Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House)

“I’m not hijacking it. I was invited. Anyway, back to this store you have that you don’t have the time you need to run because Jackson here is eating it up with meetings on the other side of the country.” Trent folds his hands and gives me his attention.

Under the table, Jackson’s knee knocks against mine. It’s purposeful, and of course he’s already aware of how much I don’t love having the attention focused on me. When we’re talking about Spark House, it’s fine. I’m not solely responsible for making it the success it is. Avery is very much the ringleader, and I’ve had to learn so many different skills that don’t come naturally as a result.

And sitting here at a table of multimillionaires, my little Etsy shop that helps pay the mortgage and gives me something to do with the countless tiny stars I compulsively make seems trite and trivial. “It’s a hobby. I just do it for fun. The Etsy shop, that is.”

“If it creates revenue, it’s not a hobby,” Jackson argues and then turns his attention back to Linc and Griffin. “Her store has its own cult following. Every time she posts a new item, there’s a flurry of social media activity, and she’s been featured in several articles on one-of-a-kind blogger sites. And she uses predominantly recycled products.”

“What’s your store called?” Linc asks.

“Starry-Eyed Treasures,” I reply. “And I think Jackson is talking it up a bit.”

“I’m just telling the truth. I can’t tell you what kind of strings I had to pull and the favors I had to call in to get London here tonight.” Jackson lifts his glass of scotch to his lips to hide his mirthful smile.

“Like keeping the fact that it was on the other side of the country a secret until we were driving to the airfield, and pulling my sisters in on the deviousness,” I fire back.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Jackson shrugs.

Linc leans back in his chair and swirls his scotch around in his glass, a half smile tipping up one corner of his mouth. “So I gotta know, how long have you two been dating, and why is this the first time you’ve brought London to New York?”

I almost choke on my tea. As it is, I have to turn my head and cough into my napkin. “We’re not dating,” I explain. I can feel my face heating up like a Bunsen burner, and not just because I tried to inhale tea instead of air.

“I asked London out, but she turned me down.” This time Jackson doesn’t even bother to hide his smile. “Trent knows. He was with me when it happened.”

“You were high-level compulsive staring at her the entire night. I’m surprised she didn’t mace you when you approached her. And now I’m kinda sad I left before you had a chance to embarrass yourself, because seeing you get shot down would have been entertaining,” Trent replies with a grin.

I had no idea Trent was with him that day, although the man he was sitting with had his back to us, and I was trying not to pay attention to either of them. “You can’t just say things like that without any context!” I shoot Jackson an unimpressed glare before I give my attention back to Linc so I can explain. “I’d just gotten out of a relationship, and he approached me at a bar. The timing was wrong, and now we’re working together.”

“Interesting.” Linc spins his glass on the table. “Did Jackson ask you out before or after you started working together?”

“Before. By several months. And I had no idea who he was when I turned him down. And then when I showed up for a meeting with two people on his team, he ended up sitting in on the meeting. It took me a few minutes to realize he was the same person who asked me out, which I’ll be honest, was incredibly unnerving.”

“You didn’t seem rattled,” Jackson observed.

“I had my game face on.”

Linc’s grin widens. “Hmm. I suppose we’ll see how this working relationship pans out soon enough.”

I bite my tongue about the fact that I’ve already asked him out and he’s turned me down, so there’s nothing to pan out.

“Speaking of, it’s too bad you can’t come to Colorado for the charity event we’re hosting at Spark House,” Jackson says.

Thankfully this time I’m not drinking anything, so I don’t choke.

“Cosy loves Colorado, so I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to make the trip. Let me look at my schedule and get back to you?” Griffin says.

I don’t know whether I want to kick Jackson in the shins for this dinner or kiss him. Or both.

12

KEEP THE REINS TIGHT

JACKSON

“Thanks for calling me out, asshole,” I mutter to Linc as I give him a hearty pat on the back. I’m trying to play it off, but honestly, I’m rattled.