How Times Change

Chapter 4

It was seven am before Jade woke to the sunshine, covered in a very red blanket on the sofa in Lucas’s extravagant room. It was another moment before she realized where she was. She sat up, and even though she was still fully dressed, pulled the blanket up with her

“Lucas?” Her shout bounced off the flagstone walls, making the cool rock walls sound like a cave. No answer came though. Instead, all she heard was the soft gurgle of a coffee pot from around the corner. Shuffling, blanket and all, she followed the aroma around the corner, ignoring the glimpse of herself as she went past the giant hall mirror.

There’s enough time for that- after coffee. Instinct had her stop and double back long enough to catch a quick glance. Maybe.

Heading into the rooms ‘dinette’, really a fully functioning kitchen, she was greeted by a silver dome on the counter next to a coffee mug, and leaning against the mug, a scrawled note- the handwriting she remembered.

Morning JJ,

Had to head to the big meet, but I didn’t want to wake you. Figured the coffee pot could do that for me. Check the dome- there’s some killer breakfast hiding under there-it’s mostly intact.

When you’re ready, give a ring to the desk and Tank will bring you home. Oh, and I called the rental too- they’ve got someone coming for the Taurus. Wish me luck and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can. Glad you came last night JJ, it was good to see you…I mean it.

Lucas

p.s- Do you know you drool when you snore?

Jade stifled a mock horrified laugh at that last line and then set the note aside. Last night was a blur of stories and laughing and … a kiss. As she lifted the dome off the silver tray in front of her, the smell of eggs and bacon came wafting up, leaving her hungry as sin. She set it down and grabbed for the small china plate next to the tray. Lucas seemed to have thought of everything.

That was just it, wasn’t it? Who had asked her if any of this was okay? She hadn’t gone back out to Danbury to run into old flames, or to start new ones- she’d gone because Evie was a friend, the closest thing to a mother that Jade remembered since her own had passed. Lucas didn’t have the right.

She chewed on a piece of bacon angrily, savoring the salty crunch despite her mood. It was all just too easy for him. This was her life, and she didn’t remember asking anyone to crash it. In fact, besides Tiger, nobody was invited in except maybe her father, and even he was only in touch once in a great while. That’s what made the whole thing so aggravating. Lucas had waltzed her into the edge of his own private fairytale, and never even asked if he was the right prince!

That kiss. The fact was, that even bacon and eggs scrambled just so, couldn’t erase the feeling of the trail those lips had left. She could still feel the echoes of his hand as it crossed her belly. Unbidden, a little rush of tingle ran up her spine as she recalled exactly what happened before she had passed out.

Enough. There were things to get done, and she’d have time to examine where she and her lips went wrong later. For the moment, she had to get into the labs and bail out Kristen. Then she could figure out what to do with whatever it was that Lucas had so casually landed in her lap.

She searched for and found her purse after a moment, and this time remembered to collect her shoes. After one more distracted nibble of bacon, she snatched a drink of her coffee, and rang for the desk.

She stretched her legs to the bathroom, hoping to find something presentable left under all of last night’s wrinkles. Fifteen minutes later, she was heading back across town, in the care of Tank.

*****

It was about a half hour to her place across town. From the back of the big silver Merc that Tank had driven up in, Jade quietly watched San O go by. This time of day was just before the big rush crashed down, so the highway was mostly clear.

‘Tank’ was a giant. He had the skin tone of a Polynesian and down one side of his neck there were tribal tattoos swirling, black on black and disappearing into the collar of his black driver’s uniform. For all the fierce look of him, he was cordial and very professional, opening the door for her as she had stepped in. He was also quiet, not offering anything in the way of conversation as the highway hummed past. Alone in her thoughts was not where Jade wanted to be right now so she spoke up.

“So, how long have you been working for Luca- err, Mr. Peters?” The further she stayed away from naming him the better. It brought up too much black and white memory from the night before.

Tank chuckled. “He’s just Luc to me, ma’am. We go way back- roomed up in college.” At that, Jade tried to imagine the giant hands on the steering wheel mincing through the semi-conductors and transistors that lived inside a PC. It made her grin, despite of herself. Tank caught that in the mirror and flashed a grin as well, one that broke his slab face into a wide smile. “Luc was tech- I was an ‘aerial projectile hurler dismemberment agent.”

Jade picked through that. “Oh! You were a linebacker!”

That brought a wider grin. “Right on ma’am. Packed four years into five…” At that, he rumbled up a deep laugh that sounded like an ocean swell in the plush confines of the car.

Jade chuckled softly. This one, this giant knew more about Lucas than she ever would. “Tank. That can’t be your given name?”

“No, ma’am. Tanka Bull Apelu- Tank was just easier- Luc’s idea.” He flicked on the turn signal lining up the lane change that would have her off the highway and down into her neighborhood in a moment.

“Well, ‘Tank’, you can call me Jade.” The big man’s easy attitude made her forget for a moment that she was still being ‘arranged’ and she wasn’t very happy about it. Only for a moment. “Tank? What did Lucas tell you about me?”

“Said he knew you from way-back.” She could see from his eyes in the mirror that there was more to it than that.

“And?”

The big man heaved a sigh. “Said to take you home real careful. I kinda got the feeling that he’s sweet on you.”

Jade blinked. The honesty of the giant Samoan set her back a step. She had ‘kinda gotten that feeling’ too, but she didn’t know it was something Lucas was projecting like that. Again, she felt that little burr of irritation under her skin. Too much, too fast, and no one had asked her once along the way how she felt about it. Tank had fallen silent, maybe feeling as if he’d said enough already.

She would have liked to ask a few more questions- What exactly has Luc been saying about me? Any other multi-million dollar companies I should know about? – No time for that though, as they rolled up onto Davis Street and then into the driveway of Twenty Seven. Tank stepped out, and opened her door, standing by as she made her way out of the big car. She sized him up as she left the vehicle, taken aback by just how much sun couldn’t quite make its way around the big man. From the shadow he was casting, she spoke.

“Thank you for the ride.” She let the next thought spill before she could catch it. “Next time, tell Lucas to ask before he assumes I’m hanging around for breakfast.” Tank’s eyebrows shot up at that, and she realized with a flush what she’d just hinted at. Doing her best to put on some dignity, she turned and made her way to the house. When she looked back from the door, Tank was still watching, his eyes full of soft humor. When she caught him looking, he tipped an imaginary hat and rounded the car, lumbered in and drove away.

She let the door bang too hard on the way in.

*****