Page 34 of Jason
She lowered her hand and stared at the floor, as if she was considering it.“I have to get a room first.I can’t stay here.”
“Wow,” he said softly.
“Last night notwithstanding,” she quickly amended.“But I can’t stay in your family’s house.It’s not right.It’s…it’s uncomfortable.”
He folded his arms and studied her.“Interesting perspective.Last night notwithstanding and all,” he said, a bit peevishly.“But fine, Mallory.We’ll stop at the Bickmore on the way.”He smiled at her, and as he moved past her, he tangled his fingers with hers.
He knew they needed to talk.They needed to address the physical attraction between them, because he was not going to let it suffocate under their neglect this time.But the talk would just have to wait.
Chapter Ten
If Mallory could changeone thing, it would be how messy Jason could be.He left a trail wherever he went.She would have to resist the urge to clean up after him—at least stack the papers strewn across half the kitchen table.Because she was not going to add insult to the injury of having confessed her crush to him.
But then again, Mallory could be a little obsessive about having a neat workspace, as anyone at Blackthorne Entertainment could tell you.Still, she shuddered when she thought of what Inez would say if she knew Mallory had flown to Maine, to Jason’s mansion, to confess she had a crush, and then spend the night with him, and then clean up after him.She would deserve every word of it, too.
But she couldn’t help herself.By the time Jason came downstairs again, shaved and dressed for the day in jeans and a T-shirt, a sweater and sneakers, and looking certifiably delectable, she had cleaned up his little office space on the kitchen table.Just in time, too.Pam, who’d brought the risotto last night, had arrived with a cheerful wave, ready to tackle some housecleaning.Mallory would have died if she’d seen how the kitchen table looked.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”Pam had asked.
It was gorgeous.The storm had left in its wake a cobalt-blue sky.Rain droplets attached to the leaves of the trees glistened like crystals in the sun.There were sailboats on the ocean, serenely moving along the surface.“It’s paradise,” Mallory agreed.
“Where are you from?”
“California.But I rarely see the ocean, if you can believe it.Seems like I’m always going the other way.”
“Good morning, Pam,” Jason said as he’d sauntered into the kitchen.He glanced around at Mallory’s bags stacked neatly against one wall, then looked at her.
“Good morning, Jason!”Pam said cheerfully.“Did you weather the storm all right?”
“Like a boss,” he said, and winked at Mallory.“How is Nana?”
“Oh, you know your grandmother.She’s out inspecting for any damage in her garden.How long will you stay, Mallory?”Pam asked as she began to run water in the sink.
“Oh, I’m heading back to L.A.tomorrow.”
“Maybe not that soon,” Jason said.
“Probably,” she countered, and shrugged lightly at his pointed look.She would decide when she left, thank you.
“We should go,” he said, looking at his watch.He smiled at Pam.“Thanks for everything.The risotto was delicious.Just so you know, I’m getting a room in King Harbor.It will be easier for me to be close to the crew.”He picked up some things from the table and ignored Mallory’s studious look.“I’ll come back later and get some things and check in on Nana.”
He handed a notebook to Mallory, then bent down to pick up her things.“Ready?”
“Of course,” she said pertly.She smiled at Pam.“Thanks again for everything.”
“Take care, Mallory!”Pam called in a sing-song voice as they went out of the kitchen.
Mallory followed Jason out the front door and onto a drive.He popped the hatch of a Range Rover.
“Whose car is this?”
“It belongs to the estate,” he said, and tossed her bags inside, closed it, turned around to her and said, “So you just decided you were flying back to L.A.tomorrow?”
“I did.”
“I didn’t give you permission.”
“You’re not the boss of me, Jason.”
