Ten

“I need to grab a few tools,” Jaxson said, once he’d removed the myriad of parts that made up the security system and scanned the instructions. “Be right back.”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Technically, yes. While getting supplies for the business, he’d seen the cameras and bought one. The sunny sky helped shape his decision to stop by and install them. He could see the appreciation in her eyes, maybe even a hint of admiration. But when she opened her mouth, suspicion tumbled out. She did a good enough job of trying to stir up a cloud when the sun was shining. He decided to keep things light.

“I am working. Later I’ll be installing this same system on the bungalow we’re flipping in Memphis. If it makes you feel better, consider this the pro bono stuff I do to stay on good terms with God. And Granville.”

A smile chased away Genesis’s doubt face. He loved it when she smiled. It hinted at the sensitive side she tried hard to hide, reminded him of the young woman he’d met at the party. She’d smiled like that. Jaxson took in those soft-looking upturned kissers and suppressed a groan.

“The God thing I’d question, but Granville, I can believe.”

Their laughter further lightened the mood in the room. Satisfied, Jaxson retrieved his tools and went to work. He continued to add up the qualities about Genesis that he liked—her practicality, sense of humor, love and loyalty to her uncle, and overall, the way she made him feel. That she was gorgeous only highlighted the other attributes. He pondered this while placing cameras on the porch, above the back door, atop the shed roof and in a tree that faced the driveway. All the while he was überaware of Genesis sitting at the dining room table wearing an oversize hoodie and a pair of baggy shorts she’d somehow fashioned from what looked like a cutoff pair of Cyrus’s long johns.

Earlier, he’d taken in the sight of her sipping coffee with those incredible lips. Had forced his eyes to not linger on the leg being elevated by a chair beside her. The muscled shin covered by smooth, soft skin. The dip just below the knee that he could imagine licking. The thigh that suggested a memorable journey to other, more private places.

He told himself it meant nothing when she turned on a smooth jazz station and a saxophone oozed notes like wet kisses into the atmosphere. He recognized the song. A classic by Norah Jones. He banished the thought that he was on her mind as the singer encouraged her lyrical lover to come away, focusing instead on the chance that smooth jazz songs and old-school music was something they had in common. Though the weather was a bit chilly, he felt relieved to go outside and mount the cameras. Better to focus on something tangible, like hanging security cameras, rather than a fantasy like Genesis, a woman he’d likely never be intimate with again.

When he returned inside, Genesis was in the kitchen. Her crutches were propped up against the countertop filled with ham slices, salad, cheese and condiments.

“Would you like something to eat?” she asked, surprising him yet again.

Yes, he would, and not anything in the kitchen.

“I don’t have any peanut butter and jelly but know my way around a ham sandwich.”

He told himself the reference to the meal he’d prepared meant nothing, but the comment touched his heart nonetheless.

“The church generously gave me a nice basket of leftovers from the repast. There was enough food to feed all of Memphis.”

“Miss Hazel and those church mothers throw down in the kitchen! I’m good, though. Before coming here, I ate a big breakfast but could use a bottle of water.”

“Cold or room temp?”

“Cold, please.”

She reached for her crutches.

“Wait. I’ll get it.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle. “Good thing the mothers helped out. Other than their basket, I don’t see very much food.”

“Stop being nosy.”

“Wouldn’t want you to starve. Come over here in a week and find a skeleton rocking on the porch.”

He should have been gone five minutes ago, but once again, the pull of his attraction kept him planted on Cyrus’s worn linoleum tiles. He opened the water and took a healthy swig.

“Have you heard from your cousins?”

“Cleo called. He said he reached out to see how I was doing but managed to also ask if I’d spoken again with the lawyer.” She spread mustard on one slice of bread, mayo on the other. “I hadn’t, which made for a very brief conversation.”

“Sounds like good cop, bad cop.”

“I didn’t think about it like that. You could be right.”

He watched as she built a masterpiece, using the salad in the sandwich with slices of ham and cheese.

“Excuse me, but this is breakfast.” She cut the sandwich in half and took a bite.

“Help yourself. Here, let me take it to the table for you.”

“Thanks.”

He set the plate in front of her, next to a partially filled glass of juice, then leaned against the wall.

“Thought you had somewhere to be.”

“I’ve got a couple minutes. FYI, the electrician will be out sometime this week to hook the wires to the pole. The system itself is wireless, but it has to be plugged in at the base. Oh, and you need to get those front steps fixed ASAP, especially with you on crutches. Those planks should have been replaced years ago. I’m surprised Cyrus didn’t break a leg.”

“I’ll add that to my growing to-do list.”

“Put it somewhere near the top.”

“Okay, boss” was her sarcastic reply. “Dang, I forgot my chips.”

“Where are they?”

“In my almost empty cabinets.”

“Ha!” He’d rarely catered to a woman this way, but something about the damsel in sprained ankle distress had him bringing out and buckling on his armor. “Here you go.”

She eyed him as she opened the bag. “Thanks for the DDI.”

He cocked a brow.

“Do drop in. That’s my customized abbreviation.”

“I like it.”

Genesis plopped against the dining room chair. “I never dreamed I’d be living the country life.”

“Things could be worse. You could be here all alone with no one caring about you. No one calling. No one stopping by. Even Nipsey turning up his tail and moving to my place. Is that what you want?”

Her laughter, he decided, was like a perfect set of chimes letting you know the wind was blowing at just the right speed.

“Well, put like that, I guess I’m grateful for people who feel they can stop by whenever they feel like it.”

“Exactly.” Said in a way that mirrored her response when it was explained that calling her Gen was a privilege, not a right.

“I can’t stand you!” she deadpanned. But her eyes were warm.

“You’re welcome.”

There was a companionable silence as she focused on food and he focused on her.

“I want to ask you something,” she said.

He nodded.

“At Uncle Cyrus’s funeral, what were you and Clarence talking about?”

Jaxson chuckled. “Your cousin was low-key trying to become my father-in-law. And the farm, of course.” He paused, wondering how much of their conversation he should share. His loyalty was to Genesis, not Clarence. He decided to tell it all.

“He told me about Cyrus leaving you the farm, and that the family questioned his mental health for making that decision.”

“You spent time with my uncle. What do you think?”

“I played chess with Cyrus a few weeks before he died. Wasn’t anything wrong with his mind.”

“Did you tell that to Clarence?”

Jaxson nodded. “I told him in no uncertain terms that Cyrus seemed fine to me.”

“I don’t know why they’re in such a hurry to sell, to the point of offering up his firstborn.”

“That didn’t matter. No shade to Tiffany, but I’m not interested.”

“Is it because...? Never mind.” She sighed and looked away.

“No, go ahead. You want to know my status.”

“Your personal life is none of my concern.”

“I’m not involved with anyone right now—not seriously, anyway. Haven’t had a committed relationship since my daughter, Jazz, was born four years ago. Thanks to her mother, and another betrayal, it’s hard for me to trust.”

“What happened?”

“Long story. But since we’re not friends yet, I can’t tell you.”

He watched different emotions skitter across Genesis’s face. “It’s not fair to judge us all based on a couple bad experiences.”

“Probably not. But that’s where I’m at. Are you dating anyone?”

“My personal life is none of your concern.”

Her nonanswer was an answer. If she was dating, or had a man, Jaxson believed he would have met him by now.

He spent the rest of the day working and thinking of Genesis. That night found him at the bar section of Holy Moly, nursing a bourbon neat and going over conversations with her in his head.

The regular weekend bartender, a young blonde who reminded him of a girl he’d briefly dated in high school, came over wiping down the bar with one hand and holding a menu with the other.

“Figured you might want some wings or a couple sliders to settle down that alcohol.”

“Not a bad idea.” He reached for the menu even though he ate at the restaurant enough to almost know it by heart.

“I don’t think I’ve tried the fish tacos.”

“That’s a new item.”

“Any good?”

“Delicious but not something I’d recommend with brown liquor. Plus, that’s your second beverage. You need grease.” She dug a dipper into the ice and filled a glass. “And water.”

Jaxson pushed away the tumbler of bourbon and reached for the water. “I’ll take an order of sliders, half a dozen spicy wings and home fries.”

“Now we’re talking.” They both laughed. “Coming right up.”

Jaxson downed half the water and made small talk with the couple sitting next to him. The later it got and the more patrons poured into the place, the more he questioned whether placing the order was a good idea. He usually stayed away from the square on weekends, when it got taken over by high schoolers, Memphis travelers and every single person within a thirty-mile radius. Just as he was about to make his order to go, a familiar face entered the bar.

Susan saw him and made a beeline to the bar.

“Hey, stranger!”

She gave him a hug and a kiss on the lips. He pulled back without thinking.

“Whoa, it’s like that, huh?”

“I didn’t mean... Sorry, you caught me off guard.”

“It hasn’t been that long since we’ve gotten together.” Susan motioned to the bartender. “Longer than I’d like, but not long enough to forget me. Right?”

“How could that ever happen? You’re unforgettable.”

“Yeah, said like a man who’s trying to distract from his secrets. Like who you’ve been spending time with these past couple weeks.”

“Why can’t I just be busy flipping houses and being a good uncle and long-distance dad?”

“Because I know how much you like sex. Thank you,” she said to the bartender who gave her a drink menu. Scanning the choices, she casually added, “I hear there’s a new girl in town. I hear she’s your neighbor.”

“You’ve got big ears.”

“And an even bigger nose for sniffing out juicy gossip.”

Jaxson gave Susan the side-eye. “Who’d you talk to, Miss Hazel?”

“I went one better. Her hairdresser.”

Jaxson pulled back for a more thorough look. “That’s what’s different about you.”

“Thought I’d add a few extensions again.” She twirled in the chair. “You like it?”

“It looks nice. A lot of money to pay for information you could have gotten for free.”

“It was an informative beauty-shop visit, but not all about you. I’m here to meet a date.”

Jaxson raised a brow. “Seriously? On a Sunday?”

“Yep. After hearing all about Mr. Perry’s cute niece, the bull incident and you playing doctor to heal her boo-boo, and even more being evasive when I asked about it point-blank, I figured it was time for me to stop settling for benefits and go for a whole package.”

“Wow, you really do know everything. There’s nothing going on there, but I’m sorry for not coming clean when you asked. Forgive me?”

“Always.”

Conversation paused as the bartender delivered Jaxson’s food and took Susan’s drink order.

“You said there’s nothing going on. Would you like there to be?”

“Maybe.”

“Meaning definitely. What is it that has you so interested?”

Jaxson chuckled. “Probably the fact that she can’t stand me.”

Later he’d conveniently forget admitting he was interested at all. While munching on his dinner, he reminded Susan about his and Genesis’s shared history, minus the one-night stand, and why she looked at him as an enemy.

“I remember that championship game,” she said.

“Were you there?”

“Yes, and if you’ll remember, I had a traitorous crush on Hank Hunter. It almost got me kicked off the drill team. In fact, that night I... Hold on.” Susan checked a text on her phone. “My date is pulling up in ten minutes. It’s crowded. I’d better grab a table.”

“There’s a seat.” Jaxson tipped his head toward a nearby bar stool. “Why don’t you invite him over so I can check him out, make sure he’s a good match.”

“Probably for the same reason you’ve tried to keep your neighbor hidden. Hey, if you’re into her, go for it.” Susan slid off the bar stool and grabbed her drink. “Wish me luck.”

Jaxson finished the sliders, polished off the wings and was casually wiping his hands on a napkin when Susan’s date came in. Bald head, athletic build, not bad-looking and, thankfully, no one he knew. She definitely had a type.

He reached into his pocket, peeled off some bills and tossed them on the counter. A few people recognized him as he snaked his way through the unusually thick Sunday night crowd. He was cordial but kept it moving until he reached the cool springtime air.

Not yet ready to drive to his empty abode, he began walking around the square, peering into shop windows, enjoying the music spilling out from the bars. At the corner near his truck, a street vendor was in the process of closing a cart selling flowers and knickknacks. He eyed a bouquet similar to the color of the hoodie Genesis had worn earlier that day. The nice arrangement in a crystal vase would brighten up Cyrus’s old wooden table. Still, he quickly nixed the idea. Genesis would probably look for an ulterior motive or feel it an inappropriate gesture. The bottom of the mobile cart was metal and covered with magnets. He scanned one with a message that made him laugh out loud.

He immediately pulled it off the metal. “I’ll take it.”

As it turned out, Jaxson had a type, too. Her name was Genesis.