Chapter 18 The Fun Zone
THE FUN ZONE
“What’s been going on with you lately?” Jocelyn’s mother asked her two weeks later the minute she sat down at her desk.
She thought for sure she’d beat her mother here, but it hadn’t happened.
“Not much,” she said. “Why?”
“You haven’t been around,” her mother said. “Or not texting as much. I didn’t know if there was something going on.”
Like a guy she was spending more time with that very few knew about.
Just Chance’s employees since she’d gone in there a few nights while he was working for a quick dinner and chat.
He’d been true to his word after the first night they’d had mind-blowing soul-lifting sex. He’d texted her later that day when he was eating dinner. She knew he was busy at his job, but had a moment to just check in.
It wasn’t a very long text. Not even an important one.
Just that he’d reached out.
Slowly they were texting daily and last weekend he had one day off that he didn’t work at the pub and they’d gone for another ride, went to Urban Axes where he completely whipped her butt, then back to her place where she’d cooked him dinner and he’d spent the night again.
He’d be starting his rotation again at the firehouse soon, but had the weekend off and they’d been together yesterday.
What they had was full of fun. Nothing serious and no talk of it being that way.
If she was feeling more, she had to shut that down fast. He’d given no sign he wanted it to be anything other than it was.
Even with the words he’d said to her that first night in her place about just being a mark checked off on her list.
It still boiled her blood, but she thought back to his life and his childhood.
That he hadn’t fit in. He was talked about. She’d bet he was used by women only wanting sex.
It wasn’t her and never would be.
She came off too strong as it was after their first night together, but was glad she’d stepped up and spoke her mind. He had said nothing stupid like that to her again.
“Nothing more than normal,” she lied. Not something she liked to do, but since Chance was keeping this in the fun zone, she wouldn’t bring her family along for the enjoyment.
She didn’t need nor want that lecture.
“You’ve been yawning a lot,” her mother said. Which she did just now. Her mother pointed at her. “See. Are you not sleeping well?”
Oh, she’d been sleeping just fine. Nice and hard when there was a warm body next to her in bed that had worn her out.
Ugh. Was it a lot of sex in her mind too?
She didn’t want it to be that way.
“Just going through phases like normal,” she said. “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Her mother continued to stare. “Marjorie called me this weekend. She swore she saw you out at a brewery on a tour. I said you normally mention when you do things like that with friends.”
“I was at one yesterday,” she said. There wasn’t a way out of this without boldfaced lying and Marjorie was a busybody and would know for a fact that it was her.
“Who did you go with?”
“A friend,” she said. Her phone went off on her desk. Her eyes glanced over and she saw it was from Chance but ignored it.
“A guy or girl friend?”
“Mom,” she said. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Her mother stood up. “Got it. You’re not talking about it right yet.”
“I never do early on and you know it.”
Her mother sighed. “You’re right.”
“Why are you being so nosy now?”
“Because I worry about you. You know that. I just brought up the Fierces and I thought maybe you were trying to do this on your own and grabbing anyone you could so that you could tell them no.”
“I’d never do that. And I’m going to tell them no regardless. I said I wouldn’t do it unless I was desperate. When I’m ready to look for sperm donors, then you’ll know I reached that point.”
“Jocelyn!”
She burst out laughing at her mother’s appalled look. “You had it coming. Don’t be so nosy.”
Her mother left her office, so she picked up her phone to see the text from Chance. Nothing more than saying he’d be working at the pub tonight and tomorrow from lunch until closing, that someone was sick.
At least he was keeping her informed. She sent him a thumbs up back. What other reply would she give?
That she wished he didn’t have to and they could spend the time together?
That he’d be back at the firehouse after and tired and she’d be up at night worrying about him?
She should have never watched that damn show the other day with the fire and the beams crashing down and knocking the firemen out.
In the past she thought little of it. It was only TV.
Now it was the guy she was slowly losing her heart to.
“Did you get anywhere?” Jim asked Stacy twenty minutes later once she knew her daughter was lost in her work.
“Nope. She was at a brewery with a friend yesterday. I think if I hadn’t brought it up, she wouldn’t have. I’m positive it’s a guy because I asked and she refused to answer.”
“How much did you push?”
“Enough that she got snarky with me.”
“I can only imagine what she said,” her husband said.
“Best to leave it at that. You’ll get all worked up like you always do.”
“She is an independent one.”
“All our kids are independent,” she said. “Just like us. But I don’t want her to date men out of spite.”
Jim laughed. “No way. She won’t.”
“We need to go to lunch at the pub that guy owns that Grant and Garrett want to set her up with.”
“Chance Drummond?” Jim asked.
“Yes. It’s in the back of my mind now. I found Jocelyn’s old yearbook and looked the kid up.”
And what she saw was nothing like who her daughter would have been attracted to.
The kid had a look about him to get the hell out of his face or he’d make sure he did it for you and you might not walk away without a bunch of bruises.
Jocelyn was into the pretty boys back then, not the “I don’t give a shit” attitude ones.
She saw nothing about Chance playing sports or any activities. No one that Jocelyn would have crossed paths with.
It made no sense to her other than he was the opposite of her and very good looking.
Someone who wouldn’t let her daughter get away with much.
Which made her grin. Maybe Jocelyn needed that in her life after Victor.
Stacy remembered how much her daughter had been looking around when the two of them went to lunch weeks ago. As if she was trying to find someone.
“You were frowning and now you’re grinning. I didn’t remember him back then, but he’s nice enough. I’ve never had a problem with him in the years I’ve dealt with him. Neither has Gabe. Royce, Grant and Garrett have more dealings.”
“He’s nothing like I would have pictured her with back then.”
“She’s not our little girl anymore,” Jim said. “Now, I could see it. He’s not like Victor. Has more class and decency than Jack did. I mean, if you’re looking at careers, he’s close to Jack, but in my eyes, he’s more like Gabe and Royce personality-wise. At least to me.”
“That’s promising, but I want to see for myself.”
“So you want to go to lunch?”
“I do,” she said. “Didn’t you just hear me?”
“I can’t today,” he said. “We can try tomorrow, but there is no guarantee he’ll be there.”
If he wasn’t, then they’d try again because Stacy knew her daughter and things weren’t adding up.