Page 15 of Isabelle & Jason
“Who’s this from?” Isabelle stared at the dessert on the kitchen table.
“Beats me,” Marcus said. “But it’s got your name on it, so maybe some secret admirer?” He rested his forearms on the counter, his eyes darting from the soufflé to Isabelle. “Is there something you’re not telling me? You dating someone now?”
“Yeah, right,” she snapped, too quickly. Great, now Marcus was going to think she was hiding something. Isabelle shook her head, keeping her focus trained on the dessert. Softer, she added, “There’s no one in this town worth dating. And even if there was, do you think any of them would be interested, knowing that I’ve got three overbearing brothers?” She gave him a pointed look, to which Marcus snickered.
“Come on, we’re notthatbad. I’d say Roman was the worst, and he’s evened out quite a bit after he finally started dating Olivia.”
True. Roman had been the hardest to please once upon a time. If he’d ever found out about what had happened with Dillan all those years ago, she didn’t think he’d have his freedom today. Roman would have been locked behind bars.
The thought gave her a modicum of comfort while also stirring up a bout of nerves.
Marcus nudged the treat. “Okay, so whoever it was has to work in the kitchen, right? There’s no reason that someone would drive a soufflé all the way out here.” He tapped his chin. “Mark has a fiancée, so that leaves Jason and Nikki. But not so long ago, Jason was interested in dating Camilla.” He frowned, his brows pulling together, showcasing that Palmer distrust. “If it’s Jason, he needs a talking to. He can’t just jump from one woman to?—”
“See? That right there is the reason why no one will ever attempt to get on my good side or ask me out. You guys are all too quick to judge.” Isabelle pulled the treat closer, surprised to feel the warmth through the ramekin dish. Her gaze cut to Marcus, and there was no hiding that she knew who had made this for her.
Nikki was too busy. Between her work in the kitchen, being a mom to her son, having one on the way, and spending time with Mateo, there was no way she’d put forth the effort to make something like this just for kicks.
Jason.
Her cheeks flushed and Marcus’s jaw set tight. “I don’t like it.”
“Whatever,” Isabelle brushed him off. “It’s not like this means anything. He’s been working here for years. We bumped into each other after my morning run. I bet he wanted to prove he was a chef before he moved here. I questioned if he was a real chef.” Not entirely a lie. Not entirely the truth.
Thankfully, with Marcus being the youngest, he had less experience figuring out when Isabelle was hiding something. It hadn’t even been a whole day, and Isabelle was already longing to bump into Jason again.
She grabbed a fork from the drawer and dug into the treat. Chocolate goodness exploded on her tongue, and she closed her eyes to allow herself to enjoy something for once. It was amazing.
“Something that good isn’t nothing, Isabelle,” Marcus said, inching closer.
Isabelle handed him a fork. “Whether or not it means anything is irrelevant. I’m not interested in dating, and you know it. So try a bite or don’t. And let’s drop it, okay?” She watched him watch her, then breathed out in relief when it appeared he was willing to accept her statement. His expression softened immediately after tasting his first bite.
“Good, right?” she mused.
“Good? This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
So,she was wrong.
Isabelle could accept that, though she’d never say it out loud.
Days later, she was still thinking about her interaction with Jason. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. Those hazel eyes that seemed to draw her in because they had the strangest way of changing color based on his mood.
When he smiled, they glowed.
When he frowned, they darkened to an earthy brown.
And when he was thoughtful? They swirled with blues and greens together.
Why did they seem so familiar?
Her feet hit the solid earth beneath her as she continued to push herself harder. Now was not a good time to be fantasizing about the chef with magic eyes. She needed to stay alert. Dallas, Camilla’s boyfriend, warned her that the wolves were encroaching on Winding Creek territory more and more. It wasn’t only their ranch that was affected, either. Livestock attacks were becoming more frequent.
The issue had also been brought to the government’s attention. Dallas said it was only a matter of time before a crew would be called in to relocate them. Until that happened, he didn’t want anyone out and alone in the early hours of the day.
Isabelle hadn’t seen any evidence of the wolves on her runs. Maybe she wasn’t going far enough to the edges of the property. Or maybe the pack had moved to hunt elsewhere since Mateo had added some extra security measures. Regardless, she was fine continuing her runs. They were a necessity for her mental health.
The rhythmic sound of her sneakers hitting the earth helped to drown out the incessant thoughts that plagued her. Thoughts that she wasn’t good enough. Thoughts that she would be alone forever. Thoughts that she wasn’t strong or worthy of happiness.
Isabelle skidded to a stop, her breathing heavy and tears threatening to burn their way free. She doubled over, her hands on her knees as she attempted to center herself. It didn’t matter how many times she’d told herself that things could have been worse that night. Nor did it matter that, logically speaking, she should be over all of these critical thoughts of herself. She simply couldn’t escape them, no matter how much time had passed.
