Lovely Distraction

by J. J. Dorn

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Jamieson continued to drive me to the barn while my car was in the shop. He would come home mid-morning from work drive me to the barn, and then return in the afternoon to pick me up. Things between us definitely had become more comfortable. We easily chatted to and from the barn, mainly about riding and how my job search was going. I had gone on two interviews already this week but unfortunately had not received any call backs. I was convinced now more than ever that Cain and his family had something to do with it. I had made stellar grades in law school, graduating in the top of my class. It made no sense that I was being shut-out of every job out there. I was starting to consider looking for something other than an attorney position. It was either that or think about moving. As much as it would pain me to do it, I was getting desperate. The time was counting down on the ninety day requirement before I could secure a divorce and I wanted to be living back on my own with a secure job by then.

  I considered how the next two months were going to go while I urged Leo the big gray gelding over the next set of three rail jumps. When we made it over the last jump, I felt Leo shift underneath me not sure about his landing. I tried to adjust to where he was going to land but I overcompensated and went over the side of the saddle landing hard on my right shoulder and leg.

  “Shit! Jenna!” I heard Jacks scream from across the pen.

  I had the wind knocked out of me so I couldn’t respond. I wanted to call out and tell her I was okay. It looked worse than it had been.

  “I’ll grab Leo.” Grayson said hoping down from his mare and chasing after the loose horse.

  “I’m alright,” I choked out as Jacks knelt down beside me.

  “Can you stand?” She questioned.

  “I think so.” I said taking her hand to help steady myself. I rose to my feet slowly and felt the shooting pain in my right ankle. “Shit, that hurts.”

  “Let’s get you back to the barn,” she said propping me up by the waist as we hobbled back to the barn.

  Jamieson found me sitting in a chair with an ice pack Grayson had found for me. I had texted him to let him know I would be ready whenever, but I left out the reason why. I hadn’t meant for him to drop everything and come to pick me up, I was just merely letting him know that whenever he was ready to come get me, I would be able to leave.

  “What happened?” he asked as soon as he spotted me nursing my hurt ankle.

  “I took a spill off the side of Leo,” I explained nonchalantly.

  “Is it broken?” He kneeled in front of the chair, examining my leg.

  Jacks rolled her eyes at me from down the aisle at Jamieson’s overprotective reaction. Falling off your horse was a common occurrence in jumping. Sometimes you overshot the jump and missed, sometimes you went over the jump and your horse forgot to follow and sometimes you didn’t plan your landing exactly right, like I had done. The unspoken but common rule was if you weren’t going to the hospital then you needed to get back on. I’d had my fair share of spills and this one didn’t even rank on the list of bad ones.

  “It is fine, it’s just tender. I will wrap it and stay off it for a bit and it will be alright. Probably just a sprain,” I reassured him.

  He looked back at me, unconvinced.

  “Jacks, do you need my help with anything else today?” I shouted down the barn aisle to her.

  “Nope you can take your fragile butt home,” she kidded.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I slowly rose out of the chair.

  Jamieson scrutinized me as I tried to hobble on one leg—ever so slowly.

  “’Bye Grayson!” I called back toward the tack room where he had been.

  “Take care, Jenna. Call if you need anything.” He stuck his head out the door and waved.

  Jamieson grumbled something low and then I’m pretty sure said a cuss word or two before swooping over and picking me up.

  “What the hell Jamieson?” I demanded trying to push out of his hold.

  “You can’t walk and if you strain it worse, it’s only going to take that much longer to heal,” he said clutching me to his chest.

  “This is embarrassing,” I grumbled knowing full well Jacks and Grayson were watching the ridiculous scene play out between us.

  Jamieson walked me to the truck and lifted me up into the cab effortlessly. When he got in the other side, I thanked him for his help. He didn’t reply just smiled gently at me.

  “How did it happen?” He asked quizzically.

  “I was being stupid and not paying attention. I had just finished the course and was coming down my last set of three rails but I got distracted. I didn’t think about my landing. Leo went in one direction and I went in another.”

  “What distracted you?” He asked.

  His question caught me off guard. “Uh, what?”

  “I asked what distracted you.” Shit what do I tell him?

  “I was just thinking about stuff not about the ride.” I hoped that would appease him.

  “It must have been pretty important to make you lose your focus that much,” he mused, cocking an eyebrow.

  “I guess.”

  “Do you think we should have your ankle looked at?” he asked.

  “No I’ll be fine I just need to rest it.”

  “Okay but if it’s not better by tomorrow morning I think you should be seen by a doctor.” he said sternly.

  “Okay,” I agreed just so he would drop it.

  We pulled up to the house. It was early afternoon and the guys were all at work. Jamieson and I were all alone and for some reason that sent a bolt of excitement through my veins.

  “Don’t get out, let me help you,” he told me.

  I complied and waited for him to come to my side of the truck. It was high and I knew I would need his help easing down onto my one good leg.

  Jamieson however, had other plans. When he swung open the door, he gently placed his hands underneath my legs; lifting me easily against his chest. I tried again to protest but quickly gave up the fight knowing it would do no good.

  Jamieson carried me into the house and up the stairs to my room. When we reached the top of the stairs, I thought he would put me down but he didn’t. He continued on into my large room and into the on-suite bathroom. He lightly set me on my feet but didn’t leave.

  “I figured you would want to shower,” he said looking at my once white breaches and my pink polo shirt that was now covered in dirt.

  “Yeah, I could use one,” I said studying myself in the mirror. Even my hair had chunks of dirt in it and I could see the outline of a faint bruise above my right eye. I was a hot mess.

  Jamieson cleared his throat nervously. “Do you need help?”

  I guess I could have completely scoffed at his suggestion but I knew it wasn’t coming from a place of lust, well not all of it. He was genuinely concerned for me.

  “No I’ll be alright,” I replied.

  “Okay, just yell if you need something.” He looked me in the eye once more before closing the door behind him.

  I stripped down and turned the water on extra hot to soothe my aching muscles.

  I slowly climbed down the stairs after my shower. I had thrown on my favorite University of Tennessee shirt and a pair of white Victoria Secret sleep shorts. I left my hair towel dried not wanting to take the time to blow dry it. I was hungry and needed to eat something so I could get a few Tylenol in my system to help with the swelling in my ankle.

  When I reached the bottom floor I heard the T.V. on which was odd. I couldn’t imagine Jamieson still being here; surely he had gone back to work.

  I had been wrong. He was in the kitchen dressed in his favorite sweatpants and white V-neck t-shirt. Jamieson Wellington made even casual clothes look sophisticated. I stood in the doorway admiring him for several seconds.

  “What are you doing down here? I was just going to bring you some lunch,” he said not even looking up from his cooking.

  “Smells good, what are you making?�
�� I asked curiously.

  “Grilled chicken Caesar wraps,” he announced confidently.

  “Delicious.” I said slowly wondering over to take a seat in front of him at the bar.

  “They’re almost ready.”

  “Great,” I watched Jamieson meticulously rolled the wrap together.

  When he was done, he handed me one and then put the other on a plate next to mine. He took a seat next to me and we quietly ate lunch together like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  When I was finished, I attempted to hobble over toward the dishwasher with my plate but Jamieson stopped me taking it from my hands. “I’ll do that.”

  “Thanks,” I said a bit sheepishly at my own inability to do simple things. I wandered slowly into the main living room that held the large flat screen T.V. and comfy gray couch. I threw myself down into the fluffiness. The television was already on CNBC. Jamieson must have been watching it while I was showering.

  I heard the dishwasher start and then Jamieson emerged from the kitchen tossing himself down next to me on the couch.

  “Don’t you have to go back to work?” I asked confused.

  “Nope, I took the afternoon off,” he relaxed back with his hands behind his head. That was odd. The Jamieson I remembered worked insane hours. He would never just take time off in the middle of the day like this.

  “You did?” I was still confused.

  “I thought it was best I hang around and keep an eye on you,” he informed me, casually handing me the remote.

  I furrowed my brow but didn’t respond. I took the remote and searched for some mindless afternoon talk show to preoccupy my brain. I quickly found Maury so I tossed the remote onto the edge of the couch.

  “Really?” he asked giving me a questioning look.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “Maury Povich?” He feigned disgust.

  “Hey it’s a good show. Don’t act like paternity test results aren’t entertaining.”

  “I’m beginning to think your taste in crappy T.V. shows is a family trait,” he mused.

  He was referring to the first time he had met my family and how they were all sucked-in to this horrible reality show when we walked in the door.

  I scowled at him and then focused on the show. Maury was just about to reveal whether or not this guy who had allegedly gotten two sisters pregnant was the father of both the kids.

  “What do you think the odds are that this guy is the dad of the brother cousins?” Jamieson asked.

  “Hmm…tough one. The kids both have his nose but I don’t trust the younger sister, she seems like a liar. I think he isn’t the Dad,” I said seriously considering the options.

  “You want to bet me?” he asked smiling slyly.

  “Okay…what are we betting?” I asked curiously.

  “If I win we go on a date.”

  I was shocked at his suggestion. “Jamieson…I…I don’t know.”

  “Nope you already agreed to it,” he said.

  “Fine, what do I win if I’m right?” I asked a bit miffed I had been baited into such a bet.

  “Whatever you want,”

  “I don’t know what I want,” I thought out loud.

  Jamieson said something under his breath but remained unwavering. “I’ll let you think about it.”

  “Okay,” I agreed and focused back on the show for the big reveal.

  Maury ripped open the envelope and read the results. The guy was the dad of the brother cousins. Fuck!

  “Seriously?” I yelled at the T.V.

  Jamieson chuckled next to me. I had walked right into that one and he knew it.

  We watched television together for the next few hours. At some point I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up it was to Jamieson quietly carrying me up the stairs to my room. I remained still against his body not wanting him to know I was awake. I relished in his gentle touch. It brought back the memories of how things had been between us all those years ago, the deep craving I had for him.

  Jamieson brought me into my room once again and lightly laid me on the bed. I don’t know why I did it but for whatever reason I snapped my eyes open the minute my head hit the pillow showing him I was very much awake.

  Jamieson didn’t act surprised instead he just stayed still letting his eyes communicate with mine. He was questioning me and himself. He was torn, I could see that clearly.

  I cast my eyes away breaking our connection in an effort to ease his decision. I should have known better though, Jamieson Wellington has never let me help him in any decision.

  He closed the tiny distance between us letting his lips crash onto mine. It was a desperate kiss, not gentle or sweet but it awoke something in me. I pushed forward meeting his hungry lips. Jamieson in turn threaded his hands through my still damp hair latching me to him. I opened my lips slightly and Jamieson’s tongue demanded its way inside. He lightly bit my lip in appreciation.

  I had forgotten how strong our pull was to each other. Our bodies communicated in a way I had never experienced with anyone else. It was easy to lose control with him and let him take whatever he wanted, but I knew that would only complicate matters.

  I lightly slid back toward the headboard, trying to pump the brakes on an already out of control situation. “Jamieson…”

  He wouldn’t look at me. He only looked at the yellow and gray duvet cover on my bed. “I’m sorry, Jenna.”

  “It’s okay; I just don’t think we should complicate things,” I said.

  His eyes locked onto mine. “Aren’t they already complicated?”

  He was right; things couldn’t possibly get any more complicated. “Yes but you know this will end badly and I can’t take that again.”

  “You don’t know that, but if that’s what you want I will respect it,” he snapped and jumped up from the edge of my bed storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Great, we are back to him acting like a pissy teenage girl again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  October 30, 2012…

  “Where are you going?” Audrey shouted from the couch. She was taking a much needed study break and was binge watching some UK show that seemed very similar to Laguna Beach.

  “I’m meeting that con law study group again,” I said, grabbing my backpack full of books by the door of our apartment.

  “Uh huh,” she said smiling at me.

  “What?” I asked, confused at her insinuation.

  “Nothing, I just know that a certain smarty pants hottie happens to be in that group. Are you sure that isn’t the reason you are going? You do hate study groups,” she prodded.

  “No, it has nothing to do with it. I could give a shit less that Cain Stratford is in the group. You know I don’t have time for guys right now,” I snapped back at her.

  “Uh huh…sure,” she laughed as I slammed the door behind me.

  I wasn’t really upset with Audrey; I was more upset with myself. I did hate study groups. The truth was that I loathed studying in groups of people. In law school, I found them to be full of people who either wasted excessive amounts of time gossiping or spent the entire time arguing their point just so they could hear themselves talk. I preferred to study on my own or with Audrey. But when Cain Stratford jogged up to me after class a few weeks ago and asked me to join his group for some reason I agreed. I didn’t really want to go but I also didn’t want to disappoint Cain, he was just so charming and sweet. Audrey hadn’t been lying when she said he was hot. Cain Stratford was by far the best looking guy at Vanderbilt. He had messy dirty blonde hair and wicked green eyes that could convince me of practically anything. He also had a set of killer dimples that he didn’t hesitate to flash when he was really pouring on his southern charm.

  As I walked to the law library on campus, I wondered why Cain really invited me to join his study group. My name had been called in con law the day he asked me to join and I did well. Our constitutional law professor was notoriously difficult. He was a large Greek man that thought
nothing of belittling one of us for a wrong answer. I had witnessed many crying exits from his class and therefore I, like everyone else, lived in fear. Cain had probably invited me because so far I had faired pretty well in class.

  “Jenna!” Cain called out from the corner of the small study room.

  “Hi,” I greeted him and the rest of the group shyly.

  “Come sit next to me. I saved you a seat,” he said offering me the empty chair.

  I made my way over to Cain and settled in.

  “Alright guys, tonight we are going to tackle the dreaded substantive due process,” Cain announced to a clamor of groans as people flipped open their text books.

  I listened for nearly an hour as the group debated and struggled with the concepts as they tried to form an outline to study from. I didn’t share with them that I had already passed this point in my outline. I remained quiet and continued to listen to the painful discussion.

  “I just don’t understand any of it,” Staci Crane whined from the other side of Cain.

  There was something about Staci that I just couldn’t stand. Perhaps it was the fact that she seemed to whore herself out just to get good outlines or that she insisted on wearing low cut tops everyday to showcase her huge boobs.

  “It’s really not that difficult,” I said out loud, annoyed.

  The group looked at me in complete shock. I hadn’t meant to say it but I just couldn’t handle her whining any longer.

  “Well maybe you could explain it to us then. It might be nice if you actually contributed to the group,” Staci bit back, clearly pissed at my jab.

  I huffed out a breath and grabbed a piece of blank paper from my notebook. “Okay look, you are making it harder than it really is. You have to just parse through the language of the cases. Once you do, you will see there is three levels of scrutiny the court can apply; rational basis, intermediate scrutiny or strict scrutiny. Give me your text book,” I told Staci as the others watched what I was about to do.