Page 31 of Until Tomorrow Comes
“Thea.”
The woman smiles brightly at him, her now lowered hands perched on her hips.
“Well, hey there stranger!” She exclaims, a very subtle southern drawl in her voice. Her eyes flick to me briefly, before settling back on Jackson. “I just got back into town and saw a woman on the heaven bed. I assumed it was your momma. I really am sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”
Settling a hand over my still racing heart, I plaster on a forced smile.
“You’re fine, I’m just easily…startled.” The statement burns in my throat, but it’s not her fault I’m constantly on edge. Taking in another deep breath, I catch Jackson’s eye. “Sorry for making you come running.”
He shrugs my apology off, yet he still hasn’t moved from his spot. I tilt my head back to meet his concerned gaze, before he pointedly glances down at my ribs, which I’ve been subconsciously clutching with my other hand. Wordlessly, I shake my head, answering his silent question.
There is a dull throb radiating through my body with how quickly I moved, but the pain is more manageable now with the breathing exercises and physical therapy I do daily.
Still, Jackson keeps his worried eyes on me as he talks.
“Thea, this is my friend, Kat. Kat, this is Thea Thompson.” He motions with his hand behind him toward the left of the beach. “Her grandma owns the house that’s a mile up the beach.”
I turn to Thea just in time to catch her smile falter. Blinking quickly, she clears her throat before looking over her shoulder toward the house.
“Uh… actually Grams passed away two weeks ago. That’s why I’m back, gotta fix up a few things and figure out what to do with the house.” There’s a brief silence that stretches between us. Jackson takes a breath, but before he can say anything, Thea squeals loudly, causing me to jump again.
“Oh my god! Is thatThe Nature of Hopeby Whitney West?” She says excitedly, steering the conversation away from her.
My cheeks heat and I force myself to not make eye contact with Jackson. I nod, clearing my throat before answering.
“Yeah, I uh… I haven’t started it yet though.”
She claps her hands, moving quickly and plopping down next to me.
“I started it on my flight here. I made it halfway through the book in only three hours!” She gushes without stopping for air.
Thea lays back next to me, gushing about the bodyguard romance before switching to praise another book by Wander Whitlock. Wide eyed, I tilt my head back to silently ask Jackson what the hell is happening.
He only shrugs, not even trying to hide his quiet laughter as he finally backs away.
“You wanna stay for dinner, Thea?”
She pauses her ramblings long enough to flash a smile at him.
“Hell yeah! You know I won’t ever say no to food.” And then she’s back to firing off questions faster than I can answer.
Before I can ask what’s going on, Jackson backs away with a chuckle and leaves us alone.
***
Jackson gave us a thirty-minute warning for dinner a few minutes ago, so the two of us came up to the back deck to help set the table. As we finished setting out the plates, Jackson handed me a bottle of wine and two glasses, demanding for us to go sit and relax.
“So, how long have you and Jack been together?” Thea asks over the rim of her glass, causing me to choke on my wine in response.
Despite her complete lack of filter, the past few hours have actually been better than I could have anticipated. When Jackson left us alone, I expected it to be awkward, at least at first, but it wasn’t. It was like talking to an old friend. Maybe that was because Thea never let silence last longer than a breath. But once I settled, she was actually fun. She kept the conversation going seamlessly, asking about simple things.
Until right now that is.
Thea waits patiently while I take another sip to wash down the lingering feeling of coughing up wine. Glancing toward the open back door to make sure Jackson isn’t walking out, I shake my head vehemently.
“We’re not… Jackson and I aren’t… No.” I fumble over my words as my cheeks heat from more than just the wine. She raises one perfectly pointed brow at me, her dark brown eyes shimmering with mirth.
“He’s my brother’s friend.” My brow creases as a thought runs through my mind. “He’s actually my brother’s onlyrealfriend.” I murmur quietly to myself.
