by Elena Aitken
“What does that mean?” he asked.
They approached the makeshift bar set up outside the Grizzly Paw. Mitch waved to the bartender, who was tending customers at the other end. He held up two fingers and turned his attention back to Jade.
“You’re enjoying Cedar Springs then?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m not enjoying it.”
Mitch shook his head and chuckled. “I’m not entirely sure what that means.”
“There are definitely perks.” She could have died. Did she seriously just say that? So much for not flirting. No good could come from leading Mitch on. At least, no long-term good. The short-term good would be very good indeed. But she needed to focus. Especially if she intended on sticking around past the summer. “That’s not what I meant,” she said quickly. “I was just saying that working and living so close is really handy.”
Mitch gave her a strange look. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s what you were saying. At least I hope that it wasn’t.”
“No.” She put her hand on his arm, way more flustered than she ever liked to be. She could not have Mitch thinking that she was the type of woman who—what? What type of woman was she? She wasn’t the type who had relationships. That was for damn sure. And before Mitch, the last man she’d slept with had been a friend of a colleague who’d attended some random work function. And that was so many years ago, she could barely remember it. No. The only relationship Jade had was with her vibrator. It was sad, but all too true.
Not that she could stand there surrounded by people and explain that to him. Especially considering the bartender chose that moment to reach across the bar and hand Mitch two beers. “Chelsea said to put it on her tab,” the man said. “Have a good night.”
Mitch nodded his thanks and handed her one of the bottles. “Cheers.”
“Beer?”
“Sorry. I should have asked. You do drink beer, don’t you?”
“Beer’s fine. Thanks.” She didn’t, but for whatever reason, that didn’t seem important. She put the bottle to her lips and tasted the slightly sour liquid. Jade couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a beer, but it wasn’t that bad. Perfect for a summer night. Her mother really wouldn’t approve. She took a deeper sip before Mitch led them back through the crowd, to an empty picnic table.
“So, you were telling me that this town had a few perks.” He winked and slid his hand across to hers.
His touch sent heat racing through her, directly between her legs, where it pooled instantly because she knew exactly how, if they were alone, that touch could make her feel. Good. Damn good. And despite the fact that they had barely said two words to each other for the last few weeks, it was clear that Mitch felt the same way. It would be so easy to let herself fall into his arms again. After all, what would one more night hurt?
Men are nothing but trouble, Jade. They’ll ruin everything you’ve worked so hard for. She could practically hear her mother’s voice next to her. Jade jerked her hand away and drank deeply from her bottle.
“About the other night,” she said before she could stop herself.
“Right.” Mitch rolled his own bottle between his hands. “The other night was—”
“A mistake.”
“A mistake?” He sat back and didn’t even try to hide the shock on his face. “Somehow, I didn’t expect you to say that.”
Shit. She was screwing this up.
“It wasn’t a mistake so much as…”
“As a what?” Mitch crossed his arms. His biceps bulged in a deliciously distracting way.
Jade swallowed hard. “It was a…it was…well, it just shouldn’t have happened, is all. I don’t usually do that kind of thing, and I’m sure you’re used to—”
“Whoa.” Mitch held up a hand to stop her. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, but I’m not ‘used to’ anything. I’m sorry if you think the other night shouldn’t have happened. But I really enjoyed myself. So I can’t say the same.”
That was it. She wanted to completely self-combust. She was making an ass out of herself, and the last thing she wanted was for Mitch to think she hadn’t enjoyed herself. She had. A lot. Too much. But that wasn’t the point either.
“I’m not saying I didn’t.”
“So you did?”
Jade took a deep breath, smoothed her hair back and tried again. She was the queen of composure. She’d worked for years on perfecting exactly the right way to present herself to the world and she wasn’t about to let Mitch McCormick ruin that with that sexy, sly smile of his. Internally, she counted to ten. “What I’m saying is that the other night was fine.”
“Fine?”
She ignored him. “But there can never be anything more between us. I’m a business woman and my career comes first.”
“Before fun?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you did imply it.”
Jade kept her mouth pressed into a line and stared him directly in his eyes. His deep, sexy eyes. “That’s not what I was—”
“Career and fun,” he interrupted her. “The two things do not have to be mutually exclusive, you know?”
“I know that.” Did she? “I was just trying to—”
“Mitch!” A voice interrupted them, and they both looked behind them to where Mitch’s little sister, Chelsea, stood with a tray. She waved at him enthusiastically when she saw she had his attention. “Come over here. I need you to meet someone.”
Mitch raised his beer in recognition before he turned back to Jade. “Excuse me for a moment. I’ll be back.” He stood from the table. “But just for the record, if you’re trying to tell me you’re not looking for anything serious, don’t worry.”
Jade sat back, shocked. “Don’t worry?”
“Yeah.” He winked at her. “You’re not really my type.”
He’d been a total asshole.
Not his type? Of course she was his type: hot, sexy, strong, confident woman who was an absolute wildcat in bed. Jade Johnson was nothing but his type.
The problem was, he wasn’t hers. That much was clear. She’d avoided him since they hooked up, barely looked him in the eyes when they had found themselves in the same room together, and now she was telling him they’d been a mistake…a mistake?
Nothing about the sex between them had been a mistake. That much Mitch was certain of.
He didn’t have time to think about it at the moment anyway. Chelsea stood at the bar. Mitch had a feeling she was ready to make an introduction and attempt a setup. And maybe that wouldn’t be so bad anyway. Jade Johnson was obviously not the right type of woman for him. A woman like Jade, who put career before all else, would only mean trouble. Besides, he’d already decided that a high-maintenance city girl was most definitely not his type. Maybe he hadn’t been lying after all. And really, he’d had more than enough drama with Bethany. He was not in a hurry for any more. No. He needed a good, drama-free girl who he could try to build a life with. A future.
And maybe that future could be in Cedar Springs. Ian was right; getting away from the city this summer and being at the lake was good for the soul. And he’d only been there less than a month. Imagine what the rest of the summer could do for his well-being? Let alone a lifetime in the mountains.
It was definitely something he wanted to imagine. The more he thought about it, the more it felt right.
Really right.
“Mitch.” Chelsea’s voice jarred him out of his imagination. He put a smile on his face, even though his little sister had that look on her pretty face that told him he was in trouble. Like the kind of trouble that meant a setup. “Come on.” She waved her hand. “Get over here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Chels…” His voice held a warning, but if she heard it, she ignored it.
“You could have dressed up,” she hissed in his ear. “It’s a party for God’s sake, Mitch.”
“It’s a picnic.” He corrected her and like the good brother he was, walked wi
th her toward the woman standing off to the side. The woman he was more and more sure he was about to be set up with. “And I look fine because you’re not going to set me up with anyone tonight, right, Chels?”
She ignored him again. “Remember when I told you earlier that I had a friend who needed tutoring?”
Mitch had to work hard to keep from rolling his eyes. “You said her kid needed tutoring.”
“Same difference.” They stopped next to a very pretty, very sweet, very nice woman.
Maybe a setup wouldn’t be so bad after all. Clearly, Chelsea knew him better than he knew himself. Or at least, she had good-looking friends.
“Evelyn, I want you to meet my brother, Mitch.” Chelsea presented him with a flourish of her hand, as if she were working on a game show. “Mitch, this is Evelyn Rose.”
“Evie, please.” She held out her hand with a shy smile.
Definitely a nice girl.
Perfect.
“It’s nice to meet you, Evie.” He flashed her his most devastating smile. “Any friend of Chelsea’s is a—”
“Well, I don’t really know Chelsea all that well.” Evie blushed and ducked her head. She was shy. The exact opposite of Jade.
Where had that thought come from?
He was just introduced to a beautiful woman who was much more in line with the type of woman he should be dating. Why the hell had thoughts of Jade popped in his head? Mitch had to force himself not to look in the direction where he knew Jade was sitting. Was she watching him meet this woman? Was she jealous? Why did he care?
Mitch forced himself to focus on the pretty woman in front of him. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Happy Fourth of July.”
“To you as well.” When she smiled, she was even prettier. “Chelsea said you might be able to help me out.”
Right. Tutoring. Here he was thinking about dating the woman and all she was looking for was a tutor. He really needed to get over himself and stop having such a one-track mind.
“I can try. I usually teach middle school. What kind of classes are you taking?”
Evie’s laugh filled the space between them. “Oh, no. It’s not for me.” Her arm reached out and her hand landed briefly on his forearm before it fluttered away. “It’s my son.”
“Your son?” He tried not to sound surprised, but Mitch was sure he totally failed because he was surprised. This woman barely looked old enough to have a child at all, let alone a son who required tutoring.
“I told you that, remember?” Chelsea smiled knowingly. “He doesn’t listen to me,” she said to Evie.
“I’m sorry,” Mitch said genuinely. “I just didn’t…well…honestly, you look much too young to have a school-aged child.”
A shadow darkened her face, but only for a moment before she smiled again. “Thank you. I can hardly believe it myself some days. But Jonah is eight already and really struggling with math. I know he’s a little younger than you’re used to teaching, but I really think a different teaching style might help. He tried so hard last year and just could not wrap his head around it all.”
“I’m willing to give it a try.”
He was? When Chelsea had mentioned the idea of tutoring, Mitch’s initial reaction had been hell no. He’d wanted nothing more than a break from his teaching job in the city. A break from curriculums, from students, demanding faculty, and meddling parents. He needed a break from everything.
Or maybe it had been a break from his life in general he’d been looking for?
Whatever it was, he’d been enjoying it since coming to Cedar Springs. Spending the summer working at the marina. Driving boats, playing on jet skis, swimming in the lake, and flirting with women were all part of the plan.
Teaching a troubled kid was not.
“You’re probably right,” he continued, unsure of how the words were coming out of his mouth. “He probably just needs a different teaching approach.”
“And Mitch is the best.” Chelsea put her arm around his waist and squeezed.
“Thank you so much.” Evie reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper that she pressed into his hand. “This is my cell phone number. I know you’re probably really busy so I’m totally willing to work around your schedule and of course I’ll pay you. I just am so grateful that Jonah can get a leg up this summer. It would just be devastating if he had to repeat a grade. I mean—”
“Not to worry.” Mitch smiled reassuringly. “He’ll be fine.”
Evie threw her arms around him in a spontaneous hug. She smelled like strawberries and sugar. Almost exactly what he’d expect her to smell like. He breathed her in. It was nice and for the briefest moment, Mitch closed his eyes. But then the hug was over and his eyes opened and he was staring across the lawn, directly at Jade. Who, judging by the way she stared back at him before she slammed her beer bottle on the table, had also seen the hug.
Chapter Three
It was stupid.
No. It was ridiculous.
But it didn’t matter how she reasoned it—Jade was pissed. It was bad enough he’d left her sitting there alone, but to flirt with another woman right in front of her? That was just rude.
Even if she didn’t want anything more to do with him in that way, it was still rude.
She tried to take a deep breath and calm her breathing. But it didn’t work, which just upset her more.
Jade never got worked up over a man. She never let herself get close enough to anyone to even have the chance. And of all men, Mitch? He’d literally, only moments earlier, told her to her face that she wasn’t his type. That should have been enough to stem any flow of feelings she might think she was having.
But it wasn’t.
Dammit.
He was walking toward her.
The last thing Jade needed was to hear about how he’d just made a date with the perfectly pretty woman who probably made pies for charity bake sales and volunteered at the hospital, cuddling babies. Jade unwound her legs as gracefully as she could from the picnic table and moved quickly across the great lawn, toward the lake. Away from Mitch.
“Hey. Wait up.”
She kept walking.
“Jade.”
She straightened her shoulders.
“Seriously.” A hand grabbed her and jerked her back. “Slow down,” Mitch said, when he was already looking her in the eyes.
“Let go of me,” she hissed and shook off his touch.
Mitch held both hands in front of him in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just trying to catch you before you left.” He tilted his head and examined her with thought. “Why were you leaving? I thought we were having a drink together.”
“We did.” She worked hard to keep the emotion out of her voice. She did not want him thinking she was jealous or felt slighted or really, that she was feeling any other emotion besides indifference toward him. “We were done. It was time to go.”
“I don’t think it’s time at all. The fireworks haven’t even started.”
“Fireworks?” Jade half expected him to make a smart ass comment about the fireworks between them. But it was obviously just her who was thinking that way. And those thoughts were about to change, just as soon as she got away from him and could think clearly. There was something about being near Mitch that clouded her thoughts.
She needed space.
“Yes,” he said. “You have to see the fireworks. Cedar Springs puts on a show that would rival any major city. They’re amazing.”
“Really?”
Was she seriously considering staying? With Mitch?
He shrugged. “They used to anyway. I’ve been really looking forward to seeing if they live up to my memories. Stay.”
Jade glanced back toward the bar, but the woman he’d been flirting with a moment ago was gone. “Won’t your girlfriend mind?”
What had possessed her to say that? She really was losing it. Jade was just not that type of woman. She didn’t care about things like that. She didn’t ge
t attached to men and she most certainly was not jealous.
The corner of Mitch’s lips ticked up. “My girlfriend?”
She waved in the direction of the bar. “The woman…you were talking…I saw her…never mind.” She turned to walk away again, but Mitch quickly stepped in front of her.
“Oh, no. I think I want to hear more.”
His grin was a full-fledged smile now. Curse him if it wasn’t the sexiest smile she’d ever seen.
“Were you jealous that I was talking to Evelyn?”
“Evelyn? That’s her name?” She shook her head hard and wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“That’s her name. You were jealous.”
“No.” She wasn’t. Was she?
“You were.” He took her hand. “It’s okay.”
Jade pulled her hand away. It was most certainly not okay. She wasn’t a jealous person. She didn’t get jealous over anything or anyone. Let alone a man. This was ridiculous. Spending time with Mitch was ridiculous. It needed to come to an end. Now.
“I should go.”
“Don’t.” His voice was soft, the teasing tone gone. She turned to look at him. “I won’t tease you.” He sounded genuine. “But I really don’t want you to miss the fireworks.”
She considered it. Seriously. She didn’t want to miss the fireworks either. But that wasn’t the real reason she didn’t want to leave. It was Mitch. God help her, she liked spending time with him. Whether it was a good idea or not.
“Please.”
He raised his eyebrows, making him look way more innocent than she knew he actually was. But it worked. She nodded.
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
Mitch’s face immediately split into a smile. “Wait right here.” Before she could object, he ran toward the bar. Jade watched as he handed the bartender some money and a few minutes later, he walked across the lawn toward her with a bag in his hand and a satisfied grin on his face.
“Ready?” Before she could answer, he grabbed her hand and started jogging with her in tow.