Sister of the Bride (Fool's Gold #2.5)(20)

"Too many brains and not enough social skills?"

"Exactly. I was in college by the time I was sixteen."

"The summer we met," she teased. "When you were so charming."

"You bullied me."

"A moment of pride."

One corner of his mouth turned up. "If only I'd followed my heart back then."

She laughed. "Oh, please. You weren't interested in me."

"There was a spark."

"More like a laser beam of hatred."

"Maybe it would have been better if our mothers had waited to introduce us."

Katie nodded, then looked away. What would it have been like if she and Jackson had met when they were older? After she'd graduated from high school or during her first year of college. When she'd been thinner and prettier. More interested in boys.

"I would have been impressed," she admitted.

"Me, too."

He leaned in, as if to kiss her. She relaxed into his arms. But before she could give herself over to the moment, she heard a familiar laugh.

"Aunt Tully," she whispered against Jackson's mouth. "I'm supposed to find her and keep her away from Bruce."

Apparently the issues between the parents of the groom had not yet been resolved. Katie couldn't find out if there had been flirtation between Tully and Bruce or something more. To be honest, she didn't really want to know.

There were footsteps on the patio. Katie turned and saw an older couple in a passionate embrace. Even from several feet away it was easy to see their bodies straining, the deep kisses, the way the man's hands cupped Tully's butt oh-so possessively.

Katie's stomach flipped over. "Oh, God," she murmured. "That's not Alex's mother, is it?"

"Sorry, no. It's definitely Tully."

"What should we do?"

"They're adults."

Katie looked at him. "You're saying it's not our responsibility?"

"Something like that."

"So we should run."

"Quietly."

He took her hand and led her away.

Instead of returning to the hotel, they went around to the front, then across the driveway to the rose garden on the side. There was a gazebo, with a few chairs and benches. Jackson waited until she was seated on a bench before pulling a chair up across from her. He drew her feet onto his lap, pulled off her flats and began to rub her toes.

"How is your knee?" he asked, his long, strong fingers massaging her.

"Good. A little stiff, but I'm fine." She glanced over her shoulder, toward the hotel. "I don't know about leaving Tully and Bruce like that."

"You really want to get in the middle of that conversation?"

"No. But Alex's mom is going to be pissed." She shook her head. "No. Not pissed. Hurt."

"You're assuming this is the first time."

Katie looked at him. "Tully does this a lot. Takes advantage of men."

"Sorry, no. She doesn't take advantage of them. They're willing partners in whatever she's doing. Maybe she shows them something they didn't know was there. Maybe they use her as an excuse. But either way, they have to take responsibility for their actions."

Something Katie hadn't thought about. "Everyone always says Tully is a force of nature. That no one can resist her."

"I did."

"You're different."

"No. Just scared."

Katie laughed. "You're saying she's not your type?"

"She'd probably kill me. I doubt I could keep up."

He continued to massage her feet. Warmth spread through her, making her want to confess her true feelings. But saying she was falling in love with him wasn't an option. If anything, it would frighten him off and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I think you could take on Tully and win," she told him.

"I appreciate the confidence but I'm not interested in that particular competition. I'd rather take on you."

"Good answer."

Ten

After a few more minutes of massage, Jackson slipped Katie's shoes back on, then shifted so he was sitting next to her on the bench. He put his arm around her and she snuggled in close.

He felt warm, she thought. Safe.

"Tell me about where you live," she said.

"Outside of Los Angeles."

"Not Silicon Valley?"

"I avoided the cliche," he said. "There's plenty of talent in L.A. and when I was starting my business, I wanted good people."

"Have you lived there long?"

"Seven years. We're looking to move the company. We want something more low-key. Everyone's getting married and having kids. We used to talk about the latest game innovations. Now conversations are about parks and school districts."

Something fluttered in her chest. Hope, she thought, wondering if Fool's Gold could make the short list.

"Any contenders?" she asked.

"Not yet. We're just starting the process. What about you? You said you were a hometown girl. Is that permanent?"

"Yes. I went away to school, but I came back here. For a while I thought about moving to a bigger city--trying to get a job on a real paper. But this is my home."