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“Oh yeah? Where am I going to go? Did you want to invite me over to live with you?”
Garrett paused in mid thought. He hadn’t thought through where his mind was going when he uttered his last sentence. While Jessica was the first woman he ever might have invited over to their home, he wasn’t used to the idea of permanence with women, or of asking them over to the house.
Unfortunately, his natural reaction was to back away from anything resembling commitment. He stiffened while she was still embraced in his arms. She felt it, too. Her back snapped instantly rigid the moment after his posture straightened. Fuck.
“What did you leave in there this morning?” he asked, desperately trying to change the subject from her moving in with them to something else.
Garrett hadn’t seen a single thing she’d left behind that morning. He’d looked because he’d searched high and low for a message or note from her. After the spectacular night, waking up to Jessica being gone without a trace had made him feel abandoned. Even though in any other similar circumstance with every other woman in his past, he’d been vastly relieved.
Did that mean he should make a leap of faith and start something with Jessica? Should he invite her to their house? Would Seth freak out? Maybe not. Since the idea didn’t make him as pathologically terrified as usual, perhaps Seth would also be all right with an invitation. Perhaps he should stop being so cold and distant and put himself out there again. Unless of course he’d already fucked it all up with his stupid knee-jerk reaction.
“Nothing. I only had my overnight bag until this morning. It’s in my back seat now.” Her tone was civil, but he wasn’t convinced she’d forgiven him.
“Good news, then.”
“Sure, but not for my hotel bill. I’ll probably get charged for this. The deposit won’t cover all that damage.”
“You won’t have to pay anything?”
“Why not? I’ve worked in hotel management before. Trust me, guests can be held responsible.”
“You won’t be. When Seth and I left this morning, the only thing amiss in there was the towels hanging on the shower door and the very well-used, unmade bed. We’ll be your witnesses.”
“Until they tell me I had unauthorized guests in the room with me,” she mumbled. She was upset about the room and perhaps his uncalled-for behavior. He shouldn’t have stiffened at the mention of her coming to live with them. How could he fix this?
Garrett opened his mouth to tell her Seth would never charge her for anything, but remembered promising not to tell Jessica that he owned the Enclave Inn. Damn it. He cleared this throat, and thought of something else. “The motel’s insurance policy will cover it,” he responded smoothly.
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I am. Besides, the sheriff’s on the way. We’ll have a police report once my friend Duke gets here. Not to worry.”
“You’re friends with the sheriff?”
“Yes. I have lots of friends. Does that surprise you?”
“I guess not. Why was the waitress so shocked to see you with me? And why did all the diners stop talking and everything when you kissed me?”
Garrett was surprised Delilah hadn’t dropped the coffee carafe when he’d grabbed Jessica and kissed her spontaneously. As a strict rule, Garrett didn’t ever kiss women in public. As in absolutely never before had he done this with any other female in his life. There may also have even been some loud public boasts stressing the same information.
He didn’t kiss women in public, not even at any of the afterhours parties he’d been to at Old West Town. For some reason the loudmouth sitting next to her at the diner made him want to claim Jessica as his own. He wanted everyone in the place to know she was with him. Plus, he had been so grateful to see that she hadn’t run out of town after being with them last night.
He shrugged. “She was simply shocked that someone as gorgeous as you are would let me kiss her.”
She made a scoffing noise. “I don’t believe that for a second, but you are very sweet to say it all the same.”
“I’m not that sweet. Besides, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?”
