The look she gave him was half What the hell? and half What do you think?
“Of course not. I’m his mother. Teaching him what’s appropriate is part of my job.”
“Do you ever get frustrated with them? Teaching someone how to behave sounds like a twenty-four hour job.”
“It is. That’s motherhood though.” She regarded him silently for a minute and when he didn’t say anything else, she tipped her head to the side. “Um, this conversation is really weird.”
“Might I ask a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Could you forgive the weirdness of this conversation because I’m truly not trying to cause offense? I just need help and I think you’re the person who can help me.”
Katie’s expression closed up just that fast. She sighed and then tugged at the ends of her hair. The shiny, dark coils fascinated him. They looked soft and the pattern was fascinating. Every curl twisted around itself like a double helix, the pattern reminding him of a strand of DNA. He wondered what they felt like. Yeah, like he’d ever know that. He was socially broken but even he knew that putting your hands on a woman was grounds to get slapped.
He tuned in just in time to catch the tail end of what Katie was saying.
“Listen, all that stuff Ridley was saying before … You don’t have to … She’s just worried about me. No one expects you to hire some random woman to be your assistant.”
Fascinating. Despite the fact that she’d barely completed a full sentence, her worry and affection for her friend came through clearly. She was scattered and nervous and the exact opposite of everything he usually required in an assistant.
Which made her perfect.
“Don’t worry about it.” He turned to leave and just before he left he realized that he hadn’t actually responded to any of the things she’d said. Yet another thing he hoped she could train him out of over the next few weeks.
“Oh yeah, I’ll see you on Monday morning.”
“For what?”
“Your interview.”
?
Later than night, Jackson watched Ridley complete her nightly skincare ritual from his perch on their king-sized bed. It was his favorite way to end the night. After years of being a widower, you’d think the sex would be what he’d missed the most but no … the tiny details that no one else paid attention to were his favorite things. He loved to watch his adorable wife putting on lotion and shaving her legs and brushing her teeth.
Until the one you loved was taken away, you didn’t realize how valuable those quiet, common moments were. It was an honor to watch the one you loved doing normal, everyday things. He could watch Ridley breathing and never get tired of the sight.
After she finished, she cut off the light in the bathroom and climbed beneath the covers next to him. When her back made contact with the mattress she let out a loud groan.
“Tired?”
“Exhausted. But it was a good night. I loved having everyone all together.”
Her comment made him think back to that disastrous dinner. Even though his older brother hadn’t made a big deal of it, Jackson could read him like a book. There were few things Bennett hated more than being put on display or being pushed into something he didn’t want to do. Despite being the youngest brother, Jackson had always felt a curious protectiveness for his oldest brother. He was different but in a brilliant way and he didn’t like to think of him being manipulated. Even by someone with good intentions.
“About dinner tonight … I thought we talked about this.”
Ridley didn’t even bother to pretend that she didn’t know what he meant. Instead she just rolled onto her side so she could see him without lifting her head.
“But look how well it turned out for Nick and Raina. And Eli and Kay. Everyone should be thanking me. Clearly I’m gifted at this.”
Jackson was determined not to smile at her brazen statement, even though he really wanted to.
“Ri, you booked Kay and Eli into a room together when they weren’t even dating yet. He spent the night on a cot on the floor.”
“Well, that wasn’t what I intended but that just proves your brother is a gentleman. Although, all he did was delay the inevitable. Love cannot be denied.”
“And you seriously think that pushing Katie at Bennett is a good idea? You know he’s not exactly a people person.”