Beautiful Ties (9 page)

“You can’t say things like that,” I protested with scattered wits, shaking my head. “Yesterday can’t happen again,” I added, forcing myself to believe it, too.

Jason and I needed to get back on track. The two of us were still working together.

“Get in the truck, Abbey,” Jason said roughly, his eyes boring into mine with various emotions of his own. He seemed as though he was struggling for control to hold himself back from ravishing me up against his truck.

Ignoring how much my body wanted him to do just that, I knew we needed to stop flirting with one another. It was too risky. One of us would end up getting hurt. I swallowed as I put on the stubborn persona my family knew so well.

“No, not until you promise,” I retorted, standing my ground.

A mischievous grin flashed across his features before he was suddenly right in front of me with one arm resting on the top of the truck and the other on my hip. He bent forward, closing the distance. I gasped softly, and my lips parted, thinking he was going to kiss me.

But he didn’t.

He lightly grazed his lips across my cheekbone and then all the way to my ear. My breathing deepened as I tried to anticipate his next move. His warm breath tickled my flushed skin.

“Promise you what?” he challenged in an absurdly sexy and gruff voice.

The tone sent a delicious shiver pulsating from the tip of my spine down to the base.

Before I could form a decent response, he continued, “Promise you that I’ll keep my hands off of you?”

He tightened his hold on my waist and gently bit on the bottom of my earlobe. His touch made heat spread through my body like wildfire.

“Because that is proving to be really fucking hard when you have been in my thoughts nonstop for the last three days. So, please don’t ask me to stay away. I don’t think I can.”

If he continued, I was bound to cave. Or I would strip him down right here in the parking lot because I wanted to know what his bare chest and every curve of his muscles would feel like up against my own.

I had it bad for him. He was like a tempting chocolate morsel right under my nose, begging to be eaten.

Since giving in was not an option, I got ready to unleash my last card. I pressed my backside against his leather seat, half in and half out of his truck, in an effort to create a little distance between us, so I could clear the haze from my mind. “Kyle would never allow us to date since it would compromise our working relationship,” I replied.

An impish grin broke free across his face. “You just let me worry about Kyle.” He chuckled.

Before I could voice my concerns, I heard footsteps approaching followed by a familiar young voice.

“Abbey? What are you doing?” Pearl asked, nearing the side of the truck.

All previous thoughts were pushed aside as my head spun in her direction. Jason had already taken a respectable step back from me.

I cleared my throat. “Hi, Pearl!” I said in surprise. “What are you doing out so early?”

She was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a pink T-shirt with a ruffled hemline. A piece of my heart splintered off when I noticed her outfit was very worn, and it looked to be at least one size too small for her. She had her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, and her backpack looked to be about ten years old, nearly falling apart at the seams.

“Diane said she had to leave early today, so I have to wait outside for the bus,” she replied sadly.

I frowned. The fact that this little girl was caring for herself at such a young age didn’t sit well with me. I felt helpless. I wished I knew more about Diane. Hearing Pearl call her by name instead of mom once again made me assume there was more to that particular story. I did not want to overstep any boundaries, but maybe I could talk to Diane and try to help out in my free time.

“Oh…” I said and then paused.

Pearl swept her bangs out of her face, but they fell right back over her eyes. Jason stood silently at my side, quietly observing our interaction.

“Would you like some help with your hair, sweetie?”

Her eyes lit up. “Could you, please?” she asked with delight. “My hair won’t stay out of my eyes!” she huffed.

I glanced at Jason apologetically. “I’m going to take Pearl upstairs and braid her hair. Can you holler if you hear the bus coming?”

Jason’s stare was full of sympathy and questions about the young girl. I subtly shook my head at him, letting him know that now was not the time.

“Of course. I’ll keep a watch for it,” he answered me. Then, he offered Pearl a kind and gentle smile.

The endearment made my heart expand in my chest. She returned his smile with a shy one of her own.

I put my arm around her shoulder. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go tame those bangs, so you can see,” I said to her while leading her back up the sidewalk toward my condo.

As we were walking, she tilted her head up at me. “Who was that?” she asked.

“A friend,” I replied as we reached my front door. I slipped my key in and turned the handle before gesturing Pearl inside.

“What kind of friend?” She giggled. “You mean, like a boyfriend?”

I led her into the bathroom. “No, sweetie, he’s just a new friend. And what do you know about boyfriends anyway?” I teased lightly.

“I don’t,” she replied quickly, placing her hand on her chin. Then, she got that dreamy look in her eyes. “But someday, my prince will come rescue me, like in
Cinderella
. Then, we’ll get married and have ten babies.”

Rescue
—
what an unusual word to use
.

Didn’t Cinderella have a sad childhood?

I shook off the thoughts, knowing Pearl was waiting for me to respond. I started to brush her hair. “Ten babies?” I said in wonder. “You are going to be a very busy mommy.”

“Yep, I want to be a mom for my grown-up job.” She smiled. “Abbey, what do you do at your job?”

I carefully started French-braiding her hair. “I help purchase old buildings and plan the restoration process,” I said, realizing she probably had no idea what I was talking about.

Gail still didn’t even really understand. She would just go,
Uh-huh
, after a while.

“Restoration?” she replied, testing out the word.

I pondered over how a seven-year-old would think. “Yep, that means fixing them up. Basically, we take really old buildings and make them pretty again,” I said.

“Oh, that makes sense.” She suddenly gasped in the mirror. “That looks so cute!” she squealed, studying her hair in the mirror. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

I smiled at her reflection. “Well, I never had a sister growing up, but I did have many sleepovers. I learned how to do fancy braids after lots of practicing on my friends. This one is called a French braid.”

“Can you teach me?” she cried. Her eyes were full of hope.

“Sure.” I smiled. Then, I gestured her toward the door. “We can start practicing another day. Right now, we have to get you on your bus, or I’ll be in big trouble.”

“Okay!” she exclaimed.

I locked my condo, and then we headed out the door. After putting my keys in my pocket, I motioned for Pearl to start walking again. She surprised me by grabbing my hand and swinging it back and forth as we made our way toward the parking lot. I could not help but feel my heart swell in my chest. I adored this little girl.

Jason was leaning against his truck, and his right leg was kicked out over the other. His attention was focused on his cell phone in his hand.

“Look what Abbey did to my hair!” Pearl said with delight to Jason, making him look up.

He smiled over at her.

“It’s called a French braid!” she added while running her free hand along her new updo, never breaking our joined hands.

“It looks great,” Jason said to her. He turned to glance at me, and his eyes glowed with warmth.

I beamed back at him before turning my attention to Pearl. “So, what time does your bus normally arrive?” I asked gently. Just then, I heard a bus coming around the street corner.

She rotated her head toward the noise. “Uh, right now!” she exclaimed loudly. She spun to face me. “I gotta go! Thank you, Abbey!”

She hugged me hard, nearly knocking the wind out of me with her surprising force, and I embraced her back.

“You’re most welcome,” I responded.

Pearl took off running toward the bus that was now stopped in front of our condo complex. I lifted my eyes to see Jason staring at me. His eyes were full of many emotions that seemed to be coursing through him.

“I assume she is your neighbor?” he finally asked softly.

“Yes.” I lifted my hand to point in the general direction of where she lived. “She lives over there in the second building,” I clarified.

Pearl was usually roaming all over whenever I saw her. She’d seemed to know her way around the area very well.

Jason uncrossed his legs and stood to his full height. He pivoted to open my door, and I hopped up into his truck. He came around to enter the driver’s side, and then he turned the key over to start the truck.

His head tilted over at me. “It seems like she has quite a story behind her sad eyes,” he said, disheartened.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I murmured, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Jason frowned slightly as he started backing out of the parking space. His expression reflected the way I felt inside.

“What all do you know about her?” he asked.

“Not much.” I sighed. “She’s very reserved. My only hope is that she’s okay, but I can’t help this feeling I get every time I see her. It’s like she’s unhappy.”

He pulled out onto the main road and turned in the direction of the new building. “I could see that just in the few minutes I met her. What’s the story with her parents?”

“I’m not sure. She only speaks of a woman named Diane, but it’s odd that Pearl calls her by her first name.” I paused, shaking my head. “The two times I met Diane were very brief.”

“I could be wrong, but it seems as though she’s a foster child,” he said delicately.

I blinked up at him. “What would make you say that?”

Jason shrugged. “Well, she doesn’t look like she’s happy in her home life, and if you’ve only ever heard of Diane and no father, then that would be my speculation. Plus, I grew up with many friends from foster families, and she reminds me of them.” He paused. “But that’s just a guess,” he added reassuringly.

My heart squeezed. It was my fear coming to realization. I only hoped that Pearl was living in a good home and that she was being taken care of.
Is that so much to ask for a child?

I blinked back tears at how much Pearl had come to mean to me in such a short time. She was a beautiful young girl, and she did not deserve to be neglected.

“I fear you might be right,” I breathed.

“Well, you’re doing the right thing by being a good friend to her,” he replied with the utmost sincerity.

“Thank you,” I said while making the effort to smile. “I just wish I could do more.”

We came to a halt at a red light. Jason rotated his head to look at me for a quick second. His eyes searched mine, but he did not speak. I was not sure what to say. All my thoughts were overflowing with concerns for Pearl and how much I wanted to help her. The only problem was that I was not sure how.

Once we arrived at the office building, my mood started to lighten. Working side-by-side with Jason made physical labor so much easier to endure. We even had a radio blaring in the background.

By eleven o’clock, he had taken off his shirt during a break from tearing out the old carpet. My eyes would sneak quick glances at him here and there, wanting to memorize every fine detail of his bare upper physique. With every yank on the Berber, his muscles rippled from his arms all the way up to the wide expansion of his sculptured shoulders. His body was in prime condition. Watching him was way more intriguing than wetting the wallpaper and scraping it off with an oversized razor blade. I vowed to myself right then and there that I would never own a house with wallpaper, no matter how cute of a design it had.

After finishing lunch, Jason tipped his head back to chug his bottled water. My gaze lingered on his exposed stomach, and suddenly, I started counting. He didn’t have a six-pack. He had an eight-pack. I recounted to make sure my eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on me. His body started vibrating when I reached the number seven this time, so I glanced up at him. He was looking at me with a mixture of heat and amusement.

My mouth parted. I was uncertain what to say at being caught gawking at his strikingly attractive body.

“Cat got your tongue?” he teased with a wicked glint in his eyes.

I struggled to find words, racking my brain for a quick denial. At the last second, I noticed the radio behind him. An idea popped in my head, and I pointed toward the music. “Nope. I was just trying to read the display behind you to see what station this is.” I felt guilty for lying, but I could not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had been right.

He actually turned to look at the radio, and then he turned back to me. His mouth lifted with a mischievous grin. “Nice try.” He winked.