by Laura Drewry
He watched her car disappear down the street, then let his chin fall to his chest for a minute before heading back inside. Jayne was rinsing the dishcloth when he got back to the kitchen. She didn’t say anything, but going by the half smile and the way she was chewing the inside of her cheek, it was an effort. She’d wiped most of the table before Nick managed to yank the cloth away from her.
“Okay,” he surrendered. “So she’s a little over the top.”
“A little?” She grabbed the cloth back and snapped it at him with a wink. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she moved in here to chaperone us.”
“Yeah, me neither.” He pulled a beer out of the fridge, popped the cap, and took a long swig. “So I was thinking I’d take tomorrow off and help you get the rest of the store cleaned out.”
Jayne finished wiping up, folded the cloth over the tap, and turned to face him. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because, Nick. You have a job. You have employees who depend on you for their paychecks, and you have people waiting to move into their new house.”
“And all of that can still happen if I take a couple days off.”
“A couple days?” she choked. “A second ago, you said one day.”
“Whatever.”
“No, it’s not whatever.” It was hard not to laugh when she got cranky, but Nick knew better than to even grin at her when she got like this. “I appreciate the offer, Nick, but you’re not going to start rearranging your life for me.”
“What are you talking about? It’s a couple days.”
“Uh-huh,” she grunted. “And when Hague gives me the inspection report? How many days will you take off to look after that?”
Nick didn’t hesitate. “However many it takes.”
“And what about the house you’re building? What are you going to tell those people?”
“Jayne.” He tipped his head and stared straight back at her. “I’ve never been late on a job, and I won’t be late on this one.”
Even if Jayne got the place cleaned out, the city wasn’t going to give her very long to bring the building up to code, so whether she liked it or not, Nick was going to be spending a lot of time down there over the next few weeks.
Jayne flopped down on one of the bar stools and sipped her glass of water before offering him a weak smile. “Thank you, really, but I can’t ask you to drop everything for this, Nick.”
Nick’s fingers seemed to move on their own accord as they tucked her hair back behind her ear, then eased the piece of grass out and held it up for her to see. “You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
She took the piece of grass from his fingers, her smile slowly dissolving. “It’s too much.”
“Too much?” Nick took a swig of his beer and flashed her a grin. “For a lesser man, maybe.”
She could argue all she liked, but when it came down to it, what was she going to do when he showed up at the store with his tools? There was work to do, and he was going to do it for her. Sure, it might mean juggling work on the Schwanns’ house and Jayne’s place, but that wasn’t a big deal, it was … oh, right. Jayne wasn’t just talking about construction. Lisa.
“She’ll be fine with it, Jayne.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure.” She refilled her glass and took a long sip. “I don’t know how much work the building’s going to need, but it’s probably safe to say it won’t be anything we can fix in an afternoon.”
She said “we.” It was all he needed.
“No,” he chuckled. “Probably not.”
“Then if you’re going to be spending that much time away from your girlfriend so that you can spend that much time helping your girl friend, you might want to run it past her first.”
“I don’t need her permission, Jayne.”
“Nick—”
“Fine.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll talk to her.”
“And in the meantime,” she said with a grin, “I’ll give Tony Cooke a call and see if he’s available.”
“That guy couldn’t find his own ass using both hands.”
Jayne just shrugged and headed out of the room. “G’night, Nick.”
“But it’s early!”
“Yup. And your phone almost vibrated its way out of your pocket three times in the last twenty minutes.”
Damn it. He’d hoped she hadn’t noticed.
Jayne’s voice faded as her door closed. “Call her back before we both get into trouble.”
Lisa. Right. He pulled his phone out but didn’t dial. Instead, he sat in the kitchen staring after Jayne. His fingertips tingled where they’d touched her hair and he could still smell her strawberry shampoo.
Weird.
* * *
By Thursday, the store had been emptied out of everything but the shelves they’d discovered dismantled and buried near the front window. Nick had removed anything even slightly disgusting from the apartment, but there were still boxes and furniture for Jayne to deal with.
She hit the top step just as her phone rang; Nick’s number, different tone.
“Did you hack my ringtones?” She tried to sound angry, but it was impossible now that she had “Friends in Low Places” stuck in her head.
“Damn right I did!” he laughed. “I didn’t want the same ringtone as everyone else—it’s boring.”
“You’re such an idiot.” She grinned into the phone, even as the sight of the box-filled apartment swam in front of her. “What’s up?”
“I talked to Lisa.”
A hard lump formed in the pit of Jayne’s stomach. This was it. This is where it would all begin again. “And?”
“Nothing. She’s good.”
Jayne pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a second. “Really? She’s just going to let you ditch her so you can work here every chance you can?”
“Let me?” He made a sound, sort of impatient, sort of tired. “I told her what was going on and that I’d need to be here a lot for the next few weeks.”
“And what did she say?”
“She’s fine with it.” He didn’t sound terribly concerned, but Jayne was. Once bitten, twice shy and all that.
“Send me her number, I’ll talk to her myself.”
“She said she’d stop by to see you today.” His sigh was still hanging in her left ear when the sound of the back door opening sounded in her right.
“Jayne?”
“Jeez,” Jayne hissed. “That’s creepy.”
“What?”
She ignored him and waved to Lisa at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’ll be right down.” Jayne ducked inside the apartment again and whispered into the phone. “She’s here. If you don’t hear from me by tomorrow, it means she’s chopped me up into little bits and stuffed me in the dumpster.”
Nick’s grunting laughter was the last thing she heard before she ended the call and headed downstairs where Lisa was waiting.
Did the woman ever have an ugly day? Did she even own sweats? Her dark waves were pinned up in a soft pile at the back of her head, and her makeup looked … well … like it wasn’t even there. Dressed in slim tan capris, a fuchsia off-the-shoulder chiffon blouse, and the cutest cork wedge sandals Jayne had ever seen, Lisa obviously wasn’t there to help haul boxes down the stairs.
“Hey.” Jayne forced a smile she sure as hell didn’t feel and stuffed her phone in the back pocket of her Tyvek suit. “I’d ask you to sit down, but …”
She waved her hand around the now empty store and tried to laugh. Lisa’s smile looked as genuine as Jayne’s felt.
“That’s okay, I won’t keep you long, but I was hoping we could talk.”
“Sure—want to go grab a coffee?”
“No, this is fine.” Lisa stayed right where she was, feet together, hands folded over her cute little fuchsia clutch bag. “Nick says you’re worried about what I think.”
Nice. Okay. Straight to the point. Jayne wiped her hands on her already dirty suit, then wrapped them
around her stomach as she leaned back against the wall and nodded.
“Yeah, well, it’s been my experience that most people have a difficult time believing Nick and I are just friends.” She stopped only long enough to catch a breath. “So I want to make sure there’s no question in your mind about what’s between us.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
“Nothing.” Jayne cringed; that was a stupid thing to say. “I mean, nothing like that, and most people find that hard to believe, given the way Nick is.”
“How do you mean?”
Jayne shrugged. “He’s an affectionate guy.”
“Right.” Lisa’s expression barely flickered. “What about you? Are you an ‘affectionate’ person, too?”
“Lord, no, not like that.” Jayne laughed, awkward as it was. “He and Carter like to annoy me, so whenever they get the chance …”
She lifted her shoulders in a halfhearted shrug and waited, but it took Lisa a while before she spoke.
“Can I be honest here?”
“Please.” Jayne stopped just shy of begging.
“Am I happy about you living with Nick?” Lisa’s left brow arched ever so slightly. “It wouldn’t be my first choice, no.”
“That’s what I thought,” Jayne sighed. “I’ll be out—”
“Let me finish.” She licked her lips and blinked slowly. “But from what I understand, you and Nick have been friends for a very long time, is that right?”
“Since kindergarten.” The smile came easily and without warning as the mental image of Nick sitting on Jeff Goodsen floated across her brain.
“That’s a long time.”
Jayne nodded. Every event in her life, big, small, happy, or sad, had included Nick. Even after she moved across the country they stayed in contact. She couldn’t remember a day when she hadn’t thought of him at least a dozen times. Usually more. Okay, always more, but Lisa sure as hell didn’t need to know that. No one did.
What Jayne felt for Nick was her business, and no one else’s.
“Obviously,” Lisa continued, her voice as soft as air, “I don’t know you, but I know Nick and he’s not a cheater. It’s unfortunate his wife didn’t trust him enough to see that, but I do, and I’m not the least bit worried that he’d do anything … inappropriate … with you, or any other woman, while he and I are together.”
There was a brief pause as Lisa took a breath and glanced down at her shoes. Jayne tried to swallow past the sudden dryness in her throat. Whatever was coming couldn’t make this any more awkward than it already was, could it?
“The other thing I know about Nick is that he’s not one to sit around and wait. When he sees something he wants, he goes after it.” She licked her glossed lips again. “Given how long you’ve been friends with him, if he had wanted you, he would have had you by now.”
Jayne tried to catch her jaw before it fell open, but it was too late, and it took a long couple of seconds before she could jerk it back into place. Awkward just shot to a whole new level.
“I-I’m sorry,” Lisa stammered, clutching her bag a little tighter. “That came out wrong. Of course Nick likes you; goodness, he probably even loves you, but you’re … you’re like a sister to him, that’s all I meant. If he felt anything else for you … anything more … he would have acted on it by now, don’t you think?”
Wow. If Jayne hadn’t been leaning against the wall, she would have landed flat on her ass. Carter had said she was like his sister, and she’d thought that was sweet, but this … this wasn’t sweet at all. It felt like a piece of Jayne’s heart had just been sliced away.
Why was Lisa frowning at her like that? Oh, right, it was Jayne’s turn to speak.
“Yeah.” Blink. Breathe. Nod. “Of course.”
“You’re an important part of Nick’s life, and I like to think I am, too. So long as we both respect each other’s place with him, I’m sure we’ll all be fine.”
“Yes, right. Of course.” Push down the hurt; squash it down tight. There. Good. Now breathe. Good. And smile, be breezy. Smile, damn it. “I’m glad we got that sorted out. And while you’re here, I should probably apologize in advance for something. I have some kind of mental block about your name. Carter says I had the same problem years ago with a girl named Linda who I kept calling Lisa, so if I ever call you Linda, it’s nothing personal …”
“You already did.” Lisa’s expression smoothed into a small smile. “At the Stomp the other night.”
“I did?” Then it hit her. The Tylenols, the Coronas, the song. She closed her eyes, sighed, then squinted out a grimace. “Not one of my more stellar moments.”
“It’s fine.” With a brief lift of her bag, Lisa pointed toward the door. “I should get going. I have things to do before I meet Nick for lunch.”
“Right. Okay.” Jayne nodded and stepped aside to let her pass. “I appreciate you stopping by.”
A hint of a smile, then Lisa was gone, leaving Jayne to stare after her. If he had wanted you, he would have had you by now. Is that how Nick felt—that Jayne was like his sister? He’d never said so to Jayne, but where else would Lisa have gotten the idea?
Given the women Nick had been with over the years, there was no doubt Jayne was about as far from his type as a woman could get, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to think of her as his sister. God knew, the feelings she had for him were nothing like what a woman feels for her brother.
Loud music; that’s what she needed. Experience had taught her loud music could drown out anything her heart or mind might be trying to tell her. The fact that today she had to crank it up louder than usual didn’t mean anything; she was almost sure of it.
By the time she stopped for a break, the only room left to go through was the tiny bedroom. She folded the flaps in on the box she’d been going through, then stood for a second, stretching her back as far as she could and channeling her best Steven Tyler.
“That … uh … that … uh …” She bent forward, reaching for her toes, but not quite making it that far. “Dude looks like a lady—”
Nick stood in the doorway, a take-out bag in hand, grinning like a fool. “Nice.”
Flames scorched her neck and cheeks, but what could she do besides laugh? At least she wasn’t drumming this time. She hit the volume, laughed stupidly, and shrugged.
Still grinning, he led the way outside to his truck, handed her the bag, and lowered the tailgate for her to sit on. “Figured you probably hadn’t eaten. How’d it go with Lisa?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
Another shrug. “I want to hear your version.”
Her version? Did he mean the part where Lisa assured her everything was fine, or the part where the same Lisa unknowingly reached inside Jayne’s chest and ripped her heart out with five perfectly manicured fingers?
No matter how hard she tried, Jayne couldn’t squash it down as far as before, so she reverted to what worked best for her; she smirked.
“For starters.” She swallowed a couple fries and shrugged. “She’s obviously under some misguided delusion that you’re the hallmark against which all men should be judged. Other than that, she seems really sweet.”
Nick didn’t appear to be the least bit amused. “What’d she say?”
Between bites of her burger, Jayne repeated the brief conversation she’d had with Lisa, almost verbatim, frowning at his frown.
“My sister?” His voice was quiet as he leaned his butt against the tailgate. “Why the hell would she say that?”
“I assumed she got it from you, how you explained …” she waved her hand between them. “This.”
Ooh, those were new eyes he pulled out. Not angry, not worried, but sure as hell not happy, either. Jayne had never seen this look before; almost like his eyes had frozen in their sockets.
“Forget about it.” She balled up her garbage and tossed it in the dumpster, then hopped off the tailgate. “How was lunch, anyway?”
He pulled open the door and held it as sh
e ducked under his arm. “Good.”
If he averted his gaze any faster, his eyeballs would have spun completely around in their sockets.
“You didn’t make her eat fast food, did you? Oh, Nick, that’s just mean.”
“No.” He took his sweet time answering, and even when he did, he started off with a heavy sigh. “We went for sushi, okay?”
“You?” she choked. “Sushi?”
“Yes, Jayne. I had sushi. I actually don’t mind the avocado rolls.” His mouth curved in one of those crooked little smiles of his. “But then I grabbed an extra burger when I picked up yours.”
“Must be love.” Jayne laughed and led the way upstairs.
“Love’s got nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, please,” she snorted. “Why else would you eat sushi—and don’t tell me it’s because she’s good in bed or I’ll throw up on you.”
Nick stopped at the top of the stairs and shrugged. “Because she likes it, and with all the time I’m spending here, I figured I owed her at least that much.”
“Oh.” Jayne’s smile dropped to her toes. “That’s actually kind of sweet.”
“Yeah,” he muttered as he lifted one of the waiting boxes. “Whatever. Let’s see if we can get the rest of this crap out of here today.”
The afternoon hummed by between songs, Nick’s footsteps up and down the stairs, and the regular buzzing of his phone. At least four times, he turned Jayne around when she headed to the stairs with a box.
“I’m fully capable of carrying a box down the stairs, Nick.” She was hot, tired, and getting crankier with every box she opened and then resealed.
“I know.” He eased the box out of her grip and set it on top of the To-Go pile. “But we’ll just be tripping on each other, and you need to be the one to go through the stuff.”
She huffed out a breath and scuffed back to the bathroom where the final dozen boxes waited. Extension cords, Duo-Tangs, old TV Guides, and a case of Lysol cleaner.
Finally something Jayne could use. She set the Lysol aside, then lifted one of the boxes and followed Nick down the stairs to the nearly full truck. He’d already taken a full load down to the city, and now he’d have to do it again. Up and down they went five more times.