“Hey, darlin’, how did you sleep?” He’d tossed and turned all night, but he wasn’t about to tell her that and give her ammunition to hang up the phone.
“Hey, Jack. I-I, ah, slept good, fine.” Her voice wavered, making him wonder if she spoke the truth.
“I should have your car up and running in the hour. Are you going to be home so I can drop it off?”
“Actually, I was taking Danny to the park around the corner so he can play with some of his friends.”
Even better. “I can bring it to you there. What’s the name of the park?”
She told him, then added, “You don’t have to do this. I can get Monica to drive me over to the hotel to pick it up.”
Only the car wasn’t at the hotel. It was with a mechanic at a shop, getting a new starter and a new battery, an oil change, air filter…“Not a problem.”
“You sure?”
“Jessie, please. I might not be able to help with much, but I can do this.” The lie tasted sour on his tongue, but he blurted it out all the same.
“What was the problem?”
“The starter, like I thought. I, ah, just had to find the part.”
“Was it a hassle?”
“No,” he said too quickly. After a breath he added, “There’s a place around the corner from the hotel that sells parts. It’s just gonna take a little longer to get it in and clean up. You’ll still be at the park in an hour?”
Jessie laughed. “Danny would make me stay there until dark if he could. We’ll be there.”
“I’ll see you in an hour.” Jack said good-bye and hung up.
A late November bite in the air was what Jessie referred to as a sweater-without-a-coat day. The sun was warm, but the air held a tiny nip. The kids filled the park while their parents sat on the benches next to the playground equipment and watched them play.
Danny concocted a game of follow the leader with three other boys. The kids led one another up and down the slides, hopped over the swings, and spun in circles in the sand. Within ten minutes of playing in the park, Danny was laughing, dirty, and jumping around. Days like this made her happy with her choice about working graveyard. She didn’t miss out on her son’s day-to-day life so long as she worked during his sleeping hours.
It didn’t always work that way. Sometimes when he came down with a cold or had a nightmare, she missed being there to care for him, but Monica handled those times like a pro. If ever Danny really needed her, Jessie called in sick or would come home. By the time she was able to manage a day job, Danny would be spending his days in school, and Jessie could work while he was there. That was the plan, anyway.
“Hey, darlin’.” Jack’s voice purred behind her ear. She turned around and caught his grinning face only a few inches from hers. She pulled back, just in case he thought he was going to greet her with a kiss.
“Hey.”
She was sitting on the edge of a picnic table and decided to slide between the seat and the table to further the distance from him. Without a glance, Jack sat opposite her.
He dangled her keys from his fingertips. “All fixed.”
“So…it was the starter.” She gathered the keys in her palm, grazing his hand in the process. That innocent touch reminded her of their fondling fingers the night before. Even holding hands with the cowboy held appeal.
His hat sat firmly in place. His button-up shirt covered his muscular arms that had held her so close the night before, and she remembered the hardness of his chest and the sound of his sigh when she dropped her inhibitions and allowed the kiss to continue. His lips were just as plump as the night before. The sweater she wore suddenly felt hot. Jessie shook her head and looked behind her to see where Danny was.
“Your starter was fried.”
“Was that expensive?” She reached for her purse sitting beside her.
“A friend owed me a favor.”
“So you had to have someone else do the work?”
“Had to; Max had the parts, I didn’t.”
How silly of her. Of course Jack didn’t have the parts. She removed her checkbook, but Jack covered her hand with his.
“Max owed me a favor, Jessie. No charge.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“You have to,” he insisted.
“What if you need Max’s help for your truck? You’ll have used your get-out-of-jail-free card for me.” Jessie shook off his hand and started to write out a check.
“I’m not taking your money.”
“You’re right, you’re not. You’re giving it to Max. Now, how much does an average starter cost?”
Jack ignored her and peered over her shoulder at the kids playing on the playground. “Which one is Danny?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
He winked at her. A smile played on his lips. He wasn’t going to tell her what it cost, wouldn’t take the money willingly. Jessie knew she’d have to find another way to pay him back. She refused to mooch off someone’s goodwill.
“He’s five, right?”
“How much, Jack?” she asked, trying one last time.
“Not gonna happen, Jessie,” he fired back with a grin.
The man was impossible. She shoved her checkbook back in her purse. “This isn’t over.”
“Does your son have your color hair?”
Again, changing the subject and blowing off her words. Brat. He and Monica would get along great.