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The redhead smiled, looking almost girl-next-door, but there was something about her… Heavenly couldn’t put her finger on it. Was it that her mouth looked too lush to be wholesome? Or that her eyes, an interesting shade between blue and green, looked just a tad too cynical to be sweet?
“Nice to meet you, too.” Jasmine said the words, but she looked more cautious than thrilled.
“You two need anything?” Pike asked.
A script?Since that wasn’t going to happen, Heavenly shook her head. Obviously, she’d be winging this luncheon.
“No. Thanks for introducing us, Cullen.” Jasmine sent him a faint smile.
Pike looked lovestruck. Heavenly tried not to gape. This was a Dominant who did whatever constituted super-creative stuff at Shadows? The same guy who had ugly propositioned her a few months back?
“Of course.” He turned to her, his face full of question.
“We’re fine.”
“Lunch is on me. Enjoy.” Pike stuck his hands in his pockets, then looked Jasmine’s way like he wanted to fall into her eyes. “Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll come pick you up.”
“I can Uber.”
He shook his head. “Let me pick you up. Really.”
Pike could be a gentleman. Who knew?
Jasmine shrugged. “All right. Thanks.”
With a nod, he held up an awkward hand and stared, obviously reluctant to leave. But he finally did, pulling his keys from his pocket and disappearing around the corner to wherever he’d parked.
Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention back to Jasmine, only to find the other woman staring. “You must think this is really awkward, coming to meet the new girl in town who’s looking for friends. I told Cullen not to bother, but…”
So was that how Pike had pitched this meeting to Jasmine, as an opportunity to expand her social circle? It was smart. It made sense. Heavenly was surprised he’d even thought of it. What rationale had he given Jasmine to explain her own reason for being here? “Not at all. I’ve only been in LA a few months, and making friends in a city this size is hard.”
Jasmine relaxed a little. “Especially without a nightlife. I don’t know how much Cullen told you about me…”
“Almost nothing.” A way to win Pike brownie points zipped through her brain. “I assumed he didn’t want to break your confidence. He’s really good about that.”
“He told me next to nothing about you, too. Where are you from?”
“Wisconsin. I moved here to get my dad more advanced medical treatments last fall. But he died a few weeks ago.”
Jasmine’s expression softened, and Heavenly felt as if she was finally seeing the real woman. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. Me, too. So you’ve only lived in LA for a few weeks?”
“I’m the full-time caretaker for an older couple, hence the lack of nightlife.”
So how had she met River?
“The weather back east got too cold for them, so they decided to move where it’s warm year-round,” Jasmine went on. “I’m really glad they chose LA. My brother lives here. I haven’t spent much time with him in a decade. He’s older than me, and we’ve grown apart. So…I’m hoping we’ll get close again.”
“I hope you do, too. You didn’t want to meet any of his friends?”
“I don’t want to intrude. Besides, he works in a male-dominated environment, and I’m not looking for dates. Honestly, I really intended to make my own friends over time. Then Cullen stepped in. You met him through your boyfriend?”
“Yeah. They’ve been friends for years.” Heavenly smiled. “Tell me more about you.”
“Not much to say. I didn’t want to go into my family business back home. Neither did my brother. While I was in high school, I worked part-time at a senior care community. There, I met the couple I work for now, Jane and Arthur. Jane’s brother and his wife lived at the facility, and after they passed, Arthur started having some health problems, but they wanted to stay at home. Long story short, they hired me. I’ve been with them since. They’re amazing, and I love what I do. They’re more like family than my own.”
“You’re not close to your parents?”
