Page 24 of Taming I Do
“That’s okay. Hopefully, my hair hasn’t absorbed the smell. It was pretty strong when I woke up this morning.”
Jasper leaned close, invading my personal space, and nudged his nose into my hair. My skin pebbled at the unexpected gesture, and time seemed to stand still as he took in a long breath.
“I think you’re good.” He sat up, finished his coffee, and pulled out his wallet.
“No fish smell?”
“Not even close.”
I held a hunk of hair to my nose and took in a whiff. “Are you sure?”
He swiveled on his stool to face me and put a hand on my shoulder. An awareness thrummed through me, making my chest tighten. The feeling only increased as his face drew close to mine. I kept my gaze on his lips, bracing myself as the tip of histongue poked out. My lips parted and my eyes drifted closed. He was going to kiss me. I could feel it in the marrow of my bones.
But then his nose nudged into my hair again, his breath warm on my ear. “You smell like lemons. And something flowery.”
“Lavender,” I whispered, my hand coming up to circle his wrist.
“Mmm.” He inhaled. “Yeah, lavender.”
“Ahem.” Jojo cleared her throat, and we broke contact. “You need change?”
“No, we’re good.” Jasper’s hand dropped and he faced forward, his eyes on the handwritten tab. “Lacey’s expecting you. Are you ready to get going?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My reaction to Jasper’s touch had caught me off guard. And I wasn’t a woman who dealt well with surprises. Seemed like he didn’t want to acknowledge the heat that had sparked between us, so neither would I.
“Let me go lock up the trailer. Can I meet you by your truck?”
He rubbed a palm across the back of his neck. “Sure. I’ll meet you outside in a few.”
Good. I’d have a few minutes to pull myself together.
“Thanks, Jojo.” Jasper got up from his stool and headed toward the back of the restaurant.
I sat there for a long moment, trying to collect myself.
“You want more coffee?” Jojo cocked a hip against the counter, the pot of coffee in hand.
“No, thank you.” I reached for my purse and slung the strap over my shoulder as I stood.
“He’s a real catch, that one.” Jojo looped her finger through the mugs and lifted them off the counter.
“Who, Jasper?”
“That’s right. Poor guy got dumped pretty hard a couple of years ago. Everyone expected them to get married but then she showed up in town, a new fiancé in tow. If you ask me, I’m surprised he agreed to work on the wedding stuff. But then again, no one asks me anything, so there you go.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
Jojo shrugged. “Someone not in their right mind. But I suppose that’s one way to describe Adeline Monroe.”
I made a career out of keeping my emotions in check. But when Jojo dropped Adeline’s name, my jaw literally fell to the floor. “Jasper used to date Adeline?”
“You didn’t hear it from me.” Jojo disappeared through the swinging doors leading to the kitchen.
I didn’t want to be standing there when Jasper came back, so I made a dash toward the door. The crowd in the parking lot had doubled again. I returned Helmut’s wave as I made my way to the trailer.
By the time Jasper had pulled around to pick me up, I’d freshened up.
“You ready to meet the ladies of Ido?” Jasper rounded the truck to open the door for me.
