Chapter 1

Jaime

A full sigh falls from my lips as I stare out the window. I should be happy, excited. Tomorrow…well, less than fifteen minutes from now, starts a new year. Instead, I'm miserable and it's all because of a man.

A man that never called.

A man that sent another officer to get my signature on my statement even.

I swear he felt the sparks between us but it's the end of December, over three months since I met him, and not a damn word. And it's not like there haven't been chances.

I've seen him all over town.

At the courthouse where Maia's parents argued they should retain custody of her.

At the grocery store where I was picking up snacks for the girls night me, Jillian, and Maia were having.

At the movies where a huge group of us were headed in to see a new rom-com that'd come out and he was across the street picking up his dry cleaning.

Plus a bunch of times as we were headed somewhere to have lunch when Jillian stopped by the office or when we were with friends for dinner.

Hell, I even saw him at the mall while we were mainly shopping for winter clothes for Maia but also splurging on Christmas gifts for the whole family.

But not once did he come to talk to me and that hurts. Even more when the attraction sure as hell is there.

I don't get why he's avoiding me. It's madness and that's one thing I despise. I like my life nice and calm. Not this…madness.

"Brooding again?" Jillian asks, coming into the library finding me.

"Women don't brood," I counter trying to smile but it's no use. I am brooding over a man that I want nothing more than to throw myself at but don't have the first clue how to get him to want it too.

"Sure we don't," Jillian teases, her eyes softening a bit taking in my full expression. "Okay, it's time you either bite the bullet and make the first move or you move on, Sis."

"I don't think I can," I admit making her brow lift a bit.

"Move on or make the first move?"

"Either," I sigh. "I just don't get why he won't even talk to me. I mean, you said it wasn't just in my head that first night. You meant it, right?"

"Yes, that man was completely into you," Jillian assures me, which calms a part of my worry but also makes me hurt that it's been three months, and he's never even tried to talk to me since.

"I don't even know how I'd begin to make the first move. It's not like he's been encouraging whenever I've seen him out to go over and talk to him."

"Did you ever think that maybe it's because you're generally with me and the rest of us girls or our friends when he has seen you?" Jillian asks, and I let out a sigh, telling her about the grocery store run-in last month. "It was Black Friday, he probably was in a hurry to get to work or something, or he just might not want to face a rejection in public."

"Face a rejection?" I scoff shaking my head at her.

"Yeah, Sis," Jillian states, her face serious and my brows furl a bit in confusion. "You just said that he doesn't seem to be encouraging you to come over when you see him out and about right? Well, did you ever stop and think maybe he's thinking the same thing about you?"

"I'm pretty sure it was clear as day how I feel about him."

"To me, to Mom, to the other girls in the family maybe, but we know you, Jai. We can read the little micro expressions that cross your face, but not even our friends always know when you're being serious or when you're making a joke, being flippant," Jillian adds and that stops me a bit. "We all love you but even with our friends, you hold yourself back. You don't let anyone really know what's going on inside your head, or your heart. So maybe he's waiting for the right opportunity, the right moment when he sees that it's not just him that's still interested, because I know he is. He may not realize that your little shy smiles and waves whenever you see him aren't your normal reaction when we see someone out and about. It may be that he simply doesn't want to risk you turning him down if he asked you out. That living with the hope you'll say yes is better than actually being turned down."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just call him up and say ‘hey, do you want to go out with me?'" I question on a bit of a laugh, although what she's said isn't entirely unbelievable. With the family it's one thing to hug and tease them, I just can't do it with our other friends. Probably because I've always felt they tolerate me for Jillian's sake more than that they really want to be my friend because I never want to go to parties with them.

Going out to dinner or the movies with the group is one thing, going to some party where I don't know anyone else…is definitely not something I'm comfortable with. Not when I know they'd all be looking for cute guys to flirt with and that's also something that I'm not comfortable with, that I can't seem to figure out how to do.

"Take a chance," Jillian says making my brow lift curiously. "Look, from what we've learnt about Bryan, he seems like an introvert like you instead of the fabulous extrovert that I am," she adds making me laugh as she flutters her lashes at me.

We may be almost complete opposites but there's no doubt we love each other. One thing we both agree on wholeheartedly is that there's no reason to play around with the wrong guy, but Bryan doesn't feel like the wrong guy to me. Although the introverted thing I can get behind. It'd make sense why he'd want to continue to work as a relief or floating detective, moving around to wherever he's needed rather than choose a single unit. It's so much easier to not offend people for constantly saying no to going out for drinks if they're always changing.

My co-workers—those in the marketing section versus our design section at least—think I'm stuck up because I always decline their offers. As though I'm too good for them because I'm a Cartwright when the truth is, I'm just not comfortable going out with people I barely know. Especially since I know one or two of them go overboard and the others gossip about it. I just don't want to waste my energy on that. Not when it's mixed in on top of my design section co-worker's snark which hasn't gotten much better.

"Okay, so he's likely introverted, how does that help me?" I ask her.

"Well, let's turn it around," Jillian states giving me a grin that is full of sisterly love but also warning to not ignore her just because she's younger than me. "If places were reversed and it was totally the norm for you to ask the guy. If you saw him out with a bunch of guys, even if he gave you a smile would you go over and try to talk to him, risk asking him out when you're not a hundred percent certain he'll say yes, and not only risk facing that rejection but having it happen in front of a big group of strangers? Would you even go over and pull him to the side? Cause…I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that."

I do and it does make a lot more sense, but it still doesn't explain why he won't call me. "He has my number. He could have called any time during the last three months."

"True, but if you're not certain he's interested in you, how's he supposed to be certain you're interested in him? So, since it's almost midnight, I'm giving you a New Year's resolution challenge," Jillian states and I barely hold in a groan.

The last one she gave me was in high school and it was to invite some of the new girls in her grade over for a sleepover. It really didn't go well.

In fact, it went so badly that she refused to be friendly with any of them because they attempted to make fun of me for it. They regretted that because Jillian was Miss Popular of her class, homecoming and prom queen, and everyone wanted to be her friend—and not just because she was a Cartwright.

"What?" I ask when she just stares at me for my acceptance of it.

"Your New Year's resolution is to make the first move. I'm not saying you have to ask him out on a date, but you're going to have to give him some surefire way of knowing you'd say yes if he did ask you out. Yeah?" she says, waiting with for me to agree.

As much as I really don't want to risk looking like a fool, if the alternative is to spend the next three months in this same stupid cycle, maybe there's something I can think of to make it work. "Okay, I'll make the first move."

"Good, now, let's go back for the countdown. If nothing else, you can make sure Jeffery doesn't try to kill our nephews if they give Maia a kiss," Jillian adds, dragging me back over to the huge ballroom in the east wing of the house.

"He still thinks Ashton has a crush on her I take it?"

"Yeah, doesn't see that it's just friendship. Heck if anyone has a crush it'd be Zack but he's a little safer since he won't be fifteen for a few more weeks."

"But since Ashton will be eighteen in February, making him the same age as Maia, of course, he's a threat," I muse.

It's clear to everyone in the family that Jeffery is gaga over Maia, but he's keeping her at arm's length. Which is probably a good thing since he's been here at the house so much more in the last two months.

He claims it's because a few persistent women found where he was living. I'm certain it's because even living in the east wing of the house, he's closer to Maia than downtown at the condo that was Johnnie's before he married Carly and bought them a house. He won't admit to any of us that he has feelings for her, but if anyone even thinks of upsetting or hurting her, he's the first one there to stop it.

Her stepfather tried to bring up the prior false allegations against Jeffery in their latest attempt to get her away from Mom and Dad. The judge threw it out, saying that even if he were inclined to rescind the guardianship, it would only be to grant Maia emancipation seeing as how there, at the time, was only seven months before she was eighteen. Along with the fact that there was enough evidence to show she wasn't safe in the same house as him.

After the hearing, Dad's attorney gave him a stern warning that if he so much as tried to say one thing about Jeffery regarding the claims that were proven to be false, he'd be hit with a defamation case so fast his head would spin. Then added that with all of the Cartwright fortune behind it, he'd end up bankrupt in a heartbeat if he tried to prolong it.

We slip back into the party as the thirty-second countdown starts and I reach Jeffery's side while Jillian slips into the group with her friends as we hit ten. I put a hand on Jeffery's arm when he starts to take a step towards Maia who's with Ashton and a few others from their grade. Ashton has his arm around her shoulder, keeping the guys with them from getting near her and I lift a brow at him that has his jaw tightening a hint more.

I lean over as we hit five seconds and tell him, "Ashton isn't interested in her that way and he won't let them touch her, so calm down."

"Don't know what you're talking about, Sis," he counters, his shoulders lowering, the look on his face dissolving behind a mask and I simply lift my brow a bit higher his way. "Happy New Year's, Jai."

"Happy New Year's, Jeffery," I reply as he brushes a kiss to my cheek. I rest my hand on his chest and hold his gaze for another moment adding, "I know it's not something you Cartwright men are used to doing, but you have to be patient."

"Jai…"

"Stop," I warn at his growling tone. "I know you're fighting yourself to not even admit you have feelings for her, and I don't know if it's simply to get through the days since she's still seventeen or if you just want to hold onto your hatred of women, but Maia's not her. She's not mercenary and she's not just begging for your attention. Which yes most of the women you run across daily do. They want your body and your money," I add grinning at the hint of color that creeps into his cheeks, "but that's definitely not Maia. If you don't stop trying to run her off every time she gets near, when she does finally turn eighteen, you're going to lose her instantly. Got it?"

"Yeah," he grumbles, giving me another kiss before he stalks away towards our parents. It's hard for him to enjoy parties anymore because like Jillian, he was always an extrovert, but after what the girl did, he can't find the joy in it and won't let anyone close.

I give the party a bit longer, before heading up to my room, all my thoughts once again on Bryan. He's never far from my mind and as the next week progresses, I can't stop thinking about Jillian's words. Especially when I spy him while we're at a restaurant with our group of friends before the others head back out of town for their final semesters of college. He's picking up takeout and my heart flares wildly at the frown that falls across his lips, his eyes taking in the group surrounding me.

Is it possible that he doesn't really get that I'd much prefer to be home with a book than even here with girls I've known for years? Does he think that this is what I'd want more than that? It might explain a few more things as to why he simply walks away after giving me a nod in greeting rather than come over to even say hi. I'd never do it if I were in his shoes, and he was out with a group of guys.

Jillian's brow lifts my way, and I give her a grin, making a full smile break out, her eyes twinkling, and it puts more hope in my heart, while also strengthening my resolve to do this. I just have to figure out how to not make it seem completely insane. Calling him out of the blue…no way can I do that, but maybe if it's not so much personal as needing some professional help—not a lot and nothing serious, but enough to get us together, alone, just might work.

I didn't anticipate the perfect opportunity arising just days later thanks to a request from the staff upstairs to redo the latest ad's color scheme before we release it next week. Apparently on screens that aren't higher resolution or without blue light behind them, the colors look like sludgy brown and puke green instead of the crisp original colors.

It takes me hours to come up with something that will work for them while not looking alarming or neon on more modern devices. I finally find the right color family that stays with the companies normal schemes and doesn't make a user think it's one of our competitors by using any of theirs in it, and by then, it's nearly seven at night. I vaguely recall the others heading out earlier, but I wanted to get this done and not having it lingering in my mind over the weekend.

It has me headed down to get to my car only to see the dreary day has given way to a cold night, with light hitting against what I'm hoping is only water on the parking lot. The thought of driving home in ice makes me cringe. It deepens when I see a group along the side of the lot, a sigh hitting because it's the same skateboarders that were hanging around last year and instead of getting better, they're now worse.

It doesn't help that the only spot in town where a small skateboard park previously was, is now being used to create another generic apartment building. I heard the guys discussing it last year, that they didn't want to even bid on it because they weren't certain the area was truly capable of supporting a high-rise structure. As well as the fact that we didn't really need some huge looming building taking up more of the town's skyline.

Our parking lot not only has an incline, but also a curve, that's drawn their attention. While I normally wouldn't care if they were simply using it for skating and tricks, the fact that the trashcan had to get a new cemented housing, so they stopped knocking it over, leaving trash strewn all across the lot didn't endear them to anyone. Let alone the way several of them catcall us women as we leave, following us to our cars, banging at our windows…which just might be the perfect reason to call Bryan. Especially since I'm the only one here and it's late and dark and they've bothered me more than once on my way out while with others even.

I pause in the hallway, taking out my phone which has Bryan's number programed in already, and I don't stop to think or question it. I hit dial and take a deep breath as it rings. His drawl of hello makes my stomach tumble and a quick wave of panic hits causing me to say, "Bryan? Uh…sorry, it's Jaime…Cartwright. I'm sorry, I should have called the main number instead of you…"

"No, Jaime, it's fine," he says stopping my panic from ending the call immediately. "Is everything okay?"

"This is going to sound stupid probably but…I was heading out of the office after finishing a project and there's this group of kids, older teenagers, that have been…"

"Problematic?" he offers and I breath in with relief that it's the truth and not something completely made up so if he asked anyone else they'd confirm it wasn't just tonight that they were here.

"Yeah, they use the drive in the lot for skating, but they also harass you when you try to leave and I…"

"You're there alone and they're there?" he guesses.

"Yeah," I say again wishing I could come up with something cute or flirty, but it all evades me hearing his deep baritone. "I don't know if it's just wet out or if there's ice and I don't want them near my car while I try to leave…"

"I was about to go past your office as it was, I'll be there in two minutes. You're still inside?" he adds as my heart flutters hearing that.

"I am, by the back door."

"Stay there until I arrive. I'll make sure they leave and then get you to your car safely," he states, and I give him a soft thank you before we hang up. A giddiness flooding me and god, I hope this works.