The next week was hell for Jacob Mallard. Dates he'd set up cancelled on him. Dates he attempted to set up were denied. All of his current girlfriends would not answer his calls, slammed doors in his face, called him less-than-ladylike names, and his cheeks were continuously stinging from being slapped in disgust and anger. This would have amused Jacob immensely if not for the fact that it kept happening to him at every turn. Even women he didn't know soured the minute they found out his name, and he was growing tempted to start using an alias.
Shaking the rain from his trench coat, Jacob strode into a small bistro on the north end of St. Canard and was about to sit at his usual table until he spotted a familiar avian chatting with a friend in a nearby booth. He smirked voraciously and made his way toward them, smoothing back his hair as he went.
"Ladies," he crooned suavely. Then he nodded to address the woman he was already acquainted with. "Stacy."
The swan named Stacy turned up her beak. "What do you want, Mallard?"
"Why so formal? Have you forgotten my first name already?"
"You never returned my phone calls," she replied resentfully.
"Well, I've been thinking lately…what do you say we give things another go?" He leaned forward, resting his hands on their table. "We could take a walk in the park…catch a local stage production…I could help Tommy with his homework."
"How dare you bring Tommy into this!" she shouted, and before Jacob could recoil she'd thrown the ice cold water from her glass into his face.
Stunned, Jacob remained in his rigid stance for a few moments before blinking and wiping the liquid from his eyes.
"Okay," he sputtered, managing to maintain at least a little dignity. "I'll take that as a no…" Then he turned his alluring gaze to the other woman who had been watching with some amusement. "What about you, beautiful? Are you free later?"
Automatically her beak curled up and she folded her arms. "Not likely. At least not for you."
Jacob shrugged. "Well, in case you come to your senses, here's my number." He slipped a small card from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said flatly.
He appeared unaffected by her negative reaction and flashed her a charming smile, then nodded once again to Stacy before heading back toward his regular table.
Lolita really had somehow gotten to every girl in the city. He stirred the coffee in front of him mindlessly. It had been a week since he'd seen any action, and it was driving him crazy. He had to keep reminding himself that he was leaving for Cuba bright and early the next morning, and it wouldn't be long before he could find a few new girls across the gulf.
The thought was at least a little gratifying, but it didn't do much to soothe the void he felt. As the last few bitter coffee grounds settled underneath his tongue, his bill curled up in distaste. A slim container of breath spray was out of his pocket within seconds, and he spritzed the inside of his mouth twice before flashing his waitress a come hither smile as she cleared away his empty coffee cup. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Jacob frowned slightly. His charm had always attracted women, not repelled them. It was a stinging blow to his ego, and he started to resent the fact that he had ever laid eyes on Lolita Yetka.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes and he would have to return to SHUSH. Mechanically, he swung his trench coat back over his shoulders and thrust his arms into the sleeves. Leaving a few bills on the table, he glanced up just in time to see a familiar figure walk past the front window of the bistro, her dark blonde hair bouncing down her back in lustrous waves.
He started to run after her, but got caught up in a couple of the chairs and nearly fell flat on his face. Spinning out of the entanglement, Jacob was off again with a quick, apologetic shout, throwing himself out of the restaurant and high-tailing it after the woman. As he burst through the doors, the sun finally peeked through the clouds for the first time in a week, and, for a moment, Jacob was blind.
"Gail!" he shouted above the roar of traffic. "Gail!" She ignored him and continued walking, her head held up high.
He knew he was going to have to do more than yelling her name to get her to speak to him again. Tires screeched to his left as the light changed red. Her shapely figure was disappearing across the street. A plan quickly formulated itself in his mind, and he smirked deviously before resuming his swift pursuit.
Just as she reached the middle of the street, he bellowed fearfully, "Gail! Look out!"
She paused and turned around to see Jacob Mallard barreling toward her. She was about to give him the cold shoulder, but in the next instant he'd slammed into her, throwing her to the sidewalk.
Breathing hard, her heart pounding in her breast, Gail looked up to see Jacob sprawled on top of her. She scrambled out from under him and smacked him mercilessly with her purse.
"Jacob Mallard, what are you doing!" she shouted in a piercingly high voice.
"I think I'm saving your life," Jacob replied with a grunt as he pulled himself slowly to his feet while simultaneously dodging her blows.
"Saving my life!" she repeated exasperatedly. "From what, may I ask?" A scowl crossed her petite face and she raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"From that maniac of a driver!" Jacob retorted, pointing in the direction the supposed maniac had gone. "Didn't you see that car? It almost hit you!"
"Oh…" Gail said softly, as if just realizing exactly what had happened. Not two seconds later she was helping him get up, keeping him steady as he waited for his throbbing head to clear. "Well…thank you, Mr. Mallard, but I'm afraid I must be going."
"Gail, wait!" he demanded, reaching out to grab her wrist and stop her. It seemed his plan had worked only for a split second, but Jacob was determined to make that second worthwhile.
She looked down at his hand on her and then glared at him. "I know what you want, Jacob, and I'm not going to give it to you."
"But I thought –- I'm not -–" he stammered.
Gail had been the only one of his girlfriends with whom he hadn't gotten past more than the first kiss. Her resolve was unusually strong, and that surprised him considering she looked like such a small, frail, unsuspecting creature. He had expected her to swoon at the idea that he had just saved her life. Now, for once in his life, he wasn't quite sure what to do.
"I just want to talk to you," he managed to say.
"What about?"
"Look, whatever you may have heard, have I ever treated you that way?"
"Well…" she thought hesitantly. "…No…no, I guess not. But you were dating seven other women at the same time as you were dating me," she added matter-of-factly, folding her arms. There was a hard-set scowl on her face, and it took him by surprise. She should be fawning all over him by now, not putting up walls!
"Yes, I was," he replied truthfully. "But it'll be different this time, I promise! Just give me a chance."
"Give me one good reason, Jacob Mallard."
"Because despite everything, you still like me. And I still like you."
Though she tried to hide it, he still caught the delicate flush of her cheeks behind her small spectacles. It was time to make his move. Taking one step toward her, Jacob added softly, "I'm going on an important mission for SHUSH tomorrow out of the country…I probably won't be back here for a while…Could I maybe write you?"
He gave her his charismatic, boyish smile, and not even her bent head could hide her shy smile.
"Here's my address," she said breathlessly, taking out a receipt and scrawling on the back of it.
He took it from her gently, his fingers brushing hers as he did so. Her blush deepened, and she pulled back. Jacob grinned in response and felt a surge of pride and relief. He had won.
"I've got to go," she said hurriedly. "But you'd better make good on those letters…I don't give three chances."
He nodded with playful solemnity. "My lady, I wouldn't dream of letting you down again."
Watching Gail as she disappeared back into the crowd, Jacob couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face. The plan had worked. Chivalry still had its beneficial uses, and it usually rewarded Jacob tenfold whenever he employed it. His charm was still in high gear, and he knew that as long as he still had one woman in St. Canard who actually believed he could be her "soul mate," he would be in the clear. After all, women had a lot of friends, and word spread pretty quickly through the gossip chain, especially when it came to sweet and thoughtful men. He'd be back in business in no time. All he had to do was write a few sappy letters and get her to believe he was actually in love with her. That way, even if he didn't end up breaking down her walls, he could reap the benefits. He just hoped Gail had a lot of gorgeous, single friends.
There would be one more briefing before the flight to Cuba the next morning, and Jacob was looking forward to getting out of the city. He'd lived in Saint Canard all his life, and now it was time for adventure, danger, exotic backdrops, intrigue…and with Gail's address tucked firmly in his breast pocket, twenty-two-year-old Jacob Mallard felt like he could take on the world.
Author's Note: Sorry it's only a short one this time around. The next few chapters will be short as well, but I'll try to upload them in a group so that there isn't just, like, two paragraphs to read. Please bear with me! And thanks SO much to my readers. You guys are AWESOME. :)
This chapter is dedicated to Lael Adair, whose absolutely brilliant idea it was for there to be no car at all. :)
Jacob, Lolita, Gail, and any other character written in belong to me, Amanda Rohrssen. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do, I shall be forced to cut off your toenails and give them to an old gypsy woman, who will make sure you turn into something nice and nasty on the next full moon…
