Leo searched for a spot but had to drive around before finding a space. The lot was filled to capacity, so he had to circle several times. Once he was parked, he stepped out into the crisp fall air and rounded the truck. He opened the door and helped his grandma climb down.
“We’d better not be late, Jasmine is a stickler for starting on time.”
“Jasmine?” He didn’t think that there were too many Jasmines in Harper’s Crossing, but then again, he’d been gone a long time.
“Jasmine Bell. She works at the clinic. Remember, we were talking about her last night at dinner.”
At the mention of her name, his heart picked up speed like a snowball in an avalanche. All day he’d been thinking about her. Who was he kidding, he’d been thinking about her since he’d seen her picture on the photo board. His attraction to her was intense, inappropriate, bewildering, and undeniable. And he had zero clue what to do about it.
Kitty was halfway to the door before he managed to get his feet to move. He’d been momentarily paralyzed by the notion of seeing her again. Thankfully, his legs were longer than his five-foot-on-a-good-day grandma’s and he managed to make it to the glass door in several long strides and open it for her before she reached the entrance.
The first thing that hit him as they walked into the community center was that it smelled exactly the way he remembered from when he played in the youth basketball league that practiced there. He’d come to this place three times a week after school to practice during the school year, and every day in the summers.
Kitty held his forearm as he escorted her into the gym. Like a heat-seeking missile, his eyes scanned and locked on the curly-haired, hazel-eyed girl in the middle of the crowd. He told himself that the room was filled with seniors, so it was easy to spot Jasmine. But in the back of his mind he knew that it didn’t matter where she was or who was surrounding her, he’d easily find her.
Which was something he’d never experienced before in his life, and it was unnerving to say the least.
Speaking of heat-seeking missiles, two women in coordinating velour tracksuits had started beelining it toward him and his grandma.
“Here they come,” Gran whispered under her breath. “Hold your ground.”
“Ooh, and who is this handsome young man?” one of the women asked.
“So handsome,” the other giggled.
“This is my grandson Leo.” Kitty tightened her grip on his arm, then motioned first to the woman in blue and then to the woman in pink. She continued flatly, “This is Margie and Mabel.”
“Grandson! Oh, my!” Mabel exclaimed. “First Lance and now Leo!”
“How many more strapping young stallions are in your bloodline?” Margie looked Leo up and down as she fanned herself.
“That’s it, just the two. We’d better go check in.” Kitty tugged at his arm.
“Save a dance for me!” Mabel wiggled her fingers as she waved.
“Me too, young man!”
At thirty-six, it was odd to hear himself referred to as a “young man.” But he guessed it was relative. When they made it to the sign-in sheet, his grandma patted his arm. “You sign us up, I need to go speak to Jasmine.”
He did as she asked, but he couldn’t help watching out of the corner of his eye. His grandma walked up to Jasmine and pulled her into a bear hug. When she released her, Kitty held onto Jasmine’s arms. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the alarmed look on Jasmine’s face it didn’t look good.
“Hello, son!” A booming voice sounded as he felt a hand slap down on his shoulder.
He turned and saw The Colonel standing beside him. Doc and the Colonel, AKA Grandpa J, had been golfing buddies since the latter had moved to town when Leo was a teenager.
Leo had always respected and admired the man. He wouldn’t have pegged him for a ballroom dancer, but maybe his gran was right. Maybe the senior community really was poppin’ in Harper’s Crossing.
“Good to have you back home.”
“Good to be home, sir. How have you been?”
“Keepin’ busy. Doc says you’re gonna be taking over the practice.” The Colonel’s bushy brows rose in a questioning gesture.
Leo felt cornered. It was one thing allowing his grandparents to jump to their own conclusions after he’d told them his plans, it was another to blatantly lie about his plans.
“I’ll be here as long as I’m needed.” Hedging wasn’t the same as lying.
“Is that right?” The Colonel might’ve been pushing ninety, but he was sharp as a tack and didn’t miss that Leo was dodging the question.
“Hey, Grandpa J!” Jasmine appeared beside them. “Can I borrow Leo for a minute? I need him to help me with something.”
“Course you can, young lady.”
Leo’s heart felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest as Jasmine started the music and instructed everyone to partner up and work on the waltz they’d been practicing the week before. It had only been a day since he’d seen her and he couldn’t believe how much he’d missed her.
He wanted to break the ice and thank her for saving him from an uncomfortable conversation, but as he followed her into the hallway, he sensed this was not the time. She was walking fast. So fast he was having to double-time it to keep up with her.
Either she was really in a hurry to get back to class, or she was going to be sick again and didn’t want anyone to see it.
“Are you okay?” he asked as she shoved him into a supply closet.
“Did you tell Kitty that I’m…?” Jasmine whispered as her hand rested on her stomach.
“No. Absolutely not. I haven’t told anyone.”
“Are you sure? Because she just hugged me and rubbed my arms asking how I’m doing and told me that she’s always there for me, no matter what. That she’d always be there for me if I needed to talk over ‘life decisions’.”
“I think that was because Leah told her last night that you were engaged.”
“Oh…” Her forehead creased. “Okay, but why would she…?”
Leo tried not to get distracted by the fresh floral scent that was uniquely hers, or the way every cell in his body came to life with her standing near him.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t think she’s a huge fan of Corbin.”
“Really?” Jasmine appeared genuinely surprised.
“I think it’s safe to say she’s not going to be heartbroken if you two don’t end up getting married.”
Her nose scrunched and she wrung her hands in front of her. “Are you sure? Why do you say that?”
He didn’t make it a habit of repeating to people things that were said behind their backs, but he wanted to make sure that the message was clear. “She had a few choice names for him, and then asked if you would notice if she wore black to your wedding.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she chuckled. The sound hit his ears like the first time he’d heard Pentatonix sing the “Hallelujah Chorus”. It was a spiritual experience.
“Okay, good. I’m just glad she doesn’t know.” She sighed as her laughter died down. “You’re the only person that knows and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Are you thinking about terminating the pregnancy?” His brain obviously wasn’t filtering the words that were coming out of his mouth. If it had been, he would never have asked such a personal question, and one that was none of his business.
He’d only done it because, as hard as it had been to picture Jasmine going through parenthood alone, it was equally difficult to consider going through a termination without any support.
“No.” She shook her head. “I never knew my mother or father. This will be the first person that I’ll know in this world that shares my DNA.”
As was always the case, Leo was finding that, when it came to Jasmine, her answer only made her more endearing and intriguing to him. His heart ached for her. So did his body, but he was doing his best to ignore it.
“Thanks for not saying anything.” Jasmine exhaled. “W
e’d better get back.”
They started to leave when she stopped and snapped her fingers. “Shoot!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Um…” Her eyes scanned the shelves. “Can you grab that box? I can’t have you come back empty-handed. People would be talking about it for weeks.”
He wanted to believe that was an exaggeration, but in this town, he doubted it. He grabbed the large box she’d pointed to and followed behind Jasmine as she rushed back into the gym. He didn’t allow himself to admire the way her worn blue jeans hugged her backside as her hips swayed back and forth. Well, not for more than a split second anyway.
When they got back inside, she motioned for him to set the box down. She bent over and opened it and he saw what looked like a bunch of costumes in it.
“Okay, everyone. I have a special treat for you. Tonight we’re going to have a Great Gatsby theme. Everyone grab a prop out of the box and we’ll get started.”
There was a buzz of excitement as women grabbed feathered headbands and brightly colored boas, and men grabbed hats and dress coats.
His grandma went with a long necklace of beads, and insisted he put on a top hat. The rest of the night he did his best to focus on his footwork and not stare at the woman that had captivated him completely. But every time she spoke, he couldn’t help but look in her direction.
“Great job, Charlie, you’re keeping a strong frame, just make sure to soften the steps as you turn.”
“Greta, your posture is perfect. Just remember to keep your chin high.”
“Mabel, your footwork is amazing but you’re a little close. You want to leave at least a few inches of space.”
Leo watched, in awe of the curly-haired beauty as she weaved her way through the couples on the dance floor, giving each one encouragement and tweaks. He noticed that she always led with positivity, making sure to point out something good before giving a correction.
She was clearly a nurturer; he’d noticed that the day before at the clinic. She had an incredible connection with the staff, the animals, and the owners. People lit up when she walked into a room, and everyone left with a big smile on their face. She had an uncanny ability to make people feel seen and heard. He’d never witnessed anything like it.
She was special. She was magic. It didn’t surprise him that he’d fallen under her spell, he just didn’t know how in the hell he was going to break it.
Chapter 8
“Let me know how Princess likes the new treats.” Jasmine handed the bag of homemade peanut butter dog cookies to Mrs. Swanson. The smell caused her stomach to roll and she took a deep breath through her nose. The nausea she’d been experiencing tended to come in waves and, unfortunately, she never knew when it would hit.
“I’m sure she’s going to love them, dear.” Mrs. Swanson patted her Pomeranian’s head. “Aren’t you, Princess?”
Jasmine wasn’t so sure. Out of all her clients, Princess was the most discerning. She’d turned her nose up at last month’s Vanilla Bean Squares, and her Christmas Candy Cane Claws had been a no-go.
The bell dinged above the door as Mrs. Swanson pushed Princess out of Barks, Balls & Bellyrubs in her bedazzled dog stroller.
Exhaustion pulled at Jasmine and she sat down on the stool behind the counter. She wasn’t sure if she was so tired because of the pregnancy, or if it was because she hadn’t slept for the past two nights. She also wasn’t sure if she was nauseous because of the human she was growing or if it was because she hadn’t really eaten anything. She also wasn’t sure if she was on the verge of crying all the time because her hormones were out of whack or if it was because her life was falling apart.
Seemed she wasn’t sure of much.
Everything was up in the air. She thought she’d be planning a wedding and a future with Corbin, instead she was planning for a baby and she was single—and it had switched in the snap of a finger.
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up. She saw that it was a message from Oscar, the property manager for the pet store and the man she’d enlisted to help find her somewhere to live. He was the only person other than Leo who knew she’d broken up with Corbin. His response to the breakup had been the same as when people found out that she’d got engaged, ironically—he’d exclaimed, “It’s about time!”
She’d been surprised to hear that, since Corbin and Oscar ran in the same real estate circles and she’d thought the two men were friendly. Or maybe that’s why she shouldn’t have been surprised to hear it.
Had Corbin and Jessica flaunted their relationship? Had everyone at the office known? How many people around town had been aware that she was getting cheated on?
No. She couldn’t let her mind go down that path. It was dark and it led to nowhere. That was the past; she needed to focus on her future.
Wasting energy was not a luxury she had at the moment. All she could do was concentrate on getting through today. And hopefully, he was contacting her with some good news. She swiped her screen to read the message Oscar left. He told her that neither of the two bedrooms she’d been interested in were available but he’d found a furnished rental that backed up to the river and was in her price range. The catch was, it was only a one bedroom.
He wasn’t aware that she was a party of two now, so it made sense that he would suggest the one bedroom. Considering it was such short notice, she couldn’t be that picky. But since she had to sign a one-year lease, she didn’t want to just move anywhere out of desperation. It was a big decision. Wherever she moved would be the place that she’d bring her baby home to.
Disappointment niggled at her when she read that both the two bedrooms in her budget were no longer available.
Another message came through. He thought he could have the keys to the one bedroom by end of business today and she could move in immediately. He asked her if she wanted him to contact the owner.
She quickly responded that she did. If it worked out, then at least one thing in her life would be settled.
Corbin hadn’t been home since she’d confronted him. She figured that he’d most likely been staying with Jessica. He’d texted her, asking her to let him know when she was moved out so he could come home. That was it. After all the years they’d spent together, that’s all he had to say to her.
It didn’t even feel like this was her life, and she wasn’t exactly sure how she’d gotten here. Things certainly weren’t going as planned—but on the bright side, at least she had somewhere to live. Somewhere to bring her baby home to. Even if there wasn’t a nursery, it was fine. So what if her dreams of bringing home her son or daughter to a Pinterest-perfect room weren’t going to come true. That was the least of her worries.
“Jazzy! I have some news!” Leah Porter, one of the twins who owned the pet boutique sang out as she came in from the back. Her hair was a soft shade of blue, her eyes lined in a perfect cat-eye and she had a glossy peach tone to her lips. Jasmine had always admired her bold style.
“You and Lance eloped?” Jasmine guessed.
Leah had gotten engaged to Lance Taylor, Leo’s cousin, who was well-known in the tattoo world, a few months earlier. He worked out of the space above the shop. The two of them were madly in love and she couldn’t imagine them waiting very long to make things official.
“No, but we did set a date.” Leah smiled widely as she approached the front desk. “Guess again.”
“You’re going to go back to blonde?” Leah changed hair color faster than a family of four went through a tube of toothpaste.
“No, but that’s not a bad idea. I just have to find dye that’s safe to use in my condition.” Leah put her hands on her belly.
Jasmine’s jaw hit the floor. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yep!” Leah’s smile stretched a mile wide.
“Congratulations!” Tears sprung in Jasmine’s eyes as she gave her friend a hug. All of her emotions were hanging out right at the surface and anything, good or bad, caused them to overflow. “How far along are you?”
“I’m a little over four months. We wanted to wait to tell people until I was safely past the first trimester, just in case, you know.”
She did know, and that gave her an idea. Maybe she should take a page out of Leah’s book and not share her own news until she was farther along. She’d felt like she had to tell Corbin, but she doubted he’d want it shouted from the rooftops.
That way, they could both adjust to the news before everyone started putting in their two cents. It would give Jasmine a much-needed processing period. She was sure that things would look a lot different for her in a couple of months than it did right then.
“Hey are you okay?” A wrinkle appeared between Leah’s brows as she furrowed them in worry.
“I’m fine.”
“You look a little pale, do you think you should sit down? I keep telling you that you need to slow down. You burn the candle at both ends and in the middle.”
“I just haven’t really slept the past two days.”
“Why not?”
Jasmine figured she might as well tell her friend the truth. She was going to find out soon enough anyway. “Corbin and I broke up.”
“You what?” Now it was Leah’s jaw that was hitting the floor. “But you guys just got engaged!”
“I know.” Jasmine decided to go ahead and take her friend’s suggestion, she lowered down onto the stool.
“When? Why? What happened?”
“It happened Monday. I stopped by the house unexpectedly and found him and Jessica um…having sex on my kitchen table.”
A sight that would forever be seared into her memory.
“That cheating, piece of shit!”
Leah had never been one to mince words.
“I’ll castrate him!”
When ninety-nine percent of people made outrageous claims, they would never follow through on them. Leah was in the one percent of people that would. “No, Leah, it’s fine, really.”
“No. It is not fine.”
“It is. Really,” she assured her. “I’m fine, honestly.”
The strange thing was, when it came to the cheating Jasmine truly was fine. If anything, she was numb to the whole thing.
Just One Touch - Leo & Jasmine (Crossroads Book 16) Page 7
