Chapter 5
Francesca
“Oh, thank God you’re home!” Britt runs through my front door, throws a bag of snacks and three bottles of wine on my kitchen island. Then she grabs me in a hug and swings me around.
Britt and her husband, Bobby, live in the house diagonal from me, next to Jackson.
I love hearing the story of when they all started buying these homes together.
I think Jackson did it to kick start my brother’s business, but then everyone wanted to get in on it.
Slowly, they watched and waited for houses to become available.
With Bobby in real estate his company—Get Shacked Up—is the number one realtor in the County.
And with my brother updating the houses, a compound formed and slowly this block became our own.
“Ahh, I missed you so much!” I return her hug and we laugh and dance around the kitchen.
“You look great! It’s been too long! I haven’t seen you since my wedding! And I’ve been married for three years already!” That wedding was a perfect night. It was everything Britt had always dreamed of, since we were little girls, dreaming of our wedding at sleepovers.
Also, it was one of the last times I spent any real time with Jackson.
We were both in the wedding party, but not matched up.
I couldn’t help but stare at him and his date all night, wishing it was me, but almost relieved it wasn’t.
I most likely would have embarrassed myself in front of him, getting caught up in the romance of a wedding.
“How is married life treating you?”
“You know what I say, an orgasm a day keeps divorce away!”
“Oh my god, you’re a nut! Obviously Bobby is doing something right!” I wink at her.
“Girl, that man is insatiable. He’s just everything good about everything good.” She has a dreamy eyed look on her face as she opens some chips and dip, and I pop the cork on a cold bottle I had in my fridge, replacing it with the bottles Britt brought over.
“I’m happy for you. That’s so great.” I pour us a glass and cheers, “To home!”
“What about you? Tell me why you’re really here. In Christmas,” Britt asks.
I slouch at the island. “Nick is a dick,” she giggles.
“Like a real-life backstabbing dick,” Britt laughs again.
I tell her the story of how Ava Belinsky was defrauding me at work and then stealing my boyfriend while she did it.
“I’m pretty sure Nick had a part to play in it.
Whether he thought I’d figure it out and leave him or not is a different story, though. ”
“Oh girl, that is awful. What an asshole. Nick and your boss, and that bitch Ava. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I always thought coming home would be awful, but I think I need to be here to get my head on straight. Figure out where I’m going. If I want to keep up with PR or jump ship all together.”
It’s what I’m telling myself, anyway.
“You’ll figure it out and, in the meantime, we’re going to go out and get you laid.”
“Oh hell no, no way! A man is the last thing I need right now.”
“Come on! Bobby can introduce you to some nice realtors from his office. We can double date!”
“Britt! Stop pimping me out already! Let me get acclimated to town life again and then maybe we’ll see.”
She squeals and her eyes light up. “Hey! I didn’t say yes!” I protest.
“Yes, is always the answer.” I jump as I hear the male voice spoken from behind me.
“Oh my God, how did you get in here?” My heart is racing as I watch Jackson amble his way through my back door, along with Bobby.
“You should really lock your doors, Noches. Anyone could wander in,” he laughs to himself.
“Britt, didn’t you tell your husband not to feed the strays?” I say as Bobby comes up next to me and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Welcome home, Chess.”
“Thanks Bobby,” I smile at him and like a magnet, he’s drawn right to Britt's side. I want that type of love, like they can’t be without each other for more than a couple of hours without physically going to find one another again.
Jackson pulls up a stool to the island and helps himself to the chips. “So, what’s happening over here?”
“It’s girls’ night, so maybe you should find something else to do, Jacks-off.”
He eyes me and crunches on a chip. “That name went out in the 10th grade.”
"Did it? I heard that’s still your MO.”
“Only if they like to watch,” and he winks.
“You’re still a pig, I see.”
Britt and Bobby are enjoying the show. “Over twelve years later and nothing has changed,” she says and pushes her brother out of the way of eating all the chips.
“Can’t you guys be nice to each other for a change?
I mean, you are neighbors now.” Her eyes are twinkling. She’s up to something, I can see it.
Jackson stands and comes closer to me, throwing his arm around me. “Yeah, let’s be neighborly,” he says. I elbow him in the ribs. He makes a little grunt, but I think I hurt myself more than him. Damn, are his abs made of steel?
Don’t think of his abs, Francesca.
I turn to Britt and Bobby. “Speaking of neighbors, did you know YOUR neighbor is the grand mascot of the festival this year?” I smirk.
Jackson puffs up his chest. “You mean, Grand Marshall.”
“I said what I said,” I continue smirking and Britt laughs. “You know, the clown in the suit who gets laughed at under the lights.”
Jackson narrows his eyes. His jaw clenches and I think I may have struck a nerve.
“You know, ‘no-chest now I look like I paid for my chest’,” I gasp, insulted and cross my arms over my boobs, “For someone who doesn’t like me, you sure know a lot about me. You follow my twitter? How about the gram?”
“No.”
That’s a lie. Of course, I follow him.
“My mother told me. She’s running the committee and asked for my help.”
He smiles, like the Cheshire cat. “She did, huh? Did she also tell you that the committee head and the Grand Marshall work very closely together to plan the festival?”
“What? Since when? We don’t need help.”
“Yup, it’s a thing.” He’s so cocky, snagging more chips. “A few years ago, when Mayor Graham was the Grand Marshall, he didn’t like the float he was put on, so he enacted an executive order that the GM and the committee head have to plan and agree on all aspects of the parade.”
“An EO? In little old Christmas? I doubt that,” I scoff.
“Whatever,” he shrugs. “Look it up. It’s in the rule book.”
“There’s a Christmas rule book now? What the hell happened to this town?”
Bobby chimes in. “You let a few derelicts move in and suddenly we need rules,” he stares directly at his brother-in-law.
Jackson laughs, “It’s not because of me, although I’m sure I helped move it along.” He turns to me. “You should look down that cute little nose of yours at that wild twin in your family, not me.”
Did he call my nose cute? I touch it absentmindedly and he smirks like he knows what I’m thinking.
“So, when is a good time for you?”
Now.
My thighs clench.
Fuck, he’s hot.
Stop it!
“What?”
“To get together and plan this festival?” he winks. He fucking winks!
Britt claps her hands and jumps around. “This is going to be so much fun! All of us are back together again!”
Jackson is still staring at me with that grin and my stomach rolls. Maybe coming home wasn’t a good idea for my heart after all.