Page 35 of The Sandover Beach Billionaire

Jackson laughed. “Beau. I’ve always dreamed about the day when you’d need to rescue me. How about you get us out of here? I think we’re about to melt and Jenna isn’t a fan of small spaces.”

“Will do. You should be thankful that we had a magnet key for this door,” Beau said. “Otherwise I would have been axing my way through it.”

“Thank you for not destroying my house, man.”

The teasing dropped out of Beau’s tone. “Okay, Jenna. We’re going to get you out of here first. You guys are at a tough spot, though. The elevator won’t start again, so that’s a bust. It’s a pretty narrow opening and I can’t just pull you out from here because of the angle. Jackson? Do you think you could hoist Jenna up here?”

“No,” Jenna said, just as Jackson said, “Yes.”

She narrowed her eyes at Jackson. “No way.”

The thought of him having to pick her up felt too intimate. She had admired his wide chest and massive biceps on the beach the other day, but what if she was too heavy? Nothing would be more humiliating.

Beau’s head filled the opening again. “Jenna. This is my job, okay? I’m going to get you out the easiest and safest way possible. This is the best way. Jackson’s strong. You’re small. It’s completely fine. We’re going to try it and if it doesn’t work, we’ll move to other options. I’m going to take your hands and Jackson is going to lift you by the hips. Together we are going to get you safely out. Don’t make my job any harder. Let’s get you out of there.”

Jenna hesitated and then took Beau’s hands. She could feel the strength in them before he even started to lift.

“I’m going to grab your hips now,” Jackson said from behind her. “Don’t freak out or kick me, okay?”

She nodded and then his arms were around her hips, lifting her as though she didn’t weigh anything at all. Jackson guided her up as Beau gently pulled her, his hands wrapped around her wrists and forearms. She ducked her head and wriggled through the opening.

Jackson’s hands fell away from her hips, but she felt them help push from her thighs, then calves. She gave a final push with her feet against his chest to make it all the way out of the elevator. Beau released her arms and Jenna crumpled against the wall, sweating and shaking.

Beau kneeled in front of her, grinning. “Hey, there. You trusted us. Thank you. It’s really good to see you! How are you feeling?”

“Hot. Shaky.”

“Hey, Jimmy,” he called. “Let’s get Jenna some water, okay? You just sit tight for a few minutes while we get Jackson out. Okay?”

He patted her leg and stood. It was hard to reconcile the little boy she babysat with this man—wide shoulders and thick muscles straining his navy T-shirt under the suspenders and bright yellow fireman pants.

Jimmy, who could have been Beau’s brother with his strong build, blond hair, and friendly grin, knelt in front of her and handed her a bottle of water. Jenna drank it down in long swallows and then closed her eyes, listening as they worked to get Jackson out.

“Give me a minute and I’ll check you out,” Jimmy said. “You’re in good hands, okay?”

Jenna nodded.

It was a little more difficult to get Jackson out, given that he was bigger than Jenna and didn’t have someone to help push him out. The angle made it impossible for Beau and Jimmy to pull him straight out.

“Can you brace yourself on something? Is there a railing or anything to push off of?” Beau asked.

“No,” Jackson said. “Wait—maybe if I try to wedge my feet against the control panel. Hang on.”

Jackson’s hands appeared on the ledge, then his face. Beau and Jimmy were quick to grab him around the upper arms. There was a cracking sound and Jackson jolted back down an inch or so and groaned.

“The door I had my foot on broke off,” Jackson grunted. “I think I’ve cut my leg.”

“We’ll see in just a minute,” Beau said. “We’ve got you now, man. Hang on.”

With lots of grunting and a version of what looked not unlike a game of Twister, Beau and Jimmy managed to help wrangle Jackson through the opening. All three lay in a pile on the floor after, breathing heavily. One of them, maybe Jackson, started to laugh and soon all three of them were laughing. Jenna smiled, in spite of how badly she felt.

“Mind telling me how that even happened?” Beau asked. “We get calls for kids getting these things stuck all the time. Never adults. Was this your plan? Because you know that you can just ask a girl out. You don’t have to get her stuck in an elevator with you to make a move.”

Beau winked and Jenna was glad her face was already flushed so they didn’t see her blush.

“No comment,” Jackson said.

“It was my fault,” Jenna said. “I opened the door while it was moving.”

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