Chapter Six

Adam was having a hell of a time focusing on what Jules was saying. She was obviously really passionate about it, which was making him think of what else she’d be passionate about. Again. Every time she smiled, his cock jumped, reminding him that he hadn’t gotten the same release she’d so obviously enjoyed back in the cab of his truck.

For fuck’s sake, focus.

“…but I’m boring you. I’m so sorry.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’m prattling on and you’d obviously rather be anywhere else but here.” Her self-deprecating smile tugged at him. “I don’t get out much, and the stuff I talk about with Aubry isn’t exactly fit for polite company, and when I get nervous, I start rambling and, seriously, just tell me to shut up right now or I’m going to keep going.”

“Jules, breathe.”

She took a gasping breath. “Right. Sorry again.”

The woman was downright precious. He pushed his plate away and sat back. “When’s the last time you were on a date?”

“Does the charity auction count?” She tugged on her tank top, which only served to make it dip dangerously. “What am I saying? Of course it doesn’t count. The only reason Dave went out with me was because I donated money to the PTA, and really, he kissed like a drowning fish, so it was never going to be anything more than one dinner.”

Adam took a sip of his beer, picking over what she just said. “They still do that charity auction for the high school?”

“Every year like clockwork.” She made a face. “As fun as it is, I can almost tell who’s going to bid on who, though there’s always at least one upset every year. Last year, Mrs. Peterson bid three hundred dollars on Sheriff Taylor. His wife wasn’t very happy about that.”

Considering Mrs. Taylor was one of the scariest women he’d ever met, Mrs. Peterson had balls of steel to pull that one off. But then, he’d known that in eighth grade, when she was his English teacher. She didn’t take any shit then, and apparently that hadn’t changed in the years since. “So, back to your date.”

“It was fine.” She picked up her fork, poked at her salad, and set it down again. For once, he wasn’t the twitchiest person in the room, and he was content to watch her fidget. She used her straw to stir the ice in her water, not looking at him, her head dipped so that her dark hair fell forward to hide her face.

He waited, but she didn’t say anything else, and since she was managing to look everywhere but at him, he figured she wasn’t going to. “Talk about damning with faint praise.”

“It was for charity.” She slumped in her chair and sighed. “It’s obvious I don’t get out much, isn’t it? No wonder the whole town thinks I’m a lonely cat-collecting spinster.”

She was so cute, it was downright painful. He just wanted to scoop her up and tell her that her adorable awkwardness was an asset—not something to be ashamed of. To hell with what the town thought. She was fresh and enthusiastic and as bracing as a dive into a mountain lake.

Adam shook his head and finished off his beer. If he was any other man, he’d tell her to forget her preoccupation with Grant. She didn’t need to fake date him in order to make a point—she was doing just fine on her own.

But he wasn’t any other man, and he had no intention of leaving her alone.

He held the door open for Jules and followed her out into the night. Just get her home without mauling her again and then you can figure out what your next step is. He couldn’t call the whole thing off. Now that half the town had either seen them at dinner or likely heard about it, them “breaking up” would only add a heap of humiliation on Jules’s already teetering pile, and Adam refused to contribute. She’d asked him for a favor, and it wasn’t her fault that his control was slipping by the second.

She climbed into his truck, seeming preoccupied with something. That was fine. If they managed to keep silent for the whole five-minute drive, it would be all good.

But then she went and shot that plan all to hell. “I think tonight went okay.”

“Yep.”

“I mean, Grant wasn’t there, but from the stares we got, he’ll be hearing about our being seen together before too long. Everyone will be hearing about it.” She sounded pleased, which was good. So why did it grate against him as badly now as it had back in the truck? She continued, oblivious to his inner aggravation. “What’s next?”

Did she think he kept a copy of Idiot’s Guide to Being a Small-Town Scandal stuffed in his dresser drawer? Apparently so, because she was looking at him expectantly. He turned out on Main Street. “Sugar, we already made spectacles of ourselves nearly getting busy in my truck with Sheriff Taylor half a block away, then proceeded to shock the locals just by eating dinner. Why don’t we take it easy for the rest of the night?”

“I don’t know.” She frowned. “Shouldn’t we be taking it to the next level? We don’t know for sure the sheriff saw anything.”

Frankly, he doubted the old man had seen anything. Adam knew for a fact Sheriff Taylor liked to nap on that very side street around that time of night, and so he wouldn’t have had his glasses on. But he sure as fuck wasn’t going to tell Jules that. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

She laughed. “Sorry. I haven’t spent much time thinking about indulging in gossip-starting acts. The craziest I get these days is video games. I’m a halfway decent sniper.”

The woman just kept surprising him. “I never would have pegged you for a first-person shooter.”

“Oh, not by my own doing.” She grinned. “But they’re Aubry’s poison of choice, so I get dragged along when she starts annihilating noobs.”

Now, the redhead he could picture camped out in a dark room with a microphone on her head and a controller in her hands. She was as intense as Jules was sunny. In fact, despite being around them a grand total of an hour, he couldn’t really wrap his mind around how they were friends. “How did you and Aubry meet?”

“It’s a silly story.”

“Humor me.”

“If you insist.” She turned, fully engaged. Jules seemed to spend her entire life fully engaged. “So my grandmother passed when I was a junior in college. I already knew what I wanted to do for a career—start a coffee shop with a unique draw—and she left me enough money to get off the ground, plus her blessing along with it.” She smiled, her eyes going soft. “Gran was one of the few people in town—my family included—who didn’t think I’d end up a lonely spinster after Grant dumped me.”

Before he could comment that he thought it highly unlikely Jules would hit thirty and still be single, let alone a spinster, she continued on, “So I’d just bought and renovated the shop, and I was down at the Humane Society picking the cats that would live there. Aubry was carting her massive laptop home from the library and saw me loading what she termed ‘a cat lady’s starter kit’ into my truck. She made some comment about cats eating you after you die, and of course I couldn’t let that stand. We ended up arguing all the way back to my place and while she helped me unload the cats and get them settled. From there it’s more or less history. Aubry has her quirks, same as me, and she doesn’t expect me to be something I’m not.”

Friends like that were worth their weight in gold. He’d had three, now two, and he’d barely seen them over the last twelve years. I’m a leaver, just like my mama always said. Once upon a time, those words had been a promise—Devil’s Falls and its whispers and judgment wouldn’t hold him back forever—but now they felt more like a curse.

He turned into the alley leading to the little carport behind Jules’s shop. “And what’s she think about this plan you’ve concocted?”

“She thinks I’m crazy.” Jules laughed again. “But then, she tells me I’m crazy at least once a day, so that’s nothing new.”

He parked but hesitated turning off the engine. It was all too easy to step back to the last time they’d been in his truck cab and the trouble he’d let them get into. Adam gripped the steering wheel, reminding himself for the dozenth time that he sure as hell could not kiss Jules again.

She took the decision right out of his hands. “See you later.” She dashed a quick kiss against his cheek and bounced away, opening the door and sliding out of the truck before he could respond.

Adam watched her bound to her door and let herself in, her enthusiasm infectious even over the distance. He finally shook his head and threw his truck into reverse.

Aubry was right—Jules was bat-shit crazy.

And he loved it.

Shit.

…

Five days passed with only a few texts from Adam, but Jules told herself she didn’t care. He had his own life to attend to, just like she did. She couldn’t expect him to drop everything to spend every minute of every day by her side on the off chance that Grant would wander in and see them.

Coincidentally, her ex had made a habit of waltzing through the door at least once a day to make comments about her boyfriend in such a tone that she knew he still didn’t believe she was with Adam.

She took the plate of sandwiches Jamie had made up special and brought them over to where Lenora and Amelia were sitting at a table by the window. Lenora smiled in thanks, but Jules couldn’t help noticing that Adam’s mom had lost weight. “These are on the house.”

“Oh, Jules, you shouldn’t have.” Amelia sipped her tea, petting Rick.

Lenora sent her a look of thanks. “I know you just said you’re not hungry, but you can’t let this go to waste,” she said to Amelia.

“Let me know if you need anything else.”

She headed back to the counter, leaving the ladies in peace.

But they were apparently the only ones going to be left in peace today. As if her wishing him ill conjured him up, the bell above the door jingled and Grant strode through. “Jules!” He stopped just inside the door and examined the floor at his feet. He had this nasty habit of looking around him like he expected to step in cat shit, which made Jules grind her teeth every time she saw it.

“Grant.”

“Douchecanoe,” Aubry muttered from her usual place in the corner. Jules shot her a sharp look, but she appeared engrossed in whatever she was doing on her computer.

Grant came up and leaned on the counter but immediately backpedaled when Cujo hissed at him. “That thing’s rabid.”

“He doesn’t like people.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you buying something today?”

“Nope. There’s a double Frappuccino down the street with my name on it. I was just stopping in to see if you and your boyfriend were going to the swimming hole tomorrow for the Fourth?”

“For fuck’s sake, you can’t be serious.” Aubry leaned back, stretching her arms over her head. “Going to the swimming hole is something high school kids who can’t legally drink do. I’m pretty sure that’d look great on your future law résumé.”

Grant’s mouth tightened, his gray eyes going flinty. But then he turned back to Jules, the expression melting into a charming smile she used to believe was real. “There will be a bunch of people from our class there. You should come. Bring Adam.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Aubry. “You can even bring her.”

“She has a name.”

His smile never wavered. “Of course. I’d be delighted if you’d come and bring your boyfriend and Aubry.” He made a show of looking around. “Unless Adam’s already blown out of town? It’s been over a week, and word has it that he’s more tumbleweed than man.”

She opened her mouth to deny it, but that would be a lie. Fake relationship or not, she couldn’t pretend like Adam was staying for the long term. “Actually—”

“Hey, there, sugar.”

Jules nearly jumped out of her skin when Adam walked in from the door to the kitchen, his damned eyebrow inching up.

Grant frowned. “Speak of the devil.”

“Grant. Aubry.” He slipped an arm around Jules’s waist. “Jules.” He kissed her forehead, the innocent touch doing some very noninnocent things to her lower stomach area.

“Hey.” She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. “I’ve missed you.”

“Not nearly much as I’ve missed you.” He grabbed her ass, making her squeal, and turned to Grant. “What are you doing here? I know for a fact you get your coffee needs met at that abomination down the street.”

For his part, her ex recovered remarkably fast. “I was just stopping by to invite Jules here to the swimming hole this weekend. You’re welcome to come, of course.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He didn’t take his gaze off the other man, something dangerous glinting in his eyes. “If you’re done here…”

“Yeah. Sure. I’ll be going.” Grant strode out of the shop at a clip almost fast enough to be called running.

“You made the puppy piddle his pants. That was mean.” Aubry snickered. “I like it.”

“So glad you approve.” He combed a hand over Cujo’s back, and Jules’s mouth dropped open when the tabby arched into his hand, purring like a jet engine. His gaze traveled around the café and landed on where his mom and Lenora were watching avidly. “You ladies like the show?”

Amelia laughed. “I always thought that boy was a brat.”

A brat. Well, that was one way to describe Grant.

Adam eyed the uneaten sandwiches on the plate between them. “You eat some of that, you hear? You’re too skinny by half.”

She arched a brow, the expression so similar to her son’s that Jules had to bite back a laugh. “I was just getting to it before you started that prize cock show.”

“Mama.”

“What? I’m old, but I’m not dead. I know exactly what you were up to.” When he turned back to Jules, Amelia leaned over and sent her a wink.

He sure does love his mama. It made her like him even better knowing that.

Adam leaned against the counter, giving Cujo another stroke. “So Grant wants us to come to the swimming hole?”

She ignored Aubry’s muttered agreement. “I get the impression Grant still doesn’t believe the rumors that we’re together.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to kick it up a notch.” His grin did funny things to her stomach, and her traitorous mind jumped back to what he’d said before their date the other night, and how good he’d felt when he made her come.

She pressed a hand to her flaming cheeks, hating that he made her blush so easily. “I guess I’m going to have to find a swimsuit.”

He blinked. “You don’t own a swimsuit?”

“Well, I do. But, you see—”

“What Jules is trying to say is that to describe her suit as ‘matronly’ would be to put it kindly.”

“Aubry, shut up,” she hissed, blushing even harder when Adam laughed. “You shut up, too. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a suit that will keep all my goodies in place no matter how I’m moving.”

His hands skated up her sides and back down to her hips. “Do you need some help picking out a suit?”

Danger! It was all too easy to imagine the kind of trouble they could get into in a fitting room with her scantily clad in a bathing suit. “Uh, no, thanks. Aubry will help me.”

She might have imagined the disappointment that flickered over his face, but it was gone too fast to be sure. “In that case, I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow.”

“How do you know what time they’re going?”

“Because it’s a party at the swimming hole. They always start at noon.” He hesitated, almost like he thought he should kiss her good-bye or something, but then he seemed to think better of it, because he turned on his heel and marched back through the door to the kitchen.

It took Jules a few seconds to get control of her body enough to follow him. “Hey, hold up!” She caught him just inside the door out to the back parking lot. “Why’d you come in this way?” And what are you doing here in the first place?

“I’ve been working on my mama’s place, so I was picking up a few things at the hardware store across the street and saw that jackass walk in here. Figured it was a good time to remind him of our fake relationship.”

“Oh.” She had no business feeling the disappointment that made her stomach dip. He was doing her a favor. That was it. “That’s smart.”

“Hang in there. He might not believe yet, but he will after by the time we leave that party.” And then he was gone, disappearing through the door and leaving her to wonder if she should be looking forward to tomorrow or scared out of her godforsaken mind.