Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3 (17 page)

“Hello?”

Jade turned around, surprised to find Hope and Vivi standing at the door. “What are you two doing here?”

Hope smiled. “Vivi had a check-up this morning. She insisted we stop in to see how you’re doing, Bruce. Hope you don’t mind.”

Jade grinned at the change in her gruff boss’s demeanor with Vivi’s arrival. When it had just been Jade in the room, he’d remained slouched and sloppy-looking, not bothering to sit up. The second Vivi had entered the room, Bruce had pushed himself to an upright position, finger-combed his hair and straightened his sheets.
 

“Awful nice of you to stop in, Vicky.”

Vivi claimed the chair beside Bruce. Jade could see by the happy expression in her grandmother’s eyes that today was a good day. Hope plopped down on the small couch beneath the window while Jade continued to hover near the bed.

“I was worried when I heard about the car accident. Has my granddaughter been looking after you?”

Bruce nodded. “She’s doing her best, but I’ve been told by more than a few of the hospital staff that I’m not exactly a model patient.”

Vivi laughed. “Good for you. Life is no fun when you behave.”

“Vivi,” Jade admonished. “Don’t encourage him.”

“JD was a terrible patient as well. It’s not easy for strong, independent men to feel beholden to anyone else. So I’ll tell you what I always told him, Bruce. Suck it up.”

Bruce smiled. “Yes, ma’am. If JD could do it, I’ll try my best.”

Jade nearly got whiplash, checking to make sure it was still her boss lying in the hospital bed. She’d never heard such quiet politeness out of him. Bruce noticed her surprise and shot her a dirty look.

Bruce had never spoken to her about JD, but it was clear from his conversation with Vivi that he thought highly of her grandfather.

Jade listened as Bruce and Vivi briefly reminisced about the good old days. Apparently JD and Bruce’s father had been best friends growing up.

“I didn’t realize you knew my granddaddy,” Jade said.

Vivi patted Bruce’s hand kindly. “Bruce is a few years older than Silas. When he was just a little thing, he was fascinated by anything and everything to do with cows. His parents were in the process of opening Spurs. Back then, it was more diner than bar. JD suggested Bruce spend the summer with us while they got things up and running.”

“To keep me from being underfoot while my parents worked,” Bruce added.

Vicky grinned. “You followed JD day after day on that ranch, helping out. I always wondered if you missed your calling by being a barman. You made a fair hand.”

Bruce chuckled. “I was six years old, Vicky. I’m pretty sure I was more annoyance than assistance.”

“JD loved having you there. In fact, I got pregnant with Silas that fall. JD said having you around made him realize how much he wanted some sons of his own.”

Bruce grew quiet, a sadness coming into his eyes. “JD was an amazing man, Vicky. Not too many days go by where I don’t think about him.”

Vivi nodded. “I miss him too.”

Jade recognized the loneliness on Vivi’s face far too well.

Vivi and Bruce continued telling stories, sharing memories of people long since gone. Jade glanced over when she felt Hope tug on her shirt and tilt her head toward the door. Jade followed her cousin to the small alcove as Bruce chuckled over some gossip Vivi shared.

“Thanks for stopping by with Vivi, Hope. She appears to be just what the doctor ordered. Bruce looks downright giddy. Unless, of course, that’s indigestion.”

Hope grinned. “He’s a gruff old guy, isn’t he? I’m not sure I’d like to call him my boss.”

Hope had always been the sweet one of the cousins, kind and quiet. One tongue-lashing from Bruce probably would have devastated Hope, who never wanted to disappoint anyone. Lucky for Jade, she was immune to Bruce’s rough ways.

“Don’t be fooled. Under that miserable exterior, he’s pure marshmallow. You just have to dig really, really deep.”

“What’s going on with you and Liam?”

Jade blinked, surprised by Hope’s abrupt change of subject. “What?”

“Sterling said you packed a bag yesterday afternoon, that you’re moving in with him. And Daddy says you’ve asked for some time off to start working at Circle H.”

Jade blew out a long breath. It never took long for news to spread in her family. She’d only talked to Colby and Silas about taking a few weeks off this morning. “I’m going to start doing some work for Liam. Help him train Fearless and a few of the bucking broncs. You know how much I love that.”

Hope crossed her arms. “You don’t have to live with the man to do that. It’s not like his ranch and ours are so far apart.”

Jade had been in such a tailspin over Liam’s desire for a summer fling and then his insistence that she stay with him, she’d failed to figure out how she would explain things to her cousins or her parents. Or her aunts and uncles.

She’d asked Colby and Silas about the mini-vacation, not daring to mention the brief change of address as well. And she’d managed to avoid Sterling, who had been busting at the seams to question her. Fortunately, Liam hadn’t believed she’d follow through on her promise to move in, so he’d shadowed her as she packed, no doubt expecting her to run. As a result, he’d protected her from Sterling’s inquisition and bought her a bit of time. Time she’d squandered with sex rather than thinking about the answers to questions that were bound to come.

Maybe she was lucky it was Hope who’d cornered her first. She was, by far, the easiest to flounder for answers with.
 

“Liam and I are sort of indulging in a friends-with-benefits thing right now.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “You and Liam? Seriously? Since when?”

Jade tried to decide exactly when it had started. They’d only had sex the night before last, but the whole tenor of their relationship had changed with that kiss at Spurs. “Not quite three weeks ago.”

Pure excitement blossomed on Hope’s face. Damn. This was bad.

“That’s so amazing. I’m so happy for you. The two of you are per—”

“No.” Jade raised her hand to cut off the rest of her cousin’s words. “We’re not perfect or amazing or anything. We’re just fucking for a couple of months.”

Hope frowned. “You put a time limit on it?”

Jade nodded.

“You can’t do that.”

Now it was Jade’s turn to frown. “Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t work like that.”

Jade felt the desire to defend her decision, even though she completely agreed with Hope. “Who says?”

Hope reached out to touch her arm. “Jade. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing here? I mean, you and Liam have been friends for a really long time. Doesn’t this seem sort of impulsive? Reckless?”

That’s exactly what it was. It was what Liam had offered right from the beginning. And while Jade had longed to shake things up in her life, she hadn’t meant to go quite so far.

“We’re going to be fine, Hope. The two of us have set very clear boundaries.” At least she hoped they had.

Hope didn’t seem convinced, but mercifully, she let it drop. “So how are you going to explain this to everyone?”

Jade shrugged. “What I just told you doesn’t work?”

Hope laughed. “Not if you don’t want your dad to kill Liam.”

Jade didn’t bother to tell Hope her father already knew she’d spent the night with Liam. He’d managed to escape unscathed, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “What would you suggest?”

“Just tell everyone you’re dating. That’s what they’re going to assume anyway given your new sleepover status.”

For some reason, that lie—though simpler than the truth—rubbed against the grain. “Can’t I just say we’re shacking up for sex? Why do I have to pretend there’s a relationship involved?”

Hope bit her lower lip, a sure sign her cousin was worried. “What would be so terrible about going out with Liam for real? The two of you have a long history and my mom always says the best relationships are born from friendship.”

Jade fell back on the same excuses she’d offered Liam. “We fight all the time, Hope. While he’s never said as much, I think my foul mouth and loud laughter sort of grate on his nerves. I’m way too fond of my independence and not about to give that up for anyone. Besides, I’m not his type. He goes for petite, giggly and girly. I’m none of those and don’t intend to ever be. I mean…you have to admit, I’m nothing like Celia Woods.”

Hope squeezed her arm. “I think you’d make some man a wonderful wife.”

Jade feigned a shudder. “You didn’t really just use the W
word on me, did you?”

“I wish you’d stop swearing you’ll never get married. What’s so wrong with falling in love and spending the rest of your life with someone?” Hope’s softly spoken question left Jade floundering for an answer. In the past, her determination to remain single had never wavered because she’d never been tempted. Liam was definitely messing with her head. Making her reflect on things she didn’t want to consider.

Jade didn’t feel comfortable telling Hope why she preferred the idea of living alone. Given Hope’s belief in true love and forever, Jade suspected it would trouble her cousin to know how deep Jade’s fear of loss ran. The fact remained it was something that had always been there inside her and she didn’t see it ever going away.
 

While she could handle closeness when it came to her family and her friends, the second a guy got too close, she felt herself closing up, suffocating on panic.
 

If she were the type of person who could deal with personal introspection, maybe she’d find an answer, but she didn’t have the time or energy to delve too deeply into shit like that. It was easier to just accept this was who she was, chalk it up as a personality flaw and move on.

She was saved when Vivi approached them. “You ready to go, Lucy?”

Hope’s face fell as their grandmother called her by the wrong name. Though it happened more and more frequently these days, it never got any easier for them to admit that while Vivi was still with them physically, her mind was failing fast.

“Sure.” Hope didn’t correct Vivi. It upset their grandmother too much when she realized she’d slipped up. It put her on edge and caused her to stop talking for a few hours just so she wouldn’t make any more mistakes. They’d all decided to roll with the mistaken identities in hopes of saving Vivi from suffering any extra anxiety. “Goodbye, Bruce. Hope you feel better soon,” Hope called out from the doorway.

Jade waved as they left, understanding Hope’s hasty departure. When Vivi’s mind began to drift, they appreciated the importance of getting her home and out of public settings.

Jade had just returned to Bruce’s bedside when she heard a male voice at the doorway.

“Hey Bruce. How you feeling?”

Jade turned, surprised to find Liam there. She gave him a flirty wink. “What are you doing? Following me around? Do I need to put a restraining order on you to stop this stalking?”

Liam chuckled as he walked up and patted her ass. “You wish. Bucky nearly cut his damn thumb off with the band saw this morning.”

“Oh my God. Is he okay?”

Liam shrugged. “Actually I’m exaggerating to make the story more interesting. It’s only a little cut. I drove him here. His sister just got to his room. She’ll take him home after they finish putting five or six stitches in.”

“Well. That’s good, I guess.”

“Did you want to apologize for accusing me of being a stalker?”
 

He looked so damn cocky and amused, she was tempted to dig her hands into the back pockets of his sexy jeans and do a little stalking of her own. She could bounce quarters on his tight, gorgeous ass. Instead, she said, “Bite me.”

“With pleasure,” he murmured.

“Jesus,” Bruce muttered. “Finally gave in to it, I see.”

Jade scowled, annoyed that she’d forgotten to shield herself in front of her boss. She and Liam really were going to have to work out what to tell people about them. “What are you talking about?”

“You two have been sniffing around each other for years. ’Bout time you stopped denying it.”

Despite Hope’s advice, Jade never took the easy route. “We’re just screwing around, Bruce. It’s nothing serious. Pretty sure it’ll die out before the summer ends.”

She expected Liam to back her up, but she was greeted by silence. She glanced at him, discovering her answer had obviously pissed him off. The story would only work if they were on the same page, and it didn’t appear they were.
 

Rather than start an argument, Liam turned to Bruce. “When do you think they’ll spring you from this joint?”

Bruce shrugged. “Not soon enough. Doc said two days at the earliest if I behave myself. Not sure what the fuck he thinks I’m going to do. They’ve got goddamn Attila the Hun out there pretending to be a nurse. Woman watches me like a hawk.”

Jade rolled her eyes, but Liam laughed.

“Hey, do me favor, Liam. Jade’s going to be running the bar the next couple of nights. You mind hanging out after closing to make sure she gets to her car okay?”

Jade exploded. “Are you kidding me, Bruce? I don’t need a babysitter. And I certainly don’t need Liam hovering all night.”