The Biggest Part of Me (11 page)

Jane nodded and drank more coffee.

“Perhaps you can go there on your honeymoon,” Jason said to again remind himself that she was unavailable.  Jane said nothing but nodded again and then turned to look out the window at the busy traffic.  

After a moment of silence Jason cleared his throat. “So, tell me about your engagement with . . oh, what’s his name?”

“It’s Ed.  Ed Simpson.”

When Jane said nothing, Jason continued.  “So you met, fell madly in love, and are getting married.  Why haven’t you two love birds set a date yet?”

“For goodness sake, we’ve only been engaged for a few months!” Jane asserted.  She was getting tired of people asking her about the wedding date.  Jane’s cell phone began to ring, and thankful for the distraction said, “Excuse me,” as she quickly picked it up.   As if he knew someone had been talking about him, Ed was on the other end of the line.

“Jane, where are you?  I came by your office hoping to take you out for lunch.”

She turned her head away hoping that Jason couldn’t hear her.  “Oh, well, I’m at lunch with . . . a client.”  She squirmed in her chair wanting to be home relaxing in her tub instead of dealing with these two men.

“Then I won’t keep you.  Remember we’re going to that art exhibit tonight.  I’ll pick you up at your place around seven.  See you then, Darling.”

“Yes, goodbye.”  Jane put her phone away and looked guilty up into Jason’s laughing eyes.

Jason watched her, his elbow on the table and his head resting on his index finger.  “Didn’t want to tell him you were having lunch with me, huh?”  He was almost laughing!

“I didn’t see the point,” Jane said as she sat straight as a board, prim as a school marm.

“What’s the matter?  Is
Ed
the jealous type?”

“Of course not.  We have complete faith and trust in each other.”

Arms on the table, Jason leaned over and said, “What about passion, Janie?  That’s pretty important to have when you’re planning to spend the rest of your life with someone.”

Jane looked steadfastly into Jason’s eyes.  “We’re not kids, Jason.  There’s more to life than passion.  Especially when it tends to come and go.”  Suddenly Jane was very sad.

Jason reached for her hand.  “Look, it’s not my business who you marry, all right?  I just want you to be happy.”  And then he did the worst thing possible, the thing that could always crumble Jane and make her fall at his feet.

He smiled at her.

Not a grin, or a lopsided smile.  But a true, Jason Collins, dimple-twinkling, eyes sparkling smile.

She was toast.

Knowing she needed to leave immediately, Jane jumped up grabbing her coat, gloves, and purse.  “Listen, I really need to get back to the office.”

“But we haven’t eaten yet.”

“I’m know, I’m sorry but I should get back.  I’m working for you after all.  Now that I’ve seen CARL in action, I have a few more ideas for commercials.” 
Yeah, that sounded good
, she thought.  “Um, thanks anyway.” 

And then she was gone.  Jason sat there staring after her.  “You’re welcome,” he muttered.

“I don’t believe it!” she complained.  “How could he do that to me, how could he have used that lethal smile on me again?  Well, never again, Jason Collins!  I learned my lesson!”  Jane walked briskly down the street towards her office, pulling her coat tightly in the cold winter wind.  She was furious with herself.  How could she do this?  All this flirting with Jason, the looking into his eyes, the hand holding, and especially the smile—it was going to destroy her.

Jane’s eyes looked straight ahead, focusing on nothing in particular.  Her mind went back to the relationship she had had with Jason.  He had been everything to her.  They had spoken words of love to each other, during the everyday events of their lives and in the throes of passion.  Everything about them together, physically, socially, even spiritually, seemed to mesh into a beautiful oneness.

Then came college.  It was hard to keep up with each other.  Jason was working hard at the University of Florida, studying business and engineering.  Besides college, Jason held a part-time job at a university snack bar and worked nights cleaning office buildings. 

Jane was at Princeton University in New Jersey studying marketing.  After her dad passed away, Jane worried about her mom and called her constantly to check up on her.  She had offered to go to college in Jacksonville to be near her mom, but Sarah Kendall would not hear of that.  She told her daughter that her dad would want her to finish at Princeton.  And she had finished, with an empty and broken heart. 
Damn that Jason Collins
.

Jason had been there for the funeral of Jane’s father, Bob Kendall.  He had held Jane in his arms as she wept softly during the service.  He had supported her through the whole ordeal.  He was so concerned, so loving.  He had been quiet, too quiet.  Perhaps he was thinking of how to let her down gently.  Hence, what happened on her twenty-first birthday.

The communication between the two had been less and less leading to Jane’s big birthday.  Jason had asked to take her out to celebrate that night since she was on break from college.  It had been a wonderful evening.  However, Jason had seemed aloof, distant.  She knew it was coming.  She couldn’t get him to open up.  She tried to make it easy for Jason to break up with her by talking about her impending trip abroad.  It just seemed to make him more uncomfortable.

She had ached for him to tell her not to go.  No trip could have compared with Jason, being in a relationship with him.  She would have given up everything for him—Europe, college, marketing, everything—if he had just said the word.  But he hadn’t.  Looking back, it was probably best that he hadn’t.  She needed her career.  He needed his.  Relationships had a tendency to get in the way.

That birthday night had ended with Jane getting drunk and waking up with a massive hangover, in a motel bed with Jason.  She blushed just thinking of it.  Later that day, they had walked the beach of Little Talbot Island and said good-bye.

After that, despite the complications, Jane determined to be a success no matter what.  She would learn how to sell her ideas with enthusiasm and imagination.  She needed and wanted this skill since she felt that she had failed at love.

The pain returned to Jane as she walked down the crowded New York street.  The bitter wind froze the tears against her cheeks.  She couldn’t let this happen again.  She had to regain her momentum.  Being alone with Jason was deadly.  This had to stop.  She couldn’t open her heart to Jason Collins.  The price was just too high to pay.      

The Cape Cod styled home in the Hamptons was picture perfect.  The two-story building was painted a pale gray with white shutters and was surrounded by a white picket fence.  A bright blue sky seemed to frame the charming home that sat on the seashore.

Jane could not believe her eyes as her limo pulled into the driveway.  She loved homes like this, had fantasized about them since she was ten years old.  The Talbot Toy Company owned the home and had summoned the Patterson Marketing Team for a weekend of brainstorming and reviewing storyboards in a relaxed and creative environment.  Jane was so excited she was positively bouncing in her seat.

Having not seen or spoken to Jason since her sudden departure from their lunch, Jane had thrown herself into the CARL project, working like a demon, racking up fourteen-hour days writing and rewriting the ad campaign.  CARL was going to be a tremendous success or she was going to die working on it. 

This weekend would be a test of sorts in her working relationship with Jason.  Could they really be friends after all that had happened between them?  What about all these emotions still churning inside of her for Jason?  She knew that she had to keep a tight lid on her feelings.  Her job depended on it.  She would not melt under Jason’s gaze.  She would not look into his beautiful brown puppy dog eyes.  She would be strong.

The front door opened and Jason stepped onto the front porch and all her mantras of self-control instantly left.  Instead of the stiff, overconfident company boss in a three-piece suit, Jason had changed into a pair of worn jeans and a plaid shirt.  What was it about plaid in the wintertime that looked so sexy?  Jane caught herself before she descended into a full-fledged drool. 

With a word of welcome, Jason led them into the storybook dwelling.  Jane smiled as she passed him, just glancing briefly at him and then averting her eyes down.  In the cottage, Jane looked up to see a large great room with a massive fireplace.  Upholstered sofas in an ocean blue print took center stage in the room, one facing the fireplace and the other facing the ocean.  Behind the floor to ceiling windows was a beautiful patio complete with pool and hot tub. 

Beyond the patio and yard was the Atlantic Ocean, wild with abandon, churning with the bitter winds of a New England winter.  Jane was mesmerized.  She walked slowly to the window and looked out, hypnotized by the sea. 

She was unaware of Jason standing by the front door watching her.  His heart was slamming in his chest.  She looked so right in his house.  Maybe he had subconsciously thought of her when he purchased it.  Could she possibly know what watching her right now in his house did to him?  Could she know how much he wanted to send everyone away, light a fire in the hearth, and sit with his arms around her?  Of course not.  Times change.  People change.  They were simply friends now.  And business associates.  Nothing more.  Just because his eyes seemed to fix on Jane as she looked out at the ocean, just because his body yearned to stroke the tall slender neck under her pretty pony tail, just because he was feeling more than “friendly” at the moment—

  It didn’t mean anything.

“Jason, your house is fabulous,” Vincent, from Patterson’s media relations department, said.

Turning his attention away from Jane, Jason replied, “Thanks.  Glad everyone could make it.”  With everyone looking around and finding their bedrooms, Jason walked over to Jane who had not moved an inch from her spot at the window.

Jason was unexpectedly choked up.  He cleared his throat and whispered, “So, what do you think, Janie?”

Jane turned to look at him.  Her eyes sparkled.  Her smile was bright.  “It’s wonderful.”  She reminded him of the thirteen year old he fell in love with a hundred years ago.  Try as he might, he could not take his eyes off of her face.  She met his glance, trying to decipher what he was thinking. 

Filled with emotion, Jason knew that if he didn’t touch her at this moment he was going to go insane.  Unable to stop himself, Jason stroked her arm.  “I’m really glad you like it,” was all Jason could say.

Unable to read him, Jane moved away, smiled, and went for her luggage.

Jason cursed himself. 
Get a grip
. 
Get back to work, Collins
, he told himself.  Gathering his wits, he went to the study to gather paperwork for their first meeting.

An hour later the group settled in the large great room.  Everyone was casually dressed, with pad and pen in their laps.  In the center of the room stood CARL, the three-foot high robot that appeared to be smiling at his audience.

As everyone was making notes dealing with their various jobs, Jason sat on the floor explaining about and tinkering with CARL. 

“We’re having a slight problem with the computer chip.  Hal, first thing Monday morning I want you to get on the horn to Japan and find out when that replacement box of chips will be arriving.  There was a problem with the first shipment.”

“You got it, boss,” came the reply from tech department head Hal Baker.

“There, that should do it.”  Jason closed the back of CARL and wiping his hands on his jeans turned the unit on.

A soft purring sound started.  The unit was amazingly quiet when powered up.  So far so good.

“CARL, say ‘good morning.’’’

“Good morning.”

Some clapped.  Some laughed.  All were amazed.

“CARL, find Talbot Toys dot com.”

The light sound of the computer searching could be heard.  On the screen for all to see was the company’s website home page.  More applause.

“CARL, play the National Anthem.”

Switching from the company’s website, the computer screen then showed an American flag along with the words to the national anthem as the song began playing through it’s speakers.  Louder applause.

“Now, let’s try something harder.  CARL, walk to me.”  The little robot slowly began moving toward Jason.  Then all of a sudden CARL stopped and began spinning, then alternately moving forward and then backward.  A high-pitched noise emanated from the unit causing everyone to cover their ears.  CARL then continued the spinning until it fell to the ground.  Before anyone could respond, a large popping noise was heard and the CARL unit started smoking.

Sally was immediately on her feet.  “Turn the unit off!”  As Jason very carefully turned CARL off, Sally ran into the kitchen, returning with a fire extinguisher.  CARL was immersed with the dry chemical and the fire was put out. 

“How did you know what to do so quickly, Sally,” Vincent said, very impressed.

Modestly she replied, “Volunteer fire fighter, Little Rock, Arkansas.”