Chapter Fourteen
Jack pulled into his driveway and smiled. He had no idea if Rhett had shoveled the front porch and walk, or if Logan or Maddie had when they’d come over to plow. Either way, he owed someone a beer.
He let himself in, Dorothy and Sophia in tow. He’d barely unhooked their leashes when they made a beeline for their beds. “Did you girls miss being home? I sure did.”
Dot stopped digging at her blanket long enough to give him a curious look.
“I know. You had fun with aunties Logan and Kathleen. I had some fun of my own. But there’s still no place like home.”
Sophia snuffled and Dot picked up her favorite toy, a sloth wearing overalls.
“Yeah, but first I want a shower.” Which he’d technically done at Ellie’s—twice—but he’d been stuck using her body wash and now smelled like strawberries and hibiscus.
Well, strawberries, hibiscus, and sex. There were worse things, but still.
A guy got used to his twenty-in-one gel that was supposed to evoke an alpine forest.
Upstairs, he stripped off the clothes he’d worn far too many days in a row and tossed them in the hamper.
In the bathroom, he cranked the water nice and hot and turned the shower head to massage.
Under the spray, he let out a groan—pleasure and relaxation and a couple of choice images reminding him why his muscles ached in the first place.
Images that had nothing to do with pulling wire or fighting with the breaker box. Or shoveling snow.
As he worked the soap into his hair and over his body, his hand strayed south.
One brush was all it took to get his cock standing at full attention.
It was as though, in fewer than forty-eight hours, Ellie had made him insatiable.
Which wasn’t entirely fair. Thanks to weekly injections of T, it never took much to turn him on.
But usually a couple good orgasms took the edge off for a few days at least. This? This was bananas.
Rather than indulging in the quick release his hand could bring, Jack turned his attention to scrubbing, rinsing, and toweling himself off.
If there was a chance of being with Ellie again any time soon, it would be worth the wait.
He said as much to Dot and Soph, who’d taken up residence on the bathroom rug while he showered.
They seemed far less interested in his sex life than the prospect of dinner, which he served them while contemplating his own choices. Something from the freezer, probably. A hunk of lasagna, maybe. Too bad he hadn’t bothered to stop for fresh bread on his way home.
He almost missed the knock on the front door courtesy of the dogs crunching in stereo. But he heard it again, unmistakable now that he was paying attention. He peered through the window, surprised to see Rhett peering back. He opened the door. “Please don’t tell me something isn’t working.”
Rhett laughed. “I promise I’d start with a text if that was the case.”
A relief, though it didn’t shed light on why Rhett was at his door. “Thanks.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d managed to get supplies or had the energy to do anything with them. I’ve got a pot of gumbo on the stove, and I’m happy to share if you’re interested.”
He’d never had gumbo, but he knew enough to know it was hearty, hot, and probably on the spicy side. “Yeah?”
“You’re welcome to come over, but I’m also perfectly happy to bring you a bowl if you’re feeling antisocial.”
He and Rhett had already bonded about being introverts with borderline hermit tendencies, so he took both offers as genuine.
But if Rhett really didn’t want company, she could have showed up with a Pyrex and insisted there was no pressure to take it.
As much as he hated admitting it, he had a What Would Clover—or Logan or Maddie—Do moment and said, “I’d love to come over. Can I bring beer?”
Rhett grinned. “I’ll never turn down that offer.”
“Should I come now?” he asked.
“If you’re ready. Rice is just about done. But it’ll hold for a good half hour, too.” Rhett shrugged. “Whatever.”
Jack couldn’t tell if it was a Southern thing or a Rhett thing, but the easy-going vibe seemed natural. He couldn’t even pretend to pull it off. “Now is great. I’ll be right there.”
A few minutes later, he found himself at a gorgeous antique table that barely fit in what passed for a dining room. “Damn, this is good.”
“Okra is what scares people off. I use filé because that’s what my mawmaw did. And because it’s easier to get my hands on up here.”
Jack nodded, vaguely aware of what okra was, if nothing else. “Your mawmaw taught you well. This is fantastic.”
“I’m glad you like it. Maybe I can convince you to take some home. Even sharing with Ellie and putting some in the freezer, I’ve got more than I can eat without getting sick of it.”
He chuckled. “The plight of the big pot. I’ve got the same issue with chili.”
Rhett tapped her fingertip on the table. “Now, see, I’d happily agree to a trade.”
“Deal.”
“Speaking of Ellie, she was good when you left earlier?” Rhett’s tone was almost too casual, even for Rhett.
They hadn’t been, but Jack could appreciate the attempt to be smooth. “Yeah. We grabbed lunch together after digging out our cars, then stopped at the store so she could get some groceries since I ate most of hers.”
“I’m glad she wasn’t snowed in alone. I know I’m squeamish when it comes to blizzards, but still.” Rhett shuddered.
“Yeah, but no matter how bad they are, they’re never as destructive as hurricanes.”
“Oh, I know. It’s just the idea of being buried alive.” She shuddered again.
“Well, we weren’t anything close to that.” He considered how much to say. “And I never mind getting stuck in for a few days here at home, in town. But even I can admit I wouldn’t love being stuck alone out in the middle of nowhere.”
“Exactly.” The concession seemed to make Rhett feel better.
“You fared okay here? I know one of my sisters plowed, but thank you for shoveling the walk and the porch.”
Rhett shook her head. “Logan did that. I told her she didn’t have to, but she said you’d do it if you were here.”
“Then I’ll save all my gratitude for this.” He pointed at his bowl.
“So, not to make things weird, but Ellie did mention you two had, you know.”
Jack kept his cringe internal. At least he hoped he did. “Oh.”
“We don’t have to talk about it or anything, but I didn’t want you to feel weird wondering whether or not I knew.”
In the grand scheme of things, the wondering would be weirder than knowing. That didn’t lessen the weird in the moment, though. He stared at his bowl and tried to decide what to say.
“Too much?” Rhett asked.
“No. I mean, yes, but no.” Jack laughed. “I’ll have to tell my sisters at some point, so it’s only fair.”
Rhett’s eyes narrowed. “Have to?”
He laughed again. “Not like that. More like, we all share stuff and I’m usually off the hook by virtue of leading a very boring existence.”
“There’s something to be said for boring.”
“Right?” His siblings—including Clover—didn’t seem to get that.
“As someone who spent the better part of a year slogging through a crumbling relationship and another six months trying to tease apart the wreckage? Yeah, boring is good.”
“I’m sorry you went through that. Relationships are the worst.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he realized they were the exact wrong ones to say to the best friend of the woman he’d just spent the night with.
“Not all relationships, obviously. The doomed ones. The doomed ones are the worst.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Rhett lifted her beer. “And to being better at figuring out the doomed part before the doom begins.”
He didn’t try to hide his cringe then. Instead, he clinked his bottle to Rhett’s and took a long swig of the hoppy ale. And maybe, just a little, he thought about Ellie and hoped they’d be able to enjoy each other for however long and come to a mutual decision about parting ways when the time came.
* * *
FYI. Jack knows I know.
Ellie frowned at her phone. How did you manage that? It literally just happened.
Well, not literally. Because I literally had dinner with him, got a good night’s sleep, and am on my second cup of coffee. Rhett added a winking emoji, the one with its tongue out.
Ellie rolled her eyes, then replied with the emoji expressing that sentiment.
I’m sure he was wondering or would have wondered. Preemptive disclosure. It’s the way to go.
She shook her head this time. That’s such a poly thing to say.
That got her a string of emojis, all expressing some variation of anger, annoyance, and despair.
Rhett punctuated the collection with the green one on the verge of puking.
Poor Rhett. She’d been through the wringer—from her wife declaring she wanted an open marriage, to embracing poly as a lifestyle, to having her wife change her mind and marry the woman she’d had an affair with in the first place.
I’m sorry. Ellie wished there was more she could say.
Oh, I’m fine. Just indulging a momentary flair for the dramatic.
Rhett would be fine. Ellie knew it with more conviction than she had for her own fineness some days. But it was possible to be fine and bruised at the same time. I love you.
Love you, too. Now, get to work so you have time to flirt with Jack later.
Ellie checked the time before tucking her phone in her pocket. Jack usually rolled in by eight thirty—an impressive feat given that he lived an hour away. She’d no sooner wondered if he might be late today, given the last few days, when she spied his knit cap out in the parking lot.
Just the knowledge of his proximity had warmth radiating through her.
She clenched her thighs, blew out a breath, and reminded herself not to jump him in the middle of the study.
She did, however, prop the drill she’d been using to mix plaster on the edge of the bucket so she could say a proper hello.
She waited a beat, then another. When he didn’t appear, the hot and tingly sensation gave way to something sinking and left her feeling foolish.
Jack didn’t owe her a good morning kiss.
And even if he might be inclined to greet her with one, the house was already swarmed with carpenters, tile guys, and any number of other subcontractors.
She didn’t have to know him any better than she already did to guess he wasn’t a PDA sort of guy.
Resigned was better than foolish at least. Ellie picked up the drill, placing a foot on either side of the bucket to hold it steady. She pulled the trigger and worked the mixing paddle up and down. She’d see him when she saw him.
“Hey.”
Ellie jumped, sending her bucket of plaster flying in one direction and herself in the other.
The bucket landed on its side, its contents oozing onto the floor.
She landed on her ass, about as graceful as a newborn giraffe.
The drill clattered to the floor, sending splats of plaster everywhere, including her arm, her overalls, and her cheek. “Fuck.”
Jack let out a snort of laughter. Ellie glared on principle. Jack had the sense to cringe.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Damn right you are.” She laughed, though, and took the hand he extended.
Back on her feet, she surveyed the damage.
Most of the spill landed on a drop cloth.
She could let that dry and then scrape it off.
Her overalls had seen worse. Her hair was a different matter.
At least one blob had landed in her bangs and another right above her ear.
“Are you okay?”
Did she admit why she’d been so stubbornly focused on the task at hand? Probably not. “I’m fine. Just in my own little world.”
His expression softened and he smiled. “I’m familiar with the condition.”
For all her feeling foolish about being eager to see Jack, now she felt foolish for succumbing to the flash of insecurity. “I, um, didn’t hear you come in.”
The whine of a table saw punctuated the sentiment, and Jack rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s back to work.”
He seemed slightly saddened by the fact, which gave her a case of the warm and fuzzies. Not quite as fun as the warm and tinglies, but she’d take it. “Yeah.”
“I just wanted to say good morning. I’m sorry I made you make such a mess.”
She shrugged. “There are worse things.”
He gestured to the toppled bucket. “What if I clean up here so you can take care of yourself?”
Ellie dropped her chin and turned her head, one way then the other. “Not a good look?”
“Not your best.”
She touched her fingertips to her hair again. “This is already starting to dry. I need to get in the shower.”
Jack folded his arms. “It was an accident, you know. There’s no need to torture me in retaliation.”
Confusion lasted only a second, giving way to warm and tingly after all. She smirked. “I don’t think it’ll hurt you to suffer a tiny bit.”
He looked her up and down. Slow. Knowing. “Well, I’ll have some nice images to keep me company at least.”
Ellie could have happily stood there flirting. Or tried to coax Jack into playing hooky and joining her. But a crash sounded overhead, followed by yelling and swearing, and served as a jarring reminder they weren’t alone. “I’ll see you later I guess,” she said with more than a little reluctance.
“I really am sorry about the mess.”
“I’ll let you make it up to me.” She sauntered to the door, willing herself to play the vixen even if she looked ridiculous. A glance over her shoulder told her he was eating it up, plaster splats and all. “When you make me that dinner you promised.”
“Name the day,” he called, his voice following her from the room.
She smiled, wondering if the upcoming weekend would be too soon.