Page 8 of Isabelle & Jason
Jason blinked. He held his hand to his gut and blinked several more times.
“Isn’t that the girl?” Mark hissed.
Meeting Mateo and Nikki had been uneventful. They’d been given a brief rundown of what was expected of them and were released to settle in. They wouldn’t be needed until supper.
Jason’s opinion that this summer was going to be simple was instantly crushed to rubble when he caught sight of Bella.
Her hair was shorter but still hung in waves that went just past her shoulders. She wore a loose, long-sleeved shirt despite the unusually warm day. Her jeans fit her well but hid the curves he knew she had.
Immediately, memories of that night accosted him, and he wanted nothing more than to ring the neck of the guy who had hurt her. Already, he could tell she was different. Sure, it had been a year since he’d interacted with her, but this woman lacked the confidence he’d seen in her the first night they’d met.
“Do you think she’ll remember you?” Mark said quietly.
Jason shrugged.
Mark made a move to dig his elbow into his side again, but Jason dodged his attempt with another scowl. Mark chuckled and jerked his chin toward Bella. “You should go talk to her. Find out what she’s doing here.”
The desire to do just that yanked on him. Jason wanted nothing more than to take her hand and ask her how she was doing. He wanted to assure her that even though she might still be dealing with the pain of what happened, she’d get through it.
His sister Penny had.
But then he had to remind himself that she didn’t know he was the one who helped her. Nothing would destroy a budding relationship faster than telling the girl he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for the last year that he’d saved her from being assaulted.
Yep. It was best to ease into speaking to her.
This time Mark shoved him. “Go talk to her, man. Maybe she’s still single. It’s worth a shot.”
Jason hadn’t told anyone about Bella—well, except his siblings Mathew and Penny. He’d wanted to assure himself he’d done the right thing. Mark didn’t need to know what she’d been through. No one did.
He worked his jaw and glanced over at his friend.
Whatever. Maybe Mark was right. Bella had consumed his thoughts for a full year. Maybe this was the universe’s way of telling him they were meant to be in each other’s lives.
Jason strode toward her. She was standing with another woman who met his eyes first. Hers were the same brilliant blue as Daniel’s and Jason’s, and he had to wonder if they were related. Those blues widened as they shifted to Bella, then she smiled and stepped back.
“Hey,” the blue-eyed woman said. “You starting here?”
Bella fidgeted, taking a step to the side to place the other woman between them. There wasn’t even a glimmer of recognition in her deep blue eyes. He tried not to be disappointed. It had been a year, after all.
Jason nodded, his eyes lingering on Bella. “I am. You?”
She laughed. “Nope. But my brother is. Have you met Daniel?”
Nodding, Jason smiled wider. “You have the same striking eyes.”
Another laugh before she held up her left hand. “Easy hot stuff, I’m taken.” She placed that hand on her hip. “I’m Charlie. And this is Isabelle.”
Jason’s focus darted to Isabelle. So,notBella. He offered her a broad smile. “And what about you? Are you taken?”
Charlie laughed again and opened her mouth, but Isabelle cut her off.
“Notinterested.” Her lips pressed together in a firm line. Or maybe it was more of a sneer.
Her friend gasped and whacked her with the back of her hand. “Izzy!” Her name came out along with her laugh. She turned to Jason. “Sorry about her. But to answer your question?—”
“Charlie,” Isabelle snapped.
“She’s one hundred percent available.”
