“Speaking of Mariah, have you heard from her today?”
“Yes, we spoke earlier this morning. Do you need to talk to her about anything in particular?”
She shook her head and lowered her packages to the floor, releasing the handles. “I’m managing for right now.” She walked over to lean her elbows on the back of his angular sofa. From his spot on the couch, he had a clear view of her face. “How is her mother doing?”
Zane shook his head. “Not great.” He was lucky his mother and father were in their seventies and still quite active living in a retirement community in Arizona. He saw them several times a year. And when something like this happened, he thought about spending more time with them. “Mariah said her mom might have some permanent damage from the stroke, but it’s too soon to tell. She spends most of her day at the hospital or meeting with doctors.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, me, too. And with all that, she asked about you. She made me promise to have you call her with any questions.”
Jessica sent him a rigid look. “Unless it’s an emergency, I’m not going to call her, Zane. You and I both know what it’s like having to deal with a family crisis.”
A lump formed in his throat. “Yeah. I agree, and I told her as much. There’s nothing so important that it can’t wait. Between the two of us, we’ll figure out what needs figuring from this end.”
“Right. Hey, I almost forgot. I bought you a present.”
His heavy heart lightened. “You did?”
She bent to forage in one of the bags and came up holding a long, shiny black box. It wasn’t a gift from Misty Blue, that was for sure. She stretched as far as her arms could reach, eyeing the box carefully one last time, before handing it over. “I, uh, hope this doesn’t upset you, but I know how much you loved the one Janie got you, and, well...this one is from me.”
Her fingers gently brushed over his hand, and her caring touch seized his heart for a moment. With his good hand, he managed to lift the lid and gaze at his gift. He found himself momentarily speechless. It was an almost identical replica of a bolo tie with a turquoise stone set on a stamped silver backing that Janie had given him on the anniversary of their first date. It had been lost in the fire, and he’d never replaced it. It wouldn’t have had the same sentimental meaning. But the fact that Jessica gave it to him meant something. He lifted the rope tie out of the box and shifted his gaze to her. “It’s a thoughtful gift, Jess.”
“I know you treasured the first one. I helped Janie pick it out, so I remember exactly what it looked like.”
“You didn’t have to do this.” But he was glad she had.
“You’re putting a roof over my head and feeding me, but more importantly, being here is helping me heal. It’s the least I could do for you. And I wanted it to be...something special.”
“It is. Very special.”
He rose from the sofa, found his footing and, using his crutches, shuffled over to her. He gazed through the lenses of her glasses to dewy, softly speckled green eyes. They were warm and friendly and genuine. He bent to kiss her forehead the way a brother would a sister, but then awareness flickered in her eyes, and he felt it, too. He lowered his mouth, heady in his need to taste the giving warmth of her lips again. When he touched his mouth to hers, he savored her sweetness and assigned this moment to memory for safekeeping. He backed away just in time to keep the kiss to one of thanks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Her deep, sultry voice thrilled him and churned his stomach at the same time. She sounded so much like Janie.
“I haven’t had dinner yet. I waited for you. Mrs. Lopez put our meal in the oven to keep warm. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she said. “Shopping is tough. I worked up an appetite.”
He laughed. The women he knew loved to shop and spend endlessly. He’d never heard one remark about hard work.
“I’ll put the bags away in my room. Meet you in the kitchen?”
He nodded. He hated that he couldn’t offer to help her. He watched her climb the stairway holding three maxed-out shopping bags in one hand and two in the other. The next time she wanted to shop, he’d be damn ready to take the packages off her hands and carry them upstairs for her.
Zane made his way into the kitchen. Mrs. Lopez had left chicken and dumplings warming in the oven. Zane lifted a periwinkle-striped kitchen towel tucked over a basket and eyed cheesy biscuits, still warm. He dipped into the basket and sank his teeth into a biscuit. Warmth spread throughout his mouth and reminded him he was ready for a hearty meal.
“Wow, smells good in here.” Jessica entered the kitchen.
“Mrs. Lopez made one of my favorites tonight.”
“In that case, I’m surprised you waited for me.”
“I figured a Southern girl like you would appreciate sharing chicken and dumplings. It’s my mother’s recipe.”
“You figured right. Well, then. Have a seat.” She gestured to the table. “I’ll dish it up. Unless you want to eat outside?”
He shook his head. The sun had already set, and winds howled over the shoreline, spraying sand everywhere. “Here is just fine.”
Before he knew it, the table was set, plates were dished up and he had the company of one of his favorite people sitting across from him.
The chicken was tender, the dumplings melted in his mouth and Zane spent the next few minutes quietly diving into his meal. He liked that he could sit in silence with Jess without feeling as though he had to entertain her. She was as comfortable with the quiet as he was.
“Mmm, this was so good.” Jess took a last bite of food, and as she wiped her mouth, his gaze drifted down to where the napkin touched her lips. “I’ll have to steal the recipe from Mrs. Lopez and make it for my mother when I get home.”
“No problem.” He shouldn’t be noticing the things he was noticing about Jess. Like the cute way she pushed her glasses up her nose, or the way she smelled right after a shower, or how her light skin had burnished to a golden tone from days of sunbathing. The sound of her voice dug deep into his gut. Janie and Jess were the only two women he knew that had a low, raspy yet very feminine voice. Janie had been sultry, sexy, alluring, but...Jess?
“Zane?”
He lifted his gaze to her meadow-green eyes.
“You went someplace just now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. Are you okay?”
He nodded and cleared his throat. “So, did you have fun shopping today?”
“Fun?” Her head tilted as a slow, easy smile spread across her face. “I had an attire concierge help me. That was weirdly entertaining. She dogged my every step but was nice as can be. Actually my best friend, Sally, helped me make the right choices. Sally was my maid of honor in the wedding that never was.”
“Is your friend in town?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, not at all. I texted her pictures of the clothes I tried on, and she helped me decide. I’m so not a shopper.”
“Ah, the power of technology.”
“Yeah, ain’t it great?”
It beat having Dylan McKay help her shop. Zane wasn’t about to allow that to happen.
A heartbreaking ladies’ man was the last thing sweet Jess needed in her life right now.
“Actually, it is pretty great. I’m glad you had a good day.”
“I plan