “My father wants to talk to you.”
“I don’t mind speaking to him.”
“No way. He’s going to pull the overprotective father crap on you like you’re a teenage boy taking me to the prom. Forget it. He can just get over his old self.”
She only made Ian more curious about the man who’d sired and raised someone like Jada. “I really don’t mind.”
“Well, I mind it,” she said.
She uncovered the phone and said, “Dad, I’m fine. That’s the end of it. Mom, I’m going to hang up now.” Pause. “I’m going to hang up. I am.” Pause. “You’re driving me crazy.”
Ian stifled a laugh. “Let me talk to him,” he said.
“You don’t have to.” Pause. “No, Dad, I was talking to Ian. He said he wants to talk to you.” Pause. “Fine. You two can work it out.”
She held the phone out to Ian pinched between two fingers, like she’d dug it out of a pile of something unsavory. “I won’t be held responsible for the man, just so you know.”
“Understood,” Ian said, taking the phone. “Hello? Mr. Howarth? This is Ian Buckley.”
The voice resonated deeply in the speaker. “Nice to meet you, young man. I’m Jada’s father, Montpelier Howarth. I’d—”
A bright and cheerful woman’s voice broke in. “And I’m her mother, Kenya. We’re on speaker phone. I think you’re supposed to tell people? When you’re on speaker phone?”
“I think so,” Ian said. “Thank you. And it’s nice to meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Howarth.”
“Oh, call me Kenya,” Jada’s mother said. “And you can call him Monty. We all do.”
“We all do not call me that,” Jada’s father said. “Mr. Howarth will do fine ... for now.”
Ian understood what wasn’t said. He’d be Mr. Howarth until Ian passed muster. Seemed reasonable enough to Ian. “So, Mr. Howarth, you wished to speak to me about something?”
“Indeed I did. I wanted to make sure you aren’t taking advantage of my daughter. She’s in a vulnerable place and—”
“Monty!” Kenya broke in. “I can’t believe you said that. Ian, dear, don’t listen to him. He’s a caveman sometimes.”
“Dammit, Kenya, don’t gainsay me. I have a duty as a father to protect my daughter, and I’m going to do that duty.”
“She’s a grown woman and can take care of herself,” Kenya said. “Ignore my husband, Ian. He’s ... hey, what are you doing? Monty, don’t pick up that phone, you’ll mess—”
There was a click and then a change in the tonal quality, less hissing on the line and when Jada’s father spoke again, his voice was clearer. Ian could hear Kenya speaking in the background, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“We are no longer on speaker phone, Ian,” Mr. Howarth said. “Now, man-to-man, I hope you realize the position my daughter is in. She’s on unfamiliar ground, and overwhelmed by it, though she’ll never show it on the outside. She’s stubborn that way, like her mother.”
“I see,” Ian said.
Jada mouthed silently, “What is he saying?”
Ian held up a hand and gave her a reassuring smile to take the sting out of his telling her to wait. Jada didn’t look impressed, but she didn’t argue either.
Jada’s father continued. “And because of all that, it wouldn’t be right for a man to take advantage of the situation when he’s got Jada all alone in a fancy house, showing off his wealth, and her being vulnerable and open to suggestion because of the stress she’s under.”
All alone? The man had no idea how completely not alone they were. And Jada open to suggestion? Unlikely.
“Yes, sir,” Ian said. “I assure you that I would never want to harm Jada in any way. I respect her completely.”
“Harm me?” Jada squeaked. “What is he saying to you? Dad,” she called out, leaning toward the phone, “What are you telling Ian?”
“Ignore her,” Mr. Howarth said. “The bottom line is this, Buckley. You’re a powerful, wealthy man, and men like you are used to getting everything you want. I know I can’t stop you from pursuing my daughter if that’s what you’re determined to do. However, I think we could reach a compromise.”
Ian couldn’t have been more curious. “Go on.”
“I’d like your word that you won’t put my daughter in a compromising position until this affair is settled, until everything is straightened out and Jada has a clear mind to go about making decisions properly. What do you say?”
Ian only hesitated for a moment before answering, “Agreed. You have my word.”
“Good, excellent,” Mr. Howarth said, surprise evident in his tone. “I expected you to argue.”
“No reason to. You’re absolutely right.”
“Good, good.”
“So if there’s nothing else, I’ll hand you back over to Jada. She’s asking for the phone.”
“Uh, well ...” for the first time, Jada’s father sounded less than assured, “... that’s okay. I think we’ve covered everything. Tell her we’ll talk to her tomorrow. She said you plan on sorting everything out then, correct?”
“Yes, sir. I have every reason to believe our mystery will be solved by lunchtime.”
“Good, good. Then goodnight, and thank you for being reasonable.”
“Yes, sir. It’s been my pleasure. Goodnight to you, too. And to Kenya.”
The line went dead and Ian ended the call. “Your father said goodnight and he’d talk to you tomorrow.”
She didn’t look pleased, but she slipped the phone i
n her pocket. “So what did he say? He didn’t tell you about his shotgun, did he? He used to do that to my dates in high school. That’s why I stopped bringing guys home.”
“No, nothing about a gun.”
“So, then ...”
“So he asked me not to try to seduce you until our fake marriage fiasco is sorted out.”
“He what?” she half-yelled. “That’s a load of—”
Ian interrupted. “Just a second.” He glanced over at the four musicians on the dais who were taking a break from playing. “Thank you,” he said to them. “You played beautifully. That will be all for tonight. Our chef has some refreshments prepared for you in the kitchen. Lydia’s in the hall and will show you the way.”
He and Jada waited while the two men and two women made their way out of the room. Ian followed them to the door and locked it behind them.
Jada walked over and stopped, hands on hips. “Am I to understand that you gave my father your word that you wouldn’t sleep with me tonight?”
“Yes. That’s what I did.”
“I can’t believe it. That’s so wrong I don’t even know where to begin explaining it. I’m not an underage girl who can’t look out for herself. And neither one of you are my keeper. What a load of crap.” She threw her hands in the air. “I’ve got no use for either of you right now.”
Jada was just getting started. Ian saw it all over her. He couldn’t blame her for not liking what had happened. Hell, he wasn’t all that thrilled with it either, but what was done was done.
And then there was the old cliché of a woman looking sexy when she was angry. It certainly was true of Jada. Her dark eyes flashed in the candlelight, and her chest stuck out, a pleasing result of her indignation. With her curly hair framing her face, backlit like an out-of-control halo, she was an avenging angel calling the devil to task. And Ian was the devil. Damn.
She simply didn’t understand how it was with men. It was his job to explain it.
“Unlock that door. I’m leaving,” she said. “I’ve got to find Ms. Kitty because come hell or high water, I’m not sleeping alone tonight and I guess a cat is all I’m gonna get!”
