“That kiss said otherwise.”
“A kiss is just that—a kiss. Not a promise for more.”
“I understand and respect your decision.”
She nodded. He moved his hand over to run his fingers across her upper arm. The barrier of her sweater did nothing to stop the sparks that flew through her body from the soft touch. “That doesn’t stop me from thinking about a lot more kisses with you.”
Heat spread up her face. She swore she heard Patricia make an uh oh sound, but she didn’t turn to verify. Instead she swatted his hand away and perched closer to the edge of her seat. “Stop that.”
She adjusted her glasses and tried to focus on the front of the room. The director had asked for the proponents of the permit to speak. Danielle tried not to think about Jacobe thinking about kissing her again. She needed to pay attention to this. The residents affected by this fight deserved her full attention to bring their needs to light. Not for her to spend the entire meeting flirting with Jacobe.
Thankfully, Jacobe didn’t say any more and listened to the Clear Water representative speaking at the microphone. The proponents gave the usual argument. Expanding would allow them to handle the excess flow. They were planning massive upgrades to improve treatment. They even pulled out a report by an independent researcher they’d hired who’d said the stream could handle the excess flows they would be discharging—complete with the assurance that only a minimal amount of pollutants, well within the allowance of their permit, would enter the river.
Danielle snorted loud enough to garner some looks with those comments. Patricia and Mason echoed her disbelief. A little pollution from a lot of places added up, and she’d bet money their independent researcher was the same one who’d doctored the numbers in an attempt to show they’d met their permit levels before. Her leg shook with her efforts at restraint—biting her lip instead of calling the representative a liar with each one of his statements.
“And now the opponents,” the director said. He glanced at his paper, then looked straight at Danielle. “We’ll start with Danielle Stewart, executive director of the St. Johns River Watchers.”
Danielle jumped up. Jacobe stood to make it easier for her to slide past him. His body was a strong wall of warm muscle that she couldn’t prevent from brushing against as she moved past. Tingles ran through every nerve ending, tingles she forced herself to ignore as she walked to the podium to make her points.
Tingly feelings for Jacobe notwithstanding, she was able to make her argument against allowing the new permit. Her voice rose with her fervor. Fueled by her annoyance at Clear Water’s we-aren’t-hurting-anyone speech.
“We cannot allow them to pollute Springfield Creek.” Danielle slammed her hand on the podium. “Clear Water has failed to eliminate their exceedances for years, and now we’re supposed to believe they suddenly care. I’ve brought my own monitoring results that are backed up by the monitoring results made by DEP.” She glanced at India, who nodded. “Along with the volunteer monitoring of residents in Crescent Acres. Compare the numbers and you’ll find that Clear Water has lied to us again.”
She slapped the papers with her monitoring results on the podium. The end of her speech was met with agreements, head nods, and applause from the few people from Crescent Acres who’d attended. The Clear Water representative cringed. Danielle held her chin high and glared at the Clear Water representatives before marching back to her seat.
“You haven’t lost that spark,” Jacobe said when she was seated again.
“This is important. Other people should realize that.” She kept her voice low as the next opponent, a Crescent Acres resident, gave his own impassioned speech.
“You look so sweet and innocent. Then you get up there and rip out their spleens with a few words.” He leaned over. “That’s incredible sexy.” His lips brushed her ear.
Danielle’s nipples beaded. She shifted in her chair and tugged on the front of her pink cardigan. Admittedly, people underestimated her zeal and ability to win an argument. She considered that the ace in her pocket. Never a source of sex appeal.
“I don’t do it to be sexy.”
“Which makes you even sexier.” He turned toward the front and listened to the other arguments.
Danielle tried to do the same, but her gaze and attention kept floating back to Jacobe next to her. He watched each of the opponents intently and even nodded his head in agreement with a few of their points. His apparent interest added to his own sex appeal. Debra’s warning grew fainter.
“That’s the end of the list of people who signed up to speak for or against,” the DEP director said. “Thank you all for coming. The comments will be taken into consideration and also posted on the website. The last day for written comments is in four weeks.”
The hearing ended. Jacobe placed his hand on Danielle’s arm. “Can you send me some of the points you made? I’m thinking of sending in written comments.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“You never care about these issues.”
“I live on the river a few miles down from this new industry. I had no idea they were dumping upstream from me. I’m going to look into what they’re asking for and then decide.”
“Oh...sure. I’ll send over what I said.”
Mason and Patricia hovered at the end of the aisle. The Clear Water proponents watched them with interest. They had to be curious about why Jacobe was there with her.
“Why didn’t they do this hearing in the afternoon when more people could come and hear what’s happening?”
Danielle shrugged. “That’s a question for the state.”
He nodded and looked at the department director at the front of the room. “I’ll ask them about that. Call me with the details of the cleanup this weekend. I think I’d like to do the one along Springfield Creek.” He stood and was so tall her neck strained to keep eye contact. She stood, too, but with flats on he towered over her.
He’d actually looked at the different locations for the cleanups? “You want Springfield Creek?”
“Yeah, it’ll get the most publicity if I’m there. I think that makes sense, don’t you?”
She’d planned to send him to Springfield Creek for that reason. She wondered if he wanted that location just to help his image or because of what he’d heard today. “I do.”
He reached up to brush his fingers across her cheek. “Good.” He glanced at her friends. “Introduce me to your friends before I go talk to the director.”
Surprisingly, she wanted to say no. Every one of them had seen Jacobe’s quick caress of her cheek. They wouldn’t say much in front of him, but she’d be grilled at drinks that tonight. “Sure.”
He followed her down the aisle to where India, Mason and Patricia stood. She gave quick introductions, which included where they worked. Jacobe smiled and effortlessly charmed her group.
“I really appreciate you all making those comments today,” Jacobe said after the conversation lulled. “It gave me a lot to think about. Keep up the good work.” He placed a hand on Danielle’s lower back. “I’m going to talk to the director now. I’ll speak with you soon.”
He grinned, then worked his way down the row toward the department director. The Clear Water representatives headed in that way, as well.
Mason placed a hand on her elbow. “How did you get Jacobe Jenkins to volunteer for the River Watchers?”
Danielle shrugged. She wasn’t going to admit that he was there because he needed the good publicity. “He just came in asking to help. I couldn’t say no.”
“You would have been crazy to say no,” Patricia said. “Your gala sales will go through the roof.”
Exactly what she needed with Liberty breathing down her neck. “I’m just happy to have him participate.”
The three kept gushing about how lucky s
he was to have Jacobe on her team as they walked toward the door. Danielle participated, but her mind kept wandering back to Jacobe. She tried not to think about the meaning behind his touches. He was a flirt. He probably did that without even thinking about it, not because he had any type of feelings for her. She glanced over her shoulder before walking out. Jacobe was watching her, he winked and lifted his chin. Danielle turned away, and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.
* * *
Jacobe had a phone call with his agent, which made him thirty minutes late for the River Watchers cleanup. The call had been worth the extra time. Eric called to give an update on the preliminary talks he’d had with the management of the Phoenix team to gauge their thoughts on Jacobe after the five-game suspension. The talk had gone better than expected. Phoenix would still consider him for their all-star team as long as Jacobe didn’t have any more problems this season, which made today’s cleanup and the subsequent media attention that much more important.
Groups of people in orange vests were already spread out, picking up litter along the road and in the creek. Danielle stood with a few other volunteers next to a van in the parking lot for the neighborhood’s community center, which he guessed was the center of operations.
He’d thought she was sexy earlier that week in the pink sweater that clung to her breasts better than cotton candy on wet fingers. She managed to heat his blood just as much in the khaki pants and dark green shirt she wore today. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and instead of her cute gold glasses she wore a pair of simple black frames. She looked like she was ready to go into battle. Today’s battle might be against discarded plastic bottles and trash, but that didn’t diminish her fervor.
Jacobe parked in a free space in the parking lot and strolled over to Danielle. “I’m here.”
Debra and two of the interns who worked in Danielle’s office were the people he’d taken for volunteers when he’d first driven up.
Debra’s eyes lit up and she waved. “Jacobe. Great you made it.”
He hugged Debra and the two interns. When he turned to hug Danielle, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a glower worthy of any five-star general. “You’re late.”
“I’m sorry. I was on the phone—”
“It’s fine.” She cut in, waving his words away with her hand. “At least you made it.”
“Was there any doubt?”
She cocked a brow, then looked down at the clipboard in her hand. Guess there had been doubt that he’d show up.
He glanced at Debra, who did give him a reassuring glance. “Thanks again for coming out to help.”
“I’m happy to,” he said. “Where do you want me?”
“Well.” Debra glanced at the watch on her wrist. “I’ve already broken everyone up into teams and they’re out. I’m going with the interns. How about you partner up with Danielle?”
He was more than down with that suggestion. Danielle glared at Debra. Had him being late put her in such a foul mood? She probably thought he was just as inconsiderate of her time now as he had been back in college. True, he was mainly out here to try to improve his image, but after the hearing earlier that week, he did want to know more about the people living around the area. Based on Danielle’s impassioned speech, there was a big potential for harm if Clear Water was allowed to discharge into the creek that went through the neighborhood. He wanted to see what was at stake firsthand.
“Sounds like a great plan to me,” Jacobe said.
“Fine,” Danielle bit out. She slapped the clipboard into Debra’s outstretched hand, then turned to grab trash bags and long trash grabbers out of the back of a Jeep. “Let’s go pick up at the bridge down there.” She pointed in a direction away from most of the volunteers.
“Why down there? You want to be alone with me,” he teased, and wiggled his brows.
She didn’t smile. “I don’t want to distract all the volunteers and take them away from what they’re doing by having you nearby. When we meet up back here in about an hour, then they can talk and beg you for an autograph to their heart’s content.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
She spun on her heel and marched toward the bridge. Jacobe looked at Debra, who shrugged. “She’s been in a mood all morning.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Debra looked away. Jacobe got the feeling that Debra knew what was bugging Danielle, but he respected that she didn’t eagerly divulge her friend’s secrets. He’d rather find out from Danielle herself.
He hurried to catch up with Danielle. She didn’t even glance his way when he fell into step beside her.
“I wasn’t brushing you off or trying to be a jerk when I got here late. My agent called. He had good news for me. I got caught up in that and didn’t realize we were on the phone for so long.”
“I understand. It’s no biggie, really.”
She shoved a plastic bag and a stick into his hand and then jerked her head toward the bridge. “Let’s go.”
“If you were banned from the public hearing earlier this week and one of your board members called to tell you about whether you still had a future with the organization, is there a chance you would have lost track of time?”
She glared at him over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t have been banned from a public hearing.”
“Humor me, Danielle.”
She stopped at the edge of the bridge. The bridge on the two-lane road crossed a small stream that went into the larger creek the rest of the volunteers were cleaning. Even though the bridge was small he eyed the underbrush warily. The vegetation beneath and along the creek bank was thick. The weather was warm. One word crossed his mind: snakes.
Danielle sighed and stabbed at an empty potato chip bag. “I would have listened.”
He let go of his concern with snakes to meet her eyes. She’d actually agreed with him. “Since you’re the river general I’m sure you would have taken the extra time to talk to your coworker.”
One cute arched brow rose. “River general?”
“You lead your troops into battle to protect the river. Sounds right?”
She rolled her eyes but smiled. “That sounds rigid.”
“You are rigid.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “Not all the time.”
Thoughts of her body melting into his when they’d kissed filtered into his brain, warming his insides. “No, not all the time.” His voice held whispers of the desire he’d felt that night.
She adjusted her glasses and looked away. “I guess I understand why you were late. I’m sorry for being kind of bitchy when you arrived.”
“You know I’m always late.”
“Which is so endearing?” She said, sarcasm dripping from every word. She turned and stalked directly into the tall grasses next to the bridge.
“Hey!” He grabbed her arm.
She spun to look at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“You’re just going to walk into the grass like that?”
“Um...yeah.” She turned to walk, but he didn’t let go of her arm.
“Aren’t you worried about snakes?”
“Not really,” she said, then jerked her arm from his hand. She used the stick to knock the grass out of the way and strolled just as happy as she pleased toward the creek beneath.
Jacobe pushed back a frustrated sigh. Well, if she went down there then he had to go, too. He followed her, his eyes scanning left and right constantly on the lookout for something slithering in the grass. He needed to get his mind off of what might be lurking and focus back on the conversation.
“What was bothering you?” He used his grabber to pick up some of the trash along the way. Danielle moved directly to the water with the single-minded focus of a general.
“I’d hoped we would get some media coverage for this.” She mad
e it to the creek bank and began picking up discarded trash with her grabber. “Last year we had two stations show up before the cleanup. No one has shown up this year.”
He joined her on the creek bank without coming across any reptiles, but his eyes continued the constant scan for movement. “Did you put in your press release that I was coming?”
“Could you be more conceited?” she asked, elbowing him in the side.
Jacobe laughed and rubbed the spot, though her elbow hadn’t hurt. “I’m just saying. Knowing I’m here would do a lot to get attention.”
“I appreciate you offering to help out, but I wasn’t sure if you’d really show. Getting attention isn’t really hard for us for things like this. I figured if they came and you were here it would be a surprise for the media. Plus, I didn’t want a bunch of extra volunteers,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “Showing up just to get your autograph instead of actually helping.”
Danielle walked closer to the underpass of the bridge. Jacobe once again took a hold of her arm. “Are you sure it’s safe to go under there?”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “Do you see the spray paint? Kids hang out under here.” She pointed to the graffiti on the cement underpass. “Are you still worried about snakes?”
“I’m trying to figure out why you aren’t.”
“Running across a snake is common when you work around water. The key is to not panic.”
“Who, you or the snakes?”
She laughed, then strolled on beneath the underpass. He should let her go and deal with any snakes she ran across—Ms. Running across a Snake Is Common. He couldn’t. If she got hurt when he was around he wouldn’t forgive himself. He didn’t like getting up close and personal with snakes, but he’d take a bite to protect Danielle.
You’ve officially lost your mind. What are you now—Tarzan?
He pushed the thought aside. “Why no media?” he asked.
Danielle let out a frustrated sigh and imploded a plastic cup with her grabber. “Council decided to hold a carnival today. That got all the media attention. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but one of our board members is on council and I know she pushed to have the carnival on the same day.”
One More Night Page 21