Jarod's Heart (King Brothers Stories #2) (5 page)

“I knew Miranda in school,” Marguerite informed them. “She probably left him because, well…you know…” and here she began to whisper loudly, “he’s gay, and he probably didn’t know what to do with a woman in bed.”

Brad was laughing out loud at Marguerite’s ridiculous explanation, unable to control himself any longer.

“All right, knock it off you two. I don’t want to hear another word on the subject.” Lauren was standing now, shaking her head.

The invocation of Miranda’s name always pushed Lauren’s buttons. Jarod had become a different man after Miranda’s shameful departure. He had once been a confident and outgoing guy, but now he was merely going through the motions of life, competent in his job but quiet and withdrawn from the human race.

After speaking to Jarod today, she just wasn’t in the mood for Brad’s teasing or Marguerite’s stupidity. The only person allowed to mess with Jarod was her, and she always teased him to his face, not behind his back, like these two.

Of course, Brad was teasing her and not Jarod.

She was so confused.

Brad stood away from the wall, palms out in a gesture that said he gave up. “Sounds like you care a little too much for your boss, Lauren.” He winked.

Marguerite zeroed in on that possibility. “Oh, I get it. Lauren’s got a crush on the sheriff. Well, surely, by now, you realize that he has no interest in you or any other woman for that matter.”

She winked at Brad in a satisfied way, and slithered back to her workstation on the other side of the room.

Lauren turned back to Brad and gave him a disbelieving look.

“Sorry,” he said, sincerely. “I took that too far.”

“You’re damn right you did. Why do you always get her going?” she asked.

“Because she is so full of herself and it entertains me.”

With that, he walked back to his desk, glancing at Marguerite as he went.

“You’re really sick, you know that Brad?” Lauren yelled.

“So I’ve been told,” he replied without turning around.

Puffing out an exasperated breath, she returned to her work.

On the way home that night, she remembered the first time she’d learned that Jarod would be committing himself to Miranda.

“Is he going off to college, Josh?” she asked despondently.

“He’s staying local, Lauren. Don’t worry,” Josh answered with a sigh, putting his arm around her slumped shoulders. “You’ll see him after he graduates and he’ll be around this summer, too.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset, Lauren. He’s with Miranda,” Julie said, as she popped some grapes into her mouth.

“I don’t care. She’s not the girl for Jarod.” Lauren answered firmly. 

“Lauren, honey, he told Jason and I last night that he was saving up for an engagement ring. He really loves Miranda.” Josh gave her shoulders a squeeze to soften his betraying words.

Lauren stared at the love of her teenage life who was across from their group in the cafeteria courtyard. His brilliant blue eyes were adoring as he looked at Miranda, the love of
his
teenage life. 

Lauren refused to believe that Miranda was anything but temporary. As she watched them, Jarod pressed his lips to Miranda’s. Lauren turned away when Miranda’s cold eyes connected with hers and her tongue jetted out to meet Jarod’s. 

Gross.

“Why do you think she isn’t right for him?” Julie asked.

Lauren shook her head. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the reason why she didn’t like Miranda, other than the fact that she had Jarod’s affections and Lauren didn’t. She’d never witnessed Miranda cheating or anything bad, but there was something wrong with the way she clung to Jarod that didn’t feel right. 

There
were
rumors about Miranda and what she did when Jarod wasn’t around that had really stuck with Lauren. But nothing could be proven. If the rumors were true then Miranda didn’t have any self-respect.

Shrugging, Lauren said “All I know is that she’s not good for Jarod.”

“And you think you are, Sassy?” Josh teased her.

“Of course I am!” Lauren said with a laugh. 

Two big laughs sounded behind them before Josh was tackled to the ground by Jason. Billy slicked his arms around Julie, giving her a sloppy kiss on the neck and then on the mouth, which made Lauren want to gag. 

Billy’s cold eyes always creeped her out. She honestly didn’t understand what her best friend saw in this particular toad. She didn’t understand why Jason was even friends with him in the first place because Billy was not right in the head. 

“Jarod doesn’t even know you’re alive, Lauren,” Billy smirked.

Creep.

Julie elbowed him in the gut. “That’s not nice, Billy.” Lauren noted that Julie was giving him The Look. Lauren grinned. She appreciated that Julie would come to her defense.

Jason and Josh stopped wrestling long enough for Jason to say, “Jarod’s found his soulmate, Lauren. Sorry, but I don’t think you’re it. Ooof!” Jason bent in half when Josh slugged him in the stomach.

“Don’t listen to Jason’s crap, Lauren. Jarod thinks you’re a good friend and he likes you.” Josh gave her a reassuring smile.

“Dude, don’t encourage her. Her moony-eyed expressions can get a little embarrassing,” Billy laughed. “Come on, Julie. I’ll walk you to class.”

Lauren stuck her tongue out at Billy’s retreating back as he walked away, his arms around Julie. Lauren noticed the narrow-eyed look that Jason was giving them as they disappeared inside the cafeteria. 

Then, he turned his pretty green eyes on her and said, “I’m just teasing you, Sassy Pants, but I don’t want you to get hurt. Jarod’s going to marry Miranda.” 

Jason could be intimidating to a lot of people but he was her friend, too, and she knew his teasing was coming from a good place. 

Josh batted the grass and dirt out of his shaggy hair, “Told ya.”

“Marry her?” Lauren whined. “Oh, you guys have to talk him out of it,” she pleaded.

“Talk who out of what?” Jarod asked from behind her. Miranda was clinging to his side, like fungus on a tree trunk and her haughty eyes were laughing at Lauren.

She let out a surprised gasp but Josh, seeing her distress, covered for her. “Billy wants to fight the creeps we met up with last night.”

Jason eyed Josh, and for a moment Lauren thought he would give her away, but when Jason nodded his head in agreement, she relaxed. 

“Yeah, we’re gonna talk to him about it.”

Lauren smiled and explained, “Julie would never forgive him.” She smiled innocently at Jarod. 

Miranda scowled.

“Well, I hope you do talk him out of it, cuz Miranda and I have plans tonight and I can’t be there to watch your backs. What does Billy think he’s doing, anyway?” Jarod asked with disgust.

“Just being Billy,” Jason said with equal distaste for Julie’s boyfriend.

Lauren felt Miranda’s stare. Looking Lauren in the eye, she cuddled impossibly closer to Jarod. Never breaking eye contact, she said, “Well, kids, we gotta run.” She tilted her head in a coquettish fashion and asked, “…Jarod?”

He quickly kissed Miranda on the lips before saying, “I’ll catch up with you two dweebs later.” But before he turned completely away he looked back at Lauren and said sweetly, “Later, Lauren.”

She watched them go, sucking in a large breath and quietly letting it out. 

“Thanks for covering for me, guys.”

“No problem, Sassy.” Jason ruffled her gently on top of her head.

Josh helped her up and draped a negligent arm around her shoulders as they walked back into the school. 

“Besides,” he grinned, “Shit-for-brains really does want us to fight those creeps, so it wasn’t like we were lying to Jarod.”

Lauren shook her head. “Julie has no idea what a jackass Billy is. Want me to try and talk to her again?”

“Only if you think you can get through to her,” Jason said, before storming off without another word.

BY THE TIME
Lauren arrived at her townhouse, the snow was coming down in thick, wet flakes. Once she was safely inside, she turned the lock on the deadbolt and headed straight for the small gas fireplace, flipping the switch on the wall to light the flames. She set her purse on the dining room table and headed up the stairs to her master bedroom.

The master was the larger of the two bedrooms upstairs, with an en-suite bathroom. There was a full bathroom in the hallway to accompany any overnight guests. Her townhouse wasn’t huge, but it was hers and she loved it.

She stripped out of her work clothes, noting that the white silk blouse would need to be dropped off at the cleaners. She put on some fleece yoga pants and a long-sleeved thermal top. She reached into her drawer and grabbed the fluffiest pair of spa socks she owned. Once she had her feet properly ensconced, she padded back downstairs to the kitchen.

As was her normal routine, she opened the freezer and withdrew a low-calorie frozen dinner. She pealed back the plastic wrap on one corner to make a vent, placed the cardboard tray in the microwave, and hit the number six on the panel. Her dinner would be ready in six minutes.

She jumped when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” Julie said on the other end. “Just making sure you made it home safe. It’s really nasty out there.”

“I skated into the garage about ten minutes ago. Weren’t you out at Jason’s job site with Cafe Armstrong today?”

Lauren was referring to her friend’s business. Julie was an amazing chef, but she’d purchased her small food truck in order to earn enough money to survive when her parents had died, and she’d been granted legal guardianship over Charlie, her little brother.

“Yes, but Jason made me drive it back to the estate right after lunch. He wouldn’t even let me clean up first. He insisted on following me all the way home, too.” Lauren could hear the happy exasperation in Julie’s voice before she asked, “Isn’t that sweet?”

Lauren giggled, “Yes, it is, honey. Jason is the best thing that’s happened to you.”

“He really, really is.” Julie’s pause was in reverence, Lauren knew. Her friend had had a tough five years on her own raising her amazing brother, but ever since Julie had let Jason into her life, she was smiling and happy again. “How was everything today?”

Lauren launched into the day’s events, beginning with the stupid flat tire that had made her late for work and soaked her to the bone.

“After Jarod found the little boy, he called me on my cell phone,” she explained.

Julie gasped, “So the vow of silence is broken?”

Lauren laughed, “Yes! And quit laughing, you traitor!”

She paused, thinking about how despondent Jarod had sounded. “I’ve never heard him so upset, at least not since Miranda skipped out on him.”