Chapter Thirteen #2
I mentally slap myself when I realize I should be more concerned about Jackson’s reaction.
Jamie tries on a few dresses and is gorgeous in all of them. Her dark hair looks best with the red dress, so she picks that one. It has a plunging neckline that shows off her chest without revealing too much. Silas will love it.
Once I find new shoes to go with the dress, we check out and hug goodbye. We have a few hours before our reservation, so I have enough time for an everything shower and to get ready without rushing.
When I arrive home, Silas’s truck isn’t in the driveway so I don’t go looking for him. I didn’t ask what his plans were for the day, so he could be anywhere.
“Posey?” Knocking on my bedroom door grabs my attention, and I turn down my music to make sure I heard correctly.
“Come in.”
I’m on the edge of the bed, getting my shoes on when he walks in.
“I’m almost ready,” I tell him, trying to buckle in the straps. “Okay. Done.”
As soon as I look up, my mouth falls open.
Silas’s wearing all black in a button-up with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his tattoos, with black slacks and dress shoes. There’s a silver watch on his wrist that I haven’t seen before but it looks sharp with his outfit.
All that’s missing is a black cowboy hat.
“Wow.” My eyes widen while I openly check him out. “You clean up nice, city boy.”
Standing, I scrub my hands down my dress, smoothing the fabric beneath my fingers. With my heels, I’m almost as tall as he is and get an even better view of him. His hair is nicely done and his jawline is freshly trimmed.
“Thank you, but holy shit…that dress.” His eyes slowly rake down my body.
As I spin to show him the back, his eyes widen in admiration.
“Fuck, Posey. You cannot wear that in public.”
“That hot, huh? Maybe my failure datin’ streak will finally come to an end.” A girl can hope, but I’m not holding my breath.
His Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows hard. “I dunno how any guy could resist you in that.”
“Good to know.” I chuckle, my cheeks and neck heating at his compliments. “We should go so we aren’t late.”
Grabbing my clutch, I follow him out to the truck where he opens my door and helps me in. Then he goes to his side and buckles in.
After ten minutes of driving, the silence is killing me.
“So what’d you do today?”
“Went to Warren and Maisie’s for a bit. She was stuffin’ the Save the Dates for your cousin’s weddin’ and he’s buildin’ the floral arch for the ceremony, so I helped him with that.”
“Oh, that reminds me I have to get labels made and printed for the goat soap favors. Then we’ll put ’em in cute boxes and bags.”
“I can help with that if you need since it’s all hands on deck. I don’t mind.”
“I’ll probably wait until next weekend since we won’t have time durin’ the week, so I’ll let ya know. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
We listen to music the rest of the way, but as soon as he parks, nervous flutters hit me.
“You okay?” he asks when he opens my door and I don’t immediately jump out.
“Yeah, I just realized I’m gonna have to talk to someone who knows nothin’ about me and go through the whole talkin’ stage again.”
He laughs when I pout.
“One look at you in that dress and he won’t be able to talk ’cause his jaw will be on the floor.”
“Silas!” Now I’m the one whose jaw is on the floor. “You can’t talk like that.”
“Why not?” He holds out his hand for me to take so I can jump down. “Just bein’ honest.”
“’Cause we’re supposed to be friends.”
He stands in front of me after locking his truck. “Friends can’t compliment each other?”
“Sure they can, but not like that.” I grip my clutch, trying to get my heart rate to go back to normal. “We agreed what happened last night was a one-time thing, so to avoid any further confusion between us, we should keep things strictly platonic.”
The words confidently come out of my mouth but my brain disagrees.
“All I said was that his jaw would be on the floor ’cause of how beautiful you look.
” He steps closer and my eyes track the movement of his tongue peeking out between his lips.
“And I meant it ’cause even if you’re gorgeous every day, you’re breathtakin’ in this dress.
” His raspy voice makes me squeeze my thighs, but then he grabs a strand of loose hair and wraps it behind my ear, sending me into cardiac arrest. “He’d be crazy not to agree. ”
My eyes stay glued to his as my heart beats out of my chest.
Swallowing hard, I straighten my spine and put space between us. If I don’t walk away now, I might do something I’ll regret.
“We should go in and meet ’em so they aren’t left waitin’.”
He nods and follows me into the restaurant. Jamie’s face lights up the moment she finds me and wraps me in a hug.
“You look stunnin’,” I tell her.
Her hair’s pulled halfway up with beachy waves down her back.
“Me? You’re a fuckin’ fox.” She makes a purring sound, and I blush.
Jackson pulls me in next and kisses my check. “It’s so good to see you again. That’s a beautiful dress on you.”
“Thank you.” I smile wide at his tan cowboy hat. “Is that a Resistol?”
He swipes his fingers along the rim and tips it. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I love it.”
Jamie’s laughter grabs my attention, and when I see her and Silas chatting, jealousy I have no right to feel hits me in the gut like a punch I didn’t see coming.
Jackson rests his palm on my lower back and leans into my ear. “I’ll let ’em know we’re here.”
I force my gaze back to his and nod.
The dim lighting and candles flickering on the tables set a romantic vibe meant for lovers on an intimate date. A host in a white dress shirt and black slacks lead us to the back where it’s quieter.
Jackson pulls out the chair for me, then sits next on my right with Jamie across from me and Silas next to her.
“Your server will be with you shortly,” he says after repeating the specials.
“Would you like somethin’ to drink?” Jackson asks, handing me the alcohol menu.
“I’ll take an amaretto sour,” Jamie answers before I can.
“That sounds good. I’ll do that too.”
Silas’s forehead wrinkles because we didn’t discuss drinking tonight. He’s probably thinking about last weekend when I went overboard and felt sick for two days afterward.
“I’m just havin’ the one,” I tell him.
“Me too,” Jamie says. “Took me days to recover last time.”
I laugh, relieved we’re on the same page.
The conversation between the four of us flows smoothly while we eat. Jamie’s easy to talk to and is good at asking questions and prompting Jackson to do the same. He asks about my goat soap business and my family. I ask about his fire station and the types of calls they get.
Silas’s his normal upbeat energy and Jamie eats it up while they talk about her working with her dad and how his first couple weeks working at the goat farm has been.
Although Jackson’s been nothing short of a gentleman and is quite charming, there’s nothing more than platonic feelings between us. And if I’m reading his body language correctly, he’s in agreement.
“I’m dyin’ to try their chocolate mousse cake. Do you wanna share a piece?” Jamie asks Silas.
“Sure, that sounds good.”
They’ve been leaning into each other all evening and laughing. I’m relieved they’re getting along and seem to be enjoying each other’s company. They both deserve it.
“I think I’m gonna try the cheesecake,” Jackson says, giving me the dessert menu. “Do you want anythin’?”
I was going to say no but I don’t want to be the only one not eating. “I’ll do the tiramisu. That’s my—”
“Your favorite.” Silas grins.
“Wait, how’d you know that?”
His expression changes as if he just now realized he said those words aloud. Clearing his throat, he pats his mouth with the cloth napkin. “You mentioned it once a long time ago.”
The only time he would’ve been around when it was mentioned would’ve been in high school when Mom and Aunt JoJo were helping me make cookies and brownies for a club bake sale. We were talking about our favorite desserts and I’d mentioned mine.
He was always at the house with Warren, so it’s possible he overheard.
But what a weird thing to remember after all these years.
“I’ve never tried it,” Jamie says, playing with the straw in her empty drink glass. “I’ll have to steal a bite.”
“Me neither,” Jackson adds.
“Y’all been missin’ out. It’s a rich treat with espresso-soaked ladyfingers and cocoa powder.”
“Must be why you hate flavored creamer,” Silas teases. “You prefer the bitter flavor.”
“I never said I hated it. But if I’m gonna drink coffee, I want it to taste like coffee, not a pumpkin pie or latte.”
“Oh, I love pumpkin spice!” Jamie exclaims.
Silas smirks. “Right? It’s the best.”
“No, I’m with Posey. Black coffee with a splash of milk is all you need.”
I hold up my hand. “See? He gets it.”
“Well, that’s ’cause he’s old,” Jamie quips, and I almost forgot how much younger she is than us.
We all share when our plates arrive, which is fun and a great ending to our date. But I can’t wait to get home and out of this dress. Although it’s very flattering, I’d rather be in pj’s and underneath my warm comforter. Teddy likes it too when I let him snuggle with me.
And that might be exactly why I’m single.
Choosing my pet rat’s company over a man’s.
When the check arrives, Jackson grabs it and pulls out his wallet. Silas offers to pay half but Jackson waves him off and says it’s his treat.
“I’ll get the next one,” Silas offers.
Next one? Don’t think so.
Once the server returns with Jackson’s card, we head out.
Just as I’m thanking Jackson for dinner and nice conversation, Jamie interrupts us.
“It’s still early. We should watch a movie!”
Silas walks next to me as we hit the parking lot and freezes at her words.
“Tonight?” I ask.
“Yeah! Maybe at your house?”
I swallow hard, trying to come up with an excuse as to why that’s a bad idea.
“I’m game,” Jackson adds. “I’m off tomorrow.”
I don’t mind hanging out with Jamie but it’ll be awkward if she’s all over Silas, making Jackson and me third wheels. Maybe I’ll drag him into the kitchen to bake something so they can be alone.
“Sure, let’s go,” I say, walking toward Silas’s truck.
“I’ll follow you,” Jackson tells him.
“Posey, wait!” Jamie catches up to me. “I’ll go with Silas so you can drive with Jackson.” She winks as if she’s doing me a favor.
Before I can protest, she jumps into his passenger seat.
“Guess I’m ridin’ with you,” I tell Jackson with a weak smile.
Silas’s gaze finds mine and he tilts his head as if to ask how I feel about this.
I give him a subtle nod to go ahead without me, then follow Jackson to his truck.
No reason it has to be awkward…none at all.