to go as they wanted.
This was a date.
He just needed to hop like that freaking rabbit and scream he was late for that very important date and he’d be one step further down that rabbit hole of insanity.
Jackson closed up the practice and drove to the diner, his palms clammy. He could have lied and said it was from the subject matter of their supposed talk, but, in reality, he was nervous to see her.
He was almost forty for God’s sake, not a teenager. He needed to act like it.
As he walked into the diner, he could have sworn conversation stopped for a beat before picking up again. Their curious glances bore into his back and everywhere else so hard he almost wanted to look down to make sure he’d zipped up his fly.
Honor sat in the far booth with two waters on the table and a faraway expression on her face. She’d worn her hair down like he loved—not that he’d tell her that. No, he needed to keep his distance.
He had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen though. Honor had been the one woman he’d seen himself having a future with, and then he’d forced her to go. Not only to make sure she lived her life and fulfilled her dreams, but because he’d gotten scared as hell.
No one else since then had made him want to forego his plans of living alone until he died, and he knew no one else would. When Honor had first come to town, he’d tried to tell himself—he still tried to tell himself—that he wouldn’t do anything with her, that he’d go on without her and just deal with the fact that she lived in the same town as him.
As he watched her gaze reach his and heard his quick intake of breath, he knew he’d been an idiot to think he’d even had a chance of staying away.
Either he’d force himself to act like he didn’t care, or he could maybe think of her as something more than just his past.
He didn’t know, and frankly, it was up to her, but damn, he wanted her.
There, he’d said it.
He wanted Honor.
Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do about it.
Jackson ignored the murmurs and looks as he went to the back booth and sat across from her.
“Hi,” she said, her voice a bit breathless.
Good, at least she felt something too. Or at least he hoped she did.
Hell, he needed time to think about all of this. Too much was going on at once, and for a man who liked things orderly, he was freaking out. Nothing seemed to be that way at the moment.
“Hi,” he said, and they fell into an awkward silence.
What exactly could he say to an ex-girlfriend who came back into town after leaving eight years prior, who also happened to be a tooth fairy, niece of the Ivory Queen, and, in some way, connected with the man who’d turned him into a sandman?
He didn’t think there was a self-help book or Hallmark card for this special occasion.
“I didn’t order us anything since I don’t know if you still like the same things,” she said, her voice rushed. “Though, really, we never actually went out on dates so…”
He winced at the reminder he’d treated her so poorly before by hiding her from Holiday.
“Ask me anything and I’ll tell you,” he said.
She tilted her head and frowned. “What are we doing here, Jackson?”
“I take it you don’t mean in the diner.”
“No, and you knew that. What are we doing eating together when we could have done this with your family and probably gotten more information out of it?” Her eyes widened. “Unless you’re still hiding me from them, and then we’ve got a problem because I just had breakfast with all of your sisters-in-law this morning.”
Now he felt like the ass everyone called him.
There had to be a way he could fix this.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the whispered and no-so-whispered gasps and comments from their audience.
“I don’t know what we’re doing, but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. I know things are convoluted at the moment, but it will get better. As for my family, it
This was a date.
He just needed to hop like that freaking rabbit and scream he was late for that very important date and he’d be one step further down that rabbit hole of insanity.
Jackson closed up the practice and drove to the diner, his palms clammy. He could have lied and said it was from the subject matter of their supposed talk, but, in reality, he was nervous to see her.
He was almost forty for God’s sake, not a teenager. He needed to act like it.
As he walked into the diner, he could have sworn conversation stopped for a beat before picking up again. Their curious glances bore into his back and everywhere else so hard he almost wanted to look down to make sure he’d zipped up his fly.
Honor sat in the far booth with two waters on the table and a faraway expression on her face. She’d worn her hair down like he loved—not that he’d tell her that. No, he needed to keep his distance.
He had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen though. Honor had been the one woman he’d seen himself having a future with, and then he’d forced her to go. Not only to make sure she lived her life and fulfilled her dreams, but because he’d gotten scared as hell.
No one else since then had made him want to forego his plans of living alone until he died, and he knew no one else would. When Honor had first come to town, he’d tried to tell himself—he still tried to tell himself—that he wouldn’t do anything with her, that he’d go on without her and just deal with the fact that she lived in the same town as him.
As he watched her gaze reach his and heard his quick intake of breath, he knew he’d been an idiot to think he’d even had a chance of staying away.
Either he’d force himself to act like he didn’t care, or he could maybe think of her as something more than just his past.
He didn’t know, and frankly, it was up to her, but damn, he wanted her.
There, he’d said it.
He wanted Honor.
Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do about it.
Jackson ignored the murmurs and looks as he went to the back booth and sat across from her.
“Hi,” she said, her voice a bit breathless.
Good, at least she felt something too. Or at least he hoped she did.
Hell, he needed time to think about all of this. Too much was going on at once, and for a man who liked things orderly, he was freaking out. Nothing seemed to be that way at the moment.
“Hi,” he said, and they fell into an awkward silence.
What exactly could he say to an ex-girlfriend who came back into town after leaving eight years prior, who also happened to be a tooth fairy, niece of the Ivory Queen, and, in some way, connected with the man who’d turned him into a sandman?
He didn’t think there was a self-help book or Hallmark card for this special occasion.
“I didn’t order us anything since I don’t know if you still like the same things,” she said, her voice rushed. “Though, really, we never actually went out on dates so…”
He winced at the reminder he’d treated her so poorly before by hiding her from Holiday.
“Ask me anything and I’ll tell you,” he said.
She tilted her head and frowned. “What are we doing here, Jackson?”
“I take it you don’t mean in the diner.”
“No, and you knew that. What are we doing eating together when we could have done this with your family and probably gotten more information out of it?” Her eyes widened. “Unless you’re still hiding me from them, and then we’ve got a problem because I just had breakfast with all of your sisters-in-law this morning.”
Now he felt like the ass everyone called him.
There had to be a way he could fix this.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the whispered and no-so-whispered gasps and comments from their audience.
“I don’t know what we’re doing, but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. I know things are convoluted at the moment, but it will get better. As for my family, it
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