Marry Me, Jackson (Best Friends To Forever Book 1)

by Barbara Lohr

  Match? They were a match? Emily’s mind circled. “Oh, right, because you and Victoria...” But she couldn’t even say it.

  “...are working together.” Jackson seemed to weigh her response. She wouldn’t let him see how upset she was. “Her father suggested she help with the decorating on some projects. Property we own jointly. That was fine with me. She was just out of school and came up with this pantry idea.”

  “Right downstairs.” Part of this made sense. Although Emily didn’t know what Jackson’s work entailed, it figured that someone like Victoria understood design. She seemed pretty well put together. The right clothes, the right connections.

  Angry tears threatened as Emily stood in her cozy kitchen. She struggled to keep a lid on them. This two-bedroom apartment wasn’t much and she’d only been here a short while. Still, she loved this place fiercely, mainly because it overlooked the town square. Victoria Pomeroy was about to invade her peaceful haven. Why hadn’t Minerva contacted her?

  “I hope the first floor is in better shape than your apartment. But I’ll get it fixed up.” Chin lowering, he met her eyes. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Emily jumped when the doorbell rang, shrill and insistent. She could picture the annoyed look on Victoria’s perfect features as she held a manicured thumb on the button.

  “I should get going.” Jackson backed toward the door. “So when will you be posting your profile?”

  She lifted a shaky hand to her forehead. Profile? Right. He was talking about her online personal ad. “Soon, I suppose.”

  Taking out his phone, he thumbed through some screens and held it out. “I think you should use this picture.”

  She peeked over. That cozy shot of her on the sofa, smiling at him with Sasha in her arms felt like years ago.

  “Why this shot?” He had explained but her mind was a blur.

  “Because you look like...yourself.” Jackson stowed his phone away.

  “What?” He wasn’t making sense and she was getting mad.

  The bell rang again. Did Jackson give an irritated twitch? “You look like a girl any man would like to get to know,” he said softly.

  A girl. The girl he’d known forever. For some reason she wasn’t quick to point out that she was a woman. Right now she wanted to be that girl. Back then. When life was simple.

  They’d reached the hallway and she gripped the doorknob. The cool brass helped clear her mind. “Thanks for coming over. I appreciate it.” She did need help with this online dating thing. How could she trust her own judgment after Eric?

  “So you want to be my advisor?” she asked, only half kidding.

  Jackson’s face lightened. “I’d be happy to help. In fact, I’d be relieved.”

  “I suppose you know all about dating in this county.”

  Emily opened the door and Jackson stooped to tug on his boots. “I wouldn’t say that. I'm not an expert or anything.”

  “You found Victoria.”

  “I also found Elise.” With quick jerks, he laced his boots tight. “Victoria and I ran into each other at the Chamber. Think I mentioned that.”

  Maybe he’d only been here for twenty minutes but her whole world had tilted since he’d arrived. She opened the door to her landing, and Jackson started down the steps. Looking back, he nearly tripped on the last three stairs.

  “Thanks for your help,” she said, leaning against the wall that needed fresh paint. When he pushed open the door below, a cool spring breeze tunneled up the stairs.

  “Let me know when your ad goes live. I’ll check it out.”

  “Right.” She pictured Victoria cuddling next to him while they surfed the net.

  And wouldn’t you know? While he was lounging in the doorway, Victoria appeared, a swath of golden hair falling over one shoulder. She wore four-inch heels and carried a designer bag. Her slacks and top didn’t come from Coralee’s. “There you are. What were you doing?” Her eyes swept up the stairs, widening when she saw Emily.

  “I’m helping Emily with a few things. Remember Emily Sommers from the hardware store?”

  “Yes. Of course.” Her smile hardened. Emily nearly busted out laughing.

  “You’re going to be neighbors. Emily has the apartment upstairs.”

  Shock shrank her greenish eyes to pinpoints. “I thought the building was all storage.”

  Oh, good. Emily figured she’d be out on her ear fast.

  “Nope, it’s a cute place. You two should get to know each other.”

  “Great idea.” And she smiled so wide that Emily was surprised her cheeks didn’t crack. Then she tugged Jackson from the doorway. “We have things to go over. Nice seeing you, Emily.”

  “Good-bye, you two.” Emily waved. Victoria nearly clipped Jackson in the shoulder, shutting that heavy door on his attempt to wave.

  Feeling like she’d been run over by a garbage truck or two, Emily dragged herself back inside. Sitting in the kitchen doorway, Sasha eyed her somberly, as if she knew something wasn’t right.

  “This is not good news, Sasha.” Her cat seemed to agree. Pets have a way of looking at you, like they know that you’re hurting. Fingers numb, Emily unrolled the bag of cat food and trickled a handful of dry kernels into the cat bowl. “It’s just you and me, girl.”

  Taking some bowls from the sink, she rinsed them and carefully put them in the dishwasher. Munching on her cat food, Sasha glanced up once in a while, her eyes almost as blue as Jackson’s.

  But Emily didn’t want to think about Jackson’s eyes or any other part of him. Lifting the cover of the slow cooker, she gave her chili a good stir. The spicy aroma tantalized her. She’d forgotten to offer any to Jackson.

  Taking some plastic storage containers from a cupboard, she filled two of them with the remaining chili and stuck them in the freezer. Glancing at her phone, she saw the morning was moving right along. Time to get to work. Going into her office she sat in front of her laptop. The cursor blinked on the empty screen. She tapped her fingers on the keyboard. Working might block out what had just happened.

  Why hadn’t Minerva let her know she’d sold the building? Things had been crazy since Emily moved in. In addition to unpacking and settling in, she’d been so busy with her blog and menus for new clients. Clicking on her Inbox, she scrolled down. Her heart sank. At the end at least fifty emails hadn’t been opened and they were all from about two weeks ago. One was from Minerva.

  Hi Emily, Hope you are enjoying the apartment. I loved it but of course, I was usually downstairs. Wanted to let you know that the building has been sold but don’t worry. Victor Pomeroy assured me that you could stay on as a tenant for at least five years. I hope that suits you. Love, Minerva.

  Victoria’s father now owned this property. With a sinking heart, Emily closed her Inbox. How much bad news could a woman stand in one day? Then it hit her. What if Bryn heard about the first floor space being rented from someone else? She’d be crushed. Grabbing her jean jacket, Emily slipped on her shoes and took her car keys from the hook.

  Before she left, she peeked out the back window. Her Toyota sat there alone. Good. Irritation prickled over her skin. No way did she want to run into Victoria all the time. What a pain. Her legs feeling like concrete, she went downstairs. Something smelled different and she sniffed. Jackson. She wound her fingers around the handrail. The darn stairwell smelled like him, that combination of soap and working man.

  Oh, save me.

  Loosen your fingers, Emily.

  Slipping outside, she closed and locked the door. Then she took a deep, cleansing breath. But spring didn’t hang in the air anymore. The air didn’t feel as fresh. The birds weren’t singing and the trees were dry sticks waiting for spring. Car keys in her pocket, she decided to walk. She needed the exercise. All the way over to Bryn’s, she thought about ways to break the news.

  Humming some happy tune to herself, Bryn was working on a flower arrangement when Emily burst through the door. She looked up. When Bryn smiled, her eyes turned into smiley f
aces. And she smiled a lot. “Hey, Emily. What are you doing here?”

  One look at Emily’s face and Bryn’s smile faded. “Oh, my gosh. What happened? Are your parents all right?”

  “No, no. It’s not my folks.” Emily struggled to reassure her friend. Since Bryn had lost her own parents in that terrible accident, she always went to that dark place when confronted with bad news. Emily took a seat on a stool at Bryn’s work table. “They’re fine. That’s not what this is about.”

  Picking up a loose fern, Emily played with it. This shop smelled heavenly, which made her heart squeeze even tighter. All these wonderful earthy smells could have been wafting through her windows and doors daily. “I heard some news this morning and I thought you should know about it.”

  “Okay, out with it.” Bryn put down her green florist tape. “What could be so serious? You’re not thinking of moving back to the city, are you?”

  “No, never.” Emily twirled the frond in her fingers. “Nothing like that. This is about the first floor of my building.”

  “Oh, that.” Bryn waved a hand. “I knew that was coming. The realtor wouldn’t take me through because it had already been ‘nailed down,’ whatever that means. Who’s the lucky tenant?” Her tawny brows arched.

  “Victoria Pomeroy is taking over the space below me.”

  Bryn’s eyes widened. “Victoria?”

  “Do you believe it? And that shop was so perfect for you. For us, darn it.”

  By that time the floral arrangement had been pushed aside. When Bryn gave her a hug, she smelled like lilies of the valley. “It’s all right, Emily. Sure, it would have been great to be just a few steps away. But maybe something else will open up on the square. You know how things go. Right now some shop owner might be planning on moving.”

  Probably not, but that was Bryn, always seeing the sunny side of things. “I sure hope so.” She gripped Bryn’s arm encircling her shoulder.

  “What’s she putting in there?” Bryn asked.

  “A pantry, so it probably has something to do with food.”

  Eyes softening, her friend pushed back. “Hey, you didn’t have to come all the way over here to tell me. You could have called. I mean, you’ve got work to do.”

  “But I care about this,” Emily blurted out. “You’re my friend. That’s why I came back here. To be with people who care.”

  “Oh, sugga.” Bryn pulled her back into a hug. “That is so sweet. And I’m grateful you’re here for me. But I think you want, well, someone besides your girlfriends.”

  “I’m trying.” She had to get back to that ad.

  “How do you feel about Victoria opening a shop right below you?” Pulling back, Bryn turned serious eyes on her. “I mean, you’ll probably see her every day.”

  The thought cut off her air for a second. “I know. And Jackson. He’s helping her get set up, I guess. Jackson is in business with Victor Pomeroy.”

  “No kidding?” Bryn squinched her lips to one side. “That’s amazing.”

  “And strange and awful.” Emily had to come to terms with this latest development.

  Going back around the counter, Bryn returned to her project. “So how’s your ad going?”

  Her ad. Right. She had to keep that front and center. Then she wouldn’t have time to obsess about Victoria’s venture. “Okay, I guess. Jackson is helping me with the copy. And the picture. That’s why he stopped over today.”

  “You mean, that’s the excuse he gave for visiting. Come on, Emily.” Bryn gave a cute shake of her head.

  “It’s not like that. I just wanted the male point of view.”

  “Right. And he offered to do that.” A suspicious smile tilted Bryn’s lips. “You’ll have an expert’s opinion. He sure is all male.”

  “Bryn!” This was so not like her.

  “I’m just tugging your chain.” Bryn spun the arrangement around. “I can do that, can’t I?”

  Emily expelled a ragged breath. “Sorry. Guess I’m feeling ouchy right now. The Jackson and Victoria thing. And now the personal ad. I’ve never done this before.”

  “That’s because you never had to, sugga.” Her friend’s eyes danced. “Everybody always loved you. In high school, half the track team was out there, watching you run.”

  A hot flush rolled up her face. “Where was I when this was happening?”

  “Running.” Bryn giggled. “You were running like a gazelle. Oh, Josie might have been out in front of you, but you had your own style. So now let Jackson help you catch a man. The right guy. Someone who will appreciate you.”

  “It’s just a single’s ad. That’s all.”

  “Right. And obviously it’s something you want to do. So accept his help.” But Bryn’s attention had drifted to the arrangement. Emily should probably leave.

  The foam base crackled as Bryn carefully nudged the flowers into place. “This morning the first mother turtle made the journey across my yard. My neighbor Nanny Barfield called me. Of course I hurried home to dig up the eggs. Just flipped that Open sign to Closed.” She motioned toward the sign that always hung on her glass door.

  Eggs. Mrs. Barfield. “Sorry, Bryn, honey. But I do not know what you are talking about.”

  Bryn gave a soft smile. “Oh, of course. Where’s my head? You haven’t been around. It’s a project I’ve taken on. Did you know the Diamondback turtles are almost extinct in this area?”

  Sometimes Emily thought Bryn had taken leave of her senses. “No,” she said slowly. “I did not.”

  “Well, they are. And it’s so terribly sad.” Turning, she grabbed a brochure from under the counter and shoved it across the counter. “They need our help, sugga.”

  Emily turned the brochure over in her hands. Right now it was hard to care about turtles when her own world felt shaky.

  “Y’all come over to the house, sweetie, and I’ll explain.”

  “Sounds good. Guess I’ll let you get back to work. My blog is in need of some serious attention.”

  Turning, Bryn gave her a quick hug. “Talk to you soon.”

  Walking home, Emily felt relieved that Bryn had taken the news this well. When she reached the apartment, the parking lot was still empty. She unlocked the lower door. It was hard to imagine Victoria coming in and out of the door next to hers. Emily liked the building like this––quiet and deserted. She trudged up the stairs. Jackson’s scent had grown weaker. Her disappointment surprised her. When she opened her door, the smell of chili still clung. She wondered what wonderful scents would drift upstairs once Victoria began cooking for her pantry. Somehow it was hard to picture Victoria in an apron.

  In all her blonde beautifulness, she didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would pull together a basic dish like chili. Not a one-pot girl. No, Victoria was more a multiple course queen. Her blog popped into mind. Hanging up her coat, she felt her mind click into gear.

  When the muse struck, she listened. The blog post came flying from Emily’s fingers. The wonders of the one-pot dinner. Check your kitchen shelves. Healthy beans that would add up to a tasty pot of smothered chicken. Sometimes things that don’t seem to go together, like corn and beans or tomato sauce and cinnamon, turn out great. First, brown your chicken. The words seemed to write themselves as she took readers through the process of sautéing the onions, breading and browning the chicken. Within thirty minutes she’d finished her entry and posted it.

  Her ad for Lowcountry Singles? That took two hours. And in the process, Emily seriously depleted her supply of frozen chocolate kisses.

  Chapter 9

  Hammers pounded and saws whined, searing every nerve in Emily’s body. The work on Victoria’s Pantry had begun. Poor Sasha hid under Emily’s bed. “It’s just the workmen and they’re not coming up here with those noisy tools.” Emily tried to soothe her nervous kitty. Eventually, Sasha crept out to take up her station at the back windows. Her tail flicked as she watched workmen fill a dumpster with carpeting.

  Emily knew just how she felt.


  The next time Emily, Josie and Bryn walked, they skirted the town square. The white red poppy camellias had given way to bushes of lush pink camellias that almost looked like roses. The sun was gaining strength and the air felt warmer with the crisp edge of spring. In the hot, humid days of July, they’d wish for this cool walking weather.

  “Do you see Victoria’s new sign?” Emily pointed ahead.

  “Not subtle is she?” Josie muttered.

  “Oh my.” Bryn’s steps slowed. The reality of Victoria’s project might be more upsetting than just hearing about her plans. A bright purple sign was positioned diagonally across the empty window.

  “Let’s see what it says.” Emily’s forehead pulsed as they drew closer. Coming soon! Victoria’s Pantry! All three groaned.

  “A crew has been working like crazy,” Emily told them. “Victoria comes and goes.”

  Their reflections beamed back at them from the pristine window. Bryn’s disappointed expression made Emily’s heart hurt.

  “This could’ve been mine,” her friend murmured in a tiny voice. “All mine.”

  “There are plenty of stores on this square. Things change all the time.” Somehow Emily got those words out.

  To think that Jackson was somehow involved in Victoria’s new venture left a sour taste in her mouth. His explanation had puzzled Emily. How long had he been in business with Victor Pomeroy? That mansion out in the country still appeared in her dreams. And those cars? They just weren’t Jackson. He was hiding something from her, but what? And why?

  “Looks like these windows were just cleaned.” Josie rested her fingertips on the shiny surface and pressed.

  “Right.” Did Emily even want to see how beautiful this might become?

  Didn’t matter if the glass had been freshly washed, the three of them flattened their noses against the glass. The smudges gave them some satisfaction.

  “Will you just look at that carpet? What a luscious shade of green. Perfect for my flower shop.” Disappointment muffled Bryn’s words. The dull gray carpet patched with duct tape had been replaced by a muted green that matched the artificial moss in Bryn’s arrangements.