“Jack, this is Detective Henley and Detective Sloan. They have some news regarding Joshua’s murder.”
“Nice to meet you, gentlemen. I’m Jack Sutton. Please have a seat.”
“We found the person who killed Joshua. Her name is Shae Sanders.”
I looked over at Coco in surprise. “Why would Shae kill Joshua?” I asked the detectives.
“Apparently, they got into a huge fight that day and she told him she was leaving. When she tried to leave, he threw her around and beat her up. She got hold of a kitchen knife and stabbed him repeatedly.”
“So it was self-defense,” I spoke.
“I guess you can say that, but that’s for a jury to decide. Anyway, we wanted to let you know that we won’t be bothering your family again. Have a good day.”
The detectives left my office and Coco sat across from me with a small smile across her face.
“I always knew he was crazy. Good for her for defending herself,” she spoke.
“She’s going to need a good defense attorney and we’re paying the bill.”
“Are you crazy, Jack? Mom just gave her all that money.”
“Exactly, and she’s going to need it to stay quiet. We can’t risk her saying something about what our mother had her do a couple of years ago. I’m going to call Avery Lewis and see if she’ll take the case.”
“If you say so. But you need to remember that she was the woman who was sleeping with my boyfriend.”
“And you need to remember that Garrett is the man who was sleeping with his girlfriend.”
She rolled her eyes and got up from her seat. “I suppose. I’ll talk to you later.”
I grabbed my phone and dialed my mother in Paris.
“Hello, darling,” she answered.
“I just wanted to let you know that Shae was the one who murdered Joshua.”
“Oh dear. That girl has a little spunk in her. Remind me to thank her when I return.”
“It was self-defense, Mother. He was beating the crap out of her.”
A light laugh came through the phone. “Do you believe that son? Anyway, I’ll be home in a few days.”
“I’m hiring her a good defense attorney and you’re paying her legal fees.”
“What? Why?”
“Because we don’t need to take the chance that she’s going to spill the beans about you. It’s the least we can do. And another thing, I think it’s time you retired from Sutton Magazine.”
“Excuse me, Jack?” Her voice took on a stern tone.
“We’ll talk more about this when you get back. I have to go.” Click.
Now that this situation was semi-handled, I needed to work on getting Lorelei to forgive me and agree to go out with me. As I was pondering ways, my office door opened and she stepped inside while keeping her hand around the door handle.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Jack, but I need to know why you punched Garrett.”
I let out a light chuckle. “You don’t have a clue as to why I did it?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Because he’s sleeping with my sister.”
“Oh.” She backed up into the hallway and pulled the door shut.
****
My new suit from Bloomingdale’s was ready to be picked up and I thought about sending Lorelei to go get it, but decided to do it myself because I wanted to get out of the office.
“I’m leaving for the day, Lorelei. I have a couple of things I need to take care of. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. Have a nice night, Jack.”
“You too.”
I climbed into the limo and instructed Tony to take me to Bloomingdale’s. As I was in the men’s section, looking at their sweater line, I heard a voice next to me.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Jack Sutton.”
“Hello, Stella.” I smiled. “What brings you to Bloomingdale’s this afternoon?”
“Just doing a little shopping for my boyfriend. You?”
“Picking up a new suit.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t make Lorelei do it for you.”
“The thought crossed my mind, but I decided to do it myself.”
“Listen, Jack, I want to thank you for looking after Hope while Lorelei was in the hospital. That was very kind of you.”
“You’re welcome. Hope is a great kid.”
“She is. Isn’t she? And so is her mother.” A small smile crossed her lips.
“Yeah. Lorelei is great. Hey, do you have some time to grab a coffee? I want to talk to you about something.”
She gave me an odd look. “Umm. Sure. I guess so.”
****
Lorelei
The next morning, as I was walking towards Jack’s office, I noticed there was a bouquet of yellow roses perfectly arranged in a vase sitting on the edge of my desk. I set my things down and walked into Jack’s office with his coffee.
“Do you know where those flowers came from?” I asked as I set his cup down.
“They’re from me. Do you like them?”
“They’re beautiful. What’s the occasion?” I narrowed my eye.
“Again, they’re apology flowers.”
“For what?” I asked.
“I want to apologize to you for the way I spoke yesterday about the whole dating site thing. I was way out of line and I’m sorry. Of course what you do on your own time is none of my business. It’s your life and I had no right.”
“Thank you, Jack. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.”
He walked over to where I was standing and clasped my shoulders.
“Listen, Lorelei, I’ve been giving my behavior and actions a lot of thought. I know I’ve hurt you in the past and I’m sorry. We’re friends and that’s how I want things to stay between us. So as a friend, I’m going to be honest with you. I think you should start dating again. You’re an amazing woman and I know you would have no problem finding your Prince Charming if you just let yourself. In fact, I know a couple of great guys who would love to go out with you.”
Suddenly, it felt like I was gasping for air. Was he being serious? I gulped.
“Thanks, Jack, but I can find my own dates.”
“Okay. If you change your mind, let me know. Another thing, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like you to give some of your sketches to the sewing department.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you have a real talent and I’m thinking that maybe we should feature some of your designs in our January issue.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, right, Jack.”
“Lorelei, I’m not kidding. Now get your ass to the sewing department and tell them I said they are to get working on your designs immediately. Wait,” he said as he walked over to his phone.
“This is Jack Sutton. I’m sending my PA, Lorelei, up to give you some designs I want started immediately. When you’re finished with the outfits, I want them brought straight to my office.”
He looked at me and smiled. “You’re all set.”
“I don’t know what to say, Jack. Thank you!” I impulsively threw my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. He wrapped his arms around me.
“You’re welcome. Now go.”
Feeling his arms around me again felt good. But what didn’t feel good was my heart. Hearing him say that he only wanted a friendship did something to me. It made me feel sad and alone. I couldn’t explain it if I tried. There was a time when he wanted me and I pushed him away. I pushed him so far that now he was no longer interested in me and that hurt like a bitch.
Later that evening as I lay in bed, I thought about Jack. I knew Hope missed him because she expressed it during dinner. My heart still hurt because I was in love with him. I was stupid for pushing him away that night he kissed me at his house, but I wanted him to know that it wasn’t going to be that easy. I was playing a game, making him pay for the things he’d said to me. But in the end, I wound up the loser. A tear fell from my eye the more I thought about it. Tomorrow would be a new day and a new start on my quest to try and get Jack to see that he was the one for me and I was the one for him.
Chapter Forty-Six
Lorelei
“Good morning, Jack.” I smiled as I set his coffee cup on his desk.
“Good morning. You seem in a chipper mood.”
“It’s Halloween. Speaking of which, I know this is really random, but Hope asked me to ask you if you would like to come to my parents’ house with us tonight. She has this crazy idea that maybe you would like to go trick or treating with us.”