Chapter Nineteen
Jackson slowed as he neared the office and turned into The Rush, a popular café on the corner. The small restaurant had been around for as long as he could remember. He’d have to hurry because Mac was probably already in the office waiting for him. His assistant knew he had an addiction to The Rush’s sweet potato fries, because he came just about every Saturday for an order of them and a sandwich. Rubbing his stomach, he resolved to hit the gym an extra day this week.
Entering, he grabbed a spot at the counter and waved to the petite, copper-skinned woman behind the counter. She slung the towel that she was using to wipe off the register over her shoulder and came over to kiss his cheek.
“Hey, sweet stuff, I been expecting you. I got your fries on order already and your sandwich should be ready in a few.” She moved quickly behind the counter, ringing up orders and shouting back new ones with easy efficiency.
“Thanks, Miss Doris. I can always count on you.” She threw him a lazy grin as she counted out change for a portly man with graying hair. Once done with the customer, she came around the counter and hefted herself up onto the stool next to him.
“Are you gonna stay here by yourself or go eat with your friend?” She blew out her breath and swiped a few stray hairs behind her ear. She nodded her head toward the back of the restaurant.
“One of my friends is here?” He craned his neck to see over the head of the woman sitting at the bar next to him. There was a young couple in one of the booths on the back wall. An older man read the newspaper at a center table. A teenaged girl sat in the corner booth, texting.
“I don’t see anyone.” He turned back to Miss Doris and shrugged.
“That’s odd. He was just here a few minutes ago. Same guy came in yesterday looking for you, too. Said he was in town on business and asked if I knew where you lived. I told him I can’t remember the name of these fancy communities. Haven’s Port. Haven’s Peak.”
Jackson smiled. “Havensbrooke.”
She waved her hands. “Whatever. Oh, there he is!”
He turned and looked out the store’s front window. A dark-haired man stood outside on the curb, about to get into an older-model Cadillac. The hair on the back of Jackson’s neck stood up.
He’d never seen the guy before.
“He specifically asked for me?” Jackson asked.
Miss Doris thought about it before saying, “Yeah, he definitely said Jackson Alexander. Why? Is everything okay?” She glanced over his shoulder worriedly.
He pulled out some cash from his wallet and put it on the counter. “Can you wrap up my lunch for me? I’ll be right back,” he said as he rose from his barstool.
He pushed open the front door, the tinkle of the door chime loud in his ears. The man was in his car, backing up.
“Hey! Wait,” he called out.
The man lifted his head and their eyes met. He couldn’t see clearly between the car’s slightly tinted windows and the blinding noon sun, but he was sure the guy saw him. Only he didn’t stop. He gunned the engine and whipped the wheel, his tires spinning in the gravel lining the parking lot.
“What the hell!” Jackson jumped back as a cloud of dust spun from the wheels and enveloped him. He watched the car drive away until it turned right at the closest streetlight.
It never slowed down.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit one of the speed dials. “Elliott? I need your help.”
“Whatever you need.”
He looked back at the diner where Miss Doris stood in the doorway watching. “A security detail for Ridley and the kids. I’m not sure why, call it paranoia, but I want to make sure they’re protected.”
* * *
Jackson led Ridley through the entryway and into the family room at his parents’ ranch-style home. After a lazy Saturday with the boys in the park, he’d finally convinced her to come to Sunday dinner. He hadn’t told her about the guy he’d seen the previous day. It was probably nothing and he definitely didn’t want to worry her, but there was no way he was leaving her alone.
“Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
He knew she was uncomfortable with the idea of being around his family again. He was, too. A little. If his parents saw him with Ridley again and heard from the boys that they’d been spending so much time together, they would assume they were serious.
He loved Ridley. There was no point hiding from it just because it seemed so sudden. There was no way he’d let her go back to Florida without a fight. But in his parents’ opinion, there was only one point to a serious relationship. Marriage. Which he wasn’t even ready to think about yet.
Was he?
“The style is similar to your house.” Ridley pointed to the draperies and furnishings in the family room, all various shades of blue. The old-fashioned armchairs were passed down from his mom’s parents, Jackson knew. Most of the rest of the furniture had been replaced in the past few years.
“Yeah, my mom helped me decorate the house. She’s really into all that stuff. I’m practically color-blind.”
He and Nick both had been adamant that their successes would give their parents access to whatever they wanted. The only thing his mother had wanted was to redecorate because the family home had pretty much looked the same since he was a child. His father had yet to allow either of them to buy him anything.
Jackson was itching to replace the old pickup truck his father drove. He would have just done it without asking but he secretly thought his dad might have a fondness for the beast. He’d been threatening to replace it for years but never had.
He held in a groan as Ridley crossed to the mantel. His mom still kept all their high school graduation photos displayed.
“Oh my god, you were so cute!”
“Cute? I had a curly mullet thing going on in that photo.”
Ridley moved down the line, looking at the other pictures. Bennett had the worst photo of them all—hunched over, his face almost obscured by the massive glasses he’d worn up to college. Eli looked sullen. The only one who looked decent was Nick, who’d been a playboy even then. His hair was cut short and slicked back and he was smiling widely.
“Nick looks exactly the same. Why am I not surprised?”
His chest tightened, thinking of Nick. Despite the circumstances, part of him was still pissed that his brother had kissed her. Especially since he still seemed determined to make trouble for them.
“Do you mind if I use the bathroom? Before everyone gets here?”
“Sure. There’s one right here.”
She followed him as he walked down the hall leading to the bedrooms. He pointed her to the hall bathroom.
“I’ll just go check on the boys. My parents should be back soon.”