I’d been watching her for days now. It was getting to be a habit. She intrigued me, and I wasn’t able to ignore her even if it would be in both our best interests. It wasn’t like I was going to be able to pursue her. But she sure made that hard to remember.
No one had noticed me bring my notebook and hide out in the gazebo earlier. That was part of the reason I loved this place. Even the staff left me alone. Hearing the blonde talk to Mr. Greg and not appear as if she was helping him out but rather following his instructions just to save his pride was even more eye-opening. When was the last time I’d met a girl who looked like her who was so damn thoughtful of an old man? I’d even heard Mr. Greg call her Sadie. Knowing her name made me smile. I’d wanted to ask Ms. Mary her name all week, but I hadn’t. I was trying to keep my distance.
I heard footsteps and tore my gaze off her and toward the guy who served my meals at night. He was watching her too. He was always watching her. It was starting to piss me off. I wasn’t sure why, but it was. It wasn’t like I was jealous of him. That would be ridiculous.
Marcus came to find me in the garden. “Hey, Sadie, the Stone family is dining at a friend’s house tonight, so I’m heading out early. How much longer until you get off?”
I glanced over at Mr. Greg, who seemed to be really suffering from his arthritis today, and I knew I couldn’t leave early. It wouldn’t hurt me to ride my bike home this evening. “You go on ahead. I have some work left here. Besides, I want to stop off at the grocery store and pick up a few things on my way home.”
Marcus frowned at me as if he were trying to decide something. Finally he said, “I really don’t like the idea of you riding home after dark, and then trying to ride a bike with bags of groceries.”
I started to argue with him and assure him that everything would be just fine, but his gaze left mine and landed on something behind me.
I turned and saw Jax Stone coming toward us from inside the gazebo. I hadn’t even seen him go inside it.
“I agree with you on her riding home in the dark with groceries. I’ll supply her with a ride home. You may leave now. She’ll be safe.”
Marcus stared at me with concern. I smiled at him as if to reassure him that I liked this arrangement.
“Uh, um, yeah, sure, Mr. Stone, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sadie,” he said, a wrinkle between his eyebrows. I could tell he was unsure about this.
“See you tomorrow,” I replied, and watched him reluctantly turn and walk away. Not because I wanted to stare at him longer, but because I needed to compose myself before I faced Jax. Somehow I’d become as pathetic as the rest of the teenage world. I’d caught glimpses of Jax outside, and every time he glanced my way, he smiled at me. My traitorous heart did a little flip. Before I knew it, I would have a stupid poster of Jax on my wall.
“Thank you,” I managed to say without tripping over my tongue.
He gave me one of those grins meant to melt girls’ hearts everywhere. “If I’d known you were riding a bike to get to and from work, I would have done something about it sooner. I’m glad I have such thoughtful employees. But then again, he is your friend, isn’t he?”
I smiled at him. “Marcus is a nice guy.”
Jax leaned in and said quietly, “And what about me? Am I a nice guy?”
I wasn’t sure what to say to this, so I decided to just be honest. “I don’t know you, really, but I do know you sign my paycheck, so I’m not exactly sure how to answer this.”
Jax threw back his head and laughed. I caught myself smiling. He seemed almost touchable when he laughed. He offered his arm for me to hook my hand through.
“Well then, Sadie White, why don’t you do me the honor of a stroll down by the beach so we can talk? Then maybe you can decide for yourself if I’m a nice guy or not.”
The fact he knew my name surprised me. He’d asked someone because he had never asked me the night we spoke in the dining room. I didn’t want the fact he had taken time to find out my name to affect me, but it did. Much more than it should. I glanced over at Mr. Greg. “I don’t know if I can. You see, Mr. Greg has arthritis, and he needs me for the weeding, whether he wants to admit it or not. Getting down on his knees is not easy for him, and very painful.”
“Really?” he asked with concern on his face, and he turned and went over to where Mr. Greg stood pretending to work, though I knew he’d been watching Jax and me.
I couldn’t hear what Jax said, but Mr. Greg seemed to like what he heard, and nodded, shook Jax’s hand, and appeared to be putting away his things.
Jax walked back over to where I stood. “Mr. Greg has decided to take the afternoon off and rest up his bad knees. He also wanted me to tell you he could wait until tomorrow for your chess game.”
I grinned at the older man, whom I’d come to care about. He winked, and I shook my head at him. Jax once again offered his arm, and I hesitated before I slipped my hand inside his bent elbow.
“Okay.” I wasn’t sure what to say, and I wondered if he could hear my heart racing in my chest.
“Let’s see, you not only worry over old men’s knees, but you also play chess with them in the evenings.”
I stiffened and stopped walking. Being teased about my relationship with Mr. Greg bothered me.
“Easy there, tiger.” He patted my hand. “I wasn’t making fun of you. I’m actually impressed. I haven’t met a girl with compassion before, and I’m intrigued.”
I relaxed. “I would imagine in your world, girls are much different from here in the real world. I’m sure if you spent some time with the everyday girl, you would find I am not unique.”
He grinned at me. “The everyday girls are who write me fan mail and buy out my concerts. They are the girls who yell my name and run after me like crazed animals. You’ve not even tried to sneak into my room and squirt your perfume on my pillow.”
I hesitated, my jaw dropping in shock. “Please tell me those last two haven’t happened before and you made them up.”
Jax shrugged and shook his head. “I’m afraid they have. They’re only a few examples. I left out the ones not suitable for a young girl’s ears. You don’t even want to know the extent girls go to in order to get my attention. It’s one of the reasons I need this summer getaway. If I didn’t have this, I would have gotten out of the business a long time ago.”
We reached the shoreline and stopped.
He waved a hand over the white sand at our feet. “Want to sit down?”
I sank down cross-legged. He sat down in such a smooth way it made me feel clumsy. Why did I care? I’ve never thought about the way I sat down before. I didn’t need to start thinking of him as more than just a guy. A guy who signed my paycheck.
“So, tell me about yourself.” He leaned back on his hands and stretched his long legs out in front of him.
I shrugged, not sure what to say. “What do you want to know? I’m not very interesting.”
He chuckled. “I disagree, but we won’t argue. Tell me about your family.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks at his request, but I forced myself to talk instead of blushing like an idiot. “Well, I live with my mom, and it has always been just me and her. However, she is pregnant right now, so our two will soon be three. We just moved here two months ago from Tennessee. I love the ocean much more than the mountains, so the move has been a good one.”
Jax watched me as I spoke, and I focused on staring at my hands.
“I don’t want to be getting into your personal space, so tell me if I ask something you feel is none of my business. Where’s the baby’s dad?”
I laughed at his question because, yes, it was personal, and the answer was sordid, but something about him made me relax and tell him things I didn’t normally talk about. “My mother is beautiful, but unfortunately she has no common sense. She likes the attention she gets from men and picks the worst ones.” I gave a small smile I knew wouldn’t reach my eyes. “When I say the worst ones, I mean the worst! They are married or engaged, or so worthless they would never consider settling down. The man who donated to my conception was married, and I even know who he is and where he lives, but I never intend to go introduce myself. This baby’s father is also a loser. He isn’t married, but he doesn’t have any intention of helping out or contributing to the raising of this child.”
I was airing too much dirty laundry, so I stopped talking and stared out over the ocean waves. He sat up, and his arm brushed against mine. Warmth rushed through my body.
“So, you’re the grown-up at home, aren’t you?”
I tensed at his correct description. I nodded since I could feel his breath close to my neck.
“No wonder you’re so different. You’ve got too much on your shoulders to even consider hanging posters of some shallow teenage rock star on your walls.”
I smiled at his humor. “You’re not shallow. Granted, I thought you would be in the beginning, but you surprised me.”
Long fingers slid across my thigh and took my hand. “Is this job what pays the bills, then? When you mentioned it paid for your food the first night we met, I thought maybe you were joking or being melodramatic, but now . . .” He stopped.
I picked up where he left off. “She’s too far into her pregnancy, and it’s too difficult for her to work. She doesn’t hold down jobs well. During the school year, she struggles from job to job. She worked here until my first day out of school.”
He didn’t say anything, and neither did I. We just sat there holding hands and watching the sun set over the water. Just before it sank, Jax stood up.
He held out his hand for me to take. “We’d better head back before the sun sets completely.”
His fingers never left mine as we walked back to the house. The only way to explain it is to say it was very close to an out-of-body experience. Holding hands with Jax Stone and feeling like we connected. He didn’t seem like a rock star anymore. He wasn’t the guy I saw on posters and in magazines. He wasn’t the hottie I’d seen on MTV. He was just Jax. I thought about the times Marcus had held my hand, and how casual it had seemed. But the warmth from Jax’s hand sent a tingling sensation up my arms. He was a rock star and I was his maid, for crying out loud. I cleaned his vegetables!
We stopped outside the servants’ entrance.
“Thanks for the walk today.” He smiled down at me again, and my insides went to mush.
I was in trouble. I liked this guy, and that was bad.
“You’re welcome.” I know it sounded stupid, but I really didn’t know what else to say.
“When do you need a ride home?”
I shook my head. I’d almost forgotten about his promise to supply me with a ride home. “I will be fine, honestly. I have been to the store a million times on my bike. Marcus just doesn’t realize it is very manageable.”
“Out of the question. I’ll have a car waiting for you at the front entrance. Whenever you’re ready to leave, it’s there. The driver will take you wherever you need to go.” I started to argue, and he placed one of his very talented fingers over my lips. “Don’t argue. I don’t like the idea any more than Marcus. He’s right. It isn’t safe.”
I knew it would be fine, but I didn’t want to stand out here arguing over his doing exactly what he’d promised Marcus he would do. “Okay. I’ll go see if Ms. Mary needs any help before I leave.”
Jax smiled, apparently pleased that I wasn’t going to argue. “Thanks for the walk,” he said again, and turned to leave.
I wanted to watch him walk away, but I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. No matter how insane the idea of a friendship with Jax Stone seemed, I really believed we were in the beginning of one.
I helped Ms. Mary finish up the dishes, then went back to the laundry room to change. I wanted to get home, lie in bed, and think about my time down by the water with Jax. I wanted to memorize each word and glance. I wanted to slap myself because my reaction bordered on ridiculous. I needed to be hoping he would keep his distance and not pursue a friendship with me, because I feared I just might become one of those crazed girls with a crush.
I said good-bye to Ms. Mary and exited through the servants’ door. I walked around to the front of the house and stopped short at the very expensive silver Hummer limo waiting on me. I should have expected extravagance since I doubted Jax owned anything normal. I walked toward the car. A man dressed in black stood beside the machine. He stepped forward with a serious expression on his face and opened the door. I remembered him as one of the large men who’d been here the first day I arrived. “Marcus took your bike when he left. It should be at your home when you arrive.”
I hadn’t realized Marcus was taking my bike for me. I had actually forgotten all about needing to get my bike home. Jax had me completely flustered. “Thanks,” I said, and stepped inside. I hadn’t been expecting anyone else.
“My intention was to let you go home alone, but I didn’t like that idea. I hope you don’t mind the company.” Jax sat in the seat directly across from me, drinking an expensive bottle of water and watching a baseball game. He held a remote in his hands and clicked off the baseball game showing on the television above my head.
I sat down on the black leather seat and smiled. My heart thumped in my chest, and I wanted to appear unaffected by his appearance. “Um, no, I don’t mind.”
He grinned and handed me a fancy water. “Thirsty?”
I took the water in the hope it would ease my suddenly dry throat. “Yes, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Which grocery store do you want to go to?”
I smiled at the thought of Jax Stone asking where I wanted to go buy food. “Sea Breeze Foods will be fine. It’s closer to my apartment.”
He picked up his remote again, and with a click of a button the tinted glass between us and the driver came down. “Sea Breeze Foods, please, Kane.” The giant in the front seat nodded, and Jax slid the glass back up.
“Do you mind if I go inside with you? I’m craving a Reese’s Cup.”
I frowned, remembering his wish to remain hidden. “No, I don’t mind, but won’t it blow your cover if you’re seen walking around Sea Breeze Foods?”
He smirked. “Yeah, it would, but I’m prepared.”
He reached over the seat and opened a compartment. It took all my will power not to lean over and sniff him, he smelled so good. I’d noticed it earlier, but not as much as I did now in such close quarters. He sat back in his seat, and I composed my expression into a curious smile. He slipped a black baseball hat on with the letter A on the front, which I recognized immediately as the University of Alabama’s logo.
“Nice touch,” I said, grinning at his attempt to go incognito.
He then slipped on tinted glasses.
“Isn’t it a little dark for those?”
He grinned. “Actually, these brighten up the nighttime. They’re glasses used for seeing, not to shade the sun. I shouldn’t stick out too much.”
His designer jeans and the black T-shirt clung to his muscular chest and arms, and I frowned. “No, you’re going to attract attention in that shirt.”
He glanced down at himself. “You think so?”
I tried not to stammer from the shock my system took from his grin. “I know so. Any girl in a ten-mile radius is going to stare you down if you wear it. It’s impossible not to.”
A huge grin broke across his face. “So does this mean you like me in this shirt?”
I sighed and sat up a little straighter. “I’m mature for my age, Jax, not blind.”
He laughed and reached back into the compartment over the seat. “As much as I like the idea of you being unable to take your eyes off me, I don’t want to draw attention, so how’s this?” He slipped into an old faded blue jean jacket. It covered up his impressive body.
“Better,” I assured him as the Hummer came to a stop.
Jax slid the glass wall back down. “Kane, go park in the parking lot, and don’t open our doors. I want to appear normal, so just hang out at the car.”
Kane frowned and nodded.
“Let’s go shop.” Jax jumped out and took my hand, and I stepped out behind him. We walked in silence to the grocery store entrance. Suddenly my nerves assaulted me. What if people recognized him and bombarded him? I didn’t want his attempt at being nice to be ruined by crazy teenage fans. We entered the store, and I looked back to see Kane following behind us. He stopped and stood outside the large glass window. Apparently, he would be standing guard in case of a mad rush of fans. I should have figured the large giant doubled as a bodyguard.
“Where to first?” Jax asked, grinning as he pulled out a shopping cart when we walked in.
“You seem really excited about shopping for food,” I whispered, not wanting anyone around us to hear me.
“I haven’t been in a grocery store since I was a kid hanging on my mom’s cart, begging for Big League Chew.”
I pitied the little boy inside who missed things as simple as grocery stores. “Well then, let’s make this memorable. If you’re good, I’ll buy you some Big League Chew.”
“They still make it?”
I shrugged. “Sure, this is the South, Jax. Things don’t change here often. Time kind of stands still.”
He nodded in agreement. “I know, it’s part of the reason I love it here. No one is in a hurry.”
I walked ahead of him, and he followed behind me with the cart. I was a little embarrassed when I realized he would witness my bargain shopping. I hadn’t thought of the fact that he would see me worrying over the cost of bread. I couldn’t get out of this now. I might as well swallow my pride and get what I needed. I reached for the store-brand loaf of bread. I didn’t want to face him, but I knew he was watching me. I walked over to the cold meats and grabbed the deli shredded roast beef Jessica adored. I hated wasting money on such expensive meat, but if I didn’t, I would be forced to hear Jessica whine for a week.
A loud whisper came from behind us. “No, Mama, I know it’s him!” I turned to see a little girl about the age of nine studying Jax.
He smiled at her, and her face lit up. She left her mother’s side, and her mother reached out to grab her arm but missed. “I’m sorry; she’s convinced you’re Jax Stone.”
Jax only smiled and shrugged, and then he squatted down to her level. “Hello,” he said in a voice I swear could melt butter.
“You’re Jax Stone, aren’t you?”
He glanced up at the mom and back down at the girl and put his finger over his mouth. “Yes, I am, but can you keep it our secret?”
Her little face lit up, and she grinned from ear to ear. The mother appeared stunned. Jax reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a card. “Here, this has my contact number and e-mail address on it. Do you have a pen on you, Sadie?”
I was as mesmerized as the little girl. It took me a second to register what he asked. I grabbed my backpack, pulled out a pen, and handed it to him. He signed the card and asked her name.
“Megan Jones,” she replied.
He pulled out another card and wrote her name on it. “Now, Megan, get your mom to call my agent. He’ll be expecting a call from a Megan Jones. I’m going to be stopping in Pensacola, Florida, on my tour this fall, and this will get you a backstage pass and front-row seats.”
The little girl began to squeal, and Jax put his finger over his lips again. She nodded vigorously and covered her mouth.
“Just keep my secret about me being here, all right?”
She nodded, and he kissed her forehead before standing up. The mother’s eyes glistened with tears. I realized tears were filling my eyes too.
The mother smiled through her tears. “Thank you . . . I don’t . . . I mean, I can’t . . .” She took a deep breath and smiled. “Thank you. She loves you. You’re all over her bedroom walls.” More tears started spilling down her face, and she wiped them away. “I’m sorry I am being so silly, but this year hasn’t been easy on her. Her dad was killed overseas, and things have been tough.” A small sob escaped her, and she shook her head, smiling. “Thank you so much.”
The little girl ran over to her mother and handed her the card. She turned back to Jax and put her little finger over her mouth and grinned. He bowed and blew her a kiss. Her small little hand reached out, grabbed the invisible kiss, and placed it on her lips. My heart melted as I watched them walk away, the little girl gazing back and smiling at him until they were out of sight.
I wiped the tears off my face.
“Yeah, that one got to me too.” He wiped a tear off my cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “However, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just have a soft spot for my younger fans.”
“No, I loved getting to see you with her. It was precious. You were so sweet to her, and I got to see the highlight of her life.”
Jax grinned. “I doubt it’s the highlight.”
I raised my eyebrows and countered, “Well, you’re wrong. When she is thirty years old, she will be telling about the night when she met Jax Stone in a grocery store. ”
Jax smirked wickedly. “If I give you backstage passes and blow you a kiss, will it be the highlight of your life?”
I managed to keep from getting hypnotized by his incredible eyes focused on me so intently. “No, only works on fans.”
He frowned and placed his hand over his heart. “Ouch.”
I laughed and turned toward the cereal aisle, leaving him to follow along behind me.
We managed to get the rest of the things I needed without another spotting. Jax kept his eyes down. To the casual observer he appeared to be really interested in the things in the grocery cart. However, I knew he didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone. He grabbed a large package of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and I found his Big League Chew at the checkout lane and added it to my cart while he wasn’t paying attention.
Once the groceries were bought, he loaded the bags into the cart and we went outside. Kane stood waiting on us and again walked slowly behind us. The Hummer beeped and the lights came on as we got near it. Jax started to load the groceries into the back of the Hummer, either not noticing or ignoring Kane hovering behind us.
“I’ll do it,” Kane said in a deep, rough voice.
Jax looked back at the giant and smiled. “I can handle it. You just drive.”
Kane nodded, stepped back, and let Jax finish, but he didn’t move until he went to open the door for us. Jax sighed and motioned for me to go in first. He slid in behind me, this time sitting beside me instead of across from me.
“He’s determined not to let me impress you with my chivalry and is taking all the glory.” He smiled.
I no longer saw him as shallow and self-centered. Not after the scene I’d witnessed in the grocery store. For as long as I lived I would never forget the little girl’s face when Jax kissed her head.
“Are you going to share those deep thoughts with me?”
I shrugged. “I’m just remembering the little girl’s face. What you did was really nice. I didn’t picture you like that.”
He frowned. “Like what?”
“Well, I guess I didn’t think you would have acknowledged a little girl, and not only did you speak to her, you made a dream come true for her. I mean, you could have just blown her off and acted like you were not Jax Stone.” I stopped talking and gazed up at him because his mouth had formed a crooked smile. “What?” I asked.
He lightly ran his finger from my ear to my chin. “I think you’re the first girl I have ever met who is impressed by my kindness to kids.”
My heart thudded in my chest from his touch. Drawing breath into my lungs became difficult. “Well, you really need to be pickier about who you spend time with,” I managed to say without sounding breathless.
He threw back his head and laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re right, Sadie. I do, and I think I’ve found someone who I want to spend time with who happens to cry for little girls she doesn’t know who have lost their fathers in the war.”
I didn’t want to think about the sweet little girl being fatherless. If I teared up again, I would seem ridiculous. “You’ll get tired of me quickly. I’m boring,” I admitted out loud before I realized it.
He slipped a finger under my chin and tilted my face up. “Nothing about you is boring. Just watching you think is entertaining.”
I frowned, and he kissed my head much like he did the little girl’s and laughed softly.
“Don’t frown, beautiful. You fascinate me.”
My face grew hot, and my heart pounded so hard in my chest I feared it might burst its way out. It wasn’t fair that he could affect me with so little effort.
The Hummer stopped, and I realized we were sitting outside my apartment. I frowned at him. “I never told you how to get here.”
He grinned and got out to open my door. “You work for me, Sadie. I made it my business to get your address from your file and give it to Kane before we left.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” I muttered.
He exited the vehicle and held his hand out to me. I slipped my hand in his and stepped out.
“Can I take your bags inside for you?” he asked.
“No!” The thought of Jessica seeing him, or even worse, the thought of what she might be wearing, terrified me. “Um, I . . . It’s just, my mom is not real big on people coming in these days.”
He opened the back. “Well, at least let me carry them to the door.”
“Okay.” I walked with him to the doorway. My bike was propped against the tree closest to the apartment. I needed to thank Marcus for bringing it home for me. That was sweet of him to think about it. I turned back to Jax and took the bags from him, and then I reached in and took out the gum. I didn’t know what to say, so I just handed it to him, and his face lit up. A smile I remembered from the photos of him as a little boy appeared on his face. It wasn’t a smile the world ever got a glimpse of in magazines.
“I take it I was good.”
I nodded. “Thanks again for the ride and the company.”
He bowed teasingly. “Anytime.” I looked at him one more time and went inside. I closed the door and leaned up against it. Jax Stone had just rocked my world, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.