And he didn’t know if he was going to like it.
* * *
“Hi, Zane.” Jessica stepped into the living room, dressed and ready for Dylan’s party.
Zane turned from the window... His hair was combed back, shiny and straight, the stubble on his face a reflection of not having a shave in two days. He looked gorgeous in a white billowy shirt and light khaki trousers. When his gaze fell on the new her, his lips parted and his eyes popped as he took in her appearance from the top of her head to her sandaled toes. Pain entered his eyes, and he blinked several times as if trying to make it go away. Relying on the two crutches under his arms, he straightened to his full height and sighed heavily.
“Zane?” Her lips began to quiver. What was wrong with him? “Are you all right?”
He stared at her, his expression unreadable. “I’m fine.”
“Are you? Have I done something? Don’t you like the dress?” Her mind rushed back to the clothes she’d laid out on the bed. She’d chosen the cornflower-blue sundress that accented her slender waist in a scoop-neck design that, granted, revealed more cleavage that she was comfortable with, but wasn’t indecent by any means.
His mouth opened partly, but no words tumbled forth, and then he gulped as if swallowing his words.
“What is it?” she pressed.
“You look like Janie,” he rushed out, as though once pressured, he couldn’t stop himself from saying it.
“I...do?”
How could she possibly look like Janie? Janie was stunning. She had natural beauty, a perfectly symmetrical face. She wore stylish clothes, had the prettiest long, silken hair, and oh...now she understood. Of course she and Janie resembled each other—they were sisters—but Jessica had always stood in Janie’s shadow where beauty was concerned. Her blonde-from-a-bottle hair color had turned out a little less dark honey and much more sweet wheat, similar to Janie’s hair color. Jessica didn’t usually wear her contacts, but she imagined her eyes looked more vibrant green than ever before. Like Janie’s brilliant gemstone eyes. Did Zane think he was seeing a ghost of his former wife? She didn’t believe she looked enough like Janie for that and never thought about how it might appear. “I, um, wasn’t trying to, but I take that as a compliment.” She shrugged, compelled to explain. “I guess I needed a change.”
An awkward moment passed between them, which was weird. They didn’t do awkward. Usually they were completely at peace with each other.
“You didn’t need to change a thing,” he said firmly.
Was he trying to make her feel better? Even she had to admit, after looking at herself in the mirror today, that her new look made her appear revitalized and well, better than she had in years. Zane had no idea what she was really going through right now, the pain, rejection, anger. He didn’t know, because she hadn’t told him. He wasn’t her shrink, her sounding board. And call it pride, but she wasn’t ready to talk about Steven’s quick marriage to her once-friend/bridesmaid to anyone, much less him. “I’m sorry if I upset you. Obviously you don’t approve. I don’t have to go tonight.”
The last thing she wanted to do was cause Zane any upheaval in his life. He was still in love with Janie. She got that. No one knew what a special person her sister was better than she did.
She was staying here thanks to Zane’s generosity. He was her employer now, too, and she had to remember that, yet underlying hurt simmered inside her. He had no idea how hard this was for her. She’d come into this room hoping for some sort of approval. She’d made a change in her appearance, but it was more than that. She looked upon this makeover as a fresh start, a way to say “screw you” to all the Stevens in the world. She’d come into this room with newfound confidence, and Zane’s dismal attitude had caused her heart to plummet. Why did it matter so much to her what Zane thought?
She pivoted on her heels, taking a step toward the staircase, and Zane’s voice boomed across the room. “Damn it, Jess. Don’t leave.”
She whirled around and stared at him. A dark storm raged in his eyes.
Was he angry with her? Maybe she should be angry with him. Maybe she’d had enough of men dictating what they wanted from her. “Is that an order from the boss?”
“Hell, no.” His head thumped against the window behind him once, twice, and then he lowered his voice. “It wasn’t an order.”
“Then what was it?”
Zane’s gaze scoured over her body again, and as he took in her appearance, approval, desire and heat entered his eyes. Her bones could have just about melted from that look. Then, with a quick shake of his head, he said, “Nothing, I guess. Jess, you don’t need my approval for anything. Fact is, you look beautiful tonight. You surprised me and, well...I don’t like surprises.”
She didn’t move. She was torn with indecision.
From the depth of his eyes, his sincerity came through. “I’m a jerk.”
Her lips almost lifted. She fought it tooth and nail, but Zane could be charming when he had to be.
“Blond hair looks great on you.”
She drew breath into her lungs.
“The dress is killer. You’re a real knockout in it.”
His compliments went straight to her head. He’d finally gotten to her. “Okay, Zane. Enough said.” She’d been touchy with him, maybe because she’d hoped to impress him a little. Maybe because, in the back of her mind, she’d wanted to please Zane or at least win his approval. “Let’s forget about this.” She didn’t like confrontation, not one bit.
“You’ll go to the party?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m ready.”
They’d had their first real argument. Granted, it wasn’t much of one. A few minutes of tension was all. But she’d stood her ground, and she could feel good about that. One thing that loving Steven had taught her was never to turn a blind eye. From now on, she wanted to deal in absolute truth.
“You mind driving?” he asked.
“I should make you trudge through the sand all the way to Dylan’s place.”
“I’d do it if it would put a smile back on your face.”
“It’s tempting. But I’m not that cruel.”
Amused, Zane’s mouth lifted, and they seemed back on even footing again.
Whatever that was.
Zane stood outside in the shadows, his shoulder braced against the wall of Dylan’s home. The setting sun cast pastel colors across the cobalt sky, and waves pounded the shoreline. The Pacific breezes had died down and no longer lifted Jessica’s blond locks into a flowing silky sheet in the wind. She stood in front of a circular fire pit on the deck. Her flowery summer dress had been a victim of the wind, too, and hell if he hadn’t noticed her hem billow up, every single time. And every single time, something powerful zinged inside him.
He couldn’t figure why Jessica had made such a drastic turnabout in her appearance. He wouldn’t have called her an ugly duckling before—she’d been perfect in her own natural way—but tonight, she’d bloomed into a beautiful swan and he feared he was in deep trouble.
He liked her. A lot. And he knew damn well she was as off-limits to him as any woman would