by Carrie Elks
11
Jackson didn’t bother to drive all the way home to walk Eddie on the beach. Instead, he steered his car to the central boardwalk, parking outside of the coffee shop. Seeing the shutters down reminded him where Lydia was right now. At Nate and Ally’s house, no doubt entertaining the rest of them with stories of her travels. She had a way of talking that made everybody listen. She wasn’t a show off, not at all. But she was interesting.
Intriguing, even. He was damn certain she wasn’t like anybody he’d ever met.
When he opened the back door of his car Eddie leapt out, his tail wagging so hard Jackson could hear the swoosh it made in the air. His furry body was almost trembling with excitement as he looked from the ocean then up at Jackson, waiting for the command that would let him run to the water.
“Okay, go.”
Eddie gave a yelp and barreled toward the empty beach, not stopping he careened across the golden sands. He’d made it to the ocean’s edge before Jackson had a chance to lock up his car, lolloping into the water with a howl of delight.
Stuffing a ball in one pocket and Eddie’s leash in the other, Jackson ambled onto the sand. Eddie was swimming in the shallows, his paws digging at the foamy water as he turned and looked at Jackson expectantly. Pulling the tennis ball from his pocket, Jackson lobbed it into the waves in front of Eddie, who splashed and crashed until he reached it, securing it in his jaws. He swam to the shore, running toward Jackson, spray flying everywhere until he came to a stop and dropped the ball at Jackson’s feet.
There was an expression of utter bliss on Eddie’s face. For him, life didn’t get any better than an evening swim and a ball being thrown a hundred times.
“Hey!” a deep voice called from the boardwalk. Jackson turned to see Lucas Russell standing on the concrete path, an ice cream cone in one hand, a stroller in the other. His son, Arthur, was sitting in the stroller, his legs swinging as he gripped a waffle cone so tightly it was sagging in the middle
“Unc Jack!” Arthur called when he spotted Jackson. “Daddy, Unc Jack there.”
“Hey buddy, you enjoying that ice cream?” Jackson called out. Arthur strained at the straps of his stroller to get out.
Lucas unclipped his son and gently lifted him out of the stroller, steadying his treat when it threatened to tumble to the ground. Jackson walked over, keeping one eye on Eddie who was still happily playing with the ball, and ruffled Arthur’s hair.
“You don’t stop growing, kid,” Jackson told him. “I think you’re gonna be bigger than Griff.”
Not that Lucas was small. The town’s fire chief was over six feet, with the kind of muscles you only got from hard, constant work. His hair was closely cropped, revealing a warm California tan.
“I hope not. He’s already bankrupting us with new shoes every month,” Lucas said dryly. “And you should see how much he eats.”
Arthur took a mouthful of ice cream, as if to underline his dad’s point.
Noticing he wasn’t the center of attention anymore, Eddie ran out of the ocean to where they were standing.
“Look! Dog!” Arthur flung his arm out to point. Eddie gave him a curious look, and shook his body, water droplets flying through the air. They showered the little boy, and Arthur screamed with laughter and held his ice cream out to the dog.
“Ah no, buddy. Dogs can’t eat ice cream,” Lucas said, gently moving the cone away from Eddie. Looking up at Jackson, he lifted his brows. “I heard you got a dog. Didn’t believe it, though.”
“It’s only temporary.” Jackson took the ball back from Eddie and threw it into the ocean. Arthur clapped his hands as Eddie careened across the sand, following the line of Jackson’s throw. “I’m taking care of him until his owners are found.”
“That’s what Ember said. I thought she was joking.” Lucas looked over at Eddie, who’d just reached the ball. “I gotta say, you’re a natural. Wouldn’t have believed that either.”
“We swim, too?” Arthur asked Lucas, pointing at Eddie doggy paddling in the ocean.
“Not tonight, pal. Your mom would kill us.”
Jackson laughed. “Has she gone over to Ally’s for girls’ night?”
“Yeah. How did you know about that?” Lucas took a napkin from his pocket and wiped a trail of ice cream and drool from Arthur’s chin.
“Lydia told me. Autumn’s sister,” Jackson told him. When Lucas raised an eyebrow he added, “Don’t look at me like that. She’s helping with Eddie. It’s kind of her fault I have him.”
“I wasn’t looking like anything.” Lucas laughed. “I was just thinking about the dog. He looks good on you. You seem, I don’t know, more relaxed than I’ve seen you in a while.”
Yeah, maybe that had something to do with Eddie. Or perhaps it was more due to Lydia. Whatever it was, Jackson definitely felt happier. As though he was able to breathe a little easier. Live a little more. Lydia had only been here for a few days, and she’d already turned everything upside down.
“You okay?” Lucas asked. “You seem a hundred miles away.”
It was on the tip of Jackson’s tongue to say he was fine. And really, he was. But he also wanted to talk to someone. To one of his friends. And he knew for damn sure he couldn’t talk to Griff.
“I was just thinking,” Jackson murmured, as Eddie ran back again. This time he stopped in front of Arthur, dropping the ball at the boy’s feet.
“About what?” Lucas scooted down next to his son, cupping his small hand in his own, and helped him to throw the ball back into the ocean. Eddie turned, spray flying from his body, as he raced back to catch it.
“About Lydia.”
“Ah.” Lucas nodded. “I thought you might be.”
“You did? Why?” Jackson blinked.
“Because she’s the first woman I’ve heard you mention by name in months.”
That wasn’t a big surprise. Despite his friends’ opinions on his love life, he really hadn’t had time for anything but work for the longest time.
“Yeah, well I won’t be mentioning her in front of Griff. He’s already warned me off.”
Lucas looked shocked. “He what? Why would he do that?”
“Because he thinks I’m gonna screw her around.” Jackson shrugged, though the words stuck in his throat.
Arthur handed Lucas the soggy end of his cone, wiping his hands on the napkin he was given.
“You want the end of this?” Lucas asked Jackson.
“Nah. It’s all yours.”
Lucas laughed, and wrapped it in the napkin, holding it in his hands.
“We sit?” Arthur asked, looking at the edge of the boardwalk.
“Sure.” Lucas lifted him to sit on the end of the boardwalk, his short legs ending a foot from the sand. Lucas sat next to him and Jackson took the spot beside his friend, all three of them looking out to the water.
“So, are you going to screw her around?” Lucas asked Jackson, returning to their conversation.
“No.” Jackson was vehement. “I know you guys think I’m some kind of asshole playboy, but I’m not.”
“You went a little wild there after Hayley left,” Lucas pointed out.
Jackson sighed. “I was hurt and wanted to forget about her for a while. I wanted to go out and have a good time, so I did. But I never messed with anybody’s heart. Never made promises. And to be honest, those women had a lucky escape, because I wasn’t in any shape to have a relationship.”
Lucas nodded. Next to him, Arthur was singing a song, something about a shark.
“But you’re in shape for a relationship now?” Lucas clarified.
“I don’t know. Maybe I would be. But even if I was, Lydia isn’t looking for something like that. She’s too busy traveling to settle down.”
“Have you asked her that?” Lucas asked him.
“No. But since she’s leaving for Europe next week, it’s pretty obvious.”
“But you like her, right?” Lucas asked.
“I do.” Jackson kicked the s
and with his sneaker. “A lot.” Eddie was back on shore, the ball firmly wedged in his mouth as he dug at the sand. Another dog was running around him, trying to get his attention.
“Do you think she likes you, too?” Lucas asked.
Lydia’s cherry blossom tattoo flashed into Jackson’s mind. Followed by her wide eyed gaze as his lips brushed against his.
I’m not sorry at all about what happened outside your bathroom.
His lips curled at the memory of her words last night. “Yeah, I think she does.” And wasn’t that making him feel all heated up and needy?
“Well man, I guess it’s up to you. Usually I’d say take it slow, see where it goes, but you don’t have that luxury. If she’s leaving soon, there’s no time to waste.”
“So what do I do?” Jackson asked, more to himself than Lucas. “And how the heck is Griff going to feel when he finds out I’ve been hanging with Autumn’s sister.”
Lucas laughed out loud. “You’re scared of Griff?”
“I don’t want to hurt him,” Jackson admitted. “He’s our friend after all.”
“Yeah, he is,” Lucas agreed. “And like me he wants you to be happy. I guess if he knew you had feelings for her…”
“I didn’t say I had feelings.”
“You said you liked her,” Lucas pointed out. Arthur slithered down the edge of the sidewalk to the sand, sitting and drawing circles with his finger.
“I do.”
“Well that’s a feeling.”
Jackson froze. He didn’t like that thought at all. Because if you had feelings, you could get hurt. “Yeah, but it’s a like-like, you know? We have fun together. She makes me smile.” He chuckled. “She’s kind of wild, and that’s really damn attractive.”
Lucas said nothing. He was looking at Jackson with narrowed eyes, as though he was trying to figure something out.
“What?” Jackson asked.
“I didn’t say anything. I was just thinking.” Lucas ran his finger along his jaw. “I’m wondering whether regretting what you never had is worse than losing what you did.” He smiled as he watched Arthur dig his hands into the sand. “If I lost Ember tomorrow, I’d be devastated,” he murmured. “But I’d never regret meeting her. Never regret falling in love and having Arthur. Because it’s made me who I am.”
“But that’s different. You two are married.”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, but even if we’d only ever had one date, I wouldn’t have regretted that either. She changed me with one kiss.”
“Kiss?” Arthur said, standing and lifting his face. Lucas jumped off the boardwalk and kissed his son, hugging him tight. Arthur hooked his arms around Lucas’ neck, leaning his head on his shoulder.
“I should get this guy home. It’s his bedtime.”
“Not tired,” Arthur said sleepily as Lucas lifted him into his arms and stepped onto the boardwalk, putting his son in his stroller.
“Yeah, I need to get Eddie home.” Jackson nodded, trying not to smile at the fact he had his own responsibilities now. For so long he’d been different to his friends, as they paired off one by one. Having relationships, buying houses together, making families.
And that still wasn’t in his future, but maybe something was. Lydia was here for a few days, not a lifetime, but that didn’t mean he had to ignore the crazy attraction between them.
If she got on that plane without him spending time with her, he’d regret it. That he knew for sure.
They could have a good time while she was here, and then say their goodbyes. All they had to do was go into it with open eyes. That way nobody would get hurt.
“We should play spin the bottle,” Ally said, carrying a tray full of cocktails into her spacious living room. Lydia was sitting between Autumn and her friend, Ember, on the cream leather couches, facing the floor-to-ceiling glass doors overlooking the ocean. Ally passed the cocktails out, and sat down on the ottoman opposite.
There were seven of them there altogether. Lydia, Autumn, and Ally, along with Ember and Brooke – Ally’s best friends – and Caitie, Ember’s sister-in-law, and her friend, Harper.
The girls had spent the evening gossiping about their partners. All of them apart from Lydia were in relationships, and nearly all of them had children. Ally had put them all in fits of giggles telling them about her stepdaughter, Riley, who brought a boyfriend home from college to meet her dad the previous week, and how Nate almost had a heart attack when she asked if they could share a bedroom.
“I mean, she’s twenty. Almost twenty-one. I asked Nate if he remembered being that age,” Ally said. “But that made him go beet red and tell Riley she wasn’t allowed to date until she was thirty.”
Lydia took a sip of her margarita. The lime stung her tongue in the best way. It was funny how the cocktails were affecting them all in different ways. Autumn was already slurring a little. Harper was half-asleep and Ally was hyperactive, talking non-stop.
Ally put an empty champagne bottle on its side and twirled it on the coffee table. “Okay, who’s going first?” she asked them.
“Don’t we need guys here to play spin the bottle?” Ember asked in response to Ally’s suggestion. “I love you all, but I don’t want to kiss any of you.”
Ally grimaced. “Oh yeah. Let’s play truth or dare instead.”
“No way.” Their friend Brooke shook her head, and winked at Lydia. “I’ve played that with you guys before. I ended up having to call Frank Megassey to tell him I loved him.”
“We were seventeen,” Ally pointed out. “And it was funny as hell.”
“How about never have I ever?” Lydia suggested. “I say something like ‘never have I ever kissed a girl,’ and if you’ve actually done that, you drink.”
“Have you kissed a girl?” Autumn asked, tilting her head to stare at Lydia. Her eyes were as fuzzy as her speech.
Lydia bit down a smile at how drunk her sister was. “Yep.” She grinned. “But only once and there were no tongues.”
“Okay,” Ally said, picking her glass up. “I’ll start. Never have I ever had a threesome.”
Everybody’s glasses stayed down. Ally wrinkled her nose. “You guys are boring.” She looked over at Lydia. “And I’m disappointed with you. I thought you were the adventurous sister.”
Lydia laughed. “What can I say? I like all the attention on me.”
“Ah, me too,” Harper said with a sigh. “James doesn’t get to touch anybody but this girl.” She poked herself in the chest and winced. “Ouch.”
They all laughed.
“You go next,” Ally suggested to Lydia, shaking her head. “And make it exciting. We need some of that in Angel Sands.”
“Okay.” Lydia bit down a smile and lifted her drink. Here went nothing. “Never have I ever kissed Jackson Lewis.” She took a big swig of her cocktail.
They were all staring at her. Autumn was the first to break the silence. “You kissed Jackson?”
“Kind of.” Lydia shrugged. “I mean, our lips touched. But his dad interrupted us.”
Autumn put her drink down. “I need to know more. When? How? What else has been going on that I don’t know about?”
The girls all leaned forward, their eyes wide.
“I’ll tell you, if you promise to answer me something,” Lydia said, her voice serious.
“What?” Ally asked.
“Who’s Hayley?” Lydia put her glass on the driftwood coffee table in front of her. “I heard his dad mention her name. And say that she hurt Jackson.”
Ally glanced at Ember. “Hayley was Jackson’s fiancée.”
“Was?” Lydia asked. “What happened to her?”
Ally sighed. “I don’t know all the details. It was before we hung around with them much.”
“I know,” Caitie said, scooting forward in her seat. “I kind of grew up with Griff and Jackson, since they’re Lucas’ best friends.” She grimaced in the way only a little sister could. “Jackson and Hayley met at college, and after they graduated, they c
ame back here to live. He was working at Newton’s and she was a dental assistant. They got engaged after a few years, and were in the middle of planning their wedding when she got pregnant.”
Lydia’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t expecting that.
Caitie grimaced and added, “Only the baby wasn’t Jackson’s.”
“Oh my god.” Lydia’s mouth dropped open. “Whose was it?”
“Her boss’. She’d been doing the dirty with him.”
“I guess teeth weren’t the only things getting drilled at the dental practice,” Ally murmured. Ember coughed into her cocktail glass.
“That’s awful,” Lydia said. “Poor Jackson.”
“Yeah, well after that he more than made up for it. Started screwing every willing woman this side of LA.” Caitie shrugged. “I guess it made him feel a bit better.”
Lydia took another sip of her cocktail, trying to take it all in. She’d had a few failed relationships – none that lasted very long – but she’d never had someone rip her heart out. That kind of betrayal stung. She knew that from everything Autumn had been through in New York. And from talking to people as she traveled.
It was amazing how many people flew to different countries to get over broken hearts. And a lot of them hired her to show them the cities while they were there.
“Okay, so we answered your question. Now spill. What happened with you and Jackson?” Ally asked, leaning forward to prop her chin on her hand.
Lydia ran her finger around the rim of her cocktail glass. “Well,” she said, kind of enjoying the attention. “It all started when I took Eddie for a walk.” As she told them about the wave and Jackson trying to save her from it, the girls all leaned in, rapt with attention. “But Eddie started going wild,” she said, bringing them up to date. “And the next thing I knew, Jackson’s dad was there.”
“What a cock block.” Ally sighed. “And I’m never going to look at Jackson the same way again.”
“Oh, I always suspected he had moves.” Caitie sat back on the sofa. “He has that little lost boy, bad boy combination women can’t resist. Women want to save him and ravage him at the same time.”