Showing Jessie

by JoMarie DeGioia

  And success in Cypress Corners would be the first, and biggest, step toward making that future now.

  Chapter 2

  Jessie pushed her glasses up on her nose as she studied her laptop screen. Her morning had gone by in a rush, and she was grateful to be once again tucked behind her desk. She didn’t have an office in the Sales Center, but shared a large space filled with desks with Oliver and a few of the other associates. No one spent as much time in the room as she did, though. With her work for the Institute, she seemed to always have something to look up in her so-called downtime.

  “Girl, what has your little nose all scrunched and wrinkled?” Oliver asked, sauntering up to her desk.

  She smiled at the pretty guy. You couldn’t help but, with his angel face, fair hair and sparkling blue eyes. She pushed her glasses up again.

  “Just checking something out,” she told him.

  He sat on the edge of her desk and craned his neck to peer at her computer. “Googling anyone in particular?”

  She flushed, remembering just who she’d been googling now and then since the fall. “No, wise guy. I have an eco-tour this afternoon and I want to be ready.”

  “You’ll do great,” Tammy Donato Chapman put in as she joined them.

  Jessie smiled at her friend. “Thanks.”

  Tammy winked as she absently rubbed her baby bump. Six month’s pregnant, she was still rocking her own brand of professional/sexy. Her long, dark hair was shining and her upscale business clothes fit just perfectly. “You shouldn’t worry, Pixie.”

  Jessie shook her head at the nickname she couldn’t seem to ditch since starting here. “I don’t want to disappoint Ty or Dr. Robbins.”

  Oliver’s brows arched. “Ty and the director both love you. But, there is one thing that worries me.”

  Jessie’s heart thumped. “What?”

  “Do you think you can handle the Gator?”

  She knew he was half teasing, but it could be a concern. The vehicle in question, a tricked out, eight-seat, oversized golf cart with a striped canopy and a powerful motor, was well suited for the tour.

  “It’s not like I’m leaving the pavement,” she said. “The wilder tours are Ty’s thing. Besides, I can drive anything. No matter how big.”

  Oliver and Tammy exchanged a look and Jessie squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Kill me,” she moaned.

  She heard Oliver chuckling. “You’re so easy.”

  “Shut up, Ollie.” Tammy placed a hand on Jessie’s shoulder and Jessie opened her eyes. “Don’t let this fool spook you. You’ll do great. Just tell yourself that.”

  Oliver gave Jessie a look of sincere encouragement, one hand splayed on his chest. “You know I tease because I love.”

  Jessie grinned at him. “Yes, I do.”

  He beamed a smile and straightened. “I have a tour in ten. Not all of us get to play in the wild today, Jessie.”

  She waved him away and then faced Tammy. “How are you feeling, Tammy?”

  Tammy smiled. “Great, actually. The little ravioli seems to be settled in.”

  The little ravioli, Tammy and Ben’s growing baby, looked really good on her friend.

  “I’m glad.”

  Tammy studied her closely and Jessie stifled the urge to fidget. “Seriously, don’t worry about this afternoon. You’ll rock it.”

  Since Tammy was the number one salesperson at Cypress, Jessie took her words as high praise. “Thanks.”

  Tammy gave her shoulder a squeeze and left her to her research. Jessie hadn’t worked closely with anyone before coming here, and fitting in had posed a bit of a challenge at first. Then Tammy and Oliver had taken her into their circle and she’d felt the affection missing from her life since her father passed away five years ago.

  He’d been bookish like her, and had loved the environment. Loved big trucks too, though. Before getting her Jeep she’d learned to drive on his ancient Suburban. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Ollie she could drive anything.

  There was one portion of the upcoming tour she wasn’t looking forward to, though. She had to drive out to the green neighborhood. As excited as she was to see Ben Chapman’s incredible designs come to life, she wasn’t so keen on running into the man implementing those designs again today.

  Tall, sun-streaked and gorgeous, Noah Brady was everything she dreamed about. And everything she avoided. Golden guys like him weren’t for her. Shannon might run through them like Kleenex but Jessie? She’d been easy prey for that kind of guy right after her father died, a super smart grad student who’d taken pleasure in dominating her. And no matter what she gave up in her quest to satisfy him, he still ended up hurting her. As it turned out, she couldn’t be enough for him.

  After eating a yogurt in the break room, she grabbed a bottle of water and went out to the lobby to wait for her tour group. Dr. Robbins had told her they were mostly in the “Active Adult” stage of their lives, so she anticipated a tame tour. They were very keen on the green aspects too, so she would drive them out to where the concrete raceways would be built for the algae fields. Part of her research this morning was on just that. The Institute was still looking into logistics, which meant lots of meetings with Mr. Forbes and Dr. Robbins. And she was happily stuck between the developer and the director.

  Information was like her crack. She could lose herself in numbers and statistics, but she would talk in laymen’s terms during today’s tour. That was the reason Mr. Forbes let her work so closely with the Institute. He’d told her time and again that residents and visitors both responded to her excitement and enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure about that, but she did feel most comfortable when she was speaking on a well-researched topic. Go figure.

  It had warmed up since this morning, so she’d left her sweater on the back of her chair and now the A/C in the Sales Center caused the skin on her arms to raise in goosebumps.

  Two couples waited for her in the lobby, and she felt that flutter of nervousness again. Planting a smile on her face, she approached them.

  “Good afternoon,” she said. “I’m Jessie.”

  The four people returned the expression as they all chimed in with their greetings. Each couple, one pair on the taller side, was a matched set and neat in their pressed resort wear. Once more she was grateful she wouldn’t be leaving the pavement today. The ride might rumple their crisp linen pants and muss their silvery hair, but she’d do her best to keep them safe otherwise.

  “I’ve been so looking forward to this,” the taller woman gushed. “Tammy said you’re just the one for this tour, though I admit I’m a little bit nervous.”

  Jessie caught Sharon Walsh’s wink and thumbs-up from the front desk, and her own smile felt less forced now. “I promise to bring all of us back alive,” she assured them.

  The men laughed and the two older women shared an expression of relief.

  Jessie squared her shoulders. “Shall we go?”

  They all murmured their agreement and she waved them ahead of her into the sunshine. It was a beautiful spring afternoon and, although the temperature had climbed since the morning, there was a breeze in the air that would kick up as they rode over the property.

  “I thought we’d start by heading east,” she said as they buckled into their seats of the Gator.

  “Is it as wild as Tammy said?” the shorter woman asked.

  Jessie nodded. “Yes, but we’re not going to off-road today. We’ll probably see some wildlife along the way, though.”

  They all shifted in their seats as Jessie drove them out to the less developed part of Cypress. As they made their way, she warmed to her topic and gave them some of the particulars that she only touched on during her regular tours for prospective residents.

  The drive out to the east side was one of her favorites, and one she made every day now. Her own piece of serenity was set just to the left as they rounded a curve.

  “What’s that little structure down that sandy path?” one of the men asked.
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br />   Jessie felt a flush of pleasure as she answered. “That’s my tent-cabin.”

  “You live out here?” the tall woman asked. “By yourself?”

  “I do,” Jessie said.

  “Don’t you get lonely?” the other woman asked.

  The question drew Jessie up short. She didn’t miss living with Shannon, but she did miss having another heartbeat in the house. She hadn’t had a pet since she was a teenager, and there were tons of heartbeats just outside her new home. Not that she’d invite any of those animals in to cuddle in that wide, empty bed.

  “I like the peace and quiet,” was all she would say. It was part of the truth, anyway.

  Her four guests appeared to take her answer at face value, so she gave a sharp nod and continued the tour.

  “How many of you have heard of biofuel?” she asked.

  The men both said they’d read about it or heard about it on TV, so she kept her spiel on the basic side.

  “Both the Cypress Institute and the developer are working on the logistics of setting aside some land for algae fields,” she began.

  “How much land?” the shorter man asked.

  “Up to fifty acres.”

  “That’s not much,” the tall woman said. “Is it?”

  Jessie smiled over her shoulder at her. “Not in the grand scheme of things. Cypress sits on over ten thousand acres, but more than half of that is reserved for conservation. The concrete raceways, the controlled ponds for algae growth, wouldn’t be in anyone’s way out here.”

  “When would they start building?” the shorter man asked.

  “Not for a few years yet,” Jessie told him. “It’s exciting to think about Cypress starting to provide some of its own energy, though.”

  She could almost feel their minds working as they absorbed everything she told them. Caught up in her presentation, she breezed through the rest of the tour and soon found herself driving through the town center. Trepidation made her nerves zing a little bit.

  “Now we’ll see the homes in the green neighborhood,” she managed to say.

  “Are they all green?” one of the men quipped.

  She chuckled. “To their studs.”

  “Ooh, studs,” one of the women laughed.

  Jessie smiled but her mind turned immediately to one particular stud. Oh God, she might have to see Noah again. Maybe not, though. Maybe he’d be too busy on the new construction to be hanging around the model homes.

  Shoving the delectable image of him in his soft and sturdy-looking work clothes out of her mind, she returned to her spiel.

  “Part of today’s tour involves a walk through one of the models Ben Chapman designed. It features many earth-friendly materials yet is gorgeous and very comfortable.”

  “Sounds good,” one of the men said.

  “If I had a dream house in mind, it would be situated on this particular piece of land,” Jessie said. “Homes both large and small will fill the neighborhood when it’s complete.”

  “When will that be?” the tall woman asked.

  “In about two years the first phase will be occupied. About thirty larger homes and fifty on a smaller scale.”

  “And this is the first phase?” the tall man asked.

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “There’s a lot riding on the feasibility of an entire neighborhood built with an eye to ecology.”

  “And a lot of money, I bet,” the man put in.

  “That’s why there will be homes of varying sizes and price points,” Jessie said. “People of different budgets and home needs might still share the same enthusiasm for living green.”

  They grew quiet again, apparently mulling over all she’d told them this afternoon. Pulling the Gator up to the curb near the two-story model, she cranked off the motor and swiveled to face her guests.

  “Here’s the model I wanted to show you all,” she said with a smile. “It’s a great example of living comfortably green.”

  She stepped out onto the pavement and waited for her group to do likewise. When the two women began to ooh and ahh she turned to follow their line of sight, fully prepared to fan the flames of their admiration for the impressive home. Instead, she saw Noah standing on the porch, leaning on one column with his long legs crossed at the ankles.

  “Hey there, Jessie,” he said, his husky voice reaching her.

  She gaped at him for a beat, taking him in from the top of his tousled sun-kissed hair to his big booted feet. Oh, he looked so darn good. Talk about a dream. She could only imagine having him to come home to.

  “What was that about studs, dear?” one of the women teased from behind.

  Her face flaming, Jessie dragged her gaze from the magnificent male specimen on display to the sidewalk beneath her wedges. So much for avoiding him.

  Crap.

  ***

  Noah caught the pretty blush of pink on Jessie’s cheeks even from where he stood, and couldn’t help but grin. She was so damn cute, and a little bit mussed from her tour in the open Gator. Her short blond hair was a cloud she attempted to smooth down as she approached the model home with obvious reluctance. Her companions weren’t so shy. They were two older couples, smiling and talking as they stepped out of the Gator. They seemed very excited to tour the model, too.

  He stepped down and greeted them. “Hi. I’m Noah Brady, the builder in this community.”

  The four of them appeared impressed, which was a common reaction when he told people that. He was proud of his work, but he wasn’t going to take credit for either Ben’s designs or the developer’s setting.

  “This neighborhood is going to be beautiful,” the shorter woman said.

  “Ben Chapman is a gifted architect,” he told them.

  “And your work is bringing it all to life,” Jessie said.

  He caught her eyes, bare of her glasses again. The rich coffee color was mixed with gold right now, and swirled with something he couldn’t decipher. When those eyes flicked over him again, a punch of lust hit him square in the gut.

  “Just doing my job,” he said with a smile.

  She dipped her head as she passed him, turning her attention to her tour group. “Let’s go inside.”

  He stepped back and watched as she led them into the house. He wanted to follow, if only to watch her ass wriggle as she walked on those sandals, but he didn’t have any excuse to linger.

  As the sound of her voice reached him, explaining and pointing out the many eco-friendly and high-end features of the house, he headed back out to his work site six lots over. The footings were set now, the concrete poured, and there were only a couple of guys still onsite. The day was winding down and he wanted to touch base with his project supervisor.

  “Hey, boss,” the supervisor called.

  Noah lifted his hand in a wave. “Hey, Mike.”

  Mike pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “The inspector signed off on the footings.”

  “He was here already?”

  “Yep.”

  Noah nodded as he took the documents. “Good. I’ll arrange for the concrete blocks for the stem wall.”

  Mike nodded. “I’ll get with the crew and have everybody here. Just text me the time.”

  “Will do.” Noah fist-bumped Mike. “Thanks, man.”

  Noah slipped a copy of the approval into the permit box set on a post in front of the lot and then pulled out his phone. He made a quick call to his block supplier to confirm his order for the stem wall and scheduled delivery for the next morning. After texting Mike the info, he got into the golf cart and headed back to the town center.

  Work was progressing on this project, and the now-familiar adrenaline filled him. He’d built six houses here in the neighborhood so far, and a handful of families had already taken occupancy.

  Ben and his wife lived in the two-story Craftsman style that had originally been planned as model, but there was another of that design slated to be built after this oversized ranch. He could envision the neighborhood when it was complete: young fami
lies, empty-nesters and everything in between. It would be warm and welcoming, and a place anyone would want to call home. He knew he sure as hell did. Living here would be perfect for him and for Max. Max, his six-year-old son, who was the amazing result from one monumental mistake.

  He’d failed his son for the first few years of his life. He would do anything to make that up to him. He suspected that meant putting down roots in Cypress Corners, even if he wasn’t sure how to do that.

  Chapter 3

  Noah knew Max was relying on his father to keep his head and prove that he could play with the big boys here in Cypress. Just last night, as Noah drove him back to his mother’s place in Melbourne, he’d asked when he could stay with Noah for good. It had nearly killed Noah to say that couldn’t happen right now.

  His agreement with the boy’s mother, a stripper he’d had a one-night stand with back in his beach bum days, only gave him weekend visitation. There was no such thing as custody in the state of Florida, but this was their parenting plan. She had Max the majority of the time, and Noah paid child support. And Nadine was a good mother to their son. She didn’t dance any more, and was now working as a medical assistant.

  He wanted Max for more than weekends, though. He’d been working so damn hard for the past few years he hadn’t even been able to think about being a full-time dad. Up until last year Max had spent most of their weekends with Noah’s mom and dad. That fact sat sour in his belly, and he was determined to settle into a permanent place and give Max more stability.

  He wished that place could be Cypress Corners. Cypress had its own K-8 school right in the community, and whenever Noah saw the kids in their little khaki shorts and polos he pictured Max walking right along with them. How awesome would it be to walk his son to school every morning? That was something even Nadine couldn’t give him.

  Noah reached the Sales Center and parked the golf cart at the curb. He couldn’t rouse any enthusiasm for driving back to his apartment. He’d been living in St. Cloud for the past few months, a rural city a few miles west of Cypress. His apartment lacked any kind of architectural interest or warmth, and the best thing he could say about it was that when Max stayed over on the weekends he had his own room. During the week, though? It was lonely as hell.