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  “No way! You actually talked to that guy from the dating site?”

  She grinned. “Yup, until 1:00 this morning, and he said he’d love to come to the party.”

  “Oh my God, tell me everything. What’s he like?”

  “Well, he’s a loan officer at a bank.” Jessica wrinkled her nose. “I was hoping for something a little more exciting, but I guess you can’t have it all, right?”

  Ava laughed. “Yeah, as long as he didn’t upload his cousin’s photo to that site, I’d say the cuteness quotient more than makes up for the boring job.”

  Jessica took a bite of her sandwich, taking a minute to savor it before she continued. “Oh God, can you imagine? That would be just my luck, wouldn’t it? Just watch, he’ll show up with bright red clown hair, coke bottle glasses, and pasty white skin.” She rolled her eyes. “That would probably serve me right for picking the first guy I saw.”

  “Relax. If he’s agreed to meet you, I’m sure it was his pic. I mean, why would he humiliate himself that way otherwise, right?”

  “True.” Jessica sighed. “God, he was hot, wasn’t he?”

  “He sure was. But more importantly, was he nice? Did you have a lot in common?”

  Jessica nodded. “Yeah, he seemed really sweet, like someone I could be friends with, ya know?”

  Ava frowned. “Hold on a minute, I thought you were looking for a boyfriend, not a friend?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll see where it goes. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

  Ava sighed. “Hon, if you’re doing this just to get Jake to take notice…”

  “I’m not!” She sighed at her friend’s questioning glance. “Okay, so maybe it would be nice if Jake stopped treating as though I was still five years old. He acts like he needs to babysit me to keep me from harming myself.”

  Ava smiled. “I know it’s frustrating, but try to see it from his perspective. If you guys had just met, a seven-year age difference wouldn’t be a big deal, but Jake was graduating from college when you were a freshman in high school. He’s divorced with a kid. In his mind, you two are worlds apart.”

  “And there’s no way we’re going to bridge that gap unless he starts seeing me as an adult.”

  Ava covered Jessica’s hand with her own. “Listen to me, if you want to shake things up to make yourself happy, I say go for it, but if you’re doing this to make a point with Jake, don’t. Honestly, I think you’ll just end up being disappointed, and I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  Jessica bit her lip, trying to control her emotions. Jake had unwittingly hurt her a million different times in a million different ways over the years. She watched him fall in love, get married, and have a baby with another woman. Every stage nearly ripped her heart out. She didn’t ever want to go through that again. “This isn’t about Jake. This is about me and what I want.” She forced a smile. “Don’t worry; I know what I’m doing.”

  Jake walked into the Book Nook, torn between hoping Jess would be there and praying she wouldn’t. He wasn’t even sure he could look her in the eye after what happened yesterday.

  Ava looked up from the shelf she was re-organizing. “Oh, hi, Jake. How are you?”

  Good, Ava was alone. Who was he kidding? He was disappointed his favorite bubbly blonde wasn’t there to give him grief. “I’m good, you?”

  She stood up, grinning. “If you’re looking for Jess, you just missed her.”

  “Why would you think I was looking for her?” He glanced at a rack of children’s books. “Actually, I’m looking for some books for Jared.”

  “Oh, okay. I can help you with that.” She walked toward the back of the spacious store as she crooked a finger over her shoulder, beckoning him to follow her. “Here’s the children’s section. What does your son like to read?”

  “Um, well, he just turned five, so he’s just getting started, but his mother said it’s important for me to read to him at bedtime.” He shrugged. “I thought it might be a good idea to have a few books on hand, you know…”

  She smiled as she touched his forearm. “It’s a great idea to read with children. It helps foster a love of reading early on, and it’s a great bonding experience.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sure he’s starting to learn the basics at school, so easy readers would probably be the way to go. How about The Berenstain Bears, or maybe Franklin?” She pulled two books off the shelves and handed them to him.

  Jake turned them over to look at the back covers. He wanted to ask if Jessica had given up on her hare-brained idea to solicit a date online, but he didn’t want to be too obvious. “Um sure, these look good.” He glanced at the other books on the shelf. “I’ll take that one, too,” he said, pointing to a book with a police car and uniformed officer on the front cover. His son was fascinated with his job as a deputy chief and never tired of asking him questions about it. His ex, Diane, discouraged him from talking about it, but he didn’t want to quash the kid’s natural curiosity. Besides, he loved the fact that his kid still thought of him as a hero.

  “You got it,” Ava said, taking the book off the shelf as she led him to the cash register.

  Jake watched her scan the books as he tried to find the words to ask about Jess. “So, uh, you and Craig gonna be able to make it to Merle’s party this weekend?”

  “We wouldn’t miss it.” She reached under the counter to retrieve a small plastic bag.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there, too.” He cleared his throat, trying to remember the last time he’d felt this awkward. “Jared can’t come to my place this weekend. He’s going to visit his grandmother… Diane’s mama.” Well, duh. Everyone knew his parents lived in Brant.

  “That’s nice.” Ava put the books in the bag. “That’ll be $15.16, please.”

  “Oh, uh yeah, sure.” He reached into his pocket, pulling a twenty off the top of the folded bills. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” She was making change when the phone at her elbow rang. She smiled at Jake. “Excuse me just a minute.”

  “Sure, take your time.” He listened to her greet her caller as he turned to look out the window. Mrs. Garrow was walking her poodle down the opposite side of the street. The poor thing was dressed up in a rainbow-colored sweater. It had to be ninety degrees in the shade.

  “Are you serious? He sent you flowers at work?” Ava whispered, turning her back to Jake. “What kind of flowers? Oh my God. What did the card say?”

  Curious, Jake glanced at the call display. The call was coming from the travel agency. Damn it! Some guy obviously sent Jess flowers at work, but who was it and how could he find out? Jake cleared his throat and glanced at his watch.

  Taking the hint, Ava quickly ended the call after promising to call her friend right back.

  He chuckled, trying to sound amused. “It sounds like Jess has a secret admirer.”

  She blushed as she handed him his receipt and change. “Um yeah, I guess you could say that.”

  Okay, subtlety was clearly not his strong suit. “Okay, you gonna tell me who it is, or do I have to guess?”

  “I’m sorry, Jake,” Ava said, handing him the bag. “If you want to know, you’re going to have to ask Jess about it. It’s really not my place to say.”

  “Why all the secrecy? Did she ask you not to tell me?”

  She held her hand up. “No, nothing like that. In fact, she didn’t say anything about you at all.”

  It had occurred to him that Jess saw him pass by and made the call to get his attention, but if her friend was to be believed, that wasn’t the case. There was only one way to find out for sure. “Thanks for the books. Have a nice day, Ava.”

  “Yeah, you too. See you at the party.”

  “You sure will. Say hi to Craig for me.”

  Jake tried to talk himself out of the impromptu visit to the travel agency while he waited in line for iced tea at Mavis’s, but common sense was no match for his curiosity where Jessica was concerned. He made his way across the street ca
rrying the tray of iced beverages, fully expecting to find her hard at work, without a flower in sight. He was wrong.

  She had her back turned to the door, but she was obviously on the phone, giggling like a school girl into the receiver as she twirled her long blonde hair around her manicured fingernail. “It was so sweet of you to send those flowers, Noah. I can’t believe you did that.”

  Who the hell was Noah? The flowers in question were a huge spray of mixed blossoms with an overpowering scent that reminded Jake of funerals. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

  She turned around and frowned when she saw him.

  Not exactly the reception he hoped for. He remembered a time when she was excited to see him, when an impromptu visit from him would have warranted a phone call to her best friend. He secretly missed those days, when he was the only object of her affection.

  “Sorry, someone just walked in. Can I call you tonight?” She grinned. “No, I’m not tired. Well, maybe a little, but it was worth it.”

  Why the hell was she tired? What had she been doing with this guy last night, and why was Jake’s blood boiling at the thought of it?

  He set the drinks down on her desk, glaring at the offensive flowers as he listened to her end the call.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking up at him. “Thinking about planning a nice, long trip?” She smiled sweetly. “I hear Alaska’s pretty this time of year.”

  He didn’t wait for an invitation to claim one of the empty chairs in front of her desk. “Since when are you so anxious to get rid of me, sweetness?”

  He’d been calling her that since she was ten years old. Maybe it was time to think of another term of endearment, since she clearly wasn’t that same little girl who’d pestered her big brother and his best friend endlessly.

  “I told you, I’m turning over a new leaf, McCoy.”

  He didn’t want her to change. He liked her just the way she was.

  He crooked a thumb toward the bouquet. “You gonna tell me who has the lousy taste in flowers, or do I have to guess?”

  “What the hell do you know about flowers?” She glanced at the arrangement, a smile tugging at her lips. “I happen to think they’re beautiful.”

  “They remind me of death.”

  She scowled at him. “Who asked you?”

  He took two tall iced teas from the tray, handing one to her. “Where’s your mama? This one’s for her.”

  “She went to the bank. She shouldn’t be too long.”

  “So, who’s Noah?” He leaned back, sipping the tea through a straw as he folded one leg over his knee and waited for her to fill him in.

  “You’ll meet him soon enough,” she said, taking a drink from her beverage. “But please don’t say anything to anyone about him just yet.”

  “A surprise? Please tell me it’s not that dude from the dating site.” He leaned forward, trying to read her reaction. Damn it, she may as well have the word “guilty” stamped on her forehead. “Are you crazy? I told you to stay the hell away from—”

  She held her hand up to silence him. “And I told you, I don’t want your opinion.”

  He got up and walked around to her side of the desk. “Why are you doing this?” He set the drink down carefully on the edge of her desk. “Are you just trying to piss me off?”

  “Honestly? I couldn’t care less what you think. The days of me trying to get a reaction out of you are over. From now on, I’m living to please myself and no one else.”

  He took the beverage out of her hand and set it beside his on the desk. “I’m asking you not to go out with him.”

  She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Huh, why should I listen to you?”

  He placed his index finger under her chin, trying to ignore the shock of awareness he felt. Since when did his body start reacting this way to Jess? “Because I care about you.”

  She gripped his wrist, trying to pull his hand away, but he palmed her cheek. “Stop, it’s not fair. You don’t have the right…”

  She was right, but that wasn’t going to stop him. He knelt down in front of her, unable to resist the urge to finally give in to the temptation that had been plaguing him for months, maybe years. Jessica, his Jessica, was slipping away, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered, following his movements as he leaned in.

  He framed her face with his hands. “What does it look like I’m doing, sweetheart?”

  She licked her lips. “It looks like you’re going to kiss me, but I know you wouldn’t do that because you’re not interested in me that way, right?”

  “Wrong.” Her lips were so full, so soft, and tasted of raspberry lip gloss. He licked, sampled, nibbled, and then devoured. He took his time, exploring every hidden crevice in her mouth with his tongue. She tasted of sweet tea and peppermint, and he wanted more, so much more.

  She moaned into his mouth as she threaded her hands through his hair.

  It took everything in him not to toss the offensive flowers aside and lay her out on her desk. He wanted to hike her little skirt up and delve deep inside of her. Her voice may claim it was Noah she wanted, but Jake was willing to bet his last dollar she was wet for him right now.

  She pressed her palms into his shoulders, tearing her lips away from his. Her breathing was ragged and her lips were swollen from his kisses. “Mama’s gonna be back any minute.”

  Shit, her mother. He glanced out the front window. With wall-to-wall glass lining the front of the store, they were in plain view of passersby. He’d be lucky if the mayor didn’t show up on his doorstep with a shotgun tonight. He got to his feet, slowly. He didn’t have a prayer of hiding his arousal from her; he was harder than a steel rod.

  She touched her puffy lips as she looked up at him. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ll be damned if I know.”

  Chapter Four

  Jessica tried to quell the ridiculous urge to flee when she saw Jake standing under the trestle that supported her mother’s prize-winning roses. He was chatting with a group of men from the neighboring fire station, a beer bottle half-way to his lips, when his eyes landed on her.

  His sunglasses were perched on top of his head, so the threat in his dark eyes was evident, even from a few feet away, as he glanced at her date.

  She threaded her arm through Noah’s. “Um, now would be a good time to take that walk.”

  Noah patted the hand resting on his arm. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Before she could lead Noah out of harm’s way, Jake strode toward them, effectively blocking their path. “Hey, sweetheart, weren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” His smile never quite reached his eyes, but only someone who knew him well would know a storm lurked beneath the calm.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all, Jessica thought. Noah seemed like a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to be a pawn in her plan to assert her independence.

  “Noah, I’d like you to meet my brother’s best friend and right hand man, Jake McCoy.” She cringed when Jake raised an eyebrow at her impassive introduction.

  Noah extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  Jake sized him up before accepting the hand he offered. “Tell me, you always pick up women online?”

  The color drained from Noah’s face as he shot a side-long glance at Jessica. “I, uh, no, this was a first for me.” Once he recovered from the shock of being called out, he settled his arm around Jessica’s waist and drew her to his side. “Though I can’t say I’m sorry I did it. I couldn’t be happier with the way it worked out.”

  Jessica tried to take a step back, but his grip around her waist tightened. Noah had already indulged in a few beers since they arrived less than two hours ago. She was beginning to wonder how he planned to get home tonight, or if he planned to drive home tonight. The thought was sobering. She liked him, but she had no interest in pursui
ng a sexual relationship with him, now or in the foreseeable future.

  “Where are y’all off to, Jess?” Jake asked, dragging his eyes from her date.

  She stood stiff, trying to send Noah the message that she didn’t appreciate his public display of affection, especially not under Jake’s watchful eye. Dating someone new sounded like a good idea when she invited Noah to the party, but ever since the kiss she and Jake shared in her office, she didn’t know what to think or how to feel. She was just so confused. “We were just gonna take a walk.”

  “You think that’s a good idea?” Jake glared at Noah, his meaning clear. He didn’t want her wandering off with a man she’d just met, one who was clearly under the influence.

  “I guess we could stick around for a bit longer.” Jessica spotted Craig and Ava making their way toward them. Thank goodness, a reprieve.

  Craig slapped Jake on the back. “Hey, buddy, what’s up?”

  Jake extended his hand to Craig. “Not much. How about you, man?”

  “You know, busy with the house and the wedding.” He chuckled. “My fiancée’s a real slave driver.”

  Ava slapped his chest. “Quit complaining. I’m the one doing all the work.” She shot Jessica a meaningful glance after eyeing both Jake and Noah. “Hey, Jess.” She kissed her friend’s cheek, before whispering in her ear, “Jake looks pissed. Mission accomplished.”

  Jessica tried to revel in achieving her not-so-hidden objective, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she’d opened a Pandora’s Box. “Ava, Craig, I’d like you to meet my friend, Noah Keyes.”

  Noah grinned, offering his hand to Ava, then Craig. “It’s nice to meet you both.” His eyes traveled over Ava, taking in the red bikini beneath the sheer cover-up. “Jessica has told me so much about you, Ava. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Craig slipped his hand through Ava’s as he glared at Noah. “Why don’t we find Merle, baby? I’d like to wish him a happy birthday.”

  “Uh, yeah. That sounds like a good idea.” Ava squeezed Jessica’s arm. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”