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“To make sure you made it home okay.”
Well. That was nice of Christian. No one ever checked on him at dig sites.
“And to remind you to use a condom should you have needed one tonight.”
“Bye, Christian.”
Jackson ended the call and guzzled the rest of the water to wash down the aspirin.
That glass of water did nothing, however, to wash away the idea of needing a condom.
****
Each footstep away from Jackson’s cottage was forced. Isabel’s body ached to about-face and plow back into his living room to join him on that couch. Join him and strip him down to what promised to be a stellar naked specimen.
“But he’s drunk,” she reminded herself as she propelled herself toward her grandfather’s cottage instead.
He had enough wits about him to ask about the date again so he wasn’t crazy trashed. Just wasted enough that Isabel couldn’t be sure he’d actually meant to ask for a date with her.
And she had to be sure.
It would have been so easy to have her way with him tonight, but that felt like playing dirty. If she pursued being with Jackson—even if it was for only a single date—she needed to be certain it was what they both wanted. Her brain would most likely play out all the different scenarios that could have ensued tonight had she thrown caution to the wind.
Yeah. She wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
Isabel opened the front door of her grandfather’s cottage and was delighted to find Blaze on his feet, ready to give her some loving.
“Oh, hey, Blazey-Blaze.” She lowered to her knees and touched noses with her pooch. “How’s my baby? You getting around okay?”
“He’s been checking out every corner of this place,” Grandpa said from the couch in the living room. A couch not all that unlike the one she’d left a hunky Henley on. “He hasn’t whined or appeared to be in much pain.”
“That’s wonderful.” Isabel rubbed Blaze’s fluffy sides until the dog let out low rumbles of bliss. “Sorry I was missing-in-action all afternoon.”
“You’re an adult, Belly,” Grandpa said. “I’m not keeping tabs on you. My time of doing that is over.”
“I know.” She sat beside him on the couch. “But I came here for you and I left you with my injured dog for hours.”
“And yet, both man and beast have survived despite your absence.” Grandpa swept a hand over himself then to Blaze who had settled at their feet between the couch and coffee table.
“Now, you’re making me feel useless.” She folded her arms across her chest.
Grandpa rested his hand on her knee and squeezed. “Useless? You?” He shook his head. “Never. You know I’m thrilled to have you here even though you’d rather be somewhere else.”
Isabel placed her hand atop Grandpa’s. “That’s not true. In fact, do you want to know where I was all afternoon?”
“Only if you want to tell me.”
“At a birthday party where I reconnected with about half the town of Maplehaven, and I had an absolute blast.”
Grandpa angled to face her. “Whose birthday party did you get invited to? You’ve only been here for a day.”
“I went to apologize to Jackson and to thank him, but he said the only way he had time to talk to me is if I got into his jeep. So I did. We talked.” She glanced at Grandpa. “And you were right. Crow isn’t as indigestible as I had imagined. He pulled up to this gorgeous farm and announced we were at his brother’s house for a birthday party. His birthday party.”
“Smooth move.”
Isabel swatted Grandpa’s arm. “It wasn’t a move, Grandpa.”
“Like hell it wasn’t.”
