Actually Love - Jessie & Zach (The Crossroads Series)

by Melanie Shawn

  Like, why had she just assumed that he didn’t have a car? With that new detail coming to light, she felt a little guilty over the fact that she hadn’t even discussed who would be getting the parking space. She might not be able to do anything about the nerves pinging through her, but she could definitely do something about parking situation.

  “I didn’t know that you had a vehicle. We can split the time that each one of us has the parking space. Two weeks on, two weeks off,” Jessie suggested.

  “No. The space is yours,” Zach answered as firmly as if that ended the discussion.

  “No, it’s not. It’s the space that comes with the brownstone we share. I can keep my car at the office—”

  “I want you to have access to your car.” Zach’s tone was serious and definitive.

  Although part of Jessie wanted to say that it really didn’t matter what he wanted—she was going to do what she thought was best—another part of her got a little thrill out of the fact that he was always trying to take care of her. Not that she took any of Zach’s behavior as personal. He struck her as the kind of guy who didn’t just open the door for ladies for show. He did it because that was how a man treated a woman.

  “Besides,” he said, sounding a little more lighthearted, “keeping this thing at the gym all the time makes people think that I work out a lot more than I do.”

  She tilted her head, and a knowing grin lifted on her mouth. Jessie knew for a fact that Zach was not worried in the slightest about what people thought of him. She’d been doing a lot of research on him this week, which she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about doing, considering as of tomorrow he would technically be one of her clients. She wasn’t a stalker. Nope. Not her.

  Maxi was bringing in a small-but-impressive client base when she officially came on board, and that list of clients included Zach Courtland. There was also Billy Marshall, who Jessie had met briefly when she dropped off the keys at the gym. And rounding out the roster was an MMA fighter, a baseball player, and a hockey player.

  Jessie had been researching all of her new clients, but she would admit that she had done a very thorough job when looking into Zach. His mom suffered from a rare heart disease that had been misdiagnosed for years. From what Jessie could piece together, over the past decade, Anna Courtland had been in and out of hospitals. Her condition deteriorated, and once she started having life-threatening seizures, she needed round-the-clock care. She lived with Zach up until a year ago. During the time she lived with him, he hired home-care nurses so she wouldn’t be alone.

  As they pulled into a parking lot at the back of a building that reminded Jessie more of a resort-type facility than an adult-care home, Jessie’s nerves once again kicked into gear.

  Zach expertly maneuvered the large SUV into a parking spot. Turning off the engine, he looked over at her with an open smile. “Ready?”

  “Yep,” Jessie replied tensely.

  “Are you okay?” Zach followed up, his left brow rising in question.

  “I’ve never met my boyfriend’s parents before.” The admission had spilled out of her mouth unexpectedly. Trying to salvage her misstep, Jessie quickly added, “Not that you’re my real boyfriend. But I mean…” Jessie sighed in frustration. “You know what I mean.”

  Zach got a strange smile on his face. It made Jessie feel something inside that she couldn’t quite place. Jessie did not like feeling things she could neither name nor classify. It made her mental filing system, which was the one way she knew to process things, totally useless.

  “What?” she snapped harshly.

  Zach continued grinning at her, appearing to be totally unfazed by her unprovoked attitude. “Nothing.” He shook his head back and forth.

  Lifting his hand, he tucked a stray hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. The feeling of the rough pads of his fingertips, grazing the sensitive skin behind her ear, sent a tidal wave of tingles rushing through her.

  His green eyes stared into hers as he said simply, “I just think you are adorable when you get flustered.”

  Wait. What?! No. No, she wasn’t.

  Before she had a chance to defend herself against his delusional observation, he reached for the door and was halfway out the truck. Looking over his shoulder, he added, “Just consider this practice for when it is the real thing.”

  He winked at her as he shut the door. Jessie had never been a fan of the wink. She’d always put guys who winked into one of three categories: too-cocky-for-their-own-good pricks, arrogant assholes, or slimy douchebags. Zach was definitely none of those things. He was…

  His category was on the tip of her tongue when her door opened. Zach held out his hand to help her step down.

  Well, he was a gentleman, that was for sure. But between the glimmers she’d seen in his eye more than once, the way her body continually responded to him, his profession, and his nickname of “Playboy,” she knew without even the smallest sliver of a doubt that there was a bad boy underneath that easygoing charm. Unfortunately, Jessie would never get to see it, but she was sure that the many women who had, had not walked away unsatisfied. Sore maybe, but definitely satisfied.

  Placing her hand in his, she immediately noted the difference in their sizes. Even with her gloves on, her hand looked miniature in his. She heard the beep of the alarm as they started across the small back parking area. Zach placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked, which felt way more right than it should have.

  The automatic doors separated and they entered into a lobby that looked like a cross between a hotel and a spa. Nothing like what she had expected. Jessie had only ever been to one other nursing home, and although that one had been clean and well lit, it felt like a hospital. Also, it had a smell that was unique unto itself.

  This place looked like somewhere Jessie would book a vacation to. The exquisite high-end décor, open floor plan, artwork, and greenery all had a very calming effect on Jessie. Which she appreciated, because she was shaking in her Jimmy Choos.

  Smoothing her hands down her jacket, she wondered if she was dressed okay. Whenever she volunteered, she wore jeans, a shirt or sweatshirt, and boots or tennis shoes. Today was no different. Underneath her black, insulated coat, she wore a long-sleeved burnt-orange shirt, dark-blue jeans, and black Jimmy Choo boots that hit her just below the knee.

  “You look beautiful,” Zach said as they waited their turn to sign into the visitor’s log.

  “You don’t have to say that.” She waved her hand without even sparing him a glance. Although she did appreciate his effort, this wasn’t real and he didn’t need to waste any of that golden-boy charm on her.

  Stepping forward as the couple in front of them moved out of the way, Zach turned to look at her. His green eyes held hers captive. She couldn’t look away even if she’d wanted to.

  “I know I don’t have to say that. And just a tip. When someone compliments you, the correct answer is, ‘Thank you.’ I would have thought you would have learned that in one of your media training workshops,” he said faux innocently as he smiled widely, showcasing those pearly whites of his that made her insides melt.

  “You’re so funny,” Jessie said, hoping to pull off sarcasm.

  “Thank you,” Zach said with a little too much enthusiasm. Then he nodded. “See? Saying ‘thank you’ is not hard at all.”

  Reaching out, she swatted his arm playfully, and Zach chuckled as he turned his attention to signing them in. She was so glad he did, because then he didn’t witness her mouth falling open at the feeling of his rock-hard biceps beneath her touch.

  Oh sweet heaven on Earth.

  She’d been with men who were in good shape, athletic even, but not like that. She could feel the sensation through her gloves where she’d touched him on her fingertips and it had made her wonder what he would feel like beneath his hoodie.

  After setting the pen down, he once again moved his hand to rest at the base of Jessie’s spine, smiling down at her as he guided her through an
other set of doors. Several residents waved and smiled as he walked through the halls. A few of the older men put up their fists and threw air punches at him, saying variations of, “If I were twenty years younger, I could take you.” Zach nodded agreeably with each ‘contender’ they passed and made the women blush by giving them bright smiles and greeting them by name.

  No doubt about it, he was a charmer. A charmer. A gentleman. And a bad boy.

  Lord help her.

  * * *

  Zach was trying to remain as calm as possible. Jessie was nervous enough for the both of them, and he didn’t want to freak her out any more than she already was. He was doing his best to hide the fact that he was feeling a little anxious about Jessie meeting his mom. Partly because he was so protective of his mom and partly because he had never brought a woman to meet her.

  Logically, he knew he should take his own advice and look at this situation as a practice run. This was basically a no-pressure run-through. He knew that it didn’t matter if his mom and Jessie hit it off—this wasn’t real. His brain knew that, but somehow his nerves must not have gotten the memo.

  As they stepped into the large room, he spotted his mom instantly. She was beside the fireplace, in her wheel chair, reading a book. Zach knew his mom must have been feeling a little nervous or excited about this meeting. She always read to calm herself down when she was overexcited, nervous, or upset about something.

  “Playboy!” Mr. Garrison called out as Zach and Jessie passed by the table that had what looked to be a very serious game of chess happening.

  “Hey, Mr. Garrison.” Zach nodded and then addressed the other three men at the table. “Hey, guys.”

  “You got Reynolds coming up.” Mr. Garrison’s eyes narrowed as he twirled a toothpick between his teeth. “You ready for him?”

  “Yes, sir,” Zach answered confidently.

  “Listen here. You just keep that boy dancing. He’ll run outta steam faster than an empty tea kettle,” Mr. Garrison advised then continued with a warning. “But you watch out for that left hook.”

  “Now, that’s what I told the boy last week,” Mr. Alvarez jumped in defensively. “He already knows about the left hook.”

  “Thanks, fellas.” Zach smiled as he attempted to steer Jessie towards his mom, knowing that, once these guys got going, they could be here for a while.

  “Who’s the looker?” Mr. Garrison asked before they’d even made it one step.

  “Hi.” Jessie smiled broadly. “I’m Jessie Sloan, Zach’s roommate.”

  “Oh now, I thought she might be your sweetheart.” Mr. Alvarez wagged his bushy salt-and-pepper brows up and down.

  “She is.” Zach wrapped his arm around Jessie’s waist. “She’s just shy,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

  Jessie sucked in a short puff of breath, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she was surprised or pissed at what he’d just done. What he did know was that he loved the way her body folded perfectly into his as his fingers tightened around her hip. Even through her jacket, he could feel the shape of her hipbone. The sensation caused his hand to grip tighter. Holding her close to him, Zach was filled with a sense of rightness that he couldn’t quite explain. The closest thing he could equate it to was the feeling he got when he and his mom used to do jigsaw puzzles and he found two pieces that locked together. The satisfaction he’d felt as a child when he heard and felt the click of the puzzle pieces locking into place, was the same feeling he had now.

  “Have a good day, fellas.” Zach lifted his free hand, saying goodbye. The other stayed wrapped around Jessie.

  As he guided her away from the table filled with backseat coaches, she smiled up at him, her eyes glistening with that look he’d seen his grandma give his grandpa when they shared a secret.

  Without moving her smiling lips, she tensely whispered between closed teeth, “What are you doing?”

  To anyone in the room, it would just look like she was beaming up at him, sharing a private moment. Only he could hear the strain of panic in her tone. Only he could see the uncertainty in her golden-brown eyes. Only he could feel the tension in her body. She didn’t seem too happy or comfortable with his improvisation.

  Still, none of that stopped him from leaning down and deeply inhaling the fresh scent that was uniquely Jessie, then brushing his lips against the soft skin of her outer ear as he whispered, “Staying in character.”

  He felt a tremor ripple through her as he silently held his mouth against her for a moment. The heat of his own breath surrounded him. His heart pounded loudly inside of his chest as he lifted his head and continued moving them through the large great room. Feeling her physical response to his words, his touch, and his breath caused a tidal wave of desire to crash over him.

  If someone would have told him a week ago—or hell, even an hour ago—that he was going to get more turned on than he’d ever been in his entire life while he was walking through a room of senior citizens and ailing adults, he would have told them that there was no way that could happen and, if they thought that, they were smoking crack. He would have been dead wrong.

  “Hi!” His mom’s face brightened as they got closer.

  “Hey, Mom.” Zach reluctantly removed his hand from Jessie’s waist and immediately felt the loss. Leaning down, he hugged his mom’s small frame and kissed her on the cheek before turning towards his pretend girlfriend, who he was scared he was developing real feelings for. “Mom, this is Jessie Sloan. Jessie this is my mom Anna Courtland.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Courtland.” Jessie surprised him by leaning down and hugging his mom.

  She was such an enigma. Her outer shell was detached and aloof, but underneath, she was sweet and loving. He wasn’t sure how many people she allowed to see that side of her, and he felt like he wanted to puff out his chest and pound on it because he was one of the lucky ones who did.

  “You too, sweetie.” His mom’s voice was filled with excitement as her arms wrapped around Jessie’s shoulders in a warm embrace.

  Jessie straightened back up, and she and Zach each took a seat in the dark-brown leather loveseat that was opposite the fireplace.

  His mom leaned forward, and Zach tried not to be alarmed at how pronounced her collarbone looked. Her weight tended to fluctuate depending on what medication she was taking at the time. He remembered her mentioning that they had just started her on something new, and he wondered if it was affecting her appetite.

  As Jessie removed her jacket and gloves, his mom whispered conspiratorially, her blue eyes glimmering with mischief, “You two deserve an Oscar for that performance. I can’t believe what a convincing couple you are. Even I forgot for a second that this was fake.”

  There seems to be a lot of that going around, Zach thought to himself. He was not having much luck at all convincing his body that this wasn’t real. Like right now—the second Jessie reclined into the cushion beside him, his arm moved to rest on the back of the couch and his thumb began rubbing her shoulder in circles.

  Jessie didn’t move away from him, but her smile looked tight as she said, “Thanks.”

  “Seriously,” his mom said, obviously not picking up on Jessie’s discomfort. “You two look perfect together. Like you belong together.”

  As much as he appreciated his mom’s vote of confidence, he didn’t think this was exactly what Jessie would want to hear.

  “You said you had some questions for Jessie,” Zach prompted. He knew that this was an odd meeting, and he was actually beginning to wish that Jessie and his mom were meeting under different circumstances. Like Jessie and he were an actual couple and she had come here to meet his mom because they were getting serious.

  “Right.” His mom grabbed a ringed binder and a pen from the massive bag she always had with her. She flipped through the pages until she landed on the one she wanted. “Okay, first question. How long have you two been ‘together’?” his mom asked as she brought up her fingers, making air quotes.

&nbs
p; “Just a few months,” Jessie answered, jumping right in, not missing a beat. “I only came back to Illinois in the summer, and I told Margie and Mabel that we met in the rain…and I remember that the first time it rained since I’ve been back was in August.”

  “Okay.” His mom nodded as she jotted down notes. Looking up at Jessie, she smiled. “And I know that you work for SPC. Maxi came by earlier, and she is so excited to start there tomorrow.”

  Zach knew that Maxi came by to visit his mom at least once a week. Charlie, Lloyd, and Billy also stopped by as much as they could. When she’d first come to live here, he’d asked them to come by at different times because he wanted to make sure that this place was what it had seemed to be. They were basically his spies. After a few months, he’d told them that they didn’t have to go anymore, that he was comfortable with the facility, but they had all continued their visits anyways.

  “We are excited to have her. I know she is going to bring a lot to the team,” Jessie said with genuine excitement.

  His mom was beaming as she nodded and glanced back down at her notes. “Okay, Zach told me that you have three sisters, your parents are still married, and I know you have cousins that you are close to, but he kind of lost me there. It sounds like there is a lot of them.”

  Jessie laughed a little. “There are a lot of Sloans, that’s for sure. Yes, I have two older sisters, Haley and Krista, and one younger sister Becca. My parents Sandy and Pete are still happily married after thirty years together. My uncle Bob has five sons who are a lot more like my brothers than cousins. My aunt wasn’t really around and then she passed away when the boys were young, so my mom stepped in to help out.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” his mom said.

  “I’m sorry, Jess.” Zach gently squeezed her shoulder.

  “It was a long time ago.” She shook her head slightly and the citrusy aroma of her shampoo drifted through the air. God, she smelled so good.

  “And all the boys are married, right?” his mom asked.

  “Yes. And you’ll be meeting the entire clan on Thanksgiving.” Jessie’s eyes widened as she continued, sounding borderline apologetic. “We’re a lot to take in.”