Between the Seams (11 page)

Jo massaged conditioner into her scalp, as much to cleanse as to ease the tension that was trying to creep into her body and stir up a headache. Odds were she was jumping the gun on the future anyway. While Chase wasn’t exactly a man whore, she wasn’t naïve enough to think that he was thinking beyond today in regards to their relationship.

She rinsed the conditioner from her hair then turned off the shower with a decisive flick of her wrist.

No more worrying about the future. Just live in the here and now and enjoy it while it lasts.

Unfortunately, Jo had a feeling that was going to be much easier said than done.

~~*~~

Chapter Thirteen

Later that day, Jo pulled up to Chase’s house at a quarter past five, parking in the empty space in his driveway. From the looks of it, Jenn and Owen were already here, if the two other vehicles out front were any indication.

Leaving the change of clothes and toothbrush she’d brought with her—just in case—in the car, she grabbed the bottle of wine and bowl of potato salad from the front seat and made her way up Chase’s front walk.

In the late afternoon sun, Chase’s house was gorgeous. Two stories. Limestone. Dark blue shutters and trim with windows that sparkled in the sunshine. The front yard was wide, with xeriscaped beds populated by yucca and purple sage. A palm tree stood sentinel next to the garage, and a large oak tree invited people to sit under the shade in the front yard.

It looked warm and welcoming, like the man who lived there.

She reached the front door, rang the doorbell and waited, not sure what the protocol was for entering someone’s home after having hours of wild monkey sex with them that ended less than twelve hours prior. Did she wait until someone answered, or wait a few seconds and then just walk in? She shifted from one foot to the other, hating how she’d gone from being a confident, single, professional woman to anxious schoolgirl seemingly overnight.

Seriously.

And then the door was opening and Chase was there, his brown eyes warming at the sight of her and a smile curving the lips that had touched her in places that were currently going all warm and tingly. He leaned over the threshold, caught her mouth with his for a long, slow,
hello there
kiss.

Jo was pretty sure she felt her ovaries throwing a party.

“Hey there gorgeous,” Chase said, his voice low and full of promise as he stepped aside to let her in the front door.

“Hey there yourself.” She lifted the wine and potato salad. “I, uh, brought stuff.”

Brilliant, Jo.
Had she really paid tens of thousands of dollars for a master’s degree?

“You didn’t have to do that. There’s plenty here,” Chase said as they made their way from the living room to the kitchen.

This afternoon, with the haze of lust and nerves slightly dulled, Jo was able to pay more attention to her surroundings. His home was big without being ostentatious, with an open floor plan that flowed from space to space. A big leather sofa sat in the middle of the room, facing a rustic entertainment center showcasing a huge flat screen TV airing the ball game.

The Wranglers were currently beating the Marlins, she noted.

“Does the game being on bother Matt?” she asked as they passed through to the kitchen.

Chase shook his head. “I don’t think so, since he’s the one who turned it on. But I never can really tell with Matt, especially the past couple of days.”

They stopped at the kitchen island, where Jo set down her packages. It looked like they were alone in the house, and she could hear laughter coming from what she guessed was the backyard. So she asked, “Is he okay? I mean, obviously he seems to be doing as well as someone could physically after something like that. But is he
okay
?”

Chase smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him until their bodies were flush with one another. “You planning on diving into my brother’s psyche, Counselor?”

His eyes sparkled, and Jo couldn’t hide her smile. “If he needs to talk, I’m willing to listen, but I don’t know that I could be impartial considering I’ve known Matt as long as I’ve known you. He’s like an annoying brother in some ways.”

Chase chuckled, nuzzled his nose against the side of her neck. Jo’s eyes closed of their own volition, warmth flooding through her body. “As long as I’m not like an annoying brother.”

Jo sighed. “Impossible.”

And then his lips were on hers and all thoughts of Matt and his possibly fragile psyche scattered. As if from far away, she heard more laughter and a dog barking. Water splashing. The rapid
pop pop pop pop pop
of someone setting off a row of Blackcats.

Vaguely, she thought she heard the sound of a door opening, but the feeling of Chase’s lips and tongue and hands were overpowering her brain cells.

“Well then.”

Startled, Jo broke the kiss, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment on top of desire. She watched as Chase blinked a few times, as if trying to clear his head, before saying, “Looks like we’ve been found out.”

Jenn’s laugh rang out, filling the kitchen. “I knew it!”

Jo snorted and turned to her best friend. “Knew what?”

“That y’all had hooked up last night! Headache my right pinky toe.”

Jo recalled telling Jenn that Chase was giving her a ride home because she’d developed a sudden migraine. Apparently she’d done a poor acting job. Oops.

“Um…”

Jenn walked over and hugged them both. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Jo and Chase looked at each other over Jenn’s head, Jo feeling decidedly awkward considering there had been no discussion of the future or even the present. “Thanks.”

Chase winked at her, and Jenn pulled away, almost bouncing on her toes. “I love you guys, and I’m so glad y’all finally admitted you love each other.”

Jo looked anywhere but at Chase and Jenn. The floor. The ceiling. Winchester’s dog crate. Chase cleared his throat, and Jo could feel his body shift beside hers.

“Oh hell. I just stuck my big foot in my big mouth, didn’t I?”

Jo opened her mouth to respond—with what, she didn’t know—but before she could even form a thought Chase said, “It’s okay, Jenn. No harm, no foul.”

No harm, no foul?
Now there was a stunning declaration of love.

Not that Jo expected Chase to even remotely make a stunning declaration of love. Affection, maybe. But love? They were still feeling each other out.

And up.

Jenn blushed. “Sorry, guys. Didn’t mean to embarrass you. So. Um. Yay. How ‘bout them Cowboys?”

Jo laughed. She couldn’t help it. “It’s okay. We’re just…um…yeah.”

Chase choked back a laugh beside her. She elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow! What was that for?”

“For laughing at me. Isn’t this awkward for you, too?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. A little. But not really. I mean, we’re all adults here.”

Jo turned and faced him. “It doesn’t make you feel awkward that we got caught making out like a couple of high school kids, or that the person who caught us happens to be our mutual best friend who mistakenly assumed we’re in love with each other?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” he paused, as if thinking about it. “No, not really. Why do you feel awkward?”

“Because, ah…” she stammered, “we…um…we don’t…ah…know what we’re doing here?”

Chase wiggled his eyebrows and gave her his best smile. “Oh, I think we know what we’re doing, Jo.”

Her ovaries wobbled.

“As fascinating as this is, I think we might be venturing into TMI territory here.”

Oh hell. She’d forgotten Jenn was standing there. What kind of best friend forgot that her best friend was standing
right there
?

The kind of best friend who’s lady parts are still shocked and awed and giving a standing ovation.

“Sorry, Jenn.” Chase grinned at their friend, and those aforementioned lady parts tingled.

Good Lord, the man was potent.

Jenn’s blush had finally faded. “No problem. Normally I would ask Jo for all of the down and dirty details anyway.”

Chase raised an eyebrow.

“But I don’t think I’ll ask her this time. It would be like asking my brother about his sex life. Eww.”

“Not that I would tell you anyway. Because, yeah. Awkward. And stuff.” Jo said.

The back door opened again, and Owen stepped through this time. “Nobody told me the party had moved in here.”

“We were just about to go outside,” Jo said.

“After they finished making out,” Jenn added.

Owen wiggled his eyebrows and raised his hand for a high five, which Chase did not return. “Too soon?”

Chase shook his head, Jo snorted, and Jenn grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge.

There’s no place like home
, Jo thought to herself as Chase snagged her hand and the four of them walked outside.

She almost stumbled when she realized the backyard wasn’t empty. Matt was there—which she had expected—but so were Matt and Chase’s parents. She tried to let go of Chase’s hand, but instead of complying he just tightened his grasp.

She tugged.

He squeezed.

She wanted to glare at him but instead forced a smile on her face as Sarah Roberts approached and wrapped her in a hug. Of course, Chase let her hand go
then
.

She was going to kill him for not warning her.

“Jo, it’s so good to see you,” Sarah murmured into Jo’s hair. “We’ve all missed you.”

Jo’s eyes stung at the warmth and sincerity in Sarah’s voice, and for the first time she realized that Chase may not have been the only one who had been hurt by her actions. His parents had always been incredibly affectionate with her, and she’d returned that affection. In all her confusion and anxiety about Chase, though, she hadn’t allowed herself to miss his parents, too.

Tears clogged her throat, and she was afraid that if she spoke she would fall apart, so she nodded instead and squeezed Sarah in return.

“Don’t hog her, Sarah!” Bo Roberts’ tone was gruff and teasing, causing Sarah to step back and slap at his arm before he, too, caught Jo up in a hug.

“We’ve missed you, Jolee Girl.”

At the sound of the nickname only Bo had ever called her, Jo almost did lose it then. Luckily, Chase and Matt had gotten their height and size from their dad, and her face was buried in the older man’s shoulder, hidden so that no one could see her composure slipping. She nodded, squeezed him back hard, and fought to regain her composure.

By the time he pulled back, she’d managed to pull herself back from the precipice and had plastered a smile on her face. She caught Chase watching her, noted the worry in his eyes and her smile softened into something that felt more natural.

Sarah and Bo stepped back, and Jo blindly reached for Chase’s hand, needing something solid to keep her in the here and now rather than transporting her back twenty years to happy times and bittersweet memories.

“It’s good to see y’all too.” She smiled at his parents, meaning the words in a way she wouldn’t have just five minutes earlier. It
was
good to see Sarah and Bo, and their warm, heartfelt greeting had quickly helped heal some of the bruises on her soul that she hadn’t even acknowledged existed.

Awkwardly, she realized that Owen and Jenn had jumped into the pool and were apparently trying to give them some privacy. She didn’t miss Jenn’s smile or wink, though, before Owen pushed her under water. Matt was paying attention to something on his iPhone, but Jo didn’t doubt for a second that he’d observed every second of that little exchange.

Chase’s parents settled into chairs around a big, wooden table, and for the first time Jo was able to actually look at Chase’s backyard. It was huge, with a high wooden privacy fence and lush greenery all around the edges. More privacy, she assumed. The deck they were standing on was raised a few feet above the ground, with steps leading on either side down to the yard. The pool was directly in front of the deck, and was a bit of a marvel in and of itself.

Rather than being surrounded by smooth concrete or tile, it was edged by the same limestone as the house. Kidney shaped, one end featured a diving boulder, and the other featured a waterfall that flowed into a separate, slightly elevated and smaller pool that Jo assumed was probably a hot tub. Banana plants and hibiscus surrounded the waterfall and hot tub, creating a shaded oasis that cried relaxation.

Even with the large pool, there was still plenty of yard—and green grass—for Winchester, who at the moment seemed perfectly content to snooze under the shade of the deck’s covering.

The yard sloped downward towards the back, and to the right Jo could make out the vivid blue water of Lake Amistad. To her left, she could just see the peaks of the Sierra del Burro mountains across the border in Mexico. The view alone had been worth her earlier discomfort at seeing his parents.

Jo thought back to the conversation she and Jenn had had at Chili’s a few weeks ago, and Jo realized Jenn hadn’t been lying—Chase really had done well for himself.

She chose an empty deck chair and sat, enjoying the view and the ebb and flow of conversation around her.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Chase leaned over and said quietly in her ear.

She smiled. “This is one hell of a view, Chase Roberts.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

He was looking at her rather than the lake or the mountains, and Jo felt a flustered blush creep up her neck. She nodded and he chuckled.

“You two really need to get a room,” Matt muttered under his breath, never once looking up from his iPhone.

Chase kicked him in the leg, causing Matt to look up and glare before rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to his phone.

Jo was wondering how to subtlely ask Matt if everything was okay when Sarah reached out and took the phone from Matt’s hands.

“Mom!”

“Matthew Tyler Roberts, you’re putting this damned phone away right now and speaking to your friends and family rather than ignoring us.”

Matt’s expression turned flat, but even Jo could see the barely leashed tension that vibrated through his body. From the pool, Jenn snickered and said, “Matthew Tyler Roberts, huh? Somebody’s in trouble.”

Matt didn’t look at Jenn, just got up and stormed inside. Jenn’s expression clouded over briefly before she turned around and dove under the water. Sarah and Bo looked slightly uncomfortable, Chase looked confused, and Jo was torn between worry for Matt and his odd behavior and wanting to shake Jenn for being uncharacteristically bitchy. She squeezed Chase’s hand and murmured, “I’m gonna go grab something to drink. You want anything?”

He shook his head and she got up and went inside. Matt was sitting on the couch, watching the ballgame. Jo grabbed a couple of Dr. Peppers from the fridge and headed into the living room, holding a cold maroon can out as a peace offering.