Once they were done fine-tuning the magazine, Jane retreated to her office and worked on some sketches for another potential client, this one a chain of veterinary clinics. Sketching puppies and kittens relaxed her as nothing else could, and the day flew by. Again she was struck by how lucky she was someone would pay her to do this kind of work.
At five o’clock Max was engrossed in a phone call. Tomorrow he would be in San Antonio for most of the day. Some separation would do them good, Jane thought. She waved to Carol and slipped out the door.
When she arrived home a few minutes later, the
Kaylee giggled as she always did when anyone called her that. Allie had christened her with that name because she swam like a dolphin, and it was catching on.
“Hey, Cooper,” Jane called back. “Good day?”
“Better than good. Never saw so many fish. In fact, we were planning to ask you and Kaylee to dinner at the house on Friday for a fish fry. Sound good?”
Jane’s mouth watered. Since she started working, she’d been subsisting on anything quick and frozen. “What time? I’ll bring a salad and some bread.”
When Friday rolled around, Jane was more than ready to forget about work and Max, and enjoy a relaxing evening with her friends. After work she quickly changed into shorts and a halter top, as the summer heat still gripped Port Clara despite the fact the calendar said it was late September. She grabbed some bagged baby spinach and a few other things from her fridge, as well as a bottle of wine she and Scott had bought months ago and never opened.
Kaylee was happy to be spending time with her mom and didn’t much care where they did it, so they were both in high spirits as they drove up to Cooper and Allie’s cute white brick house. Cooper had rented it a few months ago, but when the couple had gotten married, Allie had so fallen in love with the house that they’d arranged to buy it.
Jane loved it, too. It was nothing like the cold, contemporary house she and Scott had shared, nor the stiffly traditional home in which she’d grown up. Though it had half the square footage, it felt warm and welcoming.
Jane and Allie hugged just inside the door. “I’m so glad you came,” Allie said. “What’s the use of living by the sea if you don’t have fish fries and invite all your friends?”
It quickly became apparent that this wasn’t just a cozy dinner, but a party. Sara and Reece arrived, then some neighbors with a little boy just Kaylee’s age.
Jane’s happy, warm mood vanished when Max showed up-with a gorgeous, auburn-haired beauty in tow.
Allie ran to the door to meet them while Jane cowered in the living room. Oh, God, how was she going to handle this? She hadn’t expected the surge of jealousy that welled up inside her at the sight of her boss with another woman.
Deep breaths. He didn’t owe her anything, she reminded herself. Just because she’d
It was better if he was interested in someone else. Her divorce was still so fresh; bouncing into another relationship, even a casual one, was a terrible idea. Yeah, she’d let herself fantasize about it, trying to justify the attraction that simply would not go away. She had told herself that maybe it could work if they were careful…
But it had all been a useless mental exercise, because here he was with this stunning woman who had a laugh like a chimpanzee-
“Jane?” It was Sara. “What’s wrong?”
“Uh, nothing. Nothing.” Deep breaths.
“You’re hyperventilating. Something must be wrong.”
“Fresh air.” She turned and headed out the sliding glass door to the patio, where Cooper and Reece were debating how best to arrange the charcoal.
“Jane, you’re all pale.”
“It’s nothing. I’m okay now.” She forced herself to slow her breathing. Talk about an overreaction. She’d had no idea her feelings for Max were such a big deal, but apparently she’d been hiding them even from herself.
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Sara whispered.
That made Jane laugh. “Of course not!”
“I just thought…since you stayed at the Hotel Alexander with Max-”
“Nothing happened. I told you that. Anyway, even if it had, I’d hardly be having pregnancy symptoms yet. It’s only been a week.”
“It didn’t take me long to notice something was up. Hey, look, I’m showing!” She raised up the hem of her shirt slightly to reveal a small baby bump.
Jane smiled, relaxing. “That’s great, Sara.”
“And I feel fantastic.”
The sliding glass door opened, and Max stepped out, with the beautiful woman hot on his heels. Jane instantly tensed up again.
“Oh,” Sara said with a knowing nod. “I see what’s got you all discombobulated.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Sara rolled her eyes. “Give it up, babe. It’s all over your face.”
Hell. She was going to have to leave if it was that obvious.
Unfortunately, Max made a beeline for her. “Jane. Can I talk to you a minute? Oh, hey, Sara. It’s about work. You don’t mind, do you?”
Sara grinned. “Of course not.”
The auburn-haired siren watched intently as Max touched a hand to Jane’s back, right on her bare skin, and guided her away. She shivered from the roots of her hair to her toes.
“You’re not cold, are you?” Max asked solicitously.
“No. Is something wrong at work?” Maybe she shouldn’t just leave without telling him.
“Everything at work is fine. I just wanted to ask you, if you don’t mind, not to mention our pink-magazine disaster to anyone else.”
“I won’t, of course. But why would you worry? From what I can tell, your cousins are completely supportive.”
“Yeah, but not all of the family is. I just don’t want it to get back to my brother or either of my parents that… well, that I let an employee bail me out.”
“I won’t say anything.” She didn’t really want it to get around that she was selling her boat, either. Cooper and Allie knew, but since Cooper was acting as her attorney, he wouldn’t blab it to anyone.
“You look hot.”
“A minute ago you thought I was cold.”
“No, I mean…hell, what am I doing? I told myself I wouldn’t do this.”
Oh, now Jane got it. Duh. She looked
“Maybe you better get back to your date,” Jane said primly.
“Who?”
Goodness, he had a short attention span. “The gorgeous, six-foot woman you arrived with?” She nodded toward the woman in question, who was staring holes through Max’s back.
Max glanced over her shoulder. “Her?” He laughed. “I just met her.”
“You work fast, then.”
“No, I mean, I really just met her. We arrived on the front porch at the same time. She’s Cooper’s neighbor.”
Jane’s face grew even warmer, if that were possible. She had just made a complete idiot of herself. Worse, Max was no longer safely out of reach. He was a free agent.
She was in trouble.
“Are you jealous?” Max whispered.
“Stop flirting with me,” she whispered back.
“I’ll stop if you really want me to. So long as you know-anything personal between us has nothing to do with
