are you doing this?” she asked again, in a very quiet voice this time.
He shrugged his shoulders. He stood with his back to her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his slacks.
“I told you, I want a wife and a family. My mother practically demands grandchildren from me almost every time she calls.” His voice sounded almost disinterested, emotionless. “I am thirty-four, and it’s high time. I always liked and respected your father. He was like a father figure to me, in some way making up for the father I barely remember.”
“So perhaps you should ask him to adopt you, instead of involving me in all of this,” she blurted, before she’d thought how it would sound.
She saw him still. She’d gone too far. Jake’s father died when Jake had been just a kid. Mrs. Barry had been a nurse, worked double shifts to support both of them, until Jake had been old enough to help her. Amy had met her only once, years ago, and found her to be genuinely kind. She knew, as well, from her father that Jake had bought a nice house in Florida for his mother, where she lived for the most part of the year, especially during the harsh Minnesota winters.
Amy walked to him. “I’m sorry,” she said softly and touched his arm.
Jake didn’t look at her, his gaze focused on some point in front of him. “I don’t want to be cruel, please believe me.” She let a miserable sigh. “I just don’t understand you. You say you like and respect my father, but at the same time you try to blackmail his only daughter into marriage with a total stranger. It doesn’t make any sense.”
He turned to her. “It does make sense to me,” he persisted, his eyes solemn.
“So, please enlighten me, because I don’t understand,” she cried as she lost her patience again.
“You really can’t guess?” he asked, and there was a kind of pleading expression and a new vulnerability in his eyes.
She only stared at him in confusion.
He sighed, closed his eyes, and started again, patiently. “You have wonderful qualities, even if you tend to underestimate yourself. You would be a wonderful wife to any man. I’d be an utter and total fool if I didn’t grab the opportunity before me.” He took her hands into his, stepped closer, and looked deeply into her eyes. “I do believe that our marriage can stand a chance and be successful.”
She shook her head, and freed her hands. “It’s crazy.”
“You’re repeating yourself,” he said tiredly.
“Because it is,” she insisted stubbornly.
“Look, give us a chance.” He moved closer again, and put his arms on her shoulders. “I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy, keep you safe.”
She bit her lower lip. “Perhaps we could start with going out together once in a while, to get to know each other better and later ...” she started hesitantly.
“No, I’ve had enough of waiting.” his voice sounded harsher now. “It’d take ages for you to make any decision. You agree to go with me to Vegas on Saturday morning to get married or it’s the end.” He took a deep breath. “No marriage, no help for your father.”
She didn’t say anything to this, but collected her bag, and headed toward the door.
His voice stopped her when she reached the door. “Think about this. You have a few days to consider everything carefully. I will come to pick you up at ten in the morning, Saturday.
Amy’s face tensed even more, her lips pressed in a tight line. She opened the door and marched straight to the elevator, ignoring Marcia who said something to her.
All the way down, she concentrated on fighting back the tears filling her eyes, but when she got off the elevator on the ground floor, she couldn’t stop them any longer, and allowed them to run down her cheeks freely.
She all but ran out of the building, but stopped in her tracks at seeing her car, hitched to the back of a towing truck disappearing round the corner.
“Oh, no,” she gasped.
“Was it your car?”
He shrugged his shoulders. He stood with his back to her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his slacks.
“I told you, I want a wife and a family. My mother practically demands grandchildren from me almost every time she calls.” His voice sounded almost disinterested, emotionless. “I am thirty-four, and it’s high time. I always liked and respected your father. He was like a father figure to me, in some way making up for the father I barely remember.”
“So perhaps you should ask him to adopt you, instead of involving me in all of this,” she blurted, before she’d thought how it would sound.
She saw him still. She’d gone too far. Jake’s father died when Jake had been just a kid. Mrs. Barry had been a nurse, worked double shifts to support both of them, until Jake had been old enough to help her. Amy had met her only once, years ago, and found her to be genuinely kind. She knew, as well, from her father that Jake had bought a nice house in Florida for his mother, where she lived for the most part of the year, especially during the harsh Minnesota winters.
Amy walked to him. “I’m sorry,” she said softly and touched his arm.
Jake didn’t look at her, his gaze focused on some point in front of him. “I don’t want to be cruel, please believe me.” She let a miserable sigh. “I just don’t understand you. You say you like and respect my father, but at the same time you try to blackmail his only daughter into marriage with a total stranger. It doesn’t make any sense.”
He turned to her. “It does make sense to me,” he persisted, his eyes solemn.
“So, please enlighten me, because I don’t understand,” she cried as she lost her patience again.
“You really can’t guess?” he asked, and there was a kind of pleading expression and a new vulnerability in his eyes.
She only stared at him in confusion.
He sighed, closed his eyes, and started again, patiently. “You have wonderful qualities, even if you tend to underestimate yourself. You would be a wonderful wife to any man. I’d be an utter and total fool if I didn’t grab the opportunity before me.” He took her hands into his, stepped closer, and looked deeply into her eyes. “I do believe that our marriage can stand a chance and be successful.”
She shook her head, and freed her hands. “It’s crazy.”
“You’re repeating yourself,” he said tiredly.
“Because it is,” she insisted stubbornly.
“Look, give us a chance.” He moved closer again, and put his arms on her shoulders. “I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy, keep you safe.”
She bit her lower lip. “Perhaps we could start with going out together once in a while, to get to know each other better and later ...” she started hesitantly.
“No, I’ve had enough of waiting.” his voice sounded harsher now. “It’d take ages for you to make any decision. You agree to go with me to Vegas on Saturday morning to get married or it’s the end.” He took a deep breath. “No marriage, no help for your father.”
She didn’t say anything to this, but collected her bag, and headed toward the door.
His voice stopped her when she reached the door. “Think about this. You have a few days to consider everything carefully. I will come to pick you up at ten in the morning, Saturday.
Amy’s face tensed even more, her lips pressed in a tight line. She opened the door and marched straight to the elevator, ignoring Marcia who said something to her.
All the way down, she concentrated on fighting back the tears filling her eyes, but when she got off the elevator on the ground floor, she couldn’t stop them any longer, and allowed them to run down her cheeks freely.
She all but ran out of the building, but stopped in her tracks at seeing her car, hitched to the back of a towing truck disappearing round the corner.
“Oh, no,” she gasped.
“Was it your car?”
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