“Ah. Okay. Do I smell waffles?”

“Yes. Would you like some?”

“I would love some. I haven’t had waffles in years.” She smiled.

I took two waffles from the freezer and placed them in the toaster.

“I must say, it’s nice to see you here in Jack’s kitchen. The only woman I’ve ever seen here is Madeline.”

“Really?” I cocked my head in disbelief.

“Yeah. Jack never let the women he was with spend the night. It was always sex and goodbye. A swift kick out the door.” She smiled.

“We aren’t having sex any more. I’m just a guest in his home.”

“You may not be having sex now, but I’m sure you will be again.” She winked.

I could feel my cheeks redden as she stared at me.

“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetie. Between you and me, I think you’re a breath of fresh air for Jack and he knows it.”

Putting the waffles on a plate, I took them over to the table.

“Well, Jack screwed up when he found out about Hope and told me that he had made a terrible mistake and to forget about what happened between us.”

Just as I said that, I heard the elevator doors open and Jack walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, Coco.” He walked over and kissed her cheek.

“Hey, Jack. So tell me what’s going on.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Jack

Pouring a cup of coffee, I sat down at the table across from Coco. I didn’t know how to tell her. This was going to be a double blow. It didn’t only involve our mother, but her boyfriend, who, for some unknown fucked-up reason, she loved.

“Our mother is being blackmailed. That’s why she had Bradley take the money from the company and put them in the offshore accounts.”

She cocked her head as a shocked look settled in her eyes. “Who would blackmail our mother? And better yet, why?”

I glanced over at Lorelei, who gave me a pained look. She knew this was something I couldn’t bear to tell my sister. This would hurt her deeply and I dreaded the words leaving my mouth. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.

“Jack?” She paused as she looked over at Lorelei and then back at me. “What the fuck is going on?”

I took in a deep breath as I prepared to deliver the devastating news to my sister.

“Joshua is blackmailing her.”

“What?” Her lips gave way to a small unsure smile. “Why? Why would my boyfriend blackmail our mother?”

“Joshua found out something about her and he threatened to go public with it unless she paid him off to keep quiet.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. What did he find out about her?”

“Apparently, our mother hired someone to go work for Flourishing Fashions Magazine to spy on them. They reported back to her and she stole their ideas, used them in our magazine, and put out the editions before Flourishing could.”

“That’s crazy. Mother would never do anything like that. Where the fuck are you getting your information from? You are way out of line, Jack.” She got up from her seat and headed towards the living room.

“I got the information from our dear mother herself. She came over here the other night and told me. She knew it was only a matter of time before I found out, so she decided to come clean.”

She stood in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed, shaking her head.

“When did this happen?”

“A couple of years ago.”

“How could we not have known what she was doing?” Coco yelled.

“How would we? You know how she is. How she’s always been. The magazine is her company and if she didn’t want us to know something, she would go to any lengths possible to make sure we didn’t.”

“That stupid little fucker Joshua! I’ll kill him!” She clenched her fists. “I knew something was going on with him. I’ll bet you a million dollars that after he got that money, he was going to leave me. He’s been having an affair, Jack.”

“What?” I yelled.

“I don’t even care. He doesn’t even know that I found out.”

“How long have you known?”

“About two weeks.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

“Because I knew you’d go after him and I wanted to handle him on my own.”

“What were you planning to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure out something.” She looked down.

“Listen, Coco.” I walked over to her and clasped her shoulders. “You can’t let him know that we know about this yet. We have to figure out a way to stop him from getting that money.”

“How? If he goes public with the information about Mom, it will destroy the company.”

I sighed. “I know.”

“We need to talk to her, Jack. Are you coming into the office?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see you there.” She placed her hand on my arm. “I’m happy you’re feeling better, Lorelei. We’ll talk soon.”

As soon as Coco left, I turned and looked at Lorelei.

“Jack, I’m—”

“Save it, Lorelei. I’ll see you after I pick Hope up from school.”

****

Lorelei

I spent the day lounging around and, to be honest, I was bored. The only thing on my mind was Jack’s attitude because he didn’t get his way with me. Just because he was taking care of Hope and me, didn’t mean he was entitled to sex. As I was pondering my feelings, my phone rang. I smiled when I saw Stella’s picture pop up on the screen.

“Hello.”

“Hello, my friend. How are things going back in New York?”

“Things are...well…interesting, I guess.”

“What do you mean? What’s going on that you’re not telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit, Lorelei. Whenever you say things in that sort of tone, it means you’re hiding something from me. Don’t forget; I’m the only person who knows you inside and out.”

I sighed. “I’ve been sick with pneumonia and was in the hospital for a couple of days.”

“WHAT! Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because you were with Sebastian and his ailing father. I’m on the mend now, so everything is fine.”

“Wait a minute. If you were in the hospital, who took care of Hope?”

“Jack.”

A shriek came from the other end. “WHAT! He hates kids.”

“He felt he had no choice. He’s the one who took me to the hospital and then he brought Hope back to his place and has been taking care of her since. In fact, I’m here now until Sunday.”

“You’re staying at Jack Sutton’s place and he’s taking care of both of you. I’m so confused, Lorelei. My brain can’t grasp what you’re telling me.”

“I’ll explain it all when you come back. When are you coming back, by the way?”

“We’ll be home on Sunday and you better believe the first place I’m heading is to your apartment.”

I laughed. “Okay. Hope and I will be there.”

“Take care of yourself. I have to go. We’re at the funeral luncheon and I just snuck out for a minute.”

“Give Sebastian my condolences.”

“I will. Love you, friend.”

“Love you too.”

I set my phone down and walked into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Glancing at the clock on the stove, I noticed that it was almost time for Jack and Hope to be home. I hadn’t heard from him all day and I wasn’t surprised, considering his juvenile behavior. I heard the elevator doors open, so I took my tea and walked to the foyer. Hope stepped off the elevator with a sad look on her face.

“Hey, baby. How was your day?”

“Not good.” She pouted. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go up to my room.”

As Hope walked up the stairs, I looked at Jack.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me.”

“Did you talk to your mother?”

“No.” He walked into the kitchen and I followed behind. “She was in meetings all day. She’s avoiding me and Coco. I know she is.”

I could tell how stressed Jack was. I couldn’t imagine finding out something like that about my mother.

He placed his hands on the counter and his eyes grazed over me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing much better.”

“Good. Then you’ll be able to get back to your apartment in a couple of days.”