****
“Justin? Justin Timberlake?” a familiar female voice inquired curiously, interrupting the dinner conversation April and he had been engaged in. He turned hesitantly as the realization of who the voice belonged to hit him.
“Yes?” he replied, turning to the gorgeous blonde that had approached the secluded table within the dimly lit restaurant.
“It is you! What are you doing here?” Rachel demanded, placing her slender hands upon her hips as she stared down at Justin. “Why didn’t you tell us you would be in the city?” Then, turning around, she gestured to her husband with a slight wave as she called to him. “Joey…it’s Justin and April. I told you it was him.”
Justin shot April a look as Joey joined his wife, greeting the pair seated at the table. “Hey guys…what are you doin’ here?” he inquired, a curious look painted across his very Italian features.
Smiling brightly, April lifted her face to meet Joey’s gaze. “We’re here on business.” she explained pleasantly.
“Oh.” Joey began, noticing for the first time that the table his friends occupied was only set for two people. “Where’s Jordan?”
Justin cleared his throat and reached for his water glass, taking a drink before answering Joey‘s question. “She’s in Orlando with Zach and Noah…we’re here for such a short time that it wasn’t worth the hassle of arranging for someone to watch the boys.”
Rachel frowned slightly, biting her tongue against the comment forming in her mind. It had never been a problem finding a sitter for the boys before, especially because Lynn and Paul were always so eager to spend time with their grandsons that they usually jumped at the chance. Shrugging off the weird feeling that was developing, she grinned at the pair seated before her. “Well, it was really good seeing you two. Justin, the next time you’re planning a trip to the city I want you to bring that sister of mine and your little troublemakers…I haven’t seen them in awhile.” she ordered, “Now, we’ve got to get going…we’re meeting some friends of ours for drinks and of course we’re already late…so we‘ll talk to you later. Enjoy your dinner.”
The couple nodded as Rachel grabbed Joey’s arm and directed him away from the table. “Bye guys…don’t…work too hard.” he said with a smirk, waving over his shoulder as he continued towards the exit with his wife.
April waved back at Joey and watched as the pair made their way out the main door to the restaurant and onto the bustling city street. Turning back to her dining companion, she smiled softly. “So…that was unexpected. Seeing them here.” she clarified, arching a brow as she awaited Justin’s comments.
Leaning back in his chair, Justin’s eyes suddenly looked concerned as he met April’s gaze in the dim light. “Unexpected? That’s an understatement.”
Before April could respond, the waiter approached the table, two plates of food in hand. As the young man placed the entrees down upon the linen tablecloth, Justin shook his head slightly, still thinking about the encounter with his in-laws. “Out of all the restaurants in New York, they had to pick this one…tonight.” he muttered, hoping that Rachel wouldn’t feel the need to call Jordan and mention seeing him and April dining together. Not that there was anything wrong with having a nice meal with a business associate and friend, but he couldn’t shake the worry that was taking over as his own words began to haunt him.
“I’m going alone…”
****
Hearing the doorbell ring impatiently, Jordan hurried to the front door, opening it to reveal Justin’s mom standing on the front step. “Lynn…hi! You’re…early.” Jordan said, her smile bright as she stepped aside and gestured for the blonde woman to enter.
“I know sweetie, I’m sorry…I would have called but I forgot my phone at home.” Lynn drawled, reaching out to give Jordan a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh, it’s no problem.” the brunette woman shrugged, “I just didn’t expect you to be here for another twenty minutes and so the boys things aren’t even packed yet.”
“Where are my two little angels anyways?” Lynn called out as the two women made their way into the brightly lit kitchen area.
“GRAMMA!” Zach shouted, running into the room and flinging himself into his grandmother’s arms as she bent to his level.
“Hey baby, I missed you.” Lynn said, wrapping the four year old into her slender arms and kissing the top of his chestnut curls.
“I missed you too.” He stated, pulling back to toss a mega-watt smile at his grandma.
Lynn grinned back in reply, “Ooh, and look at you…you’ve gotten so handsome, just like your daddy.”
Zach puffed out his chest proudly at her compliment. “I can beatbox just like Dad too. Wanna hear?”
Looking up to see Jordan shaking her head slightly, Lynn laughed. “Actually why don’t you wait…Grandpa Paul might want to hear it later too. You could put on a show for us.” she enthused as Jordan shot her a thankful look.
Zach agreed and then bounced off into the living room in order to finish watching his evening dose of cartoons. Righting herself, Lynn turned back to Jordan as the brunette spoke, humor evident in her voice. “Thank you for that…he’s been beat boxing non-stop since he figured out he had the ability. Was Justin like that at Zach’s age?”
“Not so much with the beat boxing thing, that started later…but he’s pretty much a carbon copy of Justin. You’ve got your hands full with him Jordan.” she laughed in reply. “Now where’s Noah?”
Jordan smiled and spoke softly as she gestured to the entryway where the stairs leading to the second floor were located. “He’s out there…on the steps. See him?” she inquired as Lynn turned around and directed her gaze onto the carpeted stairs.
Noah was seated on the second step from the top, his silky curls protruding from his head as his big blue eyes stared back at his grandmother through the railing. His khaki shorts blended in perfectly with the tan colored carpeting, and the brilliant blue of his shirt made the color of his eyes sparkle even more than normal. “Hi Grandma.” he said shyly, releasing his grip on the blanket that he clutched in order to wave at her from his perch.
The two women made their way over to the staircase before starting up the steps to where Noah still remained seated. Lynn stopped a few steps in front of Noah, kneeling in front of him as she spoke. “Hey angel, how are you?”
Jordan continued up the stairs, bending only to place a gentle kiss upon her youngest child’s sandy locks as he replied to his grandmother’s questioning. “I’m fine Gramma.” he stated earnestly.
Her dark eyes shining, Jordan smiled as she entered the upstairs hallway and turned to make her way to the boys’ rooms. She entered the room Noah occupied first, grabbing a pair of pajamas for him and a change of clothing for the next day. Stopping briefly in the bathroom to grab toothbrushes for both boys and a few other necessities, she placed them neatly in the overnight bag before moving to Zachary’s room. Once there, she quickly gathered up his belongings as well before heading back downstairs to the living room where everyone now sat watching TV.
“Okay, I think I’ve got everything all ready to go.” she announced, setting the bag down in the nearby recliner.
Lynn looked over at the slender brunette and smiled, reaching for the remote and clicking off the television, much to Zach’s dismay.
“Aww Gramma! I was watchin’ that!!” he protested, his lips forming into a well practiced pout.
The blonde haired woman stood and laughed at Zachary’s guilt trip attempt. “Nice try Zachary, but I’m a seasoned veteran when it comes to dealing with the pouty face. Don’t you think I know you learned that from your father?”
“It always works when he makes that face for Momma.” Zach sighed, folding his arms across his body as he remained firmly planted on the overstuffed sofa.
Lynn nodded knowingly. “I’ll have to teach your Momma how to resist it then. You need nerves of steel…your Daddy’s very good at it.” she admitted with a smile.
“Nerves of steel? Like Superman?” he asked, gazing up at his grandma with wide eyes.
“Exactly like that. Now come on, we need to get going so Grandpa Paul doesn’t think we forgot about his dinner.”
“Okay, fine.” the brunette child huffed, removing himself from the couch.
“You ready Noah?” Lynn inquired, glancing down at the fair haired child standing next to the couch, his blanket in tow.
Nodding, he hugged his blanket tighter. “Yeah, I’m ready Gramma. What’s for dinner?”
Jordan and Lynn laughed, and she replied with a smile. “Whatever you want baby.”
Turning to her daughter-in-law, Lynn shrugged. “I guess we’re ready then.”
Picking up the overnight bag, the blonde woman followed Zachary into the front entryway, Jordan right behind them with Noah in her arms. Exiting the sprawling home, Lynn led the way out to her white Mercedes where she proceeded to unlock the car. Jordan placed Noah in his car seat as Lynn assisted Zachary with his as well. Making sure everyone was buckled in safely, Jordan turned to her mother-in-law before shutting the car door. “Lynn, thank you for taking the boys…I really appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem dear, my pleasure. So we’ll see you tomorrow night then?”
Jordan nodded. “Yeah, Justin’s flight gets in around 9 o’clock or so and we’ll come straight over from the airport to pick up the boys.”
“I just don’t understand why you didn’t go with Justin…we would have gladly taken the boys for the few days.” Lynn stated.
“Well, it was sort of a sudden announcement…he didn’t have much advance notice about these meetings.” Jordan explained casually.
“Stupid sonofabitch.” Noah said quietly, repeating the words he had overheard his mother muttering shortly after his father had left.
Her face flushing bright red in embarassment, Jordan turned to her two sons and said a quick goodbye before shutting the car door to the backseat. “Anyways, thanks a lot Lynn. Let me know if there’s any problems with the boys…they should be okay. Just make sure Zach gets enough sleep or he’s a devil.”
Lynn smiled pleasantly. “I know…I remember his father’s childhood well. In fact, I think I’m still recovering.” she joked, then hugged Jordan goodbye and slid into the vehicle’s driver’s seat. Starting the car and shifting it into reverse, Lynn backed down the driveway and onto the street, waving goodbye to Jordan before driving away.
****
At the command of the telephone’s shrill and persistent ring, Jordan sighed and reached for the cordless, muting the television as she pressed the button to talk. “This better be good.” she said into the receiver, not bothering with any sort of greeting.
“Of course it’s good. Would you expect any less than the best from your favorite sibling?” Rachel joked playfully on the other end of the line.
Jordan smiled at the sound of her sister’s voice, “Hey there Rachie, how ya doin?”
“I’m fine…how about you?”
“Well I was in the midst of watching a really suspenseful movie on cable and your call interrupted my viewing right as it was getting to the juicy part. So I could be better, if that’s what you’re asking.” the brunette retorted.
Rachel clucked sympathetically, “Oh, I’m so sorry I bothered you with a call. Besides, aren’t suspense movies supposed to be on at night? It’s ten o’clock on a Thursday morning, what’s with the primetime programming at this time of day?” she demanded, her voice light with humor.
“How am I supposed to know? Who do I look like, Ted Turner? Besides, this movie would be too scary to watch in a dark house all alone at night. It’s much easier to take during daylight hours if you ask me.”
“All alone huh? Where are the boys? Off playing in traffic?”
Jordan laughed, “Oh you are a horrible aunt, I can’t believe you’d say such a thing. What kind of mother do you think I am anyways?”
“Well ya never know, Zach is a bit of a hell raiser…one can only guess what level of insanity you feel on a daily basis with that child. Besides, playing in traffic is a highly stimulating activity.” Rachel joked in return.
“Right. And I’m sure by living in New York, you see children playing in traffic on a regular basis. However, you seem to forget that Chris lives just down the street.”
“Ah, he’s getting senile and blind in his old age…I gotcha.”
Jordan rolled her eyes and shared a laugh with her sister as they continued to converse. “I’ll make sure to tell him you said so.”
“Oh please do, I haven’t given the old man any shit in a long time. He needs to be reminded of his Alzheimer’s once in awhile. Otherwise he forgets.” Rachel snorted with laughter. “Get it? Alzheimer’s…he forgets…oh man I’m funny.”
“I got it. And it wasn’t that funny.” Jordan groaned in response. “Did you have a purpose to this call or can I get back to my movie now?”
Rachel stopped her laughter and got serious once more. “Well I mostly just called to brighten the day of my favorite older sister.”
“I’m your only older sister.” the brunette pointed out.
“Whatever. So where are the boys really?”
“They’re at Lynn’s until Justin gets back tonight…we’re supposed to pick them up between 9 and 10 tonight. She picked them up yesterday and they spent the night with her and Paul…she’s giving me a break. A much needed break.” Jordan emphasized.
“Oh.”
“That’s it? Just ‘oh’?”
“Well what do you want me to say? Congratulations on scoring a day off?” Rachel retorted dryly.
“I dunno, I was just waiting for one of your smartass comments I guess. So what about you, how’s your Italian treatin ya?”
“Oh Steve’s great. I’ve almost got him trained to fetch me the newspaper in the morning.” Rachel teased. “Wait, ohh you mean JOEY. Sorry, I got a little confused with the fact that his mooching brother has been staying with us for the past two weeks. Apparently he thinks vacation means coming to our house and using our TV.”
“That’s a vacation?”
“Of course it is Jordan, don’t you know these things? In Steve’s world, a change of scenery is moving from one couch to another. Unfortunately, the couch he chooses to vacation to, happens to be ours.”
“You sound thrilled.”
“About as thrilled as Michael Jackson after realizing that his nose fell off for good about ten surgeries ago.” Rachel stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Jordan laughed. “Nice image, thanks. So what else is new? How‘s work and all that?”
Sighing, Rachel spoke. “Work is the same…I seriously will never forgive MTV for firing my old producer…you remember Brett right?”
“Yep…they fired him?”
“Yeah, he was sexually harassing the sound technician or some bullshit. Anyways, they hired this new guy and good lord, he’s horrible.”
Jordan wrinkled her nose. “Wasn’t the sound technician a skinny guy with glasses?”
“Yeah, who knew he had a liking for that sort of thing.” Rachel said with a laugh.
“Nice.”
“I’m kidding, you’re thinking of the old sound tech. The new one was this chick they pulled off the crew of one of the network’s other show…anyways, it’s not important. Work just sucks right now.” Rachel explained. “Oh! I just thought of something I wanted to tell you!”
“What’s that?” Jordan inquired curiously.
“I saw Justin last night downtown.” she said simply. “That brat didn’t even come over and say hello…we had to go over and smack him around a little bit for that slip up, let me tell you.”
“Oh, he called you?”
Rachel hesitated. “No…we saw him and April at a restaurant downtown.”
“April?” Jordan asked, confusion laced throughout her tone.
“Yeah…the two of them were eating and we just stopped to talk to them for a minute. The shithead didn’t even tell me he was coming to the city. I was highly offended.” she paused. “So was Joey. He’s right here listening to me and wanted to add that in.”
Jordan laughed nervously as her mind processed the fact that her husband had lied to her. Looked her right in the eye and said that he was going alone. But he wasn’t alone. He was there with April. Her heart grew cold and she finally spoke, interrupting Rachel, who had already jumped to the next topic. “What do you mean he was with April? He said he was going by himself this time. What were they doing there?” she demanded, her pitch rising slightly as her nerves became frazzled and her imagination ran wild.
“What? They were eating Jordan. Hence the restaurant as the setting for my enchanting tale. Really, it wasn’t that big of a deal…they were just having dinner. It’s not like he was taking body shots off of her or anything like that. It was a civilized place…hardly any strippers.” Rachel teased, not realizing that her sister’s heart was slowly being torn in two as her thoughts raged within.
“He told me he was going alone…” Jordan mumbled, suddenly feeling very numb as the emotions that ripped through her were quickly brushed aside.
“Jor…it’s nothing. Trust me, he probably just meant that it was just a business trip. Maybe he meant to say they were going alone, no family, no JC…who knows. Last time we talked you said he’d been working a lot, he was probably so tired he didn’t realize what he was saying. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it, seriously. They’ve made this trip together a million times without you, what makes this one any different?” Rachel insisted, trying to comfort her older sister.
Jordan’s heart melted out of it’s state of numbness and fell to her feet as she processed what her sister had just said. “They’ve made this trip together a million times without you…“ Although it was meant to be of comfort to her, it had the opposite effect, giving her growing state of paranoia and insecurity something to feed off of, leaving an empty, gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her thoughts whirled crazily inside her head as she remembered all the trips Justin had made with April “on business” over the past few months. As she rifled through the dates in her mind, one thing in particular nagged at her. He had always told her. Always mentioned that April would be with him. Except for this time. What made this time different? What had changed him, had caused him to lie to her about being there alone?
“Jordan?” Rachel’s voice pierced her thoughts and startled Jordan back to the present.
“Oh. Yeah, sorry. I’m here. What did you say?”
“I just said that Joey‘s sitting here nagging me about lunch. So I‘m gonna force him to work out with me first, and I‘ll talk to you later.”
“Oh…okay.” Jordan replied absently.
“Oh, and Jordan? Don’t worry about Justin too much…like I said, he probably just wasn’t thinking.” Rachel stated knowingly. “Love ya. Bye.”
“Bye.” The brunette stated distractedly, hanging up the phone halfway through her goodbye. Setting the phone down, she sighed and lay her head back against the cushion, closing her eyes against the warm sunlight filtering through the windows. Rachel’s voice played over and over in her head as she struggled to make sense of her feelings.
“He probably just wasn’t thinking…”