Once they’d dropped the first load of his things in her living room—with him still in his suit and her still in her wedding dress—she turned to him. “Let me give you the quick tour.” There wasn’t a lot to see, but she still felt better showing him everything. She had assumed they would sleep together from the first night, but after the way he’d turned his cheek at the wedding, she was no longer certain of anything.
“Do you want to change first?” he asked.
She grinned, nodding emphatically. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all. I can’t imagine walking around in that get-up all day.”
“Neither can I! It’s hard enough for just an hour or two.” She looked at the things they’d already dropped. “Do you have clothes to change into?”
“I made sure I grabbed the bag with fresh clothes. No way am I running around in this monkey suit even a minute longer than I have to.”
“I only have one bathroom. You change there, and I’ll change in my bedroom.” She headed for her bedroom door, nodding toward the bathroom, so he’d know where he was expected to go.
“Got it.” While he wished he felt comfortable offering to take her dress off for her, he didn’t. He had never even slept with Paisley, and they’d been close for years. And very much in love. How could he feel like he could do anything with Sydney so soon?
In her room, Sydney quickly removed her wedding dress—well, as quickly as any woman who was unused to wearing anything but pants changed out of a fancy gown—and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Perfect attire for running around the apartment. She didn’t know if she’d be expected to cook that night, but she was ready for anything.
When she got out into the living room, he had already brought up another load of his things. “Sorry it took me so long. I’m not used to wearing anything fancier than a pair of pants.”
“No problem.” He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and she thought he looked a lot more at ease than he had before. “You can try to find places for stuff if you don’t want to have to lug everything up and down the stairs.”
“I don’t mind helping carry things up.”
“Works for me.”
It took them another thirty minutes before his car was completely emptied. When they were done, she collapsed backward onto the couch. “I think everything looks great just where it is.”
He laughed. “I’m not so sure that’s going to work.”
“For the next little bit, it will.” Sydney didn’t care if she had to walk around it for a day or two. They’d have it all put up before she went back to work.
“Are you sure? I can keep going for a little while.” Jackson had been on the road for three days, stopping only when he was too tired to keep going. He had no energy at all, but he didn’t want to leave her living room filled with clutter.
“I’m sure.” She hid a yawn. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I laid awake thinking about the wastrel I must be marrying.”
“Wastrel?” he laughed. “Are we back to me being a wastrel?”
“Well, I couldn’t imagine any other reason a man would be willing to move to marry a woman? I couldn’t think of any jobs you could do and still be mobile.”
“So I’m a wastrel. Got it.”
“I’m glad you’re not,” she said with a grin. She wanted to move close to him and hold his hand, but he didn’t seem very open to physical affection. “Have you ever been in love?”
He frowned for a moment, knowing it was time to tell her about Paisley, but not quite ready to yet. “Yes, I have. She died a couple of years ago.”
“I’m so sorry!”
“Thank you.” He didn’t add any details, and as much as she wanted to know more, she didn’t want to pry too much.
“If you ever want to talk about her, I’m open. If not, I understand.” Sydney looked around at her apartment, thinking about how he was having to fit into her world. “Should we get a place together?”
He frowned at the quick change of subject. “Do you not like this place?”
“No, that’s not it at all. I’ve lived here for three years. I lived at the park for a year when I first moved to Moab.”
“You don’t want to stay?”
“I’d be happy to stay, but if you just feel like you’re fitting into my life and we’re not making one together, then we should probably choose a place together.” She wanted him to feel like it was his place too. He needed to be happy there.
He sighed. “Let’s see how the next couple of days go. We may try to put my stuff away and realize there just isn’t room.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I sold all my furniture before I left New York. I thought it would be easier that way.”
“New York? Why do I hear a Southern twang?” His words certainly didn’t match his accent.
He smiled at that. “I’m from Texas born and raised. I moved to New York when Paisley and I got engaged. I’ve only been there for a couple of years.”
“Ahh. that explains a lot then. Where did you go to school?”
“University of Texas at Arlington. I grew up in Arlington, and it just felt natural to go to college there.”
“I see. Why have I heard of Arlington?”
“It’s where the Rangers and Cowboys play. Six Flags Over Texas is there. In fact, Six Flags was my first job. I worked in the games department.”
“That could be fun.”
“It usually was. Not always. There were days when the park was so crowded there would be people lined up in front of me all day, but usually, it was a lot of fun. We went on field trips to other Six Flags, and we had game nights.” He shrugged. “We’d even have a small section of the park open after close a couple of times every summer. I loved it when that happened.”
“That sounds like it would have been a lot of fun. I guess it was like a big happy family working there, huh?”
“Sometimes. I worked there in high school and through college. By the time I left, I was a supervisor. It was a good job. I guess you could say that it was the only real job I ever had.”
“You’ve worked for yourself ever since?”
He nodded. “I have. I liked working for Six Flags, but I like working for myself more. If I want a day off, I take it. I might have to make up for it on the weekend, or work a few more hours other days that week, but I can take the day I want when I want.”
“That must really be nice. I have to put in two weeks in advance if I want a day off, and then I have to pray that no one else has requested the same one.” She shook her head. “Sometimes I’d give just about anything for that freedom.”
“But not your job?”
She laughed. “You already have me figured out. No, I wouldn’t give up the ability to be a park ranger for anything. I love what I do too much.”
“You’ll have to tell me more about it. I just have a mental image of you running around telling people not to litter and to put out their cigarettes.”
“There’s some of that, but there’s so much more.” She hid a yawn behind her hand. “Are you getting hungry?”
“I was hoping you’d bring up food. I assume you want to go out? I can’t imagine you wanting to cook on your wedding day.”
“I have a hard enough time wanting to cook on a non-wedding day.” She jumped to her feet. “Let’s go. What do you like to eat? You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”
He laughed. “Men aren’t vegetarians.”
“My friend Alexis’s husband is. He eats vegan food and spinach enchiladas.” Sydney made a face, and Jackson laughed.
“That’s unfortunate. No, I’m a carnivore through and through. I love steak best, of course.”
“Steak sounds good to me. We have a nice little steakhouse here in town. Not so formal that we couldn’t go in shorts, but formal enough that there aren’t usually kids dancing on the tables.”
He smiled, shaking his head. “I hope there are never kids dancing on the tables.”
“Well, there was one day I went in
and it was some sort of party. There was this tiny little thing who could barely walk standing on the table like she owned it. Still not sure why.”
“I guess as long as it’s not a common occurrence, that’s good by me.” He stood up, yawning. “I think we’re both going to be in bed by eight on our wedding night.”
“Separately?” she asked.
He frowned. “I’m not sure I’m ready for a physical relationship. How would you feel about waiting for a little while?” He didn’t like having to bring up the subject, but it was necessary at this point.
“How long are you thinking?” She was very attracted to him, but the idea of having sex with a virtual stranger was a little hard to think about.
“I don’t know. When it feels right?”
She frowned at that. “Maybe we could set up a time to revisit? I’m afraid we’ll both become complacent and never do the deed.”
“‘Do the deed’? Did you really just say that to me?”
“I did. Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.” She shrugged. She knew she was a child half the time. Especially when she was with her friends.
He shook his head. “You worry me!” For a moment, he thought about the meaning behind her words, and not just her insensitive delivery of them. “How would two weeks sound? If nothing has happened by then, we discuss and decide how to proceed?”
“Sounds good, I think. Two weeks of staying out of your pants. I can totally do that.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I was worried I’d wake up and you’d be all over me.” He grinned at her, making it clear he was only joking.
“Oh, speaking of that…I only have one bed.”
“How big is it?” He still hadn’t gotten the tour of the apartment.
“King. I had a queen, but I thought having to share it, I might prefer a king.”
“I think we could share a king. Don’t you?”
“Do I have to keep my hands to myself? During this trial time, I mean. What if I want to hold your hand or grab you and kiss you until you have smoke coming out your ears?”
“Oh, feel free. Just keep your hands off the goods.” He couldn’t imagine her feeling the need to grab him, but whatever. He wasn’t going to try to stop her if that’s what she really wanted.
“I’ll do my best. I feel like the goods are magnets now, and my hands are made of metal…”
He took her hand and led her from the apartment. “Have you always been this way?”
“Only for the past few hours,” she said, winking at him. “I’ve never been married before, you know!”
“I didn’t know, having only known you for the same few hours, but it’s nice to hear.”
They got to the bottom of the stairs, and she looked over at him. “I want to drive.”
“Okay. I don’t care if you drive or not. Just don’t wreck or anything.”
“I never wreck.” She led him to her Dodge extended cab truck. “Hop in, sugar butt!”
“Did you just call me sugar butt?” he asked, shocked.
“Well, Dr. Lachele has been calling me that, and I thought I’d try it out on you. Do you like it?” Sydney asked as she backed out of her parking spot and drove the short distance to the steak place she had recommended.
“I’m not so sure about ‘sugar butt.’ It feels odd to be called that, to be very honest.” Jackson couldn’t believe they were even having this discussion. The woman was quirky, to say the least.
“How about Jack? Does anyone call you Jack?”
He shook his head. “Actually, no. My mother always hated the name Jack, so I haven’t let anyone call me that.”
“What about me? Can I call you Jack?”
He shrugged. “I think that would be just fine. What about you? Does everyone call you Sydney?”
“Sydney, Syd, hair, sugar butt…”
He laughed. “You’re stuck on the name sugar butt.”
“I was a little shocked the first time the words came out of Dr. Lachele’s mouth, but I got used to them. No?”
“Let me see what comes out. I think I could get used to calling you Syd…”
“Up to you. I answer to them all.”
“So if you’re walking away from me in a crowded room, and I yell out ‘sugar butt,’ you’ll answer? Really?”
“Depends on how I’m feeling about you at that particular moment, probably.” She winked at him, jumping down from the truck. “I mean, if I’m mad at you, I probably won’t respond to anything, but if I’m feeling good about you, then ‘sugar butt’ would work as well as anything else.
“Have you always driven a truck?” he asked.
“Nah, but it’s easier to have four-wheel drive out here. I sometimes have to take off across the land for work, and it’s good to know I’m not going to get stuck.”
“It suits you.”
She grinned. “Better than that silly wedding dress did.”
“You really don’t like dressing up, do you?”
“Not at all. I definitely prefer to wear shorts or jeans or slacks…being all girly makes me feel like I’m about to lose my mind. My best friend, Alexis, is the girly one in our group.”
“She was at the wedding, right?”
“Yes, she was my matron of honor. We were college roommates, and we settled close enough that we get together once a month. Well, it’s the two of us and then our two suitemates. We meet up the third Saturday of every month for lunch and giggles.”
Arriving at the hostess station, she looked at them. “Just two?”
Sydney nodded. “Yup.”
Once they were seated, she said, “The four of us decided to talk to Dr. Lachele together. So far, she’s matched Alexis and Joanna, and they’re both very happy. I’m determined we will be as well.”
“We’d better be.”
After they’d ordered, he reached over and took her hand. He had to get used to her touch. Paisley had been more of a girly-girl than Sydney seemed to be, but he had to stop comparing them. They were both good women. “So tell me about Moab. What’s your favorite thing to do?”
Once he started her talking about her adopted city, she didn’t stop until their salads arrived. “You really shouldn’t ask me about Moab. I love it here so much.”
“I can see that!” He eyed her skeptically. “What will you say if I want to move across the country?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. I did ask for a match who would move here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else now.”
“I have no desire or need to move. I was just curious how it would make you feel.”
“Terrible. I don’t want to leave my new home or my friends. We all settled here close together so we could continue to see each other.”
“I think that’s great. I was never close enough to anyone to want to move with them.” Other than Paisley of course, but that went without saying.
“If you won the lottery tonight—it’s one-hundred-forty-million—what would you do with it?”
He frowned, thinking about her question. She was making him think a lot. “I’d probably continue doing what I’m doing, because I love my job, but I’d do it in a more luxurious place. And I’d travel more.”
“Luxurious? What kind of place?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’d have a big house with an indoor pool, I think. I’ve always loved to swim…”
“An indoor pool? That could be fun. Would I be allowed into this dream world of yours?” She could move there happily.
“Of course. You’re my wife.” He shrugged. “What would you do?”
“I’d probably keep doing what I’m doing, unless I started some sort of wildlife conservation area, but I don’t think I would do that.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I like the structure of having a government job. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about paying other people and figuring out all the little details. It’s better the way I do things.”
“I can see that. Would you want to travel?”
“I love travel, but I don’t know if you’d want to travel the way I want to travel. I think I’d want to get an RV and travel through all the national parks.”
“Yeah, I was thinking more cruise ship type thing.”
“We’ll alternate. You pick one trip, and I’ll pick the next.”
Jackson smiled. “You’re pretty good at this negotiating thing. Are you sure you haven’t been married before?”
“I’m positive. I just had to learn to get along when I was living with three other girls, one of whom had a thimble-sized bladder.”
“That sounds awfully small!”
Sydney nodded. “That’s what I’m saying! Four of us shared a bathroom, and Tess was always in it. I started taking showers whenever she went to class because then no one would pound on the door to get in while I was in there!”
“Was she really that bad?”
“Imagine going on a car trip with someone who had to stop every single hour to use the facilities. We got to the point where we’d buy her Depends before every car trip.”
“Would she use them?” he asked.
Sydney shook her head. “No, but she should have. Rotten friend, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know about that. What if she has a legitimate medical reason for going all the time?”
“Then she should go to the doctor and get a written excuse. That’s when I’ll stop making fun of her for it.”
He sighed. “That’s not very nice of you.”
“She’s never made you be late for something important because she had to go just one more time!”
“No, she never has.”
“And aren’t you glad?”
He shrugged, not sure how to respond to that question.
Chapter 4
By the time their food arrived, they’d finally gotten off the topic of Tess’s bladder and onto the more important topic of video games. “You really like to play them?” she asked. “Why not experience real life?”
He sighed. “How is a video game not experiencing life? I just experience it in a different way than you do.”
“You’re crazy, Jack.”
Maybe in Moab Page 3
