Not Quite Dating

by Catherine Bybee

  “Our buddy Dean here is tying the knot in a few weeks, so we decided to send him off in style.”

  “Vegas can be a dangerous place to have a bachelor party,” she said.

  “See, that’s what I said,” the man sitting next to Jack told them. “But does anyone listen to Tom? Heck no. You think everything went great and next thing you know your drunk ass is dancing naked on YouTube with some chick you don’t even remember.”

  “I didn’t dance naked with some chick…did I?” Dean rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

  Jack shot a dimpled grin at his friend. “You were pretty wasted.”

  “I still don’t remember any naked dancing.”

  “Oh, chill,” Mikey told him. “No one was taping you dancing naked.”

  Jessie had to smile. The boys were giving their friend a hard time, and it was fun to watch. From the look on Dean’s face, he wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t danced in the buff.

  “You guys know what you want, or should I give you a few more minutes to decide?” Jessie asked.

  “I know what I want,” Tom said, setting his menu on the table.

  The others chimed in the same. After taking their orders, Jessie left.

  Leanne smiled her way once Jessie gave the cook the order. “Looks like a handful over there. Cute times four,” she sighed with a smile.

  “Two of ’em have accents, too.”

  “Lookie you, checking them out.”

  “I’m not checking anyone out. The last thing I need is another playboy messing up my life.”

  Jessie turned around and refilled the coffee cup of one of her night-owl customers sitting at the counter. “How are the pancakes, Mr. Richman?”

  “Fine, just fine,” he replied.

  When Jessie turned back to Leanne, the other waitress continued talking. “Who’s to say they’re a bunch of playboys?”

  “Frat boys who never grew up, most likely.”

  “Playboys, frat boys, whatever. One of ’em could be the rich guy of your dreams.”

  Jessie raised an eyebrow. “Right.” Grabbing Leanne’s hand, Jessie led her to a far window overlooking the parking lot. “Take a look, sister. See any crazy-expensive cars out there?” Actually, the only cars in the lot belonged to the employees and Mr. Richman. Except for one lone pickup that was new sometime in the mid-1990s. That seemed about the right speed for the cowboys at table twelve.

  “That doesn’t mean nothing.” Leanne pulled away and frowned. “Besides, dating means free meals and a movie. Nothing wrong with that.”

  “Dinner and a movie in my world consist of McDonald’s and SpongeBob on TV. Dating and Danny don’t mix.”

  “Your sister will watch him for you.”

  “Yeah, but why waste my time on someone dreaming of the future instead of living it? You know my mom isn’t the wisest woman in the bunch, but she told me once that it is just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it is to fall in love with a poor one.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So don’t date poor men.”

  Across the restaurant, Jack with the gray eyes and the Stetson was watching her over his coffee cup. When he caught her gaze, his lips pulled into a grin, dimples and all. Then, without any provocation, he winked.

  “Oh boy.” Jessie lowered her eyes and tried to ignore the flirting frat playboy and the way his attention made her insides squirm.

  “Mr. Cowboy is sexy.” Leanna giggled when she spoke.

  “I’ll bet Mr. Cowboy mooches off one of his friends for the bill.”

  “Oh, come on, he can’t be that bad.”

  “He’s flirting with a waitress at Denny’s, Leanne. His ambitions can’t be all that high.”

  “Dissed!” Mike laughed, punching Jack in the arm. “Doesn’t look like the waitress is taking a liking to you.”

  “Might have something to do with the way you’re dressed, Moore.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the way I’m dressed.” In fact, he liked the fact that Jessie, the sexy waitress wearing a god-awful brown skirt, had no idea who he was. Jack stayed out of the spotlight as often as he could. Here in California, people didn’t know him by sight. In Houston, the story was entirely different. The thought of charming the waitress without waving his wallet felt like the right thing to do, especially after his recent encounter with Heather.

  Jack removed his wallet and quickly handed Tom a twenty.

  “What’s this for?”

  “Breakfast.”

  “Why are you giving it to me now?”

  “Just hold on to it. If it comes up, I’m just a shit-kicker coming off a long binge of a weekend.” Jack followed Jessie’s movements until she disappeared around the corner.

  Hell, he’d be in Ontario, California, for several weeks, overseeing the construction plans of a new hotel off the convention center. He might as well hook up with someone while he was there. He would love to burn the image of every Heather he ever knew out of his mind once and for all. Plastic What can you do for me baby women who flirted with his wallet more than him. There were times this kind of woman didn’t bother him at all, but lately he’d been searching for someone he could talk to, someone to share his ideas and dreams with, maybe a down-to-earth waitress who wasn’t ashamed to get her hands dirty and work for a living. Or ride in an old pickup truck.

  Jack wasn’t afraid of hard labor on the ranch or pushing papers at a desk. Ever since he’d finished college and his father put him in acquisitions and mergers, he’d gone out of his way to excel at his job. Unlike his sister, Katie, who probably did lunch with Paris Hilton, Jack actually wanted to work for a living. Living off his father’s money didn’t sit well with him. When the day came for Jack to take over for his father, no one could accuse him of being a slacker who was handed the job without any knowledge of how to do it.

  “Hookay, I see what you’re doing,” Tom said.

  “Do you?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah, I do. I saw you this weekend, dodging the women at the hotel. For a while there I was wondering who was getting married next month, you or Dean,” Mike said. “Tired of all the gold diggers, aren’t you?”

  “Tired of all the liars.”

  “That would suck,” Tom agreed.

  “My Maggie is the best th-thing that’s ever happened to me,” Dean told them.

  “Lordy, now he’s gonna go and get all emotional on us.” Tom pushed Dean’s coffee cup closer to him. “Drink up. Maggie, the fair maiden, isn’t going to like it if you come home smelling like a bar.”

  Dean propped his elbows on the table and held his head up with his hands. “She’s the best. And the sex.”

  “We’ve heard it, Dean.”

  “All friggin’ weekend,” Tom chimed in.

  “You guys are just jealous.”

  Jack sipped his coffee and kept his mouth closed. He was happy for his friend, but not so sure Maggie was the right choice. Dean loved to play: motorcycles, camping, boating trips on the river. He wasn’t afraid of hard work to pay his way, either. But ever since Maggie walked into his life, Dean gave up a little bit of himself daily.

  “Maggie’s worried that I’ll get in an accident on the motorcycle.”

  “Maggie doesn’t enjoy the river; boating makes her nauseous.”

  “Maggie would rather stay at one of your hotels instead of an RV.”

  Maggie might make Dean smile, but how long would it be before he blew his lid being molded into what she wanted him to be?

  Jessie strolled around the corner with her arms stacked with plates. With choreographed ease, full breakfasts slid over the table and condiments emerged from the pockets of her dull, stiff uniform.

  “It smells great, Jessie,” Jack told her before she walked away.

  “I’ll let the cook know you’re pleased.”

  Tom and Dean shoveled food into their greedy mouths.

  Jessie disappeared long enough to grab a pot of coffee to refill their cups. “Are we missing anything?” she as
ked.

  “I think we’re good.” Jack tried to capture her eyes, but she avoided them.

  “Let me know if you need anything. You can see we’re just swamped tonight.”

  Jack noted the one lone customer at the counter. “I’ll bet you could tell some stories about working the graveyard shift at Denny’s,” Jack said, trying hard as hell to get her to reveal a thing or two about herself.

  “It’s hard to stay awake most nights. We start to pick up around four thirty.”

  “That’s an ungodly hour,” Tom said between bites.

  “You’d be surprised at the number of suits that come in for a bite before heading into LA to work. They start early to avoid traffic.”

  “I’d heard that LA traffic was bad, but that bad?” Jack asked.

  “The worst. You must not live here if you have to ask.”

  “I’m from Texas, mostly. My most recent job brought me here, near the airport.” Ontario International Airport took some of the burden off LAX and Burbank, but the land around those airports was built out, without any ability to grow. Ontario provided plenty of room for new hotels.

  Mike nudged him in the arm. “Bums off my place when he wants a decent night’s sleep.”

  Which wasn’t exactly a lie, Jack thought. Mike lived over in Claremont, and Jack sometimes stopped by to crash when he wanted a break from the hotel. The Morrison was a five-star luxury hotel filled with champagne and caviar. Sometimes Jack just wanted pizza, beer, and a ball game on the tube with a friend.

  Jessie seemed to mull over the information a bit too long. She shrugged her shoulders with a flash of disappointment. “Well, enjoy your food.” With that, she turned and walked away.

  Dean laughed. “Not so easy, is it?”

  “I’m not done yet,” Jack told him as he picked up his fork. Not by a long shot.

  By three, most of the food was gone and a few new customers had shown up at the counter, pulling Jessie away from their table.

  An older man in his seventies turned in his chair to leave the counter and Jessie rushed to his side. “I told you to let me help you, Mr. Richman.”

  “I can do it,” the older man said. But as he rose to his feet, he swayed against Jessie.

  “It’s the moisture in the air. Swells up my old bones,” he explained.

  Jessie wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him to the door, where he’d left his walker. Even then, she didn’t turn away.

  “I can make it from here,” he told her.

  “I’m sure you can, but I could use some air. All this bacon grease is getting to me. Walk me outside?” she asked him.

  Mr. Richman offered a small smile as she opened the door and helped him to his car.

  A couple minutes later, she walked back in with a contented grin on her lips.

  “Hey, Jessie,” the other waitress called from the cash register.

  “Yeah?”

  “Your buddy didn’t leave enough money again.”

  Jack watched Jessie’s eyes travel to the door. She shrugged and reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her tips. “I’ve got it, Leanne.”

  Leanne shook her head. “I don’t know why you cover him all the time.”

  “It’s pancakes, Leanne. And he doesn’t have anyone. Give the guy some slack.”

  Jessie covered the rest of the man’s bill and walked away from the register.

  Something inside Jack clicked into place. He absolutely needed to know more about Jessie.

  Each time she returned to refill the coffee, Jack tried to engage her in some kind of conversation. She didn’t bite. Jack started to think that maybe she wasn’t interested, but the fact that she wouldn’t look him in the eye, and how her cheeks took on an adorable rosy color when he paid her a compliment, proved she wasn’t unaffected by his charms.

  Jessie cleared their table and placed the bill in the middle. “I’ll take this whenever you’re ready,” she told them.

  For a minute Jack was tempted to toss his credit card on the table and cover the meal to see if Jessie would look him in the eye then. Tom saved him the trouble.

  “Guess you want me to cover this one, too, huh, Jack?”

  “Hey, I drove,” he said.

  “And we paid for gas.” Which actually was the arrangement; staying at the Morrison Hotel and Casino in Vegas was on Jack.

  Tom, Dean, and Mikey tossed bills on the table and handed them to Jessie. “Keep the change,” Tom told her.

  After Jessie walked away, Mike said, “Looks like you struck out with this one.”

  “Man, I can’t believe my head is still spinning,” Dean said.

  Jack dug into his pocket for the keys to the truck. “Here, Mike. Why don’t you see Tom off at the airport? Dean and I will stay for another cup of coffee.”

  “You know, that’s a great idea. Getting in a car right now probably wouldn’t sit well with my stomach.” Dean looked a little green.

  “When does your flight leave again?”

  “Six,” Tom said.

  “We best get you there. Airport security takes forever to get through these days.”

  They all stood and shook hands.

  “See you back home next month,” Jack told his friend.

  A strong pat on the back and Tom said, “Good luck, Moore.”

  Jack sat back down after Tom and Mike left. Dean laid his arms on the table and rested his head in them. “Why did you guys let me drink so damn much? Maggie hates it when I drink too much.”

  “We’ll get you sober before we drag your sorry ass home.”

  Jessie did a double take when she noticed only two of their party leaving. Jack waved her over to the table.

  “Your friends leaving without you?”

  “Tom’s flying back to Texas, and Dean is in need of more black coffee before we release him to his fiancée.”

  “Fair enough.” Holding a pot in her hand, Jessie poured another splash for both of them.

  Before she could walk away, Jack flashed his winning smile. “So, Jessie, could I interest you in a night out?”

  She cocked her head to one side. “Was that a pickup line?”

  Miffed, Jack shook his head. “If you have to ask, I must be losing my touch.”

  Dean laughed but kept his trap shut.

  “I’m flattered, Jack. It is Jack, right?”

  He nodded. “Why do I feel a but coming on?” Jack asked.

  Jessie placed a free hand on the table and leveled her eyes with his. “But I’m a very busy woman. So unless you have a checkbook as big as your ego—and my guess is, since your friends spotted you for your meal and gas, you’re probably broke—I’m not interested.”

  Dean blew out a whistle.

  Jack was nearly too stunned to answer.

  Jessie just kept on staring at him until he uttered, “Well, I’ll be damned. I think that’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me.”

  Jessie straightened her shoulders and lifted her eyebrows. “Well, at least I’m honest. You’re cute, cowboy, I’ll give you that. But cute doesn’t buy you a cup of coffee in this town. Now maybe in Texas it does. You might try a waitress back home.”

  “I’m not in Texas. Besides, it’s you I want to take out.”

  “Again, I’m flattered, but no thanks.”

  “You think I’m cute,” he said, which wasn’t the highest compliment he’d been given in recent years, but he’d work with it.

  A smirk played on Jessie’s face. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “No. Not easily.”

  “OK then, how about this…I wait tables in this dive at night so I can spend more time with my five-year-old son at home.”

  Jack’s gaze flicked to her left hand. No ring. “If you’re married, why don’t you just say so?”

  She shook her head and rolled it back. “Married, as if. Honey, I don’t even get child support. Not that any of this is your business.”

  Not married, raising a son on her own, and having to wor
k graveyard to do it. No wonder she was looking for a wallet and not love. Heather’s words hovered in his mind. Every woman is going to be with you for your money, Jack. But this woman, Jessie, didn’t have a clue about his wallet. And if she was so money hungry, why did she routinely foot the bill for her customers’ pancakes? There was more to this beautiful woman than she was letting on. Suddenly the challenge of winning her over besieged him.

  Jessie started to turn away.

  He stopped her. “Kids love me.”

  Jessie’s jaw dropped. “Does he ever give up?” she asked Dean.

  “Nope.”

  “Do all the women fall for him?”

  “Yep.”

  She mumbled something as she walked away.

  “Dude, you’re barking up the wrong skirt,” Dean said after she left. “She’s just not into you.”

  “No, she doesn’t want to be into me.”

  “She has a kid, Jack. She’s smart to not wanna date men who are posing as losers.”

  The gentle sway of her hips kept his attention as she walked away. In that moment he realized how long it had been since he had to pursue a woman. “Posing being the key word.” Jack scratched the stubble on his jaw and smiled beneath his hand. Posing as a loser.

  Chapter Two

  Jessie tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and hung her purse off the back of a chair. The water was running in the bathroom, indicating that her sister, Monica, was getting ready for her day. At twenty-one years old, Monica was more grown-up than most. Her last year at the community college nursing program had started in September. Jessie had vowed to help her out as much as she could. Monica stayed with Danny at night while Jessie worked, and Monica lived in the apartment rent-free.

  Monica worked about eighteen hours a week as a nurse’s aide at the local community hospital to help with food, but for the most part, Jessie took care of the bills. The two of them had made a pact years ago. Monica would go through school first, with Jessie’s help, and then when she was finished, Jessie would do the same.

  In the beginning, Jessie thought maybe nursing was something she’d enjoy doing. Lord knew the profession paid well, but the thought of working with the sick and injured all the time didn’t sound appealing.