Chapter 2
Chapter Two
“O kay,” Jordan said as she hit the bottom step, walking into the stifling humidity of Books and Brew. “I just IM’d Gabriel to tell him the AC is on the fritz.”
Stephanie, one of Jordan’s BFFs, fanned herself with a drink menu. “Good. I’m fucking dying in here.”
The bell over the front door jingled as a prospective customer walked in. The older woman paused after only one step and then glanced their way.
Jordan gave the woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry. We’re having some problems with our air conditioning.”
The woman nodded. “Yes. I can feel that.” Turning, she left the store, obviously deciding the brutal heat wave pummeling Portland was preferable to remaining in their oven-like business.
“Hope the repair guy gets here fast. Otherwise we may as well close up shop. That’s the third customer to walk in and right back out. Sort of pointless to stay open.” Stephanie picked up a napkin and wiped the perspiration from her forehead.
Jayne joined them at the bar and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler behind Stephanie. “I suspect the only reason people are out shopping at all today is to find cool air in the stores. There’s no way anyone would come in here to browse. It must be pushing eighty already.”
Jordan glanced at the clock. It was barely eleven a.m. What would the store feel like by mid-afternoon? “Should we close? Call today a wash? Even if the repair guy does show up, chances are good he won’t get the air fixed immediately.”
Stephanie hooted. “Hell yeah! Let’s do it. I’m thinking Grant Pool.”
Jordan shook her head. “Are you nuts? It’ll be packed bumper to butt with bodies.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Who cares? I’m claiming a lounge chair and soaking up some rays. Tired of looking like a vampire.”
Jordan looked at Stephanie’s lightly tanned complexion and sun-streaked brunette hair and rolled her eyes. Her friend was gorgeous. A quick glance at Jayne’s petite figure and blonde hair drove home the fact—once again—that both of her friends were very attractive. Jordan didn’t even let her mind drift to the fourth in their gang of friends. Sophie, the other joint owner of Books and Brew, was breathtakingly beautiful and a social butterfly, which left shy, average Jordan the odd guy out. As always.
She didn’t think she was unattractive, just plain. Brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, medium build. There wasn’t a single feature on her boring body that stood out, that stopped traffic or made men glance in her direction.
Stephanie reached beneath the bar for her purse. “I need to run home and grab a swimsuit. You guys in?”
Jayne nodded. “Yeah. The pool sounds like fun. Want to take one car and stop at my place on the way to yours?”
Stephanie pulled her car keys out of her handbag. “Sure. I’ll drive. How about you, Jordan?”
Jordan crinkled her nose. City pools weren’t her thing. “No thanks. I might hang out here for a bit in case Gabriel emails or calls.”
Stephanie gave her a wicked grin. “If he does call, why not be bold for once and ask the guy out?”
Jayne stepped closer. “I agree with Steph. I mean, if you’re destined to be all hot and sticky today, you might as well get there the fun way. With Gabriel.”
Jordan tried to fight back the blush the mere mention of Gabriel’s name inspired, recalling the red-hot fantasy she had played out in her office this morning. It was a lost cause. Her friends loved to tease her about her fruitless crush on their landlord. Gabriel Lawson was richer than Midas, more handsome than Chris Pratt and the ultimate ladies’ man.
He’d also held her heart in his hand since the first day they met. She’d long ago resigned herself to the idea she and Gabriel would never be more than friends. Gabriel had come to count on her as the one woman who would never hit on him. He was oblivious to her true desires. While being just friends was an annoying position, she didn’t intend to give it up anytime soon. Gabriel had a permanent revolving door when it came to girlfriends. The masochistic part of her took some sick pride in the fact that she was the only one still standing.
Besides, she’d seen the beauties on Gabriel’s arm over the years, and the old Sesame Street song drifted through her mind. She was definitely the one thing unlike all the others. She didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell at capturing his attention, so she maintained her Gabriel worship in secret. Instead of upsetting the norm, she offered him friendly conversation and advice, while casting him as the star in all her masturbation daydreams.
Jordan feigned a yawn. “Oh thank God, you managed to get in your Gabriel dig today. And it’s early. Not even noon. That may be a new record for the two of you.”
Stephanie narrowed her eyes. “Nice dodge, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re shortchanging the both of you. The guy’s perfect for you. You’re both number freaks. You listen to the same crap jazz music and actually choose to go to art museums during your free time. Think of all the pretty, nerdy babies you could bring into the world.”
“Gabriel is hardly a nerd.” Gabriel was male perfection incarnate, with dark eyes, soft brown hair, chiseled jaw and a toned body that begged to be touched. In addition to that, he was alpha, intelligent, handsome, suave. Jordan had a never-ending list of descriptions for him, and “nerd” was nowhere on it.
Jayne, the bookworm of the group, placed her hands on her hips. “It’s a good thing we keep you trapped behind that bar slinging drinks, Steph. You have no culture in your soul. Poor Jared.”
Stephanie was six months into the longest relationship of her life, with the man Jordan truly hoped her friend would eventually marry. Jared, a local police detective, had given Stephanie a ticket for double-parking and, after a few tumultuous dates, the key to his house. “Jared and I see eye to eye on what’s fun. Rock concerts. Check. A day at the beach. Check. Walking around a museum looking at indecipherable paintings for hours on end. No thanks.”
Jordan raised her hand, cutting off the familiar argument. “This entire conversation is pointless. Gabriel doesn’t know I’m interested and I’m not about to ask him out on a date. There’s no way I’d risk our friendship just to be his flavor of the month.”
Stephanie crinkled her nose. “Let’s be serious. With Gabe, it’s more like flavor of the week.”
Jordan tilted her head in annoyance. “Thanks for the distinction.”
Stephanie’s face showed no remorse. “The difference is you wouldn’t be a short-term deal. You have the advantage.”
“What’s that?” Jordan asked.
“You’re pretty and smart, the two of you have tons in common and you’re already friends, which I’ve heard is how you’re supposed to start a relationship.”
Jayne laughed. “I think that may be an old wives’ tale. God knows you and Jared skipped straight to the good part and you’re still going strong.”
Stephanie nodded. “Good point, but I’d say it’s already too late for Jordan to sleep with Gabriel the first night they meet.”
Jordan leaned on the bar. “God. I wish I had your nerve. I miss sex.”
Stephanie lifted her hair off her neck and fanned, in an attempt to cool off. “This is exactly what I’m trying to say. Next time Gabe comes around I want you to flirt. Drop some hints that you wouldn’t be opposed to getting horizontal with him. I mean, what’s the most horrible thing that could happen?”
Sadly, Jordan had let herself imagine the worst along with the sex fantasies. He could treat her like all the others, take her out for a few dates, maybe have some sex, and then the grand dumping scene or—the most frightening idea of all—he could refuse her advances point-blank.
“I just can’t make myself go there. Not with Gabe.”
Jayne placed a comforting hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “I can understand that. Honestly. His handsomeness is a bit intimidating. We’re just worried about you. You haven’t had a date in a very long time.”
Two and a half years. She’d had a somewhat serious boyfriend in college, but they’d split up after graduation when he’d taken a job on the East Coast. He’d asked her to come with him, but Jordan had known almost from the start their relationship wasn’t destined to last. She’d broken things off and gone into the bookstore-slash-bar business with Steph, Jayne and Sophie instead.
She’d met Gabriel when they were looking for a space to rent and since then, she’d avoided dating, opting instead for his friendship and fantasizing from afar. It wasn’t a healthy mindset, but she couldn’t seem to conjure an attraction to anyone except Gabriel.
Besides, dating had never been very high on her list of fun things to do. It was one of the reasons she’d stayed in the relationship with Chris for so long. He was like a comfortable pair of shoes she’d managed to break in. Sure, they weren’t sexy or even very pretty, but they didn’t hurt her feet. So what if Chris hadn’t set her pulse racing or rocked her world in bed?
“I can’t even tell you how much I hate the dating scene. I’m not good at making small talk like you, Jayne. And I’m not a natural flirt like Sophie. And I don’t have your brash confidence, Steph. I’m just?—”
“Jordan,” Stephanie finished for her. “And believe me, that’s plenty. I’m not sure why you think you have to be like us. You have a lot to offer any guy smart enough to ask you out, Gabriel included.”
Jordan shrugged. She appreciated Stephanie’s kind words, but she still preferred her own company or that of her small group of close-knit friends to throwing herself to the wolves in the dating pool. It was one of the reasons why her roles as bookkeeper and office manager in their business venture suited her so much. She wasn’t fond of big crowds or blind dates with strangers, or trying to sell stuff to the customers in the store. Give her a nice, quiet accounting ledger any day.
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with me, Steph. I’m just not exactly in Gabriel’s league. You’ve seen the women he dates. They’re freaking supermodels or high-powered business types. I can’t compete with that.”
Jayne reached for Jordan’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “Personally, I think Gabriel has the hots for you too. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Stephanie sighed. “You’re throwing away the possibility of something awesome.”
If there was one thing Stephanie had zero patience with, it was Jordan’s ability to settle for second place. Stephanie was a grab-the-bull-by-the-horns kind of girl who didn’t quit until she was on top. That drive had made her the perfect business partner. Jordan knew going in to Books and Brew, Stephanie wouldn’t rest until the store was a success.
Jordan appreciated her concern. “It’s not going to happen between Gabriel and me, Steph, and I’m okay with that. Really.”
Stephanie took a hairband out of the pocket of her jeans and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. “Fucking heat. Okay, fine. So if you can’t have Gabriel, you’re not going to date at all?”
Jordan wanted to refute that comment, but it would be a lie. She had let herself believe the fantasies of Gabriel were enough. “I guess I have been hiding out a bit too much lately.”
“Try all the time,” Jayne said quietly.
Usually Stephanie was the one who offered up the hard truths. Hearing Jayne say it told Jordan she’d let things go too far. She’d retreated further and further into herself and her ridiculous sex fantasies. Maybe it was time to stop burying her head in the sand and live a little. “Tell you what. How about if I agree to give up on the Gabriel dream and make an effort to reenter the dating game?”
Jayne perked up, her shoulders straightening. “I totally think you should get back out there. You haven’t seriously dated in months. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a guy to make you forget all about Gabriel.”
Jordan suspected there wasn’t a man on earth who could accomplish such a feat, but she didn’t say as much to her friends. “Maybe I will.”
“So, where are you going to find this Prince Charming? It’s not like you get out much.”
Leave it to Stephanie to play hardball. Now that Jordan had made a vow to start dating, her friend would nag relentlessly until she followed through.
“I’ll flirt with the next available man who walks into this bar. I’ll be witty and make fascinating conversation until he’s falling over himself to take me out to dinner. Promise.”
“Nice try, but it’s not like this place is crawling with single guys.”
Damn. Busted. Stephanie was too clever.
“I’d rather try to find a guy on my own first. I know you, Steph. I can see the wheels turning in your brain already. I hate blind dates.”
Stephanie leaned closer. “Jared’s got a couple friends on the force who are totally gorgeous and?—”
Jordan cut her off before Stephanie got too worked up. “Give me a month. One month to try to find someone on my own. If that fails, then I’ll succumb to your set-up hell. Deal?”
Stephanie pursed her lips, considering Jordan’s offer. She nodded slowly. “One month. You can try to find love at Books and Brew and when that fails, you’re all mine.” Jordan and Jayne laughed when Stephanie rubbed her hands together like some old-fashioned villain.
“Now get your stuff and come to the pool with us. You can practice flirting with the lifeguards,” Stephanie said.
Jordan shook her head. “Ew. The lifeguards are all still in high school. I’ll pass.”
“Come on, Jordan,” Jayne urged. “Play hooky from work with us.”
“Nope. Not interested. If, by some miracle, Gabriel finds a repair guy today, one of us should be here to let him in.”
Stephanie looked like she wanted to argue, but Jordan quickly said, “You know how much I hate public pools. Too crowded, too chlorinated, too noisy. Besides, I always feel like I’m swimming neck-deep in pee-pee.”
Jayne winced. “Ick. Why do you always have to ruin my pool experiences with that image? I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you.”
Stephanie threw her purse strap over her arm. “If Gabe calls and says he can’t get someone to come in today, text me. I’ll call you when we leave the pool and maybe we can all meet up for a late lunch somewhere with air conditioning.”
Jordan walked toward the front door, flipping the Open sign to Closed and locking the dead bolt. “Will do.”
Stephanie and Jayne said their goodbyes, exiting through the back door to the alley where they parked their cars. Jordan walked behind the bar. The heat was unnatural. When she was a kid, she’d spent two August weeks with her aunt in New Orleans, and she’d sworn off the South and humid climates ever since.
Grabbing a large chunk of ice from the cooler, she rubbed it around her neck and closed her eyes, enjoying the cold water sliding over her skin.
“Damn. I think I finally found a reason to be grateful for this blasted heat.”
Jordan opened her eyes, startled by the unexpected male voice. A handsome man leaned against the wall at the threshold between the bar and the hallway to the back door.
Her face must have betrayed her nervous alarm because he raised his hands quickly, indicating he meant no harm. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Casey Woods. Steph and Jayne let me in on their way out.”
Jordan sighed with relief. Casey was Gabriel’s college roommate and best friend. The man had done several repair jobs at Books and Brew over the past year, but somehow his path and Jordan’s had never crossed. Probably because she was always cooped up in her office.
She suddenly understood why Sophie’s face lit up whenever she heard Casey was coming by. The man was sin incarnate, the epitome of a California surfer god. As she took in his blond hair, blue eyes and dark tan, Jordan imagined him as the model for the Ken doll she played with as a child.
“Hi, Casey. I’m Jordan.” Recalling her vow to Stephanie and Jayne, she glanced at Casey’s left hand. No wedding ring. Interesting. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Casey’s smile grew, revealing honest-to-God dimples. Jesus. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to keep her vow to flirt if the repairman had looked less like sex in skin and more like the Maytag man. Hot guys brought out too many of her insecurities.
Don’t freeze up, Jordan.
“Nice to meet you too. Not sure how I managed to miss you on all my past visits, but it’s good to finally have a face for the last Books and Brew ba—” Casey stopped mid-word, but Jordan knew exactly where he’d been headed.
“Babe?” she finished for him.
He studied her face. “Sophie laughed when I used that nickname. Steph, on the other hand, threatened to injure a rather precious part of my anatomy if she heard it again. Which camp are you in?”
It was clear he meant no offense with the term and, truth be told, she was a bit flattered to be included in the “babe” category with Jayne, Sophie and Stephanie. It definitely wasn’t a place she’d put herself. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh, by the way, Stephanie asked me to remind you of some promise right before she left. You have any idea what that means?”
Time to pull on the big-girl panties or she’d never hear the end of it.
Jordan nodded slowly. Stephanie must have been thrilled when Casey showed up no less than ten minutes after her stupid vow to find a guy. “Yeah. I…” She paused, trying to think of what to say. “It’s just something silly between the two of us. I’ll take care of it.”
“Gabriel said you were having some problems with your air conditioning, but I think that might have been an understatement. It’s hotter than blue blazes in here.”
“I didn’t expect anyone to come over so fast.”
Casey lifted his tool bag. “This bad boy never leaves the back of my truck. I was on my way to the Columbia River. Thought I’d do a little fishing. Gabriel caught me on my cell. Asked if I’d stop by here first.”
“You didn’t have to give up your day off.”
Casey walked toward the bar, placing his tools on a stool. “I’m what’s known as an independent contractor. I set my own hours and days off, and believe me, I’m a pretty lenient boss.”
Jordan laughed. “Get lots of fishing days, do you?”
He nodded. “Probably not a bad idea for me to let the fish have a day to repopulate.”
She’d been warned by her friends that Casey was charming and funny. She took a deep breath and wiped her palms on her shorts. So far, so good on the conversation. He was still talking to her, rather than looking for an escape.
“I guess I should show you where the main AC unit is.”
Casey glanced over his shoulder. “It’s in the storage closet over there. Saw it the last time I was here adjusting the shelves.”
“Right.” Jordan briefly closed her eyes and tried to channel Sophie, Queen of the Flirts. Unfortunately, her mind quickly deserted her, wandering instead to a more sexual territory.
What would the handsome handyman look like without his shirt on? His muscles seemed to have muscles, and Jordan imagined herself running her tongue along his pecs. She’d love to see his bare chest. Would she find hair there? She recalled her Ken doll and secretly hoped for smooth skin. Once she had him out of his shirt, it wouldn’t be that hard to unbutton his jeans and drag down the zipper. Then she could?—
“You feelin’ okay?” Casey asked. “It’s damn hot in here and you look a bit flushed. Have you been drinking plenty of water? Hate for you to come down with heat exhaustion.”
Jordan shook herself for her dirty daydream. Good Lord. She really needed to get laid. These fantasies were getting out of control. “I’m fine.”
“Even so.” Casey stepped behind the bar, reaching for a glass. He filled it with water from the tap then added a bit of ice from the cooler. “Here. Drink this.”
Jordan took the glass, grateful for the moment it gave her to regroup and gather her thoughts.
Casey studied her as she slowly sipped the water. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
She supposed that depended on who she was talking to . With her friends, she more than held her own in the random-chatter category. Her crazy brain only seemed to desert her when she was with attractive members of the opposite sex, opting instead for visions of fucking sugarplums and?—
Well, that wasn’t true—her mind preferred just the fucking part.
She was failing in her mission. She’d promised to flirt. She was tired of living on fantasies. “I’m sorry. I’m just hot.”
He accepted her lame excuse. “Gabriel was worried about you working in the heat. Called in a favor to get me over here quickly.”
The mention of Gabriel’s name gave her pause. He was worried? She let herself pretend for a moment that it was because he cared for her as more than a friend.
Shit. Let it go, Jordan.
More likely the businessman in Gabriel was concerned about them losing the day’s business. “He didn’t have to worry.”
Casey nodded. “Yeah, Stephanie and Jayne said you decided to close shop. Said they were headed to the pool. Why didn’t you go along?”
She put the glass on the bar. “I’m not fond of public pools.”
“Me, either. Give me a natural body of water any day of the week. All that damn concrete and the smell of chlorine is an abomination. If I’m going swimming, you can be sure it’ll be in a lake, a river or the ocean.”
She agreed. “I love the ocean.”
“Gabe’s got a house in Rockaway Beach that I do the upkeep on. You ever been there?”
She shook her head. Gabe had invited her a couple of times, but something always came up with work and she had to cancel.
“Oh man. You need to see that coastline. It’s really something else. Next time I go up there, I’ll swing by and take you along for the ride.”
Jordan was uncertain how to reply. The gesture was clearly a friendly one that would never come to pass, right? “Sounds nice. I’d like that.”
“So you closed the bar down. That’s good news. I could use an assistant.”
He wanted her to help him? “I don’t know anything about air conditioners.”
“You know the difference between pliers and a screwdriver, right?”
She tilted her head and gave him an annoyed look. “Of course I do.”
“Then I can teach you the rest. Come on.” Casey grabbed his tool bag then took her hand, leading her to the storage closet. His grip was light and friendly, but it sent delicious shivers to some fairly naughty places. Jordan wished she were bold like Stephanie. She had no doubt her friend wouldn’t hesitate to push the sexy handyman against the wall of the closet and teach him a few things of her own.
Unfortunately, Jordan didn’t share that skill set with her friend. Yet. Maybe it was time the old dog learned a few new tricks.