14. Natalie
FOURTEEN
natalie
“I brought wine.”
I hadn’t meant to blurt that out, or stick the bottle of local red wine in Jaxon’s face the second he opened the door.
Of course my friends thought I’d lost my mind when I canceled on them to come here. I couldn’t argue with them either. But not seeing him today unsettled me in a way that had me grabbing my phone half the morning and putting it back down, refusing to text him.
I had nothing to say.
After spending the week going through all the paperwork, now that the public hearing was set, there wasn’t much to do until then. Except, I wanted to talk to him. So I’d finally come up with a question to ask and caved in. When he responded, my first instinct was to say, “no way.”
First, I had plans.
Second, I didn’t like being told what to do. His high-handedness was downright annoying.
Third, I’d been thinking about our kiss every minute of every day, so dinner at his place was probably a very bad idea.
Bet and all.
Then, magically, as if someone had taken control of my fingers, I sent the word “fine” and had been a bundle of nerves since.
“I have some open,” he said, taking the bottle. “But thanks. Come on in.”
By Thursday, we’d begun to converse like human beings and not feral dogs in competition for a meal. While I couldn’t account for Jaxon’s changed attitude, mine was simple. He wouldn’t be selling the inlet. The fact that I wanted to jump the guy’s bones every second I was with him was of little consequence. That kiss had been our first and last.
“Oh wow,” I said, trying not to inhale too deeply as I walked by him and into the house. “It smells amazing. You cooked?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” he asked, putting on a mitt and opening the oven door.
“I dunno.” I almost said, “I never dated a guy who cooked before,” but since we weren’t dating—far from it—I refrained.
“When you asked if I liked chicken parm, I assumed you were ordering out,” I admitted.
He plated the chicken and then went to a pot on the stove. Pulling out tongs from the drawer, he reached into the pot and added what looked like angel-hair pasta, sauce and all, onto the plates.
“Nope,” he said, nodding to two wine glasses on the counter. “Feel like pouring wine?”
“Of course.” I went to work, again coming so close to Jaxon that I could smell him and quickly moving away. Pouring each of us a glass of wine, I watched as he grabbed two napkins and forks and then our plates.
“I figured we could eat on the deck?”
I had secretly hoped that was the plan. “Sure.”
Settled at the small table on the deck, I took a bite of the chicken. “Holy shit. This is really good.”
Jaxon finished chewing and made a face. “Should I be more insulted you were surprised I can cook or that it tasted okay?”
“That’s up to you.”
He chuckled. “So, sunshine, what’s your question?”
Sunshine. Remember, he’s turned on the charm for a reason. Do not fall for him, Natalie.
“You know the inlet is protected by a conservation easement, but I didn’t see anything in the paperwork about a negotiation with the easement holder that would allow for development while preserving the property’s conservation values.”
“Since in this case the easement holder is also the Trust, Dave said we could discuss it after the public hearing. Assuming that goes well and things move forward.”
“I see.”
“Didn’t you say you were stopping by the office this afternoon?”
“Yes,” I said, taking a bit of the pasta. It was as good as the chicken. This guy could actually cook.
“So you could have asked Dave who was also working this weekend?” Jaxon’s smile told me he knew the question had been an excuse to contact him.
“I texted you before I went in.”
“Mmhmm.”
Looking intently into the glass of wine before I took a sip, I hoped Jaxon might just drop it. But of course, this was Jaxon, so fat chance of that. When I looked back up, he was smiling at me.
“Admit you like me, Natalie.”
“Never.”
God, I loved his laugh so much.
“Alright, we can pretend if you want.”
“Pretend what?” I asked, knowing I was stepping in it by continuing this topic of conversation.
“Pretend that land shouldn’t have been sold years ago. Pretend there’s not an intense attraction between us. Take your pick.”
He was right. On both counts. Going through the paperwork made it clear that the inlet could certainly be developed while preserving the surrounding environment. But that wasn’t the point.
“I’ll concede,” I said, “that maybe, maybe, there’s a tiny thing between us.”
“Maybe?”
“Maybe.”
“Fuck that,” he said, taking a big bite of chicken.
I nearly choked on mine. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, sunshine,” he said when he’d finished chewing. “I reject your ‘maybe’ and offer our kiss as evidence.”
Our kiss. He made it sound so intimate.
“So you asked me here tonight so I’d, what? Act on it? And lose the bet?”
Calling him out wasn’t really in my nature, but I was manifesting my best Charlee imitation. That’s exactly what she would have said.
“I asked you here because I missed you today.”
I opened my mouth to offer back a sarcastic retort until Jaxon’s words actually sank in. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “I guess I got used to your sassy mouth this week.”
Playing it off as no big deal, Jaxon went back to his dinner. But he didn’t fool me for a second. His voice had actually softened ever so slightly. As if...
As if he were being serious.
Which was ironic, because I missed him too. Knowing I had fieldwork today, my first thought when I woke up was that I wouldn’t get to see him. Which was ridiculous because the man drove me crazy.
“You’re not kidding?”
“I never said I was.” Jaxon could have been talking about the cicadas that were currently serenading us, or the fact that there wasn’t a cloud in the night sky. But he wasn’t talking about the weather. The man had just admitted he...liked me.
Natalie, were you actually present for that kiss?
Of course, the kiss could have just as easily been for the sake of our bet. I was pretty sure Jaxon didn’t want to abandon his bid on that land any more than I wanted him to keep it.
“I can’t figure you out,” I admitted, finishing my meal and tossing the napkin he’d provided on the table. “Who the hell are you, Jaxon Hayes?”
“There’s not a lot to figure out. I’m just a simple man sitting across the table from a beautiful woman who is absolutely determined to hate me.”
“Am not.”
He raised his brows.
“Maybe a little.”
“Right. About as little as the thing between us. Refill?”
Before I could answer, he grabbed the wine bottle and stood up. Jaxon could have easily poured from his seat if I pushed the glass toward him. Instead he came around to my side and squatted beside me.
“Sure,” I mumbled, unable to think straight with him so close. Remembering the kiss, I held my breath as he poured, unwilling to breathe in his scent.
Except, when he finished, Jaxon didn’t stand back up. Instead, he remained there, right next to my chair, his face level with mine. Finally, I had to inhale.
Our eyes met.
“Maybe, my ass,” he said, before standing and heading back to his seat.
It was a fine-looking ass too.
I took a deep sip of the wine. “Maybe. Definitely. Doesn’t matter. We won’t be getting together either way. I think you underestimate how much I want that land to remain in the Trust.”
Jaxon sat. “I think you underestimate how determined I can be to get what I want.”
Oh dear lord.
“And you really want that land,” I finished.
“I really want . . .” He paused. “You.”