41. Coraline
41
CORALINE
Jasper grins and unmutes the phone. “Ma, meet Coraline. Coraline, meet my mother, Jane Devereaux.”
He leans over, angling the camera so I’m in the frame. And I get my first glimpse of Jasper’s stunning mother. She doesn’t look a day over forty, dressed in a black blouse with a high collar and diamond gold earrings in her ears. Her glowy, fair skin and sleek black hair, styled in a longer bob. Her dark brown eyes almost sparkle as we regard each other.
“Oh, my, Jasper. You punched up, son,” she murmurs with a smirk.
It’s the same smirk I see mirrored on the man next to me. The kind of smile that says I know something you don’t, and I’m enjoying the hell out of this.
Yeah, I definitely like her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Devereaux.”
“Oh, please call me Jane,” she says with an absent wave of her hand. “So tell me, Coraline, what do you do?”
My shoulders tense. I wasn’t expecting her to ask me that, even though I should have. It’s like the first thing anyone asks when they meet someone new. I’m proud of Sugarplum Bakery, and I love what I do. But I’ve had a lot of disapproving frowns to last me a lifetime.
I smile, but it feels all wrong, brittle around the edges. “I own a bakery.”
Her face lights up with genuine interest. “Ooh, that’s so fun. Where is it? Avalon Falls? I’ll have to stop in next time I’m visiting.”
Some of the tension leaves my shoulders at her easy acceptance. “Of course. You’re always welcome. I’m only open for custom orders right now, but I’m happy to show it to you.”
“Don’t let that fool you, Ma, she built an entire community around her socials. She’s got like a million followers, and they’re all active as hell on her posts.”
“Shh, no one likes a stalker, son,” his mom chastises.
I laugh, feeling a warmth spread through me. Jasper’s mom seems kind and welcoming, and it’s strangely comforting to be included in this little charade.
“Jesus, Ma, no one is stalking anymore,” Jasper says, exasperation tugging his shoulders toward his ears.
I look at him, amusement dancing in my veins like popping candy. “I mean, you definitely kind of do.”
He stares at me, his brows arching toward his hairline again. “You trying to rat me out to my ma?” He shakes his head, but his smile grows wide. “That’s cold, baby.”
His mom hums like she’s pleased about something. “Well, I won’t keep you two. Coraline, it was lovely meeting you. And I hope to see you next time I’m in Avalon Falls.”
“It was so nice to meet you, too.” I hold up my hand and wiggle my fingers in goodbye.
“I’ll talk to you later, Ma,” Jasper says, angling the phone squarely back on him.
“I like her, son. So you better treat her right. Take her on proper dates, none of that grab a drink at the local watering hole shit. I mean fancy dinners and nights at the theater.”
“Oh my god, Ma, you have got to stop watching those reality dating shows. Having dinner on the top of the Eiffel Tower is not what normal people do on dates.”
She sniffs, and I imagine her giving him a droll look. “Well, they got married in the end, and you’re currently unwed, so I guess it worked for him, didn’t it?”
Jasper drags his hand over his face as the doorbell rings. “Love you, Ma. I’ll talk to you later, yeah? I gotta run.”
I sit up, my attention snapping to the front door and then back to Jasper. “Are you expecting anyone?” I murmur quietly.
He nods and pushes off the couch, heading toward the front door.
“Alright, love you my only son.”
The call ends as he opens the front door. I can’t see who it is from this angle, so I scoot over to kneel on the other side of the couch for a better vantage point. It’s Hawke. What’s he doing here?
Their conversation is hushed, their heads close together. I try not to let the paranoia win, but I can’t help it if I’m a naturally curious person. I stroll toward the front door, not trying to be quiet, but not trying to be loud either. I can’t help it if I overhear something.
Jasper claps Hawke on the back and turns toward me with a brown paper back. He stops when he spots me a few feet behind him. “Sneaking up on me, baby?”
I fold my arms across my chest and nod toward the brown paper bag. “What’s that?”
Hawke pokes his head around Jasper, grinning widely. “Crazy to find you here, Carter.”
I tilt my head to the side and regard him. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
His grin widens further, excitement brightening his eyes. “Lookin’ good today, Carter. Really went for that minimalist chic shit I hear so much about, yeah?”
I glance down at myself, suddenly aware that I’m still wearing Jasper’s oversized tee in the middle of his foyer. The hem brushes the tops of my thighs, so it’s basically a dress.
“I’m not surprised you’re into it. The girls and I thought you might’ve been allergic to shirts at one point,” I tease with an exaggerated shrug.
“You hear that, Jagger? Your girl’s been watchin’ me,” Hawke taunts, giving me that bedroom-eyed look of his.
Jasper steps in front of him, blocking his view of me. “Get out.”
“Bro,” Hawke protests with a laugh, trying to lean around him.
Jasper stops him with a hand to his chest. “Thanks for the update and the food. Time to go. My girl and I are busy.”
“Damn, Jagger. When did you get so cold,” Hawke teases, letting Jasper nudge him out the front door. “Later, Carter.”
“Hawke.” I dip my head toward him, not that he can see me through Jasper acting as a wall between us.
Jasper shuts the door, flicks the lock, and stalks toward me. He crowds my space with an arm on either side of my head. He twirls a lock of hair between two fingers and leans into me. “What did I say about flirting with my boys, baby?” His voice has that faux innocence right now, the tone too deep to be convincing though.
I swallow as a bolt of lust shoots straight to my core. “I wasn’t flirting. I was saying hi.”
“Then I guess I’m editing our rules, baby. Rule number six: no saying hi to any Reapers but me.”
I roll my eyes at his absurdity. “That’s not a rule. You can’t control who I say hi to, Jasper. If you’re jealous, then why don’t you just say that.”
“I’m fucking jealous,” he says instantly.
I’m shocked speechless for a moment. I wasn’t expecting him to actually say it. I thought he was just, I don’t know, joking or something.
I shake my head. “There’s no reason to be jealous.”
“Doesn’t work that way, Coraline.”
I don’t know what the fuck is going on with me, but somehow I’ve entered this weird time space continuum or an alternate universe, because a month ago, I would’ve told you that any pet name from him would sound weird, like a too-small wool sweater. And now, it feels fucking uncomfortable when he doesn’t call me baby.
I don’t like it.
I push onto my toes and grab his bottom lip between my teeth. I don’t bite hard, just a little nip to snap him back. “I’ll remind you if you ask me nicely. But first, let’s eat. And maybe start that movie over again because I definitely slept through the whole thing.”
I settle back onto my feet and he closes his eyes on a long exhale. He places a kiss along the top of my head and pushes off the wall. “C’mon, baby. Let’s eat before our food gets cold.”
I follow him to the table between the kitchen and the living room. There’s a comfortable silence between us as we sit down and eat, a different movie playing softly in the background. It’s nice, this feeling of ease and familiarity. I glance over at Jasper, catching him watching me with a small smile.
“What?” I ask, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.
“I’m glad you’re here. And thanks for talking to my mom earlier.”
I smile, feeling a warm flutter in my chest. “I’m glad too, and your mom is great. I might have to get her number from you, so I can chat with her. I bet she has some amazing stories to tell about little Jasper.”
“Don’t even fucking think about it, baby,” he warns, but there’s no heat it in.
We continue eating, the conversation flowing easily between us. We talk about everything and nothing. It’s light and easy, the kind of conversation that makes you forget about time.
As we finish our food, I glance out the window at the sun dipping below the top of the trees across the lake. I lean back, a playful smirk on my lips. “You know, it’s getting pretty dark. Visibility is probably terrible for motorcycles. We should probably wait until morning to bring me back to my car.”
Jasper raises an eyebrow, catching the playful glint in my eye. “Is that so?”
I nod, trying to keep a straight face. “Yep. Safety first and all.”
He chuckles, setting his empty container aside. “Guess you’ll have to stay the night, then.”
“Guess so,” I agree, unable to hide my smile.
I’m not ready to stop pretending yet. I want one more night with Jasper Devereaux before we have to go back to our regularly scheduled lives and all its problems.