by Deanna Chase
“Now Ms. Betty, you know you can’t grope him again, right?” Yvette said, trying to nip the inappropriate behavior in the bud.
“Oh, I can if I get consent,” she said, waving a hand as if she just knew that Jacob would welcome her advances. “My friend who teaches yoga out at the college filled me in on the new rules. She says it’s all about communication now.” She shook her head and let out a small chuckle. “She says I’m ‘woke’ now. I don’t know what that means, but she seemed to think it’s a good thing.”
“It is a good thing,” Yvette confirmed with a laugh. Then she sobered as she remembered Ms. Betty had invited all her friends to the event just to see Jacob. Yvette placed a hand on Ms. Betty’s shoulder. “Listen, you might want to give your friends a heads-up that Jacob isn’t going to be here. He’s leaving in the morning for a weekend business meeting.”
“Oh, no.” Ms. Betty clasped her hand over her mouth. “This isn’t good. Not good at all. I’ll still show up of course, but there are a lot of women coming tomorrow just for a selfie with Mr. Handsome.” She quickly paid for her books then grabbed the bag and said, “Thanks. I have to get going. Looks like I have a million and a half phone calls to make so my girls aren’t disappointed.”
“Good luck,” Yvette said. “But don’t forget to tell them to show up anyway and get their signed book.”
“Oh, I will,” she said with a definitive nod. “It was just easier when there was going to be some man-candy in the house.” She smirked and grabbed a book with a bare-chested man on the cover. “Now I have to sell them on pastries and sexy werewolf shifters.”
“Ms. Betty,” Yvette said with a sigh. “You’re… something else.”
“I get that a lot,” she said with a wink as she placed the book back on the shelf. “It’s part of my charm. See you tomorrow.” She swept from the store, moving faster than Yvette would’ve thought possible.
“She’s got a bee in her bonnet,” Brinn said.
“You can say that again.”
Jacob poked his head out from behind the self-help aisle. “Is the coast clear?”
“Yes,” Brinn and Yvette said at the same time, both of them laughing. He’d high-tailed it to the back of the store the moment they’d spotted Ms. Betty peering in the front window. Jacob had claimed he had paperwork to complete before he left town for the weekend, but Yvette knew better.
They’d gone through the books together two days ago and worked out their next order. There wasn’t anything left to do, unless he’d been working up a new business plan that he hadn’t told her about. He’d just been too much of a coward to risk hanging out with Ms. Betty. Yvette couldn’t blame him, though. She wouldn’t want to subject herself to so much blatant objectification either.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked him.
“Yep.”
Yvette turned to Brinn. “We’re headed out to get dinner. If for some reason Miranda calls or shows up early tonight, text me. I can be here in five minutes.”
“Got it. See you in the morning.” She turned her attention to Jacob. “Have a nice trip. And try not to gloat too much about the fabulous weather L.A. is having.”
“No promises,” he said as he ushered Yvette out of the store and into his truck. But instead of heading to the other end of Main Street to Woodlines, he steered his truck onto a residential street that turned into one of the many mountain roads that surrounded the valley of Keating Hollow.
“Please tell me you’re not going to turn out to be an ax murderer,” she said as she glanced over the ridge, eyeing the town.
“Ax murderer? No. That wouldn’t be my weapon of choice,” he said with a grin.
“Funny.”
The road became narrower and more winding the further they drove, and just when she was sure he was taking her all the way to the top of the mountain, he turned down a hidden driveway and stopped in front of a beautiful, modern house with large floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Whoa,” she said. “You live here?”
“That’s the rumor.” He jumped out of his truck that was nowhere near as nice as the home nestled into the side of the mountain and met her at the steps that led to his front door. “I thought it might be nice to have a home-cooked meal.”
Since their Tuesday night at Woodlines, grabbing food after work together had become a habit. Each afternoon, they’d been busy canvasing the area with flyers for the signing and while they were out, they’d grabbed dinner. So the fact that he was bringing her back to his place meant he’d actually planned something.
It also meant this was looking a lot like a date. She should’ve said something. Should’ve called him on it, but she didn’t. She didn’t even want to. She liked him too much and wanted an evening with him before he left town.
Once they were inside, Yvette turned and sucked in a gasp as she stared out over the redwood-covered valley. The sun had already set, but the night was clear enough that she could see the lights from Keating Hollow below them as well as the silver moon bouncing off the river. “This is… something else, Jacob.”
“It’s better now that you’re here.”
She turned and smirked at him. “Nice line.”
“It’s the truth.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the gleaming white kitchen. Everything was modern and brand new, and the home suited him perfectly. He poured them each a glass of wine, and as he handed her one, he added, “But you should really see it in the morning. On rare days, you can see all the way to the Pacific.”
“Are you trying to make some sort of suggestion, Jacob Burton?” she asked as she walked around the kitchen island to stand in front of him.
His dark eyes flashed with desire as he studied her. “If I was, would the answer be yes?”
Yes. The word was on the tip of her tongue. Instead she said, “Not tonight. I have a guest to host.”
“Right. We’ll save that for next week.” He nodded to the table. “Have a seat. I’ll be just a minute.”
She raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “Did you manage to score some take out?”
He laughed. “Did you see any bags of food in the truck?”
“No.”
“Well, there’s your answer.” Jacob opened his giant stainless steel fridge and produced two ahi tuna salads. “I hope you like fish.”
“Love it.”
“Good.” He handed her a fork. “Dig in.”
Dinner consisted of ahi tuna salad, crab cakes, and then blackberry pie for dessert with plenty of whipped cream. Yvette had to give him credit. In the week they’d known each other, the man had definitely been paying attention. After dinner, they sat near Jacob’s gas fireplace and talked about the weekend coming up. Actually, Yvette talked about the weekend, Jacob mostly listened.
“What about you? I know you said you needed to go home to settle some things with the business. Does that mean you’ll have to see Sienna?” Yvette asked.
Jacob’s good mood instantly soured, and he frowned. “Yes. She’s insisting on seeing me before we finalize everything.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “No idea. It’s been over a year since I last saw her. I imagine she wants to try to absolve herself of her sins, so to speak—try to get me to forgive her so she doesn’t need to feel guilty or something.”
Yvette took another sip of wine, hating the twinge of jealousy that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “Do you forgive her?”
“Nope.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t help but be curious about his breakup. She knew the basics. Sienna had taken off with his best friend just a few months before she and Jacob were to be married, but beyond that, she was short on details. Had they been happy? Had he really loved her? Yvette couldn’t imagine him promising to marry someone he didn’t love with his whole heart. He was just that kind of guy. He put all he had into the things he cared about.
“Listen, can we talk about something else?” he asked. “I’m not trying to hide anything, but it’s bad enough I
have to deal with her tomorrow. I don’t want her to spoil tonight, too.”
“Absolutely.” Yvette didn’t want the ghost of his past ruining their night either. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. “Tell me how you found this house. It’s… well, it suits you perfectly.”
He chuckled. “It should. I had it built.”
She sat up, giving him her undivided attention. “What? When?”
“Last year.” He drained the last of his wine and placed the glass on an end table. “You know my aunt lives here, right?”
“Of course. Everyone knows Miss Maple,” she said.
“Yeah, I spent a few summers with her when I was a kid. And throughout my childhood, those summers were always my best memories. So after everything blew up, Keating Hollow was really the only place I wanted to be. After scouting the limited real estate options, I ended up buying this lot and hiring a contractor. I came up a few times during the process to check on it, but for the most part we did everything by phone or email.” He waved his free hand around the room. “What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous. The house, the view, the finishing touches…” she sent him a flirty smile, “and the man who owns it.”
“Gorgeous, huh? That’s a big improvement over ‘somewhat-decent.’” His dark eyes sparkled as he leaned in, clearly angling for a kiss. But before his lips could find hers, Yvette’s phone dinged with a text.
She put her finger up, stopping him, and fished out her phone. “It’s Miranda. She’s about ten minutes outside of town. Time to head back to reality.”
“Reality sucks,” he said, but he winked at her as he collected the wine glasses and took them to the kitchen.
“Couldn’t agree more.” She waited for him by the door then followed him out into the chilly night.
The minute they were back in the truck, Jacob’s fingers curled around hers, and he brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. “I’m going to miss our dinners this weekend.”
Her heart fluttered a little at the tenderness in his tone. “Me, too. But you’ll be back on Monday, right?”
He nodded as he cranked the engine.
“Good. Come over to my place, and I’ll cook this time.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said. “Are you taking requests?”
“Do your requests have anything to do with food?” she asked.
He let out a hearty laugh. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. The answer is no. That way we’ll both be surprised.”
He glanced over at her, his smile wide. “It’s like you’ve known me for months instead of days. I like it. I like it very much.”
“Me too.” But she was acutely aware that she liked it too much. And she wasn’t sure what to do about that. So far, they’d just held hands, kissed, and flirted a lot. Under those circumstances, a botched romantic relationship could probably still be saved, but if they went any further… She just didn’t know.
It wasn’t long before Jacob pulled into her driveway alongside her Mustang. She’d picked it up from her father’s house earlier in the week, but thanks to Jacob chauffeuring her around, she hadn’t had to use it once. Saturday would be a different story, and she knew she’d miss seeing him first thing.
She jumped out of the truck, and Jacob followed her up to her door, but instead of going in, she turned to him. “What are we going to do about this?”
“About what?” he asked hesitantly.
“This.” She waved a hand between them. “You and me and this relationship we’re building.”
“Um, leave it where it is and see where it goes?” he asked, looking like a deer in headlights, no doubt from her use of the word ‘relationship.’
“Relax,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not trying to define anything or ask for some sort of commitment. I’m just… we’re playing with fire here, and we both know it.”
His sexy grin was back. “I know I’d like to play with a little fire.”
“See.” She pressed a hand to his chest. “This is what I’m talking about. How long do you think it’s going to be before we end up crossing those relationship lines we set?”
His smile vanished, and his expression turned serious. “You know, Yvette, I don’t think I can answer that. And neither can you. We can both say this is strictly business, but I think it’s clear that’s not really the case. The only real question is if we’re brave enough to let it happen.”
“Well, that was honest,” she said, feeling a little overwhelmed.
“It’s the only way I know how to be,” he said as he brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but whatever this is that’s happening, it’s the easiest, most natural thing that I’ve ever felt. And while I both appreciate and share your concerns about the fact that we’re business partners, I’m not certain I’m going to be able to walk away from this unless you’re just not interested. Tell me you’re not, Yvette, and I’ll leave you alone.”
Her throat went dry as she shook her head. She swallowed hard then said, “I can’t tell you that. It wouldn’t be true.”
“There, see? We both told the truth. How about we just say that we’ll both keep being honest with each other. I want to see this through, and I think you do too. Can we make a pact that the moment either of us loses interest, we just say so? I think as long as we communicate with each other, anything is possible.”
He was living in Fantasyland. She was sure of it. None of her romantic relationships had ended in friendship. But still, she nodded. At the age of thirty-two it was time to grow up a little. If he could handle it, she could. “Okay, I’m in.” She offered him her hand to shake on the deal, but he shook his head and kissed her instead—a toe-curling, don’t you dare forget about me while I’m gone this weekend kind of kiss.
When he finally let her go, her knees had turned to rubber, and she was completely out of breath.
Someone started to clap and yelled out, “Whoo hoo. That was some performance. I give it a perfect ten!”
Yvette and Jacob both turned and spotted a woman wearing a black-lace corset dress, knee-high, lace-up boots, and silver bangles that covered her entire left forearm.
“I told that airheaded Sienna she was making a huge mistake,” she said as she approached Jacob. “Can you imagine Brian kissing anyone like that?” she asked him.
Jacob let out a startled laugh and said, “Honestly, Miranda, that isn’t anything I want to think about or have lodged in my brain. But thanks for the compliment.”
“You’re welcome.” Then she turned to Yvette. “Hi, I’m Miranda. You must be Yvette.”
Yvette collected herself enough to offer her hand to the author, but Miranda brushed it aside and flung her arms around Yvette.
“I’m a hugger,” Miranda said into Yvette’s ear. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Yvette said.
She let go, grabbed her small overnight bag, and linked arms with Jacob. “Show me inside. I’m freezing out here.”
“You got it,” he said. “Need help with anymore luggage?”
“Yep. It’s in the trunk.” She glanced over her shoulder at Yvette. “Will you be a doll and unload it for me?”
“Sure.” Yvette unlocked her door for Jacob and Miranda then retreated to the woman’s sleek black Mercedes. The trunk was already popped open and when Yvette opened the lid, she groaned. It was packed tight, with no room to spare. Surely she hadn’t brought all that stuff for her two-night stay in Keating Hollow, had she?
Yvette ran into the house and found them in the living room. Miranda was sitting on Jacob’s lap, already regaling him with a story from her last trip to Paris.
“There was this gorgeous waiter at the neighborhood café, and you know me,” she said, patting his cheek. “I never can resist a pretty face.”
Yvette cleared her throat. “Um, excuse me Miranda, but did you need everything in your trunk? Or was there a specific bag you wanted?”
“Oh, right.” She wrinkled her nose as she contemplated. “It is a bit much, isn’t it?” She ran a hand through her long black hair and sighed. “You know what? You better just bring it all in. I’m never sure just who I’m going to feel like being in the morning.”
“Who you feel like being?” Jacob asked.
She shrugged. “I like options.”
He patted her leg. “Then let me up. I’ll help Yvette.”
“You’re such a gentleman,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Why is it we never spent the night together?”
“Because you were my fiancée’s bridesmaid,” he said as he grabbed her by the waist and removed her from his lap. “That would’ve been bad form.”
“Right.” She nodded. “And now you’re dating Yvette here?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” he said at the same time Yvette blurted out, “Yes, he is.”
“Oh, now this is interesting,” Miranda said, clapping her hands together. “I can’t wait to see how this is going to turn out.”
Yvette knew Miranda was waiting for some big blowup, for Yvette to get mad or Jacob to run as fast as he could. Instead, Jacob walked up to her and said, “So, we’re officially dating.”
“Yes. Get used to it.”
He smiled. “I already am.”
Chapter Twelve
“Yvette?” Miranda swept into the kitchen wearing a black satin-and-lace negligee, a matching robe, and fur-lined high-heeled slippers. The only splash of color she wore was the red polish on her toes.
“Yes?” Yvette took a sip of her cranberry spice tea and marveled at the woman’s commitment to her fashion choices.
“Do you have any mascara remover? I seem to have forgotten mine.”
Yvette nearly choked on her tea as she held back a laugh. The woman had actually forgotten something? She’d packed four suitcases, an overnight bag, and two totes. Yvette cleared her throat. “I believe so. I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks.” Miranda glided over to the tea pot and said, “Is there more?”