Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Kaia got off work Wednesday morning at seven and headed back to Ocean Shores. Jax's car was still in the lot, which gave her a measure of relief. He hadn't taken off yet. Instead of going to her apartment, she knocked on his door.
He opened it a moment later, looking like he'd just gotten out of the shower, his brown hair damp, his cheeks freshly shaved, his T-shirt clinging to his broad chest, and his jeans hugging his long, lean legs.
She felt her nerve endings fire at the sight of him, the attraction she'd been feeling growing even stronger now that he'd told her something about himself.
Not that what he'd told her had been that good, but she felt like she was finally starting to see the man, not the mysterious stranger.
"Everything okay?" Jax asked.
"I just got off shift, and I wondered if you might want to get breakfast with me."
He debated for a moment, then nodded. "I could do that."
"Okay," she said, surprised at how easy that had been.
"What?" he challenged.
"I thought you were going to say no."
"And yet you still asked."
"Well, sometimes I'm braver than I am smart."
A small smile lifted his lips. "I think you're both. I'm hungry, and I don't have much food in the kitchen."
"Then my timing is good. We could take a drive down to Carlsbad, get out of the area, in case you're worried about that photographer hanging around. You haven't seen him again, have you?"
"No. And getting farther away sounds great."
"We could take my car. Keep yours out of sight. Do you need some time?"
"If you're ready, I'm ready."
He grabbed his keys and wallet off a nearby table and then stepped out of his apartment. The courtyard had been empty when she first came through, but now Josie was nearby watering some plants by the pool.
"Good morning," she said, giving them a curious look. "Where are you two off to?"
"Going to get some breakfast," she replied. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm well."
"As always," she teased, knowing she'd never gotten a negative reply from Josie and probably never would.
"Have fun," Josie said.
"One other thing…" She gave Jax a quick look and then decided not to care whether he appreciated her next words or not. "Someone was taking photos of us yesterday in town. He might show up here."
Josie's smile dimmed. "Well, he won't be welcome. And I'll keep an eye out for him."
"Thanks."
As they walked out to the parking lot, she scanned the area quickly for anyone lurking in the shadows and noticed that Jax did the same.
He'd parked his car at the far end of the lot the night before, on the other side of the truck where their handyman was parked, which kept Jax's vehicle out of sight.
They both relaxed once they were in the car and heading away from the building.
"Do you care that I told Josie about the photographer?" she asked.
"No. I appreciate your forward-thinking."
"Why didn't you do it?"
"I don't want to make Josie feel like she's responsible for me. She has done enough for me already. She gave me a place to live and warned all her friends here not to bother me."
"I'm sure you could have afforded to live anywhere. It seems like you've had some success in your life if the press is chasing you."
"It wasn't about money; it was about distance and seclusion."
"And living in a place no one would expect to find you," she suggested.
"I love Ocean Shores, but it's not fancy, especially with our barely working air-conditioning units.
Grayson said he's going to get all those replaced, which won't be soon enough.
One advantage of having the owner living in the building. "
"I'll bet he has a number of ideas for improvement."
"He does. And enough cash to execute them. But I think he's being careful. He knows how important it is to Lexie and Josie that he maintain the charm of the building. Anyway, I am curious why you felt Ocean Shores was the right place."
"I'm more well-known in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Florida, all the places where country music is big.
Southern California felt like a good place to go to get away from it all.
And I like the beach. I always wanted to live by the ocean, so it seemed like the right move.
Clay's connection to Josie and her willingness to allow me to pay her under one name and live by another was the tipping point. "
She was very glad that the connection had happened and also aware of how long the odds were that they would have met otherwise.
"How was your shift?" Jax asked, changing the subject. "Any excitement?"
"A lot more than I usually have on a Tuesday night, unfortunately.
There was a three-car crash caused by a drunk driver on the coastal highway.
Fortunately, no fatalities but some serious injuries.
A teen fell off the back of a running truck while performing some social media stunt.
That idiot will luckily get to live to talk about it and hopefully won't be so stupid in the future. "
He smiled. "What else?"
"A man fell off a ladder while apparently going against his wife's request that he not try to change the lighting on their roof.
She was yelling her head off about how he never listens to her, and he's too old to climb up there, and who the hell does he think he is?
He's an accountant, not a lighting expert. "
"That sounds about right," he said with a laugh. "My grandfather was always climbing up on the roof after it was safe and smart for him to do so." He paused. "Was that it?"
"A woman got her hand stuck in a glass jar, literally a candy jar," she added, flashing him a smile. "Apparently, she had a secret stash of chocolate that her kids and husband were not supposed to know about. But now she's been outed as a chocaholic."
"Your job sounds amazing. You really get to see people as they are, don't you?"
"Sometimes I see too much of some people. We have a frequent flyer who does not like clothes, and that's always fun. Anyway, last night everyone survived, which meant it was a good shift."
"Did you sleep at all?"
"I got a ninety-minute nap around four in the morning."
"How are you so energetic?" he asked, giving her a questioning look. "Did you throw back some energy drinks on the way home?"
"No. I'm still operating off adrenaline, and I'm also hungry.
Thanks for going with me. Everyone else I know is at work.
" She paused, seeing an odd expression move across his face at her words.
She'd obviously just reminded him he had no job anymore.
She wanted to know more about his plans, but he was a little like a skittish horse.
She had to move carefully, or he'd bolt. "I'm glad you didn’t leave," she added.
"I haven't decided what I want to do yet."
"What do you do? I mean, for hobbies, for fun?" she asked, hoping he might continue to open up about things that weren't triggering to him.
"Fun?" he echoed, as if that word was foreign to him.
"Yes, fun. Movies, sports, books… I won't say music. But you know what I mean. If you want to have a relaxing day doing nothing related to your profession, what would you do?"
"I'd go for a hike, maybe do some fishing."
"Fishing, huh? Ocean or lake?"
"I've never fished on the ocean, but I wouldn't mind having that experience. I've always fished in a lake."
"Where did you grow up?"
"A small town in Nebraska. It didn't have much of anything, but it did have a lake filled with fish.
I'd go out early mornings and late at night, trying to catch anything I could with a rod I got from my grandfather.
He ran the campground at one end of the lake.
It was full in the summer and ghostly quiet in the winter. "
"Which did you like better? Summer tourists or winter quiet?"
"Summer tourists. They could be a pain in the ass, but they brought an energy that wasn't there otherwise. Where did you grow up?"
"All over. Since my father was in the military, we moved whenever he got a new post. We lived in South Carolina, Texas, Oregon, Northern California, and we even spent a year in Germany."
"Do you speak German?"
"No. I was eight when we were there, so I don't speak the language, but I can still remember how good K?sesp?tzle tasted.
It's a German version of mac and cheese, deliciously gooey.
" She met his smile with one of her own.
"My father's last post before he retired took us to 29 Palms, which is in the desert about a hundred miles from here, near Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. "
"Sounds hot."
"Very, very hot. And boring. I didn't spend a lot of time there because I went to college in San Diego.
My dad has a condo there now that he's retired.
" As she finished speaking, she took the turn for Carlsbad and a few moments later turned into the parking lot at Carlsbad Village, a charming town square just a few blocks from the beach, where one of her favorite restaurants for breakfast was located.
"Have you been here before?" she asked as they got out of the car.
"I've driven through this area, but I've never stopped at this village."
"I'm glad I can introduce you to something new."
"I'm trusting you to make sure it's good."
"Oh, it's definitely good," she said with confidence. She had no idea how their breakfast date would go, but the food would be delicious. That she could count on.
"I have to admit that your food choices have been consistently on point," Jax told Kaia as they finished up their breakfast bowls, which had been composed of egg whites, quinoa, shredded cheese, avocado, peppers, and beans.
To wash that down, they'd also gotten matcha tea lattes, which had been delicious.
And the courtyard café had provided a relaxing atmosphere for their great meal.