Chapter 10
10
[Judd]
A fter apologizing profusely to Genie for the demand— er, request —to attend the weekly family meal, we eat the French toast and fresh fruit I’ve prepared for her.
I’ve rarely made an appearance at the meal every Sunday that my eldest brother established as a weekly check-in on the siblings he was raising. By the time Stone took over the family, I was in college and not involved in this system of checks and balances. Balancing schedules and finances. Checking homework and work calendars. My oldest brother gave up a lot and I hate to disappoint him, especially when Clay tossed in that Stone would really like to see me.
My family. I swear they are worse than a bunch of old ladies sometimes. And the rumor mill is circulating fast with this new news.
I can picture the headline. Judd Sylver is engaged, but who’s the girl?
She’s still a mystery to me, as well, but I want to learn all I can, and I’m a little disgruntled I’m giving up precious time with Genie to be with my family. Then again, Genie is going with me, and I’ve never taken anyone else home. Ever.
“To be fair, my family might have already heard our news.” I have a fiancée . “Because rumors and small towns.”
“Such a nasty combination,” Genie chides, tucking her chin onto her fist as she sits along the side of the island while I sit at the end, so we are perpendicular to one another. I like this position because I can see her when she talks and hear the little hums she makes with every bite she takes of what I made for her.
“So, we can just set them straight,” she adds.
“Or . . .” I clear my throat. “We could continue the ruse. Ten days, remember?”
“Yes but dating and being engaged are not the same thing,” Genie counters.
“No,” I draw out, then think quick on my feet. “And you’re against marriage, but what if you give me these ten days to prove it might not be so bad? Engagement is the middle ground between dating and marriage anyway.”
“Like purgatory is between heaven and hell?” she quips.
“Assuming marriage is heaven.” Dating can be hell. “Ten days of engagement to prove you are worth more.” And ten days to show her who I am now.
Genie blinks, staring at me like I’ve said something that isn’t possibly true. And that look is exactly what I want to wipe from her face.
“How would we play this with your family, then?”
“I’ll figure something out.” Because right now I’m too wrapped up in her agreeing with me, and sitting across from me, and staring occasionally at my mouth.
Genie clears her throat, breaking this magnetic spell between us. “So, let me get this straight.” She pauses to take a bite of French toast. “Stone is the oldest, and the sheriff.”
I sigh in relief at the change in topic. “Yes.”
She waves her fork in the air. “Then Clay, who runs the Sylver Seed & Soil. Then you.”
I nod and take another bite of French toast.
“Then after you is Knox. The firefighter.”
“And a bricklayer with the Seed & Soil. He specializes in designing patios and retaining walls.”
Genie makes a face like she’s impressed, and I wonder if she’d be impressed by the garden I have on the side of my house.
“Then Ford. Baseball player.”
“Former centerfielder for the Chicago Anchors.”
Wow , Genie mouths. “Then Sebastian, who runs Curmudgeon Bakery. I love that name.”
“He’s very . . . curmudgeonly. Well, he was until he married Enya.” What a miraculous shift from grumpy Sebastian to a sunnier one. Is that all it took to absolve the hurts of the past? The love of a good woman?
“Huh. It might run in the family,” she teases, arching a brow.
“I’m not a curmudgeon.”
“Oh, please. You had this whole broody, soulful poet vibe going on in high school.”
I choke. “I didn’t have anything going on in high school. I was a loner.” And a loser according to a few people. My head was always down in a book, and I kept to myself.
“But you were part of Math Club.”
I don’t know how many truths Genie can handle in a day. I can’t believe I’ve already admitted I have the same notebook she had when she was a child. I’d rediscovered it stashed in my dresser at Stone’s house years later when I officially moved out.
Then the tattoo which is a constant reminder of what she asked me.
One look also told her I attended the garden party to see her.
Not certain I have much pride left, so I decide to just let it all hang out. “I followed a girl into a classroom after school one day and suddenly I was a member.”
Genie’s face goes blank. “What girl?”
I tilt my head, implying the obvious. “What were you doing in Math Club?”
She blinks a few times and then clears her throat. “I needed extra credit in Geometry.”
“From Mr. Martin?”
“Exactly.” She points her fork at me. “Math and I are not friends. Neither were Mr. Martin and me.”
I huff. “Didn’t all the girls have the hots for him?” He’d been a young guy teaching math to high school girls only a few years younger than him.
“Not me.” Genie fakes a gag. “So back to your family, who did I leave out?”
“Vale. My sister is the youngest.” Vale tries so hard to keep me in the family fold, like she’s the mother hen when she’s the baby chick. “She’s a physical therapist. And a single mom.”
From there, I detail all my nieces and nephews, who goes with whom, and who has life partners.
“Stone, Vale, and you are the only ones single.”
I nod toward her left hand. “I’m not single. For ten days, at least.” I’m holding true to my promise which reminds me Genie never answered my note. The one she clutched in her hand, hellbent on wanting answers until Clay’s call interrupted us.
I swallow thickly and set down my fork. Pushing my plate away from me, I fold my arms on the island. “You didn’t answer my question. From my note.”
Genie stares at me. Her eyes are so expressive. The brown color is rich but not deep with flecks of gold that sparkle when the light hits just right. Fireflies in the night .
She sits taller on the stool and sets down her fork. Mirroring my position, she pushes her plate back as well.
“I check yes, Judd.” Yes, to dating me for ten days. But then, her gaze lingers on me, like she wants to tell me more. Like she is telling me more, but I’ll never master mental telepathy.
Instead, I just stare back at her, this weird tension building between us. A vibe I don’t recognize, but don’t mind. In fact, the energy seems to fuel me. Or it might be the sensual pull I feel toward her. From the moment I saw her in that yellow contraption I’ve had a hard-on. It might have happened sooner except for the ice pooling in my lap when I saw her in the bakery.
Then I consider seeing her with that douchebag Ralson outside The Boxer. I haven’t asked her about him. It was clear she wasn’t leaving with him that night, much to my relief. I wanted to go home with her. To follow her. To hang out with her. But she was gone in an instant. Like the firefly I first thought of upon seeing her. Flickering bright for only a flash and then disappearing back into the dark.
“Done?” I nod toward her plate, dispelling the momentary sizzle between us because I’m growing hard just looking at her and my gray sweatpants hide nothing. If I thought I’d get away with it, I’d clear these plates in one swoop, pull her up on the island, and make a meal of her.
But patience will be required when it comes to Genie. I owe her time, and while I don’t have much, I don’t want to waste any of it, which is another reason I do not want to go to my brother’s later today.
“We don’t really have to go to Stone’s, if you don’t want to.” I stand and reach for Genie’s plate.
She grabs it back from me. “I’m not done.” Her eyes meet mine for a second. Another flash of gold in them before she looks away. “And going to your brother’s is fine. It might be fun. And I’m curious about all your secrets.”
She hums humorously, but the last thing I want Genie to know is all my secrets.
When I enter the great room after cleaning up breakfast and giving Genie and me both time to shower, separately unfortunately, I find her standing with her back to the room. She’s admiring the view of the lake again, and I’m admiring her.
She turns and my breath hitches.
“Do I look okay?”
“You look pretty.” The words are not adequate. The sunlight is filtering into the room, haloing her in a warm glow. Although magical and bright, the moment is more than her appearance. There’s a sense of rightness to Genie standing here, in my house. Like she’s the remaining piece of a puzzle I’ve struggled to put together on my own.
She feels like home, and a sensation I haven’t felt for a long, long time returns to me. One I’m not ready to define for fear Genie won’t feel the same way. Thus, the need for more time.
Genie pulls at the sides of her dress, looking down at herself and distracting me from my thoughts. The Kelly-green skirt with small polka dots flares from her hips. The strapless dress is more flattering than the yellow thing she wore only yesterday. It accentuates her curves, making her breasts look even more voluptuous.
I’m in so much trouble.
“You clean up nice, too.” She glances up at me.
I scoff at my dark jeans and an untucked dress shirt. It’s been forever since I’ve attended a Sunday dinner, I honestly didn’t know what to wear. I’d ask if I met her approval, but the way she’s looking at me, my cheeks heat. She has no idea what she does to me when she looks at me like that. How it gives me hope, a feeling I don’t think I’ve ever fully experienced.
“Shall we?” She waves toward the garage, breaking the spell.
When we enter, she takes in my motorcycle, pickup truck, and the Ford.
“What is that ?” Genie stares at the shiny black, mean machine.
“A GT500 Ford Shelby.” A total impulse buy, but I love my toys.
“Can I drive it?” Her eyes are wide as she glances back at me. Then she pouts her lips and folds her hands beneath her chin, batting her eyelids.
Oh my God, how can I say no to her?
I turn for the lock box of keys just inside the door and then toss the Ford set to her. The keys fall at her feet and Genie bursts into laughter. “I swear I don’t drive as bad as I catch.”
“You didn’t catch them at all,” I remind her, my mouth pulling up on one side. She’s so adorable and refreshing. Fucking thunderstorm in a summer draught refreshing. “And I’m a little worried about your eye-hand coordination.”
“Why?”
“It’s a manual.” When she tilts her head, I clarify by motioning my hand like I’m working a gear shift. “Stick shift.”
“Ugh.” She drops her head back. “Okay, you can drive.” She stomps her feet as she moves toward me with the keys in hand, and I want to pull her in for a hug. I want to press her to me and kiss her head, then move on to her lips, and her throat and that cleavage.
“Judd.”
I snap out of it as Genie dangles the keys in front of me. “Our chariot awaits.”
“Well, you did have that whole princess thing going on yesterday.”
I’d like to promise I’d treat her like a queen, if she’d only give me the chance.