Chapter 6
Chapter six
Present day, Sunday evening, Leavenworth: Zac
Her pale blue eyes and mouth widened with shock as Zac murmured the nickname he hadn’t repeated in what?
Ten? No, more like fifteen years. The last time he’d seen Tabitha, her lovely features had been so full of love and lust that the image had flitted through his mind from time to time since then.
They’d shared so much in their short time together, and what had developed in those four weeks had been life-altering.
But then again, so was making the choice to leave her.
Zac watched the half-nibbled onion ring fall to the floor as Tabitha coughed and sputtered from her gasp.
He stepped closer and swept her auburn hair onto one shoulder so he could pat her on the back without snagging the silky strands.
Flashes of those red layers tickling his face and trailing down his torso had his belly clenching.
He silently scolded himself and rubbed circles between her shoulder blades as her coughing subsided into throat clearing.
“You all right?” he asked, shock and concern still vying for top emotion. He glanced over at her friend. The curvy blonde wore an amused expression as her eyes flitted back and forth between his face and his hand as he gently stroked Tabitha’s back.
Tabitha took the glass of water Kendrick offered and drank a few sips. She dabbed at her face with a napkin before looking back at Zac.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged off his touch and shifted far enough away that Zac half expected her to fall off that stool.
“You remember me.” It wasn’t a question because while Zac knew he had an effect on the ladies, usually they didn’t choke on their food because of his good looks.
“Zac, right?” She squinted a little, pretending to try to recall exactly who he was.
Oh no you don’t, tabby cat.
“Don’t play it that way.”
Tabitha nodded and looked back down at her dinner.
Her blonde companion snickered as she took a bite of her sandwich, observing the exchange like it was on display specifically for her entertainment. Zac returned his attention to Kendrick, who stood nearby wiping down the beer taps in an effort to hide his eavesdropping.
Freaking small town.
“Two wheats,” Zac requested, handing over his card. “Keep it open.”
“Food?” Kendrick asked as he placed a couple brimming mugs on the counter.
“Nah. I was teasing earlier. Liquid diet for now.”
The bartender nodded and took the card then resettled his attention on Tabitha and blondie. “Can I get you ladies anything else? More napkins? Security detail?” He nodded toward Zac, who collected his beers.
“I think we can handle him,” the blonde purred, a devilish glint in her eyes.
“Holler and I’ll come running.” He turned to Zac. “Behave.” Then with a wink he made his way down the bar to help another customer.
Holding an icy mug in each hand, Zac turned to face the ghost from his past. He considered plopping right down beside her to ask a million and one questions about how she’d been and what her life had been like. But deep down he knew he had no right to the information.
“Tabby cat, I—”
“What’s the holdup?”
Whoops. In all the reunion and choking excitement, Zac had almost forgotten why he was at The Rooftop to begin with. Maggi. He was well-versed in recognizing a woman’s tolerance for bullshit, and he could tell from her tone she hadn’t reached her cap quite yet. Good.
“I gotta get back,” he said, wincing at how forlorn his voice sounded. “It was good to see you again, tabby cat.”
Tabitha’s eyes flitted to his face before returning to her plate. She hummed in reply. But her friend cleared her throat with eyebrows raising high on her forehead.
“It was nice meeting you, Goldilocks,” Zac teased then took the beers and weaved around the tables to return to his earlier mission. He settled heavily into his chair, which was mysteriously closer to his companion’s than it had been when he left to grab the first round.
“What was that all about?” Maggi asked, grazing Zac’s fingers as she took the mug he slid her way. “Ex-girlfriend?”
He looked back over to the bar and spotted Tabitha shaking her head while the blonde one prattled excitedly at her. Kendrick returned with a takeout box.
“An old flame,” he explained nonchalantly, refocusing on the woman he’d shown up with.
She deserved his attention. The old Zac would have played the encounter to his advantage in hopes of amping up Maggi’s jealously because jealous I’m-better-than-her sex was one of Zac’s favorites.
He loved when a woman acted like she had something to prove.
Correction: He used to love that.
The new Zac was done with the games.
“One you want to reignite?” She seemed genuinely curious, not offended.
He snorted. “Even if I did, I doubt she would.” His eyes followed Tabitha and her friend as they made a hasty exit from the tavern. Neither turned a glance toward him.
Satisfied, Maggi snuggled in closer.
Zac’s phone pinged. He scrambled to pull the device from his pocket.
Jon:
What are you up to?
He rolled his eyes, unsure why his friend was keeping tabs. He tossed the phone on the table face down and turned back to Maggi. But before he could get a word out, a string of chimes announced multiple texts coming in one right after the other.
Jon:
This is Lucy.
I stole Jonathan’s phone.
Come over for dessert.
We want to talk to you about something.
Zac:
I’m already in the middle of something.
Jon:
This is more important.
What could this possibly be about? Was everything all right with the babies?
Did it have something to do with his offer to help while Jon was out on family leave?
His friend had made it clear that he didn’t trust Zac with the task, so it probably wasn’t about that.
Except, Lucy was the one sending the messages.
Too many what-if’s plowed through Zac’s mind that he was convinced he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.
Zac:
On my way. 20 minutes.
Jon:
Can you pick up some jalapeno chips and vanilla ice cream on your way? Thanks.
His lips quirked up a little. Lucy was the sweetest woman Zac had ever met, but she’d gotten a little demanding during her pregnancy. Still, she was impossible to deny.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t ignore this.” He shrugged apologetically to Maggi and downed the final swig of his beer.
“Is there anything I can say to change your mind?” Maggi leaned in, offering an enhanced view of her cleavage.
Zac chuckled. “Unfortunately for us both, no.”
“You’re missing out,” Maggi sighed after licking a drop of beer from the corner of her lip.
“Trust me. I know,” Zac grumbled. “But it’s important.”
“Ok, ok.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I’m here ’til Thursday. Let me know if you want a redo.”
“Count on it,” he promised, taking one of her hands and placing a gentle kiss across her knuckles. Before leaving, he settled up with Kendrick—making sure to cover enough for Maggi to have dinner and a couple more drinks on him—then stomped out the door.
“So, let me get this straight.” Zac combed his hands through his mass of waves, snagging fingers on a couple snarls, then rewound it into a bun at his crown. “If I make sure this magazine chick has a good time this week, you’ll let me cover for you during parental leave?”
“Yes,” Lucy chirped while Jon gave a more subdued, “Maybe.”
Talk about conflicting information.
Zac showed up at the Millers’ residence to deliver Lucy’s current pregnancy craving and chat with the parents-to-be. What he hadn’t expected was to be offered the opportunity to prove himself.
“There’s more to it than making sure she has a good time, man.
This feature is a huge deal for us. For Off the Beaten.
This could present an opportunity to expand,” Jon explained, brows furrowed.
He leaned in more. “I’d prefer to guide her myself, but Lucy went and scheduled this week-long baby boot camp thing—”
“They had a last minute cancellation, and we were next on the wait-list,” Lucy explained defensively.
“Either way,” Jon continued, patting his wife’s hand for reassurance, “we need this handled with finesse.”
“That’s perfect because I’m your finesse guy. Suavey McSmooth reporting for duty,” Zac crowed, popping another jalapeno chip in his mouth. He spread his arms wide. “There’s no better ladies man in the bunch.”
Jon turned to Lucy. “See? I told you this was a bad idea.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His friend specifically said they needed someone who can charm the pants off the reporter—ok, maybe not in those exact words—so why would Jon be so hesitant to send his most irresistible employee?
Probably because he assumes you’ll hit on her.
Successfully.
Jon opened his mouth to speak, but Lucy settled a hand on her husband’s shoulder and beat him to the punch. “Can I be honest with you?”
Zac nodded; he knew that of all the people in their group of friends, she would be the one to be honest and gentle.
“You’re super slutty—”
“Slut shaming? Really, Luce?”
“Let me finish,” she scolded. Wow, she already had that mom voice thing figured out. “It’s no mystery that you get around, and really, that’s cool. You do you.”
“I’d rather do others, but—”
“Can you take this seriously?” Jon grumped.
Zac flitted his eyes to his friend, whose brows were pulled so tightly together that they almost made a giant unibrow in the middle. But surprisingly, there wasn’t judgement there. All that marred Jon’s bearded face was exhaustion and barely contained worry.
“Sorry. Go on,” he mumbled sheepishly.
Lucy nodded and continued. “We don’t care what you do on your own time.
Bang the whole town—make sure to wear protection of course.
And get tested from time to time.” She rushed on at her husband’s throat clearing.
“The point is, we need someone to take this journalist around and be a professional representative for the company. No flirting, no kissing, and absolutely no appearances of your trouser snake.”
“Jesus!” both men scoffed. Jon rubbed a hand down his face while Zac threw back his head, chuckling.
Lucy continued, “If you think that is something you can manage, then we are asking you to step in for Jonathan this week.”
Of course he could do it. How hard could it possibly be to keep his hands off of one woman?
He cut back a lot since he’d made a fool of himself at Jon and Lucy’s wedding.
Taking a good look inward had been uncomfortable, and while he hadn’t gone cold turkey, he was definitely in the middle of turning over a new leaf.
Zac knew he could take this seriously, and after that, they would be so impressed that they would have to let him take over once Lucy had the twins.
“I can manage.” Zac sat up straight and caught Jon’s eyes. “You can count on me to be professional and keep my hands to myself.”
The two men—brothers not by blood but because of circumstance—stared each other down until finally Jon said, “Good.”
“Good.”
“Great,” Lucy said while expelling a relieved sigh.
That sigh morphed into a yawn as she stood.
Her husband shot to his feet and settled one hand at her waist while the other supported her elbow.
She gently shooed him off with a smile. “I’m going to bed.
” She kissed Jon then turned to Zac with a wink. “Thank you.”
Taking that as his cue to head home, Zac strode to the door. “I promise I won’t let you down,” he said over his shoulder to his friend, who followed closely behind.
“I know you won’t.” Jon smiled sleepily.
He pulled out his phone and pressed a couple buttons on the screen.
Zac’s phone chimed in his pocket and he looked quizzically to his friend.
“I forwarded the email string from Rock ‘n’ Ropes and let them know you’d be my proxy.
All the details are there. The journalist’s name is Claudia something or other.
Frankly, with how tired I am, I’m impressed I remembered that much. ”
Zac said his goodbyes and pulled up the cc’d email containing an introduction and brief explanation that Zac would be taking over. He grinned as he realized his friend had drafted the communication before they’d even had the conversation.
There was no way he was going to let Lucy and Jonathan down.