by Amy Knupp
"You're afraid to go out with a girl."
"If I ask someone out, will you shut the hell up?"
"Only one way to find out."
Jackson nonchalantly allowed his gaze to skim over the crowd and land on Asia again. He took in her outfit—multicolored, multi-patterned shorts that showed off creamy, toned legs, a flowing white tank that revealed narrow, alluring shoulders, and blinged-out aqua-colored sandals that wrapped around her ankles and only made his gaze linger longer on her legs. She wasn’t at all tall, but those legs made perfect use of every inch she did have. When he realized he was staring, he forced his gaze upward and felt a zing go through him when her big brown eyes met his. Her lips eased into a smile, and this time, even from here, he could see the hint of a dimple. It wouldn't suck to have a conversation with her. And if that went okay…it was probably about damn time to end his almost-three-year dry spell.
Chapter Three
Jackson was evidently rustier than he'd thought.
Nearly three hours later, he'd headed toward his blond target multiple times only to have her dart away repeatedly — to the food table, to talk to this person or that, to grab another can of Sprite from the cooler. He was starting to get a complex.
He'd caught her eyeing him more than once, and he'd taken that to be a sign of her interest, but maybe instead she was avoiding him and was keeping track of her "enemy" the way Kennedy's pampered cat did. He couldn't imagine why though. Asia had always been warm and attentive to him at Clayborne's.
Though he and Ryan had eventually stopped stuffing their faces and had left their table to socialize separately, his friend had egged him on at every opportunity.
Any luck yet, prez?
Need me to introduce you around?
You could always try one of those online hookup sites.
When hell froze over.
There were other single women here. Jackson had talked to most of them over the course of the evening — the bridal shop owner, Nessa, Hudson's office girl, Georgia, the owner of the ladies' boutique, some of the apartment residents. Asia, however, had him intrigued. And maybe feeling a hint of a challenge.
The cat-and-mouse game hadn't dissuaded him yet. If he was going to do this, he was going to pursue someone who moved the needle on his barometer. Until she flat-out said no to a date, Asia was the one. However, time was getting short tonight. A group had headed to Clayborne's, likely to get serious about imbibing, and another had started taking down the tables from the middle of the street.
"Say," came a voice from behind him, and he turned to find an older woman with pale hair that matched her pale face. She barely reached his chest, but that didn't seem to intimidate her. "Where are you from? I don't recognize you."
Party police? Crazy interloper? She wore a flowered tee that said azaleas, baggy black pants cinched at her nonexistent waist, and green Crocs.
"My name is Jackson."
"Jackson what? Are you a worker here on Hale Street?"
He tried not to laugh because she seemed earnest and determined to see justice. "Jackson Lowell. My sister Kennedy works at Sugar Babies. Other sister, Sierra, lives in the end building." He pointed toward the Wentworth Hotel end of the street.
The woman, probably in her late fifties or early sixties, glanced toward the bakery, then nodded once as she turned back to him. "What do you do, Jackson Lowell?"
"I have a software company here in town, Ms….?"
"You can call me Lurlene. Software as in computers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Those computers are very, very bad. The work of the devil. Just look at what's happening to our society ever since they became so popular."
Jackson pursed his lips to hold in a disbelieving laugh and waited to see if she was serious.
"People don't talk anymore. They don't know how to hold a conversation because they're too wrapped up in their computers and their cellular telephones and Lord knows what else."
"You don't have a cell phone or a computer?"
"Heavens no. I have my TV and my newspaper subscription and my garden and that's all Snowball here and I need to get by. You should think very hard about getting a different job, Jackson…"
He noticed for the first time the leash and the furry white creature on the end of it, sniffing something behind the wacky woman. He had no idea what that thing was. As he puzzled over it and tried to get a better view, Lurlene carried on about identity theft and bad guys breaking into government computers and Internet dating sites, and even if Jackson wanted to defend his lifeblood, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"There you are." He felt a hand on his arm as a different, younger feminine voice reached him. Lurlene rattled on as he turned to find Asia at his side, smiling up at him. "Hi, Lurlene. Jackson promised he'd walk me to my car to keep me safe."
The older woman's rant died on her lips as she stopped mid-sentence and eyed Asia's hand on his arm.
"Can't be too cautious these days," Asia said, not making eye contact with Jackson, who stared at her, wondering how much liquor she'd had, even though the only thing he'd seen her with all evening was Sprite straight from the can.
"Oh." Lurlene looked from Asia to Jackson and back. "No, you can't." She nodded once. "Good."
"Nice to meet you, Lurlene," Jackson said as Asia tugged at him and waved at the strange woman.
"Think about what I said," Lurlene called after him. "There are some very, very good jobs in the Sunday classifieds."
oOo
"Thank you," Jackson said once they were out of Lurlene's earshot, and Asia's heart tripped over itself a little bit just from the timbre of his quiet but confident voice.
"You don't have to walk me all the way to my car," she said quickly, looking over her shoulder to ensure that Lurlene wasn't still paying attention to them. The woman had moved her focus on to Violet and Nick, so Asia let go of Jackson's arm. "It just looked like you needed an excuse to get away from her."
"It's the least I can do after you rescued me. She's an odd one."
"She means well, and I try to be nice, but she doesn't always understand when it's time to move on. It's like she has a nonstop commentary on the world going on in her head, and every once in a while, she un-mutes it and lets it all out to whomever is listening."
Jackson laughed. "She does seem to say whatever's in her head."
"What was her topic tonight?"
"Computers. Technology is the root of all evil."
"Oh, yes. So I've heard. Well, Violet has her attention now," Asia said as they reached the corner of Peach and Hale. "It's safe for you to go back."
"I'll go with. What is Snowball?" He remained at her side as she waited for a break in traffic so she could cross Peach Street. So they could cross, apparently.
Asia tried not to fret that he seemed determined to see her all the way to her car. Her crap-a-licious car. That's what she got for not thinking things through all the way. "Snowball is an albino ferret. Leash-trained, as you saw. She’ll tell you exactly how special that animal is if you’re brave enough to ask."
Jackson laughed, and she liked the sound of it too much. Their conversation lulled as they hurried across the street, and she tuned in to his long stride, to the way he placed his palm on the small of her back, to the obvious high quality of the material of his suit pants.
Once they reached the other side, she said, "I'm parked on the next street, not too far down."
"I am too."
That would be a fabulous coincidence, if only he didn't melt her insides. Crushing on this man was pointless. Though he was being kind, she fully recognized that if he knew her better, he'd understand they were not a match. A girl who'd grown up in subsidized housing with an alcoholic mother and an absentee father was no match for an impeccably dressed businessman who dated drop-dead gorgeous girls with shoes that cost more than Asia's monthly rent.
They turned onto a quiet residential street. When she pulled he
r thoughts away from that depressing reality and noticed the silence was growing, she floundered for a topic. "So … are you looking for a new job?" she asked, remembering Lurlene's parting words.
He laughed again. "Lurlene strongly suggested I change careers."
Asia made the connection in her head. "Technology. You work for a software company, right?"
"I'm part owner of Tech Horse Software. I didn't let on to Lurlene that I'm stuck with it whether I like it or not."
Tech Horse Software. She’d heard that name multiple times, and she was nowhere close to being in the industry. That told her a lot.
"Do you? Like it?" She turned to look at him in time to see him grimace his way into a smile.
"Probably too much. I've been told I need to get a life outside of work."
"Loving your job. That's a good problem to have. This is me." Asia stepped off the curb and walked around to the driver's-side door of her 1995 purple Ford Escort. Jackson, of course, followed her. She saw him checking out her impressive vehicle, and he scored points when he managed to hide any kind of cringe.
"I owe you one, Asia," he said, taking a step toward her. "For saving me from the ferret lady's clutches."
She shook her head, heart pounding, because those eyes… They were sky blue and focused intently on her. "My good deed for the day."
"Let me take you out. Dinner sometime?"
Her mouth went dry. "No need, really. I know she can be a pill."
He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, his glance dropping. "Let me start over. Kooky Croc woman aside, I'd like to go out with you. On a date."
God, she'd like nothing more than to spend time getting to know him. Kissing him. As she tried to formulate an answer, she casually glanced to the other side of the street. The sparkly silver Mercedes almost didn't register on her consciousness until she noticed the vanity plate.
TEKHRSE.
Tech Horse. Jackson's company. Jackson's Mercedes.
The only thing it had in common with her Escort was four wheels.
Thank you, reality check.
She couldn't even begin to imagine this man picking her up at her crummy, run-down apartment. It was embarrassing enough with the losers she normally dated. Yes, she was slowly working her way up, would be moving to a better address soon, but that didn't change her background, her family situation. No matter what she did, she couldn't change those.
"I, um…" Think. "It's not a good time. My sister's going through some stuff. We're moving her in with me tomorrow, and I feel like I need to spend time with her and help her get on track and… I'm sorry."
"It doesn't have to be this weekend," Jackson said.
"You seem like a really good guy. Definitely too good for me," she said, attempting to distract him with a dose of self-deprecating humor. She saw he was about to disagree, so she added, "I don't have room in my life for dating right now. But if I did, I'd tell you yes in a heartbeat."
When most guys would back off, lick their wounds from being rejected, Jackson kept his eyes on hers, studied her intently. She averted her gaze, fidgeted with the long silver and turquoise necklace that hit her just above the waist.
"Thanks for walking me to my car," she said, sticking the key into the lock to open it, wishing for the ten-thousandth time for power locks.
"Anytime. And Asia?"
She paused in the process of opening the door, looked up at him.
"Fair warning," he said, "I can be persistent. I'm probably going to ask you out again sometime." He stepped closer and palmed her cheek, his large hand dwarfing the side of her face. She stopped breathing as he brushed his thumb over her chin, once, twice. Was he going to kiss her?
His gaze dropped to her lips, and she involuntarily moistened them.
A car turned down their street, shining the headlights on them for a flash, yanking her out of the moment.
"I need to drive over and drag my sister away from the party," she told him, shaking on the inside. She opened the car door and cringed at its usual metal screech and ungodly clunk. "See you, Jackson," she said as she got in.
"Count on it," he said confidently, meaningfully, and she lowered herself into the driver's seat, going for graceful as opposed to collapsing. She half succeeded.
When she was inside, he smiled down at her and shut the door. As he walked toward his beautiful, expensive car, she allowed herself to check out the back of him. It was even more beautiful than the state-of-the-art hunk of metal.
When she heard the beep of his power locks, she drew her gaze away, wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs, and pointed her car toward her sister and their low-income neighborhood.
Chapter Four
"When are you going to start eating like a grown-up?" Asia said, catching a tempting whiff of Cocoa Puffs.
Vegas sat on the counter that separated the compact kitchen from the cramped dining area in Asia's apartment. She ate the cereal straight from the box. "Grown-up food is overrated. Want some?"
Asia took a bowl from the cabinet and held it out for her sister to fill. "You don't even live here a full day yet, and my healthy eating habits are out the window."
"Good for your soul though." Vegas stuffed one more handful of cereal in her mouth and jumped down to the floor. After chewing and swallowing, she said, "What time are Kennedy and her guy showing up?"
"Half an hour. We need to go rent the truck now so we'll be back when they get here."
Vegas dug through her oversized canvas hobo bag where, as far as Asia could tell, she kept everything she could possibly need and a lot of crap she couldn't. She pulled out a hair clip and secured her long, wavy hair on the back of her head.
After downing a couple bites of cereal, Asia said, "So I was lying there thinking last night—"
"I noticed. I felt the bed move every single time you turned over."
"Sorry. Been a while since we've shared, huh?" Her apartment was, for one thing, a tiny one-bedroom. For another thing, cheap and dumpy enough she rarely invited anyone over besides her sister. She wasn't proud of the outside of the place, though she'd done everything she could to make her unit as warm and homey as possible, and it'd served her purposes for three years now.
Asia picked up her keys and her clutch purse that was more of a glorified wallet. "So, my lease here is up in a month."
"Still planning to move to a Hale Street apartment?" Vegas asked.
"Signing the new lease next week." They exited her apartment into the dingy hall with the dirty carpet and dents and scrapes in the walls, and Asia locked the door. "But I was thinking, why don't you move with me, and we can get a two-bedroom?"
Vegas blew out a loud gust of air. "Rent is gonna be pretty steep, isn't it?"
"It's higher than this dump. Probably higher than you paid to live with Sylvia Psychopath."
"Bipolar."
"Whatever."
At the end of the hall, they entered the stairwell that always stunk, no matter what anyone did to combat the smell.
"You think we could stand each other?" Vegas asked, stepping over a puddle of spilled something.
"I'm a lot easier to get along with than a woman who tries to run you over with her car."
"Most days she didn't."
"Do you want to go back there?"
"Hell no," Vegas said as they started down the second out of three flights. "But I don't want us to end up hating each other either."
"We made it work before I left home." Home being an even crappier apartment, where their mom had basically allowed them to fend for themselves so that she could do what she did best — liquor up.
"You were so bossy—"
"You were a minor back then."
"Do you think you could restrain yourself from trying to control my life?"
"I have zero desire to control your life."
Control, no, but Asia wanted like crazy to enable her sister to have a calmer life. At twenty-five, Vegas had a decent career going as a talented tattoo artist, but her socia
l life… Some of the people she spent time with were not exactly stable. And her roommate history… Vegas didn't normally tend to put a lot of thought into who she lived with. In the past couple years, since her best friend had gotten married, she'd lived with two different bad-news boyfriends, a former coworker who'd ended up stealing from her, and then Bruno and Sylvia.
At the bottom of the stairs, Asia pushed the heavy door to the outside open and squinted against the bright sun. And then froze in her tracks.
"No. Way."
Vegas nearly ran into her back, then she stopped. "What's wrong?" She apparently followed Asia's line of sight. "Ooh. Eye candy from last night. Jackson, isn't it?"
In the flesh.
He stood twenty feet away, leaning against a pickup truck, staring down at his phone. He looked up when Vegas made an idiotic growly sound. When he saw them, he straightened and smiled his beautiful smile, which barely skiffed across Asia's consciousness. She was too busy being mortified.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Rude," her sister hissed from behind her, and Asia turned to shoot her a scowl.
"I brought a truck." He gestured to the gold Tundra.
"We're renting a U-Haul."
"Jesus, Asia," Vegas said, stepping ahead of her. "What she meant to say is thank you. Best offer we've had all day."
Jackson nodded but kept his gaze fixed on Asia, and it made her squirm.
"Sorry," Asia said, managing to unstick her feet from the spot where she'd frozen. "Thanks. It's nice of you, but how'd you know where to find me?"
"Kennedy—"
"Of course," Asia said, and she tried to smile.
"We'll take all the help we can get," Vegas said while Asia glanced around at her building, cataloguing how it must look through Jackson's eyes. Stained brown brick facade, no-frill windows that showed off a variety of window coverings, from broken blinds to faded yellow sheets to a Snoopy shower curtain, the dingy white-walled section that housed the stairwell — and some graffiti that had been mostly washed off but was still legible.
