I wasn’t ready.
At first, I fell into his embrace. Three seconds later I snapped out of it and remembered he was twenty years old and my employee. I had leather boots older than him. Although I couldn't fit the boots because my feet had jumped two sizes after being pregnant twice, but that was beside the point. I had shit in my closet older than Mr. Jason Smith. I slowly pulled away from Jason. I didn't want to offend him. I was the one that interrogated this kid for just doing his job. He did me a solid and I was acting like a real psycho.
It was hard for me to trust people and I knew it. My cruel and painful divorce had a lot to do with my newfound skepticism of all men. But everybody wasn’t a liar, a cheater or just a flake. My father was this perfect man in my eyes. Now that I look back I felt I tried to hold every man to this unattainable standard and that was just a fantasy. Men like my father were relics. They were cast from some old school design that went out of style a long, long, time ago.
“Kat, are you really feeling okay? You’re acting wonky.”
“I’m fine.” I shrugged his words off. I couldn’t let it be. “Okay, wait a minute. What about the alarm? You had the key but I know I put the alarm on before I went to bed last night.”
Jason’s lips twisted. I could see he was done with this conversation. “I’ve seen you activate the alarm.”
“When?”
“I don’t remember when. No, maybe a week after I started working here.”
“What’s the alarm code?”
“77, 9, 0, 1. I have a really good memory.”
“So you got the key from under a couch cushion and opened the door. You came inside and deactivated the alarm.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I did.” He was so blasé about it. “Literally, that, exactly.”
“I wished you would’ve called me and woke me up.”
“I believe you needed your rest. But if you want me to do something in particular in the future I will do it. I told you before that I’m your slave. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
I shook my head no. “Slave, like no. You don’t have to do all that.”
“I want to.” His grin was too much.
“I’m sure there are plenty of girls that would love to tell you what to do and when to do it.”
He raised one eyebrow, something I never learned to do. “Do you know what it means to deflect?”
“Yes, I do. I have an extensive vocabulary as an editor.” I felt my lips press firmly together.
“Deflector.” He muttered.
“I’m just stating the obvious.” I couldn’t seem to win this thing, whatever this thing was. “I left my laptop upstairs.”
“I’ll watch the store while you get it. I swear I won’t break out of here while you’re gone.”
I sighed. “You’re such a smart ass.”
“My kind of ass to aspire too.”
I took a step toward the back of the store. Jason blocked my movements with his body. I moved to the left and he quickly moved with me.
“Hey,” I called out to him and he was staring down at me. “Why are you always in my personal space?”
“Is that what they call it?” He was grinning that same grin that made the little girls hang around and store, drooling, leaning on the counter and leaving fingerprints all over the glass.
“Yes, that’s what I call it. Now move out of my personal space.”
Of course, he didn’t move so I gave him a playful punch in the stomach and pushed past him.
I was too far away when he turned to look at me.
“Cheater.”
“Whatever.” I dashed up the stairs to get my laptop. I’m not sure why it didn’t bother me that Jason broke into the store and made himself at home. I didn’t think he had any ill intent. I decided to just trust him the way I had the entire three weeks he worked in the store.
Jason closed the store at nine. I had gone out to the backyard around eight to finish up a few edits on an interracial steampunk novel that I actually couldn’t believe was acquired. I loved working in the backyard in front of the fire pit. It was nice and cozy out there once the temperature dropped. I had a glass of red wine, my laptop and my bare feet up on the patio furniture. Out there at night was so pretty and peaceful. The stars always seemed brighter in the back of the store at night.
I looked up when I heard the back door open. Jason was walking toward me looking perfect. Not a bead of sweat or a hair out of place. He was something to stare at.
“Look at what I found in the basement.”
I figured it out because he was holding a wooden acoustic guitar in his hands. “You found a guitar.”
“Yes, isn’t it lovely? Do you play?”
Me? “No.”
“Who plays?”
“Absolutely no one in my family.” We could carry a tune but we couldn’t play any instruments. “I have no idea where that guitar came from.”
Jason placed the instrument on the patio table next to where I was sitting. He removed a dishtowel from his back pocket and wiped away the cobwebs and dust from the guitar. His fingers were touching the strings. I didn’t know exactly what he was up too. I turned my attention back to my open laptop.
The night sky was clear and the air was warm. I wished I had this fire pit back at home. I have to look into the cost of getting one. Hopefully, I would be able to afford it. I knew my son would love it. In the summer and spring
