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It took her brain a second to puzzle it out – the poor man was stuttering! Well, hell! She’d thought he was this big suave businessman, and here he was stuttering like one of her kids.
She gave him a warm smile and squeezed his hand, wanting him to know that he could relax. She wasn’t anyone scary.
“Becca Taylor. It’s nice to meet you. You’ve done a fantastic job here tonight. This is wonderful. I’m sure you’ve made the holidays brighter for a lot of folks by doing this.”
He looked almost puzzled as if he didn’t understand. She was starting to wonder if she made him uncomfortable. He’d stuttered out his name, now he was looking at her like she’d grown two heads when she tried to set him at ease so that he might relax enough not to stutter.
“Are you okay?” She always felt for people who were socially awkward, probably because she saw it so much with the children she taught.
He was still giving her the same puzzled look. “I’m great. Thanks for asking.”
Perhaps he was one of those guys who was brilliant at business but clueless with people. She smiled again. “I’m glad.”
When he smiled back, he looked anything but clueless. He looked amused and … kind of dangerous at the same time. Well, maybe not dangerous in the traditional sense, but definitely dangerous for a girl whose boyfriend had left her months ago and who hadn’t … what was she even thinking?
“Are you trying to put me at ease?” he asked.
She bit the inside of her cheek before she answered, hit by the feeling that she’d misjudged the situation – misjudged him. She shrugged. “Sorry. Force of habit, I guess.” She leaned her head toward Ava. “It comes from working with the kids.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and those tingles sought out parts of her body that hadn’t tingled in way too long. “Please, don’t apologize. I like it.”
The way he smiled proved that he wasn’t nervous. Not one bit. He confirmed it when he laughed. “I don’t remember the last time anyone tried to do that for me. Thank you.”
She laughed with him, though it was more out of embarrassment than amusement. Boy, did she feel stupid?! He hadn’t been stuttering! This was the Jacobs Estate. And he was Ava’s Uncle Jacob. Even if she could be forgiven for not putting two and two together immediately – who named their child Jacob Jacobs? – she’d still screwed up big time! This guy wasn’t Ava’s stuttering Uncle. He was one of Napa’s bigshots. And she’d been trying to make him feel better by talking to him like he was a little kid who needed Miss Taylor to reassure him!
“Thank you for coming, Miss Taylor.”
Becca had never felt so grateful to have a conversation interrupted by one of her kids. She smiled at Ava. “I told you I’d be here for you. I’m proud of you. You did great.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow. We have to go to Uncle Grady and Hannah now!” She said the last few words with a nod at Jacob.
It was only when Ava grabbed for his hand that Becca realized that she was still holding his other one – and hadn’t let go of it this whole time. Before she could stop herself, she threw his hand back at him as if it had suddenly scalded her. Crap! Could she make this any worse?
Ava was already trying to drag him away, but Jacob’s gray eyes sought her gaze and held it. “It was good to meet you, Becca Taylor.”
“You too.” She gave him a quick smile and turned to hurry away. No chance in hell she was going to call him Jacob freaking Jacobs! She was out of here! Time to go home and hide under her duvet while she waited to see if a case of acute embarrassment at the hands of a hot, Napa bigshot would prove fatal!
Chapter Two
Jacob frowned at his phone when it vibrated on his desk. He wanted to get finished up with work for the day so that he’d have time to eat and get changed before he went to the carol concert at Ava’s school. He didn’t need any more hassles today. Whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.
He blew out a sigh as he picked up his phone anyway. Problems that arose at the end of the day could usually wait until tomorrow – but it wasn’t in his nature to let them. He preferred to clear the slate before he left the office.
He pursed his lips when he saw the name on the display. It wasn’t work; it was Selena.
Selena: I’m free tonight. Want me to come over?
He was tempted to not reply. She already knew his answer. He’d made it very clear a couple of weeks ago – and every time that she’d texted since. He and Selena had dated for a while, but there hadn’t been any feelings there. Jacob was fully aware that women like Selena dated guys like him for several reasons. They’d be happy to hook themselves a wealthy husband, but they didn’t generally expect to get that lucky. Until they landed their big fish – their term, not his – they were happy to be wined, dined, and shown off on the social circuit. He wouldn’t deny that guys like him were happy to play the game since the wining and dining involved screwing afterward, too.
He tapped his fingers on the desk as he stared at his phone. He’d played that game for most of his adult life. He’d had a serious girlfriend in his twenties, but that had ended when his parents were killed, and he’d thrown himself into his work. He’d thought he was okay with having what he considered convenient arrangements with women, rather than relationships. But something had changed recently. Perhaps it was because Hannah had come home, and he enjoyed seeing the way her relationship with Grady and Ava was developing. But even before that, he’d been feeling the need for … something … he didn’t know what, just something.
Whatever the reason behind it had been, he’d called things off with Selena a few weeks ago. He’d invited her to come to the Christmas tree lighting at the estate with him – and had been relieved when she’d refused. When she’d said that she would be happy to come and see him afterward, that she’d be happy to wait in his bed for him until he was finisheddo-gooding for the unwashed masses,as she’d put it, he’d told her not to bother – that it was better if they both moved on.
He smiled as he thought about that night – about Ava’s teacher, Becca Taylor. He’d been trying to put her out of his mind ever since, but he hadn’t succeeded. There was something about her. Something that had his thoughts straying back to her long, blonde hair and her fresh-faced good looks. Mostly, his thoughts strayed to the way that she’d tried to make sure that he was okay.
Most women he met – most people, when he thought about it – tried to impress him for one reason or another. As the owner and CEO of Jacobs Estate, most people wanted something from him. Whether it was an investment in a business deal, a night in his bed, or hopes of hooking a wealthy husband, most people he met were angling to get something from him. They tried to impress him, they sucked up, or they tried to seduce him. Becca Taylor hadn’t done any of that. He couldn’t help smiling at the memory of how she’d squeezed his hand and asked if he was okay.
Of course, she hadn’t known who he was, but that just showed who she was – she was a woman with a kind heart who’d done her best to make the bumbling idiot he must have appeared to be, feel at ease.
