Recipe for Satisfacton (18 page)

“I…” He stuffed the papers on the seat of the chair in front of him, then looked up.

Fear shone in her eyes. She rushed to the table and grabbed the pile of papers. “It’s rude to look through people’s things, you know.”

“Says the woman who’s looked through every drawer and closet of my home.”

She gasped, drawing back. “It’s my
job
.”

She was right. She would never be the type of person who would intentionally be nosy. But those bank statements had raised a big red flag. Combine that with the fact that she was working on weekends for extra money. It all made sense now.

“I’m sorry.” That wasn’t a lie. He wished he’d never seen those papers. But it had been exactly what he needed to get him focused. He was leaving. Sterling’s financial problems had nothing to do with him. They owed each other nothing.

Sterling slid the pile of paper between the microwave and the wall. When she turned to face him she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

There was a hardness in her gaze. This was not the Sterling he’d grown to care for. “I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I’ve asked for nothing from you.”

He crossed his own arms. “You’re right. You didn’t ask. But I think you were hoping I’d find those bills and that I’d come to your rescue.”

“I am not a gold digger. I am
not
your mother.”

“You’re right. You’re not like my mother. At least she had track record of disappointing me and I shouldn’t have been surprised. You, on the other hand, spent all this time telling me how honorable and responsible I am. Was that your way of softening me up? If I’m so honorable you knew I would help you.”

“I don’t
need
anything from you, you arrogant jerk.”

Anger flared inside him. At himself. “You don’t need the money I’m paying you to pack up the house?”

Her eyes darted to the floor.

“By the looks of those demand letters, I think you do need something from me.”

He was the one who pushed the relationship. She had done her best to keep it professional but he’d persisted. She needed the money. That’s all she ever needed. And all this time, he was starting to believe that he was different. She made him believe he was different. But it was all an act.

She hung her head and brought her hands up to cover her face. “I want to be with you.” She mumbled through her fingers, “I just want you.”

Want. Want. Want
. Everyone wanted something from him. His brothers wanted him to be more like them. His birth mother wanted his money. The world wanted to know every tiny detail of his life. And now Sterling, she wanted the worst thing of all. A commitment.

“You can’t have me, Sterling.”

A look of horror spread across her face and she hugged her body, wrapping her arms around her torso.

“By next week I’ll be gone.” He was being mean. He knew it. “I thought we had something good going here. We had an understanding. This was temporary.”
Temporary.
A strange feeling settled in his chest when he said the word. But he tamped it down. “I held up my end of the deal. I thought that you appreciated my efforts to get you to loosen up, have some fun.”

“I did—I
do
—appreciate it. Everything. But don’t tell me that you did those things for me.”

“Like I flew to Florida for myself.”

“You liked the way doing those things made
you
feel. Like you were redeeming yourself. Like they were your penance for a sketchy past.”

Was it true? Had he used her to make himself feel better?

Tears stung her eyes. “I think you should leave.” She nodded her head, emphasizing that she wholeheartedly agreed with her decision. “The house is done. The rest of the items will be picked up next week. I’m sure you can handle the rest.”

He nodded. “I’ll send you a check.”

She did a good job hiding her disgust at his response. It only barely registered on her face. But he’d spent enough time with her to know that she was holding back tears.

“Good-bye, Sterling.” Jack walked into the hall, his head high. When the door clicked behind him, he let it fall forward.

Just when he thought he had everything figured out, Sterling reminded him he was nothing without his money.

Chapter Thirteen

Jack gripped the file folders in his hands. It was presentation day and it was the first time in his life he actually felt nervous.

Cole was settled in the corner of one of the restaurant booths, his arms crossed over his chest covering the embroidery of his name on his white chef’s coat. His stoic expression was a little intimidating. Finn sat beside him, wearing his typical T-shirt with the image of a skull, fiddling with a cloth napkin. They were just waiting for—

“Carson Kelly is a woman.” Neil’s angry voice rang out behind Jack. All three of them turned in his direction.

“I take it your meeting with her didn’t go very well,” Cole said.

“Her? You knew?” Shock and horror registered on Neil’s face.

Cole repositioned himself on the bench. “Penn told me.”

Carson Kelly was the architect Neil wanted to hire to design and build the new restaurant on the farmland they had purchased. But it seemed old Carson Kelly wasn’t at all what Neil expected.

Neil growled. “It seems the real Carson Kelly has retired and left his daughter—Carson Kelly the second—his
daughter
—to take over.” Neil threw his files on the table. “Did I mention she’s his daughter?”

Neil’s tie was missing and the first two buttons of his dress shirt were undone. Even his hair stood at attention as if he’d grabbed it and pulled.

“So…?” Jack said. He’d never seen Neil so rattled.

“
So?
” Neil shouted.

Finn threw down the napkin. “Is she hot?”

“She’s perfectly fine,” Neil answered.

“Perfectly fine?” Jack said. “She must be smokin’.”

Both Cole and Finn gave answering “ahs.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, an indignant look on his face. He wrestled a chair out from under the table and sat his big body down.

Finn answered. “It means, Neil, that whenever you really like a woman you refuse to discuss her.”

“That’s bullshit,” he countered. He looked from brother to brother, then finally settled on Jack. “You’re wearing a suit. This is going to be interesting.”

“This isn’t about me. Don’t deflect.” Jack had dressed the part hoping that his well-tailored suit would distract from the fact that he was nervous as hell.

“Fine,” Neil spat. “She’s a ten. Is that what you wanted to hear? Actually she’s a fifteen because she rode up to our meeting on a Ducati.”

“A Ducati?” Cole asked.

“Sweet,” Finn said.

“Good morning, boys. Can someone please explain why I’m here at this hour?” Gloria York sauntered into the kitchen wearing her black power suit. Gloria was Vivian’s best friend and a big investor in the Cooking for the Future program.

Jack ushered her into the booth. “I won’t take up too much of your time, Gloria. I promise.”

When Gloria had settled into the booth, he took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
“Are any of you attached to Mom’s wardrobe?”

“Attached how?” Cole asked. “Please don’t tell me you put on Mom’s clothes.”

Finn slapped his hand on the table. Cole and Gloria laughed out loud. Even Neil couldn’t keep his angry face intact.

“I’m being serious.” Jack settled his nerves. “I mean, if the clothes weren’t in our possession anymore, if they were sold, how would you feel?”

Looking from one face to the next, tension built in his chest. Why weren’t they responding? He’d have to try a new angle. “What is Mom’s favorite thing?”

This time, he got a reaction from Finn, who smiled wide. But none of them broke the silence.

“Jack, dear.” Gloria leaned across the table. “What exactly are you trying to say?” Her tone was like being scolded by a schoolteacher.

He took a deep breath and continued. “Her three favorite things in the world: the Cooking for the Future program, along with food and fashion. I think we should create a foundation to raise funds for the program. Since I’m stationed out of Chicago, Gloria, I’d love for you to be the chair.”

Jack handed out the file folders he had prepared with Sterling. “Our first big event would be an auction of Mom’s clothes.”

Gloria and Finn finally engaged and glanced down to flip through the folder. At least two of them were paying attention. Which meant they were listening, so he powered through.

“I also think we should expand by setting up a referral program from the local high schools.”

Crickets. The silence mocked him. Maybe he was way in over his head. Maybe the idea sucked. But he’d come this far.

“If you’ll all look at the folders, page three outlines the projected timeline for getting the foundation set up as well as for the event. Our lawyer is putting together the paperwork.”

Neil stared back at him with a stern glare. “That’s presumptuous of you.”

“Just being prepared, brother. I know we all need to agree.” Jack collected a breath and remembered Sterling’s advice:
breathe, stay calm, and remember it’s your time to shine.
But after the way he had treated her the night before, he was positive her advice today would be that he could choke and die. “At the back of the folder you’ll find the proposed date for the auction, the tentative guest list, and a marketing plan.”

The flip of pages echoed around him. Finally, they were looking through his presentation—everyone but Neil, who sat with his arms crossed over his chest, one ankle resting on his knee.

He could at least pretend to be interested. It seemed as though his plan wasn’t going over well. Their silence, and the fact that they barely even looked at one another, let alone him standing at the head of the table, didn’t bode well. He hoped it was just the shock over his change in character, rather than the idea itself. His conscience couldn’t handle a refusal. He needed this foundation. He needed to make his mother proud. But more than that, Jack believed so strongly in this idea and he was going to convince them, no matter what he had to do.

Time to break out the big guns. Jack had to let them know how much this meant to him.

“My life is in Chicago. But I want to do this for Mom.
We
should do this for Mom. We can’t let all of her hard work be for nothing.”

Not one of them gave away a feeling, not even a twitch of their eye or neck. Nothing to put him the least bit at ease.

“So, you’re going to create more work and then leave it for us to worry about?” Neil asked.

Inside, his heart deflated just a tiny bit. On the outside, he didn’t let Neil’s comment faze him. “It’s just an idea, Neil. And if Gloria is willing to take it on, I think it has the potential to be a really great idea.”

“Jack…” Finn spoke first. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? This foundation idea is your strength. You know how to schmooze.”

He looked at Neil. “Chicago is where I belong. I just couldn’t leave without putting this option on the table.”

“Forgive me for disagreeing…but you belong
here
.” Finn clasped his hands together on the table in front of him. “But I think this is a great idea and I’m on board.”

“I’m in, too,” Cole said as he pushed the file folder away from him across the table. He smiled. “Does this mean you’re leaving now, because I can’t wait to get you out of my restaurant.”

Jack laughed. “Yes. I’ll be out of your hair soon.” He knew Cole was only joking, trying his best to ease the negativity that seemed to settle over everything whenever the subject of his leaving came up.

Maybe that’s a sign you shouldn’t leave.

“Me, too,” Gloria said. She left her seat at the booth and sidled up to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I think this is a lovely way to honor my friend.”

“Mom would be proud, Jackie,” Finn said.

“I let her down once.” Jack squeezed Gloria’s shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. He wasn’t there when she died, and he made her passing a joke. “I’m not going to let her down again.”

“You didn’t let anyone down. Your mother was proud of you, Jack. Of everything you’ve accomplished. Don’t ever doubt that.” She turned to his brothers. “All of you.”

He let out a sigh of relief. That’s all he ever wanted to do. Make her proud. To fill that gaping hole in his heart that had opened the day he got the call that she had passed. He wasn’t there for her on her deathbed. He sure as hell was going to be there to continue her legacy.

“But…”

He tensed. Was Gloria going to throw a wrench in his plans?

“I think I should be vice chair. I can handle things locally, but this is your baby, Jack.”

It was the best of both worlds. He got to be involved but keep his lifestyle. Although if he was honest with himself, he’d miss those damn kids. They had been a bright light in his life when it seemed as if he was in a black hole. And if he was even more honest, he was going to miss Sterling.

Gloria, Finn, and Cole were on board and were now conversing quietly among one another. But Neil still hadn’t spoken. When the other three noticed the stare-down between them they shut up quickly, the smiles disappearing from their faces. Although technically Neil wasn’t “in charge,” his opinion mattered.

Jack’s stomach roiled when Neil lifted his hands, and clasped them behind his head. Here it came. The lecture.

“I think you’re better than those bars. That’s why I harp on you.”

Jack dropped the pen he had been twirling between his fingers. He had no doubt his face matched his shocked system. And he wasn’t going to make the mistake of correcting the fact that he owned restaurants—not bars.

“I thought your decision to start your own business was selfish. We have so much here. So much has been given to us and I just couldn’t understand why you didn’t want to give back to the name that had given you a break.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve never given you enough credit, but you’ve just proven me wrong. You’re going to change the world one foster kid at a time.”

Was it too over-the-top that he wanted to yell
I told you so
? That he wanted to smile, point, and remind Neil that he may be the youngest, but that didn’t mean he was the laziest. But, he didn’t. “It isn’t fair that we lucked out. There are so many kids who are just like us with no hope and no one to turn to. “

This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. They were on board. Everything had gone according to plan. But there was something missing.

“So we’re all in agreement?” Cole asked looking from side to side.

As soon as Neil nodded in agreement, Jack took a deep breath, pride filling his chest. He’d never had this feeling before. And he owed it all to Sterling.

“I just have one question,” Finn said. “Who are you and what have you done with our brother Jack?”

“I think we can thank a lady by the name of Sterling for this sudden transformation,” Cole answered.

“Sterling helped me put together the presentation but she’s…” She did a lot more than that. She was the initial brains behind the idea but she would never take the credit. Sterling had opened his eyes to a brand-new life. But would life be the same without her in it? “We’re done.”

“What did you do?” Neil scolded.

“Nothing.”
That’s a lie.
“Our arrangement was only temporary. She knew that from the beginning.

“Uh-oh,” Gloria said. “What
did
you do?”

His shoulders slumped forward. “I found a stack of bank statements. She’s in debt. Major debt.” He fisted his hands at his sides. “I all but accused her of wanting me for my money.”

All three brothers cursed under their breath but Gloria didn’t hold back. “Why are you boys such idiots?”

“Hey, we’re not all idiots,” Finn said, his thumb pointing over his shoulder at Neil. “Some of us more than others.”

Neil shoved him into the table.

Their attention turned from Neil and Finn wrestling at the table to the front door smashing against the brick wall. Cole cringed at Penn’s carelessness as she wrestled several boxes through the door but he immediately shot up and raced out of the booth, to her rescue. Wasn’t he the one who always complained about how she always needed help? He carried three boxes to Penn’s one.

“What do you have there, Penn?” Finn asked.

She huffed as she settled her box on the table across from them. “This is a present from Sterling.” Penn zeroed her gaze on Jack. He tensed. Obviously she had already heard the news about his stupidity. She walked by him, her eyes throwing daggers, and leaned down to hug Gloria.

“Gather ’round, boys. I have something to show you.” Penn gestured to the table where she’d set up the boxes. She settled beside Cole on one side of the table, Jack flanked her other, Finn and Neil settled on the opposite side. “Your names should be on the lids, one for each of you. Go ahead. Open them.”

On the top of each box was what looked like a photo album, but when Jack opened the pages he realized it was a scrapbook. Every achievement, every event, every moment worth remembering was documented in the pages of the scrapbook. And they each had one.

“Shit,” Finn whispered under his breath.

“And all of the pictures that were found in the house were duplicated and you each have copies,” Penn said.

“Sterling did this?” Cole asked.

Penn nodded.

Jack watched his brothers as they rummaged through the photos. Cole stared at the framed photo of Vivian and him. Finn and Neil silently thumbed through their boxes.

“Jack.” Neil looked up and laughed, a loud bellow. “Remember when you dressed like a princess for Halloween?” He held up a photo of Jack in his costume, complete with blond wig, pink dress, and cone hat.

Penn burst out in hysterics beside him and snatched the picture out of Neil’s hand. “I’m so keeping this for blackmail purposes.” She looked inside Cole’s box. “There has to be some good ammo in here of you, Mr. Uptight.” She nudged Cole in the ribs and thrust out her hip trying to block him from grabbing the box.

Jack placed the scrapbook on the table. “As I recall the only reason I had to wear that costume is because I lost a bet.”

“You never could beat me at racing games,” Finn said.

He remembered that day. It was a good day despite his unfortunate clothing. And the memory of that day was something he shared with his brothers. All of the pictures in these boxes were memories he’d shared with them. And Sterling knew all along how important these photos were to his family.