Read Online The Millionaire Falls Hard by Sarah Fredricks - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Fredricks
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of London and international business.'
'I found out the Estate was for sale and I had a longing to come home.'
This time it was Carrie's turn to look questioningly as she raised her left brow, waiting for him to continue.
'I spent the first seven years of my life playing on the Estate. My father had been head groundsman.' Jake looked as if he'd been transported back in time as he continued.
'My father fled to England when my mother died, dragging me along with him. He couldn't stay where everything reminded him of her. He never recovered from the heartache. He even seemed to forget I was with him at times. He took odd jobs here and there, earned enough to scrape by. He was never there when I got in from school, no-one was. I learned very quickly to fend for myself if I wanted to survive. The only highlight of my childhood was swimming - I had something I was good at.' Jake smiled to himself as he remembered his determination to win.
'Despite being told I had a brain in my head, school didn't do it for me and I learned most of my important lessons on the streets of London.'
Carrie felt for the lost little boy he must have been, hardly much older than her own son. With a catch in her voice she asked 'how did that little boy become the international businessman you are today?'
Jake looked at her then, having almost forgotten she was there, so lost had he been in his past.
'You know, I've never spoken out loud to anyone about that time in my past.' He was surprised that he'd spoken of it now, with a woman that confused him. His eyes narrowed as he tried to puzzle it out.
Carrie felt slightly guilty that she hadn't spoken of her past. Her mother must have known Jake as a toddler, before she left with Carrie in her womb. Carrie pushed that away and prompted him for an answer.
Jake gave a half shrug as he was telling himself that he might as well finish now he'd started. 'I found a wallet lying in the street one day. I was just walking back from my father's funeral, an orphan at the age of seventeen. When I looked inside I discovered it belonged to Lord Gemmell. I felt like I'd been hit in the stomach, so strong was the emotion of seeing a name from my past. I just saw it as a sign. You know, a link with the place where I'd been part of a happy family, on the day I said goodbye to my last remaining parent. Anyway, there was a hotel key card in it as well so I took it back to him. We got talking and he found out who I was.' Jake took a deep breath.
'To cut a long story short, he set up a scholarship for me to get through further education and I vowed to make sure he would always think the money had been well spent. Despite the swimming successes, he was the first person to show any faith in me in over ten years. He followed my progress right up until the day he died.'
Jake looked at Carrie. 'I'd like to think I'd made him proud after the start he gave me.'
Jake felt emotionally raw. He'd pushed all that to the recesses of his mind and it hurt talking about it. He looked at the steak that had been placed in front of him minutes before and couldn't face it. His appetite had gone. Carrie saw the pain in his face and reached out her hand to his in a gesture of comfort. Jake turned his hand over and held hers in his, squeezing it as if he was gathering strength from her. After a moment Carrie removed her hand.
'Thank you for sharing that Jake. You make me feel ashamed that I wouldn't share what I've always considered to be private. Virtually no-one knows about my past and I wouldn't want it to get into the hands of the press.'
'It wouldn't get there through me, of that you can be assured.'
Jake was quickly feeling on safer ground and waited for Carrie to continue. He picked up his knife and fork, ready now to do justice to the meal in front of him.
With a deep breath, Carrie dropped her bombshell. 'Lord Gemmell was my father.'
To say that stopped Jake in his tracks was an understatement. He looked completely dumbfounded as she
'I found out the Estate was for sale and I had a longing to come home.'
This time it was Carrie's turn to look questioningly as she raised her left brow, waiting for him to continue.
'I spent the first seven years of my life playing on the Estate. My father had been head groundsman.' Jake looked as if he'd been transported back in time as he continued.
'My father fled to England when my mother died, dragging me along with him. He couldn't stay where everything reminded him of her. He never recovered from the heartache. He even seemed to forget I was with him at times. He took odd jobs here and there, earned enough to scrape by. He was never there when I got in from school, no-one was. I learned very quickly to fend for myself if I wanted to survive. The only highlight of my childhood was swimming - I had something I was good at.' Jake smiled to himself as he remembered his determination to win.
'Despite being told I had a brain in my head, school didn't do it for me and I learned most of my important lessons on the streets of London.'
Carrie felt for the lost little boy he must have been, hardly much older than her own son. With a catch in her voice she asked 'how did that little boy become the international businessman you are today?'
Jake looked at her then, having almost forgotten she was there, so lost had he been in his past.
'You know, I've never spoken out loud to anyone about that time in my past.' He was surprised that he'd spoken of it now, with a woman that confused him. His eyes narrowed as he tried to puzzle it out.
Carrie felt slightly guilty that she hadn't spoken of her past. Her mother must have known Jake as a toddler, before she left with Carrie in her womb. Carrie pushed that away and prompted him for an answer.
Jake gave a half shrug as he was telling himself that he might as well finish now he'd started. 'I found a wallet lying in the street one day. I was just walking back from my father's funeral, an orphan at the age of seventeen. When I looked inside I discovered it belonged to Lord Gemmell. I felt like I'd been hit in the stomach, so strong was the emotion of seeing a name from my past. I just saw it as a sign. You know, a link with the place where I'd been part of a happy family, on the day I said goodbye to my last remaining parent. Anyway, there was a hotel key card in it as well so I took it back to him. We got talking and he found out who I was.' Jake took a deep breath.
'To cut a long story short, he set up a scholarship for me to get through further education and I vowed to make sure he would always think the money had been well spent. Despite the swimming successes, he was the first person to show any faith in me in over ten years. He followed my progress right up until the day he died.'
Jake looked at Carrie. 'I'd like to think I'd made him proud after the start he gave me.'
Jake felt emotionally raw. He'd pushed all that to the recesses of his mind and it hurt talking about it. He looked at the steak that had been placed in front of him minutes before and couldn't face it. His appetite had gone. Carrie saw the pain in his face and reached out her hand to his in a gesture of comfort. Jake turned his hand over and held hers in his, squeezing it as if he was gathering strength from her. After a moment Carrie removed her hand.
'Thank you for sharing that Jake. You make me feel ashamed that I wouldn't share what I've always considered to be private. Virtually no-one knows about my past and I wouldn't want it to get into the hands of the press.'
'It wouldn't get there through me, of that you can be assured.'
Jake was quickly feeling on safer ground and waited for Carrie to continue. He picked up his knife and fork, ready now to do justice to the meal in front of him.
With a deep breath, Carrie dropped her bombshell. 'Lord Gemmell was my father.'
To say that stopped Jake in his tracks was an understatement. He looked completely dumbfounded as she
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