“Because she bartended nights here and went to nursing school all day. Now she graduated and spends all her time working at the hospital or hanging out with her sister Faith.” Drake chuckled. “Adam and Liam are not going to let you near that girl.”
Matt huffed with disbelief. He folded his big arms across his chest. “I’m not easily run off.”
“He is very protective,” Noah agreed. “Holly and Faith didn’t have a dad around and their mom was an absent parent until recently.”
“I’m out of here,” Jasmine announced, looking tired. She looked at Noah. “Am I free to go, sheriff?”
“I’ll talk to you later if you want to press charges against Allen,” Noah said. He turned to the few stragglers left behind and yelled. “The bar is closed. Everyone clear out and go home.”
People groaned but they all listened and started marching out.
Ray looked at Alicia. “Come on, sis. It’s late and I have to open the restaurant tomorrow. Dad doesn’t feel so good.”
“Again?” Alicia gasped, looking worried. She stood up and followed her brother out after giving Jasmine a hug and whispering something into her ear. Drake wondered what she was saying.
“I’ll take you out to your aunt’s house,” Drake told Jasmine softly, glad to have an opportunity to get back in her good graces.
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll just crash at the store and go home in the morning. My stomach hurts.”
“Who is going to pay for all this mess?” John asked grouchily.
“Nancy,” They all said in unison.
Chapter 13
“I’ll just follow you, Jasmine, so you might as well give in and talk to me,” Drake said when they got outside. He walked a few steps behind her. Jasmine was so angry with him and she didn’t want to talk to him. She was afraid she would be weak and listen to whatever he said but she had her doubts about trusting him.
“Fine,” Jasmine muttered. The sooner he said his speech, the sooner he would leave her alone. She was exhausted and just wanted to lie down. “Then leave me be so I can wallow in my misery.”
Drake ran the last few steps and caught up with her. They walked silently until they reached the store. She took a key out of her pocket and opened the door. She led him to her back office and turned a lamp on. She sat on the couch and kicked her shoes off with a sigh.
He went into the bathroom and grabbed some paper towels. He wet them and returned to her. He gently cleaned off the dried blood silently. She closed her eyes as his hands touched her skin. Her body reacted to him being so close to her. She hoped he was too busy to notice how her nipples hardened and poked through her shirt. He was so handsome and their one date had been so wonderful and filled her with dreams. Now it was nothing but ashes.
“Are you ready to listen?” he whispered.
She nodded and waited. If she listened to his speech maybe he’d leave her alone to get some sleep.
He sat next to her and held her hand. She should pull it away from him but the contact felt good. “Baby, I admit I had no plans to settle down. It seemed like too much trouble plus I never met anyone who held my attention for long until I met you. Nancy was a casual thing that happened months ago.”
She looked down at their locked fingers. His were tanned and strong. She felt so weak right now. She liked Drake and there was a strong attraction between them. She hated the thought of him touching that snotty bitch. She wanted his hands on her body only. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
He shook his head, looking confused and frustrated. “I don’t know why she acting so crazy now. She knew from day one I was not serious. I’m not proud, but I bought her a few drinks and we had sex. That was it.”
“More than once?” She didn’t want to know, but at the same time she wanted to make sure he didn’t have feelings for Nancy.
He sighed. “Yes, maybe three times. That was five or six months ago. We had one date when you first arrived in town but I did not sleep with her. I left her at her front door. If we bumped into each other, we made small talk. I never saw a reason to not be friendly. She is always touchy feely with all men. I never thought about how it looked to others.”
“You kissed, in the middle of the fair. That hurt. I know I had no right to feel that way but—” She shrugged, thinking of Grant and his playboy ways. He always flirted and told her it meant nothing to him.
“I am so sorry, Jasmine. I never made a lunch date with her. She said her friend Lora stood her up and she hated to sit alone and eat. I had no interest in her but I was just being nice and offering to sit with her and order a drink.”
“I believe you, Drake,” Jasmine admitted after a few minutes of silence. Drake had great manners. It changed nothing, though. She never wanted to hurt gain. Drake made her feel too much and she didn’t like it. It was better to just be his friend. “She’s a horrible person. Look at what she caused tonight. How could you like her for one second?”
Drake sighed. “In all honesty, I never knew her. She was nice looking and willing to have sex without strings.”
Jasmine rubbed her breast. She really needed some aspirin.
“I will have it out with Nancy. She went too far this time. I know her parents and if I have to, I will talk to them,” he promised. His eyes went to her chest. “Let me see how bad it is.”