“You don’t know what you’re missing.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “My secretary is calling. I guess I should answer it. She doesn’t like it when I ignore her. It was nice seeing you again.”
“Same here.”
After he walked away, Violet returned to her sheet music search. It took about ten minutes to find what she came in for. She glanced around the store as she walked to the check-out area, but there was no sign of Jackson. When she got outside she found out why: the Harley was gone.
If she wasn’t so grounded in reality, she might have thought she’d imagined the whole thing. As it was, she couldn’t help wondering if the long arm of coincidence would ever bring them together again.
* * * * *
Jackson was almost to his office when it started to rain. He remembered Violet’s comment about not minding if she got wet and hoped she wasn’t kidding. Their second meeting had been much more interesting than the first. This time he wasn’t caught off-guard. He’d seen Violet before she stepped into Stairway to Heaven. From his position near the front window, he’d witnessed her parking woes. At one point, he held his breath as she came within a millimeter of taking the paint off his Harley.
Life was often stranger than fiction so he was only mildly surprised to discover that the woman he’d seen two weeks ago at a rest area north of Atlanta actually lived in the same town. When she entered the store, he couldn’t resist sticking around to see what her reaction would be. He had a teasing remark ready about her unique approach to parallel parking when he heard her laugh.
Like her voice, it had an almost musical quality of richness and warmth that sat easy on the ear. Instead of a ponytail, her dark brown hair hung loose, just touching her shoulders. The eyes he remembered as being blue were actually a shade between blue and green, and they had a disconcerting knack of looking right into his. As if she didn’t have anything to hide. He wished he could say the same.
His secretary was hanging up the phone when he strolled through the double doors of Gilbert and Redmayne Realtors.
“You’re wet,” was Jetta’s greeting.
“This is what happens when I’m away from you for a few days. Everything falls apart.”
Jetta made her trademark snorting sound. “This is what happens to every man who tries to live without a woman. It can’t be done. I’ve been telling you that for years.”
“Yes, you have. Maybe one day I’ll listen. Where’s Austin?”
“He got a call from his attorney.”
“I hope it’s good news this time.”
“Me, too. This whole thing with Elise has been hard on him.”
That was putting it mildly. His friend and business partner had aged five years in the last five months. Here was another example of how love could go terribly wrong and more proof (if he needed it) that he was better off without it. “Zeb Thompson accepted my offer on the vacant building down the street. Once the papers are signed, your sister can move her salon into one of the spaces. It’s a much better location than where she is now.”
“I’m not sure she can afford the rent you’ll be asking.”
He sat down on the edge of her desk and reached for one of the hard butterscotch candies she kept in a glass jar. “I told Suri she could have free rent for five years.”
Jetta held out her hand for the wrapper. He obliged, and she tossed it in the trash can before replying. “Free rent? That wasn’t a very smart business deal.”
“I disagree. I get free haircuts for life.”
She sat back in the chair, her heavily lashed eyes narrowing. “You’re turning soft, Jackson.”
“How can you say that? I’m helping someone realize her dreams. There’s no better profit than that.”
“I don’t know what to say except ‘thank you’.”
He rose to his feet. “If you really cared about me, you’d tell Stanley he has to go to California without you. Facetime was invented for situations like this. It would almost be like you were really there.”
“My affection for you falls short of giving up a vacation to the west coast.”
Jackson chuckled. “And there, folks, you have the story of my life. I’m going to return some phone calls, and then I’m leaving to meet the owner of Blackstone Properties. Getting exclusive rights to sell homes in all his subdivisions would be huge for us. They’ve got developments in the works from here to Peachtree City.”
“Yes, it would. By the way, I went by the temp agency today. They assured me that we won’t have any trouble getting someone qualified to take my place while I’m on vacation.”
“I feel a headache coming on. Just the thought of working with someone new causes me to break out in a cold sweat. I don’t want some twenty-something who doesn’t do anything except check her Facebook feed and take selfies all day.”
Jetta rolled her eyes. “I understand completely. You get enough of that already.”
This reference to his current girlfriend brought an appreciative grin to his face. “By the way, my band is playing at a silver anniversary celebration this weekend.”
“You guys are getting pretty popular. It won’t be long, and you’ll have to decide between music and selling real estate.”
“I don’t think being the entertainment at anniversaries and weddings will ever pay my mortgage.”
“Speaking of mortgages, when you bought that huge house, I thought for sure you were thinking of getting married.”
“You know me better than that.”
She pointed a pink-tipped finger in his direction. “Just wait, Jackson. One day you’re going to meet the woman who’ll bring you to your knees. You’ll be begging her to marry you.”
He’d already met the woman he wanted to marry. It hadn’t turned out very well. “I thought going down on one knee when proposing was out of style.”
“Romantic gestures like that never go out of style.”
“I’ll try to remember just in case the occasion should ever arise.”
“Which brings us to the subject of Myrna. Where is the ice queen? Make my day and tell me you broke up with her.”
Jackson’s lips twitched. Jetta didn’t like any of his girlfriends, and she wasn’t shy about letting him know. “She’s in Miami doing a training session.”
“You know, she’s a lot like the computers she programs. I don’t know how you can be happy with an icicle.”
“Even ice melts when enough heat is applied.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
If only that were true. “No one has an answer for everything. Let me know if Austin shows up.”
Once he was in his office, he didn’t immediately reach for the phone. He was thinking about what Jetta said. There was a time when he looked forward to getting married and having a family. All those hopes ended his senior year of college. Sometimes love came with a heavy price, and sometimes innocent lives got caught in the crossfire. For Jackson, it was a life-changing experience; robbing him of his naiveté, destroying his dreams, and involving him in a conspiracy of silence he couldn’t escape.
Chapter Three
Violet removed the last silver candle from the box and inserted it into the candelabra. What was taking Cory so long? If they didn’t hurry, the guests were going to arrive before they finished. Crouching down behind a long table covered in ivory satin, she quickly counted and sorted the stacks of neatly folded napkins. Into the silence came the creaking of a door. Finally.
“Did you find the extra serving spoons?” she asked without standing up.
“Are you talking to me?”
That wasn’t Cory. That husky, deep voice belonged to… Violet slowly rose to her feet. Jackson’s eyes were fixed on her with an expression she couldn’t define. “No, I was expecting someone else.”
This admission brought a teasing smile to his lips. “Just my luck.”
“Are you the photographer?” Considering there wasn’t a camera in sight, it wasn’t the most intelligen
t of questions, but her mind seemed to have stopped working.
“Not exactly. I’m part of the band.”
“I see. That means you must be a very good guitar player.”
His smile widened. “If you’re sticking around for the festivities, you’ll be able to judge for yourself.”
“I’ll be here long after it’s over. What’s the name of your band?”
“Cheese Grits.”
Violet laughed. “That’s very, um, southern.”
“You can’t go wrong with being associated with Georgia ice cream.”
“I guess not. You didn’t happen to see a guy with red hair walking around outside, did you?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“I’m beginning to think he got kidnapped.”
A head appeared through the side door, but it wasn’t Cory’s.
“Hey, lover boy!” the man called out loudly. “You can work the crowd later. We need help with the amps and speakers.”
Jackson grinned as he looked over his shoulder. “Keep your shirt on, Harmon. I’ll be there in a sec.” He turned back to Violet. “So you’re a caterer? I was thinking teacher or nurse.”
She wasn’t sure if this was meant to be a compliment or not. “Why is that?”
He tilted his head sideways and pulled at his chin. “It’s a combination of things. You have a nice speaking voice, you’re very direct, and you don’t appear to get rattled easily.”
“You got all that from two meetings?”
“I’m used to sizing up people quickly. Do you have a business card? I might be able to send some customers your way.”
“Not on me, but we’re called Tasteful Affairs. My friend Rachel owns it. I just help out on the weekends.”
He leaned over and straightened one of the candles. “What do you do during the week? When you’re not in the sheet music section of Stairway to Heaven?”
“I work at Second Time Around.”
“I know where that is. My partner and I moved our real estate office into Columbus Park Crossing a few weeks ago.”
“Now I know why your name sounded familiar. I saw the maintenance guys working on your business sign.”
“It looks like we’re work neighbors. I’ll have to make sure I park well away from you. You already hit my Land Rover, and you almost hit my Harley.”
Violet bit her lip. “So you saw that, huh?”
“Yep. I was reaching for my phone to call Mitch at the body shop.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about it on Monday?”
He laughed softly. “For the same reason I didn’t call the police at the rest area.”
As the meaning of his words became clear, she could feel the heat rising from her neck and entering her cheeks. This was unfortunate because she had the type of skin that flushed easily. It wasn’t just annoying; it was ridiculous when you were almost twenty-four years old. “I, um, better get back to work before Rachel shows up.”
“Me, too. There’s no telling what Harmon will say if he has to come looking for me a second time.”
Violet was still staring at the door through which Jackson had disappeared when Cory tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around quickly. “What happened to you?”
“I ran into an old girlfriend.”
“It must have been quite a reunion. You’ve been gone fifteen minutes.”
“Sorry about that. Scarlet’s father is the photographer. She’s helping him today. We’re going to get together later.”
“We won’t be doing anything if we don’t get these tables ready and the warmers set up. The food will be here any minute.”
As she and Cory raced around putting on tablecloths and setting out plates, silverware and crystal, Violet was aware of movement behind her as Jackson and the other band members came in and out of the banquet room. In spite of being fully occupied, she had no trouble picking out Jackson’s voice or his deep-throated laugh. She was also very conscious of two other things: her heart was still thumping away in her chest as if it didn’t have an ‘off’ switch, and her stomach had suddenly become the home for a thousand or so fluttering butterflies. This hadn’t happened the first two times they met. What was different about today?
The arrival of Rachel and Sully meant she’d have to figure out what was going on later. For the next three hours, she didn’t have time to think of anything else except making sure the seventy-five guests had everything they needed. This included listening to and dealing with complaints about everything from the doneness of the roast beef to the freshness of the coffee. She did, however, hear enough of Cheese Grits to know they were professional grade.
Later when she and Cory were cleaning up, she paused long enough to take a quick look around to see if Jackson was still there. He wasn’t with the two men packing away sound equipment. Had he left already? Given her reaction to seeing him earlier and the fact that she couldn’t remember half the things they’d talked about, maybe it was better this way. She wasn’t sure why her reactions to him had suddenly changed to that of a teenage girl.
Cory picked up the bags of used table linens, and she followed with one of the dining carts. They hadn’t taken ten steps out the door when she saw Jackson coming toward them. A wave of what could only be called giddiness swept over her. Along with the curious weakness in her legs, her brain seemed to have gone on strike again.
Violet hadn’t felt like this since Lucas Carpenter walked into the history department looking for Professor Finnigan. It had been somewhat understandable then. She’d been a silly nineteen-year-old with her head in the clouds. What possible excuse did she have now?
Jackson returned her nod and nervous smile with a playful salute and a stream of words that would have been unintelligible to her if Rachel hadn’t been dating Pierre.
When they were out of earshot, Cory asked, “What did that guy say to you?”
“It’s French for ‘until we meet again’.
“Which implies that you’ve met before. That explains the electricity in the air between you two.”
“Have you been watching Lifetime again?”
“Stop trying to change the subject. This is exciting! I’ve known you for nine months, and this is the first time I’ve seen you even remotely interested in a man.”
It was actually more like years, but there was no point in telling him that. “You need to forget about me and think about your evening with Scarlet.”
“I’m trying not to think about it. I don’t want to get my hopes up only to find out that nothing’s changed. It’s always been a one-sided relationship.”
“Maybe this time will be different.”
“One thing’s for sure; there wasn’t that kind of chemistry between me and Scarlet.”
As they took down tables and stacked chairs, Violet couldn’t stop thinking about what Cory said. She didn’t know about electricity or chemistry, but her attraction to Jackson was growing in leaps and bounds. This was a little unsettling for several reasons. First of all, she didn’t know very much about him. He could be married or otherwise not available. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, he was way out of her league.
Plain Janes seldom walk away with the hot guys. That sort of thing only happened in books and movies. This description of herself wasn’t meant to be derogatory. It was simply a statement of fact. Violet wasn’t the black sheep of her family, but she was without question the least decorative.
* * * * *
Jackson tossed the package of guitar picks to Harmon. “Here’s those Fender Thins you like. Stairway to Heaven had them on sale. Don’t say I never gave you anything.”
“Thanks, man.” He jerked his head in Violet’s direction. “Who’s the girl?”
“She’s the person who ran into my Land Rover a few weeks ago. I told you about it.”
Harmon’s eyebrows rose. “You said ‘someone’ ran into you. You left out the part about her being a chick.”
“I’ve never understood that term. What does a baby chic
ken have to do with a woman?”
“We’re getting off the subject here. Did you get her number?”
“Why would I do that?”
“A better question is why wouldn’t you?” Danny asked, coming up behind them. “You’re getting to the point where beggars can’t be choosers.”
“I have a girlfriend, that’s why.”
Harmon shook his head sadly. “You’re still with Myrna? That means I owe Danny twenty bucks.”
Jackson opened the back door of Harmon’s van. “It’s nice to know my friends entertain themselves betting on my social life.”
“You’re the only bachelor left in the crowd. What do you expect?”
“I guess I shouldn’t complain. At least you don’t try to set me up with anyone.”
Danny chuckled. “With good reason. You’re a serial heartbreaker. Cheri still hasn’t forgiven you for dumping her friend Chris.”
“I didn’t dump Chris. It was a mutual thing. Why do women get so defensive when a man doesn’t want to get married? Marriage isn’t for everyone. Look at the divorce rate if you don’t believe me.”
“Harmon and I are from broken homes, and we didn’t let that stop us. Your parents are still together. With that kind of example to follow, why are you so afraid of commitment?”
Danny’s question was ironic on several levels. Jackson had been on the verge of making the ultimate commitment to the woman he loved when the cruel hand of fate stepped in and turned something beautiful into ashes. He forced himself to smile. “I like being able to do what I want, when I want. You can’t do that when you’re married. Besides, I’m not convinced that love is all it’s cracked up to be.”
Both of his friends laughed at this. They thought he was joking, but he wasn’t.
“Don’t forget about the charity auction at The Club Car next Saturday night,” Danny said.
“What time?” Harmon asked.
“We need to be there around six to set up.”
Jackson picked up his guitar case and Marshall amp. “Sounds good. I’ll see you guys later.”
He got into the Land Rover, wincing at the wave of heat engulfing him. It might be after seven, but the temperature was still in the low nineties. While he waited for the car to cool off, he checked his messages. One was from Myrna confirming the time to meet her at the airport tomorrow afternoon. The other was an update from Austin on his appointment with the Jacobsen’s. They hadn’t liked any of the houses he’d shown them. No surprise there. Jackson had known they were going to be difficult to please, but he liked the challenge of matching people with places.
Mine for a Day (Finding Love Book 8) Page 2
