“But it makes sense. It explains why my mom didn’t want him to find us and why she was so bitter. It even explains why we moved so much. She spent her entire life on the run from him and because of what I did, he might know where we are now.”
She tried to hold herself rigid, not to lean too heavily into his unexpected embrace, but her willpower was no match against the warmth he offered. Her shoulders sagged and she leaned against him, boneless, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Do you mind if I ask my brother, Elliott, to look into it? He owns a security firm up in D.C. and has contacts within the FBI. He’ll be able to find out what’s going on. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered. “I wish I knew what to do about this necklace. It must have been pretty valuable if David was worried about it being stolen.”
“Do you want me to put it in my safe?”
“You have a safe?” At his nod, she reached up and unhooked the clasp at the back of her neck. “Thank you, Jackson. I’ll have to get in contact with the FBI again and find out how to return it to his family.”
“Not tonight you don’t.” He put the necklace in his pocket and ran his hands up and down her arms. “Tonight you just need to relax.”
She wasn’t used to men being so attentive unless they wanted something. But his hands never strayed from her arms and he didn’t try to pull her any closer. As she turned to look up at him, Jackson’s lips brushed over her hair. She wasn’t entirely sure he’d meant to do it but the contact seared her straight down to her toes.
After the first rush of emotion passed, she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed to have gotten so emotional in front of him. Jackson had the perfect life. Why would he want to hear all about her problems? He was gorgeous, successful and seemed to know exactly what he wanted.
Which, of course, just made her feel even more pathetic in comparison.
“I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I feel like my life was finally starting to fall into place. But then this happened so, here I am. Hiding out.”
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to. No one will think to look for you at my house, and you’ll have plenty of time to figure out your next move. Stay with me.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“Do I look like I mind? It’ll be fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“You are ridiculous.” She pulled a paper towel from the holder on the counter and dabbed at her eyes. “I didn't mean to dump all this emotional crap on you.”
“You're not dumping. I asked for your story, didn't I?”
“That was probably more than you bargained for. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my screwed-up life.”
“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, myself included.”
Ridley scoffed. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better.”
“You think I’m just saying that?” Jackson tilted his head and regarded her through narrowed eyes. “My last girlfriend was only using me to get a record deal. Oh, and the last album I produced was such a flop that I’m pretty sure the only people who bought copies of it are my mom and dad.”
Ridley stared at him, momentarily stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know you’re not the only one who screws up sometimes. No one is perfect. All we can do is go forward and try to do better.” Jackson tipped her chin up until she met his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I meant what I said. You’re more than welcome to hide out here for as long as you want.”
Ridley’s eyes went wide, then she licked her lips nervously, unsettled by the warmth of his strong fingers touching her face. He went still as well, as if surprised by his own actions. Then he backed away and cleared his throat.
“Sorry. I don’t want you to think I’m, you know, hitting on you. I’m sure you get more than enough of that.”
Warmth spread through her at his words. “It’s no problem,” she whispered.
She wasn’t normally the damsel in distress type but it had been so nice to be held. Comforted. If that was how he hit on her, she could do with a little more.
“Now, what do you say we just hang out and watch a movie? Neither one of us is going to think about anything heavy for the rest of the night.” He grinned at her and she found herself smiling back.
“Okay, I can do that.”
They cleaned the kitchen in amiable silence. Then Jackson turned to her and said, “Ready to go?” and held out a hand to her. She was startled into grasping it. He squeezed gently and pulled her after him into the living room.
She sat on the couch as he flipped through a stack of movies until he found the one he wanted. A warm, contented feeling settled over her and Ridley was tempted to allow herself to get swept up in the magic. To snuggle deep into the cushions of the couch and pretend this was her normal life and Jackson was her boyfriend.
Stop it, Ridley.
Jackson seemed like a nice guy and he’d done nothing but offer her help. But she’d learned the hard way over the years that no one did anything without wanting something in return, eventually. It wouldn’t do for her to get too attached to him or too accustomed to having his help. This was a temporary stop just like every other move in her life and when she moved on, she’d do it the same as always.