Page 63 of Jane Deyre
John Reed.
The man I loathed and feared.
These are for the man who showed me kindness. Gave me my first kiss.
Ward Rochester.
The man I love and can never have.
CHAPTER 31
Ward
We’re making great time. Only ten short minutes before I’m back at Thornhill. I’m excited to surprise my daughter with both my return and her present. I’m even more excited to surprise her nanny. The very thought of seeing Jane Deyre makes me heat. I can’t stand to be away from them. I don’t know what’s going on. All I know is that they each bring me a profound happiness that’s eluded me for so long. Yes, my feelings about Jane are dangerous. She’s like a land mine. One wrong step and I can blow up everything. I’ll tread carefully. Slowly. No risk, no gain. Like my godmother’s late friend Doris Day once sang,“Qué será, será.”
The song playing in my head, I grow conscious of my surroundings. Look out the tinted window. Soaking in the chic stores along La Brea as the limo cruises up the busy two-way street. Suddenly, traffic comes to a standstill.
“What’s going on?” I ask Manuel.
He checks his navigator. “Construction ahead and there seems to have been some kind of accident.”
I curse under my breath. Every muscle in my body tenses. I want to kill someone. I don’t have time for this shit. Clenching my fists, I hear my phone ping. A text. I thrust it out of my pocket and glance down. I don’t recognize the number. It’s probably one of those crank solicitors whose number I haven’t blocked yet. Another opportunity to get a free weekend at one of those swanky resorts-slash-condos if I take a tour of the property. I hate these assholes. Against my better judgment, I open the message and read it.
My eyes grow wide as saucers. My blood pressure spikes and my heart almost stops. It’s from Jane. She’s resigning! Leaving! Panic grips me by the balls. If I don’t get back to Thornhill in time, I’ll never see her again.
Fuck. Shit. Fuck. We’re not moving. Not even an inch.
“Hey, Manny, can you get us out of this mess?” The words tumble out of my mouth.
He looks over his shoulder at me. A wicked smile crosses his face. “Hold on!”
On my next stressed-out breath, he makes a U-turn—one so sharp the tires burn rubber. We narrowly miss being hit by an oncoming car. The long, angry blast of the driver’s horn blares in my ears. Adele’s present, sitting next to me, falls off the seat.
Once on the other side of the street, Manuel makes a sharp right turn. The tires screech. My neck jerks. I think I may have whiplash.
He looks over his shoulder again. A triumphant smile is smeared on his face.
“We’ll go up Genesee. I’ll have you at your place in no time. A slice of cake as you Americans say.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You mean a piece of cake.”
He laughs too. “Right.”
I fucking love this dude. My man, Manny. He gets me to Thornhill in five roller-coaster minutes. I get his card and reward him with a hundred-dollar cash tip.
Snail money.
I dash out of his car, my heart racing, hoping I’m not too late.
CHAPTER 32
Jane
This is proving way harder than I thought.
I have my things parked on the veranda. My vision board on the table, my guitar on a chair, and my duffle bag on the ground. Adele has her arms wrapped around me like a vise. She’s bawling.
“Jane, please don’t go!” The same words she used this morning with her father.