Jasmine had an uncanny ability to reduce Leo to a caveman. Without even trying, she brought out primal instincts in him that had lain dormant for thirty-six years.
She jumped up and grabbed her phone and opened one of the boxes. She pulled out a speaker and music started playing through it. “Do you mind? I can’t stand eating noises.” Her nose crinkled.
How was it possible that every single thing Jasmine did was cuter than the last? “No, I don’t mind.” He didn’t think she could ever do something that he’d mind.
He looked around, trying to distract himself, “This place is homey. Cozy.”
“Yeah, I like it.” She sat back down. “I mean, it’s not where I’d imagined bringing my baby home, but it’ll work.”
“Where did you imagine bringing your baby home?”
“Well, once we moved into Corbin’s uncle’s house then I imagined it would be there. I even had Pinterest boards for what the nursery would look like. But before then, I always thought that it would be the old farmhouse on Willow Pond.”
“The abandoned one?” That place had been decrepit and falling apart when he’d last lived in Harper’s Crossing. If it was still standing, it had to be condemned.
“Yeah. When I first moved here, before I had friends, I would ride my bike out to it every day and sit and imagine what it would be like to live there. I mean, after I renovated it, of course. I don’t know why, but from the first time I saw it, it just felt like home. Or at least, what I thought home was supposed to feel like.”
Leo wanted to ask what she meant by that, but he was scared if he asked too many follow up questions she might stop sharing things with him. He loved that she let him in, and he wasn’t about to do anything that would cause her to shut him out.
“So, Meg mentioned that you two went to school together,” she said before taking another bite.
“We did.”
“Were you guys friends?” She wiped her mouth with a paper towel.
“We were both in 4H but we didn’t really run in the same circles.”
Interest glimmered in her hazel gaze. “What circles did you run in?”
“I played sports and she was president of the student body and a national debate champion.” Leo shook his head, still blown away at who she’d married. “I never in a million years would’ve thought she would end up with Cam.”
Jasmine chuckled. “I think a lot of people were surprised. But they make a really cute couple.”
“How long were you with your ex?” As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Leo immediately wished that he could take the question back. He never pried into people’s private lives, but it seemed around Jasmine, he had no filter. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”
Jasmine swallowed her bite as she shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Corbin and I were together twelve years.”
“Twelve years?”
She nodded. “We got together our freshman year.”
“Of college?”
“No, high school.”
That was right. Leo kept forgetting that Jasmine was so much younger than him. She didn’t come across as someone in her mid-twenties. She had a very old soul. There was a maturity about her that he’d never seen someone in their twenties possess. Or maybe that was just what he was telling himself so he’d feel like less of a pervert. “That’s a really long time to be with someone.”
“It is.” She took another bite and her eyes dropped down. After she chewed and swallowed, she sighed. “It’s so weird, all I ever wanted was to have a family. I wanted to get married and have babies… I guess one out of two ain’t bad.” Her smile was laced with sadness and it broke Leo’s heart. “What about you? You said that you played sports. Did you always want to be a vet or did you have dreams of being a professional athlete?”
“I knew I wanted to be a vet, like my grandpa. But not here. All I ever dreamed about growing up was getting out of Harper’s Crossing.”
“Really?” Jasmine’s shock didn’t surprise him. Whenever he told people that he wanted to leave his hometown, they had the same reaction.
“I felt claustrophobic here. I wanted to get out and see the world.”
“What about now? Do you still feel claustrophobic?”
Not around you.
“I did, when I first got back.”
A knowing smile lifted on her lips. “You’re not gonna stay, are you?”
“Why do you say that?” He’d told his grandparents his plan, but he wasn’t spreading it around. He didn’t want word getting out that there wasn’t going to be a Taylor at the helm of Riverwalk Vet until he found a suitable replacement.
She shrugged. “Call it a hunch.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
She looked down at her stomach. “Obviously.”
He laughed. “I’m only planning on being here a year. I want to make sure that my grandparents are doing well and the clinic is handled, and then…”
“And then you’ll be off to your next adventure.” She smiled but he thought he saw a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.
“So you always wanted to be a mom?”
“I did.”
“And what about your ex, has he always wanted to be a dad?”
Her nose scrunched. “He said that he did.”
The response made Leo wonder if he hadn’t taken the news well. “Is he excited?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t told him yet.”
“You haven’t?”
“No.”
“Have you told your family or…”
“The only family I have is Nan. She adopted me when I was twelve. She retired to Arizona a couple of years ago. I’m going to tell her, I’ve just…had a lot of other things to deal with first.”
“What about your friends? Have you told them?”
“No.” She picked the olives off of her pizza. “It’s an odd position to be in. I never thought I’d be having to figure out ways to tell everyone Corbin and I broke up and that I’m pregnant at the same time.”
Leo knew that it was ridiculous but he couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of happiness that he was still the only person she’d shared the news of her pregnancy with. He liked being the one in the know. He liked having that special connection with her. Not that he really needed anything else to make their connection special.
“Mmm, pizza makes everything better.” She sighed as she finished the last bite.
You make everything better, he thought to himself.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was happy for the distraction. If it hadn’t happened, he was scared he might’ve said something that he had no business saying. When he saw that it was one of the few people he couldn’t ignore, he stood and her caramel gaze followed him up.
“I need to take this, excuse me.”
The corners of her lips curled and his heart swelled at the sight of her amber eyes staring up at him. She looked so vulnerable, yet strong. Trusting, yet guarded. She was a dichotomy that he wanted to spend the rest of his life figuring out.
Clearing his throat, he hoped his mom wouldn’t pick up on what he was feeling. The woman had a sixth sense about him that was uncanny. For most of his life, she knew what he was going to do before he did. It was like she was in his head.
And if she got even a sniff of where his mind was going with Jasmine she’d be like a dog with a bone. For years, his mom had encouraged him to travel, explore the world, live life to his fullest potential.
But since he’d turned thirty, her tune had changed. For the past six years, she managed to work the phrases “settling down,” “planting roots,” “grandma,” “baby,” and “family” into every conversation.
“Hello,” he answered as he stepped out the front door onto the porch and closed the door behind him.
“Where are you?” His mom asked by way of greeting.
“I’m at a neighbor’s.”
“What’s that
sound?”
“It’s raining.”
“I’m guessing this neighbor does not have a Y chromosome.”
That was his scientist mom’s way of saying that she knew he was with a woman.
Technically, since Jasmine was pregnant, she might very well have a Y chromosome inside of her if her unborn child was male. An image of her holding a baby with a blue knit cap on flashed in his head. It was immediately followed up by a picture of her holding a baby with a pink knit cap. Both images made him feel things he had absolutely no business feeling.
“Speaking of people that do not have Y chromosomes, I talked to Clancy today.”
“You did?” Leo knew that his mom and his ex had stayed in contact, but it always felt strange to him that they had.
“Yes. She’s back in Chicago, you know.”
No. He didn’t know that. Last he’d heard she was working for a station in Cleveland. She was an investigative journalist who was best known for a series called Disaster Dates where she tracked down catfishers. And he only knew that because his mom would always send him links to her stories.
“She’s working for channel eight now, doing mostly human interest stories.”
“Oh. That’s great.”
“She asked about you. I told her you were back in the states, in Harper’s Crossing. You two should get together.”
He knew exactly what his mom was doing. She thought that if he and Clancy reunited, he might change his mind about settling down. Little did she know, she was barking up the wrong tree. He got along with his ex, and wanted nothing but the best for her. But he’d never seen a real future with her.
They’d been together for four years, but had only been in the same place about half that time since they both travelled for work. He’d never missed her or thought about her the way he missed and thought about Jasmine when they were apart. And he’d only known her three days.
When he didn’t answer, his mom continued, “Well, it’s just a thought. Anyway, I was just calling to check on your grandparents and see how things are going at the clinic. I can take some time and come help if you need it.”
His mom worked at Johns Hopkins in biomedical research and she loved her work. She’d always loved her work. It consumed her, always had. Which was why he’d spent so much time with his grandparents growing up. As much as he appreciated her offer, he knew that even if she came, she’d spend most of her time glued to her computer, working.
“They’re doing okay and everything is running smoothly.”
“Have you told them yet?”
“Told them what?”
“That you’re not staying.”
That was exactly what he was talking about. His mom always knew what he was planning and thinking, sometimes even before he did. He hadn’t told her that this was temporary, but she knew. “Yes.”
“Did they hear you?”
If they did, they were ignoring him. “Hard to tell.”
“You know it’s going to break their hearts.”
“I know.”
“Would it be that bad to settle down? Have a family of your own?”
He looked through the window and saw Jasmine unloading boxes, bobbing her head as she sang along to the music she’d played because she couldn’t stand eating noises.
No. He silently answered his mother’s question. It wouldn’t be so bad settling down if he was settling down with her.
“I’m going to take your silence to mean that you are at least entertaining the idea.”
This conversation was hitting a little, or a lot, too close to home.
“I’ve gotta go, Mom. Talk soon. Love you.”
He disconnected the call and had the very real epiphany that he was in over his head with this woman. The smartest thing to do would be to keep his distance from her. But something told him that, for the first time in his life, he wasn’t going to do the smart thing.
Chapter 11
Jasmine pulled down the visor in the car and checked her hair. It was piled up on top of her head in a messy bun. With her curls, messy was the only option she had when it came to buns. She wasn’t sure if it was the vitamins she’d been on for the past week or what, but her skin was glowing.
It was either from the pills or the fact that she’d taken extra care this morning when she’d done her minimal makeup routine. She’d added two steps that were normally reserved for special occasions. Before applying her mascara, she’d taken the time to curl her lashes and, after coating her skin with moisturizer, she’d sponged on a layer of tinted CC cream.
She told herself that she’d done it because she wanted to look and feel her best with everything going on, but if she were being honest, she’d have to admit that she’d done it for a certain boss/neighbor with movie star looks, strong hands, and sexy stubble that she’d developed a very real, very unfortunate crush on.
As she stared back at her reflection in the small rectangular visor mirror, embarrassment bubbled up in her. This behavior was so uncharacteristic of her. She’d never been the girl who got swept away with emotions or whims. Quite the opposite, actually. She was far too realistic, or pessimistic depending on who you asked, to play out any sort of whimsical fantasies.
And this was the worst timing in the world, to be indulging in such things now. She had much more important things to think about than primping for a man even if she couldn’t stop thinking about him. It didn’t help that everywhere she turned, he was there. Or that he looked at her and treated her with more care and affection than Corbin or any other man ever had.
It was baffling to her that she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that he had some sort of interest in her. But that was insane. He was…well him, and she was a pregnant twenty-six-year-old whose life was falling apart.
She was chalking the attention she was getting from him up to him taking pity on her. That, or the fact that they’d bonded over her getting sick and sharing intimate details of her life with him within five minutes of meeting him. Or, the most reasonable explanation, that she was projecting her own emotions onto him…which was pathetic, and perhaps even borderline delusional.
With an irritated sigh, she pushed the visor back up and determined to get over whatever crush she had on Leo. She needed to take a big ol’ dose of reality and cure whatever schoolgirl fantasies she was having.
Still, as she walked to the back entrance of the clinic she passed Leo’s truck and she couldn’t help the flutter of excitement that rushed through her knowing that she’d be seeing him in a matter of minutes.
Then, when she made her way down the hallway, past his office, her breath caught, thinking he might be at his desk. When she turned her head and saw that he wasn’t, she exhaled. She hadn’t even known that she’d been holding her breath.
She’d never understood office romances. In her way of thinking, it was irresponsible to jeopardize a career over an affair. But, she had to admit, she was beginning to see how it might happen. There was a certain excitement that came from knowing that you were going to see someone. That you would be working side by side in tight quarters.
An avid rule follower her entire life, she’d always assumed that the forbidden nature of an office romance would be enough to deter her. Instead, she was finding the opposite to be true. She’d spent hours fantasizing about him coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist before whispering sweet, dirty things in her ear.
No. She shook her head. This has to stop.
“Hey, Ang,” Jasmine’s greeting was louder than usual as she walked up behind the desk.
Angie spun around in her chair and lowered her head so she was looking at Jasmine over her black-rimmed glasses. “Have you noticed something special about the clientele this past week?”
“No.” Jasmine grabbed a chart out of the plastic bin and noticed it was full so she took a guess. “New clients?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It looks like the Real Housewives of Harper’s Crossing up in here,
” she said under her breath. “I haven’t seen this much makeup, teased hair, and heels since I won tickets to see RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
A cursory glance out into the waiting area was all it took to confirm Angie’s statement. People usually didn’t show up to the vet camera ready. But sure enough, every woman in the place had on skinny jeans, or skirts, low cut tops, heels—and they were all in full glam. Some of them even had their phones out, checking their makeup and taking selfies. Jasmine had never seen anything like it.
“Wow.”
“And I don’t think it’s going to calm down anytime soon. The entire week is booked solid. Or should I say, Leo the Lion Tamer is booked solid.”
There were some patients that preferred Doc or Dr. Randall or Dr. West, but normally when people needed to get their pet in, they would see any doctor.
The phone rang and Angie picked it up on the first ring as she lifted her finger, signaling for Jasmine to hold on. “Riverwalk Veterinary, this is Angie, how can I help you?”
“Uh huh.”
“Okay.”
“We have tomorrow at two with Dr. West.”
“Okay, well in that case, it looks like Cheeto has been seen by Dr. Randall before, how about Wednesday at four with Dr. Rand—”
“But, I thought you said that you didn’t want Cheeto to see someone she wasn’t familiar with.”
Angie held out her hand as if this conversation was Exhibit A to what she’d just been talking about.
“Alright, well, the next opening Dr. Taylor has is a week from today at five-thirty.”
“Perfect, we’ll see Cheeto then. And remember, if the condition worsens, we have several other opening—”
“Of course, yes. Okay, you have a good day.”
Angie hung up the phone and shook her head in disbelief. As much as Jasmine wanted to join her friend in disbelief, she couldn’t do so in good conscience. Because unfortunately, she completely understood the appeal of the new doctor.
“Good luck, it’s a jungle out there.” Angie whispered beneath her breath before turning back to her command center.
Just One Touch - Leo & Jasmine (Crossroads Book 16) Page 10