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FOURTEEN
natalie
“I brought wine.”
I hadn’t meant to blurt that out, or stick the bottle of local red wine in Jaxon’s face the second he opened the door.
Of course my friends thought I’d lost my mind when I canceled on them to come here. I couldn’t argue with them either. But not seeing him today unsettled me in a way that had me grabbing my phone half the morning and putting it back down, refusing to text him.
I had nothing to say.
After spending the week going through all the paperwork, now that the public hearing was set, there wasn’t much to do until then. Except, I wanted to talk to him. So I’d finally come up with a question to ask and caved in. When he responded, my first instinct was to say, “no way.”
First, I had plans.
Second, I didn’t like being told what to do. His high-handedness was downright annoying.
Third, I’d been thinking about our kiss every minute of every day, so dinner at his place was probably a very bad idea.
Bet and all.
Then, magically, as if someone had taken control of my fingers, I sent the word “fine” and had been a bundle of nerves since.
“I have some open,” he said, taking the bottle. “But thanks. Come on in.”
By Thursday, we’d begun to converse like human beings and not feral dogs in competition for a meal. While I couldn’t account for Jaxon’s changed attitude, mine was simple. He wouldn’t be selling the inlet. The fact that I wanted to jump the guy’s bones every second I was with him was of little consequence. That kiss had been our first and last.
“Oh wow,” I said, trying not to inhale too deeply as I walked by him and into the house. “It smells amazing. You cooked?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” he asked, putting on a mitt and opening the oven door.
“I dunno.” I almost said, “I never dated a guy who cooked before,” but since we weren’t dating—far from it—I refrained.
“When you asked if I liked chicken parm, I assumed you were ordering out,” I admitted.
He plated the chicken and then went to a pot on the stove. Pulling out tongs from the drawer, he reached into the pot and added what looked like angel-hair pasta, sauce and all, onto the plates.
“Nope,” he said, nodding to two wine glasses on the counter. “Feel like pouring wine?”
“Of course.” I went to work, again coming so close to Jaxon that I could smell him and quickly moving away. Pouring each of us a glass of wine, I watched as he grabbed two napkins and forks and then our plates.
“I figured we could eat on the deck?”
I had secretly hoped that was the plan. “Sure.”
Settled at the small table on the deck, I took a bite of the chicken. “Holy shit. This is really good.”
Jaxon finished chewing and made a face. “Should I be more insulted you were surprised I can cook or that it tasted okay?”
“That’s up to you.”
He chuckled. “So, sunshine, what’s your question?”
Sunshine. Remember, he’s turned on the charm for a reason. Do not fall for him, Natalie.
“You know the inlet is protected by a conservation easement, but I didn’t see anything in the paperwork about a negotiation with the easement holder that would allow for development while preserving the property’s conservation values.”
“Since in this case the easement holder is also the Trust, Dave said we could discuss it after the public hearing. Assuming that goes well and things move forward.”
