Looking equal parts shocked and furious, Jackson stares at his now half-full dining table.
“What in the ever-loving hell is going on?”
To be fair, I was equally shocked when Mary and Stephanie walked in the front door. And it’s all thanks to Jackson’s flashcards that I was even able to recognize the pretty blonde, in jeans and a cream blouse, as his sister.
When Jackson went to the office and hollered for Luke to answer the knock at the door, I think we all assumed it was his coach. But as our insanely ridiculous luck would have it, Jackson’s mama and sister appeared. I have a sneaking suspicion they stopped by so Stephanie could question Jackson about me, since the very first thing out of her mouth was, “Oh my god! Are you Kitten?”
I think I turned bright red. Scratch that, I know I did. Luke was still greeting Mary at the door, so Stephanie was the first one to see me. At Stephanie’s exclamation, Mary whipped her head over, and the smile that spread across her face was instantaneous. Before I could even respond, Mary somehow teleported to my location and wrapped me in a hug.
“Oh honey, it’s so good to see you!” She pulled back but still had her hands on my upper arms, examining me like it’d been years, not a matter of hours, since we last saw each other. “Katelyn, this is my daughter Stephanie. I told her all about you, and she was so hoping to get to meet you someday. This couldn’t have worked out better!”
Stepping into my space, Stephanie also pulls me into a hug. “It’s so great to meet you! I can’t wait to tell you all the embarrassing stories I have about Jackson. He was such a little shit growing up!”
I still hadn’t uttered a word by that point. I wasn’t sure if I should start by clarifying that this was just a casual dinner, not the serious relationship their words were implying, or if I should just act chill and pretend this was all normal. Thankfully, Luke cut off what was sure to be awkward silence by ushering us all to the table.
He was grinning. “Come on, sit down! Oh man, this is going to be priceless! Jackson will be back out here any moment, and I want him to find us all sitting here, eating his food.”
I did my best not to laugh. I really didn’t want to cause Jackson more stress, but what options did I really have?
Taking back my original seat, Stephanie and Mary sat in the open spots next to me, and Luke took the seat on the other side of Jackson’s plate.
Finally finding my voice, I turned to Stephanie. “Stephanie! It’s so great to meet you. Jackson was actually just telling me about you. All flattering, I promise.” I smile and glance at the others. “And he clearly went way overboard when he ordered our dinner, so please help yourselves. We’ll never finish all of this.”
“Please, call me Steph.” She beams.
It’s at this point, when everyone is filling their plates with food, that Jackson walks in.
“What in the ever-loving hell is going on?”
Mary’s not fazed by Jackson’s outburst. She simply smiles up at him. “Hello, Jacky dear. Your sister and I thought we’d stop by to see if you’d like to join us for dinner. But now with Katelyn’s invitation to join you, we can all just stay in tonight.”
I cringe a little at her wording. I see Jackson’s jaw tick as he quickly glances at me. I shrug. Because really, what the hell was I supposed to do. Ask them to leave? I don’t think so.
Ignoring his mom’s comment, Jackson strides over and grabs the tray of sushi rolls that Luke was reaching for and slides them all onto his own plate.
Looking offended, Luke pouts, “Hey, those are the best ones!”
Jackson drops into his chair. “I know. Get your own.”
Then he slides a few of the treasured rolls off his plate and onto mine, with a wink. Gah, that wink! So many bumblebees!
“Hi, brother. It’s so nice to see you too! I’ve been fine, thanks for asking. Care to introduce me to your beautiful dinner guest?” Stephanie’s sarcasm rivals that of a teenage girl.
Sighing, Jackson visibly slumps a little before responding. “Hey, Steph. How are things? You look lovely. Please let me introduce you to Katelyn. You’re right, she is beautiful. And we were having a very nice evening. Alone. Until Luke showed up.” As if just remembering why Luke showed up, he shakes his head a little. “And Coach should be here any minute now for an impromptu tape viewing.”
This obviously isn’t what we had planned for our night, and Jackson looks so disappointed. Wanting to reassure him, I slide my hand over to the top of his thigh and gently squeeze. And – sweet holy muscles – what is this man made of? I give his leg a second squeeze before I realize, A: what I am doing, and B: that it looks like I’m staring at his crotch.
Quickly looking up, I lock eyes with Jackson. I don’t have time to be mortified before he places his hand over mine. Securing its place on his thigh.
Clearly seeing Coach’s pending arrival as an opportunity, Mary perks up. “Oh well, don’t worry about us. We can keep Katelyn company while you boys go do your hockey thing!”
“That’ll be perfect!” agrees Stephanie. “See, aren’t you glad we showed up tonight?”
Jackson lets out a half laugh, half guffaw. “Oh yes, I’m so glad.”
I roll my eyes at him then turn to Steph. “That’d actually be great. If you guys weren’t here to entertain me, I’m positive I’d get bored and go snooping through all of Jackson’s stuff. Then I’d probably end up feeling guilty about it, and wrestle over whether or not I should tell him what I did. And what if I found something that was a red flag? I mean what do I do then? Confront him or just sneak out the door and block his number?” I raise my eyebrows. “So you see, it’s a good thing you’re here.”
The girls’ laughter is drowned out when Jackson smirks at me. “I’ve already found you sneaking around once before, so you know where my dungeon is. Just what do you think you might find otherwise?”
I’m saved from answering by another knock at the door.
Luke jumps up. “I’ve got it!”
He circles the table, darts his hand over Jackson’s shoulder, and steals one of the rolls Jackson took away from him. Jumping back out of Jackson’s reach, Luke pops it in his mouth and makes a big show of chewing and moaning and being entirely obnoxious as he heads for the door.
“Jackass!” Jackson calls after him. Then he leans closer, so only I can hear him. “Seriously, Kitten, I’ll find a way for us to have an entire evening alone together. But please, I beg you, don’t run away while I’m back in the office. I promise we won’t take long, and when we’re done I’ll kick my mama and Steph out so we can enjoy the rest of our night.”
I can’t stop staring into his perfect blue eyes. He seems so concerned that I’ll let this whole debacle scare me off, when really – this craziness is right on par for us. Before I can respond, we hear new voices entering the condo. Jackson glances to the door, and a beat later I see him straighten his back.
At first, I think it’s because his coach is here and he’s being respectful, but then I see the small look of annoyance cross his face. I look toward the door and see Luke talking to an older man, dressed casually, with a full head of grey hair and a serious-but-friendly look to him. And a woman. The woman looks to be in her mid twenties, maybe thirty. Blonde, perfectly curvy, and gorgeous. She’s not dressed nearly as casual as the man she came in with. Wearing a mustard-yellow wrap dress and a pair of heeled boots, she looks like an on-air news reporter.
“Well, this just keeps getting better,” Jackson mumbles. “Isabelle is here.”
At that, Mary furrows her eyebrows in a disapproving manner, and my curiosity piques. But that curiosity quickly turns into dread, laced with jealousy, as this Isabelle character locks onto Jackson’s location and beelines toward him.
In an act that I assume to be in deference to the coach, and not to the approaching blonde, the entire Wilder family stands from their seats. Rising with them, I’m able to watch the slow-moving collision on both sides of the table. Jackson’s coach walks up to Mary and Steph, greeting them both with a hug. Isabelle doesn’t stop until she’s right in front of Jackson. And I mean right in front, like – if she took a deep breath her boobs would brush against his chest. And since she came around the far side of the table, Jackson had to turn towards her, leaving me standing behind him. Hidden by his mass. From here, all I can see are her arms as they move around him in a hug.
“Jackson Wilder, it’s been too long! I feel like I never see you.” Her voice is sweet enough, but she sounds a little fake. Like she’s trying way too hard.
I know he’s not mine, not technically, but I still feel the little green tendrils taking hold. I don’t want to make a scene, but at the very least I need to announce my presence. Clearly the fact that his mother and sister are in the room isn’t enough to deter this girl from basically throwing herself at Jackson. Maybe a little competition will do her good.
Stepping around to Jackson’s side, I watch him delicately extract himself from her grip and step back.
Still not seeming to notice me, a living-breathing-human two paces away, Isabelle continues. “Daddy and I are going to dinner tonight. When he said he was stopping by here first, I figured I’d come with and save him the trouble of picking me up after. Would you be able to join us? I’d love to spend some time with you.”
Daddy? This is the coach’s daughter? Interesting.
“I appreciate the invite, but I have plans tonight,” Jackson says in a practiced manner. This doesn’t seem to be the first time he has had to let this girl down. Seeing that she’s his coach’s daughter, I’m sure he knows to tread lightly.
“Oh, that’s a shame.” She frowns. “It seems our schedules never line up.”
Taking the tiny silence that follows as my opportunity, I extend my hand. “Hi! I’m Katelyn, I don’t think we’ve met before.”
Looking a little stunned, she takes my hand. “Hello, I’m Isabelle.” She glances over to the rest of the group, trying to figure out where I fit between Jackson, his family, and Luke.
Wanting to keep her talking, to someone other than Jackson, I continue, “I just love that dress! Fall is my favorite season, for so many reasons, but mostly because those rich jewel tones are in style. Of course, I don’t have the coloring you do to pull off that yellow. Not that it stops me from trying the color on when I see it. But it never fails, I always end up looking a sickly shade of pink and I have to put it right back on the rack.”
Isabelle blinks at me for a moment, then grins. “Oh, you’re too kind! This old thing is just too comfortable to give up. And I know what you mean about fall colors, they’re just the best. It’s the spring colors that always wash me out. Until I’m able to get a tan.”
I smile back. Well, look at that. Project distract-the-new-girl is working out perfectly.
Jackson sets his hand on my shoulder, which Isabelle instantly notices with widening eyes. “Katelyn, I’d like to introduce you to Coach.”
Turning, I am now face-to-face with the infamous Coach.
He holds his hand out. “Hello, dear. The name’s Don Thorpe.”
Shaking his hand, I smile. “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Thorpe. Whenever Jackson talks about you it sounds like he’s speaking about a mythical creature.”
“Oh please, call me Don, or Coach. And I’m sure Jackson sounds that way out of fear, not awe.” He chuckles, slapping Jackson on the back. “These boys know I’m liable to make them skate ’til they puke if they step outta line.”
Luke groans from the other side of the room.
Jackson bends down and talks in a stage whisper, “Luke got into trouble a few weeks back, so Coach had him skating Killers. Luke was one short of finishing when he hurled. Coach gave him ten minutes in the lockers, then made him start all over again.”
Coach barks out a laugh. “Served the boy right! Now let’s get to these tapes and get this over with.”
With that, the three men stroll off down the hall. Leaving us women to fend for ourselves.
