Till There Was You

by Iris Morland

  “Your prize, madam.”

  But as he tried to hand her the lock of hair, she shook her head. “Keep it. I don’t need it.”

  Right then, Harrison came around the corner, and Heath put the lock of hair into his pocket. Harrison helped Jubilee up, thanking Heath, and then she was gone, the scissors left on the floor like some bizarre symbol.

  Heath had kept that lock of hair ever since. When he’d next encountered Jubilee, she hadn’t said a word about it. He had a feeling she’d forgotten it in her drunken haze.

  He snorted, closing the box of mementos. It was better this way. He didn’t need to keep thinking of a girl—no, a woman—who could never be his.

  Jubilee had no idea about his past, and he planned to keep it that way. Even if it meant he could never act on his attraction to her.

  3

  “There he is.” Megan tilted her head toward the bar. “And he’s not with anyone, either.”

  Jubilee smoothed her hair, fighting the temptation to check her lipstick for the thousandth time. After losing her list, Jubilee had been so concerned about who might have seen it that she’d been tempted to abandon the scheme altogether.

  Megan, however, refused to let her. “Who cares if someone found it?” she’d said. “You made a resolution and you’re sticking with it, woman.”

  Jubilee, Megan and Mark Thornton’s wife, Abby, were at a bar that had recently opened in Fair Haven. Normally they’d go to The Fainting Goat, but Jubilee hadn’t wanted Trent, or worse, any of her brothers, to find out what she was doing.

  Tonight would be the first time she’d ask a guy out. How had she managed to get to the age of twenty-five without doing something like this? How embarrassing.

  Her first “target” (Megan’s word) was Ash Younger. Ash was handsome and tall, his arms bulging through the cotton of his t-shirt. Jubilee heard him laugh at something the bartender said, the sound making her jittery.

  Ash was way, way, way out of her league. Why had she agreed to this? She was insane.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Abby said. When she’d learned of the plan, she’d been wary. Megan had countered that Jubilee needed to live her own life for once. Abby hadn’t been able to argue with that.

  “No, I want to do it. I do.” Jubilee took a drink of her cocktail, the alcohol calming her nerves. “I’m ready.”

  “Get him.” Megan winked.

  Jubilee felt the beat of the music pump through her, and by the time she’d gotten to the bar and sat down next to Ash, she had almost convinced herself she wasn’t at all nervous.

  Ash didn’t notice her at first. He looked lost in thought as he drank his beer. Jubilee wondered why he’d come here instead of his brother’s bar. She had a feeling it might be the same reason she’d come here: anonymity.

  “Do you come here often?” she asked.

  He turned, his eyebrows rising when he finally saw her. “What?” he yelled. “I can’t hear you!”

  “Do you come here often?” she yelled, except right at that moment, the music changed to a quieter song, and her voice rang out through the bar.

  Jubilee turned scarlet. Ash laughed.

  “I know you. You’re Lizzie’s sister, right? Julie?”

  She winced inwardly. “Jubilee.”

  “Oh, right.”

  He grinned, and it dazzled her for a moment. Her heart pounded. But then she thought of another man’s smile, another man’s laugh, another man’s kiss—

  She forced all thoughts of Heath aside. He isn’t here and he’s not my problem.

  “It’s a weird name, I know,” she said.

  “Oh, believe me, I know weird names. Me and all of my siblings have terrible names.”

  “Really? What’s yours?”

  He snorted. “I’m not nearly drunk enough to tell you that.” His eyes sparkled as he took in her low-cut top, her skirt that barely came to midthigh. “But how about you keep me company and see what happens?”

  Jubilee glanced over her shoulder to see Megan giving her a thumbs-up. She coughed to cover an embarrassed laugh.

  Ash bought her another drink after she finished her first cocktail, and by the time she was near to finishing the second, the buzz of alcohol and the obvious interest in Ash’s eyes were all that mattered. She might be a virgin, but she knew when a man was interested. And Ash was interested.

  “Okay, but obviously pumpkin bread is better than cinnamon rolls,” Ash was saying, thrusting his beer out as if to prove his point. “Cinnamon rolls are way too sweet.”

  “Pumpkin bread can only be eaten in the fall. Who eats pumpkin bread in March?”

  “I do.”

  “Oh, I bet you do.” Jubilee giggled. “Do you bake it yourself?”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Come over and taste for yourself.”

  She almost choked on her drink. Ash pounded her on the back, but his hand wandered until it rested on her thigh. She felt it like a brand. Suddenly, the bar seemed too hot, and Ash was too close. Why had she wanted to do this again?

  “Jubilee,” a voice said over her shoulder. She stiffened as she turned to see Heath right behind her. His voice was level, but tense. “Megan’s looking for you.”

  Jubilee blinked. “Where is she?”

  “Outside. She asked me to come get you.”

  Ash hadn’t moved his hand from her thigh, but at Heath’s glare, he slowly removed it. He didn’t apologize, however.

  Jubilee groaned inwardly. The last thing she needed was two stupid men getting into a brawl over her.

  “I should go, then. I’ll see you later, Ash.”

  Ash shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  Heath took her elbow and maneuvered her through the crowd. Instead of going outside into the cold, however, he led her to a semi-private alcove near the restrooms.

  “Wait, where’s Megan?” It took Jubilee’s alcohol-soaked mind a second to put everything together. “Are you serious right now?” she blurted, her anger rising.

  Heath didn’t even have the decency to look abashed. “Do you even know Ash Younger’s reputation? He’s a playboy. He takes women home for one night, maybe two. But he doesn’t date them.”

  She was so stunned that she struggled to find a reply. “What does it matter to you? And how do you know I don’t want to be one of those women?”

  Heath’s face closed. He was agitated, pushing his fingers through his auburn hair, his jaw clenched. Jubilee had never seen him like this, like a wildcat barely leashed.

  “I know you. You aren’t like that. You’ll go home with him and get your heart broken—”

  “Like I said,” she interrupted, raising her voice, “what the hell does it have to do with you?”

  He looked surprised. Did he think she didn’t have her own claws? She was about to leave this tête-à-tête when he growled, “I’m your brother’s friend. I’m just looking out for you.”

  She blew out an exasperated breath. “You’re my brother’s friend, Heath. Not my brother. Now go away. I’m not having this conversation.”

  “Will you just listen to me for a second?”

  His voice was so strained that Jubilee hesitated. If he wanted to talk, fine. He could talk to the wall behind her; she didn’t have to listen.

  “Look, you have a right to date whoever you want,” he said, although he sounded pained as he said it. She was annoyed enough to be gratified by that. “But don’t go after guys like Ash. It isn’t worth the heartbreak.”

  “How do you know he’ll break my heart?”

  “Because guys say things around other guys they’d never say around women. Believe me on that.”

  Jubilee considered him. The alcohol was beginning to wear off, although everything still seemed to be moving in slow motion. And it didn’t help that Heath looked as handsome as ever, with the dim light glinting off his auburn hair, his glasses falling down his nose. He pushed them up periodically, and Jubilee found that beyond endearing. Why did he have to be endearing? Or handsome? Or s
o nosy she wanted to strangle him?

  “Fine, I believe you. Are we done?” She waited.

  “If you’re intent on whatever it is you’re doing—”

  “I am.”

  “Then let me vet the guys. I can tell you what they’re really like.”

  Jubilee let out an incredulous laugh. “Where would you fall on that list?” she couldn’t help but counter.

  Heath narrowed his eyes. “I’m not on the list.”

  “Of course not. Fine, I agree.” Before she could rethink her words, she added, “If you agree to my conditions.”

  “Fine.”

  “Really? Don’t you want to hear them?”

  “Whatever they are, I agree.”

  “If you get to the vet the guys, I want you to teach me how to flirt with them. Make them want me. Teach me how to kiss. Everything.”

  She hadn’t planned on saying that. She could’ve bitten her tongue in half, but seeing Heath’s eyes widen, his breathing increase, almost made it worthwhile. Almost. She forced herself to steel her spine and not melt in the face of his censure.

  But there was no censure. Only a croaked reply: “Okay, I agree. Shake on it?”

  He put out his hand. After only a second’s hesitation, Jubilee shook it.

  He then closed his fingers around her hand and leaned toward her. “If you think this will make me back down, you’re wrong.”

  “Ditto.”

  They stared at each other, the tension increasing until Jubilee trembled. She licked her lips, and Heath narrowed in on that small movement.

  Please kiss me. Kiss me and make me forget everyone but you, she thought desperately.

  He inhaled a deep breath, then pulled away. “Let me take you back to Megan,” was all he said.

  When Jubilee returned to Megan and Abby’s table, she just shook her head when they asked her about Ash.

  It’s not Ash Younger I have to worry about.

  * * *

  When Heath arrived home, he couldn’t think straight. All he could see was Jubilee—and with Ash’s hand on her thigh.

  He growled under his breath. Raking his hands through his hair, disheveling it even further, he groaned. He was an idiot. How could he have made that bargain with Jubilee? “Flirting lessons”? Jesus Christ. As if he could teach her how to flirt, how to kiss, how to make him want her without making her his completely.

  He got into the shower, the hot water clearing his thoughts a little. He could always tell Jubilee he’d been drunk and that he wouldn’t agree to anything so insane. He could tell her that she didn’t need lessons on making a man want her. Hell, he’d seen the way Ash had been looking at her. She didn’t need any help from him.

  Scrubbing himself down, he stayed in the shower until the water began to run cold. It was close to one in the morning, but Heath knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anytime soon.

  He turned on the TV in the living room, mostly to have some kind of noise drown out the voices in his head. Except that every time he saw a dark-haired woman on the screen, he thought of Jubilee. He ended up watching some ridiculous infomercial about a knife set. Luckily, the presenter was male and older than Heath and had a booming voice that could shake walls.

  The night waned on. Heath drank a beer, brooding. When his phone began to ring, he thought at first that the sound was coming from the TV. It kept ringing, and he realized it was his phone.

  Who would be calling him this late at night? Worry pierced him: Was it Rose? Or Jubilee? Yet when he looked at the number calling, it wasn’t one he knew. He let it go to voicemail.

  A minute later, his phone rang again. Same number. Annoyed, Heath picked up. “Hello?”

  “Is this Heath DiMarco?” a voice Heath didn’t recognize asked.

  “Who’s calling?”

  “My name is Rich, but that’s not important. You might have heard my name from your sister, though.”

  Heath’s blood turned cold. “What the hell do you want?”

  “Just that I know that you’re going to testify against Johnny Porter. I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  Rich chuckled, but it wasn’t a cheerful sound. “Johnny may be in jail, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let him stay there. Either keep your nose out of this, or you’ll get it cut off.”

  “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to back down from putting that asshole in jail for the rest of his life.” Just the thought of what Johnny had done to Rose made Heath so angry he could barely think straight.

  “Except I doubt you’d want your secrets put out there for everyone to know.”

  Heath could feel the noose tightening around his neck. “I don’t have any secrets to tell,” he lied with surprising ease.

  “Really? I doubt that. Let’s just say that we know all about Gregory Kirkland. Keep your mouth shut, and nobody will ever know. Oh, and if you don’t care about your own secrets, I’m sure you care about your sister’s.”

  The call disconnected. Heath struggled to breathe. His throat tightened, and he coughed and gasped for air. Panic clawed at him, but he forced it aside. He had to think. If he gave in to panic, he would lose everything.

  No one knew about Gregory. Hell, Heath had only been an acquaintance of his. They’d lived in the same apartment building when Heath had been attending college. Gregory had been in his forties and had seen a lot of life’s underbelly. He’d gotten his act together, though, and found steady employment as a janitor at an office building in downtown Seattle.

  Heath had lived with his friend Troy. Troy hadn’t been a great student, and when his grades had continued to plummet, his parents had threatened to stop paying his tuition. Desperate, Troy had gotten involved with none other than Johnny Porter.

  Troy had assured Heath the drugs he was selling for Johnny weren’t dangerous. They were illegal, but nobody would die from them. “I need the money,” Troy had said. When Heath had pointed out that most people would get a job, Troy had countered that he needed more money than a part-time minimum-wage job could give him.

  So, Heath had looked the other way. He’d justified it by saying that Troy was only doing it to stay in school.

  Then Heath had come home to find an ambulance outside the apartment, and EMTs coming and going from Gregory’s apartment. Gregory had overdosed that morning. His girlfriend had found him hours later.

  And when Heath had confronted Troy about it, Troy had admitted he’d sold Gregory drugs.

  Everything had gone to hell, and then Heath had gotten arrested for selling drugs along with Troy before Johnny had come to their rescue.

  Heath laughed bitterly. Rescue! Johnny had made Rose promise to stay with him—and endure his abuse—to get Heath set free and the charges against him dropped and erased. And Heath hadn’t known the depths of his sister’s sacrifice until this summer, when Johnny had decided to threaten Rose once again.

  The drugs, the arrest, Gregory’s death—all three would destroy Heath’s reputation and career. He couldn’t teach children with something like that on his record. He would have to move, find a new job, lose everything he held near and dear. Worse, though, was the thought of Rose’s pain being broadcast to the public. Heath couldn’t bear the thought of his sister being hurt again. She was happy and in love with Seth Thornton now; Heath wouldn’t let anyone jeopardize that.

  He lay in bed for hours that night, staring at nothing, until exhaustion finally forced him to sleep.

  4

  Jubilee checked her phone for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Irritation filled her when she saw that Heath hadn’t texted her. He hadn’t texted her since their encounter at the bar last Saturday. Now it was Friday, and Jubilee was itching to finish work and march over to his house.

  Or so she thought. She didn’t know if she had the balls to do that. What had she been thinking, making that bargain with him? When she’d gotten home and slept off the alcohol, she’d woken up with almost more regret than pain in her
head. But she’d been so frustrated at him interfering that she’d wanted to shock him. She hadn’t expected him to say yes.

  She hadn’t told Megan or Abby what had happened with Heath. She’d only said that she’d decided that Ash Younger wasn’t the guy for her and she’d “try out” a different one that weekend. If Megan had sounded skeptical when Jubilee had told her this on Monday, she hadn’t tried to pry any further information from her, either.

  “Jubi, hey? Did you hear me?” Megan poked her in the side. “You’ve been far away today.”

  “Sorry, just distracted. What did you need?”

  Megan bit back a smile. “You know what? You can head home. I only need to close up, and I doubt too many customers are coming in now.”

  “Are you sure? I was supposed to stay until six o’clock like normal.”

  “I’m sure. Get out of here.” Megan made a shooing motion.

  Jubilee didn’t hesitate. Grabbing her things from the back, she said goodbye to Megan and headed home.

  Except that the thought of going to her apartment, to sit and be lonely and think too hard about everything, didn’t appeal to Jubilee in the least. It was already way past sunset, and the wind whistled through the trees. Jubilee’s breath fogged, and she shivered. Stuffing her hands into her coat pockets, she decided to walk home first and then decide.

  After eating dinner and changing her clothes, Jubilee almost lost her nerve. What if Heath wasn’t home? What if he was home, but he told her to go away? How humiliating. Her stomach churned as she imagined all sorts of scenarios.

  “Did I make myself a promise?” she said to herself as she began to put on her shoes. “I wasn’t going to let Heath beat me.”

  She wasn’t going to be that shy wallflower anymore. The girl everyone overlooked. The girl everyone assumed was too delicate, too naive, to take seriously. She wasn’t going to be that girl any longer.

  She only knew where Heath lived because she’d stopped by with Rose one evening a few months ago. She just hoped he was home at all tonight.