There were parts of her that she would never let go, and probably never expose either. This was one of them. She was a small-town girl from Texas. Country music had been a staple of her life growing up. Some of her high school friends had been into rock, rap, or pop, but a few, like her, still loved the upbeat storytelling of the country tunes.
College had changed that — a big school, a big lifestyle, big music. There, she learned and became attached to most of the rock music, and a little pop too. She liked the edgy hardness of bands like Nickelback. They were rough, sang things that most parents wouldn’t want their kids to listen to, but that was their motivation she thought. Still, country was her favorite, and what she preferred. She always flipped the station to other music based on the client, but when alone, this was her mainstay. It had a way of wiping the dirt away from the work, so to speak, and reminding her of more important things.
A hard rap on the window knocked her out of her car dancing. She jerked a look at the side window. A young black man peered in at her, a teen with neat dark hair, a serious expression, and a green backpack thrown lazily over his shoulder. He looked harmless, but you never know. He smiled and waved, then signaled for her to roll down the glass.
Jenny pressed the button, held it for a second, and then watched the glass inch open slightly. She peered nervously at the teen. “Can I help you?”
“You’re with the Designated Driver Company, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You give my mom rides. Her name is Lauren Follis.”
“Oh, yes! She’s your mother?” Jenny recognized the resemblance right away. He had the same eyes, the same angular facial features, but his slight stature didn’t come from Lauren. She was rounder, a woman whose curves were noticeable a mile away. No one would call Lauren heavy, but she was definitely not a waif. Her Halloween costume actually was an apt semblance of her true personality. She was the type of woman that turned heads. This young man was solid as a rock, even for a teen, and not an extra ounce of flesh to be seen.
“Yes, unfortunately. I was wondering. Since you give rides, and you don’t have anyone in your car right now, do you think you could drop me off at the corner of the Bagley medical complex? I have a lab starting in 45 minutes and I missed the bus.”
“You’re a student?” She had obviously misjudged his age.
“Yeah, trying to be. I’m a senior, trying to get into med school. I probably won’t make it. I can barely pass my organic chemistry class right now. I’m sorry to ask, but Mom’s passed out — and she lost her license anyway. She totaled the car a few months back, and I don’t have one.” An angry scowl passed across his features. He quickly wiped it away and met her with a steady gaze. “So, what do you say?” he asked.
Jenny glanced at the dash, decided she had plenty of time to spare, and nodded. “Sure, hop in. You have a name, young man?”
“Josh.” He slid into the seat behind her. She handed him a business card from her console then adjusted the rearview so that she could see his face. He noticed, averted his eyes out the window and shoved his hands into his pockets. She guided the car onto the freeway and pressed the gas, it would be a rush to get him on campus for his class, but she could do it.
“You might be a few minutes late,” she admitted. “I’ll see what I can do. So, med school, huh? That’s pretty impressive, what made you choose that?”
“I used to think it would be cool to save people’s lives. When I was a kid, I sat in an emergency room and watched a bunch of doctors trying to save this little girl, and I thought — wow, I want to do that. It would have been better to be part of the group than one of the people watching them.”
“The little girl was sick?”
“No, car accident.” He shook his head and darted a scowl into the mirror. “I need to study for this lab.” He pulled out a notebook from the backpack on his shoulder, flipped the pages open, and effectively squelched any further questions she considered asking.
Jenny adjusted the radio to the rock station. He looked to be the rock type, maybe. The raspy, sexy voice of the lead singer of Whitesnake filled the car. She drove the rest of the way in silence. She envied him when they pulled up to the bustling campus with students milling around enjoying the sunshine between classes. College life was one of the most exciting times, every day proposed new opportunities and a bright future within reach. She shrugged. Then you graduate and reality smacks you harshly across the cheek.
Josh opened the door and stepped out before Jenny could put the car in park.
“Don’t get out.” He held up a hand to stop her from rushing to get the door. “I’m fine. Thanks. By the way, I appreciate what you’re doing for Mom, and I’m really glad she called you. She’s pretty screwed up right now. She hasn’t been able to pull it together.” Jenny shifted down so she could peer up at him through the window. “Your mom didn’t call me, Josh. Your sister did.”
A car horn behind her blared. Jenny pressed the gas and thrust the car back into traffic.
She surveyed the sidewalk in the mirror. Josh, mouth open, stared after her until she turned the corner and peeled back onto the freeway.
Nice kid, she thought. Too bad his mom was an alcoholic. She wondered if Lauren even knew what classes he took. Something about Josh communicated familiarity, as if she knew him. An uncomfortable sense of déjà vu passed.
• • •
Jenny felt the sense pass over her again two nights later when she entered the doorway of Hodge’s sprawling Mediterranean-style home for his party. Something about it stimulated familiarity — not the comfortable kind — the kind that reminds you of a scary movie. She glanced at the expanse of white marble, crystal chandelier, and cream-colored walls that rose thirty feet to a faux painted ceiling. She shivered. “You cold, Jenny?” David raised a brow as he pushed her forward into the crowd. He patted her shoulder briefly and glanced around the room. She felt the excitement in his veins. His breathing hitched as he admired the food laid out on a massive, cloth-covered table at the opposite side. It was anchored by a fancy glass sculpture on one end that spewed some sort of gold-colored liquid, and an attendant dressed in a white shirt, black pants, and a bow tie on the other end. “Nice,” David muttered.
They were a little late and the room was humming. David originally disapproved of the dress she chose, politely asking her to wear something more “feminine.” She’d never worn a dress with him before and was miffed that the black sleeveless sheath she loved didn’t appeal to him. It had a cleavage-baring, rounded neckline that she graced with a set of crystal beads Katy had gifted her last Christmas. The hem was short and swirled like chiffon around her legs. “Too boring and staid,” David had scoffed. “Don’t you have something a little more interesting?”
She quickly analyzed David’s description of interesting as more overtly sexy. After showing him three other dresses, his approval trained on a red strapless stretch-silk number she’d forgotten. It resided in the back of her closet, a spur-of-the-moment purchase that Katy convinced her to buy. She’d never had the guts or desire to wear it. She considered it for New Year’s last year but found she was constantly adjusting her boobs to make sure they were amply covered. If she wasn’t pulling up the bodice, she was yanking down the form-fitting skirt that barely covered her bottom. Jenny hated clothes that made her self-conscious or drew attention. This one screamed something that she felt completely stimulated a persona she didn’t have.
Yet David liked it. Insisted on it.
Jenny nervously looked around the room at the flashy figures and accepted that David probably chose well. She tugged the hemline down over her thighs, drew up on the bodice, and followed him into the throng of people.
Jenny barely managed to keep her mouth from dropping at every ornate detail around her. So this was how the other half lived. The smell of exotic flowers permeated the air, draping her further in the dreamy richness of the room. A gilded chandelier twinkled above them. The stair rail draped with flowered cascades surrounded a second story open balcony. Bodies adorned in layers of sparkle floated everywhere.
David threaded his way through the throng of people with determination, pulling her along by the hand. A group burst into laughter as they passed. One of them backed into Jenny, breaking her grip on David’s fingers and she lost him, just like that. The sway of bodies lunged back and forth like ocean waves, pulling her with them. Eventually, she popped out against the wall, much like a shell rolling up on the beach. A small amount of panic welled into her throat as she peered over heads in search of David. She thought she saw his mousse-spiked hair for a second, and then it disappeared behind a sparkling tiara in a girl’s long, bleached blonde locks. A tiara? What the hell?
Jenny shook her head in amazement. She’d never seen so much sparkle and glitter in her life. Okay maybe when she’d attended her grade school theater performance it was similar, but those were children. This was just a grown-up version of the same type of display.
“Ah, so you do have legs,” Grant rumbled in her ear, a loud almost yelling voice required to be heard over the roar of conversations and music. She frowned at him.
He looked perfect in that suit. Who would have thought
that
? Every time, other than at the airport, he wore the casual denim or khaki pants with a jacket or rolled-up sleeves. Tonight, he dressed to the nines, and wore it just as easily as crumpled jeans. He leaned to her ear and she felt the warmth of him hovering against the side of her face. “And nice ones too,” he teased.
“Shut up. I’m dressed no different than the rest of these … fashionistas. What is this — a competition to see how many people one can pack into a tight space? I don’t need to worry about pulling my dress up in this crowd. There are so many people here; it doesn’t have room to fall off.”
Grant studied her face, his eyes slightly alarmed. “So, it has a tendency to fall off?”
“No. I don’t know — I’ve never worn this. It sat in my closet for months waiting for the right occasion. I probably wouldn’t have worn it tonight, but David insisted. I feel ridiculous,” she snarled.
“You look great. Not ridiculous at all. Although, it’s not really what I expected when I wondered what you’d look like tonight. By the way, where is David?”
A man with two glasses of champagne lunged toward them, the golden liquid from the fountain sloshing dangerously toward the rims of glass. His eyes widened with fear, he fought to control his balance despite the flow of people around him. Jenny held her breath waiting for it to splash down her front. Miraculously, Grant reached an arm and shoulder out and took the full force of the impact with his sleeve.
“Yikes, sorry about that,” the guy offered before continuing on to the group with two half-empty glasses.
“Thanks. I nearly ended up soaked in champagne without even enjoying the soaking process.”
“No problem. So, you want to? Enjoy the process? Have a drink, that is. I can get a glass of it for you or wine if you’d rather. Unless you’re on call for work, then I assume it’s strictly water, right?” He raised his hand to signal a person near the food. She vaguely saw the top of a young man’s head nod back.
“Tonight’s my night off, first one in eight months, actually. And yes, I’d like champagne. I may even take that wine, too. After all, an eight-month dry spell requires some catching up, don’t you think?”
His eyes darted down her neck, sending a brief feeling of discomfort along her shoulders when they rested on her left collarbone. He looked up as the young man he’d signaled earlier reached his elbow. He spoke into the man’s ear, an interchange she couldn’t make out with all the noise, then nodded as the man departed.
“One champagne on the way, and the wine will arrive when you empty that.” He moved closer, shielding her from the ocean of people that surged behind him. She could see David over his left shoulder on the other side of the room, talking with tiara-girl. The crowd swelled again and Grant lifted his hand to hold his drink away while his chest crushed against hers. The curve of his neck hit squarely across her face, and a jolt of cologne went up her nose along with, she thought, his Adam’s apple. An intense roll tickled her stomach.
“Now we know what it’s like to be a sardine. Sorry to smash you into the wall.”
Jenny stared at him, uncomfortable with the contact, suddenly motivated to open her mouth slightly and touch him there on the pulse point of his wonderful smelling neck.
What the hell kind of thought is that!
After all, she had a boyfriend, one that was here — somewhere. She looked at the spot she’d seen David last. The glare of the tiara disappeared into a doorway she thought, but David was unseen. Jenny swallowed hard and smiled up at Grant just as the crowd surged again, pressing him into her once more.
Crap. Lip locked. Grant’s mouth is smashed into mine. Not voluntarily either but by the mass of people pushing against them.
Jenny stared into his face. Dark pupils looked back. No surprise? No shock? No. Something else instead. He didn’t move away, and she was helpless to do so, being jammed against the wall. Finally he shifted. His fingers tickled a path down her neck. Without reservation, Jenny’s lids fluttered closed. Her mouth complied, submitting to the pressure. The fingers of Grant’s left hand trailed down her shoulder; the right hand held the glass high.
“If I didn’t know better, Jenny, I’d think someone kept forcing us into this position,” he whispered against her lips. “Two accidental kisses from one pretty brunette. What a terrible position to be in.”
With no available path for escape, she focused on the eyes, dark and shadowed, focused nowhere but on her. It was crazy. Still, the kisses, even if by accident, were hot.
Focus somewhere else, girl. Look at the crowd. Look at the people, the beautiful room, and the food — anywhere but at him.
When the next crowd surge pressed them together, control fell away. She slid a hand into his hair and took the kiss full on. Lips searching, open, moving against each other, bodies firmly anchored together. Weak-kneed from the length of him pressed close and strong fingers clutched into her side, Jenny melted. His cologne seeped sweetly into her mind, causing a ripple of want to feed in behind it.