Page 102 of Just for Tonight

“I think we should surprise him.”

She exhales. “Just make sure Jake knows it was your idea.”

“I will.”

“And please wear a green shirt.”

Oh, I will. I need all the advantages I can get in wearing down Jake Cavendish.

29

Jake

I’m grumpy and I know it. There’s something about Wednesdays that make me irritable. No, there’s something about Wednesdays with no prospect of anything good happening on the upcoming weekend that annoys me.

I have exactly nothing to look forward to except more work.

I learned the importance of that from Mackenzie.

I haven’t seen or talked to Mackenzie in over a week and there’s no prospect of seeing or talking to her soon, and it’s my own fault. That’s what’s making me grumpy.

I give myself permission to be as cranky as I want in the solitude of my office and work on the quarterly analysis for an established client. Even the steady growth of his capital, all those little numbers adding up on the page, fails to give me joy on this day of days.

I do have it badly.

Ah, Mackenzie.

As if conjured by magic, I hear her voice as soon as I think of her name. I’m convinced that this is my brain fucking with me, yet another delusion leading to another disappointment, but there’s a crisp rap on my office door.

My boss’s secretary opens it and smiles at me. “You have guests, Jake. Do you have time?”

“A few minutes,” I say, not knowing what to expect.

First there’s Mackenzie, looking absolutely killer in a black suit with a green blouse. The sight of her takes my breath away. The twinkle in her eyes is devastatingly sexy. I can’t think of a single clever thing to say that won’t reveal that I’ve been pining for her like an idiot, knowing that our lack of contact is entirely my fault. I manage the truly brilliant “Hey” before Madison appears behind her.

My half-sister is wearing a vintage tweed suit, but probably not in the way it was originally intended. Her accessories are current and funky, her blouse is bright, and I think the skirt is from a different suit, but it all works together in an unexpected way.

She offers a tentative smile and nods at Mackenzie. “Her idea,” she mouths.

Okay, this is unusual – but not unwelcome.

I invite them in and close the door, my curiosity growing.

“You probably only have a couple of minutes and that’s all we’re going to take,” Mackenzie says. She’s all business. It’s okay. I like Boss Lady Mackenzie just fine. “Madison has an idea and I thought you’d like to hear it, and that maybe you could help.”

Help. Aha. I try to look indifferent and probably fail.

Mackenzie wants my help. For Madison, but still. The fact that she thought of me as a solution is very satisfying. I’m halfway to doing whatever is needed, just because Mackenzie is asking.

I do have it badly.

“It’s like this, Jake,” Madison says in a rush. “The only thing I care about is clothes. I love clothes and I love collecting them and I really love vintage, and when I realized I needed money, I thought I could just sell my clothes, but then I talked to Mackenzie. She helped me see that I could start a business selling vintage clothes and actually create a job for myself, and I’ve never thought of anything that sounded more perfect.”

Oh God, she wants to open a store. Holt Renfrew comes to Empire with designer labels and expensive inventory – and not a snowball’s chance in hell of breaking even. They even closed shop in Toronto. In Yorkville, where the fancy people shop.

I’m going to have to turn Madison down. In front of Mackenzie. This is so not good.

Madison, encouraged by my silence, leans forward. “So, I thought I’d build an online store with my own domain name and I’d promote it on my socials. I already have a lot of followers because I talk about clothes and show mine all the time, and maybe some of them will become my customers.”