Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four)

by Christine Kersey

  Lucy looked at the paper, then looked at Jax. “Okay.”

  He gave her his best smile again. “Thank you, Lucy. You’re the best.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Thank you.”

  Tossing one last smile her way, he turned and walked away, hopeful that the mystery woman would contact him soon.

  Chapter Two

  “I just wanted to die,” Autumn said to Haylie and Cassie the next morning as the three of them got ready to open the salon. She’d just finished telling them about running into the man at the mall.

  “What did he look like?” Haylie asked as she tidied up her work station.

  “Was he hot?” Cassie asked at the same time.

  Autumn laughed, but she hesitated to answer their question. Somehow it felt wrong to find a man attractive if that man wasn’t Mitch.

  “Come on, Autumn,” Haylie said as she dropped into the chair at her station. “Tell us.”

  But it wasn’t wrong, was it? Mitch had been gone for nearly a year.

  He would want me to move on.

  “Well?” Cassie prompted.

  “Yes,” Autumn finally said as she pictured the man she’d run into. “He was hot.” Her heart did a little lurch at the admission, but it also felt good to take the baby step of admitting that she found another man attractive.

  “And?” Haylie asked. “What did he look like?”

  “Like I told you before, he was tall.”

  “How tall?”

  “I don’t know.” She’d been too dismayed about running into him to notice his exact height. But she had noticed that he was quite a bit taller than her own five feet seven inches.

  “Over six feet?” Cassie asked.

  Autumn nodded. “Definitely.” She knew her friends wanted more information. Much more. So she did her best to accommodate them. “Maybe six five?”

  “Six five,” Cassie said. “Whoa. That is tall.”

  Haylie laughed. “Especially to someone as short as you, Cass.”

  “Hey. I’m almost five three.”

  Autumn laughed along with Haylie.

  Haylie turned to Autumn. “What else?”

  Starting to feel more comfortable talking about a man who wasn’t Mitch, Autumn said, “He had short brown hair and a trimmed beard.”

  “What about his eyes?” Cassie asked. “What color were they?”

  “Blue.” An image of those incredible eyes filled her mind. They’d captivated her. At the memory, Autumn’s face heated.

  “And you wouldn’t even tell him your name?” Haylie asked.

  Lifting her shoulders in a shrug, Autumn shook her head. “I just…it didn’t feel right. Not on that day.”

  “It’s okay,” Haylie said. “He’s probably a jerk anyway.”

  Autumn didn’t think that was true—the man had been nothing but sweet to her—but she appreciated Haylie trying to make her feel better. She went to the door of the salon to unlock it, then turned back to her friends. “I didn’t tell you the worst part though.”

  Haylie’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s more?”

  Autumn nodded, then her throat tightened with sadness. “I lost one of my earrings yesterday. It’s one that Mitch bought for me on our honeymoon.”

  “Oh no,” Cassie said. “Do you think you lost it at the mall?”

  “I think so.”

  “You should check with their lost and found,” Haylie said.

  “Lost and found?”

  “Yeah. Maybe someone found it and turned it in.”

  The thought of getting her earring back brought a sense of relief. “That’s a great idea. I’ll call them and see if anyone turned it in.”

  Five minutes later she disconnected the call and turned to her friends.

  “What?” Cassie asked.

  “Evidently the man’s name is Jax.” She rolled the name around in her mind for a moment. The name fit him somehow, and although she’d felt a spark of attraction to him, she wasn’t happy with what he’d done. “He found my earring all right, but he didn’t leave it at the lost and found. Instead he left a number for me to text.” Frustrated that she couldn’t just get her treasured earring back, she frowned.

  “Told you he was a jerk,” Haylie said before pursing her lips.

  Yeah, he kind of was. Well, she wasn’t about to fall into his trap. Looking at the slip of paper where she’d written his cell number, she knew what she needed to do. She picked up the paper and held it out to Haylie. “You do it.”

  “What?”

  “You text him and get my earring back for me.”

  A slow smile pulled up the corners of Haylie’s mouth and she snatched the paper from Autumn’s hand. “Gladly.”

  Jax was proud of himself. His plan had worked. Not only did he have the mystery woman’s cell number, but she’d told him her name was Haylie. And she would be meeting him in front of the mall at one o’clock. Ten minutes from now.

  Pacing near the entrance, he pictured Haylie’s reddish-brown hair and sparkling green eyes. Maybe she’d been having a bad day yesterday. Maybe today his smile would work on her like it worked on all women. Well, most women.

  Excited to have a second chance, Jax scanned the parking lot for Haylie.

  “Are you Jax?” a woman who was not the mystery woman asked him. This woman had blue-tinted hair and her face was coated with make-up.

  “Yeah.”

  Her gaze raked him from head to toe and back again, stopping at his face. Her eyebrows had gone up. Obviously, she liked what she saw. At least, that’s what Jax thought her expression conveyed.

  Wait. How did she know his name? Was she a fan? No, not a fan, because if she was, she wouldn’t have to ask if he was Jax Cordova. She would know. What was going on here?

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  She softly chuckled, then a smirk curved her lips. “Yeah. You can give me my earring.”

  Jax’s forehead creased. “It’s not yours.”

  Evidently she was ready for this because she whipped out an earring that perfectly matched the one in his pocket. “I’m picking it up for the owner.”

  This wasn’t going at all the way he’d imagined. Well, he could change his game plan as fast as the next person. He was in the NFL after all. Game plans were his stock-in-trade.

  “How can I be sure you know her?” He paused a beat. “What’s her name?” Clearly, her name wasn’t actually Haylie.

  “Her name is none of your business.”

  “Then you must be Haylie. The one who texted me.”

  She grinned. “That’s right.”

  Her attitude seemed to say that this was all his fault. “Look, she ran in to me yesterday, not the other way around.”

  “What’s your point?”

  He didn’t really have one, so instead of answering her question, he decided to strike a bargain. “I’ll give you the earring if you tell me something about her.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

  A million questions flew through his mind, but he got the feeling she’d only allow him one. He had to make it good. “Is she single?”

  Haylie made a scoffing sound. “That’s for her to decide.” She held out her hand.

  What did that mean?

  Knowing he wasn’t going to win this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the earring, then set it in her open palm.

  So much for his plan. So much for tracking down the woman who had intrigued him.

  Haylie tucked both earrings into her purse, then she stared at him a moment like she was trying to decide something. Finally she said, “You look like you need a haircut.”

  Offended, Jax frowned. His hair was fine. In fact, he’d had it cut less than three weeks before.

  “Come to Cutting Edge Salon,” she said. “They’ll fix you up.”

  Scowling, Jax said, “I go to a barber.”

  One eyebrow quirked up. “Suit yourself.” Then she turned and walked away.

  Chapter Three

  T
rimming her customer’s hair, Autumn tried to focus on the story the woman was telling her, but her mind was on Jax. When she’d learned his name after calling the mall’s lost and found, an image of his face had filled her mind and she’d been unable to stop thinking about him. Was that okay? Had enough time passed since Mitch’s death for her to find another man attractive? It had been ten months, so intellectually she knew it was fine, but she couldn’t shake the layer of guilt that always followed right behind any thoughts she had about Jax.

  What would he do when Haylie showed up instead of her? Would he be angry? Disappointed? How did Autumn want him to feel? Would he give Haylie the earring?

  When Haylie walked into the salon half an hour later with a smug look on her face, Autumn knew she’d managed to get her earring back, but Autumn was desperate to know how the meeting had gone. Forcing herself to take her time with her customer, the moment the woman left, Autumn dragged Haylie into the back room. “What happened?”

  Haylie’s lips curved upward. “I think you understated how hot Jax is.”

  Autumn knew exactly how hot he was, but that didn’t mean she had to say it out loud. Wanting to deflect, she said, “Jax, huh? Is he your friend now?”

  Haylie cocked her head. “That is his name.”

  Kind of jealous that Haylie had gone to the meeting, but knowing that was ridiculous, Autumn didn’t comment.

  “You were right about his height though.” Haylie’s eyebrows rose. “And the man is ripped. You didn’t mention that.”

  “Maybe I didn’t notice.” That wasn’t true. She’d noticed right away.

  Haylie’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Uh-huh.”

  “Did you get my earring?” That was the most important thing.

  Haylie handed both earrings to her. “Of course.”

  Taking them from her, Autumn smiled. “Thank you so much.” She carefully placed the earrings in her purse, which was in a desk drawer. “What did he say when he realized I wasn’t coming?”

  “He seemed pretty disappointed.”

  Autumn’s heart did a little happy dance, but she kept her expression neutral. At least she thought it was neutral. “What makes you think that?”

  Haylie grinned. “You’re interested in him, aren’t you?”

  “No.” The word flew from her mouth. Maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, come on. I met him at the mall. And I didn’t actually even meet him. I ran in to him.”

  Haylie laughed. “All right. Deny it all you want, but I see a little spark of interest glowing in your eyes.”

  Autumn shook her head as she laughed. “We’d better get back to work.”

  As the afternoon wore on, she kept busy talking to her clients as she worked, but when there were lulls in the conversation, she wondered if she should have gone to the meeting herself. What would have happened if she had? What would Jax have done? An image of him filled her mind and she realized she didn’t even feel guilty for thinking about him.

  It didn’t matter anyway. Jax didn’t even know her name, let alone where to find her. She would never see him again.

  Surprised to discover that that made her kind of sad, Autumn knew she’d taken an important step in moving on with her life. Too bad Jax had only been a brief stepping stone in her journey.

  Jax drove past Cutting Edge Salon—twice.

  When it had finally dawned on him that Haylie had given him a way to find the mystery woman, he hadn’t had to think about what to do. It was a foregone conclusion that he would come over. He had to see her again. Had to discover her name.

  Now, as he looked toward the glass-fronted shop while trying to stay in his lane, he attempted to see if the mystery woman was in there, but the tint on the salon windows made it impossible to tell. He’d have to go inside and see. He just hoped he hadn’t misunderstood what Haylie had been trying to tell him.

  He found a parking space before making his way to the entrance. Then he stopped before going in. What was he doing at a salon? Was this legit, or was Haylie playing a trick on him for making her come to the mall to claim the mystery woman’s earring?

  Maybe he deserved to have a joke played on him, but he would be annoyed about it. Or maybe this was legit. Only one way to find out.

  Inhaling deeply before blowing out a breath, he wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled the door open. The smell of hairspray and some other chemical assaulted him as he entered the small salon. This was nothing like the barbershop where he normally got his hair cut. He counted four women inside—not a man in sight.

  He almost turned around and left, but when he saw Haylie’s blue-tinted hair, he stopped where he was, his gaze shooting in all directions as he looked for the mystery woman. She wasn’t there. Maybe this was a joke after all.

  Looking back at Haylie, who was completely focused on brushing something into a woman’s hair, he frowned. Another woman who obviously worked there, and who was standing closer to Jax than Haylie was, looked over at him with a smile.

  “Someone will be with you in a moment,” she said.

  Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, he nodded, then sat in a chair near the door. Moments later he saw her. The mystery woman. She was walking out of a back room and she hadn’t seen him yet.

  Sitting up straighter, he took advantage of the moment to study her. Her beautiful reddish-brown hair flowed around her shoulders in gentle waves, her skin was smooth, and her lips were rosy.

  A split second later, she saw him, and when her green eyes widened in stunned surprise, Jax couldn’t tell if she was happy to see him or upset.

  He stood.

  How was it possible that Jax was here, in Cutting Edge Salon? Had he followed Haylie? What kind of a creep was he?

  Unsure what to think, Autumn looked at Haylie, whose eyes were shifting between Autumn and Jax. Autumn couldn’t miss the guilty look in her friend’s eyes.

  So Jax wasn’t a creep. Haylie had told him where to find her. Though relieved, at the same time Autumn felt a mix of other emotions—excitement and fear strongest among them. After thinking that she would never see him again, to see him right there in her salon…

  Pushing down the nervousness that fluttered in her belly, she walked toward him. Yeah, he was really tall. And built. Strong. Handsome.

  He looked nothing like Mitch. The complete opposite. Maybe that was a good thing. Not that Mitch wasn’t handsome, but he was average height. Nothing like this mountain of a man. It was better that nothing about him reminded her of Mitch.

  “Are you…” she began. “Are you here for a haircut?”

  His gaze went to Cassie and Haylie and their clients, then he looked at Autumn, uncertainty clear in his eyes. “Yeah.”

  He seemed as nervous as she felt, which somehow calmed her. She would treat him as a client. Nothing more. And as such, she needed him to feel comfortable and welcome.

  “Right this way,” she said, motioning to her station, which was smack-dab between Cassie and Haylie’s. Positive her friends would be listening to every word she and Jax uttered, Autumn almost cringed.

  Didn’t matter. He was a client. That’s all.

  He stepped around the counter and followed her, and she could feel him behind her. Knowing he was there, that he had come to see her, made her heart soar in a way it hadn’t soared for a very long time.

  She pointed to the empty chair at her station. “Have a seat.” She watched as he settled into the chair, then she focused on his hair—light brown and thick. Placing the smock around him, she avoided looking at him in the mirror, but then reminded herself that he was just a haircut, a client. Nothing more. She met his gaze in the mirror and was taken aback by the intensity she saw in his eyes. Forcing away her nerves, she asked, “How much do you want me to take off?”

  His gaze never wavered from hers. “How much do you suggest?”

  Pretending to examine his hair while in reality she was trying to calm the butterflies that beat against her ribs, Autumn took a moment to gather herself. �
��I think half an inch would be about right.”

  He nodded. “Works for me.”

  She set to work, not sure if she wanted to do this fast and get him on his way, or whether she wanted to draw this out and keep him in her chair for as long as possible.

  “How long have you worked here?” he asked.

  “About two years.” She said this while keeping her gaze glued to his head and her scissors in motion.

  “What made you want to do hair?”

  With a quick glance at his blue eyes—eyes that reminded her of the sky on a perfect summer day—she said, “Even as a little girl I loved to play with hair. It just seemed a natural direction for me to go.”

  He was quiet for several seconds, then, “What’s your name?”

  Her gaze flew to the mirror where she saw him watching her. It seemed silly not to tell him. She told any of her other clients who asked. And that’s all he was. A client. “Autumn.”

  Crinkles formed around his eyes as he smiled. “Nice to meet you, Autumn. I’m Jax.”

  She already knew that, of course, but she liked that he’d introduced himself. She decided to turn the tables on him a bit. “What made you come to Cutting Edge Salon, Jax?”

  His smile grew, and Autumn found herself drawn to him in a way that took her by surprise. Tearing her gaze away from his, she focused on cutting his hair—slowly.

  “I came to find you.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and her hands stilled as she forced herself to keep her gaze locked on his hair. That’s when she noticed the salon was absolutely silent.

  Sneaking a peek at Cassie and Haylie, she saw both them and their clients watching her and Jax. Then she dared to meet Jax’s gaze in the mirror, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she began trimming his hair again.

  “I’d love to take you to lunch tomorrow,” he said.

  Autumn’s heart beat harder, and she could feel everyone’s attention on her.

  “We can cover for you,” Haylie helpfully tossed in.

  She knew her friends were eager for her to begin dating again, and truth be told, she wanted to as well. But no one had come along who had interested her enough to try. Not until today.