Chapter 14 #2
She cleared her throat. “Maybe not,” she muttered, kicking a chunk of gravel out of the way. “But if I don’t do this, and do it well, I’ll always be the screw-up.”
Jordan stepped closer, his boots scraping lightly on the gravel. The distance between them seemed too wide for something that was so...complicated. “You’re not a screw-up.”
He took a chance and moved a strand of her hair behind her ear, his knuckles brushing along her soft skin.
The air shifted. She swallowed hard, her stare meeting his.
Her lips parted, and he zeroed in on them.
They were so pretty, so plump. He bet they tasted the way she smelled, sweet and spicy, at the same time.
When she leaned toward him, he sucked in a breath and stepped back. It sounded like she had enough regrets in her life. She didn’t need to add him to the list.
Reaching behind her, he pulled the hood of his coat up, tugging it tight around her ears. “If my parents were still alive, they’d tell you all about screwed-up children.”
She blinked a couple of times, returning to reality. “You couldn’t have been that bad.”
“I was as bad as they came, baby.” He inched back, putting distance between them and shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Stayed out all night, ran with the neighborhood gangs, sassed my mom more times than I can count, skipped more days of school than I attended, stole cigarettes from my neighbor’s back porch.
” He watched her pupils grow wider with every word.
“And that was all before I finally dropped out of school at fifteen.”
“What happened after you were fifteen?” She asked in a tone of sheer curiosity.
He shook his head, because some truths were too ugly, too dark, to speak out loud. “Things I want to keep far away from you.”
The sounds of a vaguely familiar pop song filled the air, jolting her backward, ripping them both out of their trance.
“What the hell is that?” he asked.
“That’s my phone,” Vanessa said as she stepped around the sawhorse to grab the device off the worktable. “Taylor Swift ringtone.”
“Who’s Taylor Swift?” he asked, deadpan.
She gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
Sometimes, watching the way she looked at him, like he’d crawled out of a cave, was the best part of his day.
“How do you live in the world?” It was her turn to shake her head as she lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
He waited until she’d turned away to grin. He’d take her sass over her heartbreak any day. This fundraiser? He hadn’t realized it meant more to her than simply a career move. This was personal. She really believed this was her shot at proving she wasn’t the screw-up she believed she was.
His grin faded as he watched her talking excitedly to the person on the phone. Maybe she needed more than someone to protect her from the threats of the world. Maybe she needed someone who saw her for who she really was. Resilient, strong, relentless. Maybe he wanted to be that someone.
He squashed the thought as quickly as it formed. As far behind him as it might be, he knew his dark, morally gray, profoundly illegal past had no place in her life.
If she knew the things he’d done…
To distract himself, he scanned the plans in his hand and tried to piece together what part she was working on.
A wooden stage should have been heavy and cumbersome, but the way Luciano Barone had designed it, with lightweight materials, meant it could be built and taken apart with ease. It all collapsed nicely too, which would be convenient for storage after the show. Design-wise, it was brilliant.
Vanessa had made good headway, he gave her that. But at this rate, she’d be working through the night to have it finished by tomorrow.
A squeal interrupted his thoughts.
“Oh. My. God. You’re kidding!” Her free hand flew to her cheek. Joy lit up her face.
He put down what he was holding so he could fully take her in. Her joy was a beautiful thing. A dazzling streak of light, like a star shooting across the sky. He couldn’t look away, and he couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest bastard alive, just to be there to witness it.
She sent him a giddy look with a smile so wide it nearly brought him to his knees.
“Yes, absolutely. I’ll go home right now, and we can do a video call. I’m so excited, and so grateful, Trini. Thank you for never giving up on me.” Vanessa listened another moment, then ended the call. “Ohmigod, omigod, omigod! You’ll never guess!”
Jordan didn’t bother fighting his grin. Her happiness was contagious. “Tell me.”
“That was my agent, Trini.” She clasped her phone to her chest and squealed. “She called to tell me that I’ll be walking in the Cassidy Moore show in two weeks!”
He had no freaking clue who Cassidy Moore was, but she made Vanessa happy, and he hadn’t seen her smile this bright in weeks. “That’s fantastic, princess.”
“In New York!” She shouted gleefully, thrusting her arms up in the air. “This is huge! This could be my comeback. My return to the Big Apple. The restart of my career!”
With a piercing squeal, she stunned him stupid by launching herself at him.
He caught her easily, arms banding around her torso as he went with her momentum and spun her around.
She wrapped herself around him, and he inhaled all of her like he’d been holding his breath for years. Her spiced vanilla scent, her laughter, her wild, restless energy. The tighter she clung, the closer he held her.
It was dangerous, the way he wanted her. The way he wanted all of her.
Slowly, she slid from his body, leaving a trail of blazing heat in her wake. When he set her down, those bright, stunning gold-flecked eyes held onto his. For the second time since he arrived, he thought she was going to kiss him.
He was fully fucked. Get a grip, he told himself. Remember how she pranced around the MGM Grand in hot-pink mini shorts and sky-high heels, taking selfies and demanding you get shaved lemon ice for her water.
He swallowed, trying to regulate his breathing, as he dragged his gaze away from her stunning, unfathomable stare. The way they were pressed together, there was no way she couldn’t feel the effect she had on him.
“I’m sorry,” Vanessa croaked, her palms flattening against his chest as she pushed herself away.
The moment she did, it was like someone sucked all the oxygen out of the atmosphere.
“I got a little excited,” she continued, her smile faltering.
God, he hated to be the one who stole her smile. “No problem,” he muttered. “Sounds like being in this Cassidy Lure show is a big deal.”
She giggled, and it restored some of his equilibrium. Since when did his inner peace rest or fall on her happiness?
“Cassidy Moore,” she corrected. “She’s the biggest up-and-coming designer in New York right now, and she’s very picky about who gets to walk in her shows.
Honestly, I’m shocked I got the gig. My agent told me Cassidy saw my social media posts about the show we’re doing here, and it put me on her radar. She was impressed, so—”
“So, congratulations. Sounds like you earned it.” His heart grew ten sizes bigger when she cast another brilliant smile his way.
“Thanks,” she said. “Oh, but I have to go. Trini wants to video call and discuss details. She thinks I should take the opportunity to move back to New York. Being a part of this show will lead to more work.”
And just like that, his heart deflated. “You’re moving to New York?”
She shrugged casually. “Maybe? I mean, I guess? That was always the plan. To wait out my purgatory here, and then head to the Big Apple.”
“What about Vancouver?” He knew she’d been cut from the show she’d been working on, but she’d lived in Vancouver, BC, for a few years. He always figured she’d move up there again. Five hours away was still close to family. New York was so…far.
“I could never go back there. At least not while they’re still filming Crimson Creek.
” Her joy faltered again. “I’ll wrap up the fundraiser here and move on.
” She glanced up at him with an adorable crooked smile that fell short of reaching her eyes.
“Look on the bright side, Zeus, you’ll finally be rid of me. ”
Yeah, the bright side. He’d been dreaming of the day he didn’t have to babysit Vanessa Barone anymore. Problem was, now that the reality of her absence was looming, there was nothing bright about it.
“Oh, shit.” She glanced at her phone. “I have to run.” Turning to assess the courtyard, she released a long sigh.
“I really wanted to get this up tonight.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told her I could video call so soon.
” She stared at the screen, brow furrowed. “I’ll call and reschedule.”
She looked so torn, caught between the challenge she’d made for herself and the pull of the call buzzing with possibility.
The solution was obvious. “You know this stage isn’t going anywhere, right? We can work on it tomorrow. I can get the boys in to help.”
She frowned at his suggestion. “I wanted to build my dad’s creation myself.”
And he was damn impressed by that. “Look around you. You’ve done most of it by yourself. Just like you’ve organized most of this event by yourself.” When she still didn’t look convinced, he added, “It’s okay to get a bit of help sometimes. You know, teamwork makes the dream work?”
“Teamwork?” she repeated, like she was testing the word, because hell, when had they ever been able to work together on anything?
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Teamwork.”
After a long deliberation, she stuck out her hand. Her handshake was freezing but firm. “Okay, see you tomorrow, partner.”
And with that most unexpected word hanging between them, she turned on her heel and left.
Wearing his coat.