No answer. She walked down the hallway and covered her eyes to shield herself from the bright, offensive sunlight streaming through the half-circle window above the front door.
Peeking down at the ominous grand stairway, she adjusted her peach sundress, bit her lip, and sat down. Her head throbbing with each movement, she scooted her feet forward and followed with her bottom, step by step, until she reached the foyer, where Kenny danced on the tile floor.
The doorbell rang. “Where is Mabel?”
Glancing through the peephole, she caught sight of Jackson James. Lori scowled. This early? She looked at the grandfather clock and was shocked to see the time was 11:00 a.m.
Looking down at her mussed self, she shook her head. He couldn’t see her like this. He already had a superior attitude toward her. This would only make it worse. “Oh,” she groaned as the pain shot through her skull. “Kenny, you’re just going to have to pee in the backyard. C’mon,” she said, lightly clapping. “Back door.”
But Kenny continued to bark and dance in the foyer, even though she gestured for him to follow her. “Kenny, c’mon.”
The doorbell rang again. Kenny raised his leg. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”
She opened the door and set the dog outside, where he proceeded to take a leak on Jackson James’s black shoes.
“Oops.” Lori cringed, noticing that Jackson moved quickly for a man his size. “I’m really sorry. Kenny rarely has accidents, but I couldn’t get Mabel and I didn’t realize how late it was and-” She broke off when she noticed him staring at her face. Oh, God, she hadn’t even glanced in the mirror, but she could well imagine what she looked like, mascara under her eyes and her hair a rat’s nest. Lori shuddered.
“Please take off your shoes and I’ll get you some new ones in no time. When I find Mabel, I’ll ask her to take the shoes out to the garbage. I apologize for running late for our appointment, but I have a few things I need to do.”
“I don’t need to throw away these shoes just because your dog sprinkled a little on them. I just need to clean them off. It won’t take me but a minute, and we can go ahead and get to work.”
Except I’m not ready. “Fine. Let me find Mabel,” she said, heading down the hallway. “Mabel? Mabel?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was just emptying the trash in the backyard.”
Lori pulled her housekeeper aside. “Kenny had a little accident on Mr. James’s shoes, so I was wondering if you could get someone to clean them. I also need to shower, so I need you to occupy Mr. James with something,” she said, searching her foggy brain for possibilities. “Food. Just give him food, please, and I’ll be down as soon as I can.”
Her head still pounding, she dragged herself up the back staircase, so she wouldn’t run into Jackson again. She ate a couple of leftover cookies and downed the Advil she should have taken the night before, then stripped and got into the shower. Although she would have loved to linger, she knew the clock was ticking. Quickly lathering herself from head to toe, she rinsed and got out of the shower. She rubbed herself dry, put some gel in her hair, slapped moisturizer on her face, and applied lipstick, concealer, and mascara. After brushing her teeth twice, she pulled on a red cotton sheath and stepped into red heels. Red made her look more confident, even if she didn’t feel it.
Sometime in the middle of her Cristal-enhanced sleep, Lori had dreamed the solution to her problem. She would beat her father at his own game of control, and Jackson James was going to help her. Despite her headache and queasiness, she felt completely resolute, and all she had to do to turn her conviction to concrete was to look at the box of letters Harlan had kept from her.
She walked down the front stairway with a clearer head and entered the parlor, where Jackson James was reviewing some papers. A tray of food that Mabel had left him appeared untouched. The man must have the self-discipline of a priest. No one could resist Mabel’s cinnamon rolls.
He glanced up at her, his gaze sliding over her in quick neutral assessment. “Nice of you to come,” he drawled, standing.
She nodded. “I already apologized.”
“Too much partying last night?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I would call it a party,” she said. “Please sit.”
He shrugged and sat down. “How does your head feel?”
“Like hell,” she said with a smile. “But you already knew that. I need to discuss something else with you. I made a decision last night, and it will impact your duties.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What decision is that?”
“I’ve decided I want to get married, and I want you to help me find a husband.”
Chapter Four
“Dogs are generally more devoted than men are.”
– SUNNY COLLINS
Jackson stared at the insane woman in disbelief, but he didn’t need to ask Lori to repeat herself. Her words would ring in his ears at the top of his list of unforgettable requests. He stood and shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
With perfectly manicured, unsteady hands, she poured herself a cup of coffee. She rattled the china so much he took the cup and saucer from her, for fear she would drop them. Jackson poured the coffee and nodded toward a chair. “You need to sit down,” he said. “You drank way too much last night if you think I’m going to find a husband for you.”
Lori sat down and immediately slipped off her shoes. She tucked one leg behind the other, beauty-queen style, and gingerly sipped from the coffee, wrinkling her nose. She closed her eyes for two seconds, then fixed her baby blues on him. “This is the perfect solution to my financial situation. Find a man who agrees to be my husband until I turn thirty, pay him for his services, then divorce him so I can do what I want.”
“Have you even considered that a budget could be a better solution? You need to learn how to responsibly manage your inheritance.”
Lori rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that even at the rate I spend, I would have to throw away a lot more money on a daily basis in order to go through my father’s fortune during my lifetime. My father wrote his will to control me. He always tried to control me, and a lot of the time, he succeeded.” Her eyes turned dark. “Now it’s time for me to take control. That’s why I’m getting married on my terms.” She took another sip and grimaced. “That’s where you come in.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I manage your finances, not your love life.”
She shook her head, then pressed her fingers to her temple. “This has nothing to do with my love life and everything to do with my finances.”
His stomach twisted at the determined expression on her face. She looked angry, resolved, and a little nuts. “Marriage is serious business, Lori.”
“Exactly,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Business. That’s why you’ll be the perfect matchmaker for me. You can vet prospects, arrange for background checks, and coordinate a prenuptial agreement with an attorney. Plus, you’ve got that whole emotionally detached accounting thing going for you.”
She was serious. This kooky rich girl was serious. He swallowed an oath. “You’ve got the wrong man. There’s no way I’m going to be your matchmaker. No way.”
As he bolted from the Granger mansion, Jackson felt steam rising from his head, and it wasn’t because of the August heat. It was all internal. Lori had fried his brain circuits with her idiotic proposal.
Driving to the office, he strode directly to Hollingsworth’s office and tapped on the door. His boss’s assistant looked up at Jackson and frowned as if she weren’t going to let him inside, so he went ahead and opened the door.
“ Jackson?” Mr. Hollingsworth mouthed, cradling a telephone receiver to his ear.
“Excuse me, sir-”
Hollingsworth held up a finger. “I look forward to meeting with you. Friday at 10:00 p.m. We’ll have your favorite cigars.” Hollingsworth laughed. “Sure, see you then.”