“I don’t think I’ll ever get married,” Rachel said with a heavy sigh.
“I know how much you liked Tom,” her mother said when the silence lengthened.
Rachel thought back to the first time she’d met Tom. He’d pulled out all the stops trying to impress her and he’d succeeded. But he’d never made her heart beat fast. Not the way it did around Jay.
“What about Jay Nordstrom?” her mother asked, and for a second Rachel wondered if she’d spoken out loud.
“What about him?”
“He always seemed like a nice boy,” her mother said. “You two are spending a lot of time together this summer. Maybe he can help take your mind off Tom.”
“Jay’s a good guy,” Rachel said. “And we have fun together, but I’m not looking for another serious relationship right now.”
“Is he?”
This time it was Rachel’s turn to laugh. “Not at all.”
“There you have it,” her mother said. “You two are perfect for each other.”
Chapter Ten
Henry had been gone about an hour when Jay heard the sound of Rachel’s car in the driveway.
A few moments later her lilting voice drifted through the screen. “Pretty kitty.”
Jay pushed himself up from the chair and hobbled over to the kitchen window, casting a curious glance outside.
Rachel stood bent over in the drive scratching the belly of Miss Kitty, his mother’s favorite cat. Though the formerly skinny calico looked like it had gained a good ten pounds since his mother had left, Jay only had eyes for Rachel.
Her olive green shorts showed off her long slender legs to full advantage and the white T-shirt hinted at her soft curves. In the early morning glow, she looked fresh, wholesome and utterly appealing.
Jay moved from the kitchen to the front door, his slow deliberate steps at odds with the anticipation surging through his body.
The screen door opened just as Jay reached the foyer.
Rachel smiled when she saw him. “You’re up early.”
He returned her smile. “Did you get the movie?”
“They were all out of that one.” Rachel dropped her overnight bag to the floor. “So I picked another I thought we’d both like.”
Though Jay didn’t really care what they watched, he’d had enough experience with women to know what that comment meant. “Does the plot of this other movie involve any dead bodies?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Any chase scenes?”
The corner of Rachel’s lips twisted. “I don’t think so.”
Jay groaned. “It’s a chick flick, isn’t it? One of those syrupy boy-meets-girl, falls in love and gets married kind of movies.”
Rachel shot him an innocent smile and headed toward the kitchen, her silence telling Jay all he needed to know.
“I’ll make the sacrifice.” Jay offered up a melodramatic sigh and followed behind. “If you’ll sit next to me on the couch.”
Rachel stared at him for a long moment. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” Jay couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice. For some reason he’d thought getting her to agree would be more difficult. “Just okay?”
“I’ll be on one side.” Rachel smiled and moved to the counter. “Lena will be on the other.”
She dipped her head and hid her widening smile at his snort. “Where is she, by the way?”
Jay’s great aunt was somewhat of an enigma—a petite woman, a recluse who shunned most people but never missed a church choir rehearsal…or bridge with her friends.
“She’s still in bed,” Jay said. “Her arthritis is acting up.”
Rachel’s hand stilled on the faucet. “Maybe I should check on her.”
“She told me she was going to try to sleep a little longer.”
“I’ll take her a tray when breakfast is ready.” Rachel began to make a pot of coffee with a quiet efficiency that still amazed him. His mother talked nonstop and her constant chatter grated on him, especially in the morning. Rachel never chattered or clanged pots and pans.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“I’ve got it under control.” She turned and favored him with another smile. “I thought I’d make waffles. How does that sound?”
“Great.” His mouth started to water just at the thought. “I’ll set the table.”
Surprise filled her blue eyes. “You don’t have to help. Your mother is paying me to make your meals.”
Actually, he was the one paying for her services, not his parents, but Jay saw no need to mention that fact.
“I want to do my share,” he said. “Besides, one of these days, I’ll be on my own again. I need to get used to doing this stuff for myself.”
Rachel pulled some silverware from the drawer and handed it to him. She gestured with her head toward a cabinet built into the wall. “The placemats and napkins are in there.”
Her comment made him smile. He’d set the table more times than he cared to count. Jay placed the forks and knives on the table and moved to the cabinet for the linens.
“Do the people you work with like living in LosAngeles?” Rachel tossed the question over her shoulder and poured a carafe full of water into the coffeemaker.
“Most of them.” Jay grabbed the placemats from the drawer. “Otherwise they wouldn’t be there.”
Rachel turned around and rested her back against the counter. “What have you heard from Lindsay?”
Jay couldn’t hide his surprise. Other than that first day, his ex-girlfriend’s name hadn’t come up. “Nothing,” he said. “And I don’t expect to.”
“You don’t think this is some kind of temporary falling out?”
“I hardly think so,” Jay said with a grin. “It’s been weeks since I’ve talked to her.”
“What kind of woman do you think you’ll marry?” Rachel pushed a button and started the coffeemaker.
The continuing stream of questions surprised Jay. Up until now Rachel hadn’t seemed interested in him. Or his life. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Yeah, right.” Her tone was clearly skeptical.
“Probably someone in the industry,” he said when he finally realized she expected an answer. “Someone who understands the pressures and demands of my job.”
“But you don’t have any special someone in mind now?”
“Look at me,” he said bluntly. “Who’d want a guy who looked like this?”
“The right woman.” Rachel pulled the waffle iron out from beneath the counter.
“If you say so,” he said with a shrug. “Why all the questions?”
This time it was Rachel’s turn to shrug. “No reason.”
“Don’t give me that,” he said. “Something is on your mind.”
Rachel kept her full attention on the batter she was stirring. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a girlfriend waiting in the wings.”
Jay pulled his brows together. “What would it matter if I did?”
“Because I could never kiss someone who was involved.” Rachel’s blue eyes met his. “That’s why I needed to make sure.”
“You want to kiss me?” The look of startled surprise in Jay’s eyes would have been laughable if Rachel hadn’t been so appalled by her boldness.
“Not right now.” She ignored the heat rising up her neck and concentrated on adding batter to the waffle iron.
“You told me you don’t kiss casually,” he said. “Are you saying you think there could be something more between us?”
Rachel paused. Though she might not have a boyfriend anymore, she doubted there could ever be anything between her and Jay except friendship. But how could she say that without offending him? Especially after that crazy comment she’d made about kissing.
Apparently Jay mistook her hesitation for shyness, because the look in his eyes softened. “I’ve got to be honest, Rachel. I’m not the right guy for you. I don’t—”
“Oh, for goodness sake.” Rachel felt
the warmth steal up her neck once again. “I’m not stupid. I realize that as much as you do.”
Puzzlement filled his gaze. “Then what is this all about?”
“Tom and I are finished,” she said.
“What does that have to do with me?” he asked.
“I just wanted you to know there’s nothing between Tom and me. Not anymore.” Rachel stumbled over the words, trying to figure out a way to explain. If her mother hadn’t planted that insane idea of her being involved with Jay in her head, she never would have mentioned the kissing in the first place.
“You still haven’t told me where I fit in?”
“I want us to be friends. I like you…as a friend.” Rachel lifted her chin and plunged ahead. “And, unless I’ve completely misread the signals you’ve been sending me, you like me, too. There’s no reason we can’t have fun this summer, is there?”
Jay lifted a brow, realization dawning in his eyes. “Would having fun include kissing?”
A shiver traveled up Rachel’s spine. She smiled. “I guess anything is possible.”
Rachel sat next to Jay on the couch and tried to focus on the romantic comedy rather than the handsome man at her side.
Jay chuckled and reached into the popcorn bowl.
He’d been a perfect gentleman all evening. Not once during the movie had he tried to steal as much as a single kiss.
But Rachel found it difficult to concentrate. Even dressed casually in khaki shorts and a cotton shirt, Jay looked like a GQ model. And he smelled heavenly.
The spicy scent of his expensive men’s cologne teased her senses. She inhaled deeply and her heart fluttered.
It was crazy. She’d told him she just wanted to be his friend, yet now all she could think about was kissing him.
“Success at last.” Jay nudged her with his elbow.
For the last half hour the couple in the romantic comedy had been thwarted every time they tried to be alone. It had gone on so long, she and Jay had joked that the two would probably remain apart for the whole show, but judging by the on-screen kiss, it appeared it was finally time for the couple to be together.
“Looks like fun,” he added.
Though Rachel didn’t turn her head, she could feel Jay’s eyes on her and the heat rose in her cheeks. She kept her eyes on the screen.
When she didn’t answer, Jay slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Want to try it?”
Rachel kept her gaze focused straight ahead and acted like she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Truth was, it was difficult to hear much of anything with her heart pounding like a bass drum in her ears.
Jay toyed with her hair. “Dad’s gone all weekend and Lena is fast asleep.”
Rachel resisted the sudden, overpowering urge to give in to temptation. He’d been so sweet, letting her have the popcorn pieces with the most butter and not saying a word when she’d opted for a soda rather than a beer. And he smelled so incredible. She moistened her lips with her tongue, removing a thin residue of salt.
Jay groaned. “Rach—”
The buzz of the doorbell stopped his words. For a second, Rachel thought the sound had come from the television, but a fist pounding on the front door ended that notion.
She frowned. “Who could that be?”
“I don’t know,” Jay said, looking equally perplexed.
The pounding intensified and Rachel stood. “I’ll get it.”
Jay placed a restraining on her arm. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”
He moved slowly, hampered by his cast.
“Open the door.” The anger in the male voice carried through the thick oak. “I know you’re in there.”
“Oh, no.” Rachel’s hand rose to her throat.
Jay turned at the panic in her voice, his hand resting on the doorknob. “You know who this is?”
Rachel nodded, her eyes large in a suddenly pale face. “It’s Tom.”
Chapter Eleven
Rachel moved to the door and grasped Jay’s arm. “Don’t let him in. Not when he’s acting crazy.”
Jay stared at her for a long moment, a dawning look of understanding on his face. “You’re scared of him.”
Rachel nodded. She couldn’t deny it. When Tom got like this, he did frighten her.
“Well, I’m not.” Jay jerked the door open and moved protectively in front of Rachel.
Tom’s gaze shifted from Jay to Rachel, then back to Jay.
“Tom.” Jay smiled as if he was genuinely glad to see his old friend. “What a surprise. Come on in.”
But Tom didn’t return Jay’s smile. Instead he fixed his eyes on Rachel, his lips pressed together in a hard line. “I went by your house but no one was home. Mrs. Kellogg said I’d probably find you here. Did I interrupt something?”
Despite the fact that nothing had happened, Rachel could feel a guilty warmth creep up her neck. “We were watching a movie.”
“It’s a chick flick,” Jay offered with an easy smile, “but it’s actually pretty good.”
Tom’s gaze settled briefly on Jay’s casts before he glanced around the foyer. “Where’s Henry?”
“Upstairs,” Rachel said quickly before Jay could answer, hoping God would forgive her the little lie. “He wasn’t feeling well so he went to bed early.”
Though Jay might think he could handle Tom on his own, he was still recovering from his injuries. She hoped the thought that Henry was in the house would cause Tom to think twice about causing a scene.
Tom’s gaze shifted from Rachel to Jay then back to Rachel.
“Now I understand why you weren’t interested in giving me another chance.” Tom’s voice held a bitter edge.
“Why are you here, Tom?” Jay’s tone remained affable. “Somehow I get the feeling it isn’t because you wanted to reminisce about old times.”
“She told me she didn’t want anything more to do with me.” Tom’s voice grew louder with each word and Rachel could tell by the look in his eye and the smell of beer on his breath that he’d been drinking. “I was in love with her. I wanted to marry her, but she threw my offer back in my face.”
Though there was anger in Tom’s voice, there was also pain and for one insane second Rachel found herself wanting to comfort him.
“I was nothing but good to her,” Tom continued. “Treated her like a queen and she kicks me in the teeth.”
Rachel stiffened. She stepped directly in front of Tom, her fists clenched at her side.
“Nothing but good?” Her laugh didn’t contain even the slightest hint of humor. “You pushed me to the ground. You slammed my head against the wall and threatened to smash in my face.”
Jay stilled beside her and though Rachel didn’t glance his way, she could feel his eyes boring into her. “He did that to you?”
“Get out, Tom.” Rachel lifted her chin. “And if you ever come near me again, I’m calling the cops.”
“You heard the lady.” Jay gestured with his head toward the door. “Get out.”
Tom held up a hand. “Easy, buddy. We’re old friends—”
“I don’t have friends who hurt women.” A hardness Rachel had never heard resounded in Jay’s voice.
“You know women,” Tom said, talking faster, his smile not reaching his eyes. “They make a big deal out of nothing.”
Rachel gasped.
“You haven’t changed, have you Tom?” Jay’s voice was tightly controlled. “Just like with Karen, it was always her fault, not yours.”
“Karen?” Rachel could barely get the name past her dry lips.
“He pushed her around.” Disgust sounded in Jay’s voice. He shifted his gaze back to Tom. “Is that why you two split up? Did Karen finally get sick of the abuse?”
Rachel stared, stunned. “You told me it had never happened before.”
Her voice came out soft and shaky. She clamped her lips shut.
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Tom took a step toward her but Jay stepped between them.
“I wa
s there,” Jay said. “I pulled you off her that time in the parking lot.”
“I never hurt Karen,” Tom protested.
“I suppose you were nothing but good to her, too?” Rachel met Tom’s gaze.
“You need to leave.” Jay gestured toward the door.
Irritation skittered across Tom’s face. His eyes hardened. Rachel had seen that look before. Dread crept up her spine.
Tom’s gaze settled on Jay. “You had something good going in L.A., but you screwed that up. The way you look you’ll be lucky to get a job reporting hog futures.”
Rachel gasped.
Jay’s face turned white and his eyes glittered dangerously, but Tom had already turned back to Rachel. “And you—”
“Get out, Tom,” Jay’s voice was razor-edged. “Before I throw you out.”
Tom glanced pointedly at Jay’s casted arm and leg. “You really think you can do it?”
Jay took a step forward. “If you’re standing here in five seconds you’ll find out.”
For the first time, Tom seemed to notice Jay’s stiffened shoulders and steely-eyed gaze. He shrugged and turned on his heel. “You two deserve each other.”
The minute he crossed the threshold, Rachel exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and slammed the door. “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Jay stared at her in surprise, then burst out laughing, the sound easing the tension in the air. “Where in the world did you hear that?”
“It’s another of my mother’s sayings.” Rachel clutched her hands together to still their trembling. “You like it?”
“Very much.” Jay laughed again. “And in this instance, it fits perfectly.”
The encounter with Tom had left a bitter taste in Jay’s mouth and he wanted nothing more than to head to his room where he could be alone with his thoughts. But, as his gaze settled over Rachel and he saw the look in her eyes, he knew that she needed him. Or at least she needed someone at her side right now.
He smiled. “How about we watch the rest of the movie?”
They resumed their seats on the couch and Jay hit the Play button on the remote before settling an arm companionably around her shoulders.
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