by L. T. Marie
“Thanks,” she said and glanced over Jay’s shoulder to find Dino waving to the both of them from a table in the corner of the room.
“It’s good seeing you.”
“You too.”
Once she locked the bathroom door behind her, Coal was able to take her first full breath. Why did Jay have to be so fucking sexy? Jay always reminded her of a young horse, skittish and a little wild. Maybe it was because at times Jay seemed guarded around her, which she found intriguing for someone who most of the time exuded a cocky self-assuredness that she couldn’t decide if it made her want to hit her or kiss her. Regardless, during those temporary bouts of shyness, Jay’s body language screamed she needed to be cautious. If that were true, then why didn’t Jay trust her and why did Coal feel the desire to earn her trust?
The more she paced in the tight space the more she realized she was the one being cautious, actually ridiculous. Jay had merely asked her if she would like to join them while she waited for her food, not ask her out on a date. She was her contractor, after all, and there was nothing wrong with being social until her food arrived.
She glanced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, quickly straightening her clothes and finger combing her hair. Once she entered the dining area, she picked up her beer and moved to join Jay and Dino at their table before she had the chance to change her mind.
Jay looked as edible as ever stretched out in her chair, her long legs crossed at the ankles with her hands folded behind her head. One corner of her mouth lifted into a half smile when Coal stopped and pointed to the chair next to Dino.
“Does the invitation still stand?”
“Of course,” Jay said.
“Thanks. The waitress said it would be at least ten more minutes.”
“What’s the rush? We can buy you a drink if you’d like…ow!” Jay grimaced and leaned forward to rub her leg.
“What happened?” Coal lifted the tablecloth and noticed Jay rubbing her shin but was more interested in the questioning look Dino was throwing in Jay’s direction.
“I hit my leg on the table. Happens a lot since they’re long.” Jay glared at her cousin.
“My cousin’s a klutz, Ms. Davis,” Dino said. “But we would love to get you that drink.”
“No, thank you, Dino. And please call me Coal. Like I said, I can only visit for a few minutes. I really do have to get back.”
“What’s the hurry?” Jay asked. “You just got here.”
“Tomorrow’s the Fourth,” Coal said not able to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Just the idea of having to spend hours socializing with her father’s colleagues and friends made her rather face a stampede of wild Mustangs.
“You don’t have to explain anything to us,” Dino said. “My cousin can be nosy sometimes.”
“I’m not that nosy,” Jay said. “Just trying to make conversation.”
“It’s okay. My parents throw a huge barbecue every year for the Fourth. It started out small twenty years ago, but now it’s become this major event. We usually host around two hundred people.”
“Sounds like fun. We’re Italian so we understand large gatherings.” Jay looked up as Dino stood and stretched. “Where are you going?”
“I forgot my wallet inside the truck. Excuse me, ladies. I’ll be right back.”
Dino disappeared through the swinging doors leaving Jay and Coal alone at the table. Coal’s demeanor changed and Jay studied her as she nervously kept scanning the restaurant. The last time she’d seen anyone that uptight her father had been sitting in a courtroom during his trial receiving his sentence from the judge. She placed her hand on Coal’s arm, making her jump. “I’m sorry, but you look a little tense. Everything okay?”
“I’m fine. Guess the day has taken a lot out of me.”
“Are you still feeling dizzy?”
“No,” Coal said more quietly. “Just tired. But thanks again for earlier. I’m glad it was you who found me.”
“Glad I could help.” Jay cursed inwardly at the waitress’s rotten timing. She placed Coal’s food bag in front of her and mumbled a thank you when Coal handed her a tip. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
“Maybe there is one thing.” Jay arched an eyebrow. “Would you come to the barbecue tomorrow? Look at it as my way of saying thank you.”
Jay remained quiet for a moment. She could think of nothing but wanting to get to know Coal on a more personal level, but a family barbecue… “Wow…that’s uh…nice of you. I need to check my schedule—”
“Hey, if you’re busy, I understand.”
“I’d love to,” Jay said quickly before she found a way to back out. What the hell am I doing?
“Perfect,” Coal said and grabbed her dinner. “How does seven sound?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Jay waited until Coal’s car was no longer in sight before placing her head into her hands. What had possessed her to agree to attend a party thrown by the Davises tomorrow? Talk about putting her foot in her mouth. She had to find some excuse because there was no way she could hang out with the likes of the Davises. They were way out of her league.
While Jay was plotting her out for tomorrow’s festivities, Dino took that moment to drop into the seat next to her. “Cuz, what are you doing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. She’s our client, and you don’t mess with the clients. I need this job, Jay, and so do you. Besides, that dame’s got money. What the hell would she want with your poor ass?”
Leave it up to Dino to spell out all her troubles for her. She didn’t ask or want his input, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t right, which angered her even more than the fact that what she did on her off time was none of his fucking business. “I’m not doing anything with her. I asked her to sit with us to be polite. That’s not going to affect our job.”
“Bullshit! I’ve seen that look in your eyes before. I can tell you’re interested in her, and by the way she looks at you, the interest is mutual. Nothing better happen between the two of you. Because if it does, I’m going to pull your ass off this job. Capisce?”
The only time Dino ever spoke Italian was when he was pissed or trying to make his point clear. She understood all right. And she didn’t like what he was implying one bit. “Perfectly,” she snapped. She pushed away from the table. Suddenly, she’d lost her appetite.
*
“Jay, is that you, darlin’?” Shiloh yelled from the bedroom, her heavy Texas accent as syrupy as the day Jay had first met her.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Jay said and deposited her keys onto the coffee table. She walked into the kitchen to retrieve a beer. “When did you get back?”
“A few hours ago. We had to stop over in Paris due to mechanical problems. Sorry I didn’t call, but my cell doesn’t work out of the country.”
“No problem. I wasn’t staying around tonight anyway.”
“Ooh, why?” Shiloh emerged from her room wearing a pair of skimpy white shorts and a colorful floral blouson top. Her blond hair was wet, a sure sign that she’d just stepped from the shower. “Got a hot date?”
“Nope.” Jay plopped down onto the worn leather sofa, throwing her feet up onto the coffee table that was littered with a week’s worth of newspapers.
“I see you gave the maid the week off while I was gone.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy.”
“Oh my.” Shiloh plopped down next to Jay and placed one hand on Jay’s thigh. “Who put the spur up your butt today?”
Jay threw her a sideways glance. “Where the hell do you come up with those expressions?”
“Honey, I’m from Texas. Nobody speaks English there. All we have are expressions. So come on, tell me what’s bothering you.”
“It’s nothing, Shi. I’m a little on edge is all.”
“On edge? Sweetie, you’re so sexually frustrated right now you look like a firecracker r
eady to pop.” Shiloh swiped Jay’s beer out of her hand and downed the remaining contents.
“Have some,” Jay said sarcastically before snatching the can back from her overbearing roommate.
“Don’t mind if I do. So, what’s got your tail in a spin, darlin’?”
Jay didn’t want to have this discussion with her. She’d already caught enough shit from Dino about what she should and shouldn’t be doing. She didn’t want to discuss the barbecue tomorrow or her jumbled feelings when she was around Coal.
“Well?”
“It’s nothing, Shi. You know me. I haven’t been laid in a few days and I’m getting the itch is all.”
“Got someone particular in mind to scratch it?”
Jay shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t think I’m on her radar.”
Shiloh let out a hearty laugh. “Darlin’, you’re on everyone’s radar.” Shiloh moved to stand behind Jay and rested her hands on her shoulders, kneading the tight muscles. Jay’s body relaxed as she let out a satisfying groan.
“No, I don’t think so.” In fact, if I am on this one’s radar, I better duck, because I get the feeling that Coal Davis knows how to shoot.
“Believe me.” Shiloh leaned forward, her lips inches from Jay’s ear. “I don’t know who this woman is, but no matter what you think, when you walk into a room, everyone notices.”
Jay tilted her chin back, staring into her eyes. “Even you?”
They had never been anything more than roommates, but Jay couldn’t deny the hint of sexual tension that had always hung between them. She never acted on it because she knew from experience how fast sex could end a good friendship.
“Yes, sweetie.” She kissed Jay affectionately on the cheek. “Even me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re one sexy woman. Now, enough with all this blabbering. Go take a shower since you smell like sweat and sawdust. Then we’ll get out of here. I need me a good woman tonight too, and I know the perfect place.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jay turned to face her just as Shiloh disappeared behind her bedroom door. “And just where might that be?”
Shiloh peered around the partially open door. “Like you don’t already know the answer.”
Chapter Eight
Coal nodded pleasantly as if she were listening to the man who had been talking incessantly since her father had introduced them. Chinese water torture would have been preferred to the constant ramblings of Jefferson Tyler Sutter, who, as he explained, was a Harvard Law graduate. She didn’t care that he had recently taken on a position at one of the largest law firms in Silicon Valley, nor did she care for his pompous attitude. As he explained about her father’s suggestion that she take a day to show him around the area since he had just moved to California, thoughts of dumping her glass of Pinot over his head came to mind. Mercifully, her mother motioned to her from the opposite side of the yard, which meant she was saved from an embarrassing scene and Jefferson’s starched white polo would remain stain free. “If you would excuse me. My mother needs my help. Nice talking with you.”
“Let me know if you’d be interested in giving me that tour of San Francisco,” Jefferson said, but Coal was already pushing her way through the crowd.
She stopped to greet a few of her mom’s friends before sneaking away to wait out front for Jay. Although she couldn’t wait to see her, she knew inviting her to the party had been a bad idea. She’d do her best to keep Jay away from her father. It would be hard but not necessarily impossible since he very rarely left his built-in barbecue when he entertained. She could only imagine his perception of Jay, especially since Jay didn’t go out of the way to hide the fact that she was a lesbian, and it had very little to do with her looks. Sure, she was more handsome than beautiful, but it really came down to the way Jay regarded her. Coal had experienced that appreciative gaze the first day they’d met. Jay hadn’t ogled her like some men had done in the past, nor was the look disrespectful in any way. Since their first run-in, she tried to ignore the nervous ripples in her belly every time Jay threw one of those heated looks in her direction. She’d witnessed admiration, curiosity, and even something a little dangerous. From anyone else, she would have felt uncomfortable. But with Jay, she craved that flicker of what only could be desire, even if Jay wasn’t aware of it.
She also was intrigued that Jay didn’t appear put-off by her family’s wealth or their position in society. Jay’s relaxed, easygoing nature was a comfort and was drastically different from the power-hungry uptight people her father kept in his close circle. Many of those people filled her parents’ home tonight. They were the phony types, the ones who could throw out a compliment and still wear an insincere smile. Wealth and influence ruled their existence, and Jefferson was part of that world. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he wouldn’t have looked twice at her if she wasn’t Judge Thomas Davis’s daughter. She sighed in disgust. Being a pawn in her father’s chess games was really getting old.
The rustling of bushes behind her made her jump. When she looked down, she let out a nervous laugh when one of the neighborhood cats appeared and crouched in an apparent effort to check out the festivities. It didn’t matter who or what it was as long as it wasn’t her father trying to introduce her to another single man. His behavior had been bordering on distasteful all evening, and if it continued, his wrath be damned, she would find a way to disappear for the rest of the night.
Why couldn’t he accept that her life was hers to lead? She’d made many mistakes in the past, but mistakes were to be learned from. Maybe if he hadn’t found out about her being a lesbian the way he had, he could have been more tolerant. Maybe he could have even embraced the idea. But as she thought about his actions all evening, she shook her head in disgust realizing she was only fooling herself. The Davis family reputation would always be more important to him than her happiness. That unfortunate reality she’d known her whole life. She only wished it wouldn’t hurt so damn much to accept it.
*
Jay parked her truck in between a red Ferrari and a brand new Aston Martin, seriously regretting accepting Coal’s invitation to this party. Everywhere she looked there were cars that cost more than she made in years. Anxiety twisted in her chest, and her hand clenched where it rested on the shifter. You can do it. Put the truck in reverse and go before anyone sees you.
“Something wrong?”
Startled, Jay peered through the open driver’s window and noticed Coal staring at her curiously with one hand resting on the door. She cut the engine. So much for her escape plan. “No. Thought I forgot my jacket at home, but I found it shoved underneath my tool belt.” She grabbed the black windbreaker and stepped from the truck.
“Jacket? It’s eighty degrees out here. What’s really going on?”
“Nothing.”
Coal reached for her hand and slid her fingers through Jay’s. “It’s something. You were going to leave. Why? And I want the truth. No bullshit.”
Jay fought for an answer but was too focused on the way Coal’s thumb was rubbing over her knuckle to think about the question. Funny how such an innocent act could cause a tidal wave of blood to seep south. She swallowed hard knowing she shouldn’t allow Coal to touch her because what she really wanted far surpassed a single touch. But as she stood there studying her surroundings, Dino’s words sank in. She couldn’t hang out with these people, and it was foolish to believe otherwise.
“The truth? I feel out of place here. I’m a contractor who drives a beat-up pickup and works for my cousin. Look at your parents’ house…these cars in the driveway. I can’t relate to this, Coal. I’m sorry.”
“Jay,” Coal whispered and squeezed her fingers. “If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way. I’m here because my family expects it of me. Honestly, I’d rather be anywhere else.” Preferably somewhere with you. “So, please, will you stay?”
“Okay,” Jay said reluctantly. The near pleading note in Coal’s voice was too much. “I’ve never been to your parents
’ house, so how about a tour?”
When Coal agreed, she followed her down a paved stone path that weaved through a small garden. As they entered the house through a patio door off the kitchen, Jay listened with genuine interest as Coal answered her questions regarding the architecture and interior design.
“Your mother decorated the entire house without help?”
“She sure did,” Coal said. “Decorating for her is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. She has an incredible eye when it comes to pulling patterns and textures together.”
“You can say that again. These rooms are like works of art.” Jay took in the solid oak floors and matching beams. “Does she have her own decorating business?”
“She would love you if she heard you ask that. But no. She thought about it a few years back, but her other interests keep her really busy.”
“Is she helping with the decorating of your house too?”
“She wanted to, but I want to complete that project myself. Make it my own, you know?”
Jay understood completely. Her dream had always been to be able to build a home from scratch. Put her personal signature on every touch. Another dream that would have to wait. “Well, from what I’ve seen of your color and wood choices, you have an amazing eye too.”
A tinge of pink raced its way up Coal’s neck and across her cheeks. Jay had the urge to chase the color with her tongue and turned to study a painting on the far wall hoping she hadn’t been too obvious.
“Thank you.”
They moved into the great room where a large stone fireplace consumed half of the far wall. Coal explained how her father refused to use anything but local stones for its creation, but Jay was only partly listening as her mind began to wander with inappropriate thoughts. She pictured Coal stretched out on a bearskin rug in front of that fireplace. Imagined chasing the shadows from the flames with her fingertips. Coal would be beneath her. She’d tease each nipple with her tongue before she continued her descent—