One Wild Night

"Mom says to pass the phone to you," Jamal informed Tom after he was done speaking with his mother.

Tom received the phone from Jamal, "Hello, This is Tom," He said politely, since it was the first time he was speaking with Candace since he read her letter.

Candace cleared her throat, "Thanks for looking after Jamal. He says he's happy, and you are both having dinner with him," Candace said with gratitude.

"You're welcome," Tom said as he looked at the kid who was sitting beside him and looking at him curiously.

She cleared her throat again, "I also want to apologize for making you uncomfortable by leaving that letter behind. I had no right to do that. If it makes you feel better you can get rid of it. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry," Candace said apologetically, and Tom sighed.

"Don't worry about it. Just be careful and make sure you return safely. You can be rest assured that Jamal will be well taken care of," Tom promised, and Candace relaxed a bit.

"Thank you," Candace said in a quiet voice that made Tom feel sorry for her.

After his conversation with Harry earlier, he had tried to put together everything that he had learned from Jade, Harry, and Lucy, concerning Candace, and he felt like he hadn't been very kind to her, and had treated her with indifference.

Candace was an orphan who had led quite a difficult life. She had been involved with a terrible and dangerous man that she could only escape from because he was sent to jail. She had to become a stripper to make ends meet, and the only person she called her sister had been kidnapped. Now she had to leave her son in the care of strangers. How hard could life be for a young lady like her?

He had put Jade in Candace's show, and that had made him realize that he would wish for Jade to be treated better than the way he was treating Candace. He needed to do better.

"You don't have to worry about anything else. Just ensure you take care of yourself and come back safely. I will make sure you and Jamal are well taken care of when you return," Tom promised, and Candace smiled.

"Thank you. I will return the phone to Jade now," Candace said before giving the phone to Jade.

"How are things going over there? How is Lucy?"

"She is fine. You are both okay, right?" Tom asked with concern, as Jade tried to connect her phone to the car's Bluetooth speaker so she could drive comfortably.

"Sure. Have you seen Harry today?" Jade asked curiously.

"Yeah. Lucy and I left his apartment a while ago. Have you spoken with him again?" Tom asked as he picked the remote and turned on the television so that Jamal could watch a cartoon while he spoke with Jade.

"No. How was he when you saw him? And how is his father's health?"

"Although he is very worried about his father, he's fine. I didn't get to see his dad because he was asleep," Tom said, and looked down at his hand which was resting on his thigh when Jamal placed his hand in his.

"Any progress on Anita's issue? And what about Lucy's twin? How is he handling everything? Also, have you heard from Bryan and mom? Do you know if they've met Simon yet?" Jade asked curiously, and Tom rolled his eyes.

"How many questions do you expect me to answer at the same time? How about we have a conference call instead?" Tom suggested, thinking that it was better he told everyone about the progress on Anita's issue once and for all since he was tired of repeating the story.

"Yes. That's a good idea. I'm driving right now. I'll call you and the others when I get to the hotel," Jade said, and just as she wanted to end the call she remembered her conversation with Aurora.

"Tom?" She called before he could hang up.

"Yeah?" Tom asked as he turned to look at Samantha who had just walked in to inform him that the table was set for dinner.

"Did Harry tell you that he asked Aurora to accompany him to the anniversary dinner as his partner?" Jade asked, and Tom who had been about to stand up, paused.

"Aurora?" Tom asked, wondering who that was.

"The lady I told you about," Jade reminded him.

"The one you matchmade with Harry?" Tom asked, and Jade gritted her teeth, while Candace listened to the conversation between the siblings with interest.

"Yes, that one. Do you think I should be worried? She is visiting him next week," Jade said, and Tom's brows shot up.

"Harry didn't mention anything about that to me. When did she tell you this? Or was it Harry who told you about it?" Tom asked with a slight frown, as he wondered what Harry was up to.

"No. Aurora did. I left her spa a while ago. So, Harry didn't mention anything to you about her or being interested in someone?" Jade asked, and Tom's eyes narrowed as he recalled what Harry had said the previous evening about having a date, and about surprising them soon.

"Tom?"

"Well, he did mention something about having a date last night during dinner, but we didn't take it too seriously," Tom said apologetically, and Jade's heart skipped a beat.

"He did? What exactly did he say?" Jade asked, beginning to really feel worried now.

"He didn't give any details. He only told us he had a date and would surprise us soon. I thought he was joking. I'm sorry, Jady. I'll find out more about it, and let you know if he's serious, okay?" Tom said, feeling sorry for his sister.

"Maybe I should have listened to you," Jade murmured to herself sadly, thinking that Harry had probably changed his mind about her because she had tried to talk dirty with him the previous day. Maybe she had taken things too far.

"Why? Did you do or say anything to him?" Tom asked curiously.

There was no way she could tell Tom that she had tried talking dirty with his best friend over the phone, or that she had directly told him that she wanted to live rent-free in his head. Not after he had warned her to let Harry chase her, and not to throw herself at him.

"Nevermind. I will give you and the others a call when I get home. Give my love to Lucy," Jade said before hanging up.

Once she did, she let out a sigh as she looked ahead of her. It didn't bother her that she was making such a phone call in front of Candace. The only thing that bothered her at that moment was that she was at the verge of losing Harry and she didn't know what to do about it. Should she call him or not?

"I guess that answers my question," Candace said thoughtfully, and Jade turned to spare her a glance.

"What question?"

"I was going to ask if your brother was aware of your feelings for his best friend and if he would be okay with it," Candace said, and Jade's lips curved in a smile despite her sadness.

"Tom loves Harry like a brother, and Harry is a great guy so there's no reason for him to disapprove. Even my mom approves of my feelings for him," Jade said with a small smile.

"I don't suppose Harry knows that you like him?" Candace asked curiously.

"I'm not sure..."

"You are not sure? You are in love with him, you didn't tell him how you feel and then you went on to hook him up with another lady and now you're feeling sad about it?"

"Is it just me, or was there a silent 'Are you crazy?' at the end of your question?" Jade asked, trying to find humor in the situation.

Candace's lips twitched with amusement, "I thought you would miss that."

"I'm a lawyer. Nothing gets past me," Jade said, and Candace snorted.

"The man you love is about to get past you literally," Candace muttered dryly, and Jade tittered with laughter.

"Remind me again, why are we not friends?" Jade asked, loving Candace's sense of humor.

"Because we were on opposite sides of the law when we met?" Candace asked, and Jade giggled.

"Well, I hooked him up with Aurora before I realized that I was interested in him. And now you can see their progress for yourself," Jade said with a sigh, and Candace shook her head.

"Even your own feelings got past you, yet you said nothing gets past you," Candace said with a roll of her eyes.

"Can you just let that line go?" Jade asked with a giggle, glad that Candace was trying to make light of the situation. She was feeling sad enough already.

"What do you plan to do? Give up?"

"Giving up is not an option."

"Good. I never figured you for the type to give up. Do you think he likes you? Is he attracted to you?" Candace asked, wanting to know how she could be of help.

"I don't know. I like to believe so. My mom and brothers says he likes me, and Sonia also believes that Harry is interested in me but he has never made any move. Not even when we stayed alone for a couple of days."

"You were alone with him? Why didn't you tell him how you feel?" Candace suggested.

"I'm not sure telling him how I feel is the wise thing to do," Jade said, and Candace looked at her incredulously.

"It's okay for everyone else to know of your feelings for him apart from him? I never thought you were a coward," Candace said, and Jade pursed her lips.

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Harry is not that kind of person. He is old-fashioned," she said with a shrug.

"So what if he is old-fashioned? Who said because he is old-fashioned you can't directly let him know you like him? You never can tell, maybe that's all he's been waiting for," Candace said and Jade sighed.

She couldn't believe the number of advisers she had on just this issue. There was Tom, Sonia, and now Candace. Whose advise was she supposed to take?

"Have you ever tried to seduce him?" Candace asked, and Jade's eyes widened in surprise.

"I just told you the man is old-fashioned and you're asking if I've tried to seduce him? Harry is not that kind of man. Besides, he was always uncomfortable the few times I wore skimpy or revealing clothes around him. He doesn't like me dressing that way around him," Jade said, and Candace smiled.

"I think he is attracted to you. And I think you should tell him how you feel."

"Tom says I shouldn't."

"Do you always do what you're told?" Candace asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Not always. Only when it's important."

"Then trust me, and tell him how you feel. You have nothing to lose if he doesn't feel the same way," Candace said, but Jade shook her head.

"I've got a lot to lose. My self-respect, my friendship with him, and then there is that Aurora thing. I would die of embrassment. No, I can't."