“Any reason you’re banging on my door at this hour? It’s after midnight, Stern,” Zane said, moving aside to let his cousin enter.
Stern went straight into the living room and began pacing. Zane stared at him before plopping down on the sofa. He rubbed his hand down his face. “You want a cup of coffee?”
Stern stopped pacing and stared at him. “No, what I want is advice. I had a date with JoJo tonight.”
Zane leaned back against the sofa cushion. “You have dates with JoJo all the time. What made tonight different?”
“I kissed her.”
Zane stared at him for a moment, shook his head and then said, “I think we better drink coffee after all. If you don’t need a cup, I do.” He stood and walked toward the kitchen with Stern following in his wake. Once he set the coffeemaker on and it began brewing, he turned to Stern and leaned against the counter. “So, now do you want to tell me why you kissed JoJo?”
Stern shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know why I kissed her. I was playing with her hair one minute and then the next thing I knew, I was practically shoving my tongue down her throat.”
“No graphics, please,” Zane said, pouring a cup of coffee and then moving toward the table to sit down.
“Well, that’s what happened.”
“I’m surprised JoJo didn’t karate chop you.”
Stern decided he needed a cup of coffee after all and went over to the counter to pour a cup. “She didn’t because she thought I was testing her.”
“Testing her?”
“Yes. She’s doing a makeover for that guy I was telling you about. His name is Walter, by the way. She let it slip out. But I don’t know his last name.”
Zane shook his head. “You’re digressing. Please go back to why JoJo thinks she was being tested?”
Stern joined Zane at the table. “Because I know she’s never really been kissed, she figured I was testing her to make sure she knew what to do when this Walter guy kisses her. Then, I made the mistake of telling her that she needs to improve on her kisses.”
“Does she?”
“Hell, no, I lied. She was good. Too damn good. To be honest with you, the kiss was off the charts. And now the lie has caught up with me because she wants me to help her become a better kisser.”
Zane stared at him for a long moment. “Let me get this straight. You and JoJo have a platonic relationship to the degree that she thinks the two of you can practice kissing without anything happening?”
“Nothing will happen,” Stern argued.
Zane snorted. “If you believed that you wouldn’t be here, sitting at my table after midnight on a weeknight needing advice.”
Stern knew that to be true. “To answer your question, yes she thinks our relationship is platonic to that degree because she sees me as nothing more than a friend. Her best friend.”
“Well, can you handle teaching her to improve her kissing?”
Stern stared down into his cup of coffee and then he said, “That’s the weird thing, Zane. Tonight, when I was kissing JoJo, one part of my brain kept saying...Hey, this is JoJo you’re locking lips with. But then another part was tasting a very sensuous woman. A woman who has her sights on another man. While I was kissing her I forgot she was my best friend.”
“Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself in a mess.”
“Don’t I know it? If I refuse to do it, she’s going to think I’m being selfish and don’t want her with Walter because I’m being overprotective. But if I do what she’s asking, I might lose control and want to take it to another level. A level that can’t exist between best friends. So what do you suggest?”
Zane rubbed his chin in deep thought. Then he said, “Do what she wants.”
Stern frowned. “You want me to teach her how to kiss for some other man? That Walter guy?”
Zane took a sip of his coffee. “No. If you were smart, you would teach her how to kiss for yourself.”
“This isn’t funny, Zane.”
“And you don’t see me laughing, Stern.”
Stern stared long and hard at him. “Are you suggesting that after all these years I consider moving from best friends to lovers with JoJo?”
Zane smiled. “Yes, I guess I am.”
Anger raced through Stern. “You’re off your rocker to suggest such a thing. There’s no way I can do that. That’s pure crazy.”
Zane chuckled. “You kissed her tonight, and I gather you rather enjoyed it. I’m sure this time yesterday the thought of doing such a thing would have been pure crazy.”
Stern frowned as he stood up. “I’m leaving. I came here for advice—not for you to get ridiculous on me.”
“And you think I’m being ridiculous?” Zane asked.
“Yes. How long have JoJo and I been best friends, Zane?”
“A long time. Since middle school, if I recall.”
“You’re recalling right. And in all those years, at any time, did you suspect there was ever more between us?” Stern asked, certain what Zane’s response would be.
“Sure. All of us have.”
Stern frowned. That wasn’t the response he’d expected. “And who exactly is all of us?”
Zane shrugged massive shoulders. “Mostly everybody.”
Stern stared at Zane for several long seconds while Zane sipped his coffee as if it didn’t bother him that he was being stared at. “Well, I hope mostly everybody knows they are wrong. JoJo and I have never been anything but the best of friends. I will protect her with my life and vice versa. I have never, ever thought of her as anything other than my best friend.”
“So what was the kiss about tonight? You said she thought she was being tested, but I’m curious to know what you thought you were doing. Locking lips with a woman who is nothing more than your best friend? Shoving your tongue down her throat...and those were your words, not mine.”
Tension began to build at Stern’s temples. He pushed his cup of coffee aside and stood up. “I’m leaving.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Zane pointed out. “What was the kiss about tonight? Why did you kiss her in the first place?”
“I told you what happened. I was playing with her hair one minute and then the next thing I knew, I was kissing her.”
“Playing with her hair? Interesting. Do you do that often?”
“Yes. No. Stop it, Zane! You’re confusing me.”
“And you’re confusing me, Stern. It’s after midnight and I’m too tired to debate you, but I’m not too tired to tell you what makes sense and what doesn’t. I suggest you go home and think about what happened tonight and decide.”
Stern lifted a brow. “Decide what?”
“Whether or not you want it to happen again. You have to make a decision as to whether you’re going to teach JoJo how to become an expert kisser or leave it to someone else.”
Stern felt a deep lump in his throat. “Someone else?”
“Yes. You know how women are. They only ask you to do something once, and if you’re slow to act they’ll get someone else to do it. I haven’t been to the Golden Wrench in a while, but I bet JoJo has a number of men working there who would love to teach her how to kiss. And it might not stop there.”
The picture Zane had painted in Stern’s mind suddenly had his blood boiling. “I’m leaving.”
Zane remained seated. “Good night.”
“And I won’t ever ask you for advice again.”
Zane chuckled when he heard his front door slam behind his cousin moments later. He took a sip of his coffee and said, “Yes, you will, Stern. Yes, you will.”
* * *
“Why are you all smiles today, JoJo?”
JoJo’s smile faded as Wanda approached. “You’re imagining things. I wasn’t smiling.” She twisted the wrench to remove the battery from the car she was working on.
“Yes, you were, and I noticed you’ve been smiling all morning. Something happen last night on your date with Stern?”
JoJo lifted a brow. “It wasn’t a date. We merely went to a movie. And who told you about it?”
“You did. Don’t you remember?”
In all honesty, she didn’t. But there was a possibility that she had absentmindedly mentioned it because it wasn’t unusual for her and Stern to go out. “No, I don’t remember, but it doesn’t matter. This is Wednesday, our busiest day of the week, and I intend for it to be a good day.”
“So if it’s not Stern putting a smile on your face, it must be because you know that Walter Carmichael is here today.”
“Is he?” she asked, wondering why her body wasn’t reacting. No increase in her pulse. No deep pounding of her heart. No unsteady breathing.
“Yes, he’s in Beeker’s bay. He looks good as usual.”
“Why is he here? He doesn’t have a tune-up for another three thousand miles.”
“Something about a tear in the leather seat on the passenger side. I heard him tell Beeker it was caused by the buckle from some woman’s boot. He wasn’t too happy about it. I guess you should go out and say hello to your soon-to-be Boo.”
JoJo wiped the grease from her hands before grabbing her clipboard off her desk. She then smiled over at Wanda. “I think I will.”
Moments later, JoJo entered the bay where Beeker stood talking to Walter Carmichael. From Walter’s profile she saw similarities between him and Stern. Both were tall, well-dressed and handsome. But that’s where the similarities ended. Although Stern wore serious expressions a lot of the time, he had a smile that snuck up on you. Stern’s smile would curve the corners of his lips and practically take your breath away. She’d seen Walter Carmichael smile only once and that’s when she had complimented him on how well he took care of his car.
Both men glanced up when they saw her and she smiled in greeting. “Hello, Mr. Carmichael. Glad to see you again.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the tear in my seat,” he said, sounding annoyed. “I’m just glad you have a good upholstery team. Beeker assures me the seat can be repaired as good as new.”
“Then I’m sure it can be.” JoJo knew she wasn’t looking her best. She was wearing her work uniform, work shoes and a cap, but still...the man wasn’t giving her a sideways glance. She decided not to let it bother her. On Saturday night he would see that she could clean up really nice.
“Well, if you need anything else, let me know. We appreciate our customers.”
She really hadn’t expected him to say anything in return, but it would have been nice to hear something like...thank you. Instead, he turned back to Beeker and began discussing another car-related issue, dismissing her.
She broke into the conversation, saying, “Well, I’ve got work to do. Have a good day, Mr. Carmichael.”
Instead of responding, he merely nodded, dismissing her again as he continued his conversation with Beeker. Seeing he had no interest in her whatsoever, she left Beeker’s bay to return to her own. She’d seen the work log; it would be a long and busy day. She didn’t have time to be annoyed with a man who wasn’t interested. But she hoped she would get his attention when he saw her Saturday night.
Eight hours later, feeling totally exhausted, she entered her home through the garage. As soon as she reached her bedroom she snatched the cap off her head, stripped off her clothes and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. After that, she would rest up a minute and then throw on something casual before heading out to meet with Pam.
Instead of driving the distance to Westmoreland Country, which was on the outskirts of town, she was meeting Pam in downtown Denver. Pam was going to be in town checking out an empty building she was thinking about purchasing for the acting school she wanted to open. She already had one such school in Wyoming, where she used to live, and she wanted to start another one here in Colorado. She and Pam would have dinner together at Larry’s, a café around the corner from the potential school building and a short drive from where JoJo lived.
JoJo had worked on a total of eleven cars today, doing various things, from changing the oil to installing a couple of alternators, and she was bone-tired. She could barely keep her eyes open when she stepped into the shower. However, once the water hit her face she felt more alive. All day she had been too busy to think about that kiss she’d shared with Stern last night, but on the drive home, and now, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Warm sensations flowed through her just thinking about it.
Of course she’d known she lacked knowledge in certain sexual areas, like kissing, but even without a wealth of experience she didn’t think it got any better than it had been with Stern. The man’s kiss made her body quiver inside. There was no doubt he was an expert. She didn’t want to think of the number of women he’d kissed to reach that status. The idea of the many women Stern messed around with had never bothered her before, so why was it bothering her now?
She knew the answer, which was why she’d created this plan in the first place. She needed a diversion, even if that meant going after someone like Walter. She hoped he’d just been having a bad day and that his attitude today wasn’t the norm.
After drying herself off, she quickly went to her closet to pick out something to wear and suddenly noted that her wardrobe contained mostly blouses, T-shirts and jeans. She owned a few pairs of slacks and a couple of pantsuits—black, brown and navy. But no dresses. Whenever she had to attend a formal event, like a wedding or a funeral, she wore a pantsuit.
At the hunting lodge, one of Stern’s suggestions had been for her to show off her legs. That meant a shopping trip. She would bring that up with Pam when they met.
A part of her was getting excited about all of her plans and the upcoming weekend. In the end, she hoped all of these changes worked out in her favor.
* * *
Dillon stuck his head in the door. “You’re still here?”
“Come in,” Stern called out as he leaned back in his chair. “Yes, I thought I would work late to catch up on a few things. I see that we’ll be closing the Harvey deal next week.”
“Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it really happens this time. Karl Harvey has postponed signing this thing too often to suit me. It will be great if we finally get that tract of land in Minnesota. According to Riley, we already have a potential investor who wants to build a medical complex there.”
Stern nodded. “I know why I’m still here at this hour, but what’s your excuse? It’s almost six o’clock.”
Dillon smiled. “I’m meeting Pam later. She came into town to meet with the owners of that warehouse.”
“The one she wants to turn into an acting school?”
“Yes, and then later she’s meeting with JoJo at Larry’s.”
Stern raised a brow. “JoJo?”
“Yes,” Dillon said, coming into the office, closing the door behind him and taking the chair in front of Stern’s desk. “Something about beauty tips or a makeover or something.”
Stern tensed at the thought of JoJo moving ahead with her plans. “Dil, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“If your best friend asked a favor of you, would you do it?”
Dillon was thoughtful for a minute before he said, “Depends on what the favor is. I won’t break the law for anyone.”
“It doesn’t involve breaking the law.”
“Then I’d make sure it wouldn’t be immoral, unethical or harmful to anyone. If all that works out then yes, I would do the favor.”
Now it was Stern’s turn to be thoughtful as he built a steeple with his fingers. “But what if this favor could change the dynamics of your relationship with your best friend?”
Dillon didn’t say anything for a long moment. “In that case, I would think long and hard about whether or not it was what either of us wanted or could handle.”
* * *
JoJo smiled when she walked into Larry’s and saw Pam had already been seated. As always, Pam looked radiant. JoJo could see how Dillon had fallen in love with his wife so quickly.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” JoJo said as she gave Pam a hug before sliding into the chair across the table.
“Not at all. I took the liberty of indulging in a glass of wine. It’s been one of those days.”
“Tell me about it,” JoJo said, grinning. “I was under the hood of eleven cars too many today.”
“But you enjoy your work,” Pam said.
“Immensely.”
Pam smiled. “And from your phone call I understand there’s a man you’re trying to impress?”
“Yes.” JoJo paused when the waiter came to take her drink order. When he left she said, “I have a good idea where he will be this Saturday night and I want to go there, looking totally different than I do when he sees me at the shop. In other words, I want a grand entrance that will knock off his socks. Can your guy do that?”
When JoJo had talked to Pam yesterday, Pam had said the guy she used as a hairstylist could also do wonders with makeup. He wasn’t heavy-handed and applied just enough to reveal a woman’s inner beauty.
“Absolutely. Ritz is fabulous and I would love for you to meet him.”
Excitement poured through JoJo veins. “I’d like that.”
“So you want me to make the appointment?”
“Yes. Please.”
Pam beamed. “Consider it done. And you’ll probably need a manicure and pedicure. Even a wax.”
JoJo tried not to frown as she wondered if Walter Carmichael was worth all the changes she was about to make.
“And what about an outfit?” Pam interrupted her thoughts to ask.
The waiter sat JoJo’s glass of wine in front of her. She took a sip. “Stern thinks I should wear a dress.”
Pam lifted a brow. “Does he?”
JoJo nodded. “He said I have a great pair of legs and that I don’t show them enough.”
“Interesting,” Pam said, looking at JoJo over her glass of wine.
“In fact, the entire makeover thing was his idea.”
“Was it really?” Pam asked.
“Yes.”
Pam didn’t say anything for a few moments, as if she was giving JoJo’s words serious thought. “Well, I’m free on Friday and I’d love to go dress shopping with you. I know just the boutique that might have selections that would interest you. And, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask Chloe to join us. She’s sort of a fashion expert.”
JoJo knew that to be true. Chloe was married to Ramsey Westmoreland, the oldest of Stern’s cousins. Chloe also was editor in chief of a national bestselling woman’s magazine. “I think that will be wonderful!”
“Then I’ll check to see if she is available. How early can we get started Friday morning?”
JoJo lifted a brow. “Friday morning? I thought it would be something we could squeeze in after I get off work.”
Pam shook her head. “I wouldn’t advise limiting yourself to those hours. Usually when you’re shopping for just the right outfit it can take the entire day.”
The entire day? JoJo couldn’t imagine such a thing. “Well, okay. I’ll divvy up my work orders with the other guys on Friday so I’m free the whole day.”
“That’s wonderful!”
JoJo took another sip of her wine. She was starting to wonder if getting a new outfit and a makeover was really wonderful or not.