Nex

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Mac at it full-time?” I asked, sticking a fork into the remaining cake on the platter. I didn’t want to sacrifice my own piece.

  “No, she still wants to be here for the boys. Says it won’t be long before they’re headed off to college and she doesn’t want to miss out on the last few years they’re at home, working all the time.”

  “Man, that’s crazy, the thought of them going off to college soon,” I said, propping my hip against the counter. “It seems like just yesterday they were born.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Ryker said, looking somber as he shook his head. “That’s the crazy thing about life, little brother. It passes too quickly. That’s why you have to make sure you’re not wasting your time with the wrong girls. Cuts in on the time you could be spending with the right one.”

  Damn. If those words didn’t hit me hard. “I hear ya, Ryk.”

  ***

  I took a quick shower and hit the sheets when I got home, settling in for what I hoped would be a long conversation with Jaci. We’d spoken on the phone a few times before, but most of our conversations were in person or via text when she was running from one place to another. It would be nice to have her undivided attention for a change.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I said, smiling at the sound of her voice. “You weren’t sleeping, were you?”

  “No, I was just watching TV in my room.” Her laugh was husky when she said, “Okay, maybe I was nodding off a little. Between school and work, it’s been a long day.”

  “I can let you go if you’re tired.” That was the last thing I wanted to do, since I’d looked forward to talking to her all day, but I’d worked my way through college too. I knew how draining those years could be.

  “No, I want to talk. How was your day?”

  It was a simple question, but it made me smile because I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had cared enough to ask about my day. “It was good. Work was good, and then Ryker invited me to his house for dinner.”

  “Ryker’s the oldest, right? The one who makes the custom motorcycles?”

  I thought it was kind of cute she had to ask. Ryker was a household name in Tampa, his ugly mug often appearing on TV and in magazine ads. “That’s right.”

  “He was with his wife, Mac, when y’all came into Downlow the night we met, right?”

  “Good memory.” I was glad she remembered details about the night we’d met. I could recall everything from the perfume she was wearing to the color of her lip gloss.

  “Your family is really tight, aren’t they?” she asked, sounding wistful.

  “Yeah, we are.” I knew she was an only child who’d often wished for siblings.

  “Scott had a big family too. They kind of adopted me when we were together since I was at his house so much. That’s been one of the hardest parts, losing touch with his family.”

  I was curious about the man who’d been such an important part of her life, but I couldn’t deny it stung a little to hear about the life she’d built with him.

  “I’m sorry. That was weird, wasn’t it? Talking to you about my ex. Can you tell I’m hopelessly out of practice when it comes to the whole dating thing?”

  “Tell me more about him. I want to know.” It may have been a stupid question, one I would later regret, but I wanted to hear more about the man who’d once captured her heart, maybe so I could figure out how I measured up.

  “He was—is a good guy.”

  “You keep in touch?” Should we start seeing each other regularly, sleeping together, I knew I’d have a hard time with her maintaining a friendship with her ex, but I was determined to burn that bridge when I got to it.

  “Yeah, he calls or emails once in a while just to check in.”

  “Wow, that’s what I call an amicable breakup.”

  “I think both he and my mama are convinced that I’ll come back to him someday. Scott thinks I’ll hook up with some hot guy, have a meaningless fling, figure out it’s not what I want, and beg his forgiveness.”

  I wondered if I was setting myself up to be her meaningless fling. “Can you see that happening, getting back together with him?”

  “No, we had our time. It’s over now.”

  I sensed some hesitancy in her voice, but since she’d given me the answer I’d been hoping for, I decided not to push. “So, about Saturday,” I said, opting for a subject change. “Where would you like to go?”

  She laughed. “I haven’t had a chance to eat out much, so I’ll let you decide.”

  She didn’t seem as enthused about the dinner as I was hoping she would. “Is something wrong, Jaci? You’re not having second thoughts about going out with me, are you?”

  “No, nothing like that. I’m just not much of a fine-dining kind of girl. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

  My income allowed me to dine in the finest restaurants in the city whenever I chose to, but I was just as happy sitting at home with a few buddies, a pizza, and beer. “We can keep it casual if you like.”

  “You’re probably going to think this is weird, but do you think I could cook for you?”

  I thought about Mac’s comment about holding out for a girl who could cook. Could I really be that lucky? “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’d love that. My sister-in-law was just lecturing me tonight about eating out so much.”

  “Ugh, I hate takeout. I cook whenever I can, but since I’m so busy and our kitchen is the size of a walk-in closet, I don’t do it often anymore. When I was growing up, since it was just me and Mama and she was working all the time, I did all the cleaning, cooking, and laundry.”

  “Sounds like you had to grow up too soon.” I could relate. Things had never been the same for us after our mom died. Ryker did his best to fill the void she’d left, but nothing could. That’s why we’d all been so grateful when Mac came into Ryker’s life. We’d all missed having a woman around.

  “I don’t know about that.” I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “It may sound crazy, and not very politically correct in this day and age, but I absolutely love domestic stuff like that.”

  Had any other woman said that, the warning bells would have been going off in my head, but hearing Jaci’s confession made me smile. “You’re a real June Cleaver, huh?”

  She giggled. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I’d love to have a house someday, maybe even a little restaurant back home. That’s always been my dream.”

  I tried to ignore the pang of fear when she talked about moving back to Georgia when she got her degree. She had three years left. A hell of a lot could happen in three years. “So you love it there? Where in Georgia did you say you were from again?”

  “Hartwell. It’s a small town, less than five thousand people. But yeah, I guess I do love it. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there, to go somewhere no one knew my name, but now that I’ve been gone for the past seven months, I’m anxious to go back when school lets out.”

  I tried to quash my panic. It made sense she’d want to go home to visit her mom, but wouldn’t that mean she’d also be seeing her ex? “You’re going back for a visit? When?” Maybe if it was just a weekend visit, I could talk her into letting me drive her. It was only nine hours. I could swing that.

  “I’m going back for the whole summer, actually. I’ll be leaving right after exams.”

  I shot up in bed, now drowning in the dread I’d been trying to suppress. “Why do you have to go back for the whole summer? Why can’t you stay here?”

  “I can’t afford to pay living expenses for three extra months, Nex. My mama, God bless her, will let me stay with her for nothin’ so long as I do my part. That’ll give me a chance to work and save more money for books and spending money for next year.”

  “If you need money, I can lend it to you.”

  “Aren’t you just the sweetest thang?”

  Normally I loved to hear that Southern twang of hers, but with my heart beating out of my chest, I was having a hard ti
me appreciating much of anything. “I’m serious. Just tell me how much you need, and I’ll write you a check.” My brothers had always warned me about loaning women money, but I knew Jaci was nothing like the opportunists I was used to dealing with.

  “I couldn’t take your money,” she said, sounding as though the notion was ridiculous. “Besides, the house we rent belongs to Miranda’s uncle, and he comes back for the summer.”

  “Why?” Damn it, why was the universe conspiring against me?

  “He’s a college professor in Utah or something, I think. When school gets out, he comes back here. It works for all of us, since the four of us all go back home for the summer.”

  I was scrambling, trying to think of some reason for her to stay, aside from building a relationship with me, but I was coming up empty. Finally, I voiced my biggest fear. “I guess you’ll be seeing your ex while you’re home, huh?”

  “Like I said, it’s a small town. I’m sure I’ll run into him at some point.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” I sure as hell wasn’t.

  “Why not? We ended things on good terms. We’re still friends.” Before I could comment, she said, “So about Saturday—I’m really excited about cooking for you. I bet you have a big ol’ kitchen, don’t ya?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  Suddenly, Saturday’s date was more important than ever, now that I knew my time to convince her to take a chance on me was winding down. If she went back to Georgia while we were still in the friend zone, her mother and ex-boyfriend would have all summer to convince her that he was the right man for her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay about doing dinner at your place? If you’d rather go to a restaurant—”

  “No!” My house would be better, more intimate. “I, uh, just sold my condo a few months ago. Bought a place in Westchase. Have you ever been?”

  “No, but I heard it’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it is.” For the first time in my life, I felt at home, and I couldn’t wait to share the place I loved with Jaci.

  “Hey, isn’t there a great farmer’s market there?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Oh, I love going to the farmer’s market. I haven’t been since I left home. This’ll probably be my last of fun, since I have to cut back on work to start studying for exams next week—”

  “You won’t be at the bar anymore?” Damn, I could practically hear the clock ticking. She’d be taking her exams at the end of next month, which didn’t give me much time.

  “I might be able to pick up a few shifts. I just hope I’ll be able to go back there in the fall. When I started, I told them I’d be heading home in the summer. They said they couldn’t make any promises about hiring me back on, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

  I sure as hell wouldn’t mind seeing her work in a safer environment, where guys weren’t hitting on her every time she turned around. “If you want, we can make a day of it on Saturday. We can pick up the food we need for dinner at the farmer’s market and I can show you around town.” Maybe she’d fall in love with it too and wouldn’t want to leave.

  “Oh, that sounds great! What time shall I be ready?”

  Her enthusiasm made me smile. Maybe this wasn’t a lost cause after all. I’d thought I had three years to convince her going back home was a bad idea, not five weeks, but I’d work with what I had. “How about ten? Too early?”

  “Um, the girls invited me to a party on Friday night. It’s my last night off before I start studying for exams.”

  If there was a silver lining in all this, it was that she wouldn’t have as much time to party with her girlfriends now that she had to buckle down and prepare for exams. “We can make it a little later if you like.”

  “No, you know what? Ten is perfect. I don’t want to waste the day in bed.”

  I couldn’t think of a better way to waste my time than spending the day in bed with her. “Great, I’ll see you then.” I knew I may be pushing my luck, but I had to ask. “Uh, Jaci?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Would you mind giving me a call when you get in from that party on Friday night? I won’t sleep unless I know you’re home safe.”

  She sighed but sounded more contented than annoyed. “I thought I had you all figured out, Nex Steele. Then you go and say something like that and I just melt.”

  I assumed melting was a good thing. “Is that a yes, you’ll call?”

  “I’ll call.”

  “Promise?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  Chapter Four

  Jaci

  I was going through my closet, trying to pick out an outfit for my date with Nex, when Jade barged in and plopped herself down on my double bed.

  “Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” she asked, eyeing the bright yellow sheer top with matching tank in my hand. “It’s cute.” She pointed at a pair of multi-colored strappy sandals with a high spiked heel. “With those shoes and your black skinny jeans. Hot.”

  I guessed I should be more concerned with what I was wearing to the party they were dragging me to in a few hours, but I was more excited about the prospect of spending an entire day with Nex tomorrow. “I was actually looking for something to wear on my date tomorrow night.”

  Jade shot up, looking at me wide-eyed in the mirror. “You have a date? And this is the first I’m hearing about it? What the hell, girl? Why’re you holding out on me?”

  Even though we just met when we responded to Miranda’s ad to share the house, we’d all hit it off right away, especially Jade and me. “I’m cooking dinner for Nex at his place tomorrow night. No big deal.”

  She bounced up on her knees. “No big deal? Are you freakin’ kidding me right now? That guy is a very big deal.”

  I laughed at the implication, certain she was right. “I’m trying not to make too much of it,” I said, hanging the blouse on the back of the door as I sorted through my drawers, trying to find the skinny jeans she’d suggested. I’d wear the heels too, but maybe toss a pair of flip-flops in my bag for the farmer’s market.

  “Tell me everything,” she said, clapping. “Dinner at his house? Where does he live?”

  “Westchase.”

  “Oh my God! I love it there!”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard it’s nice.” High-end shopping, great cafés, and restaurants. None of which I could afford on a part-time waitress’s salary, but I was sure it would be fun just to window shop and daydream. “Nex suggested we make a day of it, so he’s picking me up in the morning. We’ll go to the farmer’s market, probably grab lunch, and then who knows.”

  I recognized my mistake immediately as soon as Jade started wagging her groomed eyebrows.

  “I am not sleeping with him, so get that idea out of your head,” I said, smacking her shoulder with the back of a flip-flop I’d just fished out of my closet.

  “I can’t believe it took you this long to agree to go out with him.”

  “I was trying to resist,” I admitted, knowing how pointless that was. Nex had me wrapped around his little finger within five minutes of meeting him. But I’d spent the last several months living in denial, trying to pretend I wasn’t falling for the bad boy my mama had always warned me about.

  At least I’d be escaping for the summer, getting a little breathing room. Maybe I’d be able to come back in the fall and see Nex without feeling like a teenager with her first crush.

  “I don’t see why,” Jade said, inspecting the pink polish on her nails. “You’re single, he’s single. Why try to resist when you’re obviously hot for each other?”

  Jade and I had a lot in common, but our views on sex were completely different. She’d promised to corrupt me before graduation, but I assured her my mother’s warnings about going to hell for having indiscriminate sex were more potent than any bottle of Jim Beam.

  “I think Nex is a great guy.” If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be going out with him, but I also knew he and Jade had attended the same school of sexual instruction—as
often as possible with anyone who gets your motor running. “But that doesn’t mean he’s a safe bet. You know guys like that are only interested in a one-night stand. Once they’ve had you, they don’t come back for more.”

  “So what?” Jade asked, raising her palms. “If they give you one unforgettable night that fuels your fantasies for the next ten years, it’ll have been worth it.” She jumped to her feet, gripping my shoulders. “Listen to me. Every girl needs to sleep with the sexy bad boy at least once in her life. Just for the experience. If you don’t, and stick with the safe guys forever, you’ll regret it when you’re forty-five and scheduling sex with your husband around ballet recitals and little league games.”

  I stared at my friend, who was my polar opposite in the looks department. She was tall; I was short. She had dark hair and eyes; I had light. She was tanned; I was fair. But I had never felt our glaring differences more than I did in that moment. “I can’t sleep with someone I don’t love, Jade. For me, sex is all about the emotional connection.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s only because you’ve never slept with a guy just for the sake of getting off.”

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Now she sounded like a guy. “And what makes you think I’d want to?”

  “Think about it for a minute,” she said. “You came here ’cause you needed to get away from your boring life, your mother’s rules, and some dude who stuck to you like glue, right?”

  “I guess.” I felt bad for characterizing Scott that way. Sure, we’d been inseparable for a long time, but we’d both wanted it that way.

  “Then you need to mix things up.”

  “I’m going out to get loaded tonight, aren’t I?” Though my and Jade’s definition of getting loaded were different. I stopped at tipsy but still able to walk a straight line. She didn’t stop until she was flashing the bouncers and puking in the bushes.

  “Since you’ve been here, you’ve gone to a few parties, sure. But for the most part, you’ve been so focused on work and school, you haven’t even made time to get laid. How sad is that?”