Page 48 of Jasper

“Ouch.”

“I was so scared, I just threw some stuff in a bag and ran, not bothering to talk to my boss. He tried to save my job, but given all the stuff I’d done to fuss over being manhandled, I didn’t expect a different outcome. I knew it was coming, but it still feels like a hit to the gut.”

“What are you going to do now?” Jasper leaned against the sink and crossed his arms to keep them from doing something stupid. She looked so disheartened, his first instinct was to go hug her until she smiled again. But she might not welcome that kind of comfort. A spontaneous kiss was different from a hug.

“What I really want to do is work on movie sets or even a soap opera. I thought the reality TV show would help me get my foot in the door for the bigger stuff, but I don’t think that was the right way to go about it now.”

“So, California, then? That’s where Hollywood is.” The thought of her moving all the way across the country caused knots in his stomach. He didn’t want her so far away.

“Earthquakes.”

“They’re not always bad ones.” Why was he trying to be the devil’s advocate? He didn’t want her to go, yet here he was offering up reasons to put her on a plane to the other side of the States. Far away from him. Why?

“True, and we face hurricanes in Florida all the time, so one natural disaster isn’t worse than the other, I guess.”

“But?”

“But I just don’t see myself living in California. I’m thinking more along the lines of New York. They have tons of work there, and several soap operas…or daytime dramas, as they’re called now…are filmed in NYC.”

Jasper sucked in air.

“You okay over there?” Concern laced her words, and he could only imagine what his face looked like.

“Yeah. It’s just I live in New York City.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

She swallowed and went to the pantry, bringing back a bag of flour. “That’s interesting.”

“Are you eager to get rid of me, pretty girl?” He shifted, turning toward her, but maintaining his relaxed position against the sink.

“You’ve grown on me.”

“Have I, now?”

She nodded and set about gathering ingredients. “I’d not be making you pumpkin pies from scratch if you hadn’t.”

“You promised to make those before you grew fond of me,” he pointed out.

“True, but I’m also making a chocolate creme pie and a double chocolate cake from scratch too.”

“You must really love me, then.”

She snorted. “Chris said something that’s bothering me.”

“What’s that?” His gaze swept down to her perky little ass. It wasn’t large, but it was enough for a man to comfortably squeeze, and he was an ass man. Didn’t matter what kind of ass, big, little, round. He loved them all.

“A woman showed up on set looking for me, said she was a friend from college, but I don’t know her.”

His muscles tensed. “You sure about that?”

She started pouring flour into the mixer. “I’m sure. Do you think maybe it’s them? I mean, it didn’t sound like she set off any alarm bells with Chris, but…”

“The cartel is a lot smarter than it used to be. They use normal people for a lot of their information gathering. It’s easier to get someone to talk that way. If a goon shows up, or someone obviously in a gang with head to toe tattoos, it’s not going to inspire trust.”

“But a woman looking like she belongs in an office building will.”

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