Eden's Secret

Chapter 3

Jordan felt giddy like a school girl when she left the hotel. This was so uncharacteristic of her. She felt so good, yet so bad. Was she wrong? Was she crossing any professional boundaries? Was this just a one night fling? Was this a relationship actually worth pursuing? All these questions and more swirled around in her head as she rushed home to change her clothes. The professional Jordan came up with all the answers she didn't want to hear. The personal Jordan, the one that had been kept hidden for so long, came up with all the answers she had longed to hear. Her emotions went from one extreme to the other. Her thoughts were all over the place as she drove. Mentally, she came up with a "pro" and "con" list. She tried to mingle the professional and private aspects of it all and come up with a solution that would make everyone happy. Everyone? What if he had no intentions of pushing this any further? This thought stopped her in her tracks. She was acting crazy. As she pulled up in the parking lot, she reasoned that she would keep the professional Jordan. She really had no reason to see Will any more until the concert tonight. Heather was set to do the autograph session. He had a rental car. And that was that. She shook her head as if to rid her mind of the lingering kisses she still felt on her lips and then exited the SUV.

Jordan went through the rest of the day taking care of business. The company picnic had turned out, so far, to be a success. She had only minor incidents that needed attention. Incidents really so minor that no one but her would know they even existed. She enjoyed walking around checking on things and seeing the smiles on people's faces. This was her reward for all the hard work she had done for this picnic in the last six months. She walked with more of a spring in her step and a happier lilt in her voice when she spoke. She had been so focused on the tasks at hand that she had almost forgotten the previous 24 hours that had begun to melt her hardened, work-ridden heart. It was that new, softened voice that Heather questioned when she met up with her and the gig was up. Jordan couldn't hold it in much longer. Heather was the only one who could honestly read Jordan. She knew her inside and out. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep secrets from that girl. Maybe that's why they had stayed friends all these years.

"You did what?" Heather exclaimed. Jordan couldn't figure out if Heather was mad or happy.

"It wasn't like I meant for it to happen! You, of all people, should know that. I don't just throw myself at men."

Heather started laughing. "All this time....I was hoping for a nice guy with a good job for you and you go and get yourself a knock-down gorgeous man who is a superstar! You can always count on Jordan Phillips to do things all the way or not at all."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Jordan smirked. "Anyway, it's not like anything is going to come from it. It's probably just a weekend fling. I haven't seen him since this morning and don't really have any reason to see him until after the concert."

"Well, I saw him today at the autograph session. And while I don't know what he's normally like, he was a pretty happy guy today."

"Enough," Jordan said. She didn't want to think about this anymore. She just wanted to enjoy the rest of the day and then get some much needed sleep on Sunday. "Come on, it's time to get ready for the concert anyway. Let's go ahead and head that direction."

Jordan and Heather arrived in time enough to see Will and the band running up on stage. Like the previous night, the place was hopping. Jordan scanned the crowd from the side and watched all the smiling faces singing along with the familiar tunes. She could see flashes from cameras, lighters lit, glasses raised. She was glad everyone seemed to be having a good time. This picnic had been one of her best planned events at SIC. She'd have a hard time topping this one. She turned her attention from the crowd to the stage. Will was strumming away on his guitar, smiling. He had already started sweating and his chestnut curls were sticking to the side of his head. As she watched him, he happened to glance in her direction and then caught sight of her. He turned to her and smiled bigger, singing. She could see the playfulness in his eyes while he sang the words to her. The crowd didn't know what was happening, but she did. He turned away and continued his performance, every so often looking her way again, giving her that smirk.