Page 27 of Our Sweet Destiny
Chapter Seventeen
JADE THOUGHT ABOUT her parents all afternoon. By the time she was done giving Berle his afternoon massage and had gone home to shower, she’d convinced herself that her father had to be downsizing by choice and that their finances were just fine, which made her wonder why he wouldn’t just sell it all off and move into town. Then again, with the value of land and how much they loved their home, she was sure that he would rather allow her mother to remain in the home she adored and had raised her children in. Her father had a big enough heart to have lied to her mother about the reason for downsizing, too. Her mother would never allow him to do something so drastic just for her. She wished she could be certain about her father’s motivations.
She was dreading the volunteer meeting, and had even considered canceling her involvement, but she couldn’t do that to the Gesalts. She was still stewing over her run-in with Rex, and she knew her stupid heart would still do somersaults when she saw him at the meeting. She couldn’t eat dinner and finally gave up on doing anything that needed her brain to function. She took a cold shower to wash off the sweat she’d earned and to calm her nerves.
She’d hoped there would at least be a small drop in the unseasonably warm temperature before the evening, but she hadn’t been so lucky. Jade dressed in her lightest sundress. The spaghetti straps tied at her shoulders, which was a little juvenile, but she didn’t care. She’d have gone naked to keep cool if she wasn’t afraid of being caught in the Weston grapevine before the night’s end. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and forwent her leather boots for a pair of white sandals.
As she neared the Gesalts’, her stomach was doing flips. She’d find out what her appointed volunteer position was going to be, and then she’d hightail it out of there and go down to Rights Creek for a swim. When she and Riley were teenagers, they’d go down to the creek at night and skinny-dip. The creek had been one of their favorite haunts. Just thinking about how free she felt back then brought a smile to her lips. Rights Creek was about a mile past her house. She’d park at the end of the long dirt road and walk through the trail. She felt refreshed just thinking about it.
The gray sedan behind her had been following her since she’d turned onto the main road. She glanced in her rearview mirror and thought of Kane, remembering the way he’d shown up at her house uninvited and how he’d been everywhere she was for the few weeks after their breakup. She was glad he hadn’t become a real stalker and followed her back to Colorado. She turned into the Gesalts’ driveway, and the gray sedan kept going. Even though she’d clearly seen that the driver was not Kane and was in fact an old man, she breathed a little easier, then chastised herself for being paranoid. All the stress must be getting to her.
There was very little in life that Jade was afraid of, but as she pulled her car up beside a red Ford F250, she noticed Rex’s truck parked by the barn. A fleeting panic skittered through her. How was she supposed to act around him? He wanted a friendship, which she’d been stupid enough to say she wanted.How can I act like a friend when I want so much more?
She took a deep breath and weaved through the crowd toward the table. She focused on what she needed to do to survive the evening without being swallowed by lust or embarrassment.Get in, get my assignment, andget out.In, out, swim. In, out, swim.
There was no line at the volunteer table, and she scanned the sign-up sheets for designations. She trailed her finger down to her name and ran it across to the positions. Gate attendant. Great. She could handle that. She scanned the list for Rex’s name and looked beside it.Gate attendant. Sonofa….
Her heart thundered against her ribs as she spun around to leave and bumped right into Rex’s rock-hard chest, momentarily stunned into silence.
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” he said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.
Jade’s mouth went dry. She swallowed hard and looked into his concerned eyes. In any other situation, a man holding a woman the way he was—standing so close she could feel his heartbeat between them—would indicate a natural, intimate discussion, perhaps, or a kiss. Jade would have given her right arm to be in either of those situations instead of gaping at the man she craved and could not have while he looked her up and down and asked if he’d hurt her.
“I’m fine,” she managed.
Hold me again. Please. I’ll trip; just catch me.
JADE’S ARMS WERE silky smooth beneath his hands. He hadn’t meant to be in her way, and now, as he looked into those deep pools of blue and smelled her scent, so fresh and feminine, he didn’t want to let her go. But with her hair pulled away from her face, giving him a clear, beautiful view of her delicate neck, the immediate response within his Levi’s drove him to release her and forced his mind to work again.
“You’re in a rush.”Nice line. Idiot.
“Um, yeah. I…”
“Jade.” He locked eyes with her, momentarily losing track of what he was going to say.
She licked her lips, and he had to shove his hands in his pockets just to hide his arousal. Those blasted innocent eyes and that sensual tongue sent a dangerous rush of desire through him. She wasn’t his to want.
“Friends.” The reminder left his lips before he had a chance to think.
Jade shook her head. “Friends? You’re really something. Don’t worry. There’s no need for you to drive it into my brain. I’ve got it.”
She stormed away, and this time, instead of standing there like a blundering idiot, he was right behind her.
“Jade, wait.” He caught up to her at her car and reached for her arm. She shook him off. “You’re infuriating! All I want to do is talk to you.”
“I know,” she spat, and opened her car door.
“What kind of response is that? I don’t know why you’re so irritated with me.”
She shoved the key into the ignition. He had to make a quick decision. He grabbed the keys from her, and she struggled with him to keep hold.
“What are you doing? Let go.” She pulled with all her might.
Rex realized how ridiculous things were getting and he let go of the keys. Jade fell across her seat.
“I’m sorry.” He smiled, stifling a laugh. The whole situation was stupid. He was a thirty-four-year-old man chasing down a woman and wrestling for keys. He’d lost his frigging mind.
An unfamiliar sedan pulled up beside his truck at the entrance to the parking area and parked beside him. He drew his eyes back to Jade in her sweet little dress, feverishly starting her car.
