Kevin moved away from the lineup and found a small table to sit at. She kept glancing at Jack.
“That’s him?” Kevin murmured.
“Yeah.”
He smiled.
“What?” She scowled at him.
“You just said I wasn’t going to meet him. And here he is.”
“Yeah. And that’s freakin’ weird. This is too much coincidence for one day.” She leaned across the table. “What if he’s stalking me?”
Kevin narrowed his eyes, glanced at Jack in line, then back at her. “You think?”
“I don’t know! But doesn’t it seem odd? He calls and sets up that meeting out of the blue and then again shows up here—nowhere near his neighborhood, I might add—again, out of the blue. It’s creepy.” She frowned as she nibbled at her ice cream, which was orgasmically good.
“Mmm hmm.”
Jack meandered over to their table, all casual and super sexy in his leather jacket and faded low-rise jeans, licking his ice cream. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up and sat. “This is really good.”
She gave him a frustrated look. “Jack. What are you doing here?”
“Eating ice cream.” He smiled and nodded. “Yours is dripping.”
She gave a big huff which made both guys smile, and felt just a teensy bit ganged up on. Kevin wasn’t supposed to like Jack. He was supposed to be on her side. She glared at Kevin. He gave her a look that she thought said, “Relax. I’m here. You’re safe.”
She didn’t need anyone to look after her, as she’d told her father and brothers a billion times. And honestly, even though it was kind of weird that Jack had showed up here, she didn’t feel threatened by him. Other than that he made her extremely…aware. Aware of his hands holding his ice cream, his long fingers and neat nails. His casual posture that nonetheless radiated energy. Those intense dark eyes looking back and forth between her and Kevin as if he were assessing them and trying to decide if there was anything between them.
“Sasha came to my condo this morning,” Jack said to Kevin. “About a job. Did she tell you?”
“Yeah, she mentioned it. Sounds like a cool project.”
She again narrowed her eyes at Kevin.
“I think so,” Jack agreed. “I’m hoping she’ll take the job.”
Kevin frowned. “I thought you turned it down,” he said.
More heat washed into her cheeks.
“She did at first,” Jack said with a smile. “But I convinced her to think about it.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
Jack turned that compelling gaze on her. “Remember: Unlimited budget and complete freedom to design whatever you want.”
“I told you,” she muttered. “That’s not a good way to do business. I could build something horrendous and charge you a small fortune for it.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” He smiled, a slow, sexy curve of his mouth. “I trust you, Sasha.”
She didn’t understand why.
“So,” Jack continued, leaning toward her a bit. “How’d you two come to be roommates?”
Her eyes shifted to Kevin and back to Jack, and she told him how they’d met. “It’s Kevin’s house,” she said. “I just pay him rent and do some gardening for him.”
“Since you call each other roommates, I gather you’re not a couple?”
She shot Kevin another look and swallowed a sigh. “No. Just friends.”
Jack nodded but his expression didn’t really change, still casual and friendly. “Sounds like it works out for you.”
“Yes.”
“How’d you get into landscaping?” he asked with what seemed sincere interest.
In her craziest dreams she would never have imagined sitting like this with Jack, having this kind of let’s-catch-up conversation. “It wasn’t planned,” she said. “I went to college and studied business, like my dad wanted me to. Then I went to work for my dad at the bank, but it just wasn’t for me, sitting in an office all day in front of a computer. I wanted do something more creative, so I quit and went back to the landscaping company I worked for when I was going to school, and
“That’s him?” Kevin murmured.
“Yeah.”
He smiled.
“What?” She scowled at him.
“You just said I wasn’t going to meet him. And here he is.”
“Yeah. And that’s freakin’ weird. This is too much coincidence for one day.” She leaned across the table. “What if he’s stalking me?”
Kevin narrowed his eyes, glanced at Jack in line, then back at her. “You think?”
“I don’t know! But doesn’t it seem odd? He calls and sets up that meeting out of the blue and then again shows up here—nowhere near his neighborhood, I might add—again, out of the blue. It’s creepy.” She frowned as she nibbled at her ice cream, which was orgasmically good.
“Mmm hmm.”
Jack meandered over to their table, all casual and super sexy in his leather jacket and faded low-rise jeans, licking his ice cream. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up and sat. “This is really good.”
She gave him a frustrated look. “Jack. What are you doing here?”
“Eating ice cream.” He smiled and nodded. “Yours is dripping.”
She gave a big huff which made both guys smile, and felt just a teensy bit ganged up on. Kevin wasn’t supposed to like Jack. He was supposed to be on her side. She glared at Kevin. He gave her a look that she thought said, “Relax. I’m here. You’re safe.”
She didn’t need anyone to look after her, as she’d told her father and brothers a billion times. And honestly, even though it was kind of weird that Jack had showed up here, she didn’t feel threatened by him. Other than that he made her extremely…aware. Aware of his hands holding his ice cream, his long fingers and neat nails. His casual posture that nonetheless radiated energy. Those intense dark eyes looking back and forth between her and Kevin as if he were assessing them and trying to decide if there was anything between them.
“Sasha came to my condo this morning,” Jack said to Kevin. “About a job. Did she tell you?”
“Yeah, she mentioned it. Sounds like a cool project.”
She again narrowed her eyes at Kevin.
“I think so,” Jack agreed. “I’m hoping she’ll take the job.”
Kevin frowned. “I thought you turned it down,” he said.
More heat washed into her cheeks.
“She did at first,” Jack said with a smile. “But I convinced her to think about it.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
Jack turned that compelling gaze on her. “Remember: Unlimited budget and complete freedom to design whatever you want.”
“I told you,” she muttered. “That’s not a good way to do business. I could build something horrendous and charge you a small fortune for it.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” He smiled, a slow, sexy curve of his mouth. “I trust you, Sasha.”
She didn’t understand why.
“So,” Jack continued, leaning toward her a bit. “How’d you two come to be roommates?”
Her eyes shifted to Kevin and back to Jack, and she told him how they’d met. “It’s Kevin’s house,” she said. “I just pay him rent and do some gardening for him.”
“Since you call each other roommates, I gather you’re not a couple?”
She shot Kevin another look and swallowed a sigh. “No. Just friends.”
Jack nodded but his expression didn’t really change, still casual and friendly. “Sounds like it works out for you.”
“Yes.”
“How’d you get into landscaping?” he asked with what seemed sincere interest.
In her craziest dreams she would never have imagined sitting like this with Jack, having this kind of let’s-catch-up conversation. “It wasn’t planned,” she said. “I went to college and studied business, like my dad wanted me to. Then I went to work for my dad at the bank, but it just wasn’t for me, sitting in an office all day in front of a computer. I wanted do something more creative, so I quit and went back to the landscaping company I worked for when I was going to school, and
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