What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  “Exorcisms can be exhausting.” Connor nuzzled against her neck.

  “I still have to go milk the goats. They’re probably hurting by now. And I’ve got a couple of calls to make today.” Jessie had thought of something that she could contribute to their relationship.

  “Yeah?”

  Kissing him on the nose, suddenly ecstatic about her idea, she responded, “Yeah. Come over tonight, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Two months later…

  Connor had joined the local Chamber of Commerce, and his ribbon cutting was tonight. He had decided to hold a Chamber Mixer at the restaurant, and he’d been nervous. He had some new recipes he was introducing to the Chamber members tonight, and he seemed unusually anxious about the evening. He insisted Jessie come for moral support, as if she would miss it.

  She showered, and shaved carefully. Then she paid careful attention to her hair. After the phone call this morning, she was hyper aware of her relationship with Connor, and as ‘his’, she wanted to look good standing next to him. Spending more time than usual on her makeup, she declared herself pretty, then slipped on the dress she had bought especially for this evening. It was a black thigh-length slip dress, cut low in the back. It showed off her long legs, and her toned arms. She spun in front of the mirror, excited about the chance to dress up and wear something besides jeans for a change.

  Louise had not been back, and she and Connor had been allowed to develop their relationship on their own terms, in peace. Jessie was more than please with the way things had turned out. She had dressed carefully, because this event was important to Connor, and she wanted to be there to support him.

  Jessie had never known what it was like to want to support a man, to help him, to love him, and to have him do the same in return. She had found pleasures in the relationship she didn’t realize were possible. The sex was outstanding, to say the least, but she suspected there was so much more to it. The relationship thing was good, too.

  And she loved it. All of it.

  She went to Connor’s early, to see if he needed any help setting up. He was in the dining room, looking gorgeous as usual in his chef’s coat, and charcoal slacks. Jessie went to him and hugged him.

  “You all ready?”

  “Just about.” His eyes seared her flesh, warming her veins. “You look delicious.” His voice was husky. “I’ve never seen you so dressed up.” Holding her hand above her head, he spun her in a lazy circle, eyeing her from head to toe. He pulled her to his body, and whispered in her ear, “I am looking forward to taking it off of you later…” His hands lazily stroked her back, sending heat coursing through her body.

  Jessie giggled, and slapped his shoulder. “Focus. You need to get through tonight, first.”

  He cleared his throat. “Right.” He looked around the room. “I think I’m all set up in here. What do you think?”

  She perused the room. There was a microphone and sound equipment set up in the corner, and the tables and chairs were angled toward it. There was a buffet table set up on the side against the stairs, already laden with chafing dishes and sterno cans. Another corner had a bar set up, waiting for Kathy to tend it.

  “Is someone performing tonight?” He hadn’t said anything about that, but he’d made so many last minute changes she really had no idea what he had planned.

  “Um…I’m going to give a little speech, nothing major. But I didn’t want people to have to crane their necks.”

  “It looks great. What’s going on in the kitchen?” She could hear the bustle, and people chattering from behind the doors.

  “Finishing touches. We have a little time, if you want to run out to the carriage house…” His husky voice made her look at him, and she saw desire in his eyes.

  “Think about something else, we don’t have time for that.” She said with another giggle.

  “I’m just nervous, and that’s all I can think that might take the edge off.”

  “Well, have a drink instead.”

  A familiar voice came in the front door.

  “Hey, Bro! Long time, no see!” Luke came over to them, and gave Connor a brotherly, back-slapping hug before turning to hug Jessie and kiss her on the cheek. He looked her up and down before giving her a wolf-whistle. “Wow. You clean up nice.” He looked at Connor and gave him a not-so-subtle thumbs up. Jessie laughed at him.

  “Have you seen Kathy since you’ve been in town?” Jessie asked.

  “Not yet, I’m supposed to meet her here.” He replied.

  As if she heard them talking about her, Kathy stepped through the door that separated the kitchen and dining rooms. “LUKE!” She ran and threw herself in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him ferociously. He returned the favor.

  Jessie and Connor looked on, amused. Jessie turned to Connor, “When is he going to realize he needs to move back here?”

  Connor looked at his watch. “Any minute now, I’d imagine.”

  After Connor’s ghost problems had been taken care of, Luke had moved back to Houston. He and Kathy had continued with a long-distance relationship, talking on the phone every night, and seeing each other on some weekends. But, Kathy had been moping, and Jessie suspected Luke had been doing the same.

  Connor cleared his throat. “Um…I really hate to break you guys up, but there are other places you can do that.”

  They parted, reluctantly, but still stared at each other, unable to peel their eyes away. “Sorry.” Luke muttered, then as if remembering something, “Is Maddie here?”

  A look of pride crossed Connor’s features. “Yeah, she’s in the kitchen, stirring up trouble. Hang on a sec.” He turned and bounced into the kitchen, returning holding the hand of a tall, gangly teenager, dressed in her own chef’s white coat. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her cobalt blue eyes mirrored her father’s excitement, but were tinged with nervousness.

  “Uncle Luke!” She smiled in greeting, and hugged him awkwardly. A warm flush of pride covered Jessie’s face, as she watched Connor’s gleeful expression. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “What are you making?” Luke asked her, after returning the hug she had bestowed, with a little more enthusiasm.

  “I’m trying to make brochette, but I burned the first batch, so I have to do it again…” Her pocket vibrated, a small buzzing noise. “That’s my timer. Excuse me.” Looking relieved, she turned and skipped back into the kitchen.

  Luke turned to his brother. “How’s all that going?”

  “It’s going better than I hoped it would. She likes to cook, so we have something in common, at least. There are still a lot of awkward moments, but they’re getting fewer and further between, thankfully.” Connor voice held nothing but optimism, and his eyes were joyful at the prospect of getting to know his daughter. He turned to Jessie. “I know you had a hand in this, but I can’t prove anything, and I’m not about to change it.” He bent to kiss her cheek, whispering in her ear, “I can’t thank you enough.”

  The feel of his breath on her ear still sent shivers to her toes, and she blushed at the images that burst into her mind. Luke must have seen, because he chuckled knowingly.

  Kathy spoke up. “I’ve got to get the bar ready. You want to help?”

  “Are you kidding? I’m going to stick so close to you, you’re gonna need Goo Gone to remove me.” Luke wrapped his arms around her to illustrate her point.

  Kathy laughed, grabbed his hand, and dragged him back into the kitchen to carry out the glasses with her.

  A few minutes later, guests started arriving, and Connor, holding Jessie’s hand, walked to the door to greet them. A hostess he had hired to help with Kathy’s load was available to seat them afterwards.

  Whispering in her ear, Connor said, “You really do look good tonight. Stay next to me?”

  She smiled up at him. “Of course.”

  They greeted guests who came in the door, for the next ha
lf-hour or so, and then invited everyone to help themselves to the buffet. Kathy, with Luke’s undivided attention, fixed them all drinks, and everybody mingled with each other. Jessie stuck by Connor’s side, as he worked the crowd, shaking hands, introducing her to people as his girlfriend, and making sure everyone was happy with the food and drink.

  Judge Foster was there, and after mingling with the crowd a little, he pulled Jessie to a corner of the room.

  “I wanted to let you know that Chad is hating his new job, and calls me every week to let me know.” His hands were doing that paternal hand-holding thing, but Jessie didn’t pull back.

  “Good. I don’t want to think about him enjoying anything. Ever.”

  “Did our agreement work to your benefit?” He asked vaguely, but Jessie knew exactly what he was talking about. The judge had pulled the necessary strings to get Connor visitation rights of Maddie. Jessie felt a slight twinge of guilt about letting Chad off the hook, but she had everything she needed. A selfish satisfaction stole through her, until the Judge spoke again.

  “The warden there is a friend of mine, and he says that Chad’s anger has gotten better since I’ve sent him to the classes.”

  Jessie was confused. “Classes?”

  “Anger management. I’ve been making sure he’s attending classes.” He stopped Jessie’s next words. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but if you had pressed charges, he’d be in jail six months, tops. This way, he goes to classes for at least a year, and hopefully learns how to cope with rejection.” He patted her hand, that he was still holding in both of his. “He is still my nephew, and I want him to have a better life, someday. Hmm?”

  He finally let go of Jessie’s hand, to her relief, and sauntered off into the crowd, continuing to hob-nob with other community members. Jessie expelled a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding, and began searching for Connor.

  Soon, everybody posed for the newspaper’s photo of the ribbon cutting, which was just a couple of people holding a giant ribbon, and Connor cutting it with an enormous pair of scissors. He insisted Jessie hold one handle with him, and she complied, eagerly.

  Eventually, Connor led Jessie to the microphone. Except for letting her go to talk to the judge, he had been holding her hand all evening, as if he needed her for some sort of lifeline. Jessie enjoyed the attention, and relished the fact she felt needed by somebody. When they walked to the microphone, though, her gut told her something was up. Connor had been silent for the last five minutes or so, and seemed to be working up to something.

  He tapped on the head of the mic, making sure it was on, before speaking. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming. I really appreciate the support I’ve received from the community, and haven’t regretted a moment I’ve spent in this town.”

  He paused, to look around the room at all of his guests. “As most of you know, I have tried to make an effort to use local products in my cooking, and I would like you all to meet one of my favorite partners, Jessie Stillwell, who makes the best goat cheese I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.” He paused for the polite applause that followed.

  “I’m fixing to embarrass her here, and for that I apologize, but it is potentially way more embarrassing for me, so here goes…” He paused yet again, looking at Jessie, who had nothing but questions in her eyes, but she smiled at him encouragingly. Apparently, that was all he needed.

  “This may not be the appropriate time or place for this…” Jessie squeezed his hand, hoping he wasn’t fixing to propose or something crazy. “I came to Serendipity to run away from demons in my life.” He looked around the room, as did Jessie, seeing encouraging faces in the crowd. Jessie’s eyes lingered on the bar in the corner, where Luke and Kathy were standing, wide smiles splitting their faces. They had been joined at some point in the evening by Summer, who was also grinning wickedly. Maddie had even made it out of the kitchen, and was standing awkwardly off to the side, watching her father intently.

  “Maddie? Honey, would you come up here for a minute, please? I promise I will make this quick, like a band-aid.”

  Jessie saw the flush crawl up the girl’s cheeks, and felt a sudden surge of sympathy for her, coupled with the now familiar sense of pride in Connor as a father. Madison managed to make her way through the parting crowd and stood next to her dad, staring in sudden fascination at her sneakers.

  “I would like to introduce you all to my daughter, Madison Wright. She’s going to be spending some time with me here in Serendipity, and I would like for everybody to make her feel as welcome as you’ve made me feel.” A riotous round of applause filled the room, as Maddie’s face flushed crimson. Jessie put her arm around the girl, in comfort.

  Taking a step to the side, and throwing his hands over, Vanna White style, Connor exclaimed, “My girls!”

  As she left the stage with Maddie to more thunderous applause, Jessie shook her head at the cheesiness of it all. Looking back up at Connor, who was continuing to speak to the audience about his goals for the restaurant, and his appreciation for the communities support, Jessie realized how happy he was. She understood that she was a part of that happiness, and she would continue to do whatever it took to make him that way.

  As they finished the evening, fielding good wishes and congratulatory remarks, Jessie couldn’t hide her giddiness. She clutched Connor’s hand tightly, not leaving his side for a moment. As they escorted the last guest to the door, a loud ‘pop’ drew their eyes back to the dining room. Kathy and Luke were popping open a bottle of champagne, and Summer was holding glasses for them to pour into. Maddie, who had disappeared in the kitchen almost as soon as Connor had introduced her to everybody, had re-emerged, and was also holding a flute, although hers was already full, presumably with something non-alcoholic.

  “We know y’all probably want some quiet time, but we’ve got to celebrate first.” Kathy said. “That was one kicken’ chamber mixer!”

  Connor blushed, and took a proffered glass from Summer. After they all had glasses, “If I may?” He held his glass up in invitation. They all raised theirs in response.

  “To new relationships, and their continued success.” He looked at Maddie, smiling as he said it.

  Jessie remembered the first time he made that toast, and grinned up at him. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, but she managed to take a sip of champagne. Connor pulled her close to him, and she snuggled up to his shoulder.

  After finishing their salutations, Kathy turned to Luke, winking lasciviously. “You want to help me clean up the kitchen?”

  His face, as he followed her into the kitchen, brought a giggle to Jessie’s lips.

  “I’ve got to get home. The girls get up early.” Jessie yawned.

  Maddie looked at her shyly, “Um, Jessie?” she asked.

  “Yes?” Even though she had spent some time with the girl, Jessie realized that this was the first time she’d ever directly spoken to her. Maddie was painfully shy, which seemed a stark contrast to the impression Jessie had of her mother. She wondered what a lifetime of living in that woman’s shadow would do to a girl.

  “Can I come over sometime, and help you milk your goats? Or just watch?”

  “Of course you can, sugar. I would be happy for you to. You can come over anytime, and do whatever you want.”

  A bright smile brought the young woman’s face to life, and Jessie felt a warm feeling in her stomach at the sight.

  Connor clapped his hands together in delight. “That’s settled then. We’ll both be over bright and early in the morning to help you milk the goats.” Turning to Maddie, he asked, “Do you mind if I walk Jessie out to her car?” She shook her head, a small smile still on her lips.

  With his hand on her bare back, Connor followed her out to her truck. “I absolutely love this dress.” He breathed into the back of her neck.

  She turned at her truck and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know you wanted to help me out of it. I guess there’s some things we need to get a
little used to.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, and his lips and their scorching heat left her breathless. “Tomorrow. I’m meeting her mother’s driver halfway to Houston. Tomorrow night, I’m coming over. Put it on for me?”

  “You bet.”

  Connor seemed unwilling to let her go, and she cherished his arms around her. Nuzzling into his warm scent, she inhaled the spicy, herby smell on his dress shirt. This was where she belonged.

  Connor let out a satisfied breath. “Serendipity has been good for me. I never thought my life would get this good.”

  She nodded her agreement. “Me too.”

  “Jessie?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I love you. I don’t ever want you to leave me. I wouldn’t be in this place if it weren’t for you.” His fingers lifted her chin, so she was looking into his sapphire eyes. To her surprise, she saw tears in them.

  “I’m not going anywhere Connor. You’re my home.”

  “I don’t want to pressure you into anything, or to get you to make a choice that you don’t want to make, right now. Every time I’m with Maddie, and you’re not there, I feel like something’s missing inside. And I can’t see my future without you in it. We’re partners. I want to be your partner in everything, Jessie. In business, in love, in life. I want to be your husband. You are my everything.”

  Jessie giggled. “You’re getting mushy, Connor.” Then she realized what he’d said, and the blood drained from her face. “Are you proposing to me?”

  “Not as such. I just want you to know that I have plans for us, and I eventually will. I want to spend my life with you, Jessie. I’m just letting you know that.” His massive hands tightened their grip on her, as he pulled her closer. “I hate saying good bye to you at night. I want to wake up with you every morning. I’m not asking you to give up anything, just think about us, and our future.”

  Jessie tightened her grip around his neck, and pulled him down for one last goodnight kiss. “I love you.”

  Driving home that night, Jessie explored the feeling of emptiness that she felt without Connor in her presence, and realized that she wanted what he talked about. She wanted a partner in life. For life.