Fit for the Job (11 page)

Something about that made Jay sad. Sassy was clearly interested in boys, as a normal girl her age would be. He supposed what upset him was the reminder that her current situation was anything but normal. Part of him felt compelled to ask her about her relationship with her father the next time they were alone. But Bodie had asked him not to, and he’d abide by that. Besides, it was none of his business. He needed to separate his job from his personal feelings, which was already proving harder than he’d anticipated.

One of the young men at the bar seemed to notice Sassy watching him, and offered her a smile, until he caught the death-stare Bodie was giving him, and quickly turned away.

Jay chuckled. “So Sassy, will you play tennis with me tomorrow?”

Sassy looked across the table at him and frowned, setting her fork down. “Why can’t we go out again?”

“Your dad said three times a week,” Bodie offered, his tone gentle. “Don’t want to push it.”

“That sucks,” Sassy said, falling back in her chair. “I had fun today, I don’t want to stay home tomorrow.”

Jay got an idea, one he thought was a stroke of genius until he saw Evelyn’s face. “Want to go camping this weekend, Sassy?”

Evelyn looked like she’d sucked on a lemon. “Camping? You’re kidding, right?”

“It’s her birthday,” Jay said. “She should do something fun.”

“How is that exercise?” Bodie asked, turning to look at Jay.

Jay had to pry his gaze away from Bodie’s beautiful eyes. “Not just camping. There’s this river route in Massachusetts, just over the border. We take two vehicles, park one at one end of the river, then take two canoes on the other vehicle, and drive back to start of the river at the other end. Then we canoe down. It’s cool, I promise, I’ve done it with my friends tons of times. We’ll stop halfway, then a short hike up to this clearing in the pines and camp out for the night. In the morning we hike back down, canoe the rest of the way, and we’re done.”

Bodie scowled.

Jay bumped Bodie’s shoulder with his, the first time he’d risked touching him directly. “Canoeing. Hiking. Exercise.”

“I wanna do it!” Sassy said, brightening.

“I hate camping,” Evelyn said, frowning as she picked at her calamari. “Bugs.” She shuddered.

“How can someone like you be afraid of bugs?” Jay asked. “I thought you did outdoor sports.”

“Just...” She waved a hand at him. “Don’t even ask.”

“You’re talking about an overnight,” Bodie said. “I’d have to clear it with Eben.”

“Oh, fucking hell,” Sassy said.

“Stop swearing,” Bodie said.

“Fuck you, Bodie. My father will say no.”

“You don’t know that,” Bodie said. He looked at Sassy, who’d gone into a sulk. “I’ll try to talk him into it, okay?”

Sassy looked at Bodie, surprise evident in her expression.

“I’ll try, I promise,” he said.

Sassy’s cheeks dimpled with a smile. “Okay. Thanks, Bodie.”

Bodie made a show of being suddenly interested in his food, but Jay could see the smile in his eyes. It was the happiest Jay had seen him look, and he wondered when the last time Sassy had smiled at Bodie was. It likely didn’t happen often.

“I want something in return,” Jay said to Sassy.

Sassy flounced back in her chair. “Oh here we go. What now?”

“You have to play tennis with me tomorrow.”

Evelyn grinned at Sassy. “Go on, Sass. Play tennis with him. It’ll be fun to kick his ass.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Sassy said.

“Okay,” Evelyn said. “If you’re scared he’s better than you.”

Sassy frowned at her. “Please. I’m a bit old for the reverse psychology thing.”

Jay sighed, shaking his head. “I guess you don’t want to do the canoeing camping trip then.”

“That’s not fair!” Sassy said.

Jay raised his eyebrows at her. “Well?”

“Okay, I’ll play tennis with you. But I’m not going easy on you, so I hope your
cardiovascular system
is up to par, queenie.”

Jay laughed. “What time do you want to play?”

He grudgingly remembered he had his nephew’s birthday barbeque at his brother, Paul’s house tomorrow. Capello family barbeques were kind of a big deal, and he’d promised he’d be there. But if it conflicted with his current job duties, well, the family would just have to understand.

“I don’t care,” Sassy said. “But I like to sleep late.”

Jay poked at his food. “I’m supposed to go to this family barbecue thing tomorrow afternoon, but that’s not until two. But I can skip it if need be, no big deal.”

Bodie glanced at Jay. “You should go. Eben didn’t hire you to work twenty-four hours a day.”

“Yeah, you should go,” Sassy said. “We can play tennis earlier. It won’t take me that long to kick your ass.”

Jay grinned. “Okay. Thanks, Sassy.”

“Can I go?” she asked.

Jay paused, and met her eyes. “Go where?”

“To the barbecue with you.”

Jay laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. My family is a bit...a bit...”

Sassy raised her eyebrows. “Middle class?”

Bodie snorted, and Evelyn said, “Sassy! Don’t be rude.”

Jay laughed hard. “No, no, it’s all right. That’s one way of putting it. Honestly, Sassy, I’m not sure you’re ready to deal with how the other half lives. My family is sort of...in your face.”

“Oh come on,” Sassy said. “I’ve been in boarding school since I was eleven. Which means I’ve been living in dorms and eating in mess halls with a bazillion other girls since I was eleven. I think I can handle a suburban barbecue.”

Bodie sighed heavily.

Sassy looked over at him, frowning. “What, Bodie?”

He shook his head. “I know you want to get off the property badly, Sass, but a barbecue isn’t part of Jay’s fitness job. It’s not part of the deal.”

“My father’s been leaving the house at the crack of dawn and not getting home until one in the morning,” she said. “He doesn’t have to know. Don’t be such a suck-ass, Bodie.”

“Don’t do this to me, Sassy,” Bodie said. “Come on. We had a nice day. Let’s just leave it alone. Taking you to a party is not Jay’s job.”

“But I—”

“Don’t push me, Sassy. It’s not exercise. I said no.” Bodie’s tone was sharp, making even Jay sink in his chair a bit.

Sassy fell silent. She picked at her food, but her lip quivered.

Ah shit
, Jay thought.
Is she gonna cry?
He didn’t think he could handle crying. With the family he’d grown up with, he was used to people throwing tantrums and verbal barbs at him. He could handle that side of Sassy. But he was terrified of tears.
Please don’t cry. Please don’t cry.

Sassy wiped a tear that slid down her cheek.

Damn it!

Bodie and Evelyn either didn’t see it or chose to ignore it. Jay was conflicted. He was having trouble determining if Sassy was just damn spoiled and manipulative, or if whatever trauma she’d experienced that led to her extreme punishment was fueling her emotional turmoil. He supposed if he’d been a teen, limited to so few social outlets for an entire summer, a simple outing to a barbecue would be a big deal. He likely wouldn’t cry about it, but then he didn’t have enough information to know the full spectrum of whatever Sassy was dealing with at the moment.

And truth be told, he was a damn softy. In the past, his brothers had cursed him for spoiling his nieces and nephews, unable to say no to them no matter what they asked for. He knew he’d likely have a thicker skin if he was a parent himself. But, he wasn’t.

He drummed his fingers on his thighs. “Actually,” he said, turning to Bodie, “they always play volleyball at these barbecues.”

Bodie turned and glared at him. “Oh. Do they, now?”

“Yeah, if she plays some volleyball, then it’s still exercise.”

Sassy looked up, her eyes hopeful.

“It’s not a good idea,” Bodie said. “For a lot of reasons.”

“What’s the big deal?” Jay asked. “It’ll be fine, my family is very welcoming.”

Bodie turned and glared at Jay again. But Jay had begun to build up an immunity to Bodie’s intimidating stares. He met Bodie’s glare straight on, giving him a big smile. “Come on, Bodie,” Jay said. “Hot dogs and ice cream and games.” He decided since he was on a roll, he’d push it and flirt a bit. “I’ll go in the bouncy castle with you,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Bodie’s eyes narrowed.

“Damn it, Jay,” Evelyn said. “I’m still working nights too, I’m tired. I was looking forward to having tomorrow to myself.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jay said. “I didn’t think of that.”

“I can handle it,” Bodie grumbled.

Evelyn paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. “What did you say?”

“I can handle the barbecue,” he repeated. “You can have the day off.”

“But Eben said it had to be both of us if Sassy left the house,” Evelyn said warily.

“I can
handle
it,” Bodie said, then looked at Sassy. “If she promises to behave, and not make me regret it.”

“I promise,” Sassy said quickly. “I won’t do anything crazy, Bodie.”

“You know the rules,” Bodie said. “I expect you to abide by them.”

“I will,” Sassy assured him quickly. “I promise.”

Jay had a moment of hesitation and regret, second guessing if infiltrating Sassy and Bodie into his family dynamic was such a great idea. Sassy was unpredictable. His family was unpredictable. In his quest to stop Sassy’s tears, he’d momentarily forgotten who she was. The daughter of Eben and Ingrid Wright, two big time players in Hollywood films. And his family would know this. Any manner of things could come out of their mouths.

Crap
. And Sassy currently hated her father. It was a delicate situation. Sassy was a tinderbox. And Jay had just agreed to drag her into a burning house.

When they left the restaurant, Sassy and Evelyn walked ahead as they made their way back to where Bodie had parked.

Bodie fell back, walking alongside Jay. “Listen, Jay,” he said softly, his breath tickling Jay’s ear as he leaned in. “I’ll go to this barbecue, but please don’t good-cop me like that again. At least not without discussing it with me first. It’s hard enough getting her to listen to me.”

Jay looked at him. “I’m sorry. I really am. Did I just fuck up?”

Bodie shook his head. “Just be careful. Sassy can be a sweetheart. But she can also be as manipulative as her father.”

When they got back to the house, Evelyn took Sassy inside, but Bodie, to Jay’s surprise, trailed him up onto the porch of the guest house.

Jay stopped before the door and faced him. “Have you come to pat me down?”

Bodie frowned, and took a step back. “No, actually.” His eyes flicked over Jay’s outfit, a pair of loose cotton shorts and tee shirt. “I can see you’ve got no pockets and I’ve had eyes on you all day, I don’t need to search you. I just wanted to set some ground rules for tomorrow, if you really want to take her to this family party of yours.”

Jay nodded, embarrassed. “Oh. Okay.”

Bodie stared at Jay, and Jay tried not to let his gaze trail up and down the other man’s body. He looked so inviting standing there in the early evening light, hands on his hips. Strands of pale brown locks had come free from his hair tie after the day’s activities. He looked scruffy and a bit cuddly in his faded jeans and loose tee shirt, simultaneously hard and soft.

And Bodie had been holding Jay’s gaze for far too long, saying nothing.

“Something wrong?” Jay asked.

Bodie shrugged a shoulder. “You look disappointed. Did you
want
me to pat you down?”

Jay inhaled sharply. He forced a chuckle as flames shot up his body, heating his face. “I...I’m not sure how to answer that.”

Bodie smiled. “Anyway, about tomorrow.”

Jay nodded, struggling with all his might to appear casual as his heart hammered in his chest. “Right. Ground rules.”

“There are gonna be kids there, right?”

“Yeah. My nephew’s turning ten. All of my brothers have kids of various ages. I’m sure they’ll all be there.”

“Sassy can’t be alone with anyone,” Bodie said. “Especially near a computer, or a cell phone.”

Jay winced. “I did fuck up by inviting her, didn’t it?”

Bodie shrugged. “It’s too late now. I’d rather deal with keeping an eye on her tomorrow than what will happen if we tell her no after the fact. But you need to be prepared for anything. I don’t want your family to have to witness any theatrics.”

“My family is used to theatrics,” Jay said. “I’m sure it will be fine, either way. We’ll deal with it.”

Bodie raised his eyebrows. “We?”

“I mean I’ll help you,” Jay said. “Keep an eye on her while we’re there. I won’t leave her side.”

Bodie held his eyes for another long moment, then nodded. “Okay.” He turned and trotted down the stairs, off the porch. Looking over his shoulder at Jay, he said, “Sleep well.”

Jay watched him disappear around the corner.
Sleep well
. Yeah, right. If the throbbing in his pants was any indication, Jay would not be sleeping well. His head was spinning, replaying Bodie’s words.

‘
Did you
want
me to pat you down
?’

He inhaled sharply again, just at the memory. No, he wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight at all.

Chapter Five

‘Did you
want
me to pat you down?’

Bodie cursed as he got out of bed, squinting at the morning sunlight coming in through the large windows in his room. Had he really said that to Jay last night? He’d hoped he’d dreamed it, but as his wakefulness solidified, so did his memory of saying those words. And of the look on Jay’s face afterward.

He grabbed his robe and went into the bathroom to shower. It had been a simple flirt, no big deal. But the ease with which it left his lips bothered him. That type of flirting was something he’d do with a guy he wanted to fuck. Jay wasn’t one of those guys, someone to sneak off into a dark room to pound, then flee before prying eyes could ever know what they’d been up to.

Like the guys he’d met in the military. Like Clive. He bristled in the shower, thinking of the man whose betrayal had stung more than all the others. Quickly shutting the shower off and drying himself, he moved into the bedroom to dress, forcing himself into work mode so he wouldn’t have time to think about the past. Or to think about what he was going to do...or not do about his growing attraction to Jay.