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his own decision to just rid his life of any D’Alessio and the hurt they now represented.
But seeing Jinx again brought back not only that undeniable heat between them but also the strange bond the two of them always had, making him wonder about the possibilities.
3
The next morning Jinx and her dog, Teddy, a black-and-white mutt she had rescued, went walking along the Peconic Bay. Having never been a morning person, she loved these days when Bailey took the early shift and opened their shop. Especially after a night when she’d tossed around more than she slept, thanks to the visit from Logan Bennett.
His sex-on-a-stick body and that mouth that she bet could do wonders to a woman and those eyes that seemed to be looking not just at her but inside her…whew.
Guilt surfaced over her loyalty to her brother. She was not supposed to want Logan or care for him or believe in him. Except, back when Victor had his falling out with him and convinced her family Logan was not the good guy they had believed he was, Jinx had a hard time buying it.
Was it because she knew Logan better than her brother did? Or was it because Logan had gotten under her skin so deep that she did not care? At the time she had just turned eighteen and had never been away from the safe harbor of her home and family. Maybe it was her naiveté, but she’d wanted him so badly she would have taken Logan in any way, shape, or form. Good, bad, or anything in between.
Of course, she was older and wiser now and knew how selfish and heartless some men could be. That was one reason she stuck to surface hookups these days, no longer expecting or even looking for anything more than fun. Truth was, she had already blazed a messy, confusing trail with men, often “falling in love” too fast, only to realize it was her overactive imagination that saw a big screen full-length blockbuster when what she really had was a sad little thirty-minute sitcom.
So how could she know if the feelings surging through her after seeing Logan were real or not?
“Teddy,” she called to her pooch who was having a great time splashing along the water’s edge. “Come on, babe.” With a last look at the sunlight on the bay, Jinx clipped Teddy’s leash on and walked the two blocks back to her cottage.
Actually it was not “her” cottage. It belonged to her big sister, but Natalie was married now and living a few miles away. So, when Bailey had also gotten married and moved out of the house she and Jinx used to rent together, Jinx moved into the cottage and found a roommate—her new friend, Anthia.
Once inside, Jinx poured the last cup of coffee she’d left in the coffeemaker and sat at the table with a piece of peanut butter toast, Teddy chewing on a treat at her feet. Anthia was at work, so she played some oldies by The Drifters.
She and Anthia did not have the same taste in music. Just one of those roommate things. Jinx had thought by the time she was twenty-nine she would be living with the man of her dreams, not a roommate. In a place that matched her personality, not this homey cottage that had happy homemaker Natalie’s imprint all over it.
Jinx loved her big sister. In fact, Natalie and Bailey were the two most important people in the world to her. But Natalie was a master baker and could cook anything, while Jinx could even ruin making boiled pasta. Natalie had a successful diner and a bakery and now a line of baked goods sold across the country. And she had started it all in this enormous kitchen that Jinx would turn into a metal shop workspace if this were her house. Instead, she had to use the garage for her jewelry work, and that got so cold in the winter no space heater could make it comfortable.
Her phone buzzed with a text and when she looked at it she saw there were a few messages. No, Jinx did not take the phone with her on her walks—the whole idea of the walk was to get away and relax.
She beat down the irrational thought that one of the messages would be from Logan. Maybe not so irrational, since her text and phone number to inquire about commissions was on the Bajinx website and any calls to this “jewelry number” were sent directly to her private phone.
When she saw a message coming from that line, she went to it immediately, hoping it was Logan but knowing it would be like walking into a burning building to get involved with him. Not to mention having to keep it secret from her family since they would see it as a betrayal of her brother, and he would also probably want to beat the shit out of Logan.
But the message was not from him. It was from someone named Erica Lundberg asking Jinx to call her about a possible commission. With a sigh that was half disappointment, half relief, Jinx downed the rest of her coffee and called Erica, giving her usual pitch about replying to her inquiry and how happy she would be to discuss it.
“Actually, it is not for me. I’m Portia Torrent’s personal assistant and she is really excited about your work.”
“Portia Torrent, the rock musician?” Jinx said after she managed to close her mouth that was hanging open at the thought of making a piece of jewelry for a world famous star.
“Yes, that’s her,” Erica said. “But she would like to meet you first.” With a slightly embarrassed chuckle, the woman on the phone added, “Since the necklace you create would be worn on her body, Portia needs to meet you and feel your presence before she decides if she will hire you.”
Jinx was not sure whether to be insulted or elated. The idea of the artist’s energy being part of the finished piece was not foreign to her. She would never tell anyone, but she had a spooky side to her that secretly believed in that stuff.
Like yesterday when Logan zeroed in on her horses and lightning cuff. She could not help feeling he was wearing a piece of her heart now.
Erica was talking and Jinx realized her mind was wandering. Not good when this one commission could open the door to a whole new level of clientele who could afford to pay for the kind of high-end creations she would love to make.
“I’m sorry, Erica, I missed what you just said.”
“Portia wants you to come to her party tomorrow night. On the second floor of Club Therefore. Have you been there?”
No, she had not, but she wasn’t going to admit that and sound like the small town girl she was. “Therefore,” she said, frantically searching for it on the tablet that sat next to her coffee. “Oh, that new club in Chelsea, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Great place,” Jinx said, looking at the website. “Is it a special occasion? Portia’s birthday or something?”
“She just wrapped up some pain-in-the-butt on-location work and needs to wind down,” Erica said. “So, will you be there?”
