And Harper was pissed off at him for that.
At first, he’d been just as furious at her for her stubbornness. What right did she have to be mad at him for wanting to transform himself into something that was the opposite of what he’d been as a boy? But then as the hours turned into days, and she continued to avoid him, he’d had time to think. Slowly, it began to dawn on him. Her anger at him was the official stamp of truth. Harper honestly felt like she’d been robbed of Jake Tharp. Not only by her parents. But by him—Jacob Latimer.
It was a jaw-dropping revelation to him. It was her anger at her loss that made him first start to reconsider that scared, weak little boy that he’d been. If Harper had loved Jake that much . . . didn’t that mean Jake had been somehow worthy?
He didn’t have all the answers. He only knew he wasn’t going to figure any of it out, without Harper at his side. The ability for deep, restful sleep had abandoned him. How could he possibly rest enough to puzzle out his life, with Harper gone? It’d become an acknowledged fact in his mind during the past several days. He loved her. He’d never stopped loving her, even though the type of love he felt as a man was more complex than it’d ever been when he was a kid. It was deeper. Exponentially more compelling.
Another thing he knew? He was worried sick about her. He knew better than most how stubborn she could be.
But so was he.
He knew precisely where she was at that very moment. He knew plenty of people in town who had been willing to report back to him whether or not her car was in the Gazette parking lot and if she appeared reasonably healthy over the past few days. Harper was no Regina, of course. She wouldn’t fall to bits just because they’d argued. Apparently, she wasn’t going to disintegrate even at the discovery that he was Jake Tharp.
Did that mean she wouldn’t flee or freak out if she discovered his other shameful secret?
One thing was certain: He was never going to find out standing in his office. He’d go over to the Gazette. He’d demand that she talk to him. When they were little, Harper had told him nothing could sever their bond. If that was true, not even her anger at him could cut it.
That was all there was to it.
He jerked around and stalked rapidly toward his office door. Before he could touch the knob, however, there was a knock on it. He opened it impatiently.
Elizabeth stood on the other side.
“Jacob,” Elizabeth said. She looked startled.
“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked, recognizing his assistant’s atypical discomposure.
“It’s Regina,” she said under her breath, nodding subtly behind her to her office. “She’s . . . not well.”
“Jacob,” Regina Morrow called loudly. “Jacob, I have to see you. Now.”
Jacob saw Regina striding toward him. She wore a pink trench coat belted at the waist, four-inch brown leather heels, and a matching purse. Her breasts swelled at the opening of the coat. Her lush, long hair was mussed and her lipstick was smeared. He immediately knew she was either intoxicated or in the midst of a manic episode by the shiny brilliance of her eyes, her plastered smile, and the way she put her hands all over his chest and abdomen. She leaned in to kiss him. He caught her wrists and frowned down at her. Her scent entered his nose.
Sex. She smelled like perfume, sex, and semen.
“What the hell are you doing, Regina? You didn’t drive to Tahoe Shores, did you?” he asked, going cold at the thought.
“Why shouldn’t I visit you? You act as if we’re not old friends. Haven’t we known each other for twenty-two years?” She gave Elizabeth a sly, sideways look. “Did you know Jacob and I have known each other that long? He was the skinniest little thing you ever saw back then, but sweet. So sweet,” she said, breaking her hands free of Jacob’s hold and rubbing his lower abdomen suggestively, her fingers stretching downward. “It’s hard to believe that this big, gorgeous man ever could have been so tiny, but he was. Little Jake Tharp. Of course he’d started to come into his own by the next time I ran into him,” she crooned, staring fixedly at Jacob’s face and sliding her hand down onto his crotch.
Jacob snapped up both of her wrists again and pulled her into his office. She staggered after him, laughing outrageously.
She’s a loose cannon.
He urged her over to a chair. “Sit, Regina,” he ordered.
“But Jacob, I came all this way—”
“I’ll be right back,” he insisted, pressing on her shoulders to keep her in place in the chair when she tried to stand again. She turned her chin, planting a kiss on his inner wrist.
“Regina,” he warned. She smiled up at him innocently. “I know. I’m a bad girl,” she whispered. “I mentioned Jake Tharp in front of Elizabeth. I know you hate it when I say that name.” She motioned locking her lips and throwing away the key.
“I’ll be right back,” he said again sternly. When she appeared to be willing to stay put for the moment, he walked over to Elizabeth where she hovered in the doorway.
“Security let her through, but I can’t figure out how or why,” Elizabeth said in a tensed, hushed voice. “She’s on your list for allowed guests, but they have instructions to always call me first in her case.”
“Does that new hire, McDougal, have guard duty?” he asked distractedly.
Elizabeth blinked. “Yes, I think he does.”