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In the end, her self-will utterly failed her. “I’m looking forward to it,” she replied into the phone on a resigned sigh then made her way to the small bathroom of her apartment. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s the least we can do. Especially considering you refused any sort of payment for all your hard work.”
There it was. A reminder that she couldn’t read too much into this invite. Jordan was simply being polite and trying to find a way to thank her since she’d refused his offer of payment. Nothing more than that.
“I can be there in about half an hour if that works.”
“Great. I’ll let Sonya know. She’ll be happy to see you.”
He’d just told her that Sonya would be happy to see her. Not Jordan. Again, it would be silly of her to think otherwise, even for a moment.
“Oh, and Jess?” he asked before she’d disconnected.
“Yes?”
“Bring the ice cream. I’ve always loved mint chocolate chip.”
CHAPTER FOUR
JORDAN COULDN’T QUITE recall when he’d actually become an impulsive man. For that was what extending the dinner invite to Jess had been: completely impulsive. But the look on his baby sister’s face when she’d seen Jess’s completed castle had sent a bolt of emotion through him he hadn’t been ready for.
Jess was responsible for that look. So when Sonya said she wished Jess hadn’t left before she could tell her thank you, he hadn’t allowed himself to think too much about what he wanted to do. He wanted Jess to share the evening with them, one of their first few evenings in their new home without the stress and hassle of unpacking or trying to get fully settled. The little girl had been through so much in such a short period of time, it touched Jordan’s heart when she did manage a genuine, heartfelt smile.
He threw a dozen prepared kebabs on the patio’s built-in circular stone grill and turned to really study his new backyard for the first time. His new environment was so different than the high-rise luxury apartment he’d called home until just recently.
An inground crystal-blue pool complete with two cascading waterfalls marked the central centerpiece of a lushly green outdoor space. A gray brick patio area led to a double screen door to the kitchen of the main house. The caretakers’ cottage, which Elise occupied, could be seen about an acre away. The grill and a built-in fire pit sat between the sitting area and the pool.
Would Jess like it?
Funny, he’d never particularly felt the need to impress a woman before. An outside observer may find it coldhearted, but the women he’d been involved with in the past weren’t ones he’d felt terribly invested in emotionally; his relationships were based on not much more than mutual attraction.
He glanced at the expensive Italian Frascati sitting in the ice bucket by the glass dining table. He’d spent an exorbitant amount of time in the gourmet wine shop earlier this evening picking out a bottle he thought would suit what little he knew of Jess’s tastes. So yeah, that was something of a new experience, as well.
He was definitely trying to impress her; there was no denying it. Nor was there any denying of the bolt of pleasure that shot through his center when he heard her voice behind him. He turned to find her walking through the kitchen screen door with Sonya trailing behind her.
“Something smells mouthwateringly delicious. I hope it’s okay. Sonya let me in when she noticed me outside the front door.”
No, he didn’t mind at all. Was immensely pleased she was here and would be spending the evening with them.
“Of course not. Come in. Have a seat. The kebabs should be ready momentarily.”
Sonya was beaming. She pulled her chair close to the one Jordan had pulled out for Jess and sat right next to her. Hard to explain exactly why the little girl had taken such a swift liking to the young artist teacher. Perhaps they were kindred souls or spirits who had called to each other. So what was his own excuse?
“Thanks for coming out,” he told her.
She gave him a small smile before answering. “Thank you for the invite. To be honest, I never thought I’d be having dinner here, in this house.”
