“Sugar.” Screeching that particular curse word substitute didn’t do anything but make her hungry, so she rolled on her back and screamed out her frustration at the ceiling. Why did he have to be so annoying? And so sweet? He’d kissed her goodbye, and God, she’d never wanted anything more than to stay in his warm sheets and wait for him to return. To listen to every detail about his doctor’s appointment before pulling off the T-shirt of his she wore and making him feel better with every inch of her naked body.
But that was a fairy tale. Little Red Riding Hood had nothing on the yarn they were spinning.
Maybe he couldn’t decide if he wanted her as a lover or as a friend or as a client, but she could. She wasn?
?t going to risk more than she could afford to lose.
She sat up in bed and pushed her hands through her tumbled hair. On a chair next to the bed sat the neat pile of her clothes, all nicely folded. On top sat a single foil-wrapped butterscotch candy, the kind he’d slipped her a few times as a kid. Her mom had been militant about her never having sugar and Chase had hooked her up in secret.
He’d remembered. And that made her sniffle harder.
A fuzzy recollection of her crying and Chase holding her teased the edges of her brain. Oh, man, had she had one of her dreams again last night? The memories of her father’s death had mostly faded with the passing years, but when she was stressed, they loved to show up in the form of nightmares. That was one of the reasons she rarely spent the night with guys. She hadn’t even thought of that last night though. After her show, then dressing room sex and Chase’s revelation about his arm, she’d been way too preoccupied. And now he’d probably seen her bawl like a baby.
Yep, that would definitely go miles to proving to him that she was a confident woman who didn’t need care. Maybe he even figured she’d cried to try to manipulate him, rather than because she’d been dazed and half asleep and caught in the memory of the worst day of her life.
Shaking it off, she stuck the candy in her purse and dressed quickly, not wanting to spend any more time in Chase’s apartment than she absolutely had to. She fished out her phone and dialed a car rental place, then made arrangements to pick up a car two hours later. That would give her enough time to get to a church service—at the same church she and Chase had attended a few weeks ago—then make her way to the car rental place.
Under six hours later, after drinking enough coffee to hype up a monkey and suffering through a trip home without her trusty GPS, she threw back her shoulders and walked into Triple Scoop. She had on her cute little brown and pink uniform with the short skirt that she’d insisted on buying over Cass’s more sedate choices, and the hot, majorly built guy leaning over the ice cream case to talk to Cass turned and gave her a leisurely once-over. When he glanced back at Cass, she was frowning.
Hmm. Interesting.
But since Summer already had one guy problem, she wasn’t looking for optional add-ons. Besides, she recognized this particular man, and from the way he and Cass were currently eye-balling each other, he had previous commitments as well.
“Jax,” Summer said brightly, wishing he’d been a little more tardy. She’d have to remember that he and Chase were punctual Peters. Her fault for not realizing she’d get lost several times on the way back home. “It’s so nice to see you again.” She strode forward and shook his hand. “Would you mind watching the counter for five minutes while I borrow Cass?”
Cass’s frown grew. “Jason doesn’t have counter experience. And why do you need to borrow me anyway?”
“Can’t you call me Jax?”
“No. I don’t call my brother Deuce either. Those are childish names.”
“Well, yeah, we were kids when we gave them to each other.” Jax’s amiable grin didn’t seem to improve Cass’s chilly mood. Which was pretty weird, since Cass could make friends with a cockroach. And practically had in the past, considering some of her ex-boyfriends. For as sweet as she was, Cass had horrible luck with men.
Summer sighed. Even worse than her own, current predicament notwithstanding.
“You’re no longer kids.”
“True, but by now, they’re just our names.” Jax glanced around the empty shop. “And you have no customers, so I’m pretty sure I can manage the counter for a few while you and Summer have a confab in the back.”
“Five minutes.” Cass removed her apron and gestured for Summer to follow. “Thank you, Jason,” she said almost as an afterthought.
“Jax,” he called before Summer pulled the swinging door to the back room shut behind them.
Cass sat at her desk and raised one perfectly arched red eyebrow. She looked like she’d stepped out of Irish Models Weekly, all porcelain skin, sharp green eyes and hair the color of a fire truck. She also had the temper the Irish were famed to have, though she usually tried to keep it under wraps. But whoa, when Cass got pissed, watch the hell out.
Summer wondered if Chase was the same. He was usually as even-tempered as they came. Nothing much seemed to ruffle the guy. He just bulldozed until he got his way.
It was time she took a page out of her lover’s—former lover’s—book.
“What is this—?”
“I slept with Chase.” When Cass broke her rigid posture and sagged in her chair, Summer charged ahead. “It wasn’t planned, and it’s not going to happen again. I thought you should know. Oh, and I’m launching a singing career and no one knew about it but him, so he was my bodyguard for a few weeks but that’s all over now. I’ll probably end up with Jax.” Summer grabbed a spare apron off a hook. She’d forgotten hers yet again. “That’s all I had to say. Let’s get back to work.”
“Hold it,” Cass said as Summer turned toward the door. “What do you mean you’ll end up with Jason?”
Summer bit her lip and pivoted to face her best friend. And boss. Important not to forget that little tidbit. Since she’d expected her best friend to lead with Summer’s irresponsible sexcapades, she did a double take. Cass hadn’t asked about her singing. Not about her sleeping with Cass’s brother. She’d asked about Jax.
Cass gripped her elbows and leaned forward. “Well?”