Chapter 3
DANICA YOUNG
Bailey hurries toward me and nearly collides with me, but quickly stops, wobbling, like her brakes are only half-working, before she nervously pushes her eyeglasses into place and greets me with a breathy, “Hi.”
The girl looks like she’s been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She dreads being questioned about it.
She’s been cute every time I’ve interacted with her, but she put extra effort into her appearance today with a full face of makeup that looks freshly applied instead of looking like she put it on before she took the flight here.
She’s wearing cute sneakers with blue and white polka dot laces tied into perfect bows, tan linen trousers with a chunky belt, and a sweet blouse with some turquoise embroidery opened to reveal a luscious amount of cleavage.
She’s got a high, full ponytail in her wavy hair, which is light brown with some lighter face-framing blonde highlights.
She’s accessorized with a matching silver and turquoise bracelet and choker along with silver hoop earrings.
Bailey has great curves. Great skin. Though she’s put in effort and done well, I suspect she has no idea just how pretty she is with her glowing skin, full lips, and big, expressive brown eyes.
This girl-next-door pin-up type could use all she’s got going on as an effective weapon if she ever clued in to just how many men get hard taking her in.
It’s clear she’s got a mission, but now that she’s facing performance time, I sense anxiety and stress. I’d lay a bet she won’t chicken out, though. Bailey Blackwood strikes me as 100% resolute.
I think she’s here to close the chapter on her crush on Jase. She’s intent on doing it looking her best while saving him so she can walk away and start over knowing she’s taken the high ground, that she’s the better person for it.
We don’t know what she thinks she can do here, though. My sister was vague about what might be wrong, but sure enough…Vivica knew Bailey would spring into action. To do what is currently a mystery – we haven’t figured that part out. I sense Bailey doesn’t do things without some sort of plan.
The phone in her hand dings as I return her greeting with, “Hey, Bailey.”
She looks at the screen, and I easily see the text she’s reading.
Jase: I’m away on pack business. I’ll be home in a couple days. Talk to one of the other council members.
She’s not hiding that it hurts that this is his response to her request to talk out of urgency.
As she shoves her phone into her pocket, I pull my phone out and message him.
I’ve landed.
“Let’s go?” I dangle the keychain for the rental. “I need a favor. We’ll talk on the way.”
Bailey eyeballs my three pieces of luggage and grabs one of my bags.
As we’re making our way through the airport together, my phone chimes and when I stop to read the text, she stops beside me.
Jason Creed: Hey you. Tried to catch a few hours of sleep but the walls here are thin and it smells weird. You can meet me here or I can grab a taxi and meet you. Want to grab some food? I’m starved and we’ve got 5 hours to kill.
I answer.
I’ll come to you.
He immediately replies with a thumbs up.
Bailey just read his reply over my shoulder and now she’s staring ahead with hurt in her eyes. Too busy to return her call but telling me a breath later that he’s got five hours to kill.
I click my tongue, showing my reaction. Her eyes dart to me before she looks away, looking guilty.
“Sorry, shouldn’t have read over your shoulder,” she mumbles, looking embarrassed.
I’m rather tempted to impart a temporary ailment on Jason that leaves him feeling impossibly uncomfortable, maybe itchy, for a couple days.
I shrug. “No biggie. I just read over yours.”
Her lips quirk into the beginnings of a smile, before her eyebrows abruptly crease. “Why’d you rent a car? You’re only here for a few hours for a layover, right?”
Busted. The truth is, I’m not getting on that next flight.
“Something urgent is on my plate actually, so it’s fortuitous you’re here. I take it since you are, you’ve got time to go to Romania with Jason for me?”
She startles, goes bug-eyed, then mutters, “Um…”
I link arms with her to move us along, breezily saying, “You’d be doing me a huge favor and I’ll owe you one. Okay?”
“Uh…”
“I’ll fill you in on the way to his hotel.”