The Game of Love Read online

  He was an adult now. Responsible, dependable, mature—and humiliated as hell over this whole damned experience.

  The police were very polite, and they were obviously a little bit embarrassed to be throwing him in jail. But he had been driving a stolen car, and even as he tried to explain what he was doing, they’d miserably scratched their heads and warned him that he would have to tell it to the judge.

  At least they had let him make more than one phone call. He’d called his lawyer first, then Toby. Of course, the lawyer could have called Toby, but Jeffrey had wanted to hear his friend’s voice himself. He needed to make certain that someone would be there to pick Ryan up from school.

  Jeffrey felt the eyes of the other men in the holding tank. Someone was reaching for his wristwatch. He hardened his mouth, jabbed his assaulter with an elbow and spun around in a fury, ready to take on anyone else who wanted to cause trouble.

  There were about eight men in the tank; they were all staring at him, including the bearded fellow who had grunted in pain when the force of Jeff’s elbow had connected with his ribs. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a more ragged lot. The cell stank to high heaven. Great. This was a wonderful, wonderful situation.

  In his mind he heard Jade’s words: “They should have put you in jail!”

  Well, she had meant it.

  Damn her, he thought for the thousandth time. She must have done this on purpose. Nine-year-old boys never kept secrets, so Sean must have given the plan away and she must have canceled her damned closing just to get to the police to report him. Women. They were all worthless! Cold and calculating. He should have known after Diana. There was just no dealing with them. He had been smart enough not to get involved after his divorce. Until Jade…

  Even though he’d never touched her, they were involved. It was in their eyes, in their laughter, even in their anger. It had been in every room where they had ever stood together. He could have touched her, kissed her, on any number of occasions. It was just a matter of time. He’d wanted that time because their relationship wasn’t just casual or merely physical. At the Harrison place he had felt their mutual longing like a cloak of velvet and silk around him. As he’d watched her stand before that window, the breeze ruffling her hair, her eyes bright with enthusiasm, he had wanted to touch her so badly that holding himself back was agony.

  Yet he had done it. He had done it because he had a vision of the future. The relationship between them was going to be a solid one. Because she was real. He saw it when she was with the kids; he had seen it when she was working. Her laughter was real, and even her anger was real. She was flesh and blood, as natural as the earth and sky, and his faith in her had grown as deep as the initial sexual charge of desire that had first attracted him….

  Damn it! Real she might be, but she was one tough customer, too! Here he was in a damned holding cell with the dregs of the earth, and all because of her! To make matters worse, the scruffy-looking men were starting to shuffle toward him.

  “Ooh—eee! Will you look at that jacket, Juany, boy?”

  “Juany” muttered something beneath his breath in Spanish. The men took another step forward. From somewhere in the back of the cell, an old battered drunk hiccupped loudly.

  Jeff stiffened his back against the bars and narrowed his eyes. He looked at the gray-gaired geezer who had spoken first.

  “Old-timer, I don’t want to hurt you. Touch me, and I’ll break your arm.”

  “He’s not so big,” the old guy told “Juany”.

  “Not so big, man? Looks tall to me. And it’s not the size that matters, it’s the arm!”

  They were discussing him like a piece of meat. Jeff decided he’d better convince the group that he could be dangerous.

  “Lean and mean, old-timer. I’m six three and I’m carrying around two hundred pounds of muscle. I’m opting for peace, but push me and you’ll have a war on your hands.”

  The shuffling paused. They were all looking around uncertainly.

  Then oddly, a grin broke out across Juany’s swarthy Latin features. “Eh, man, you always get so pushed out of shape just cause a group of guys want an autograph?”

  He pushed the others out of the way and stared at Jeff with a big smile on his face. “Amigos! Big, si! He’s got the best right arm in the world!”

  His hands were on his hips then, and he was staring at Jeff as if he were his long-lost best friend. “Roberto and me watched you on the tube! Hey, Roberto! We both watched you on the screen at Pablo’s down on Biscayne Boulevard! Jeffrey Martin! Oh, man, where ever did you learn to throw a ball like that?”

  “Like the Cincinnati game—”

  “Did you see him in Houston?”

  “California was my favorite—”

  Jeff closed his eyes, gripping the bars behind him. Thank God for baseball! They didn’t want to do him physical harm. All they wanted was his autograph.

  “Hey, man, you are Jeffrey Martin, aren’t you?”

  “That’s him. Yeah, ain’t you seen no TV lately? He’s down here doing sports shows. And I mean he is good. Ten times better than that pansy they had on before.”

  The old man stepped forward again. “Jeffrey Martin, what are you doing in jail?”

  Jeff shrugged his shoulders and grinned weakly. Then he started signing the scraps of paper the men were digging out of their wallets while he answered, “Grand theft auto.”

  “Did you do it?” Roberto asked eagerly.

  “Hell, no!” Jeffrey said with disgust. “I was trying to do a good deed for a friend, get the car fixed, and the next thing I knew, I was in here.”

  Another middle-aged Latin muttered something in Spanish and threw himself onto one of the bunks. Juany laughed.

  “Jorge says it must have been a woman.”

  “Yeah, actually, it was.”

  Juany shook his head. “Can’t trust them, eh?”

  Silently, Jeff shook his head.

  Maybe she hadn’t done it on purpose.

  She had; he was sure. Sean must have told her.

  “Got a cigarette, amigo?” Juany asked.

  “Sure.” Jeffrey tossed the pack out. “Help yourselves.”

  This was going to be a long, long day. Where was his lawyer?

  * * *

  “You say, lady, that you reported your car stolen, but it wasn’t really stolen.”

  “Yes, yes,” Toby answered impatiently for her.

  It would have to be the same cop she had reported the theft to, Jade thought miserably.

  The man lowered his head over his report. “Ah, lady,” he muttered, and she could just read his thoughts; feather-brained woman was what he really meant.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” she explained levelly. “There was a terrible misunderstanding—”

  Another officer in blue came to the desk, motioning to the one who was talking with her. He stood up for a minute, then came back. “All right, the stories jibe. Just sign here. Mr. Martin’s attorney is at the jail; you can go down with this waiver, and he’ll be released without bond. Boy, I hope the papers don’t get hold of this one. And, lady—”

  “My name is Mrs. McLane,” Jade interrupted smoothly.

  The officer waved a hand in the air. “Lady—Mrs. McLane—we really do have a lot of that ‘vice’ stuff you see on the tube. Murderers and rapists and thieves and a cocaine war that would make your head spin. We haven’t got time down here for lovers’ spats, okay? Next time you get mad at your boyfriend, hit him over the head with a loaf of bread or something, huh?”

  “He isn’t my—I didn’t—”

  “Jade, let’s go,” Toby whispered insistently in her ear. “Please, please, smile nicely and let’s go.”

  She clamped her lips together furiously and allowed Toby to lead her away from the officer’s cluttered desk. It wasn’t until she was seated in his comfortable Buick that she felt her wrath begin to fade and an unease that felt annoyingly like cowardice creep over her.

  “Hey, Toby, maybe
I should hop on the Metrorail and you should go to the jail alone. The kids will getting out of school—”

  “Lynn is going for all three boys; you haven’t a thing to worry about. We’re almost there, Jade. Just sit tight, and we’ll have Jeff out.” He shook his head sorrowfully. She felt her temper explode all over again.

  “I didn’t have him put in jail on purpose!”

  “Come on, Jade, we all heard you yelling at him the other night!”

  “Yes, and I tell Sean a dozen times a week that I’m going to knock his head into a wall, and obviously I don’t mean that either!”

  Toby sighed and gazed at her curiously. “You mean you really didn’t know that he was taking your car to get it fixed?”

  “No!” She screamed the word in frustration. “How would I know? And for that matter, how the hell could you have known? What turned you into the white knight in this whole affair?”

  Toby was silent as he guided the car onto the overpass. Then he glanced at her quickly. “He’s been staying with us. Jeff and Ryan, that is. You didn’t know that? You’ve been showing him houses and you didn’t even know that he was staying with us?”

  “No…I…I’ve never had a reason to call him,” Jade mumbled. “Toby, I really don’t want to go to the jail.”

  “Oh, come on. We’re there.”

  He parked the car and put coins into the meter. Then he slipped an arm around her shoulders. “This will be a breeze. We’ll just go in, find Jeff’s lawyer, turn over the slip and he’ll be out. We’ll go home, Lynn will throw some steaks on the grill, and this whole mess will be forgotten, hmm?”

  “Toby, this was not my fault.”

  “Okay, it wasn’t. But we should clear it all up, anyway. You know, you and Jeff ought to get it all straightened out.”

  “I am getting it straightened it out. I came downtown and let that cop make an idiot out of me, didn’t I?”

  “But you’re afraid to be here now. You’re afraid of Jeff Martin.”

  “I am not!”

  “You are!”

  “Am not!”

  “Good, then let’s go in and get him.”

  “Toby—”

  Too late, she realized that she was already inside the jail building. Before she knew it, she and Toby and Jeff’s lawyer were standing outside the holding tank.

  Jeff was leaned against one of the tawdry bunks, smoking, staring at the ceiling.

  “Hey, Martin. This must be for you!” one of his cellmates said.

  Then a number of them started to laugh. “That’s her, huh? The one who caused all the trouble,” one of the men called out.

  Jade stepped behind Toby, her face turning pink. So Jeffrey Martin had sat there and complained about her to a bunch of criminals. How dared he…

  She glared at him over Toby’s shoulder. His hair was tousled, his shirt was open and his jacket was wrinkled. He looked uncomfortable and very angry.

  “Mr. Martin, you’re all set,” the guard said cheerfully.

  “Thanks,” Jeff said. “Tyler—” He gazed at his attorney. “I appreciate your getting down here so quickly. You too, Toby.”

  A moment later he was leading the way back down the corridor. Another gate was unlocked, then one more, and then they were out on the street. Jeff’s hands were on his hips; he stared up at the sky.

  “I’ve never known the sun could feel so damned good,” he muttered. Then he turned and spoke to his attorney again. Toby, Tyler and Jeff all laughed over something. Jade didn’t hear what it was. She felt as if her body were on fire. He hadn’t said a word to her yet.

  That quickly changed. As Tyler waved and walked away Jeff spun around and bowed slightly to her.

  “I’ve forgotten you, haven’t I, Mrs. McLane? Thank you so very much for deciding to let me out of the jail I deserved to be in.”

  Fury seemed to rumble through her body. “You son of a bitch! Don’t you dare—”

  “Children! Children!” Toby interrupted, taking them both by the arm and heading toward the car. “The sun is shining, there’s a delightful breeze, and all is—”

  “If you start telling me all is well with the world, Tobias, I’ll tear your hair out!” Jade exclaimed heatedly.

  “Don’t tempt her—she carries out her threats,” Jeff warned.

  “Now, now,” Toby said. “Look—here we are at the car. We’ll go home, we’ll have a few drinks and something to eat and everything will be fine.”

  Everything wasn’t fine. The first problem came as they got into the car. Not wanting to sit between the two men in front, Jade tried to crawl into the back seat.

  “Take the front, Mrs. McLane. I insist,” Jeff said, and his hands clamped around her waist with barely controlled strength.

  “No, you take the front,” she protested.

  “Let’s all share and share alike,” Toby said in his best Little League voice, and a moment later Jade found herself in front between the two of them despite all her protests.

  Jeff looked out the side window. Jade stared straight ahead. Toby drove in silence.

  Jade was thankful when they drove into Toby’s circular drive a few minutes later. She couldn’t wait to hop out of the car and put some distance between herself and Jeff.

  Toby led the way to the front door. “Hey, Lynn! We’re here!” he called out cheerfully. “Where is everybody?”

  Lynn came rushing out of the kitchen in jeans and a T-shirt. She had a nervously cheerful smile on her face. “Hi! Well, I’m so glad to see everyone.”

  “Where are the kids?” Toby asked.

  “Out by the pool. Randy is with them, so they’re supervised.” Randy was their oldest boy, a senior at the University of Miami.

  “Well,” Lynn said. “Let’s go out to the patio and have a drink, huh? Jade, wine?”

  “Please,” she said stiffly.

  “Jeffrey? A bourbon?”

  “Just a beer, please. But excuse me for a minute, will you? I’ve got to take a shower.”

  “Yes, yes, of course.”

  As soon as Jeffrey disappeared up the staircase, Jade turned to Lynn. “Listen, I really appreciate your planning to feed us all—it was thoughtful—but I really think it would be best if I just took Sean and went home.”

  “Jade!” Lynn protested. “Randy is always at the dorm these days; the boys are having so much fun with him. And Sean and Barry are helping Ryan and Candy with their diving. It’s such a nice afternoon for them all. Please just relax.” Candy was their daughter, a year younger than Barry.

  Lynn didn’t wait for Jade’s answer, but sidled into the kitchen, which opened onto the patio.

  “Lynn—”

  Her hostess was already opening the refrigerator and putting a chilled glass into Jade’s hand. “This is going to be so much fun! An unplanned Friday night party—with Randy in a child-watching mood…oh, come on, Jade!”

  “I don’t know if this is the right—”

  “Hey, if you fall off a horse, you get right back on.”

  “Lynn, that analogy makes no sense! This wasn’t my fault! I don’t have to ‘get back on’ anything! I—”

  “Hey, Mom!” Sean was calling her from the open sliding glass door. He was dripping wet, and wearing a delighted grin. “Did you get your car fixed?”

  “Were you surprised?” Ryan asked as he appeared next to Sean.

  Jade forced her mouth into the pretense of a smile. “I was surprised, all right.”

  “Neat! Hey, want to see Ryan dive?”

  “In a few minutes, kids. Let the grown-ups unwind, okay?” Lynn said.

  The boys disappeared. Someone yelled something excitedly, and Jade heard splashing water.

  Toby had taken a beer and disappeared. Jade turned to Lynn. “I’m serious! Everyone is on my back, but Jeffrey Martin is the one in the wrong! Any jerk should know not to take a car—”

  She was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared. Jade knew that it was Jeffrey.

  “Lynn, I’ll ta
ke that beer now, if I may.”

  “Ah, yes…you two go on out to the patio, okay? I’ve made a fondue for us to eat before dinner. Now go sit and let me play hostess.”

  Jade was glaring daggers at her friend, but Lynn ignored her. Taking a death grip on her wine, Jade preceded Jeffrey out to the patio. Toby was there, sipping his beer and gazing at the sports page of the newspaper. “Hey, did you read this article on the Raiders, Jeff?”

  Jeff sat next to him on the divan. Jade found a seat on the other side of the patio.

  Lynn came sailing in with a tray bearing a fondue pot, bread cubes, her own glass of wine and Jeffrey’s beer.

  “Jade, come over here, okay? We’re all going to have to sit around the coffee table. Now, shape up you two!” she admonished with a laugh.

  She put the tray down and sat on the tile beside the coffee table. “Jade, does this stuff taste right to you?”

  Jade was obliged to sit beside her hostess and test the fondue, which was, of course, just fine. Toby commented on the warm weather; Lynn answered, and even Jeffrey roused himself to respond. But just when Jade had decided she could make the same effort, Lynn left for the kitchen again, asking Toby to come help her.

  The silence on the patio was filled with tension. Jade dipped a piece of crusty French bread into the fondue; she bit into it and the sound seemed as loud as a whip crack. She felt defensive, and she didn’t have to be.

  She stared up at Jeff and found him staring down at her. Before she knew it, she was shouting. “Oh, come, on, Jeffrey! If your car were suddenly gone, you would have reported it, too!”

  “Oh, yes. You didn’t know I had the car, right?” he said, his tone seething with hostility.

  “Oh, you pigheaded idiot!” she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

  He was on his feet, too. “Sean didn’t say a word, I take it?”

  “No. Ask him—”

  “Then what happened to your closing? That business deal that was supposed to take forever and ever?”

  “Sandy came in to handle it himself. His nephew decided not to get married. This whole stinking thing is all your fault! You owe me and apology!”

  He stared out at the pool area and took and a long sip of beer. His hair was damp from the shower; his shoulder muscles were so taut that they rippled beneath the blue knit shirt he wore. “I owe you an apology,” he muttered. “I was trying to fix that rattletrap thing you drive—”