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Jackson chuckled and ran a hand through his thick hair, trying to settle the bedhead down a bit. “Alright, you got me. I was an asshole back then. You were around a lot, and I picked on you like I did Kat. I didn’t mean any harm by it.”
“You know Kat didn’t appreciate it either, right? Just because you’re her brother doesn’t make it okay.”
“I know I can be a dick. I take jokes too far sometimes without meaning to, but they are only jokes. I don’t mean anything by them.”
“Well a joke is only funny if both parties are laughing, and with your jokes, that’s rarely the case.”
I was headed into the kitchen with my empty coffee cup when Jackson stopped me and pointed to a sign that said, “Staff Only.”
“Kat went in there last night.”
“Kat is not someone who follows the rules, I thought you knew that about her already.” He laughed and took the empty cup from my hands, setting it down on a tray next to the espresso machine. “The staff will handle it.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about leaving my cups and dishes around for others to pick up, but I glanced back at the little sign that almost blended into the wallpaper if you weren’t looking for it. I didn’t want to break any rules.
After Jackson finished making his cup, he turned to me, taking me by surprise. “Listen, I know I can be a dick sometimes. I’m sorry. I am trying to be better.”
Deep down, I knew that Jackson treated others a lot like his dad had treated people, including his mother. He wasn’t raised with a strong,kindmasculine influence in his life. Hopefully he meant it and he truly was trying to be better, because after a certain point, there’s really no excuse for it.
Hearing Jackson apologize to me was something I never imagined would happen, but there I was in the dining room with him, alone, and hearing the words coming from his mouth. I wasn’t sure yet if I forgave him completely, his actions from there on out would have to prove to me that he was a changed man, but I realized that maybe he actually had transformed, and hopefully for the better.
Jackson’s dark eyes stayed locked on me and sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t recall him ever looking at me like that, or for that long, and there was something in that gaze that gave me butterflies in my stomach.
Stop it, Harper. It’s Jackson. There’s no way you’re going to do anything with your best friend’s brother.
“Oh hey, you’re up early,” a voice pulled my gaze away from Jackson, and toward the other brother standing in the doorway.
My body tensed as I recognized Nathan, and I almost bolted for the door, but he was standing between me and the exit.
“I’m always a morning person,” Jackson said.
“Not you, her.” Nathan smiled at me. I averted my gaze entirely since his smile was always a weakness of mine.
“I’m a morning person too, and I fell asleep early,” I said, not that I owed him an explanation. “Anyway, I was just heading back upstairs and–”
“Can we talk?” Nathan interrupted me.
“Uh, sure, I guess.” I crossed my arms in front of me in a defensive posture.
Nathan ran a hand through his hair, reminding me of Jackson’s same movement only moments before.
Nathan looked over at Jackson who seemed to be oblivious at his brother’s hints to leave. He sat down in the same place I was earlier, coffee in hand, and stared out the window.
“I just wanted to apologize,” Nathan said. “For what happened when we were younger. Carly and Brett, well, they’re assholes and–”
“Stop, Nathan. I really don’t want to relive that time in my life. It’s the past. If you’re truly sorry, prove it to me by being a better person, not apologizing years too late for something that happened when we were kids.”
I was on my way out when more voices filled the hallway, including Kat’s. At least with my bestie there, things would hopefully be a little less tense. Aiden entered the dining room first, however, and when he saw me, he said, “Morning, Freckles.”
My jaw clenched tightly, and I was ready to tell him the same thing I had told Jackson earlier. But Jackson surprised us all by speaking up. “Not cool, man.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden’s tone was strained.
Kat stepped in and said, “Uh-oh, are you fighting already?”
Before I could say anything, Jackson said calmly, “It’s not cool to call her Freckles. She doesn’t like it, so we need to cut it out.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry, Harper.”
