Page 22 of Isabelle & Jason
She sighed and plastered on her well-practiced, reassured smile. “I’m going to be the fun aunt. There’s nothing better than that.
Charlie looked ready to argue, but their waitress arrived. Thank goodness. Now all Isabelle had to do was keep Charlie talking about the baby and all the fun stuff she’d already purchased.
Should be easy enough.
Isabelle shiftedher weight from one foot to the other. Wringing her hands in front of her, she considered the option of running back to the house.
Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t do that.
Standing in front of the wranglers’ cabin door, she continued to fidget and talk herself into knocking. Technically, she could probably just walk in. The bedrooms were all down the hallway. The door would open up to a main living space with a kitchen and sitting area. No one would blink an eye at anyone entering without knocking.
Okay, maybe they’d blink atherentering. It wasn’t like Isabelle ever came this close to the cabin—ever.
“Isabelle?”
She stiffened and turned her head in time to see Mark approaching.
Giving a sigh under her breath, she forced a smile and faced him. “Hi… Mark.”
His gaze darted from her to his living quarters. “You need something?”
Isabelle blushed hot. “I was actually looking for Jason.” She dropped her attention to her hands. “He helped me out with something today, and I wanted to thank him for it.”
Slowly, Mark nodded. “Right, okay. Well, he should be inside. Have you knocked?”
She didn’t want to admit that she hadn’t even gotten the courage to do that yet, and thankfully he didn’t wait for an answer. He simply moved past her and opened the door. If he noticed the way she jumped to the side to grant him access, he didn’t comment on it.
“Yo, Jason. You here?”
Isabelle flinched at his loud voice, but when he cut her a look, she smiled. He smiled back.
“Let me check his room.” Mark didn’t give her enough time to figure out what she was going to say because in mere moments, he had Jason in tow.
“Isabelle? Everything okay?” Jason hurried toward her the second he came into view.
She nodded, her eyes darting to Mark, where he hovered in the hallway. Jason glanced at him, then motioned for the door. “You want to take a walk?”
Relieved, she nodded again.
Once they were outside, she completely lost her nerve. Her skin burned from where she rubbed her fingers and hands against each other. Everything she’d wanted to tell him, she’d forgotten the second he came into view.
“Hey,” he whispered.
She jumped at his voice, then blushed with embarrassment. Why was this so hard?
“Are you okay?”
“You asked me that already.”
He chuckled, and for some strange reason, the sound put her at ease. “Yeah, well, you look like you’re about ready to pass out again. Just tell me if I need to find a soft space for you to land.”
Isabelle snorted. It wasn’t a laugh by any means, but it was enough to ease the tension that coiled in her body. “Noted.” When she finally forced herself to meet his eyes, she found them dancing with slight amusement. The unease in her chest morphed into something else—something not entirely unpleasant. Her stomach swooped and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. When he cocked his head expectantly, she nodded and cleared her throat. “I came to tell you thanks… for what you did today.” She could feel the heat in her face intensify. It would have been better if she’d thanked him at the bookstore.
“It was nothing, Isabelle.”
She shook her head. “No, don’t do that. Don’t downplay what you did to help me.” She looked away, clenching her hands to keep herself from making any wild gestures. “It was… everything.”
Jason slowed and she did too. Then they stopped altogether.
