Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1)(21)
Author: Catherine Bybee

And he didn’t hold his tongue, either.

“It’s not mine, and like I said, I’m helping out a friend.”

“You would help her by getting her something reliable. Not all mechanics are like me. And unless the woman knows something about basic auto repair, she’ll end up overspending every time the car needs so much as an oil change. Hell, the mechanic wouldn’t even have to be unethical working on this. He’d just have to start at one end and work his way to the other to find issues.”

Didn’t Jack know it.

But he couldn’t tell Jessie that someone had left a new car at the hotel and she could keep it. No, he’d have to work in something that big a little differently.

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Max. Just get her back up and running. If you can replace a few things my lady friend won’t notice, by all means do it. If she notices that I’ve spent money on it, she’ll insist on paying me.” As it was, Jack worried about telling her he’d taken it to a mechanic. A friend working on the car was one thing…quite another to hire someone to do the job. But if he was put to the test at some point, he might find that lie hard to continue. No, he’d tell her someone had helped him if he had to.

He needed to keep the web of lies as thin as possible.

“A woman who doesn’t want you to spend money on her? Seriously? I didn’t think they existed.”

Jack offered a smile. His did.

It was after noon when Jack finally picked up the phone and called Jessie. Although he’d thought of her all day it wasn’t until he heard her chipper voice that he was reminded of their kiss all over again. The kiss to end all kisses. The mating of lips that promised amazing things should they ever find the right time to touch in other places.

Jack knew Jessie would be miffed about the kiss, so he planned on acting as if it hadn’t happened unless she said something about it. He wouldn’t apologize for something he wasn’t sorry for and something he knew she’d enjoyed just as much as he did.

“Hey, darlin’, how did you sleep?” He’d tossed and turned all night, but he wasn’t about to tell her that and give her ammunition to hang up the phone.

“Hey, Jack. I-I, ah, slept good, fine.” Her voice wavered, making him wonder if she spoke the truth.

“I should have your car up and running in the hour. Are you going to be home so I can drop it off?”

“Actually, I was taking Danny to the park around the corner so he can play with some of his friends.”

Even better. “I can bring it to you there. What’s the name of the park?”

She told him, then added, “You don’t have to do this. I can get Monica to drive me over to the hotel to pick it up.”

Only the car wasn’t at the hotel. It was with a mechanic at a shop, getting a new starter and a new battery, an oil change, air filter…“Not a problem.”

“You sure?”

“Jessie, please. I might not be able to help with much, but I can do this.” The lie tasted sour on his tongue, but he blurted it out all the same.

“What was the problem?”

“The starter, like I thought. I, ah, just had to find the part.”

“Was it a hassle?”

“No,” he said too quickly. After a breath he added, “There’s a place around the corner from the hotel that sells parts. It’s just gonna take a little longer to get it in and clean up. You’ll still be at the park in an hour?”

Jessie laughed. “Danny would make me stay there until dark if he could. We’ll be there.”

“I’ll see you in an hour.” Jack said good-bye and hung up.

A late November bite in the air was what Jessie referred to as a sweater-without-a-coat day. The sun was warm, but the air held a tiny nip. The kids filled the park while their parents sat on the benches next to the playground equipment and watched them play.

Danny concocted a game of follow the leader with three other boys. The kids led one another up and down the slides, hopped over the swings, and spun in circles in the sand. Within ten minutes of playing in the park, Danny was laughing, dirty, and jumping around. Days like this made her happy with her choice about working graveyard. She didn’t miss out on her son’s day-to-day life so long as she worked during his sleeping hours.

It didn’t always work that way. Sometimes when he came down with a cold or had a nightmare, she missed being there to care for him, but Monica handled those times like a pro. If ever Danny really needed her, Jessie called in sick or would come home. By the time she was able to manage a day job, Danny would be spending his days in school, and Jessie could work while he was there. That was the plan, anyway.

“Hey, darlin’.” Jack’s voice purred behind her ear. She turned around and caught his grinning face only a few inches from hers. She pulled back, just in case he thought he was going to greet her with a kiss.

“Hey.”

She was sitting on the edge of a picnic table and decided to slide between the seat and the table to further the distance from him. Without a glance, Jack sat opposite her.

He dangled her keys from his fingertips. “All fixed.”

“So…it was the starter.” She gathered the keys in her palm, grazing his hand in the process. That innocent touch reminded her of their fondling fingers the night before. Even holding hands with the cowboy held appeal.

His hat sat firmly in place. His button-up shirt covered his muscular arms that had held her so close the night before, and she remembered the hardness of his chest and the sound of his sigh when she dropped her inhibitions and allowed the kiss to continue. His lips were just as plump as the night before. The sweater she wore suddenly felt hot. Jessie shook her head and looked behind her to see where Danny was.

“Your starter was fried.”

“Was that expensive?” She reached for her purse sitting beside her.

“A friend owed me a favor.”

“So you had to have someone else do the work?”

“Had to; Max had the parts, I didn’t.”

How silly of her. Of course Jack didn’t have the parts. She removed her checkbook, but Jack covered her hand with his.

“Max owed me a favor, Jessie. No charge.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“You have to,” he insisted.

“What if you need Max’s help for your truck? You’ll have used your get-out-of-jail-free card for me.” Jessie shook off his hand and started to write out a check.