Plain Jayne (28 page)

“Me too.” It seemed to take a great deal of effort, but she finally looked up at Jayne. “It’s not your fault, I just needed to vent.”

“Talk to you later?”

“Yeah.”

She could feel their eyes on her back all the way across the restaurant. As they neared the table where Troy and his buddies were sitting, Nick nodded a hello.

“Hey, Nick.” All four of them spoke at once, yet none of them blinked.

Jayne cringed. She should have guessed they’d know Nick; he knew everyone. He pulled out her chair, waited until she was comfortable, then handed her the enormous bouquet.

“Hi,” he said quietly. “You look nice.”

If she wasn’t uptight before, she sure as hell was now. Every muscle in her neck and spine seized tight enough to snap and her heart seemed to be doing cartwheels between her ribs.

“They’re beautiful.” Jayne’s cheeks burned and she tried not to squirm under so many prying eyes staring at them from two different sides of the restaurant. “But why?”

After inhaling their deep sweet scent, she set the lilies on the end of the table with the heads facing her. Maya had outdone herself.

“First, because we’re celebrating,” he said, and she was surprised to see color in his cheeks, too. “And second, because it was a crappy day and I was a total shit when you came by before. I’m sorry.”

“God, Nick.” She didn’t know where to look because she could still feel all those nosy nellies watching her and anything she did or didn’t do would no doubt be scrutinized and
analyzed to death. “You shouldn’t have done this.”

“Yes, I should have,” he frowned, looking about as crappy as she felt. “Especially after I got home and saw you’d moved all your stuff out. I kept thinking you were going to cancel tonight.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Ellie and Maya lean their heads closer to each other, and after a second, Regan’s face softened and she leaned in, too. Jayne could only imagine what was being said, especially when Nick reached across the table and squeezed her hand, his skin warm, his thumb moving slowly back and forth over hers. Each new touch left a fluttering sensation in her stomach, which made her skin flame hotter.

Get a grip, Jayne!

When the waitress started toward them, Jayne slipped her hand back and tucked it on her lap where, for lack of anything else, she picked at every hangnail she could find and even started a few new ones. They spent a few minutes going over dinner choices, and by the time they ordered, the girls were getting ready to leave. Ellie was none too discreet about giving Jayne the thumbs-up and then tipping her head toward Troy, who stopped at their table as his friends headed for the door.

“Hey, man,” he said to Nick. “Didn’t know you were the friend she was meeting. Sorry ’bout that.” He slapped Nick on the shoulder, muttered a quiet good-night to Jayne, and moved away before Nick could say anything.

He took his beer from the waitress and tipped back a swig. “You wanna clue me in?”

“It’s nothing.” It was beyond weird telling him, even though she knew that was ridiculous. “He sent over a drink earlier and offered to buy me dinner.”

“And?”

“I thanked him for the drink and told him I was already meeting someone for dinner.”

“But you didn’t tell him it was me.” He seemed to be talking into his beer, and Jayne was finding herself going from feeling awkward to feeling downright uncomfortable and a little annoyed.

“He asked if it was my boyfriend and I told him it was a friend.”

Nick closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and groaned quietly. “And then I walked in with flowers.
Shit
. I hate it when Delmar’s right.”

“Delmar? What’s he got to do with any of this?”

Nick’s chest expanded with his breath, then he leaned forward, his hands wrapped around his bottle. “We sort of got into it a little last week.”

“It?”
Whatever it was, it probably explained the tension earlier at the house.

“He said I was standing in the way of you meeting anyone.”

“You?” Jayne frowned. “But that’s ridiculous.”

“That’s what I thought, too, until tonight.”

“What—you mean Troy?”

Nick nodded, his mouth grim. “He probably thinks this”—he waved his hand between them—“is something, so now he’s going to back off. I’ll talk to him, let him know what’s what.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t brought the
whole
greenhouse with you …”

Finally, a smile. “Maya can use the money, thought I’d help her out.”

“Idiot.” Jayne kept her head down, focused on the tiny hangnail on her left thumb.

“Hey.” Nick waved his hand just above the table in front of her. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know,” she finally said. “The whole day’s just been … strange. The inspection, moving out of your place, Regan, and then this guy.”

“Troy’s okay.”

Jayne shrugged. “He’s too pretty.”

“Too pretty?”

“Well, come on. I admit my experience with men is rather limited, but I think it’s safe to say my type is definitely
not
any guy who uses more hair product than I do.” She snickered. “And it sure as hell isn’t any guy whose eyebrows are waxed better than mine.”

The gold flecks in Nick’s eyes sparkled.

“And seriously,” Jayne went on. “What is he, like twenty?”

His soft laughter made her feel better, bit by bit. “He’s got to be older than that. Twenty-three maybe.”

“Oh, good, so he’s twenty-three. When I was twenty-three, he was sixteen!” She shuddered at the thought. “Yuck.”

“So what are you saying?” His grin seemed to get bigger. “Do you want me to tell him to back off or not?”

“Yes. I mean no. I mean—” Their salads arrived, but Jayne just pushed hers around on her plate. “You don’t have to do anything. I’ll take care of it.”

“It’s no problem, Jayne, just tell me what you want.”

The snort surprised her just as much as Nick.

“Sorry,” she grumbled as Regan’s words echoed through her brain.
Everything Nick does these days has something to do with you
. Damn it; Regan was right. “I appreciate the offer, but maybe it’s time you started focusing on your own life again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about ever since I came waltzing back into town, your every waking moment became about me and my problems. You don’t do the things you used to anymore, and it’s causing problems.”

“Whoa.” He pushed his plate away. “Where the hell’s this coming from?”

“Come on, Nick. I know what’s going on. I know you’ve been ditching the guys at work, and that you had Todd cancel his plans last weekend to work for me.” She was completely out of hangnails to pick at. Damn it. “And don’t even get me started on poor Lisa.”

“What plans?” A deep frown creased his brow. “He never said anything to me, and even if he had, it was his choice to work. No one held a gun to his head.”

“Maybe not,” she said. “But it sounds like saying no to Nick Scott is just as lethal. Regan’s pissed.”

“That’s got nothing to do with us,” he said. “And as for ditching the guys—it’s a couple beers on a Friday afternoon, Jayne. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, Nick, or at least it’s not nothing to Todd.”

Nick’s frown deepened. “Todd’s got a big mouth.”

“Maybe, but did you have to fire him?”

“Damn right.” He handed their still-full salad plates to the waitress who replaced them with their meals. “I need guys I can count on, not guys who are going to screw up and mouth off.”

“Mouth off about … us, right?” She lifted her fork, but held it still over her plate. “Which brings us back to the fact that if you hadn’t been focused on my stuff, he wouldn’t have said anything and he’d still have a job. I’m sorry all of this has screwed things up for you.”

“Nothing’s screwed up.” Nick stared at her for a few seconds, his expression softer. “I wouldn’t change a minute since you came back, and I wouldn’t do anything differently. It’s been fun.”

“Fun,” she choked. “Which part? Digging through ten billion boxes of crap, or working eighteen-hour days to get through inspection? Oh, I know what my favorite part was—when you introduced me to Marathon Barbie when I looked like I’d just fallen out of a dumpster.”

“What?” he laughed. “You looked cute.”

“I looked like an idiot.” Jayne rolled her eyes and grinned over a bite of her lemon roasted chicken. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so hideous in my whole life.”

He took a long drink of water, then winked over the glass. “Amber’s got nothin’ on you, sweetheart. Just ask Troy.”

“Wha—” Jayne gaped. “You mean Troy and her? He’s the ex?”

“Technically, they were never married.”

“But the kid …”

Nick nodded. “Little T.J.”

“No!” She grinned back at him, shaking her head slowly. “Everyone in this town’s connected somehow, aren’t they?”

“Pretty much.”

“And somehow, it’s all connected to you.”

“ ’Course,” he grinned. “Whole freakin’ world revolves around me, or didn’t you get Mom’s memo?”

“Whatever.” Jayne rolled her eyes and reached for her bag. “I have a little something for you. It’s not much, just a thank-you for everything you’ve done.”

He hesitated before accepting the package, then eyed it a moment before peeling back the paper. It had taken a long time to find the perfect frame; not too fussy, not too plain, and it had to look like it belonged in a man’s house.

“Wow,” he murmured, then grinned sheepishly. “Cute baby, but the guy looks kinda goofy.”

Jayne looked down at the close-up of Nick and Sophia and smiled. “It’s my favorite picture.”

Nick’s grin warmed as he pulled out his phone and showed her the wallpaper background. It was a picture of Jayne and Sophia at the hospital sitting in the chair next to Katie’s bed. Jayne had noticed the pictures of her and the baby when she’d emailed the others to herself, but she never liked looking at pictures of herself, so she’d skimmed right on past them.

She sure didn’t remember crying that night, but the proof was right there in the picture as a big old fat tear ran down her cheek.

“That’s
my
favorite.” Nick’s voice was so soft, so gentle, Jayne didn’t dare look up at him for fear she’d start bawling all over again.

The first night in her apartment was horrible, the second was worse. How could quiet be so overwhelming? At least a dozen times she started to call or text him, and every time she forced herself to stop.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t still talk to him every day, for crying out loud, but this was different. You couldn’t compare talking on the phone with actually sitting across the dinner table from him and seeing his expressions as he spoke.

He was five minutes up the road and she missed him so much it hurt. No amount of book buying or reorganizing the apartment helped, either. She wandered from room to room, down to the store and back up again, accomplishing nothing other than managing to feel more and more restless.

God, she was pathetic.

For the fourth night in a row, she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, wondering what Nick was doing. Watching SportsCenter? Had he stayed at the site for beers after work? And how much harder did they have to work now that Todd was gone?

Before moving back, she’d been used to spending her Friday nights alone, so how was it that a mere month of spending them with Nick had left her all but incapable of doing it again?

Maybe she should get a dog. Or maybe she should get a grip.

By the time morning came, she was exhausted and beyond cranky. Two cups of coffee and a long shower later, she grabbed the classifieds and headed out to hunt down yard sales. She was just locking the door when Nick’s truck pulled in behind her car.

Her stomach flipped and dipped and everything inside her warmed instantly. Jeans and a Johnny Cash T-shirt never looked so good.

“Where ya going?”

Jayne waved the paper. “I’m off to do the yard sale thing.”

“Cool. Want some company?”

“Because you and Lisa don’t have anything better to do on a Saturday?”

“Nope. She’s at her mom’s on the island.” He pulled open the passenger door of his truck and waited until she climbed in next to Duke.

“Hi, buddy.” She wrapped her hands around his wrinkled face and gave him a good scratch. “Oooh, I’ve missed you.”

Duke’s tail thumped in appreciation as he climbed onto her lap.

“You okay?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” It wasn’t really a lie, but it felt like one. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Seemed like you were avoiding me the last few days.”

“What? No!” When he gave her a look of disbelief, she shook her head hard. “Really. I just wanted to give you room to get back to your own life. You remember that, don’t you? Work, family, buddies, girlfriend … any of that ring a bell?”

He rested his left elbow on the door and propped his right forearm over the top of the steering wheel.

“Believe it or not,” he said. “There’s plenty of room in there for you, too.”

“I know, but—”

“No buts.”

They turned down a residential street and drove around until they found a place to park on the side of the road. The driveway was packed with overflowing tables, racks of clothes, and people everywhere.

Jayne left Nick at the first table and walked straight past everything else to the three boxes nearest the garage. Twenty-five cents a book wasn’t bad, and there were a lot of them. Mostly paperback fiction, which was great, but there were a few really old gems tucked near the bottom. A tattered old copy of
The Last Days of Pompeii
and a
Complete Works of Shakespeare
that looked as though it had been backed over a few dozen times.

“How much for the whole lot?” she asked the man in the barbeque apron.

He moved his head from side to side for a few seconds. “Five bucks a box.”

“Sold.” She pulled the cash out of her pocket and Nick helped her lug the three boxes back to his truck.