Chapter 6
JINX
Rachel Perry is sexy as fuck.
This isn’t a new revelation by any means. She caught my attention years ago, but she was married, so I was respectful and kept my eyes mostly to myself.
Now that she’s in the process of remedying that problem, things have changed.
Of course, I still respect her. More so than just about anyone else. She’s a good mom and a good teacher, and when we talked on her front porch a couple of weeks back, she proved she’s got a good heart, too.
But it was damn near impossible to ignore her rockin’ little body when she came out, hair still damp and skin glowing, to give me a hard time. Those tiny black shorts accentuated her long legs, making my hands itch to slide over that smooth skin. And the thin white tank top? Pretty sure she wasn’t aware of all it revealed.
Thank god she went back into the house and stayed there, because I was hard as a rock until well after I finished her lawn, loaded up the mower, and escaped before she could try and pay me.
I may have relieved myself of that inconvenience as soon as I got home and hit the shower… while I imagined her in her own shower before she put on that little outfit and came outside to give me hell.
She’s a firecracker, that one. And damn if I don’t enjoy lighting her fuse.
Just as I open the bathroom door to let out the steam, there’s a knock at the front door.
It’s almost eight o’clock, so it’s probably Amelia coming to give me hell again.
But then again, my sister would’ve barged right on in and made herself at home rather than knock.
“Hold on a sec!” I holler down the hall. Then I pull on a pair of basketball shorts. I don’t bother with a shirt, because if it’s not Lee, it has to be Jesse or Aiden. Maybe even Connor or Ty.
My still damp feet leave footprints on the hardwood floor as I sprint to the front door and throw it open.
I almost stagger back at the sight of Rachel holding a plate of cookies.
“Oh.” Her eyes widen, and the light from the entryway makes the golden flecks in her irises sparkle like glitter as she takes in my bare chest. “H-hi.”
“Hi.” I offer a smile. She’s the last person I expected, but I’m not the least bit disappointed. Especially not when the blush on her face seems to indicate that she likes what she sees.
“I, um, I brought you cookies.” She holds them out like an offering. “You left before I could pay you, and then I figured you probably wouldn’t let me anyway, so I baked instead.”
I give a crooked grin. “I love cookies. And if I’d have known this is how you do business, I would’ve cut your grass weeks ago.”
The blush in her cheeks darkens. “They’re just cookies.”
Yeah. Cookies she made with me in mind.
I step aside and wave her in. “Come in. Have one with me.”
“Oh, I can’t. I have—”
“Another PTA meeting?” Damn, my grin is so wide it makes my cheeks hurt.
She pinches her eyes shut and lets out a light laugh. “No. No PTA tonight.”
“Then come in. Please.”
She hesitates, but ultimately gives in, her focus sweeping around the small kitchen on one side and the living room on the other.
Thankfully, I keep things fairly clean. I don’t spend much time here, so there are no dishes piled up in the sink or dirty socks on the floor.
“Dang,” she muses, wearing a small smile. “This is not what I expected.”
“No?” I like that she’s thought about it. “Were you expecting titty posters on the walls? Beer can towers?”
She gives another soft laugh. “Maybe.”
“Wow.” I rear back, feigning offense, even as a warmth spreads through me. I love that I’ve surprised her. “It’ll probably blow your mind to know that the furniture is five years old, and there’s not one beer or pizza stain.”
“Oh my.” She presses a hand to her chest, playing along with my ribbing. “That’s quite the accomplishment. Next, you’ll try to tell me that all your plants are real.”
I laugh and take a step closer. “They are.”
“Shut up.” She shoves at my arm.
“I’m serious. Look.” I drag her into the living room like the dork I am when it comes to my plants. “Some guys have dogs; I have plants.”
“I… don’t know what to say.” She reaches out and caresses a few of the leaves. “I’m definitely surprised.”
I shrug. “I’d love to have a dog, too, but I’m not home enough.”
“Understandable.” She turns and regards me, her eyes soft.
“Anyway…” I tip my head toward the kitchen. “How about those cookies?”
“Ah, yes.”
On the way, I snag a T-shirt from the laundry basket in the hall. The rest of the place may be tidy, but when it comes to laundry, I have no room to brag. It may look like I just took the clothes out of the dryer and set the basket there, but truthfully, it’s been sitting there for weeks. And I’m not even sure the clothes are clean.
“Please, sit.” I gesture to a chair at the table, then tug the shirt on. “Have a cookie with me.”
“Oh no. Those are yours. I have some at home.”
“C’mon.” I pull out a chair for her and claim a spot across the table before grabbing a cookie. Not only are they chocolate chip, but they’re still warm. “Damn, Rach. These are good.”
“I’m glad you like them.” She sits straight, keeping her hands folded in her lap. The playfulness she emanated a few moments ago has already vanished.
“Actually, I’m glad you stopped by. I wanted to talk to you about Mason. He told me that Jesse planned on giving him some work this summer.”
“Ugh.” She closes her eyes. “They both know he’s not old enough.”
“I know, but I think we can work something out.”
She cracks open an eye. “How so?”
“I do a lot of work off the clock. He can come along and be my helper. Jesse will pay him cash.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Technically, it was Jesse’s idea. And I could use the help.” It’s not really a lie, but the logistics will be a pain in the ass, for sure. Regardless, after my visit with the kid the other day, it’s clear he could use someone to talk to. “The other thing is football.”
This time, her face falls in a completely different way. Like this is something she’s been struggling with already.
“How do you know about football?” she asks, her voice small and pained.
“He told me about it yesterday when I saw him messing with the lawn mower.”
She scrapes her teeth along her bottom lip. “I feel awful, but Emma had already started softball when we found out that the football team would be combined with Copper Crossing’s. All the practices are going to be over there, too. I can’t be in two places at once.”
“I’ll take him.”
“Excuse me?” Her chin drops, and her pretty mouth falls open.
“I’m helping Dalton coach this year. Figure if I’m gonna be at the practices and games anyway. Mason can come with me.”
She snaps her mouth shut, and her nostrils flare ever so slightly as emotion brews in her eyes. “Jinx…”
“I don’t mind. And like I said, I’m going to be there anyway.”
She presses her fingers to the corners of her eyes and blinks back tears. “Are you sure? That’s a lot to ask.”
“Again, you’re not asking. I’m offering.” I’d offer a lot more if I knew what else she needed.
“I’ll help with gas—”
“Rachel.” I cut her off and zero in on her. “I got this, okay?”
She carefully wets her trembling lips and whispers a shaky “thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” We’ll need to hammer out the details before football starts, but I don’t want to stir up more emotions. I’m sure that crying at my table wasn’t on her agenda for tonight. “So, what do you have planned for the weekend? Anything fun?”
“Um, no. Not really.” She gives a light sniff. “Not unless you think laundry and scrubbing floors are fun.”
I chuckle and grab another cookie. “Hell no. I detest laundry.”
She laughs softly, the tears finally disappearing.
“So, no hair appointment? No pedicure? You know, lady shit?”
She lifts a brow. “Lady shit?”
“You should take some time to yourself.” I’m overstepping, but I get the feeling that someone needs to point this out to her.
“I take time to myself,” she asserts, sitting a little straighter in her chair. “I never pass by Books Beans without getting an iced chai. And I’m going to Madison in a few weeks with the girls.”
“Good. You deserve that. What are you and the girls gonna do?”
“We have a teachers’ recertification class.”
I tap my fingers on the table and hum. “So you’re working.”
She frowns, and then it hits her. “Oh. I suppose I am.”
I grin. “There will be drinks, though, right?”
“Oh, yes. There will absolutely be drinks.”
“College guys, too?”
She tips her head back with a groan. “Will you ever let me live that down?”
“Not likely.”
“Of course not.”
She sighs, then, “Was it really that bad?”
“Bad in what way?”
“It’s not like I took my bra off and tried to hang it from the rafters. I just had a few drinks and played some games. Sure, the guys were young, but…” Her worried expression morphs into one of annoyance, and her eyes narrow. “Why is it perfectly fine for guys to have fun like that, but the second a woman starts to let loose, everyone gets their undies in a bundle?”
“Hold up.” I put one hand out in front of me. “Yes, I interjected that night, but not because I didn’t think you were entitled to a little fun.”
She cocks her head and surveys me quietly, waiting for me to continue.
“As far as I’m concerned, have all the fucking fun you want. Craig is a prick, and I already told you that he deserves to see you with someone else.”
A crease forms in her brow. “You did?”
“Mm-hmm.” I dip my chin. “That night on your porch.”
“Oh. That’s right.” Color seeps into her cheeks. “My recollection of that conversation is a little spotty.”
“I was thinking about you when I stepped in,” I remind her. “We may not know each other that well, but I’m pretty sure you’re not a one-night-stand kind of woman.”
She makes a throaty sound.
“Am I right?”
She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. “I don’t like you very much right now.”
I laugh. “Better me than you.”
She shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. Thankfully, she’s wearing a T-shirt and a bra now, but the stance still draws my attention where it shouldn’t. “It’s because I’m a mom, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The reason you saved me from myself.”
I don’t know how to answer that.
“That’s what I thought. It’s because I’m a mom, and moms are supposed to behave a certain way. We’re supposed to set aside our own wants and needs and think about the kids.” She sneers the last words, but a heartbeat later, she gasps, and her expression crumples. “Fuck.” She covers her face with her hands. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I didn’t intervene because I disapproved of your behavior.”
“Okay, then tell me why you did do it,” she challenges.
I scratch at the collar of my shirt, which is definitely not clean, as an uncomfortable heat spreads through me. I want to be honest with her, but I’m not sure she’s prepared to hear it.
“Just say it, Jinx.”
“I didn’t like that guy hanging all over you.”
Her lips part, and her copper eyes dart back and forth between mine. “I don’t think you mean that like it sounds.”
“I do.” I dip my chin. My movement is firm, even as my stomach ties itself in a knot. “You’re a beautiful woman, and you’re also newly single.”
Her lashes flutter quickly, but she says nothing.
Since there’s no putting the lid back on this conversation, I keep going.
“I might’ve felt a little territorial.” Hell, I wanted to break that asshole’s hands every time he touched her.
She regards me for a moment and then nods, her expression neutral. “And this is a small town. I get it.”
No, she doesn’t.
But now isn’t the time to clarify that. Her divorce isn’t final, and she’s still got quite a few things to work through.
But the day will come when she is ready.
And I’ll make my move then.