Chapter Two
Jason
I drive away from Faith’s apartment, a basket of candy on my passenger seat and my mind on the sexy woman I left behind, an unusual occurrence.
I never have problems leaving a female in my rearview mirror.
I’m not an ass, I just don’t get attached.
Something about Faith gets to me, and considering she turned down my request for a date, I’m better off forgetting about her. Except her tire was slashed…
I shake my head and ride uptown to my cousin Gabe’s apartment. His wife, Izzy, greets me at the door, her three-year-old son, Noah, in her arms, her wild hair a halo around her head, her pretty face lighting up at the sight of me.
“Jason! Come on in. Gabe said you’d be stopping by.”
I kiss her on the cheek and chuck the boy under the chin. “Hey, little man. You’re getting so big.”
The child holds up three fingers, wiggling to get down from his mother’s grasp. “I was just going to give him a bath. I’ll get Gabe for you,” she says.
As I step into the apartment, Gabe meets up with me in the entryway. He pauses to play with his son, lifting the child into the air and laughing with him before settling him into his mother’s arms, and they head for his bath.
“I’m always shocked to see you so light-hearted and laughing,” I say. “Sorry. It’s just so different from the man you were.”
Gabe’s eyes light with pleasure. “Look what I have in my life to make me smile.” He glances toward where Isabelle took their son. “You’ll see yourself one day.”
“Oh, no,” I automatically say. “My life is full enough.”
“Until you meet the right woman.”
My thoughts immediately go to the gorgeous, shapely blonde with a good sense of humor and the ability to charm me. “Hey, I brought you some candy,” I say to Gabe, lifting the basket. “A … friend gave it to me.”
“Is this friend the reason you’re running late?” Gabe asks, a wry smile on his face.
I wince. “She ran into tire trouble.” I don’t mention that I just met Faith when I saw her on the side of the street kicking her van. I recall that moment with an amused smile.
“I’ll take that grin as a yes. So who is she?”
I chuckle, then decide to confide in my cousin, after all. “I met her tonight. She had some issues, and I helped out. She has a candy shop near the club.”
“So you decided to be a Good Samaritan.”
I nod.
“And she thanked you with treats. That you like, a lot.”
I roll my eyes. “Can we discuss business?”
Grinning, Gabe gestures into the apartment, and I follow him through the huge open design and into his private office, where we settle into wingback chairs. “Drink?” Gabe offers.
I shake my head. I’m not a big drinker. Not since that night. “No, thank you.”
“So what’s going on?” Gabe has been my mentor since he finished college and decided to stay in New York with his now-partners. He helped me find an apartment and funded my venture, Club TEN29, named after the date Levi died. A date we will never forget.
“Now what did you want to discuss about the future of your club?” Gabe leans back in his chair and meets my gaze.
“I came here to ask for ideas, but when I was talking to Faith earlier…”
“The candy girl?”
I laugh. “Yes. She mentioned wanting to stand out in her area of business and dominate, and I realized that’s what we needed to do and an idea came to me on how.
We should expand Club TEN29, utilize our stage, and upgrade our acoustics.
Then we bring in live talent. I want a Miami vibe in New York.
” My excitement grew as I explained. “I don’t expect big names off the bat, but I know we can get solid people.
I can hit up Avery’s husband, the rock star, for help.
” I also dated Charlotte Jasper, another recording artist I met through my half-brother-in-law. I could ask her to perform.
“All of which would require funding.” Gabe steeples his fingers in thought.
I nod. Gabe has his hands in various businesses and has the money to lend, should he deem it a worthwhile investment.
“We have the collateral now to go to a bank for a loan.” Which we didn’t have when we were starting out. Gabe lent us the money for the start-up, which we are still paying back over time. “But I’d prefer to work directly with you again.”
“Talk to your partners and see if they’re on board. Work up a plan and bring it to me.”
I rise to my feet. “Thank you.”
Gabe stands, walks over, and slaps me on the back. “Your success is my success. Besides, we’re family.”
Our grandfathers were brothers, but the Dares remain close despite some living in different states. Even the half-siblings have come to an understanding and have sibling-like relationships now. Some more than others.
“Enjoy your family,” I say to Gabe as we walk to the door.
“Thanks. Enjoy your candy girl.”
My heart gives a kick. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing her again.” She made it clear she doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and if I look deep into my soul, the part of me I protect, I have to agree.
But I still can’t forget the slashed tire or the troubled look that crossed her face when I told her about it.
“Letting her go easily doesn’t sound like the Dare way,” Gabe says before saying goodbye and shutting the door.
I groan and head back to my car, Gabe’s words in my ear.
* * *
Faith
After my failed attempt to deliver candy and the encounter with my dark knight, as I’ve come to think of Jason Dare, I spend a restless night tossing and turning.
I have too much on my mind to relax. From the need to reschedule my candies to a daytime delivery, which means taking time away from being in the store, to my worry about Colton finding me, to thoughts of the sexy man I turned away, I’m unsettled, to say the least.
I wake up extra early and make myself a cup of coffee in the Keurig I splurged on, pour in some cream, and grab a cup of yogurt. No Greek yogurt for me; I like the tiramisu-flavored kind, sugared and all.
I settle in at the kitchen island that doubles as my table and power up my laptop. With Jason’s card beside me on the counter, I pull up the website for Club TEN29, telling myself it’s mere curiosity overall that compels me. That I’m not cyberstalking Jason Dare.
At a glance, I’m impressed with the interactive website and the wealth of information and rooms available on the premises for events and parties. The website provides music and gives a much more professional impression than the basic site I created for Sweet Treats.
Professional website, I jot down in the notes section of my computer. Another expensive item on my to-do list for my business, I think with a sigh.
Then, unable to help myself, I click on the About section, and photographs of the three partners come up in full color.
Jason has the lightest brown hair; the other two men are darker, all sporting a scruff of beard, but it is Jason’s startling indigo blue eyes that stand out.
If I wasn’t so overwhelmed, I’d have paid more attention to them last night.
I study him, his intense gaze, slightly brooding, sexy look, and sigh, squirming in my seat at the sight of him.
Scrolling further, I come to the meaning of Club TEN29 and suck in a startled breath.
The words are brief but impactful: Club TEN29 is named in memory of Levi Bennett, who died in a tragic accident on October 29, 2009, beneath the photograph of a young man who appears almost identical to the older photo of Landon Bennett.
They must have been twins. How tragic and sad, I think, closing out of the website.
But not before taking one last lingering look at Jason and feeling a sense of regret for what might have been if my situation were different and I was free to see him again.
I make a note to go to a gas station and order a new tire for my old van, and get the others checked before turning my attention to ordering supplies for my shop. Incoming orders are coming in surprisingly quickly, and I’m thrilled with my slow but steady growth and return clientele.
After I finish my paperwork, I shower and dress in dark jeans and a sweater, pulling on my lightweight puffer jacket for the day, and load up my van again with my candy.
I stop to open the shop for Kelsey. While my intern handles sales, I will drop the baskets off at various local businesses.
If I don’t do it today, the candy will start to go stale, and I don’t want anything to go to waste.
I’m operating in the black by being careful.
I spend the day working, and though I wish I could say I put Jason Dare out of my mind, I can’t stop thinking about him, his tight ass, and the warmth in his eyes when he looked at me.
But I remind myself that he doesn’t need trouble in his life, and that’s what I’m running from. Trouble in the form of my brother.
* * *
Jason
I texted my partners, telling them I want to meet in the morning at the club, which is why I’m walking upstairs inside the darkened venue at noon the next day. The guys were up late, so I pushed the time to a more reasonable one. If it was up to me, I’d have been here by nine.
I join them in the large space we occupy as our shared office, when we aren’t holed up in our individual private rooms, to find the guys in jeans and tee shirts, both Landon and Tanner guzzling coffee and glaring at me.
“This had better be worth dragging me out of bed,” Tanner mutters. “I’m fucking beat.”
Landon yawns. “What he said.”
I’m not surprised. Landon is a man of few words.
I flip on the overhead lights, guaranteeing my friends perk up. I wait for the cursing and groaning to end before I gesture through the window that overlooks the main staging area below.
“Imagine an A-list artist performing on stage. Now picture the lines to get in. A Miami vibe in New York. A whole new TEN29.” I give my pitch, short and sweet. “So much stronger than come on in and dance,” I add for good measure.