Watch Me Fall (Ross Siblings, #5)(15)
“Good advice,” he put in. “And within two minutes of you being here. Impressive.”
She stood, a mysterious little smile curving her full, pink-tinted lips. Ashley and Mia didn’t take their eyes off her. “I have my moments. Would you mind helping me?”
He hopped to attention as she went around to the other side of her car, following so he could help her collect the white grocery bags from the passenger seat. When Ash and Mia spied the transparent plastic container Starla brought out last, they set up a chant.
“Cookies! Cookies! Daddy, she brought cookies!”
“After dinner,” he said firmly as Starla shut her car door.
“Are you making pizza?” Mia asked.
“No, but I hope you like what I do make.”
“Mia, don’t be rude.” He added to Starla, “Sorry. They’ve been asking for pizza ever since we left church.”
“Oh, it’s fine. They probably would’ve been happier with that. I do make a pretty mean pizza. I wish I’d thought of it.”
They began the walk toward the front door in the dusk, the girls running ahead to punch in the code on his electronic lock. It was a mild evening, fragrant with spring and beautiful with the deep blue of the sky stained a dark orange where the sun had gone down. One by one, stars were peeking out. Perfect weather to sit out on the deck and drink a beer or two once the girls were in bed. Maybe that was something he and Starla could do later—some adult company without the incessant chatter of little voices would be nice. He was becoming too much of a hermit lately. “Thanks for this,” he told her. “I’m not much of a cook myself, so when they come over, it’s pretty much macaroni and cheese or ravioli. Or pizza. Their mother is always getting on me about it.”
“It’s no problem. I enjoy doing it. Nice place, by the way.” She cast a glance around. “Very nice.”
“Did you find it without much problem?”
“The big JS sign clued me in a little. I put two and two together.”
“Oh right.” He laughed, wondering why his palms were a little sweaty, his heart rate a little elevated. This isn’t a date, he reminded himself, but damn if it didn’t feel like one given his reaction to her nearness. Her peaches-and-cream scent wafted hauntingly toward him, carried on the light breeze. He found himself inhaling it deeply. Wondering if it was at its most intense in the soft hollow of her neck, or the valley between her breasts…or even in the soft crease behind her knees. Macy, she had worn perfume behind her knees, especially if she was wearing a skirt—
Fuuuuuck. Stop.
Was it any wonder his marriage had failed? Was it any mystery to anyone in this town why it had? Not long after Macy had set him straight on her feelings, he’d tried to date. What a disaster. He’d felt so dead inside when he kissed another girl, there’d been no need to even attempt to take it further. The ghost of another woman clung to him everywhere he went, infiltrated every desire, kissed him while his lips were on someone else’s.
Ghost. The word had crept into his thoughts, and it would be forever tainted with the image of the man who held Macy now. It was like a shock to his heart, causing it to recoil in pain and struggle to reclaim its beat. If he hung around Starla, there would be more face-to-face encounters with Ghost like the one last night. If he had many conversations with her, surely the name would appear with some frequency. Maybe her very presence would always elicit this response for Jared. No, he didn’t know if he could take that, remembering how close he’d been to having it all—or so he thought—then having it snatched so cruelly away.
“Are you all right?” Starla asked as they reached his front porch and took the five steps up. The girls had already gone inside, leaving the front door open for them. “You seem to have left me for a minute.”
Get used to it, he reflected, even the thoughts in his head grumbling. Once Macy permeated his brain, she was usually there to stay. “Nah, I’m fine.”
“That’s good, because I am about to take over your kitchen and blow your mind. Can you handle it?”
He couldn’t help but grin at the way she tossed that question at him, the same way he’d asked her if she could handle his girls. So far, she was handling them like a champ. “Awesome. I’m starving. But while you do that, I hope you don’t mind if the girls and I go feed the animals real quick.”
“No, that’s fine, go do what you gotta. I’ll be slaving away over a hot stove. Do you have an apron I can wear?” She winked at him.
“I probably could scrounge one up, if you really need it. I’d hate for you to mess up your pretty shirt.”
“Aww, aren’t you sweet. Nah, I was kidding. I’m not the apron-wearing sort. Although I may very well be cursing this choice before the night’s over.”
“You look really nice.”
“Thanks. And—wow. Holy sh— I mean, great house.” They’d entered the front door, and she’d gotten her first look around.
“Oh, it’ll do.”
She looked at him with wide brown eyes. He was glad for the chance to finally see their color. Very nice, like warm melted chocolate. “What exactly do you do for a living, Jared?”
He chuckled. “I do cattle and horses, obviously, but it’s more of a hobby. This place was my grandparents’, and when they passed on, no one else in the family wanted the responsibility of it except me. So I moved in and remodeled. Actually, I’m an electrician.”