by Holly Rayner
Rufus, his seven-year-old rottweiler, looked over from the passenger seat.
“Too long, buddy,” Jackson said to Rufus, with a shake of his head. “Too long. Can’t even think of the last serious girlfriend I had. Can you?”
Rufus looked at Jackson with big brown eyes that glistened in the morning sunlight. “Woof!” he said woefully.
“No?” Jackson said. “Well… we’re going to have to think of something.”
He reached a stoplight, and his thoughts shifted to his car. He’d heard back from his personal assistant, whom he’d texted about the accident the night before. Apparently, the Ferrari dealership had quoted the damage repairs at about five grand. As Jackson thought this over, he realized that he’d never responded to his assistant about whether an appointment with the dealership’s body shop would be necessary.
I better get that woman’s insurance information first, he thought. A quick glance at his surroundings revealed that he was only a few blocks from the assisted living home where she worked. In fact, he could see the top of the tall brick building in the distance. It provided a guide for him as he navigated a few turns and then pulled over on the side of the street, very near to where he’d parked the night before after being rear-ended.
It was 6:55, and he remembered that the woman—what was her name? Oh yeah, Bianca—had said she’d be done with her shift at seven. He let Rufus out of the car and walked him down the block while he waited until a few minutes past the hour. Then he called the number she’d given him.
“Hello?” she answered.
Jackson felt a strange stirring in his chest when she picked up. It was a relief to hear her voice—as though he was hearing from an old friend with whom he’d been anxious to connect. Absurd, he thought, with a quick shake of his head. I barely know her.
“Is this Bianca Jones?” he said, while Rufus lifted a leg and watered a tree in the middle of the sidewalk.
“It is,” Bianca said breathlessly. Her voice echoed off of what sounded like surrounding walls, and he could hear footsteps. He imagined her in a stairwell. “Bye, Gail!” she said to someone nearby. Then, “Sorry. I’m just leaving work.”
“Right,” Jackson said. He eyed the double glass doors to Riverside Assisted Living, half expecting her to burst through them at any moment. “That’s the thing,” he said. “I’m actually in the area, and I was wondering if you might take a moment to sit down with me and iron out this insurance issue. Maybe at Easy Street Coffee?”
“Right now?” Bianca said.
Jackson paused. It wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. He realized, suddenly, that he cared a little bit too much about each statement she made. What is going on? he wondered.
After a beat of quiet, Bianca said, “Sorry, that wasn’t the right thing to say. Of course I’ll meet you—goodness knows I could use a cup of coffee before getting home to my dog. You should see her in the mornings when I get home from a night shift. She has the energy of a puppy! Jumps all over me,” she said, laughing. “I’ll be there. See you soon.”
When she hung up, Jackson looked down at Rufus, who was sitting attentively near the tree he’d just watered.
“She has a dog,” Jackson said. A smile formed on his lips unexpectedly as he said. “Let’s go get a seat.”
He ordered two coffees and bagels in the cafe and then found an outdoor table that was bathed in morning sunshine. He was placing creamers and sugars down on the table when he saw Bianca approaching.
Given the warm weather, she was no longer wearing the bulky black jacket that he’d seen her in the night before. Instead, a thin thermal covered her arms, beneath a loose-fitting maroon scrub top. She had the long sleeves of her thermal pushed up to her elbows, and he saw pale skin, delicate wrists, and a green plastic watch that looked rather cheap. He noticed, as well, that her fingers were ring-free.
Maybe she took off her wedding ring for work, he thought as she neared the table.
Her face lit up with a smile, and at first Jackson thought it was aimed at him. When she knelt down and stroked Rufus on the top of the head, he realized his mistake.
“What a sweetie pie!” she cooed, as she moved her fingers to behind the dog’s ears and gave a good scratch. “His eyes… oh my goodness. He’s looking right at me!”
Jackson laughed. He felt more relaxed, suddenly, than he had all day. “He has a way of doing that. He loves people.”
“Not shy at all,” Bianca said, as she squatted down and continued petting the big black-and-tan rottweiler. “Just a big love muffin, hm?” She smiled and looked up at Jackson. “He’s amazing. What a companion!”
Jackson nodded. “Yep. Rufus and I spend most days together.”
“Even work?” Bianca asked. She stood up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Sunlight formed a halo of warm light around the edge of her cheekbones, her cute nose, and the curve of her lips.
Jackson felt a jolt of attraction that caught him off guard, and for a second he had trouble finding words. “Even work,” he said after a moment. “He has a bed right by my desk. I think he likes the office even better than home.”
He motioned to the table, “I got coffees and bagels for us… or do you usually get something else?”
“This is great,” Bianca said, as she slid into one of the metal chairs and surveyed the tabletop. “And look at that! You got cream and sugar. You’re sweet. I have a habit of putting way too much sugar in my coffee, especially after a night shift. But hey, I figure I earned it.”
She picked up two packets and shook them back and forth before tearing off the tops. At the same time, she looked down at Rufus. “You’re lucky that he’ll sit here with you like this, just watching folks pass by. My dog would never chill like this.”
Jackson took a seat as well, and reached for his coffee. He marveled at how nice it felt to sit in the early morning sunshine and have a simple conversation with this woman—Bianca. It was almost like they were old friends, yet there was something distinctly exciting about being around her, too. He felt energized yet comfortable. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to, especially around women.
“Oh, no?” he said. “Why not?”
“Peaches goes nuts when anything with wheels goes by. Well, except for cars. But you know—little wheels. Skateboards, bikes… scooters are the worst.”
Jackson laughed and reached down to pet Rufus’s head. “Old Rufus here doesn’t mind wheeled machines. The thing that drives him to barking is moving water.”
Bianca grinned. “Really?”
Jackson nodded. “He’ll howl and bark to no end when he’s within sight of a wave or current. It makes him uneasy. I think it’s due to a river cruise that I took him on when he was just a puppy. He was shy back then, and there were quite a few people on the boat—then the weather turned bad. Maybe he was too young for it, and it freaked him out. So he’s been uneasy around water ever since.”
“I don’t blame him,” Bianca said.
Rufus looked up at her with obvious approval. He scooted over and then leaned into her legs.
Bianca reached out and pet his shoulders, speaking in a soft tone, “Did the thunder scare you, Mr. Rufus?”
He nuzzled against her.
She closed her eyes as she swallowed her coffee and then said, “Mm! This is divine. You have no idea how much I needed this. I’ve been running all night. What a shift…” She shook her head, then looked directly at Jackson. “So besides scaring Rufus here, how was that river cruise? I’ve always wanted to go on one.”
“It was fun,” Jackson said. “Well, until the wind picked up and turned it into more of a river rapids experience.”
She laughed. “That was probably not what you expected.”
Jackson couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked when she smiled; her whole face lit up. She caught his gaze, then quickly looked down to the table, her cheeks rosy with heat.
Jackson’s heartbeat quickened. The scene around them—the sidewalk
bustling with pedestrian traffic, the trees alive with fidgety birds, and the cafe to their side filled with people—all seemed to pause for an instant. Jackson felt a crackle of shared tension zap between himself and the beautiful stranger next to him.
Bianca seemed to feel it too, because when she looked up through a fringe of dark auburn lashes, her green eyes examined Jackson’s with a searching look. She seemed to be asking him wordlessly if he felt the same attraction that she did. He sensed all of this so clearly, yet it took place in just a matter of seconds.
When she turned her head to reach for her purse, she broke the spell that had somehow been cast over them. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Here I am chatting on and on about river cruises and what you want is my insurance information. Let me get out my card.”
As she retrieved her wallet from her purse and then began shuffling through various slips of paper, Jackson cleared his throat. “The estimate on repairs for my car is about five grand.”
“I’m sure my insurance company will cover that,” Bianca said. “Aha! Here it is. Let me give them a call.”
She pulled out a slip of light blue paper and then picked up her phone. “I’ll be right back,” she said.
She stood and then walked away from the table as she dialed a number on her phone. Jackson heard her speaking as she walked away. “Hello? Yes, this is Bianca Jones. I’m calling to file a claim.”
Bianca Jones, Jackson thought, as she walked away. Pretty name. It sounds old-fashioned—like maybe it could belong to a star in one of those old black and white, silent films.
Bianca Jones.
He ate his bagel and sipped his coffee, and watched her as she spoke into the phone, about ten feet away. Every now and then she glanced over toward him, and each time, he looked away. He didn’t want her to think he was staring, though he was.
The area in front of the cafe continued to fill up, and when Bianca made her way back to the table, she had to weave around several crowded tables and a group of cyclists in spandex who were getting ready for a group ride.
She frowned as she took her seat. “Okay, this is bad,” she said. “Jackson, I’m really sorry, but I messed up.”
“How?” he asked, confused.
She propped an elbow on the table and her head sank into her hand. She rubbed her forehead. “Apparently, I’m behind on my insurance payments. Things have been really tight lately, and—” She stopped abruptly and looked up at him. “Oh well, I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. That’s not the kind of person I am. I’m going to figure this out.”
“Figure what out?” Jackson asked.
“My insurance policy is expired,” Bianca said. “I missed three payments in a row. They’re not going to cover the damage to your car… so I will, out of my own pocket. I mean, I don’t have that kind of cash in the bank, but I’m going to figure something out. I promise.” She sighed and looked down at her coffee cup.
She fidgeted with the cardboard sleeve for a minute and then said, “I’m a hard worker. I can fix this. You don’t happen to have an ailing mother who needs a nursing assistant, do you? I could work in my off-hours and make up the difference to you.”
She chuckled, as if the offer was only a joke. “I’m sorry. That sounded desperate. You don’t have to answer that. This isn’t your problem. I promised you I’d pay, and I will. I’ll just sign up for some extra shifts or something…” Her voice trailed off and she yawned.
Her mention of his mother gave him a thought.
Mary didn’t need a nursing assistant, but she did expect to see a young woman at Jackson’s side that Saturday night. Perhaps Bianca could play the part of his wife-to-be! And in exchange, he could forgive her debt.
He was about to share his idea when Bianca yawned again.
She covered her mouth with embarrassment and then said, “Goodness! Forgive me. Sometimes after a night shift I just crash, even if I do try to bolster myself up with caffeine and sugar.”
“I should let you get home to rest,” Jackson said. “But I’d like to see you again. You said you’ve never been on a river cruise, right? How would you like to go on one, for dinner tonight? I could make the reservations and pick you up at six this evening.”
She eyed him with curiosity. “Really? I crash into your car, can’t pay for the damage, and you’re inviting me out to dinner?” Her tone was teasing and slightly flirtatious, and he could tell she was flattered by the offer.
He chuckled. It was nice to know that she was picking up on the same mutual attraction that he was. “That’s right,” he said. “How about it? I’ll leave poor Rufus at home so he doesn’t have to weather the stormy seas.”
“I hope we’re not going to run the rapids like your last cruise.” She raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Nothing wild,” he said. “Just dinner. Are you in?”
She grinned. “I’m in. I’ll text you my address. Thanks.”
She gave Rufus a last pat on the head before they parted ways.
Jackson walked partway down the block, thinking over his idea. He had a feeling that if Bianca agreed to play the part of his fiancée at the charity dinner, his mother would find her just as endearing as he did. She had an open, authentic quality that Jackson had never encountered in the women he’d dated.
He suspected that Bianca would win his mother’s approval effortlessly. He felt his spirits soar with a lightheartedness that he rarely felt, and on an impulse, he turned to look over his shoulder in an attempt to catch sight of Bianca one more time.
As soon as he located her in the crowd, she turned as well. He wasn’t surprised by this at all. He felt a strange connection to the woman, Bianca Jones, who had entered his life so unexpectedly. He had to give Rufus a slight tug, due to the fact that the dog had stopped to stare longingly at Bianca as well.
“Come on, buddy,” he said, once he’d redirected Rufus. “We’d better get to the office.”
I’ll see her tonight, he thought to himself, as he whistled on his way to his car.
Chapter 4
Bianca
Bianca turned, examining her reflection in the mirror. She still couldn’t believe that the handsome man she’d rear-ended had asked her out on a date.
After coffee with him, she’d arrived home to walk Peaches and then catch some shut-eye. Since four p.m. she’d been getting ready. Despite the hours of cleaning the cottage, showering, dressing, and trying out different hairstyles, she still didn’t feel adequately prepared for the evening. She’d settled on a blue-and-white-striped dress and a jean jacket, along with large hoop earrings, but she wasn’t sure that the look was right.
She was pulling the hoop from her left ear when she heard the doorbell ring, and Peaches started barking with excitement. Bianca could see Sandy, her neighbor, standing on the porch through the window to the right of the door. She crossed the living room while pulling out her right hoop earring.
“Come on in,” she said, after putting the earrings on a table and yanking the door open.
Sandy stepped over the threshold without hesitation. She was over so frequently that Bianca almost considered her a roommate.
“I’m taking Bernard out for a walk and thought I’d see if Peaches wanted to go too,” Sandy explained as she greeted Peaches, Bianca’s golden retriever, with a friendly rub around the neck and shoulders.
Peaches looked up at the petite older woman with adoration. Her tail wagged back and forth, and she put up a paw.
“I think that’s a yes!” Bianca said with a laugh.
Sandy stood and reached for the leash that hung up on a hook by Bianca’s front door. Catching sight of Bianca’s dress, she paused and lowered her hand. “Oh, look at you! You look great. Where are you off to?”
“A date,” Bianca said with a smile. She did a little twirl. “What do you think of the dress? Too summery?” She faced Sandy again and bit her lip as she looked down at the fabric, unsure about her choice.
“It’s cute!
” Sandy said. “Who’s the guy?”
“Thanks,” Bianca said, as she smoothed the fabric of the dress and then eyed her selection of shoes. “I thought the stripes might be kind of cool because he’s taking me out on a boat. You know, a nautical vibe. Maybe if I pair it with boots, it’ll look a little more appropriate for the season.”
She reached for a pair of cowboy boots and slipped one on. “He’s going to be here any minute, actually, so it’s perfect that you’re taking Peaches out. His name is Jackson Wylde. I met him yesterday evening and then saw him again this morning. Nothing major—just coffee.”
She blushed as she thought of the chemistry she’d felt brewing between her and Jackson that morning. It had only added to the sense of star-struck attraction that she’d felt the night before.
In fact, she’d been in a good mood for her entire night shift, even though the activity on the floor had been hectic and challenging. Nicky had indeed been able to cover for Bianca’s tardiness, but that hadn’t stopped Gail from giving Bianca a hard time as the night went on. Despite all of this, Bianca had felt almost like she was floating on puffy clouds of white as she worked, and seeing Jackson for coffee the next morning had been the cherry on top of the sundae. She felt so lucky that she was going to see him again.
“Did you say Jackson Wylde?” Sandy asked, raising her brows.
Bianca pulled on a second cowboy boot. “That’s right,” she said.
“Is he sort of young… maybe early forties? Blond, blue-eyed, extremely handsome?”
Bianca nodded. “That’s him. Why?”
Sandy’s eyebrows rocketed up. “Whoa…” she said with an exhale. “Do you know who he is?”
Bianca wasn’t sure what Sandy was getting at. Peaches was circling the two of them, eager to go out. Bernard, Sandy’s St. Bernard who was out on the front porch, gave a plaintive howl. He didn’t appreciate being stuck outside away from all the action.
“What do you mean?” Bianca asked.