Val’s brows drew together, and she was quiet. Quieter than Kerry was comfortable with. Finally, Kerry gave her shoulder a shake. “What’s up? Why are you silent now?”
Val shrugged, then smiled. “No reason.”
Kerry stayed quiet, readying herself to greet the kids, but Val’s voice stopped her. “It’s just that Jesse really isn’t the type to not take things all the way. I mean, his track record is pretty much get in and get out. Or get in and in and in again. But he’s definitely not one to hesitate, not once the horse is out of the gate.”
“And your point is?”
Val shrugged. “I don’t have one, really. I’m just thinking that this is interesting and maybe wondering, what could be different about his feelings for you that he wants to take things slow?”
Kerry was about to tell Val she was wasting her time and totally overthinking it, but the kids came in, saving her from saying words she knew she might have to eat later anyway.
* * *
Kerry knew it would be hard on the kids being in the shop without Mama Joy, so she was grateful for the fact that they still had a small group to make the trip today.
Each of the children had gotten permission from their parents, who all knew of Mama Joy’s passing away, so there would be no angry letters sent to the center later. At least Kerry hoped so. You still never knew. But she’d tried her best with due diligence to avoid surprises. She didn’t want to disappoint the kids who already had projects in the works and were looking forward to the outing. There were nine girls and three boys on this field trip, including Errol, who had once again made a tangle of his scarf. He had his brown paper bag clenched too tightly in his hand. He was clearly excited to head to the shop, but oddly still showing some of his old suppression.
On their way out, Imara Webb’s father, Gabriel, had stopped by the class and asked where the shop was, saying he might stop by to pick up his daughter. With him shadowing Linda and the rumors that he might take over her job, Kerry couldn’t do more than give the address and welcome him.
“That’s odd,” Val said.
“You think?” Kerry said, and shrugged. “He more than likely just wants to pick Imara up on their way home, like he said. Why are you reading more into it?”
Val frowned after Gabriel’s retreating form. “You know me, I side-eye first.”
Kerry laughed. “It didn’t look like you were side-eyeing when you were just smiling in his face.”
Val shook her head. “I wasn’t smiling. That’s what you call good old-fashioned ‘sucking up for job security.’ Word on the street is that ol’ Linda is out, and if she is out, then who knows what other shake-ups could be in store around here. I don’t want to leave this job.” Kerry caught the worry in her voice. It wasn’t just about a job or financial security for Val. She’d lost a lot in her life, and though she always acted carefree and like the life of the party, she was a lot more fragile than she let on. She really did care for the center and the kids it served. Val was often the first to arrive and one of the last to leave, making sure any late stragglers were picked up and being the first to know when there was a problem with one of the kids.
Kerry reached out and patted her friend’s hand. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine here. Your place is secure. All you do for this place won’t be overlooked.” At that point, they both heard Alison singing loudly as she walked past on the way to her office. “Well, not for much longer,” Kerry added.
* * *
They arrived at the shop, and Kerry was momentarily stunned at Jesse’s meticulous preparation. He’d followed her directions to a T and then gone above and beyond. The places for the kids were set with easy-to-knit yarns for them to choose from for new projects, plus easy-to-follow instructions for a beginner scarf or a more advanced infinity scarf. There were sets of size eight straight and circular needles for the kids to choose from. All in all, she could not have been more impressed.
She’d only planned on the simple scarf and was going to give the children only two yarn choices. She loved that he’d gone further into their stock to find these yarns. But she was perplexed by the mini tree with lovely birch branches that was also in the middle of the table.
“I thought we’d work a yarn tree today,” Jesse went on to explain. He took out his tablet and proceeded to show the kids photos of small trees made into colorful creations by being wrapped in yarn. The kids where mesmerized. Kerry didn’t know if was the pretty photos or Jesse’s expert explanation and delivery. The man definitely had a way with words, and she could see that the years of watching Mama Joy interact with children had not been wasted. He was a natural.
“Do you think we can make ours look as pretty as those? What if we mess up?” Mercedes Reid asked.
Jesse smiled at her and shook his head. “Don’t worry, you can’t make a mistake,” he explained to the children. “No matter what you choose, I’m sure it will turn out beautifully.”
“Even if I put this pink with this green?” Maya Parker asked him.
“Especially if you put that pink with that green. As a matter of fact, I think it should be put on that left branch. It would look great there. Have Ms. Val help you. She’s not the best knitter, but this is a project that even she can do.” Jesse teased Val as he explained his decorated tree idea, which he planned to use for a window display.
The kids did a beautiful job decorating the little yarn tree, and Kerry knew it would look great in the shop. She decided to snap a few photos for potential promo and to commemorate the moment for the kids. She made a note to ask the parents later for permission to post it.
Jesse’s eye was terrific, as was the natural way his mind worked. As she watched him sitting casually between Errol and Sylvie Bowls, she wondered why he had taken so long to come around to this side of the business. He was showing them an easier way to hold their yarn, and the kids were laughing and chatting happily. The relaxed atmosphere reminded her of how it used to be with Mama Joy when she’d taught the kids in the shop, and in that moment, Kerry had such an intense feeling of hope that it was almost palpable. It also low-key scared the hell out of her.
Imara tapped her, pulling her attention away from staring at Jesse.
“Are my stitches okay, Miss Kerry?” she asked. “I think I messed up,” she added with frustration.
Kerry looked down at her and smiled, seeing the dropped stitch that ran down three rows. “It’s just a dropped stitch. Nothing that can’t be fixed. Don’t worry.”
She reached for a crochet hook and sat next to Imara to show her how to pull up the stitch. Just then the chime on the door sounded, and all eyes turned that way. Jesse stood. “Can I help you?” he said, partially blocking the view of the kids from the tall man’s view. “I’m sorry, but we’re having a private class this afternoon. You’re welcome to come back when we reopen.”
“Daddy!”
Jesse turned and looked from Imara to Kerry, who nodded, then watched his stance relax. It was amazing how quickly he went from the Tooth Fairy to the Rock, then back to the Tooth Fairy again. She stood. “Jesse, this is Gabriel Webb, Imara’s dad.”
Jesse shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Gabriel looked around the shop. “Nice place you have here.” His tone seemed to have the slightest bit of judgment, but no, she had to be imagining that.
Jesse nodded. “Thanks.” He looked toward the kids, who were smiling with delight. “We like it.”
“We sure do, Daddy,” Imara said. “And look.” She held up the piece of knitting Kerry had handed back to her. “Look at my scarf. I made a mistake, but Miss Kerry fixed it. Isn’t she great? She can do anything. Just like Grandma. Maybe even more than Grandma.”
Kerry didn’t fail to catch the raised brows that were exchanged between Jesse and Val at that point.
Gabriel walked over and looked at his daughter’s knitting. He smiled and look
ed over at Kerry. “It’s beautiful, baby, and you’re right. Miss Kerry can do anything.”
Val walked by just then and nudged Kerry in her side, mumbling in her ear, “And there I was thinking my hair braiding was some big whoop.”
Kerry fought to hold back her laugh, and they finished off the outing without too much further incident. Jesse wasn’t quite as relaxed as he had been before Gabriel Webb had arrived, but he didn’t show his tension to the kids, and they all had a great time, leaving with their projects in fresh ziplock bags ready to be continued at home.
The only snag came when they were walking the kids back to the center for the official dismissal. They were just leaving the shop and out on the street in front when a couple of the neighborhood boys decided to go in on Errol.
Kerry knew these boys. They were sometimers who dropped by the center but didn’t participate in the formal everyday program. Still, the center didn’t turn anyone away. If they wanted to come as drop-ins, they could. Though in her opinion, stricter regulations were in order.
When her class left the sanctuary of the shop, the other boys, who, if they had been at the center, would have currently been in music or math class, were walking by, each holding either a juice or an ice pop. They zeroed in on Errol. “How’d your knitting go, Errol?” one of them said.
“You make a tea towel or maybe a bib or something?”
Errol immediately looked embarrassed but just kept walking, looking straight ahead.
The fact that they zeroed in on him and not the other boys was odd. But then she noticed how the other boys huddled together and walked over to the side, making themselves small and out of the way, almost invisible.
Kerry saw how tightly Errol held on to his little knitting bag, how he still tried to hold his head high, but she could also see the fear in his eyes.
Gabriel was just about to say something when Kerry heard Jesse’s voice over the boy’s laughter. “You boys interested in a lesson?”
Their laughter died as they caught sight of Jesse in the doorway of Strong Knits. He was twirling a knitting needle between his fingers like a drumstick while staring at the boys in a no-nonsense manner.
He gave them a nod. “How’s your grandmama, Troy? Tell her I said thanks for the pie. Better yet, I’ll tell her myself the next time she stops in. Did you like the jumper she made for you?”
“Jumper?” the boy next to Troy yelled.
“He means a sweater!” he tried to quickly explain. “It’s British.”
Troy looked back at Jesse then and Jesse stared back. The kid quickly sized up the situation and shook his head no, saying his grandmother was fine. He tapped his friend twice on the shoulder and they made tracks across the avenue.
Kerry gave Jesse a smile but could feel the change in energy from poor Errol.
“Don’t worry about those boys,” she said.
He smiled bravely. “Oh, I don’t, Miss Kerry. It’s not a big deal.” But still, he took his knitting and shifted it tightly into a smaller fist, making it practically invisible for the rest of the walk back to the center.
* * *
“So, what was up with the new little That’s So Raven and the broke-down Blair Underwood?”
Kerry was back at the shop. She had picked up some oxtails, rice and cabbage from the local Jamaican take-out place. She and Jesse had just finished dinner and were now knitting on the living room couch upstairs in the residence.
She was tired after the busy day with the kids and walking back and forth to the community center. So a quiet evening making stitches was pretty much all that was on her mind right now. She guessed Jesse had other plans.
“Huh?” Kerry asked, slightly annoyed to be pulled from her project. It wasn’t complicated, but of course he was talking to her right when she was on a row that required counting. She put her finger in place and made a mental note of where she was while searching for a stitch marker in the bag next to her.
“You know, the little girl with the cute braids but so much chatter and her daaaad.” He said in a long, exaggerated way, suddenly sounding like a tween girl. Kerry would have laughed if he wasn’t being so frustratingly immature.
She put her knitting down. They had at least had a decent afternoon and were settling in for a nice evening, and here he came with the stupid. “Her daaaad.” Oh hell, she was doing it. How was it Jesse could so easily bring out the brat in her? She sighed. “Could you be more immature? You’re talking about a student of mine and Gabriel, her father. He’s also,” she said, frowning and picking up her knitting again, “shadowing Linda at the center. The story is that he may be the center’s new director.”
Jesse paused in his knitting. “So your boss.”
She put her knitting down again.
“My director.”
Jesse frowned. “Now, how is that different from your boss?”
Kerry’s eyes shifted left to right. “Well, it isn’t, but it’s also not confirmed, so this conversation is useless.”
“How is it useless?” he asked. “The guy is influential, not to mention clearly interested in you.”
Kerry sucked in a breath, and Jesse quickly held up his hand. “Whatever, but he’s been shadowing your director, and interested or not he’s keeping some sort of eye on you.”
“Maybe he’s keeping an eye on Val.”
“That’s practically the same thing, you two are so close. The fact remains that he was here today along with his little Raven Baxter, who could not stop going on about the program and how much of an inspiration you are.”
Kerry felt her face start to heat up. “I wouldn’t go that far, and her name is Imara, not Raven. You sound like a child.” She went back to knitting her hat.
She watched Jesse pick up his knitting. He’d finished three hats already, and she had some catching up to do. She started to knit faster.
“You’re right. That was childish. And you sure have a way of winning over your bosses,” she heard him mumble.
The nerve. Kerry looked over at him, ready to hand him a new one, then stilled. Did he say bosses? She took in his picture-perfect profile as he seemingly concentrated on the task before him, slipping the yarn in and out of the neat little holes to create the pretty little ribbed hat that would keep some lucky kid warm this winter. He should have been at ease, but his jaw was locked tight, his full lips just as tight. It was quiet in the house; well, semiquiet. The TV was on with the baseball game playing. But clearly neither of them was focused on it. Lucas was back on duty, and for the first time it registered with Kerry that they were once again truly alone.
She put her needles down and eased closer to his side, placing her hands over his.
Jesse looked over at her. “What are you doing? You should be knitting. We need as many of these as possible if we’re going to make a decent display.”
She gently pushed his knitting aside, taking it from his hands, hiking up her long gauzy skirt as she slid one knee over the top of his waist, straddling him. The feeling of his jean shorts against her inner thighs as her skirt came up was rough and welcome as she moved over him.
Jesse put his hands to her shoulders, though, as she came forward to kiss him. “What are you doing? We have work to do.”
“What did you mean I have a way with winning over my bosses?” she answered. “I thought you weren’t my boss.”
“What are you going on about, Kerry? This is not the time for playing around.”
She kissed his ear, then looked him in the eye. “Who’s playing? I want to get this straight. When I called you boss, you said that you weren’t my boss and not to call you that. Now you’re saying I sure have a way of winning over my bosses.” She leaned in and kissed his jaw. “Which is it?”
“Which is what?”
“Are you my boss or not?”
“What does it matter?” He looked her in the eye.
“For the record, I’m not, and who says you’re winning me over?”
Kerry looked down between them and shifted her hips, rubbing against his already hard erection. “Something says I am.”
He let out a groan before pulling her in closer. This was delicious. Jesse pulled her in closer still, no longer resisting but grabbing her with both hands by her ass cheeks and bringing her as close to him as possible. Their lips came together with an intense pressure and he kissed her like he’d been as hungry for her as she’d been for him these past two days.
She sank deeper into his lap as she drank him in. Letting herself enjoy him with all her senses. She savored the taste of him, the sensual, rhythmic stroke of his tongue as it captured her and playfully battled for dominance. He ran his hand over her shoulder, down her arm and up her side. Everywhere he touched seemed to burn with delight. Kerry twisted her hands in his long locs, loving the soft feel of them. The sweet coconut scent. She wound them around her fist and tugged, leaning up on him and coming down, kissing him deeper. Not wanting this moment to ever end.
Sure, she knew it might be a mistake, but there was no way she was admitting that. Not with the way her heart was thumping and her blood was boiling and her body was tingling. This was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. He was everything and more.
If it was a mistake, she’d deal with that later. If there would be heartbreak, she’d deal with that later. Right now, there was only pleasure. Hers and his. And she was seeing this through. Completely and fully.
* * *
Jesse was going to enjoy this. That was if he could last. He was rock hard and felt like his heart was pumping so hard and fast that it might hop up and end up in either his or Kerry’s throat at this rate. He needed to calm down. Kerry must think he was a sweaty mess, going on like he was some kid just out of high school, or a freshman frat recruit, at best.
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