Page 21 of Fierce-Jax

“I need to go too,” Gianna said, running ahead of her toward it.

She was going to stay single if the men leering at her walking just now instead of watching their kids were part of the dating pool.

No, thank you!

7

THE LEAST HE COULD DO

“Fancy running into you here,” Jax said to Dillion the following Wednesday.

They’d both pulled into the parking lot at the same time. It was as empty as it usually was but for the exception of a few cars that looked to be part of the construction crew since they were parked next to Kennedy Construction vehicles.

She laughed. “I was thinking the same thing,” she said.

Now that he knew she drove a silver Mercedes, he’d be looking for it more, he was sure.

Maybe it was better not to know that so he didn’t look as if he was stalking her.

“And it appears as if you’re the one bringing in food for your staff today. Do you need help?”

She walked around to the passenger side, then bent in and he’d seen the cake box. Her shoulder bag was flopping against her body.

“Are you just returning the favor?” she asked nicely.

“I am,” he said. “Which do you want me to carry? That cake looks good.”

She pushed the cake toward him and hitched her bag up better on her shoulder.

“It’s one of my PA's birthday. I like to bring a cake in for the staff. Their choice of flavor.”

He glanced down at the white frosted cake with Happy Birthday Noelle on it. “What kind is this?”

“Chocolate with peanut butter and raspberry filling.”

“Double dose there,” he said. “Chocolate and peanut butter and peanut butter and jelly. It’s as if she couldn’t decide what she wanted.”

Her jaw dropped. “That’s what I said. It’s like my daughter having to wear mismatched socks all the time. I don’t understand the fashion statement, but there are worse things in life to argue about than that.”

He snorted. “I learned that with my nephew. He’s eight and black socks with sandals make me cringe. In my day, only grandparents wore socks and sandals.”

“Tell me about it,” she said. He pulled the door to the building open for her and held it while she walked ahead of him.

She had a dress on today. Green and cotton, long enough to go to her calves, but she had brown boots on under it. Her eyes were still blue with the blue jacket she was wearing, but he’d bet they’d switch to green once the jacket was off.

“I feel so old at times,” he said. “Which stinks because how am I going to feel when I’m actually old?”

“I can’t think that way,” she said. “I brought my daughter to a birthday party this weekend and watched the other mothers acting like they’d just gotten out of high school. Granted, they are younger than me, or I’m assuming. I shouldn’t judge, but it’s hard not to with the way they behaved.”

“I see it in the office. There is a clear line between age groups and behavior,” he said. “But as I tell my HR staff, if you can’t fix it, don’t bitch. Just accept it.”

“I like that thinking,” she said. “Pretty sure that is how I’ve adapted my thinking with Gianna. And I’m sorry, I talk about my daughter a lot and shouldn’t.”

They got to the elevator, the doors opened and they stepped in, him hitting the number three. He’d carry the cake in for her as she’d done his bag last week.

It was the least he could do.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I like kids. I spend a lot of time with my nephew. My sister was a single mother for years. Well, she has shared custody with her ex, but she’s married now. I still like to take Eli when I can. I don’t get him as much now because Eli likes having Trent around as his stepdad.”

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