Last First Kiss (21 page)

“
Giselle?” he asked again.

“
No...no problem. I was just...I was wondering how you’ve been, is all. I haven’t talked to you in awhile.”

Jackson stared ahead at the road. “Only doing what you asked,” he mumbled. “But I’m alright. Trying to stay busy.”

She heard Lexie and Bill talking excitedly about the upcoming birthday party. “You need help with the party?”

He kept his eyes on the road. “Nope, Bill has everything under control.”

“
I made them hold it down to twelve invitations each. That, along with Carrie and Sam’s family, adds up to a lot of people invading Bill’s property.”

“
He’s been looking forward to this for months. He’s as excited about it as the kids are.” Jackson glanced at her then turned back toward the road.

They got to the ballpark and found the field where Mac’s team was playing. The previous game hadn’t ended yet, and Mac, Allie, and Gretchen were standing off to the side of the bleachers, waiting for their team to take to the field.

“
Aw hell, I forgot the chairs in the back of the truck,” Jackson growled before turning back to get them.

Giselle turned to follow him. “Do you need some help?” .

“
No!” he said sharply, stopping her in her tracks.

She was still standing there, watching him walk back to his pick-up when Gretchen joined her.

“
Has Jackson been working out?” the twin asked, as she stared at his retreating form.

Bill crossed his arms and grunted. “It seems like every time I call him, he’s at the gym.”

“
Who do they play this morning, Gretchen?” Giselle asked, wanting to change the subject. Jackson’s new physique had affected her more than she wanted to admit, even to herself.

“
Eunice, and they’re good, too. That’s the team that beat everyone yesterday.” She looked up as her twin sister, Lauren, walked over with Gage and Ava, carrying her own chairs. “There are Lauren and the kids,” she said.

Lauren walked up to them and dropped her folding chairs on the ground then reached over to give Bill a hug. “I just saw Jackson on the way back to his truck. He’s
definitely
been working out!”

Bill chuckled. “He’s trying to stay busy—I guess it keeps him from thinking about things too much.”

“
Here he comes,” Gretchen said, as they all turned to watch him. He walked up, loaded down with at least six strapped bags containing folding chairs, no sign of breathing hard or breaking a sweat.

“
Who wants a chair? I brought everything I had.”

“
I’ll take one,” Gretchen said. “Let’s set them up under the tree for some shade.”

Jackson set the chairs in a line and sat down in one on the end. After everyone else had taken a seat, Giselle took the remaining one next to Jackson. He got up immediately to go to the concession stand. He came back with several bottles of water and passed them out, then whispered something to his uncle. Bill stood and moved to the far end next to Giselle and Jackson sat in the chair he’d vacated.

Giselle smiled at Bill, trying to ignore the hurt of being snubbed by Jackson.
He’s only doing what you asked,
she reminded herself. She listened, without seeming to, as he got into an animated conversation with Allie, Mac, and Cat about baseball. Within minutes, Lauren’s little girl, Ava Grace, made her way over to Jackson to flirt shamelessly with him. By the time the game began, the toddler wouldn’t sit with anyone but him.

“
Would you look at that,” Lauren said, observing her daughter. “Ava already has him wrapped. He’s so good with kids; I sure hope he has a couple of his own some day.”

“
Me too,” Bill agreed.

Jackson, who had been engrossed in conversation with Ava, glanced up to find them all staring at him. “What?”

They all laughed and he turned back to Ava. “They’re just jealous because you love me more than them, aren’t they?” She gave him a cheesy grin and nodded, her curls bouncing. He tapped one side of his face and she kissed his cheek.

“
Giselle, video that, would you? Bryan won’t believe his baby girl loved up on another man. Who is that, Ava?” Lauren asked her daughter.

“
Das Jackson!” the toddler chirped. She leaned over, grabbed his face in her two chubby little hands, and gave him a kiss right on the lips.

“
Thank you so much, Ava!” He let her wrap her arms around his neck for a big hug.

“
That is so sweet,” Gretchen said.

Lauren chuckled. “It won’t be sweet about two hours from now, when she’s all sticky and sweaty and snotty from that summer cold she probably just gave you, Jackson.”

“
That’s okay. Some things are worth it, aren’t they,
Ava Grace?” he asked the child, who nodded and grinned again.

Giselle watched the exchange with a smile on her face while she caught it all on her digital camera. “Yeah, I told him we could find him a wife so he could have some of his own, but he told me he could find his own woman.”

“
That’s right,” he said. “When I’m ready to move, I will. Don’t you worry about me.” He turned unexpectedly to face Giselle.

She felt herself coloring as she adjusted her sunglasses and looked away. “Speaking of which, ladies, we need to find someone for this fine looking gentleman on my left here.”

“
How about Ms. Clair Bertrand,” Lauren said.

Gretchen leaned over to look at her twin. “Ms. Clair from admitting? She’s too old for Bill. We need to find somebody younger. Mom says he’d like to start a new family, is that right, Bill?”

He nodded. “That’s right, but if that doesn’t happen I’ll be satisfied to just have someone of my own. I’ve got Mac and Lexie, and I’m sure Jackson will furnish me with a great niece or nephew one day.”

“
Huh...Don’t count on
that
happening anytime soon,” Jackson mumbled under his breath.

“
What was that, son?”

“
I said I hope that happens real soon, Uncle Bill,” he said, winking at Lauren, who was grinning at his overheard comment.

“
Until then, I’ll just keep Ava.” Jackson leaned over to the toddler seated contentedly on his lap. “How about it, gorgeous? You want to come home with me?”

She nodded, causing her golden brown curls to bounce and glisten in the sunshine. “I go with Jackson!” She climbed down from his lap and waved to her mother. “Bye Mommy!”

Everyone laughed as Jackson tried to tell Ava he wasn’t leaving. She reached up for him until he picked her up again. He looked over at Lauren. “Just tell Bryan he’s been replaced.”

Giselle watched and listened to his remarks, remaining silent. She turned her attention to the field, shifting uncomfortably. All this talk of Jackson finding someone else and starting a new family had her feeling a little confused. What if he found someone? How would she feel?

She hadn’t told anyone about her recurring dreams about him. It was easier not to see him. She tried to push all thoughts of the dreams aside, but every time she heard his voice, she saw the image of those deeply intense, sensual blue eyes. By the end of the day, she was a bundle of nervous energy.

On the way home, she insisted on sitting in the back seat with Mac and Lexie. Jackson and Bill installed the new battery in her truck, and she thanked them both when it cranked up easily. She couldn’t look Jackson in the eye, but hugged Bill before she went inside her house, closing the door behind her.

Jackson waited for Bill to climb back into the truck.

“
Well, that’s interesting,” Bill said, buckling his seatbelt.

“
What’s that?”

“
She can barely look you in the eye.”

Jackson shifted to reverse and backed slowly out of her driveway. “Noticed that, did you? I have no idea what I did to piss her off this time.”

“
You didn’t do anything. She’s attracted to you.”

Jackson hit the brakes at the intersection and turned to face his uncle. “You are so off the mark on this one, Uncle Bill. That lady can’t stand the sight of me.”

Bill released a loud sigh and shook his head. “One of these days you’re going to learn to listen to me. I’m telling you, she’s attracted to you. And don’t even
try
to deny you feel the same way.”

Jackson glared at his uncle. “She’s the widow of a good friend. I only try to help her out when she lets me, and only because Toby would want me to.”

“
Bullshit! You can lie to yourself if you want to, but you can’t lie to me. I know what I see.”

Jackson jumped when a car behind him blew the horn. He eased off the brakes and took a right to head for the highway home. He glanced at his uncle, who sat grinning at him. “Fine, dammit. I’m attracted to her—a fat lot of good it does me. Are you happy now?”

Bill gave a loud guffaw of laughter. “I knew I was right all along.”

Jackson snorted in disgust at his uncle. “You always are, you old coot. It’s disconcerting, if you want to know the truth.”

“
Dis..con..what? Talk English..I’m just a simple man.”

“
It’s ass-chapping, okay? It chaps my ass, the way you’re always right.”

“
I’m just older and wiser in the ways of the world.”

“
Yeah...whatever.”

Bill put his head back and laughed. “It’s like Sam always says, Son...There’s all kinds of smart.”

“
Maybe so, but I think you’re wrong about Giselle being attracted to me. If she is, she’s got a hell of a way of showing it. I’m about fed up with her damn attitude.”

“
An intelligent man would try to see it through
her
eyes. Think about it, Jackson. Toby’s been dead for just over seven months and she feels guilty for being attracted to another man, not to mention terrified of what others will think. If you’d been sitting where I was, you’d have noticed she was a bundle of nerves by the end of the day. By the way, I think you hurt her feelings when you switched chairs on her.”

“
I didn’t do it to hurt her feelings. I just didn’t want to embarrass myself. There’s no way I could stare at those long, tanned legs of hers all day and not...
you
know,” he murmured.

He shook his head at his uncle’s joviality over his excruciating predicament. “I’m serious, man. Every time I see her lately, it’s agony. You don’t know how much I dread tomorrow.” He shook his head slowly. “For me, the only thing worse than seeing Giselle...is
not
seeing Giselle.”

CHAPTER 13

The first luminous rays of dawn broke on a cloudless sky and promised a glorious day for Mac and Lexie’s party. Guests started arriving around eleven thirty to see food tables, loaded down with barbeque and side dishes. By noon, everyone began to line up buffet style.

”
Paw Paw!” Mac and Lexie yelled, as they came running up to Bill, with Giselle following closely behind them.

“
There are my two birthday girls!”

“
We wanted to come and thank you for doing all of this for us,” Mac said. “I can’t wait for the paddle boat rides.”

“
We’ll start them right after lunch, so you’d better go eat,” he told the girls as they ran off.

Giselle gave him an appreciative hug. “Bill, the girls are thrilled. I don’t know what kind of day they would have had if you hadn’t come along.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Jackson and I would do anything for you three, you ought to know that by now.”

“
I do, and I love you for that,” she said with a smile.

Carrie joined them. “Come on, you two, let’s get in line.”

As they settled down at a table with their plates, Jackson and a pretty woman named Gwendolyn Perry walked up. He pulled the chair out next to Giselle for Gwen to sit and he sat next to Bill right across from her. “Does everyone here know Gwen?”

Sam and Carrie knew her well, and Giselle had seen her around but had never actually met her. Gwen had a seven-year-old, named Alyssa, who was in Mac’s grade. Giselle noticed that Jackson and Gwen seemed to get along quite well. She fought off an unreasonable wave of jealously, and wondered if there was a Mr. Perry.

“
So...” Giselle said, picking up a barbequed rib, “Where’s Alyssa’s father? Is he at home?” she blurted out, bringing an effective halt to Gwen and Jackson’s conversation. All conversation at the table paused in an uncomfortable silence as all eyes turned toward Giselle.