Page 49 of Isabelle & Jason
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Isabelle
She remembered everything.
Every single second.
Every graze of his calloused fingertips against her face.
And she was sick over it.
But Isabelle wasn’t going to let anyone see the cracks in the façade she’d been trying to mend. When she was with Jason, it was easy to forget that she’d been targeted by a guy who was supposed to be considered a hero. When she was with Charlie, it wasn’t as easy, but manageable.
When she was alone? That was when those phantom touches got to her. That was when she didn’t want to close her eyes out of fear that she would end up falling into the nightmares that refused to retract their claws.
“Earth to Izzie,” Charlie said.
Isabelle startled and glanced up at her friend. She smiled in an attempt to reassure Charlie that everything was okay.Because it was. Just because she knew that Dillan was in Copper Creek didn’t mean she’d have to see the guy or that they’d bump into each other again.
“You doing okay?” Charlie cocked her head, a frown marring her beautiful face. “You seem to be in another world these days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re hanging out more, but…” She didn’t have to say it. Something was different.
It had been different since her run-in with Dillan, and it would take some time for Isabelle to get through it.
Nodding, Isabelle nodded to the freshly churned ice cream in Charlie’s hands. “I thought pregnant women were supposed to be ravenous. Your ice cream is going to melt before you get halfway done with it.”
Charlie glanced down at her bowl, then pushed it across the table. She placed a hand over her rounded belly. “These days it depends on how the baby is sitting on my stomach. If it’s squishing me just right, I can barely eat anything. But then twenty minutes later, I’m starving.” She snickered. “Ash is on the verge of losing his mind.”
Isabelle smiled. “I can only imagine.”
“So…” Charlie drawled. “Are you going to give me more details about you and Jason?”
Stabbing her spoon into the creamy mixture of chocolate and vanilla, Isabelle settled back in her seat. They’d opted for a wrought iron table and chairs outside the ice cream parlor. It was a nice afternoon, and under the shade, the breeze was enough to keep them cool. “What is there to tell?” Of course, there was no hiding how happy she was with Jason. Charlie knew her well enough to see right through the flippant comment.
“I swear on this baby’s life if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to have Ash track him down and get it out of him the hard way.”
Isabelle’s brows lifted with surprise and her lips parted. Then she let out a choked laugh. “What? Does that threat really work?”
Charlie seemed to think about it for a moment, and then she shook her head. “No, not really. But I could sic my ten brothers on him. The Keagan men do have a reputation to uphold, and it’s been a while since they’ve put the fear into someone. Jason is new enough…” Her eyes sparkled. “You know I’m not wrong.”
Laughing, Isabelle shook her head in disbelief. “The sad part is that I believe you.”
Leaning over the table as much as her swollen belly would allow, Charlie lowered her voice. “Okay. Spill. Last I remember, Jason hit on you and you turned him down so fast he probably got whiplash.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Isabelle protested with a giggle.
“Oh, but it was. He hit on you and you weren’t interested. I remember because I thought the two of you would make a cute couple. But then…” She shrugged. “You weren’t really interested in dating.”
“No, I suppose I wasn’t.”
“So what changed?” Charlie was hanging on her every word, now. Her eyes focused intently on Isabelle’s. “Put me out of my misery already. You know I have to live vicariously through you.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She moistened her lips and thought back to some of the new information she hadn’t been aware of when she’d met Jason on his first day at their ranch. She chewed her lower lip before it was pulled into a small smile. “Okay, so it turns out I met him five years ago, but I didn’t remember.”
Charlie’s eyes rounded like saucers. She was always up for a good missed connection story. “You’re kidding.”
“Would I lie about something like that?” Isabelle laughed.
“No, I guess not.” Charlie settled back with a huff. “But he remembered you, I take it?”
