13. Jessica
Jessica
Naomi met Jessica at the door with a big hug and ushered her inside the apartment, while Jessica juggled the large tray of baked goods she’d brought, courtesy of Renee’s stress baking.
“Those look delicious!” Naomi said, her hair pulled back into a loose, low bun with just a hint of makeup, jeans, and an oversized T-shirt. Her typical day-off uniform.
Jessica declined to tell Naomi where she’d gotten the sweets from, knowing that if she did, she’d never hear the end of Naomi’s speculations.
She walked inside the apartment, which was spacious enough for two people to live in comfortably until they saved the money for a down payment on a house.
She passed by the kitchen, squeezing the tall man’s arm while he stirred a pan filled with onions.
He’d obviously changed out of his suit for the evening and was wearing light joggers and a T-shirt while he cooked.
“Hey, Tim.”
“Hey, yourself,” he said.
“Where do you want me?”
Naomi aimed a finger at the nearby dining table. “Salad veggies. We’ve got it in here.”
They settled into their usual routine. Naomi and Tim cooked like this every night they had off together. It was downright adorable how well they meshed. Jessica usually had dinner with them one evening a week, and they always made her feel like she was part of their little family.
Jessica hadn’t sat down with the cucumbers and tray of treats for long before her phone buzzed on the table beside her.
“Is it her?”
Jessica looked up, confused. “Who?”
“The private investigator.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because your face tells me it’s definitely not Claire. And I’m here already. And I believe you told me the next book club date is all settled. So that leaves one option. Unless you’ve met someone new and are holding out on me.”
“There’s no one new,” Jessica said. “And yes, it’s Renee.”
“Renee?” Tim asked. “So she’s the one looking into the Chase thing?”
“Yes, and she’s also hiring the band to play at her aunt’s celebration of life next Saturday.”
Naomi paused her garlic chopping. “So this relationship thing is going to continue at least a couple more weeks?”
“Well, a week and a half, really.”
Naomi returned to the garlic and said, “But you like her, right?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Deflection,” Tim noted. “She definitely likes her.”
Tim was very skilled at his job as a public defender, but Jessica hated being on the losing end of his debates. Although they were all good-natured.
“So you do like her,” Naomi said, not bothering to hide her smile but not looking up as she slid the garlic into the skillet Tim was stirring.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jessica said. “This is a business relationship. Plus, I don’t know if I’m over Claire yet. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Then don’t do serious,” Naomi said. “Flings are a thing.”
Jessica rolled her eyes, even though they couldn’t see the gesture. “The women in my book club said the same.”
“Smart women,” Naomi said. “Didn’t you say she’s only in town temporarily, anyway?”
“Yes, all the more reason to steer clear of anything except what I’m paying her to do.”
“Well, I, for one, support more contact with her.”
“I second the motion,” Tim said, waving his wooden spoon in the air.
Jessica’s head disagreed, but her heart had other things to say on the matter. Watching Renee frantically bake out her stress had been really cute, although knowing the situation it was compensating for made Jessica want to wrap her arms around Renee and hold her until she felt safe again.
“I do need to run through the set list with her.”
“There you go! Text her and set up a time to meet.”
“I can just do it over text and email.”
“That’s no fun,” Naomi said. “Meet up with her.”
Jessica considered the idea. But she came up with the most reasonable conclusion. “This is silly. I shouldn’t even be contacting her outside of work.”
Tim looked over his shoulder while he continued to stir and Naomi poured in the tomatoes. “Technically, this is about work, also. Just your work now instead of hers.”
He had a point.
He always had a point, darn it.
Can we meet to go over the set list? Maybe tomorrow?
She sent the text and threw the phone upside down on the table beside the cutting board. “
“Happy?”
“Delighted,” they said in unison.
Jessica returned to chopping cucumbers, then moved on to tomatoes. “Enough about my life. How’s work for you two? How’s your caseload, Tim?”
“My caseload is full, as always. How’s your schedule?”
“Pretty full, thankfully. Which is how I can pay for this stuff with Chase. Not to mention all the divorce fees. It’s why I’m glad we got this new gig.”
“Among other reasons,” Naomi chimed in.
The other reason hit her phone just then.
Sounds great. 5 good?
A long, three-dot pause stretched out between messages.
Want to meet somewhere?
“She wants to meet somewhere. Not the house.”
“Ooh, a date,” Naomi said.
“Not a date,” Jessica said. “She probably just wants a break from being in there.”
Sure. I’ve got lessons until 4:30, so that’s perfect. Where?
Luke’s on Clauson? They’ve got great loaded fries.
Great. See you then.
“Well, well, tell me,” Naomi said, barely resisting peering over Jessica’s shoulder at the text. “Where’s the date?”
“Not a date,” Jessica repeated. “Luke’s for loaded fries.”
“Loaded fries? On a first date? She’s a keeper.”
“Not a date,” Jessica said for the third time. “A business meeting.”
“Tim, honey,” Naomi said over her shoulder as Tim continued to stir the sauce. “Do your business meetings take place over cheese fries?”
He smiled and stirred. “They do not.”
“See? A date.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. She was having enough trouble convincing her own brain that this wasn’t a date. Convincing these two made the task even harder.
Did she want this to be a date? Sure, she’d been attracted to Renee from the start.
And the more they interacted, the more she got glimpses of Renee’s personality.
So far, she’d seen this no-nonsense side of her, but there was also a lightness to how she moved in the world.
And all of that adorable baking definitely brought out a softer side.
But Jessica was hiring this woman to do a job. And now the reverse was also true. Plus, there was the pesky business of her divorce.
No, not a date. It couldn’t be.
She just had to convince her heart of that.