“No worry,” Jason said easily. “I’ll run to the diner and get us to-go lunches. What’s your favorite sandwich?”
Still shocked at the turn of events where two men had come in at the same time, both asking her lunch, she hesitated until Jason’s thumb rubbed slightly over her waist, reminding her of his hand on her naked body last night. Heat infused her face, and she saw the slight smile curve his lips and knew he was thinking of the same thing.
“Sandwich?”
Blinking, she rushed, “Oh, yeah. Um…a club sandwich would be great.”
“Chips or fries?”
“Um…fries?”
Laughing, he replied, “There’s no right or wrong answer, babe.”
She smiled, mesmerized by the twinkling in his eyes. “Then fries.”
“You got it,” he said and bent once more to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched as he straightened and pinned a hard gaze at Ben before walking back out her door. Not understanding the silent message he was sending, she stood and stared at her now-empty doorway, her thoughts racing.
“I take it you and Jason are together?”
Jerking her head back around to see Ben staring intently at her, she shook her head. “Uh, no. I mean, we’re friends. But um…nothing defined or anything.” She watched as Ben’s face broke into a wide smile and wondered if what she just told him was true. No, it is true! Jason and I have not defined if we are something, and if so, what we are.
Looking back at Ben, she asked, “Now, about those boxes?” She had called him earlier to find out what to do about the boxes still there and assumed when he first walked in that was the reason for his visit.
Still smiling, Ben replied, “I spoke to Mr. Gillespie, who assured me that anything that was left here when you took possession of the building is now yours. Supposedly, the Mayor had looked at things when he checked the building over and had no desire to have them.”
She scrunched her nose as she pondered the Mayor’s response and said, “Well, that sort of sucks since now I’m the one who has to go through them and get rid of everything. It really would’ve been better if the Mayor had done that himself.”
“I agree,” Ben said. “But I can tell you that lots of owners leave all kinds of junk in a house that they’re supposed to have cleaned out. If you’d like, I can come over sometime and take a look at them for you. If you want them thrown out, I can get someone to do that.”
Shaking her head slowly as she considered her options, she said, “Not right now, thank you. I’ll take a look at them and let you know what I decide.” Sticking her hand out, she hoped that he would take the hint and go ahead and leave. Whatever vibe was bouncing between Jason and him, she did not want Ben still there when Jason returned.
Gratefully, he must have agreed, but instead of simply shaking her hand, he held it in his right hand while covering it with his left. “I’ll see you soon, Rose. Maybe next time we can make it to lunch, or perhaps dinner.” He released her hand slowly and walked out. Just like with Jason, she stared at the empty doorway for a moment before jolting back into action, determined to get back to her storeroom cleaning.
She had barely gotten started before Jason returned, his arms full of bags. “What on earth did you get?”
With a chin lift toward the stairs, he said, “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you.”
She offered to carry some of the bags, but he shook his head, declining. Walking in front of him, she ascended the steps and opened the door to her apartment. He placed the bags on the counter and began pulling out the contents.
“I got their club sandwich and fries, but I know how busy you are so I got a few extra things that can go in the refrigerator.”
She watched as he pulled out sodas, bags of chips, and a couple of extra sandwiches wrapped in plastic that he put into the refrigerator. She ran to get a large beach towel and said, “It’s such a pretty day, let’s go up to the terrace.” Arriving, she laid the towel on the deck. Looking up as he walked over with the food in his hands, she said, “Consider this a picnic since I have no furniture.”
Chuckling, he replied, “Just glad you decided to have lunch with me.”
Taking a big bite, she had just started to chew when he asked, “So, Ben?”
Continuing to chew before she could swallow, she then took a large sip of soda before she could answer. “He was my real estate agent.”
“Uh-huh.”
Not sure if he expected her to say more, she added, “I called him to ask about some of the boxes that were left here, and he came by to answer my question.”
“Uh-huh.”
She looked at him, waiting for him to make another comment, but he continued to eat his sandwich. She wanted to ask if something was wrong but remained quiet. His mannerisms did not seem angry, but his short responses indicated irritation. Uncertain what he might be irritated about, she just kept eating as well. Why are relationships so hard to figure out? Even what kind of relationship we have?
They finished their lunch in a silence that was not quite uncomfortable, but neither was it completely at ease. Jason stood and reached his hand out to assist her from the deck. As soon as her hand touched his, she felt the electricity that she had experienced the first time he touched her…and every time since.
His gaze shot to hers as though he felt it, too. Without thinking, she blurted, “I don’t feel that when Ben shakes my hand.” She had no idea why she told him that, but the words were out before she could pull them back in. Heat infused her cheeks, and she tugged her hand, looking anywhere but at his face.
His grip increased, and he said, “Rose.”
In spite of her embarrassment, she forced her eyes to lift, meeting his gaze, noticing the curve of his lips.
“Good to know. I’m glad.”
Still holding onto her hand, he stepped closer and bent, this time placing a kiss on her lips. He pulled back before the kiss had a chance to flame hot, then dropped her hand and reached over to grab the empty containers and wrappers on the floor.
She had no idea what to say in response so she simply scrambled behind him, carrying the rest of the refuse to the trashcan and folding the towel.
“Thanks for lunch,” she said once they walked in the door of her apartment. Once they had reached the bottom of the steps and made it through her building, he turned to face her, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
“Did the girls tell you about Mitch and Tori’s party?”
Nodding, she said, “They said it was at the beach cabin. But I don’t know if I’m going to go. There’s so much to do—”
“You need to go. You need to get out of this place occasionally and have some fun. Anyway, you can go on the back of my bike.”
Her eyes popped open at his suggestion, both loving and fearing the idea of riding on the back of Jason’s motorcycle. Cocking her hip, she adopted an attitude, saying, “That’s rather high-handed, don’t you think?”
He stepped forward until his large boots were right in front of her sneakers. “I’m going. You need to go. There’s no reason for us to go separately since we live right across from each other. Anyway, you’ll have fun, I promise. Be ready by six.”
He bent and placed another quick kiss on her lips before turning and walking out her door, leaving her just as confused as before. With her hands on her hips, she dropped her head back and stared at her ceiling for a moment. Before she had a chance to continue pondering her relationship any further, a noise at the door caught her attention, and the electrician and plumber walked back in. Time to get back to work.
11
The sun was already beginning to sink lower in the evening sky when Rose and Jason roared up to the beach cabin on his bike. He guessed correctly that she had not ridden on one before, and while standing outside his shop, he had given her a quick lesson, which she found to be mostly ‘hold on tight and lean into him’. She did not tell him that those instructions were going to be i
nstinctive for her to follow.
Her heart was pounding, but once she got used to the feel of his body pressed up tightly with hers, the rumble of the engine underneath her ass, and the freedom she felt with the wind whipping all around them, she thought it was the greatest experience.
She climbed off and unfastened her helmet as he threw his leg over the seat and stood next to her. Taking the helmet from her, he hung them on the handlebars, grabbed her hand, and led her around the back of Mitch’s cabin.
Mitch and Jillian’s grandfather had owned the beachfront property and built a small fishing cabin there many years before. As the cousins were growing up, it was a place for their families to enjoy, and for the Baytown Boys to consider their clubhouse long after they outgrew the childhood shed in Callan’s backyard. Mitch’s grandfather had deeded it to Mitch, and he continued to use it for gatherings of friends.
The small cabin held one large room that combined a living area and basic kitchen, one bedroom, and one small bathroom. The Baytown Boys had added a large deck on the back to hold their grill and lawn chairs. Just over the dune was a huge fire pit surrounded by cut logs for people to sit on or lean against. A volleyball net was down on the beach, and friends played, sat, grilled, ate…basically whatever they wanted to do to enjoy themselves.
Rose had been to a cookout several years ago when she was first in town but had not been back since. From the ease in which Jason headed directly to the deck, she was sure he had made many appearances at the cabin since moving to town.
A quick glance showed that most of their friends were already there. Mitch, Grant, and Lance were manning the grills. Brogan and Aiden were carrying out a large metal tub filled with ice and beer. Katelyn was at a small table, setting out plastic cups and bottles of red and white wine.
Tori, Jillian, Jade, and Maddie were by a picnic table, arranging platters of chips, potato salad, coleslaw, buns, and baked beans. Belle walked out of the back door of the cabin, her hands filled with paper plates, saying, “Tori? Can we use these?”
Tori glanced over and nodded. “Yeah, those were left over from the last Evans’ family get-together here.”
Lia and Sophie were out by the bonfire, spreading beach towels all around, and Brogan jogged over with a lawn chair just for Ginny. He assisted his very pregnant wife into the seat and bent to touch her lips, placing his large hand over her swollen abdomen.
Gareth, Zac, Hunter, Callan, and several other men that she did not recognize were on the beach playing volleyball.
As she and Jason came into sight, she could feel all eyes swinging toward them and was sure she did not imagine that their gazes immediately dropped to Jason’s hand holding hers. Smiles quickly appeared on everyone’s faces, and she pulled away from Jason so that she could move toward the women, offering hugs.
Immediately jumping in to assist, she accepted a cup of wine from Katelyn once all the food was out and made her way down to the bonfire. Not wanting to appear as though she was looking for Jason, she adopted a casual air as she scanned the area, making sure her gaze did not halt on him but noting he was still on the deck, near the grill.
Moving her attention back to the women sitting nearby, she smiled as Lia approached.
“I know we haven’t had a chance to spend any time together, but since Zac and Jason are such good friends, I’m hoping we can get together soon.”
Stuttering, she replied, “I…I’d like that…to spend time with you…um…but Jason and I aren’t…um…you know, together or anything. Just friends. But getting together sounds great. Yeah.” Realizing she sounded like a babbling fool, she stopped talking and busied herself taking a sip of wine, muttering about how good it was even though she barely tasted it.
Sophie sat on the smooth log next to her and said, “How are you doing? I know how difficult it is to start up your own business, and the only advice I can give you is to make sure you take some time for yourself. That’s why I’m really glad to see you here today.”
She nodded and replied, “I almost didn’t come because there are so many things that I need to be doing. Jason essentially told me I was getting on the back of his bike, and he was bringing me here. And now that I’m here, I’m glad.”
Lia laughed, and Ginny just said, “Uh-huh.”
Rose was unsure what Ginny meant by that comment or Lia’s laughter, and Sophie patted her arm. “Don’t worry about them. It’s just that you seem to be in denial about what’s happening between you and Jason. Sweetie, we’ve all been through that.”
“It’s been my experience that when a Baytown Boy sets his sights on one of us, it’s usually a good thing,” Ginny said, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her tummy. “Don’t get me wrong, because if you don’t want Jason’s attention, then you can certainly stop it. But I don’t think any of us believe that the two of you are just friends.”
“Who’s just friends?”
Jerking her head around, she grimaced seeing the other women walking over, Jillian in the lead. Hoping that she could pretend no one spoke, her shoulders slumped as Jillian repeated, “Who’s just friends?”
Before she had a chance to think of a reply, Lia said, “Rose and Jason.”
Jillian plopped down on the towel, crisscrossed her legs, and grinned. “Didn’t look like just friends when the two of you walked in holding hands.”
“We had just been on his motorcycle,” she replied, her hands fluttering about. “He was just making sure I was steady on my feet.”
Katelyn snorted, saying, “Yeah, sneakers are so hard to walk in.”
The others laughed, and she blushed, finally emitting a giggle herself. Deciding that she could not avoid the topic since they were hell-bent on bringing it up, she said, “Look, I’m not trying to make things complicated. I was pretty rude to Jason a couple of years ago when he got the storefront that I wanted. But we all know that turned out for the best considering I had to leave shortly after to be with my mom when Dad died and then when she had a stroke.”
The other women immediately sobered at her words, and she rushed to continue. “It’s okay, it really is. Life throws us curves, and we just have to learn to roll with them. I guess my point is that several years ago, I didn’t roll with it very well, and it’s important for me to be friends with him considering we’re across the street neighbors.”
“That’s all well and good,” Tori said, “but I’ve known Jason since he first got here. He’s a great guy who helps out anyone who needs it, but I’ve never, and I mean never, seen him holding hands with anyone.”
“It may be these pregger hormones flooding my body, but from the look on your face and the way your eyes keep drifting back to where he is, I would say you feel a lot more than just friendly toward him.”
She looked up at Ginny, expecting to see a smirk on her face after what she just said, but instead, Ginny’s expression was very calm.
Katelyn piped up, “Well, can you at least tell us if he’s kissed—”
“Burgers are ready!” Mitch called out, interrupting the question that was about to be asked, eliciting a joyful inner dance from Rose.
Jumping up, she looked down at Ginny and said, “I’ll get a plate for you!”
Waving her away, Ginny said, “Don’t worry about it. Brogan will take care of everything.” Lifting her hand to shade her eyes, Ginny added, “And don’t think it’s escaped anyone’s notice that you didn’t get to answer the question Katelyn was about to ask.”
Hurrying over to the deck, hoping her gait was steady so she did not look as though she were hurrying, she got into the food line, glad that the conversations around her were now about everything other than she and Jason’s odd relationship. She was not about to confess that they had slept together…twice. She knew the women would jump to their own conclusions, and she did not want anyone speculating. It would be embarrassing for them to think that she and Jason had a relationship that was more than whatever they were.
Lost in her musings, she jolted when someone
nudged her from the side. Looking up quickly, she realized Jason was standing very close, his eyes peering down at her.
His voice laced with concern, he asked, “You okay?”
Swallowing audibly, she said, “Yeah. Um…yeah.”
Holding his plate in one hand with a beer bottle dangling from his fingers, he lifted the other hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You look flushed. Are you getting too much sun?”
With his intense gaze so close to her face, his touching concern warmed her as much as the heat of her blush. Smiling, she said, “No, I’m fine.”
He stayed right with her while they loaded their plates and walked back to the fire pit. She sat on a towel on the sand, leaning her back against the large log. Wondering where Jason would sit, she was surprised when he put one foot next to her hip and swung his leg around behind her, planting his left foot next to her other hip. He sat down on the log, his knees on either side of her, surrounding her with all of him. She could not deny that it felt nice but tried to ignore the smiles from the other women as they settled as well.
The large gathering ate, talked, laughed, and she could not remember the last time she just enjoyed herself without worry creeping into her thoughts.
Mitch brought around a large plastic garbage bag, and before she had a chance to throw her empty plate away, Jason leaned down, snagged it, and threw it away for her. Someone had turned on the radio, and a slow country song filled the air.
Full of good food and wine, she relaxed and found herself leaning back against his legs. The thought crossed her mind that she hoped she would be able to hang on for the ride back home, when he leaned down, his lips close to her ear, and said, “Don’t worry. Enjoy yourself, and I’ll get you home safe.”
Stunned that he seemed to be able to read her mind, she could not keep the smile off her face, even when she saw the others smiling at her in return.
The women had wandered down the beach to collect sea glass, and the men brought wood to light a fire in the pit.
Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys Page 9