Jack's Blind Date Debacle (Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Book 8) Read online

  Jack lived in a small apartment which had been renovated five years earlier. Although the building was old, it had been well maintained, even before the renovations.”

  Sam followed Jack up the staircase to the second floor, where his apartment was located at the very end of the hallway. Although it was only a one bedroom, it was one of the few with a terrace which overlooked a park nearby.

  “I’ll miss this place,” Jack said, unlocking the door leading inside the apartment. “I’ve had a job offer Sam. It looks like I’m moving to Wisconsin.”

  Sam snorted, looking at him in shock after following him inside. “Wisconsin? What kind of job?”

  “Land development and real estate. Rand has been pulling one over on us. He owns the place and wants Nick and I to manage it.”

  “If you want, Sean and I can take over the apartment together. We’re rarely in town at the same time and Sean wants a place that’s a little more permanent. When would you take the job?” Sam asked, laying down Jack’s luggage.

  “I’m giving my notice to Wallace tomorrow, and I’ll probably move there before Christmas.”

  “Good for you,” Sam muttered. “I like Jim Wallace, but I know how much you hate the job.”

  “It’s great money,” Jack admitted.

  “That’s because you’re their top earner. You’re too damned stressed out all the time.” Sam heaved a sigh. “It’s time that you did something for you instead of always worrying about us. Mom’s doing well, and Sean is even happy in the Army.”

  “I’m glad he never had to go through what we did,” Jack confessed, wiping his face with a hand.

  “Me too,” Sam answered softly.

  “Sit down. How about a beer?” Jack asked, after laying his luggage on the floor and heading into the kitchen. It was rather warm, so he slid open the patio window before opening the fridge and grabbing a couple beers.

  “Thanks,” Sam murmured, as Jack laid the beers on the small kitchen island.

  “What are you seeing in the nightmares, Sam?”

  “Another man,” Sam answered, grimly.

  “I was afraid of that.” Closing his eyes, Jack heaved a sigh. “I was certain there was another man involved too.”

  “So, what does it mean?”

  After slugging down his beer, Jack’s eyes met Sam’s. “It means if we can somehow come up with a way to handle the memories and nightmares, we might eventually be able to discover the guys who killed Dad.”

  Chapter Nine

  Janelle and Emma were having a fabulous vacation, and even though Ciara spent a lot of time with Rand, Janelle and Emma were always invited along to tour the island and see the sights.

  But by the time Friday arrived, trouble was brewing on Bali. There was talk of tropical storms developing. So far, the forecast left Bali safe from the warning being broadcast as far south as Australia and north as the Philippines.

  Janelle and Emma left the hotel early that morning and moved over to Rand’s place for the duration of the storms since it was like a fortress.

  When they arrived, Janelle and Emma were introduced to Kerilyntaryn and her husband, Wayan, the Balinese couple who were caretakers of Rand’s property. Apparently, foreigners were actually not allowed to own property in Bali, although it could change in the near future. But proper etiquette required that someone from the island lived and worked with Rand, to uphold island customs.

  But Kerilyntaryn was pregnant, and Janelle noticed right away that she was due any day, no matter how much Kerilyntaryn protested that she was not, and Janelle made it her mission to keep a close eye on her. Unfortunately, she’d had some experience with a pregnancy gone wrong.

  The next few days provided quite a challenge for Rand and the girls. Due to the deep spirituality of the natives, several families were still ready to leave their fate to the Gods. But Rand managed to convince some of the ex-pat families living near the beach to come and stay until after the storms when he couldn’t convince them to evacuate. Bali was close enough to the moderating effect of the equator to usually miss out on typhoons, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones, but apparently, this time, they wouldn’t be so lucky.

  When Wednesday came, so did the type four storm. Silence first, and then an eerie darkness before devastation struck, rolling waves thundering across the walls of Rand’s home, which had been reinforced with steel rebar and concrete when it had been built.

  There were two generators for backup power, but only the essential electronics were left to work off the external sources. Rand and Ciara had purchased and stored as much food as possible, intending to ration it out to those who might be left homeless after the storms.

  When the first crush of the cyclone blasted through, everyone gathered in the upstairs living room, where an electric heater circulated some warmth through the room. The storm went on for hours, every once in a while drowning out their conversation, or causing someone to jump when it was obvious that something heavy had either fallen onto the house or been ripped and flown through the air outside.

  Eventually, the eerie silence returned, and Rand had gone onto his laptop to see if he had a signal so he could check to see how the island was holding up.

  Surprisingly, he’d had a signal, which was a sign that the interior of the island was probably still intact. Checking the news, he’d been able to see that indeed there had been a lot of devastation in the southern portion of Bali, including Nusa Dua.

  Rand’s cell phone suddenly rang, and he pursed his lips and answered, “Hello?”

  There was a rumbling of his voice as he moved through the room, pressing a button and opening one of the shutters to get a view of the land outside.

  “Whoa,” Ciara murmured, staring at the debris that had washed up along the beach.

  Actually, it didn’t even look like a beach anymore, Janelle realized. Laying on the patio were two huge palms, completely uprooted by the winds.

  “There’s not as much damage here as I expected,” Rand murmured, listening to whoever was on the phone.

  “Yep,” he said. “She sure can. She’s a licensed pilot and also knows how to operate a chopper. If you can get to us, I’m sure she’d be willing to help.”

  Apparently, search and rescue needed them, and Ciara nodded her agreement to help.

  “Okay,” Rand answered. “I’ll call you back in a moment, after I try and figure where you can land.”

  “I doubt there’s anywhere,” Emma murmured. “And Kerilyntaryn still thinks she isn’t in labor, so Janelle is watching her like a hawk, so she doesn’t overdue it. Janelle thinks the baby’s coming soon.”

  Jenelle snuck up behind them, whispering softly. “I still think with all the stress from the storm, she’s going to be going into labor. But let’s not panic Kerilyntaryn.”

  * * *

  By Friday morning, the island had finally been given the all clear from other threats of storms. They were working on restoring the power, since southern Bali was the only area still without it since it had received the most damage from the cyclone.

  Some of the men staying here were on their way into town so they could check out their homes and assess the damages.

  Janelle and Emma were standing in the kitchen and chatting with Ciara, surrounded by kids and a couple of the wives who’d remained while the others had gone to check out the hurricane damage, when Rand appeared, wearing a fierce frown on his face.

  “Uh, oh,” Emma said to Ciara. “It looks like something’s up. I can handle things here.”

  Ciara met him halfway across the kitchen, reaching for his hand. “What is it, Rand?”

  His eyes searched the room, before he whispered, “Let’s go outside for a walk. I’ve got some bad news.”

  Janelle had a feeling that Rand might be needed elsewhere. His air of authority had not gone unnoticed this past week, and Janelle and Emma knew he was something other than he pretended to be.

  When Ciara finally returned several hours later, it was to tell Janelle and
Emma that Rand was on his way off the island. She wasn’t allowed to talk about specifics, but yes Rand was a special investigator whose identity might have been compromised. So, he’d been reassigned, because of being identified by local terrorist groups.

  * * *

  The following seven days ended up being some of the strangest of Janelle’s life. Janelle, Ciara and Emma stuck to a schedule. In the mornings they’d travel to some of the more essential areas of the city and help with cleanup, while later in the morning they would distribute food and care packages which were being delivered regularly via chopper. After that, they would assist with temporary evacuation of children and more fragile individuals who’d been hurt, although not severely.

  When they returned to Rand’s home exhausted during late afternoon, Ciara spent time downstairs in Rand’s living space sorting through his things and packing boxes of items to send back to the states and put in storage. Apparently, Rand had spoken with his grandparents and given Ciara the address of where to send his things since Bali was the one place he would not be able to return for a long while, if ever.

  Although Kerilyntaryn didn’t end up in labor the night of the storm, after insisting to Janelle that she wasn’t, it was definitely a prelude for what was to come.

  With only two more days on the island, Janelle was awakened by someone calling her name.

  “Missy? Missy Janelle?” Wayan stood near the open door, looking shaken. “I think baby is coming.”

  Since she’d been expecting this to happen any day, Janelle had been going to sleep wearing sweats and a t-shirt, so she wouldn’t have to take the time to dress.

  Janelle sprang from the bed, giving orders to Wayan. “See if any of the ladies are awake Wayan. We’ll need plenty of boiling water to sanitize equipment.”

  Wayan was still looking panicked when a painful cry echoed through the air.

  The expression on his face was priceless, so she decided to give him something else to do to keep him busy.

  “How about having someone start some coffee brewing too?”

  Definitely worried, Wayan looked toward the master bedroom where Rand had insisted Kerilyntaryn and Wayan should sleep.

  “She’ll be fine,” Janelle reassured him, gently pushing him toward the kitchen before she continued through the hallway into the master bedroom, where Kerilyntaryn was laying on the bed.

  Janelle approached Kerilyntaryn, smiling. “How are you feeling?”

  Kerilyntaryn grimaced, confessing, “Not good.”

  “That’s pretty normal under the circumstances,” Janelle admitted, studying her closely. “I’m going to check to make sure everything is alright.”

  “Yes,” Kerilyntaryn murmured, seeming to become calmer with Janelle’s presence.

  Janelle checked to see if her water had broken yet.

  Ciara came running into the room, breathless. “What can I do?”

  “Hmm. Her water still hasn’t broken,” Janelle answered. “How about bringing me that spare plastic sheet that I left outside the door? That way we can just remove it from beneath her once the baby is born.”

  As Emma walked inside the bedroom, Ciara appeared with the folded plastic sheeting in her hands.

  “Let’s put this beneath her,” Ciara said. “Emma, why don’t you try and slip it on the mattress while Janelle and I lift her a little from the bed?”

  “Where’s Wayan?” Emma asked, as she did as she was instructed.

  “Pacing outside instead of in here. He was driving us nuts,” Ciara muttered.

  Emma grinned.

  Walking up to Kerilyntaryn, Emma asked softly, “How are you feeling?”

  “Not good,” Kerilyntaryn murmured, crunching her teeth as another contraction started. “I am glad you ladies are here.”

  “We are too,” Janelle answered. “Emma? How about wetting down a washcloth? It’s awfully warm tonight, so maybe you can wipe Kerilyntaryn’s face and try and keep her comfortable. Also, we could use a small tub filled with warm water for when the baby comes. Ciara and I will handle the rest.”

  “How can you be so calm?” Emma asked.

  “Simple,” Janelle answered. “My mom was a midwife. I also delivered two of my sisters and a brother while I was a teenager.”

  Both Ciara and Emma looked at her in obvious astonishment.

  What she didn’t mention was the fact that her mother had died in childbirth, but it was something Janelle didn’t want to think about now.

  “I don’t know about you, Em, but I think there’s a lot I’d like to know about our friend. Janelle.”

  “Ditto,” Emma murmured, smiling at Ciara.

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” Janelle murmured. “The water finally broke. I think that it’s almost time.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, Wayan was back inside with his wife, staring proudly at his newborn son.

  “What did they name him?” Emma asked.

  Ciara grinned. “I think it will be Wayan too. Rand told me that daughters and sons are named by the order they’re born. It’s part of the native tradition, and there are only a few common names, I believe.”

  Emma grimaced. “I wonder how they keep each other straight?”

  Janelle laughed.

  “I almost hate to leave in a few days. Everything here is still so unsettled,” Ciara said. “I’ll clean out all the food we won’t need from the fridge and do a few other things before we go to make it easier for Kerilyntaryn. I guess that Wayan and Kerilyntaryn will remain in their own home on the edge of the property while no one is living here, and they’ll continue to work as caretakers.”

  “Let’s get some sleep,” Janelle said. “The baby seems healthy, and I’m sure that Kerilyntaryn is more than capable of caring for him. Supposedly, she has many brothers and sisters, some who were here during the storm.”

  “I’ve nearly got Rand’s things ready to go, so I’ll finish that up later. I suppose we should stick around the rest of the day today. I’ll be returning to duty as soon as we’re home, and we have that twenty-something hour flight coming up tomorrow.”

  Emma scrunched her nose. “I’ve decided I’m staying overnight in Alabama once we reach the states. I don’t have to hurry home.”

  “Good,” Janelle murmured. “I’ll have a few more days off before I need to report to base. We can hang out together before you return to Wisconsin.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Emma answered.

  Chapter Ten

  Jim Wallace looked at him doubtingly. “Wisconsin? Are you sure?”

  Jim wasn’t surprised at Jack’s resignation, but confessed he was definitely worried about replacing him when Jack turned in his two-week notice.

  Jack grinned. “What is it about Wisconsin that has everyone thinking that I’m moving to the boonies? I’ll be working in land development and realty in an already established company owned by a friend. Nick Hanover’s going to be working with me too.”

  “Have they got room for me?” Jim murmured, laughing. “Alright. I knew you were ready for a change, but I never really expected you to leave town, since your family’s here.”

  “Mom’s remarried, and Sam and Sean are enlisted. I think I’m ready for a change.”

  “I’m happy for you, Jack. I hope you’ll keep in touch and let me how you’re doing?”

  “You can count on it, Jim,” Jack answered, standing from the chair in Jim’s office and shaking his hand.

  * * *

  Also listing the possessions he’d expected to recover, Nick had served papers to Marissa, asking her to be out of the townhouse by January 1st unless she was willing to purchase or pay rent.

  Apparently, she’d sent numerous texts and emails, none of which Nick had responded to. Nick had been sure she had no idea her name had never been added to the property title, and Jack had been amused to discover that Nick was right.

  Supposedly, she had another man living there with her already, so it shouldn’t be difficult for Nick to
legally force her out if he had to.

  Jack just couldn’t resist, he had to see how Nick handled the situation, so he went along with Nick to the townhouse on Saturday, when Nick’s furniture was scheduled for pickup.

  They knocked at the door at eight a.m. sharp, and when Marissa came to the door wearing a skimpy nightgown, Jack started laughing right away.

  Glaring at Jack, she turned away, stomping all the way to the bedroom upstairs and most likely getting dressed.

  Jack gave Nick a thoughtful glance when she was out of hearing range. “You told her you were coming? I think she was planning on seducing you.”

  “Yeah, well, that kind of thing isn’t going to work anymore.”

  Jack asked softly, “You know she put the moves on Rand a few times too?”

  Making their way through the living room, Nick stilled. “How come he never mentioned it?”

  “What would you have thought if he had?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “I see your point. Even though a few people claimed she was cheating, I had to see it with my own eyes before I actually believed it.”

  “Rand was furious with her,” Jack admitted.

  Nick heaved a sigh, “I knew the two of you never liked her. I should have listened when you tried to tell me about her after we began dating.”

  “You thought you were in love. I know how that goes, and whatever I would have said could have affected our friendship, and that was more important to me,” Jack confessed.

  Nick turned his head sharply, studying Jack, who made a point to never talk about his love life.

  “I hear the moving truck,” Jack murmured, turning away.

  “Why don’t you go let them in? I’ll start tagging the stuff I want to load up.”

  Jack was happy to see that even though Nick didn’t have much use for the dining room table and additional living room furniture, he took everything he’d paid for, planning on donating the rest to charity so something good would come out of something bad. According to Nick, they’d barely used the furniture, and it was mostly for show. Shauna had always wanted the best, and Nick had gone along with it since he had the money to provide everything she’d wanted.