Ten
J essica was stressed. No, she was more than stressed. Stressed was when she had to show up with her mother on the red carpet and she knew people would question why a grown-ass woman was still tagging along with her mom to work.
This was beyond that.
Maybe it wasn’t the smartest to keep this thing with Vini going. Sure, it had helped to pass the time the past two weeks, and she had yet to get bored around the other woman, despite still not being able to answer how much oil a car should have, but still. The multiple orgasms couldn’t make up for the fact that Jessica had been invited to a holiday with the family of the woman she was secretly boning. This had to be the Guinness World Record for the Worst Idea in the History of Bad Ideas. Yet, it still didn’t explain why Grace was trying to rush her along to get dressed. Was Jessica being punked?
“Why the hell are you still in pajamas?”
“Because they’re comfortable.” Jessica gestured to her frame and the dark gray sweats and top she had on. “Plus I look good in gray, and you know it.”
Grace waved her off before walking over to Jessica’s suitcase and flipping it open. “You look good in everything. Still doesn’t explain why the hell you aren’t dressed.” She lifted a teal blouse out of the suitcase and tilted her head before throwing it Jessica’s way. “Put this on. It looks good against your skin.”
Jessica caught the garment with a huff. “I know it does. That’s why I bought it.” When Grace threw a pair of dark-wash jeans at her, she snatched them out of the air before they could hit the floor. “What the hell, Grace? I hadn’t planned doing much of anything today so I could rest up for our trip to Miami this weekend. What’s the big deal?”
Grace turned to her, hands planted on her hips. Her expression was one Jessica was sure her students saw a lot of. It said no nonsense , but Jessica had always been a terrible student. She tossed the clothes onto the unmade bed. Grace’s eyes glittered as her lips turned down in a scowl.
“Pick up those clothes, take a shower and get your ass dressed. You are coming to this meal if I have to carry you out myself.”
“You can’t possibly expect me to go,” Jessica said her voice rising slightly. When Vini had mentioned it to her last week, Jessica was shocked. She had mumbled noncommittally before diving back into a kiss to keep Vini from mentioning it again. They had seen each other every other day since then, but Vini hadn’t brought it up again, so Jessica took it as a fluke. It wasn’t that she wasn’t appreciative. She was. Southern hospitality had definitely been a real and present thing since coming to Peach Blossom, and if the invitation had come from any of the other random townspeople, Vini would have entertained it in the spirit of niceness it was offered. But this was Vini. She and Vini were casually fucking. There was no way she could show up to Vini’s house and sit there in front of her family like she didn’t know exactly what it sounded like when Vini cried out her name or the way her eyelids fluttered when she was about to come.
No, showing up could only lead to trouble.
“I don’t even know them,” Jessica emphasized. This wasn’t like hanging out with Grace’s parents. She had known them for years, and they always invited her to spend time with them when she was stateside. The only thing she really knew about Vini’s family was that they didn’t really know about her and that they were all overprotective. “Isn’t it rude as a guest to invite a guest?”
“You were invited already,” Grace countered.
“But I didn’t say I was going,” Jessica pointed out, hoping that would be enough to end the conversation. Her hopes were dashed when Grace’s phone rang and she answered it.
“Hey, babe,” Grace said her dark brown eyes never leaving Jessica. “Yeah, I’m here picking her up. She’s stressing out about what to wear.”
Jessica could faintly hear laughing on the other end of the line followed by some muffled words. She could only assume Grace was talking to Ava. Knowing that Vini wasn’t the only one asking after her was enough to make her feel slightly guilty. She had been operating off the idea that Vini was only inviting her because of their meetups. But what if it wasn’t even her to begin with? What if her family was genuinely trying to be nice? Jessica knew it was rude to not accept kindness when offered, especially given she was alone in town. Maybe Vini’s family just didn’t want to leave her at the inn.
Grace’s chuckling brought Jessica out of her head and dropped her arms by her sides. “All right, I’ll tell her. We should be there within the hour. Yeah, you too.” After Grace hung up, she raised an eyebrow at Jessica. “See? The Williamses want you to come. Ava said they felt bad since they had invited me and didn’t realize you would have been all alone for the day. They’re good people.”
“I never said they weren’t,” Jessica protested. She turned and looked out the window as she tried to figure out what to say that wouldn’t give away the real reason she was so resistant to going. “I just didn’t want to overstep.”
Grace shook her head, her smile small and gentle. She walked over to Jessica and put her hands on Jessica’s shoulders. “You wouldn’t be. And besides, you would be doing me a favor. This will be the first holiday I’ve spent with Ava and her family. Having you there would keep me from being so nervous.”
That was news to Jessica. She hadn’t realized that she might not be the only one worried about the dinner. When she looked closer, she could see the strain in Grace’s face: she was worried. Jessica didn’t understand why. From everything Vini had mentioned, Grace was well-liked by her sisters and dad. But, if it made Grace feel better to have her there, Jessica could suck up her discomfort for one night. It would probably keep her mother off her back too if Jessica told her she was spending Thanksgiving with a family in town rather than in her suite by herself.
With a groan of defeat, Jessica gave in. “You so owe me for this.”
Grace smiled wide. “Do this for me and you can have my first born.”
“Absolutely not. I demand gold bars and diamonds for my service.” Jessica shrugged her hands off and grabbed the clothes from her bed. Grace’s laughter followed her into the bathroom, cutting off when she pushed the door shut behind her.
It wasn’t until they were pulling into the Williamses’ driveway that Jessica felt the cold grip of panic set in again. With each crunch of rock under her footsteps, she felt more and more like she was being escorted to her doom. Vini’s sisters would take one look at her and know that Jessica had been tapping their sister. She could already hear the accusations now. She braced herself as Grace rang the doorbell.
The door opened, and Jessica looked down at the child who welcomed them. He was a cute kid, coming up past Grace’s waist. His skin was a deep brown, and his eyes were familiar. He was dressed down in a Black Panther hoodie and jeans, making Jessica feel more comfortable about her own outfit. He darted forward giving Grace a tight hug before pushing them into the house.
“We’re waiting for you guys,” he said. “Mom wouldn’t let me grab a bite, even though Grandpa snuck a roll already.”
“Dad.”
“I was hungry.” An older man shrugged before standing up from his chair and walking toward Grace and Jessica. “Good to see you again, Grace.” He enveloped her in a hug, and Jessica tried not to stare around him to where Vini was sitting at the large family dining table.
Grace hugged him back before pulling away and gesturing at Jessica. “Mr. Williams, this is my best friend, Jessica Miller. Jessica, this is Ava’s dad, Mr. Williams.”
He shook his head. “I told you to call me Daniel. Mr. Williams makes me feel old.” Jessica snorted before her breath was stolen when she was pulled into a strong hug. Daniel didn’t look a day over forty with his deep brown skin and close-cut ebony beard. He was tall and broad, which meant Vini must have gotten her slight stature from her mother. When he took a step back, his smile had a boyish quality that Jessica found charming. It made it impossible to not smile back.
“Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Williams,” she said before holding out a bottle of wine. “I appreciate it.”
“Seriously, you two,” he retorted before waving them to the table. Jessica nodded at Aiden before taking the offered seat beside Vini. She knew it would look weird to not acknowledge the other woman, so she nodded and smiled.
“Hey, Vini. Good to see you again.”
Vini didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered. “Hey, Jess. Glad you decided to join us.”
Jessica nodded at Grace who sat down across the table from her. “That one wouldn’t have let me stay away as it is. She practically busted down my door and dragged me out by my toenails.”
Ava cocked an eyebrow at Jessica’s comment, but the last unfamiliar woman laughed before introducing herself. “That was probably my fault. I’m Dani.” She held out a hand and Jessica shook it. “I chewed her and Ava out about inviting someone who had a guest and not inviting the guest. It’s not how we do things around here.”
“I never said I wasn’t going to invite her,” Ava shot back. She looked back and forth between Jessica and Vini, but Jessica kept her expression neutral. She could handle dinner. Hell, she had gone to acting classes for years. She could play it cool. She was a goddam ice cube. “But I am glad you came. Any friend of Vini and all that.”
Jessica nodded. “Vini has been a great teacher. I think I might actually be ready to change my own tire.”
Everyone else paused for a moment before laughing. Jessica glanced at Vini who was covering her mouth with her hand. She wasn’t sure what the hell was so funny, but whatever it was seemed to break the tension, and Dani lifted the first serving dish, passing it to Jessica.
Conversation was relaxed as they loaded their plates with heaping spoonfuls of corn-bread stuffing, turkey, macaroni and cheese, and some type of green that Jessica couldn’t identify. She’d had plenty of Thanksgiving meals, but usually they were small affairs with her and her parents going out to eat in whatever city they lived in, or visiting Jason and hoping he didn’t get put on call for a shift. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a home-cooked Thanksgiving. At least, not American style. She tried to get back to Korea each year for Chuseok to spend time with her maternal grandparents and cousins, but she usually didn’t help prepare anything. This was a whole new experience for her.
“So Jessica, what is it that you do?” Daniel asked.
“Right now, I’m between contracts, but I do some voice-acting for television shows, commercials and audiobooks.” He nodded, but internally Jessica was waiting for the usual questions of what that meant and if that was really a job. It was usually what her other family members asked as well when they realized she wasn’t on-screen like her mother.
“Sounds like that could be a really interesting job,” he said before taking a bite of turkey and leaving Jessica off-kilter. “Do you do any podcasts?”
She blinked quickly, trying to cover her shock at what seemed like genuine interest in her work. It wasn’t that no one was ever interested. It was just that his acceptance came so easily. When she felt a warmth press against her leg, she glanced over. Vini was smiling softly as she looked down at her plate. No one would have been able to see anything, but that was the unmistakable heat of Vini’s hand on Jessica’s thigh. It didn’t seem to be a move to arouse, and to Jessica’s surprise it didn’t.
It was a comfort. She felt comforted by Vini’s presence, and before she could second-guess herself, she moved her hand down. She covered Vini’s hand with her own and squeezed in thanks. Her eyes drifted away and to her own plate as she covered her smile by taking another bite of food. Despite her initial misgivings, the dinner turned out to be comfortable and easy. It had been a long time since Jessica had ever relaxed with a group of people she hadn’t known closely for at least a few years beforehand. She was so busy musing on it, she didn’t come up for air until she realized she had been conned into washing dishes with Vini standing quietly at her side.
“So...that was a thing,” Jessica said slowly broaching the topic of her presence. “Dinner was pleasant. I enjoyed it.”
Vini glanced at her. “Yeah? It wasn’t too weird for you?”
“Not at all. That was top-five easiest of all dinners I have been to in a long while.” Jessica passed the last dish before rinsing her hands and drying them. She turned and leaned back against the sink as she watched Vini let her words sink in.
She didn’t look at Jessica when she spoke. “This is the first time my family has ever met anyone I was...with.” When she looked up at Jessica finally, her lips were twisted. “Sorry if it seemed so sudden. Dad really was curious to meet you.”
Jessica waved away Vini’s words. “It’s all good. Parents love me.” Vini’s chuckle was soft, and Jessica let it wash over her. She really did enjoy that sound. “Your dad seems like a great guy.”
“He is,” Vini agreed. She finished drying the last plate and set it on the rack beside her before turning to face Jessica fully. She looked soft and relaxed today in jeans and a butter-yellow T-shirt. Her braids were pulled back in one large loose braid, giving Jessica a view of her elegant neck. Jessica’s lips twitched with the desire to brush over that skin just to hear those deep, breathy noises she so loved. “What about your parents? Are they sad you couldn’t go see them?”
The last thing Jessica wanted to do was talk about her parents, but when the sound of laughter drifted in from the other room, she conceded that pulling Vini into a dark corner or an empty bathroom was probably not the best idea.
“Not really,” she replied squeezing the counter in her grip. “I love my parents, but they aren’t really much for holidays. We probably would have ended up eating out or ordering in. This was a much better use of time.”
Vini moved closer, leaving Jessica confused. They both knew that they shouldn’t do anything that might give away what was going on between them, but her ability to deny Vini was rapidly retreating with each inch that seemed to disappear between them. If not for Grace abruptly interrupting their stare-down, Jessica would have taken one for the team.
“Hey, Vini. I think everyone is ready for...” Grace trailed off when Jessica and Vini moved away from one another “...ice cream.”
“Perfect,” Vini said, her voice higher than it had been a few moments before. She walked over to the freezer and pulled out a large tub of Neapolitan ice cream. “I’ve got this and the spoons if you guys will bring the bowls. Grace should know where they are.”
Jessica nodded. “Got it.” She gave Vini a thumbs-up and kept up the pretense until she left the kitchen. “Jesus, Grace. A little warning next time you decide to barge in at a moment’s notice.”
“Warning? Are you kidding me?” Grace’s voice was slightly hysterical, and Jessica waved her arms telling her to quiet down. “What were you two doing, and why were you so close?”
Jessica rolled her eyes and turned to the cabinets to start searching for the bowls. There were only so many places they could be, and it would give her time to figure out what to say to Grace that wasn’t a total fucking lie. She didn’t like lying to Grace, and so she wouldn’t. But she knew she needed to play things just right to keep her high-strung friend from stringing herself into the sky.
“We were just talking,” Jessica replied. She knew Grace would be annoyed at her vague explanation, but she figured it was best to start small and work her way up to the whole truth. “I was thanking her for inviting me, considering the fact that they don’t know me.”
Grace stared at her for a moment, and Jessica could see thoughts swirling behind those dark brown eyes. Jessica knew Grace would eventually realize what was going on, but she wasn’t about to make it easy on her. If she wanted the information, she was going to have to work for it.
“Okay, fine. That still doesn’t explain why you two were standing so close to one another.” Grace paused before her eyes widened. Jessica could see the inevitable end barreling down on her like a locomotive. But she was stuck, nowhere to go even if she wanted to. “No. Jessica.”
“What am I, a dog?”
“No, no, no,” Grace repeated slapping Jessica’s hands away when she tried to quiet her. She grabbed Jessica’s hands and held tightly. “Do not tell me that you have been having sex with Vini. Ava’s sister Vini. Ava’s baby sister Vini.”
Jessica tried to pull away but eventually gave in with a sigh. “Fine. I won’t tell you that I have been having sex with Vini.” When Grace gasped, Jessica sighed again. She really didn’t understand what the big deal was.
“Why the hell would you do that?” Grace hissed, swinging her head around to scan the doorway before looking back at Jessica. “Ava is going to kill me when she finds out.”
“There’s no reason to tell her. Vini and I agreed we want to keep his quiet and just between us,” Jessica insisted, pulling Grace back to her when she made like she was going to leave. It wasn’t a complete lie. They hadn’t totally defined things, but it was more so an understanding between them. “For fuck’s sake, Grace. Vini and I are just having some fun. We won’t even be in town over the weekend, so you can spend that time forgetting all about it and we can move on.”
Grace scowled. “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “No one is getting hurt. We are two grown-ass women who decided we wanted to spend some time together. No fuss, no mess.”
Grace glanced at the doorway when another round of laughter came. “You say that, but I know you. You leave a string of broken hearts wherever you go.”
That stung a little, but not as much as the idea of Vini and being brokenhearted in the same thought. There was no need for all that. She and Vini were on the same page about this. “Not here,” she replied firmly. Jessica paused for a moment before trying another cabinet in her hunt for bowls. She let out a triumphant noise when she saw them and pulled enough out for everyone.
“Jessica—”
“No,” she snapped, clenching her jaw. Jessica could understand why Grace was hesitant, but this didn’t involve her. “Vini and I just want some low-key, drama-free time. That’s it. In four weeks when I leave, we will both part on good terms. I promise you, it’s fine.”
Grace didn’t not look convinced, but Jessica would just have to prove to her how relaxed they were about all this. She and Vini were good. Grace had nothing to worry about.