Blitzed rules of possess.., p.7
Blitzed (Rules of Possession Book 3), page 7
I sighed.
We ended up in the back of the building, looking out at the overgrown lawn. Very overgrown. This yard could call up the Amazon and give the rainforest tips on how to be dense.
“Welcome to your kingdom,” Jesse said with a little grin. Apparently, just the thought of me wading through that misery of weeds was enough for him to trot out that glorious smile again. “The kids swore they saw a snake out here once, but I didn’t see it for myself.”
“Lovely.”
Despite my sour tone, I was already feeling a little excited. I was sure some of the kids would help me with the yard work. And I could buy one of those preassembled sheds from a home improvement store to stash all the supplies, something that locked.
I took a few minutes to make a mental list, which was laughable, considering I usually had an assistant for everything. Guess when the mission was important enough, even I could lock in and get focused.
“So you’ve told me all about the Center,” I said as Jesse led the way back inside. “But what about you? What made you want to do this?”
He shrugged as he held the door open for me to pass. “I saw a need and got involved.”
“That version of things is remarkably condensed, even for you.”
“Condensed things are good. Just ask anyone from the Campbell’s soup dynasty.”
My mouth quirked. “I could do that, yes. Or you could stop bullshitting me and answer a simple question.”
He rolled his eyes as he closed the doors and locked them. “Wow, you don’t give up, do you?”
“Nope. It’s one of my best qualities,” I said. “Along with a laid-back personality, a good sense of humor, a kickass banana bread recipe, and a good-sized, slightly curved dick.”
Jesse gaped at me for a few seconds, just staring. Then he blinked those long-lashed green eyes a few times. “Gracious.”
I smothered a grin. I’d love to see what else I could make Jesse say gracious about.
“Who told you that?” He finally managed.
“Every coach I’ve had since I was in pee-wee football.” As his eyes widened, I reviewed my list and grinned. “Just the not giving up thing. The other compliments I picked up along the way.”
“Good to know,” he finally said. “Let me give you an answer to your question before you sully my ears with any more of your…qualities.”
“Fuck your air quotes, Fox.”
He huffed out a laugh. “My mentor is the founder and CEO of this place, so after I got my degree, it only made sense to come back here. It’s not exactly a hardship. I owe him….”
Everything.
The word he didn’t say hung between us in the silence. My brow furrowed, but before I could ask about the relationship between him and Joshua Knox, he cleared his throat. “It all boils down to paying it forward. That’s it in a nutshell.”
“Mr. McAdams?”
I turned to find a dark-haired kid standing behind us, football in hand. “Andrew,” I corrected as he thrust the football at me.
“Harper,” he said a little shyly. “Would you mind signing this?”
His request just about melted my damn heart. I took the time to sign the football and take a couple of selfies. When Jesse made noises about moving on, I slung my arm over Harper’s shoulder. We talked as we walked with Jesse trailing behind us. We both ignored his mutter of, “what am I, chopped liver?”
By the time we got back to Jesse’s office, Harper looked about ready to explode into happy confetti. “Will you be back next week?” he asked eagerly, clutching his football like someone was going to take it away.
My mouth lifted in a little smile. Maybe the next three months weren’t going to be as bad as I thought. “Of course.” I clapped him on the back. “You can count on it.”
Harper grinned. “Cool. I can’t wait to post that shit.”
“Language!” Jesse yelled as Harper bounded off.
Jesse stooped to pick up two Amazon packages stacked in front of his office door, and my gaze dropped to his rear. It was on the smaller side but perfectly rounded. I’d like to spread him open, perfect and sweet as a split peach, and lick him until he begged me to fuck him…which I would then do because I’m a nice guy.
I made sure my gaze was elsewhere when he rose. The last thing I needed was to pop a boner. That was the kind of thing that got you hauled out of a kids’ center in cuffs while people shook their heads and proclaimed sadly that you seemed like such a nice guy.
Despite the tour, Jesse still didn’t seem to have an idea of where to put me. The center didn’t have a lawn mower, so working on the grass was out. I ordered one, but the one I wanted wouldn’t arrive for another three days.
A flirty therapist named Camilla barely got out her name and four digits of her number before Jesse shooed her off. I watched her go with a bemused smile as Jesse muttered that I was sticking with him today.
What a hardship.
I barely smothered a grin as he marched ahead of me. I couldn’t have planned things better myself.
8
JESSE
I wasn’t sure which I disliked more, donor meetings or spending hours at my desk working on paperwork. Monday was a mix of the two, meaning some sadist had thrown hell, black licorice, and my life in a big bowl and started whisking. I secured a small grant from City Group, though, and they forwarded over the paperwork.
I finished late, long after most people vacated the building. Then I headed for the kitchen to squeeze in some meal kit assembly before I called it quits. I started out putting them together once a week as a courtesy, but now some families depended on them. I knew my paltry efforts didn’t even make a dent in the problems of food insecurity, but it made me feel better that I was doing something.
As I walked down the quiet, darkened hallway, I glanced out the window to the outside grounds. The change out there was remarkable. Previously, I would’ve needed a survivalist and a machete to guide me through the weeds—now, it was neat and tapered. Between Andrew and several of the older kids, they’d put that poor mower through its paces. It was probably in the shed this very moment trying to book an uber back to Home Depot.
I hated to admit it, but Andrew wasn’t dialing it in. He’d been at the Harbor for three weeks now, and I’d given up on finding a flaw with his work product. It was pointless. He was good at just about everything he did and was always ready and willing to work.
The kids loved him—their moms did, too. He was a walking, talking box of Kix cereal. I’d never seen so much deceptively casual touching during a conversation. The dads loved him, too, but mostly because they wanted to bend his ear about football. The notable exception was one of the single dads, Keith, whose wardrobe and cologne usage distinctly improved on Tuesdays. None of them seemed to notice that Andrew’s attention was laser focused on one person—me. And it was giving me palpitations.
But that was a problem for tomorrow. He didn’t even come in on Mondays, so I could officially breathe. And dress like a slob in torn jeans, an old Superman t-shirt, and some battered Converse. Okay, so maybe Keith wasn’t the only one who got spiffier on Tuesdays.
I hit the light switch in the kitchen and it flickered for a few moments before humming to life, washing the room in sickly fluorescent light. I had about twenty meal kits to make and not a lot of time to do it. The good news was that I wouldn’t have to make dinner. Whatever I made, I would be eating.
After staring in the fridge for a bit, I started gathering ingredients for an easy favorite—chili mac. It went a long way, it fed a big crowd, and the ingredients were cheap as could be.
“Score,” I murmured, clutching my bounty. “And bonus, it’s pretty damn tasty, too.”
“What is?”
As I whirled, I lost my grip. Andrew caught most of the falling items before they hit the floor, which I guess wasn’t much of a surprise. Those hands and that coordination were his meal ticket.
He stopped a rolling onion with his sneaker as he deposited everything on the counter with a heart-stopping grin. “Are you new at carrying things?”
“Good Lord.” I stared at him in disbelief. “Do you just appear when someone starts preparing food? Did you teleport from your house?”
“Just a coincidence.”
“You did the same thing last week when Molly brought in pastries and sent a group text. You were at the sporting goods store buying supplies and then you just appeared, like a fuckin’ hungry vampire who lives on sugar instead of blood—”
“Hey, free donuts mean you run. Everyone knows that. She might as well have yelled fire in a paper factory.” He shrugged. “Not my fault you sauntered.”
“I walked briskly,” I informed him. “Just in time to find crumbs and your powdered sugar lips.”
“I did say you could lick it off if you wanted, did I not?”
“You’re all heart,” I said dryly.
He grinned as he went over to the sink and washed his hands. By the time he dried them, I was finally getting the picture. And I didn’t think reminding him that he didn’t have to come in until tomorrow would work. I tried another tactic.
“This won’t take long to put together,” I said. “I don’t need any help.”
“We’re going to put that on your tombstone. Cool? Cool.” He tossed the dish towel back on the counter. “Put me to work.”
I sighed and gave him some onions to dice and cheese to grate. Then I got busy searing the meat. He was surprisingly adept with a knife, working quickly and efficiently. When he peeled the onions expertly with a few quick cuts like he was on Chopped or something, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I didn’t peg you for someone who cooks,” I blurted.
“Making assumptions about me again, Jesse?” He continued dicing onions in perfect little squares. “My parents owned a restaurant most of my life, and they weren’t shy about putting my brother and me to work.”
“Half-time Bar & Grill.” When he raised an eyebrow, I shrugged. “I know some things about you.”
“Not the right things,” he murmured. “It started as Tally’s Tavern, which was a bit of a sinking ship. They remortgaged the house twice, maxed out their credit cards, and even cashed out our college funds…with our permission,” he added when I made a little noise.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound judgmental.”
“Isn’t that kind of your default mode?” He grinned as I flipped him off with a hand under my chin. “When I call you on it, you start blushing, and it’s kind of adorable—”
“Weren’t we talking about your parents?” I asked desperately.
He chuckled softly. “Long story long, they were in over their heads. They didn’t know much about the restaurant business at all, and buying a failing bar probably wasn’t the best choice they could’ve made.”
“So why did they?”
He shrugged. “They were looking for a change and wanted to be their own bosses. The owner was looking to sell and they decided to take the risk. What’s life without risk?”
“Safe.” I felt his gaze on the side of my flushed face as I gave the sizzling meat a good stir in my cast iron skillet. “Are you through with the—”
A bowl of perfectly chopped onions appeared under my nose, and my eyes watered. “Thanks.”
“Anything else?”
“Cheese,” I reminded him and he nodded before he got to work.
We were going to be done in no time at all. I glanced over to find him shredding cheddar in the most zen-like way possible and chuckled under my breath. Chili mac was a simple dish and one I prepared often. And that was before I was handed a sous chef as efficient as Andrew.
As he continued to wax on, wax off with the cheese, I tsked impatiently. “You were telling me about your parents.”
He looked surprised, but a little pleased that I’d asked. “After I got drafted, we fought a lot over me helping them financially,” he said. “It started to be a strain on our relationship. If you’d ever told me that my first real fights with my parents would’ve been over giving them money, I would’ve laughed myself silly.”
“I guess it’s not easy to take money from your son,” I said. “Or capitalize on his success.”
I mean, my father would’ve taken my last two nickels and circled back the next week to rob me again. But I could only assume he was the anomaly, not the norm.
“My success is their success,” he said simply.
“That’s a nice way to look at it.”
“It’s the truth. They gave me everything to make sure that I succeeded. And while I was the one who had to step up and do the work, there would be no me without the two of them. Literally.” He shook his head. “You should’ve seen how pissed my dad got when I paid off their mortgage. I thought he was going to rip up the deed and eat the pieces.”
I laughed. “I’m sure that deep down, he was grateful.”
“Really deep down.” He grinned and it was impossible not to grin back. “My mother just cried and hugged me so hard that I begged for mercy.”
The fondness in his tone was undeniable. I wondered if it would always feel like a gut punch when I thought of my relationship with my mother. Or lack thereof.
“It all sounds so perfect.”
“We have our moments,” he said, a little smile on his face that was more wistful than anything else. “There will always be that missing piece, though—”
“And you all take turns trying to fill the void,” I said quietly.
“You get it.” As usual, he seemed to see a little too much, and his next question confirmed it. “Who are you helping fill the void for?”
I wasn’t helping to fill anything. I was the void…at least, I imagined I was. Surely my absence had left a space in my family’s life. A blip on the radar before everyone went on as if I didn’t exist. Maybe that was just hopeful thinking.
“Can you start boiling the noodles?” I asked, sidestepping that question. “That’s just about the last step before assembly. All they have to do is bake it.”
He went along with my subject change easily enough. “That should make some busy parents happy. What else goes in the meal kit?”
“Bagged salad, bread, and some iced oatmeal cookies that Molly made.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Shit, where do I sign up?”
I suppressed a smile. Damned if I was going to admit he was good company. In due time, he would be gone, and I’d be back to doing this as I usually did—alone. Instead of dwelling on that, I got busy turning the ground beef into chili.
We kept talking as I worked but kept the topics light. Andrew was clearly done being helpful and applied himself to getting in the way at every turn. When I finally declared the chili done, he plucked a piece of beef right out of the skillet even as I warned him that he shouldn’t.
I watched in exasperated amusement as he burned both his fingers and his poor taste buds. “Haht,” he managed as he fanned his open mouth. “Ish so haht.”
“Yes, well, it just came right out of a screaming hot skillet,” I said mildly. “Crazy how that works, isn’t it?”
He glared.
When it was all said and done, we put together twenty meal kits. I had to play a little fridge Jenga to get them in there until we could distribute them the next day, but I managed to make them all fit. I stared at the neatly packaged kits for a few moments before I let the door swing shut.
When I turned around, Andrew was watching me. Those big, tawny eyes didn’t miss a trick. “What?”
“I don’t know. I guess…it just never seems like enough.”
“Something is better than nothing.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I rubbed a hand over my eyes tiredly. “But everything is even better than that.”
“Word play, Foxy?” He demanded with a mock dismayed expression. “Really?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Sorry. Just ignore me. It’s been a long day.”
“Every day for you is a long day. What you need is someone to feed you. And maybe even give you a massage to help you relax.”
I arched a brow because I had a feeling his definition of relaxing involved someone riding someone’s dick. And damned if that didn’t sound tempting. “Is that so?”
“It is. And I know just the person.”
“I just bet you do.”
“Go out with me, Foxy.”
Fuck if I didn’t want to say yes. What the hell is happening between us? Whatever it was, it was happening against my will.
“Nope,” I said quickly before my stupid mouth could say something else.
His eyes twinkled merrily. “I’d like to think the time between my question and your big fat nope is getting longer, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “See you tomorrow.”
He started for the door but then paused. He briefly touched my shirt, and I looked down to find him focused on the Superman logo. When I looked back up, his expression was soft with something I wasn’t even tempted to define.
“No lies detected,” he said with a soft smile “See ya, Foxy.”
I stood there for a few moments after he left, blushing and irritated both. A superhero, I was not. But it was nice that he appreciated me. I appreciated him, too, for his help and company. The stupid smile he put on my face?
Not so much.
My good mood lasted right up until I got home and saw the yellow sunflowers on my stoop. My favorite. I already knew who they were from even before I stooped to pick them up, but I scanned the street anyway. I didn’t see his black Range Rover, but I knew.
The vase was heavy crystal and the flowers were fresh and lovely. Despite myself, I gave one of them a sniff. Only the best for Trace King. I was tempted to put them right back down and leave them there, but that would just make Trace ramp up his efforts. I went inside and pulled the door shut behind me.
I put the flowers on the kitchen counter and stared at them, my brows drawn in a frown. Once upon a time, those flowers would’ve been beautiful. Once upon a time, those flowers would’ve made my night.
