Chapter Nine

The Charade is Over

Jordan got the answer to her question the next morning.

She woke up, bare and cold, and back in her own bed…Woody having put her there at sometime during the night or early morning hours…and he was nowhere to be found. Slowly she got up and showered… muscles now aching in places she hadn't had them ache in a long time. She was on her way to work when her cell phone rang.

"Hoyt," she said into the receiver.

"Hi, it's me. Can you come by my office on your way into work?" It was Woody…and he didn't sound like himself…he sounded exhausted….and not just from last night…There was a tenor in his voice that worried her.

"Sure. Be there in just a minute."

He was standing behind his desk, looking out the window when she opened his office door and let herself in. "Hey…what's up?" she greeted softly, taking in the sternness around his jaw and the hard look in his eyes.

"I made chief."

Jordan took a deep breath. "Congratulations…I'm so happy for you…" She went to walk around his desk and hug him. He pulled away.

"It's over, Jordan."

She looked at him blankly. "What?"

"You heard me. It's over…the charade is over. I got my papers this morning. It's official. I'm the new chief of police. You've done a great job pretending to be my wife…but it's over. You can go back to New York now."

"But…"

"But what? We both knew this was a temporary situation."

"Last night…"

"Last night was a mistake. Call it lust, call it reliving the good times…or what we used to have. We both know that it's been three years since we've been together…you've got your life and I've got mine. I'll always appreciate what you've done…and I'll make sure you get an ample settlement for your efforts, but too much time has passed. I'm sorry if you thought it was anything more."

Jordan nearly staggered at the weight of his words….last night meant nothing to him…she had only been toyed with to make sure she stayed around long enough so that he would be named chief. Now that he had, he didn't have any further use for her. Her Farm Boy had gotten harder that she ever dreamed he would…she never believed he would toy with any woman's affections…her heart…and then shut her down cold.

Last night had truly been too little too late, no matter how many times she had whispered she loved him and had missed him.

Then it hit her. At some point last night…maybe it was the second time he had reached for her in the dark, when she was nearly incoherent, she had told him she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to stay.

And Woody didn't want her after all. She bit her lip to control her tears. "No problem. I'll be out by tomorrow."

She turned and walked out of his office, shutting the door behind her.

She was so fast and so quiet, he didn't know she was gone until he heard his door slam. He sat down in his chair and put his head in his hands.

He never meant for last night to happen. From everything he had heard, Jordan had been happy in New York. He was sorry he had interrupted her life for this damn position….he had been fine with having her back…having her under their roof again… he had been in control…until he had kissed in the kitchen.

From that point on, he had one goal in mind. Get her back in their bed. And last night he had been successful…several times. Then, sometime around three in the morning the same old fear had gripped his stomach…too much time had passed….everything was his fault…and he just couldn't put her through this emotional train wreck again. He had gently lifted her and carried her back to her bed, tucking her in, showering himself and heading into the office. At nine, the fax had come through that he was now Boston's top cop.

No need in keeping her here in the quagmire of his guilt any longer. He could set her free. Send her back to New York. Get on with his life and enjoy his new position. He looked at the letter from Gains that had been faxed to his office this morning. Balling it up, he threw it across the room. What the hell had he done?


The drive to the cape was nice. It was a beautiful day…the sun was out. A nice summer day in Massachusetts. And Jordan didn't notice.

She had been better than her word to Woody. After leaving his office, feeling the broken pieces of her heart scatter along the way back to the morgue, she had stumbled into Garret's office. He had taken one look at her and held her as she crumbled against him. "What happened, Jordan?" he had asked, concern written all over his face.

Hesitantly, she told him everything…about the previous night…what she had said…Woody's reaction this morning. "He told me to leave," she said quietly, looking down at her hands.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know…at least not yet."

"I can make a few calls…to Springfield and Cambridge, but it may take some time to pull everything together. Meanwhile, you could move in with me. Abby's old room is empty."

Jordan sighed and wiped her eyes. "Yeah… if you would, please make those calls…either place is fine. But I'd better not move in with you…if word got out that the chief's wife left him and moved in with her boss…it wouldn't be pretty."

Garret nearly grinned. He hadn't thought of that. "I told you to be careful, Jordan."

She nodded. "I know…but since when have I ever listened to you?"

He did grin then. "So where are you going?"

She stood, grabbing her jacket and her pocketbook. "I don't know…but I'll call you when I get there…and don't worry…I promise it won't be far…and this time I will be careful."

So here she was now, ignoring the beautiful summer day, heading down the Massachusetts' shoreline. She had left Garret's office, gone back to Woody's, quickly packed her things, and headed southeast. She fingered a key in her pocket. She was heading to the only piece of real estate that was totally hers….her grandmother's old vacation home on the Cape. It had been left to Jordan in her grandmother's will…and she hadn't been there in years. It was secluded and quiet…a perfect place to think things through and decide where she wanted to go from here.

Jordan turned into the drive way, ran up the steps and opened the door…it smelled musty…she'd do some cleaning and freshen things up…she always did her best thinking when she was busy, anyway. Hauling in her luggage, she stopped in the middle of the living room, looking out into the ocean…his eyes were the color of the ocean after a storm sometimes….when he was angry…or caught in a moment of passion…

She sighed as she began to get settled in. She feared getting over her husband was going to be harder the second time.