Nineteen | Jasmin
Nineteen
Jasmin
“ Y our steering wheel is going to fall off if you grip it any tighter,” Brody said, nodding to my death grip.
“That’s for me to worry about.”
“I beg to differ. If you rip the steering wheel off, the car crashes and we both could get hurt. Or worse, die.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”
I didn’t bother to look at him as he chuckled in the passenger seat beside me. I pulled into the driveway and waited for the garage door to open before pulling in and parking. Brody didn’t ask before he opened the other back door and began helping me take in all the stuff I’d brought home to work on for Frosty Fest.
I held the garage door open with my hip while allowing him to go past me since he had his arms full of boxes that were likely blocking his view.
“There’s an island in front of you. You can set everything there,” I said, flicking the light switch on so he could find it easily.
I set down the bags I was holding and shook my arms, trying to get the feeling back in them.
“It’s only one night, but we may as well get the whole house tour thing over and done with,” I said, nodding for him to follow me. “This is obviously the kitchen and living room. That hallway leads to the bedrooms and bathrooms, and that way is the front door. You’re welcome to head that way at your earliest convenience.”
He chuckled under his breath and followed me down the hallway.
“This is the guest bedroom where you’ll be staying. There are extra linens in the closet. The guest bathroom is across the hall. I don’t have any manly stuff, but you’re welcome to help yourself to whatever you need. Extra toothbrushes and soap are in the cabinet.”
“What’s down there?” he asked, pointing to the other doors that were closed.
“One is my office and the other my bedroom. Both are off limits.”
I turned and walked off, not giving him the opportunity to ask any more questions.
“I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I’m not making dinner. I’ll order pizza, but if you want something else, you can order your own food.”
“Pizza works for me. And I’ll pay since I’m crashing here tonight.”
“I don’t need you to pay for my pizza.”
He was in my space again, so close I could smell the faint scent of his soap.
“I never said you needed me to do anything. I said I would pay for dinner. It’s my way of saying thank you for allowing me to stay here.”
“Oh, so you do have manners. They’re not as frequent as they should be, but it definitely seems like we’re making progress.” I cocked my head to the side and planted my hands on my hips.
“I told you to stop doing that,” he warned, pointing to my hands.
“And I told you to stop telling me what to do. You’re not the boss of me.”
“Don’t push me, Jasmin.”
I covered my mouth as I gasped dramatically.
“Oh my God! You do know my name!”
“Yeah, it’s better than calling you Crazy Boot Lady.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him.
“ That’s what you’ve been calling me?”
“Not to your face, Princess .”
“You know what, maybe I’ve changed my mind about letting you stay here.”
“That’s fine. I’ll go sleep in my truck. But you’re the one who is going to have to live with the thought that they allowed someone to freeze to death in their truck because you were a bit cranky.” He rocked back on his heels and smirked at me.
“Ugh. You’re the worst. And if anyone is cranky—it’s you.”
“Actually, I’ve been in a good mood the past few days. So not so much anymore.”
I rolled my eyes and walked back to the living room, ignoring him. I needed to pretend he wasn’t here, in my space. I turned on the TV, went straight to my Spotify account, and put on some Christmas music. Then I opened the app on my phone and ordered two large pizzas. A plain pepperoni pizza and meat lovers seemed like good choices since I had no idea what he liked but wasn’t willing to ask him.
While waiting for the food to come, I started grabbing the bags from the island and carried them over to the floor in front of the couch. I’d already pushed the coffee table off to the side so it wasn’t in the way since I would need a lot of room to work.
“What do you need help with?” Brody asked, staring down at me with his arms folded.
“Nothing. I’ve got it, but thank you. The food should be here in thirty to forty-five minutes.”
“I have nothing else to do, and it looks like you need as much help as you can get. So why don’t you stop being so stubborn and just let me help you.”
“Fine. Since you won’t seem to take no for an answer, you can help me put together the raffle baskets.”
“Raffle baskets?” he questioned as he sat on the floor beside me.
“Yes, raffle baskets ,” I repeated in a mocking tone. “Local companies donate items for a basket and then we set them up at the mall in display cases with attached boxes for people to bid on them. All of the money raised goes to a different cause each year. Last year, the money went to the local schools to upgrade the playground equipment and to purchase new computers for the high school. The year before that, the funds went to the animal shelter. They were able to do some repairs and expand the facility.”
“Wow. That’s really cool.”
I felt my cheeks heat as I blushed at his genuine compliment. Maybe being stuck together again wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.