Page 71 of Paradise West
Charli chuckled—Gus must have been true to his word and snitched to Jack the first chance he got.
“You look upset, Jack,” she shouted down to him. “Is something wrong?” Her voice light and teasing.
She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing when he stopped and glanced up, his hands on his hips. His eyes narrowed as he took in her expression and barely concealed laughter.
“You stay right there,” he ground out, pointing at her.
Oh boy...he’s reallymad this time...
She sucked her lips in and scrunched up her nose, nodding her head in agreement before he continued toward the back door. It was obvious she about to receive a stern lecture, but the look on his face was hysterical.
There was a small part of her that rebelled against the notion of a man telling her what to do, but this was Jack...sweet, thoughtful, protective Jack, who made her insides turn to jelly when he turned all alpha-male. And if Miriam was right...
Charli took several deep breaths and smoothed out her expression as she heard him pound up the stairs, then marked her place with her favorite bookmark before setting the diary carefully aside.
She watched as Jack strode through her bedroom with determination and charged out onto the balcony. He stopped next to her and stared down at her, hands on his hips, and breathing hard as if he had just run a mile. She could practically see the smoke pouring out of his ears.
“Are you okay?” she asked, keeping her tone light and batting her eyes innocently.
His eyes narrowed at her sugary tone and he gave one sharp shake of his head. “No, I’m not okay. I’m pissed.” He leaned down toward her until his nose nearly bumped hers.
“Didn’t I ask you not to go up on the Widow’s Walk again?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.
Charli’s mouth opened, but for a second no sound came out. She closed it, took a deep breath, and then cleared her throat. “It wasn’t a big deal,” she practically whispered.
Jack still hovered over her. “Not a big deal?” he asked, his tone ominous. He lifted his hands in the air and began counting off with his fingers. “That house is full of rotting wood which we’ve found oneveryfloor, so it’s highly likely that it’ll be in worse shape up there. That’s to be expected because of its exposure to the elements, which as you know, in the tropics is fairly substantial. The fact that you easily broke a board in half already tells me that there’s significant damage.”
He stopped and took a deep breath, then continued, still counting fingers. “The outside banister has not been tested and is probably unstable in several areas, so leaning against it could easily send you plummeting to the ground—three fucking floors down.” His voice rose at the very end and Charli could only stare into his chocolate eyes that sparkled with bits of fire. He was truly angry and for some weird reason, it made her tingle right down to her lady bits.
My god, he’s gorgeous when he’s mad! But he’s right...it’s where Amelia jumped from, so of course it’s dangerous. Way to go, Charlotte Dorothea...
She swallowed hard as the need to apologize flooded her. She grabbed one of his hands and held it in both of hers at her chest. “I’m sorry, Jack. I really am. Miriam wanted to see the hidey hole, and I really didn’t think it would be a problem.” She threaded her fingers through his. “I promise I won’t go up there again until it’s fixed.”
Jack stared down at her, his expression not changing for several moments. Then he snorted and puffed out an angry breath, shaking his head. “You’re gonna be the death of me. I nearly had a heart attack when Gus told me you two were up there.”
He eased his hand away from her grasp and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up as he kissed her softly. “Apology accepted. Just be aware that I’m boarding up that damned Widow’s Walk until it’s time for us to work up there.”
When Charli’s lips opened to protest, he placed a finger on her lips. “Nuh uh. No arguments. In fact, Gus and his guys are taking care of it right now as we speak.” He released a long, slow breath, holding her gaze. “Once the full renovation is completed, you can go up there and visit Amelia as much as your spooky heart desires.”
Charli gulped. “She was up there today. It even freaked Miriam out.”
Jack’s cheek twitched. “Yeah, I heard about that, too.” He leaned down again to give her a quick kiss. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?”
Her brows shot up and she blinked at the sudden change of subject. “I was planning to visit the library tomorrow morning. Why?”
His head tilted. “What’s at the library?”
“Other than books?” she snarked, one eyebrow arching up. His eyes squinted at her sarcastic reply.
Charli shrugged and held up the diary. “I told you—I want to research the family and that’s the best place to do it. If her father was as wealthy and prominent as she mentions here, then there should be some information on the family.” She gave Jack a grin. “I found the first entry where Amelia finally mentions her sailor. His name was Ian and he worked on one of her father’s ships.”
Jack blinked. “Really? Did it give the date she met him.”
Charli nodded. “Yes. February 12, 1870.”
“Hmmm...well, that fits within the timeline.”
Charli bobbed her head again. “I think these last two diaries are going to give us quite a few pieces of the puzzle. So a little visit to the library shouldtheoretically help.”
