by Liz Andrews
The finality in Alex’s tone scared him. As much as he hated the situation with Jasmine being in another city, Chase wasn’t willing to give up having her in their life. “I don’t think we should rush into any decisions here.”
Alex shook his head. “No, I’m not being hasty. I’ve thought about this a lot. I hate the indecisiveness of not knowing when she’s going to be here or not.”
“I agree, but do you really want to give Jasmine up?”
“Give her up?” Alex rolled his eyes. “Absolutely not. I’m talking about having her with us, twenty-four seven, forever.”
“Shit, Alex, you had me scared there for a second.” Chase let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was even holding. “I want her with us too, but how are we going to make this work? And do we even know she wants us like that?”
“I think she does, but until we talk to her, how are we going to know? I say we go to Middlebrook this weekend and lay it all on the line. Let her know exactly how we feel.”
Alex had a very good point. As many times as Chase had thought about talking to Jasmine about his feelings for her, he’d never taken the leap. And neither had Alex. In fact, they should have sat down together with Jasmine to have the conversation rather than their whole avoidance of the topic.
“Are we going to show up on her doorstep?” Chase asked. He was joking, but Alex’s face seemed very serious.
“I think it’s exactly what we should do.” Alex swiveled his chair around toward the computer and tapped a key to bring the monitor out of sleep mode. “If we’re on the road in an hour we can be there when she arrives home from work.”
“You know, the whole reason she’s not coming this weekend is because she has to work. We probably won’t be able to spend much time with her.”
“Yeah, I know, but I think we need to talk to her about moving here anyway.”
Chase thought it sounded like a good plan to him. He stood and walked toward the doorway and then turned back to Alex. “Are you coming already or what?”
A few short hours later, Chase and Alex were sitting in the parking lot of Jasmine’s apartment complex. Every car had Chase lifting his head from the book he had in hand to see if she was finally home. It was already an hour past her normal arrival time and he was beginning to think they should have possibly called first.
“I’ll be glad when this is over.”
“This?” Chase marked his place in the book and tossed it on the dash, turning toward Alex.
“All this back and forth crap. I almost wish we could pack her up right now.”
“You realize, of course, we’re going to have to do a hell of a job convincing her to quit her job and move.”
“Nope, Jasmine belongs with us, bottom line. I think she knows it, too.” Chase thought Alex was being naïve to think Jasmine would be easily convinced. Even if she loved them as much as they did her, there was no way it was going to be as smooth as Alex assumed.
“Let’s ask her.” Chase nodded toward her car parking next to theirs.
Jasmine jumped out of her car before he and Alex had a chance to exit their car. She grasped the handle and opened Chase’s door, a stunned expression on her face. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Visiting you.” Jasmine stepped back to allow Chase to stand and he wrapped his arms around her. “Are you surprised to see us?”
“Surprised doesn’t even begin to describe it.” She returned his embrace and gave a squeeze. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Alex, who had walked around to their side of the car. Holding out her arm, she invited him into their circle. “You guys are the best.”
“We know you still have to work this weekend, but we really needed to see you,” Chase said.
She tilted her head and looked at him questioningly. “You sound sort of ominous. Should I be worried?”
Alex jumped into the conversation. “Absolutely not. Let’s go upstairs. We can relax and talk.”
Jasmine didn’t appear to be too reassured by their assertions everything was okay, but Chase hoped after their conversation her attitude would change. Once they were all in her apartment, Jasmine poured them something to drink. She settled herself into an oversized chair, her legs folded beneath her, therefore the guys sat on the couch across from her. “So you wanted to talk.”
“Yeah—” Alex looked over at him and Chase suddenly realized during the entire two hour trip, plus the subsequent wait in the parking lot, they hadn’t really discussed what they were going to say. Thankfully, after what seemed a stuttering start, Alex continued with a tad more confidence. “The thing is, we hate this long distance thing. We miss not being able to see you everyday.”
“I miss you guys, too. But this was bad circumstances. I won’t always have to work extra hours and I won’t always have other plans such as the reunion.” A slight smile appeared on her lips. “Although your impromptu visit is a very nice surprise.”
“We’re glad you aren’t mad we didn’t call,” Chase said. “But our visit is more than because we were missing you.”
The wariness which had been fading from her expression returned. “Okay, what am I missing here?”
“Jasmine, come here.” Alex reached over to grab her hand. “We love you and we don’t want to be apart from you any longer.”
Alex’s declaration had her staring at them both, her face a mask of surprise. Tears sprung to her eyes and Chase wondered for a brief moment if they had misread her feelings completely. But then she smiled. “Oh my God, I love you too, both of you.” The tightness in Chase’s chest loosened. She loved them. Everything else could be worked out, he was sure of it. “I was scared when you showed up like this and I thought…I don’t know what I thought, but it wasn’t good.”
“So when can you move?” Alex asked.
“Move?” Jasmine withdrew her hand, her gaze bouncing back and forth between the two of them. “What do you mean?”
“We want you to come live with us, of course.”
“And I’d have to quit my job, pack and move two hours away from my home?” Jasmine stood and backed away from the couch, putting some distance between them.
Chase had bought into Alex’s enthusiasm and her initial reaction. He suddenly realized everything may not be as smooth as he’d assumed.
Jasmine’s emotions were in turmoil. Alex began to stand, but she put out her hand to halt his movements. “No, don’t. I need to think for a minute.”
Alex settled back onto the couch and shot Chase a questioning look. Chase looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he glanced in her direction and saw her staring at them he clamped his mouth shut.
Shocking them into silence wasn’t her intent. Nevertheless, it was too easy for them to distract her and she wanted to think this through with a clear head. She began to pace around the room, considering everything.
She was excited to see them but her worry that something was wrong tempered her joy. When they declared their love to her, her heart was soaring. For a brief moment that is, until they brought her down to earth with a thud. Being in love didn’t mean it would be easy to change her entire life for them. And that’s what they were expecting.
“Did you ever consider I might say no?”
“Of course we did. But we hoped you love us as much as we love you. And you do.” Jasmine could tell Alex’s words were meant to put her at ease, but she wasn’t feeling too reassured.
Jasmine gave them a slight smile. “I do love you both, but that’s not what I meant. Did you consider I might not want to move? That I like my life here?”
Chase and Alex turned toward each other, both looking bemused. That pretty much answered her question.
“We knew you don’t like your job.” Chase spoke first.
“And your family is gone now,” Alex added.
“True, but not your family. Should I assume you’d want to move home again since both your family and I are here?”
“Umm…” Alex looked as if she had hit him with a
two by four. “Jasmine, maybe we were wrong to assume you’d want to move, but it wasn’t malicious.”
“I know, and I’m not trying to put you on the defensive.” She walked back toward the couch and knelt on the floor, looking up at both of them. “It’s obvious you’ve had more time to process this than I have. And I’m the one who’d be doing all the changing.”
“That’s not exactly true,” Chase spoke up. “Yes, we love you, but you’ve got to consider Alex and I lived together for quite a few years now. Now, all of a sudden, our lives are being flipped upside down due to us inviting someone in. We’re happy to do it, but it’s a change for us, too.”
Jasmine sat back on her heels. He was right. They’d all be making sacrifices, but for something spectacular. And damn it, she was as willing as they were to take the chance of a lifetime. Still, there were a lot of questions to be answered. The wheels in her brain started turning.
“Are you guys willing to support me until I find a job?”
“Of course,” Alex immediately agreed.
“Now wait a minute. How long are you planning to be unemployed?” Chase asked. “And are you willing to do more work around the house until you find work. You know, treat us like the kings we are?” The underlying humor was more than evident in his words.
Jasmine cocked an eyebrow. “Kings? Hmm, how about you treat me like the queen I am and I’ll deign to allow you in my domain?”
“Is that a yes then? You’ll be moving?” Alex asked.
“It’s a maybe.” She stood from her spot on the floor and then sat back in the chair again.
“Damn, so I guess that means we’ll still be long distance, at least for a little while longer.” Chase sounded so disappointed she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“That’s probably a good thing, you know. We need to talk about the logistics of this.”
“You sound like Chase.”
She tilted her head and smiled. “At least one of you has been thinking about this.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been the ‘let’s jump in with both feet guy’ and Chase has been the ‘voice of reason’.”
“I can understand both points of view. I’d love to jump in with both feet, but I also need to be reasonable.”
“Is that what the maybe is all about?” Chase asked.
“Yeah, I think instead of going in blind, we compromise.”
“You’re already visiting as many weekends as you’re able,” Alex said. “What else were you thinking?”
“I can take a leave of absence from work, sublet my apartment and we do a trial run for a month.”
Alex furrowed his brow. “Is that option even possible?”
“I don’t know. While I’m working this weekend maybe you can start doing some investigating for me.” If she was going to be the one doing the moving, the least they could do was gather the information for her. “All I know is I’d like to try before I give up everything here and find out you guys can’t stand having me living with you.”
“That wouldn’t happen,” Chase said solemnly. “We love you.”
“And I love you guys. More than I can express right now. But the reality of day to day can be very draining. What is cute or amusing when I stay a weekend or even a few days longer can be something you absolutely can’t live with in the long term.”
“You’re right.” Surprisingly it wasn’t Chase who spoke, but Alex. “I think this is a good idea. Because in the long run you’re going to see we all belong together, forever. The best things in life are worth waiting for.”
“I’m a best thing?”
“Of course you are,” Chase assured her. “We’d do anything for you.”
An idea suddenly came to mind and she decided to jump on the opportunity. “Anything?”
“Absolutely,” Alex said.
“Anything you want. Just name it,” Chase added.
Jasmine smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. Although they both agreed readily, she wasn’t so sure they would have if they’d known what she would be asking.
*
“This is totally unfair.” Stephanie flopped on the bed. “I want to be there to see everyone when you walk in with the two hottest guys from high school.”
Jasmine sat on the end of the bed and began to apply lotion to her legs. She had to admit she was looking forward to the grand entrance as well. “It does suck, but at least you’ll be able to see the guys before we leave.”
“True.” Stephanie sighed. “So how’s the packing coming along?”
“Trying to hurry me out of town?”
“Girl, I love you to death and I’m pissed as hell you’re leaving me alone here. But the fact I’m finally able to move out of my shithole of an apartment and in here is a dream come true.”
Jasmine chuckled as she rose to her feet. “Glad I could help. I know how much you hate that place.”
“True, which is one reason I’d like to move in here as soon as possible.” Stephanie waggled her eyebrows. “So, anything I can do to help you along?”
“No, not really. I’m leaving all my furniture for now and only packing personal stuff. I should be able to take almost everything with me this weekend.” Jasmine tugged her dress over her head and turned her back toward Stephanie. “Zip me, please.”
Stephanie zipped up her dress and Jasmine slipped on her heels. Walking over to the full-length mirror she stared at her reflection. The black dress was a simple sheath, but it showed her body off to her best advantage.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Jasmine knew she looked good, but she was still nervous. Her lips looked a little pale. Picking up a tube of lipstick, she applied a red shade. Then she smoothed her hand over her hair, turning this way and that in front of the mirror to check out every angle.
When the phone rang a few seconds later she picked it up and smiled when saw it was Chase’s number on the caller ID. “You guys better not be ditching me,” she teased, never thinking in a million years that they would. Neither of them were stupid, she was sure they knew how dead they’d be if they did.
“Hell, no.” Chase hesitated for a second before continuing. “We had a late start though.”
“Chase, I can’t be late. I’m on the committee. I have to be there on time.”
“I’m sorry, baby. It wasn’t intentional.”
Jasmine sat on the bed, feeling a bit defeated. “I know.” She wanted to rail against the injustice of it all but knew it wouldn’t do her any good. It surely wouldn’t make them arrive any faster nor would it make her feel better. Nothing short of them magically appearing in front of her would. “I guess I’ll meet you guys at the party.”
“We’ll be there soon. I promise.”
“Okay, I love you.” Jasmine severed the connection.
“Don’t tell me they’re canceling.” Stephanie was already becoming indignant on her behalf.
“No, just running late. But damn it, as childish as it sounds, I was hoping for the big entrance.”
“Sorry, sweetie.”
Jasmine glanced at the clock. “Damn. I need to head out.”
“I suppose you’re throwing me out.” Stephanie stood and together the two women walked out of the bedroom. Jasmine picked up her small clutch bag and slipped in the tube of lipstick.
“Go home and pack. You’ll be moving in here before you know it.”
“You sweet talker.” They left the apartment and trooped out to the parking lot.
“Call me and let me know how it goes.”
“Will do.” Jasmine gave Stephanie a hug and slipped behind the wheel of her car. The high school wasn’t too far from her place and it didn’t take her much time until she was driving into the parking lot. There were already a few cars scattered around. Even though she knew they wouldn’t be there yet, she couldn’t help but look around for Alex’s car.
Jasmine sighed when, as expected, she didn’t see them. Exiting her car, she pressed her key fob to lock the door and headed insi
de. Although this was a new school and not the one she’d attended, the halls lined with lockers brought back all those old familiar feelings. She had to remind herself she was beyond those awkward days of high school and an empowered strong woman now.
She could hear music coming from down the hall and walked toward the sound. A long table was set up outside the double doors and name tags were laid out in alphabetical order. No one seemed to be around, which was odd since the committee was supposed to arrive early. Annoyed, Jasmine found her name, removed the protective backing, and slapped the offending tag on her chest.
Peeking inside the gym, she saw tables set up and the DJ on the stage. Waiters were wandering around putting last minute touches on the food tables. She didn’t see anyone from the planning committee, but it looked as if a few guests had arrived. She decided she ought to do the polite thing and welcome them.
Jasmine walked over to a small group of people and introduced herself. She recognized most of the students. As a former member of the yearbook staff she knew almost everyone, at least by name. After a few moments of chatting with the group, Jasmine excused herself and returned to the doorway so she could peek down the hall to see if Chase and Alex had arrived yet, but before she could sneak a look, she was accosted by Heather.
“Jasmine, finally, I thought you’d never get here. You need to man the check-in table.”
That was news to her. “I did the pre-party work. Where is Tracy?”
“Tracy’s still waiting for her babysitter. So you have no choice. The committee needs you.”
“Um, no. I told you I wouldn’t be available.” Jasmine couldn’t believe the other woman’s gall.
Heather eyed her critically. “Why not? It’s not as if you came with a date or anything.”
“Actually, she has two dates.” Chase’s voice had her turning around to face them with a smile. Her two men stood there, for all the world looking as if they were a couple of gods who descended from Olympus. Alex was wearing a black shirt and pants, giving him a slightly bad boy look. Chase, on the other hand, was the epitome of business casual, in charcoal grey pants and a crisp white shirt.
