The Closer You Come (The Original Heartbreakers, #1)(28)

“Why?”

“For the role-play. Fully committing to your character makes all the difference.”

She nearly choked on her tongue. “We are not role-playing. I really am his assistant.” Maid.

“If you say so.”

“I do. And now I’m leaving. Office hours are officially over.”

Beck held out an arm, stopping her from passing. “Hold on a sec, pretty. Your car isn’t parked out front.”

“That’s good, because I walked.” There was no reason to use up precious gas when this house was only a mile—or three—from Rhinestone Cowgirl.

He gaped at her. “So...Jase left without giving you a ride?”

“Clearly.” Or were they talking about role-playing again? In which case the answer would still be the same. “I’ll be fine,” she said.

“You sure will, because I’ll be driving you to your car.” Beck scanned the kitchen and sniffed. “After I eat. Something smells amazing, and I’m not just talking about you.”

Good to know. “Hungry?” she asked.

“Starved, actually.”

She placed the casserole in the oven. “It’ll be ready for consumption in twenty to thirty minutes.”

“Just enough time for a shower.” He undid the top button of his shirt. “Looks like you could use one, too. Why don’t we conserve water and do it together?”

“I would rather be stabbed in the kneecaps before walking on hot coals.”

“So...maybe next time?”

“Maybe never.”

“Your loss.” He winked at her before disappearing around the corner. A door shut.

Another knock sounded from the living room. Another of Beck’s women?

With a sigh, she strode to the foyer—and found Jessie Kay on the porch.

“What are you doing here?” Brook Lynn asked with a frown. Her sister had been too hungover this morning to chat about the new job.

“What are you doing here?” Jessie Kay removed her sunglasses and stepped inside without an invitation.

“I work here. Something I would have liked to discuss with you.”

The statement of fact was met with a glower. “Was that last night?”

“You know it was.”

“Well, did you account for Jessie Kay Standard Time?”

Meaning, what Jessie Kay agreed on shouldn’t ever be counted on, and it was Brook Lynn’s bad for assuming otherwise. “No. I actually thought you’d keep your word for once.”

“Then this is on you.”

Brook Lynn shook a fist in front of her sister’s face. “You are such a pain.”

“As if that’s news.” Jessie Kay flipped her hair and shifted from one foot to the other. “So, where’s Jase? I brought him a seven-course meal. Me...and this.” She held up a six-pack of beer.

She was still interested in him? Stomach twisting. “He’s out, but that shouldn’t matter because you two aren’t dating. I told you what he said. He isn’t looking for a relationship.”

“Oh, my darling sis. What do you call a man with only half a brain? Gifted. Jase doesn’t actually know what he wants. I’ve decided I have to show him.”

Stomach twisting harder. “You’re wrong. Jase knows what he wants.” It wasn’t her sister...and it wasn’t her.

Jessie Kay stared her down and glowered. “What’s with you today? Why are you so snappy?”

“Just because.” Because she was tired and hungry and sore, and Jase had been rude, and she didn’t know where he was or what he was doing—didn’t know who he was doing. And it wasn’t her business. She was his employee and would never be anything more. She shouldn’t want to be anything more.

“What’d Jase hire you for, anyway?” Jessie Kay asked, running a fingertip along the top edge of a chair. “What is it he needs?”

“Help around the house.” From someone just desperate enough to agree to slave labor.

“So you’re his maid?”

“Executive assistant. Now, go home. Please. And actually wait there this time. I’ll be right behind you, and we’ll talk about everything that’s happened.”

Jessie Kay protested.

“One,” Brook Lynn said.

Her sister hurried onto the porch. “Dude. You are such a pain.”

“I know. We can discuss that, too, if you so desire.” She shut the door. In the kitchen, she waited for the casserole to finish baking, and when it did, she placed the sizzling dish on top of the stove before writing a note to Beck. Short and sweet.

Had to leave, BL

Outside, darkness had fallen, the only light spilling from the porch. She switched her implants to a lower setting, allowing more sound than usual to filter into her ears. Despite the discomfort, she needed to be able to pick up on certain noises, like the snap of twigs or the grunt of the undead. She clutched her industrial-size hand sanitizer close to her chest the entire trek, making it to the RC parking lot without incident—

Only to find Jase standing beside her car, his own parked behind it. He looked as if he’d just stepped out of a violent windstorm. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled and askew.

Had he tangled with a tornado?