He was passing behind the neighbor’s pickup when he heard something. It wasn’t exactly a meow, more like a low hissing sound. He stopped and waited, hoping to hear it again. His glance went to the hedge on the other side of the driveway and then swung back to the truck. A sudden idea had him bending down by the rear tire. Using his flashlight keyring, he inspected the dark cavity above the tire. He didn’t see anything, but he did hear the sound again. He walked around to the other side, and this time the tiny beam of light revealed a pair of eyes.
“You like living on the edge, don’t you, Bluebell? I don’t think you’re going to like me removing you from your hiding place so we’ll get someone you trust.” He reached for his phone to call Violet. She answered on the first ring.
“Did you find her?” she asked, her anxiety almost a physical thing.
“Yes.” He heard her relieved sob. “She’s inside the wheel well of your neighbor’s truck. I think she’d prefer you to do this rescue. If I try to get her, she might crawl further into the engine which would make it harder to get her out.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Violet came around the house at a dead run, hair flying, flip flops flapping. He rose to his feet and held up his hand to indicate that she should slow down. He didn’t want her to scare Bluebell. She pulled up, slowing her pace to a fast walk. When she reached him, her breath was coming in gasps.
Jackson smiled. “You’re poetry in motion.”
“I don’t…feel very…poetic right now.” She dropped down on her knees by the tire, and peered into the space above the wheel. “Bluebell, darling! It’s time to go home.” She reached both hands inside. Bluebell protested a little, as evidenced by her loud meows, but finally consented to be removed. Violet clutched the cat tightly to her chest, tears running down her cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I’ve been so worried about you.” She looked up at Jackson. “Thank you for finding her. If you hadn’t, and Mr. Camden had moved his truck…” She stopped, her lips quivering.
Jackson felt as if his heart was being wrung out like a wet towel. “Don’t think about that. It didn’t happen, and Bluebell has an exciting adventure she can tell Jeeves about.”
Without saying a word, Violet stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips, still wet with tears, against his. The sweetness of it made his breath hitch painfully in his chest.
“That was from Bluebell,” she said softly.
He reached out to touch one of Bluebell’s ears. “It was very nice. Do I get one from Violet, too?”
Her glance went back to Bluebell. “I think he likes our kisses.”
He more than liked them. He was coming to depend on them. “That’s a safe bet.”
Once they were back inside the safety of four solid walls, Violet checked Bluebell over to make sure she hadn’t sustained any injuries during her trip to the outside world. While this was going on, Jackson got his first glimpse of the famous Jeeves. From the round face and short muzzle, he guessed the cat to be a Persian. A very large and overweight Persian.
When Violet was satisfied that Bluebell had survived her ordeal, she set her back on the floor. Bluebell moved a short distance away and started cleaning her paws.
“All that worry, and she acts as if nothing happened.”
“Cats are independent,” Jackson replied. “They don’t seem to need anyone. I can respect that.”
She surveyed her hands with a rueful smile. “She’s not the only one who needs to clean up. I’m a mess.”
“Me, too.”
He followed her to a half bath (or what some people called a powder room) located behind the stairs. The dimensions were small to begin with. They seemed to shrink even more with the addition of two people. Violet leaned over to turn on the water and met his glance in the oval mirror hanging over the sink.
“That little episode delayed our dinner. I’m sorry about that.”
“Bluebell is much more important than dinner.”
She squirted liquid soap in her hand and then did the same for him. “I’m so glad you were here when it happened. I would never have thought of checking the wheel well.”
“I can’t take credit for that. Bluebell made a sort of hissing sound as I walked by. While I was trying to figure out where it came from, I remembered seeing a segment on the news about a cat being found in a wheel well.”
Violet rinsed her hands and reached for the towel hanging on a rack nearby. “This is my first scare with Bluebell, but my mom has had a few with Jeeves. The funniest time was when he was a kitten. He crawled into a pair of pantyhose and got stuck at the end by the toe.”
“He certainly couldn’t do that now.” He took the towel from her, wincing a little when his elbow came in contact with the wall. “It’s a little tight in here, isn’t it?”
She laughed. “In all fairness, it wasn’t designed to hold two people, and we’re not exactly petite.”
“No, we’re not. I’ve never gone out with a tall woman before.”
“Do you like it?”
He returned the towel to the rack and then slid his fingers under her chin, tipping her head toward him. “I do like it. Very much. I don’t get a cramp in my neck when I do things like this.” He kissed the dewy soft skin of her cheeks, smiling when he heard her tiny sigh. Moving slowly to his left, he teased the corner of her mouth. She inched closer, her hands going around his waist. His pulse quickened as the tropical scent of her shampoo mingled with his aftershave. The softness of her body pressed against him combined with the sweetness of her lips was like a slice of paradise.
Above the thundering of his heartbeats, he heard something he didn’t want to hear. Groaning inwardly, he raised his head a few inches and laid a finger lightly on her lips.
Her eyelids fluttered open. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Just marking my place,” he whispered back. “I don’t want to forget where I was.” He turned slightly and peered around the corner in time to see the front door open. “Were you expecting someone else for dinner? Because a man with red hair just walked in.”
“That would be my brother-in-law Garrett. What’s he doing here?” She tried to maneuver past Jackson, a nearly impossible task given the small space.
He chuckled. “As much as I’m enjoying this, it would be easier if you let me go first.”
She pinched his cheek playfully. “Well, get going then.”
Jackson moved into the hall and then stepped back to allow Violet to walk in front of him. If Garrett found anything unusual in finding his sister-in-law coming out of the bathroom with a strange man, he hid it well.
“Hey, Violet. I came by to get Summer’s sunglasses. She left them here earlier today.”
The mystery of Bluebell’s escape had been solved. Violet and Jackson exchanged a glance, and then she performed the introductions.
“Garrett, this is Jackson. He’s a…a friend of mine. Jackson, this is Garrett, my sister Summer’s husband.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Garrett.”
“Same here, Jackson.” He glanced back at Violet. “Is it this Thursday Mom and Dad are coming back?”
“No, it’s next Friday.”
“I bet you’ll be glad to get back to your own place.” His glance flicked to Jackson again. “Well, I’ll get those sunglasses and be on my way.”
After he disappeared down the hallway, Violet mouthed, “That was close.”
Before Jackson could reply, Garrett reappeared, waving the sunglasses like a prize.
“I found them! Sorry for the interruption. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“You, too,” she replied.
Jackson saw the flush of pink color in Violet’s cheeks as she followed Garrett to the door. As soon as it closed, she turned to him, one hand on the doorknob and the other on her hip.
“I wonder what else is going to happen today.”
“Whatever it is, let’s hope it holds off until after we eat dinner.”
* * * * *
/> Violet couldn’t agree with him more. Nothing about this evening had gone according to plan. She remembered Rachel’s comments about meals at home having fewer distractions. She’d blown that theory out of the water. She was well on the way to providing Jackson with one of those ‘worst date ever’ stories.
“I know what you mean. I’m starving.” She motioned him to follow. “In the essence of time, we’ll cut the chicken into strips. It’ll cook faster that way.”
“Sounds good. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“You can wash and quarter the red potatoes. There’s a knife in the drawer by the refrigerator, and a colander in the cabinet below.”
Jackson opened the bag of potatoes. “I got a call from my sister this morning. She’s in Chicago. Sage is singing at a baseball game.”
“I’d love to see her in concert someday.”
He grinned. “I’m sure that could be arranged. All I have to do is mention it to Willow.”
“Does she ever come to visit you in Columbus?”
“She’s been here a few times. She travels so much for her job, she prefers to stick around Nashville when she gets the chance. I’m trying to talk her into coming in the fall when their current tour ends. When she does, I’d like you to meet her.”
This remark sent her hopes soaring. It meant he still expected them to be together in the fall. That was pretty awesome considering how awful this night had gone so far. Her mind replayed the kiss in the bathroom. Okay, not every part of the evening had been bad. “I’d like to meet her. She sounds fascinating. Is she married or involved with someone?”
“Not that I know of. Her job is her life.”
Violet finished prepping the chicken and slid the pan into the oven. “For some people a fulfilling career is enough.”
“Would it be enough for you?”
“No,” she replied, walking around him to get a stick of butter. “I want a husband and children. I’ve got my heart set on experiencing all those firsts: first tooth, first words, first step, first trip to Disney World, and the harrowing first driving lesson.”
He smiled at her, the warmth in his eyes bringing a lump to her throat. “That’s what I thought.”
Given what happened to him with Carmen, she didn’t have the nerve to ask him if he wanted a family. It would be like rubbing salt in the wound. While she waited for the butter to melt, she waded her way through her mother’s overflowing spice rack. There had to be rosemary in here somewhere.
“The potatoes are quartered,” he said from behind her.
“Great. Put them in that ceramic baking dish sitting on the counter.” Having located the rosemary behind all the other jars, she unscrewed the lid and sniffed. “I love the smell of rosemary. I tried growing it once, but unlike my mother, I don’t seem to have a green thumb.”
Jackson stood to the side, watching her. “I would never have thought of using it in potatoes.”
She stirred a few pinches of rosemary, salt and pepper into the melted butter and then drizzled it over the potatoes. “Like most of my brilliant cooking ideas, I picked this up from Rachel. You can’t live with a trained chef and not learn a few things.” She put the dish in the microwave and set the time.
“How long have you two been roommates?”
“Almost a year, but we’ve been friends since elementary school. We met in girl scouts. What would you like to drink?”
“Anything will do. I’m not picky.”
Violet got out two glasses and filled them with ice. Then she reached into the fridge for the pitcher of tea. “This won’t be as sweet as what we had at Mama Ruth’s.”
“That’s probably a good thing,” he said, taking the glass from her. “I can only have that much sugar every once in a while.” He pointed to the window over the sink. “Did you ever climb any of those trees?”
“When I could do it without my mother seeing me. I was kind of accident prone when I was younger. I closed my finger in a car door and cut my leg open during a trip to the beach.”
“Most of my injuries were the result of racing dirt bikes.”
“I can’t watch that sport without closing my eyes. It’s so scary when they come over the top of those hills and fly into the air. You don’t still do it, do you?”
“I had to stop after the second concussion.”
“Did you pass out?”
“No, but I did start getting migraines a few years ago. It happened not long after the thing with Carmen so I’m not sure whether it was a result of the concussions or just the stress of all that stuff going on in my personal life. That’s one of the reasons I took up running. I needed an outlet; a way to unwind.”
The timer on the oven went off. Violet grabbed the mitts off the counter. As she was taking out the chicken, the microwave beeped. “Great timing. After numerous delays, some more enjoyable than others, we’re actually going to eat dinner.”
Jackson chuckled. “I wonder what enjoyable delays you could be referring to.”
“You’ll have to keep wondering. I’m not saying another word.”
Five minutes after they sat down in the dining room, they were joined by the two felines.
“You’re right about Jeeves,” Jackson said. “He does move like a slug.”
“It’s my mother’s fault. She over feeds him. He’s actually lost a little weight since they’ve been gone. You don’t mind if they stay in here, do you? They’re used to keeping me company during dinner. It makes me feel less like a lunatic when I talk to myself.”
“I find myself doing that, too. Abbott and Costello don’t seem to mind.”
She sent him a teasing glance. “Bluebell and Jeeves like music in the evenings. I know my piano doesn’t compare with yours, but it would be nice if you played something for us.”
“I have to play for my supper, huh?”
“You can entertain us while I do the dishes.”
“I’m not letting you do the dishes alone.”
“Okay, we’ll do the dishes first. After you play, we can have dessert.”
Jackson’s grin widened. “I started on dessert earlier. It’ll be nice to finish it.”
“Speaking of that, I’m dreading tomorrow. I’m sure Garrett has given Summer all the pertinent details about finding us in the bathroom. She’ll have more advice about how to handle men.”
“Why does she think you need advice?”
“It probably has something to do with the fact that my longest relationship lasted exactly three dates. That’s not what anyone would call an achievement to hang your hat on.”
“That’s all in the past. You’re going to break that record easily.”
“How do you know?”
“Because this is technically our third date, and I have every intention of making sure we have many more.”
* * * * *
Jackson and Violet were finishing the dishes when he heard the patter of raindrops on the roof. He laid the dish towel on the counter. “The weatherman got it wrong tonight. It’s raining, and I think I left the windows down in the Land Rover. I’ll be right back.”
“If you want an umbrella, there should be one in the stand by the front door.”
“I’ll be fine.”
His words had been optimistic. As soon as he stepped out from under the shelter of the roof, the clouds opened up. By the time he reached his SUV, he was soaked to the skin. The only good thing was the discovery that he hadn’t left the windows down. All he had to deal with was wet clothes. When he got back to the porch, he took off his squelching shoes and damp socks. His shirt was next. That was as much as he could do at the moment to limit the amount of water he carried inside.
He ran into Violet in the hallway. Her eyes traveled slowly from his dripping hair to his bare feet.
“Did you decide to take a shower while you were out there?”
“Sure did. It would have been better if you were with me.”
Her lips twitched. “Can I take another picture? This would make a g
ood one for your business cards. You’d have more clients than you could handle.”
He laughed. “Don’t you dare reach for that phone.”
“I guess you’d like some dry clothes.”
“No hurry. You can finish checking me out first.”
She smiled. “I don’t get this opportunity very often. Fortunately for you, my dad is about your size, otherwise you’d be stuck wearing my bathrobe.”
While he waited for her to return, he walked into the bathroom to wipe his face. She joined him there a few minutes later.
“Here you go,” she said, handing him a pair of cargo shorts and a Guy Harvey t-shirt. I know this isn’t your usual Ralph Lauren or Perry Ellis stuff, but at least you’ll be dry.”
Jackson’s lips twitched. “Nothing much gets by you, does it?”
“Nope. Do you want a blow dryer?”
He noticed how her eyes kept sliding to his chest and hid a smile. “No, thanks. My hair dries fast.”
“I’ll, um, get going then.” She waved a hand toward the door. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will.”
As he changed clothes, he thought of that song by Doug Stone called ‘In a Different Light’. He wondered how many men had passed by Violet and never bothered to really look at her. As the song said, some things don’t show. You have to be willing to look for them, to wait for them, to draw them out.
Violet was waiting for him in the living room. As if she sensed his presence, she turned her head and smiled at him. His heart banged against his rib cage in a way that was almost painful. Her words about love floated through his mind. Loving someone forces you out of yourself. It deepens your emotions and expands your mind. Did it also change the way you fall in love? Because this time bore no resemblance to the last. This was different because he was different. Last time he hadn’t fought his heart. He hadn’t tried to deny what was happening. He hadn’t been afraid to lose himself in someone else.
“You look pretty good in my dad’s clothes.”
Mine for a Day (Finding Love Book 8) Page 13