With Every Breath (14 page)

CHAPTER NINE

The plan had been to drop Jaden off and go back to working on the Chevy. Instead, he stared into her baby blues, ached to taste her pouty pink lips, and then invited himself inside to join her while she painted ceramics. Her eyes flickered with surprise, but she hadn’t turned him away.

Now he sat at a table with a bunch of old ladies who’d known him since he was just a squirt in diapers. The glint in Jaden’s eyes revealed she enjoyed his discomfort a tad too much, and all he could do was play along.

Angie hummed from the sink. At least she had oldies music on today instead of that polka crap she usually blasted from her open windows for the neighborhood to hear.

“It won’t bite you.” Elaine peered at him over the horn rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose.

He looked down at the tiny little ceramic mouse he’d been given to paint.

“I think it’s too tiny to bite anything,” he said, aware he sounded pouty. He was¸ a little bit. Everyone else at the table had something big to paint.

“Do all men have a size complex?” She clicked her tongue. There was a permanent wrinkle between her brows from frustration. He supposed being an English teacher would do that to a person—she’d taught him all four years of high school and he never was her favorite. On the other hand, she’d loved Mia. His sister was such a brownnoser.

“Why can’t I have a dragon?” He gazed with longing at the dragon sitting on a sheet of newspaper in front of Elaine.

She brushed black onto the ceramic figure and lifted dark penciled brows over the rim of her glasses. “This dragon is way too advanced for you.”

He pursed his lips. “I paint cars.”

“Painting cars is not the same as painting ceramics,” Angie chimed in. She patted him on the shoulder as she passed behind his chair. “Everyone starts with a mouse,” she sing-songed.

“Why does she get a turkey?” He jabbed Jaden in the ribs with the handle of a paint brush, and she squirmed. “It’s not fair.”

Jaden smacked his hand away. “I already painted a mouse.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, and the little pink nub reminded him of places he’d rather have her tongue. He remembered it all too well, against his own while her thighs squeezed around his waist.

“She did,” Angie said, putting a ripple through his mental replay of the other night. She pointed to a shelf across the table. “Those girls have their own shelf.”

He broke into a grin. “Are you talking about those things up there? Good thing they all chose different careers.”

This time Jaden stuck him in the side with her finger. “Be nice.”

He grabbed his ribs and made a show of rubbing where she jabbed him. “You be nice first.”

The laughter trickling from her soft pink lips stirred the familiar warmth he’d come to associate with her, and he forced himself to ignore it. This wasn’t the place, and the women in the room glancing back and forth between them made him uncomfortable.

Baseball, baseball, baseball, baseball. There. PG thoughts were good.

“Everyone’s so excited you’re putting us on your blog.” Betty smoothed her puffy white hair along the side of her head. “I had my hair done.”

“She’s not putting us old bags on her blog.” Elaine glanced up from the dragon to Jaden. “Right?”

“I did bring my camera and thought I’d put up a post about Angie’s. I’ll take a couple of pictures before I leave.” She looked to Angie. “If that’s okay? Mia had you marked on her flyer.”

Angie beamed. “Oh, that girl is such an angel. We’d love to be on your show.”

Jaden fidgeted under the attention. “Not the TV show, just my blog.”

“Oh, well, we don’t mind. It’s all the same to us,” Angie said, and Betty nodded.

“I’m not sure what else I have planned to visit while I’m here. Definitely the kolache bakeoff. Hills asked me to help at her table.”

Elaine snickered. “If you’re looking for drama, you’ll find plenty there.”

“Hillary will be taking over for us Dubas women,” Angie said. “Carrying on the legacy. There are some who don’t think it’s fair, though I have no clue why, when half of them are using their family recipes.” She rolled her eyes.

“I’ve tasted Hillary’s; they’re phenomenal.” Jaden was back to painting the turkey, smothering it in brown paint. She really wasn’t good at it. “I’m going to create a post dedicated to her bakery. I can’t wait to show her.”

“That recipe’s been passed down for years, but my granddaughter did something with the dough the rest of us Dubas women couldn’t. It’s a secret and she’ll win that ribbon all on her own.” A proud smile enveloped her lips.

“A good secret,” Jaden agreed.

“You know...” Angie sent a sidelong glance to Cole, and he straightened under her stare. “Cole’s not married anymore.” She swept her gaze to Jaden.

Jaden’s eyes widened, and for a moment he worried she might have been offended. Instead, she chuckled and said, “Separated, not divorced.”

“Oh, pfft,” Angie waved her hand. “From what his mother tells me, that’s just around the corner.”

“I’m so glad I’m such an open book,” Cole mused with a smile. “And yes, my divorce is almost final.”

“And good for him. Marriage?” Elaine sniffed and rolled her eyes heavenward. “Just another word for misery.”

Jaden laughed, now slathering on a color she’d mixed together on her palette. “I’ve heard that before, actually.”

He thought about telling her the eggplant color didn’t quite look right on the turkey, but decided against it. Although, if he did, maybe she’d wrestle him to the ground and kiss—

“Marriage is a blessing with the right person.” Angie pointed to Elaine’s dragon. “Dry brush for texture.” She plucked a fat, short bristled brush from a holder on the table and handed it to her. “And don’t listen to Elaine. She’s the grumpy old bag in our group. Don’t you dare stop looking for love, Cole Brooks.” She shook a finger at him. “Love is what makes humanity beautiful.”

“I’m always looking for a cute girl, you know me,” he joked.

“Oh, pooh!” Angie picked up a red hair pick from the corner of the table and brushed it through her short permed curls. The color was now gray, but she’d worn it the same for as long as Cole could remember. “You don’t run around—you’re a good man.”

“Speak for yourself,” Elaine cut in, glaring at Cole. “You’re a pain in the ass, you and all your hoodlum friends. Pumpkin stealers—all of you.”

“What pumpkins?” Cole flashed an innocent smile.

“Humph,” Elaine huffed.

“It was definitely Cole and his friends,” Jaden said.

“Hey, now.” He shot her a wounded gaze.

Jaden laughed. “What? I’m not the little shit who stole the pumpkins.”

“Little shit is right.” Elaine set her dragon down to reach for a bottle of green paint.

“I mowed your lawn for a whole summer to make up for it.” He dabbed a brush into blue paint. “Why does my mouse have a graduation gown on? Do you have one with a biker vest?”

“No. Now quit complaining and paint. We’ll send pictures to your mother when you’re finished.” Angie handed him a tiny brush. “Use this one for the eyes.”

“I can’t believe you ratted me out,” Cole grumbled under his breath, and nudged Jaden’s flip-flop under the table with his shoe.

“Oh, wah.” She rolled her eyes skyward. “Big baby.”

“I’m just saying, it wasn’t nice.” He painted on the graduation gown, cupping the little mouse in his hand.

“Look how big my turkey is compared to your mouse.” Jaden put her turkey beside his mouse.

She glanced up, and the blue of her eyes startled him—they did no matter how many times he looked into them. He opened his mouth to answer, but Betty spoke first.

“You two are doing it, aren’t you.” It was a statement, not a question. Betty glanced between them. “I think Hillary was right about these two.”

“Hillary?”

“We went to the bakery for coffee just yesterday.” Betty’s brush hovered over the ceramic plate in her hand to glance at Jaden. “She said you have the chemistry.”

“Betty.” Angie shook her head.

“Here we go again,” Elaine complained.

Jaden’s lips perked with amusement. “Again?”

“What?” Betty shrugged with a wave of her brush. “There’s nothing wrong with getting some.”

Elaine rolled her eyes. “You need to stop reading those smut books.”

“It’s romance, not smut.” Betty narrowed her eyes and stabbed the air with the brush. “You’re such a hag sometimes. Some of us still believe in romance. Your granddaughter believes in romance. I’m reading her smut books.”

“She’s still young,” Elaine said with a shrug.

“Elaine needs to get laid, that’s why she’s so grumpy all the time,” Betty said with an informative wave of her hand.

Jaden blinked back in response.

“I don’t need to get laid. There are plenty of ways to get my kicks without anyone else,” Elaine shot back.

Cole scrunched low in his chair with a grimace. La-la-la-la, baseball. “I am never going to ceramics with you again,” he told Jaden.

Elaine lifted the thermos sitting beside her on the table. “All I need is vodka.”

“Really? That’s what’s in there?” Jaden glanced to Angie, who nodded.

“She does like her vodka.” Angie snickered. “Vodka cranberry, vodka orange juice, vodka tonic...”

“Vodka pickle juice, vodka olive juice, vodka—“

“Vodka’s what kept me from strangling my first husband,” Elaine said with a sniff. “He was an ass.”

“That’s being awfully nice. The man was a piece of shit, God rest his soul,” Angie said. The three older women crossed themselves.

“Are you going to take Jaden on a date while she’s here?” Betty’s gaze didn’t waver. “You won’t get another chance to woo her. She’s very famous, you know.”

“I wouldn’t say famous...” Jaden bit her lip, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth.

“You’re even in the River Bend Hall of Fame.” Betty blotted green trees onto a decorative plate. Angie had one just like it hanging on the wall as a set of seasons.

“River Bend has a Hall of Fame?” Jaden’s lips pressed into a smile.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a big deal. There’s a whole wall at the high school now dedicated to people of importance,” Cole said, swirling his brush through blue and white paint. He sucked in a smile to deliver a serious nod. “I’ll never get inducted—they won’t take pumpkin thieving hoodlums.”

Angie laughed from the head of the table. “Don’t listen to him. He’s got a shiny framed picture in that Hall of Fame with a car he sold at that famous auction, that one in Arizona. Five hundred big ones he got for that car.”

“Cole Brooks in the River Bend Hall of Fame. Miracles do exist.” The blue of Jaden’s eyes twinkled like gems under the sun. God, she’s beautiful.

“You’re a funny one, Jelly Bean.” He pointed the tip of a brush at her, and she crossed her eyes at him. “I’m going to make sure you and your television series ends up right next to me and my fancy frame.”

Her nose wrinkled with laughter. “Ooh, threats.”

He held up the mouse for Angie’s inspection. “How am I doing?”

“You’re doing fine for a first try. You’ll get better with practice.”

“I’m not coming back, remember? You ladies are too much for me. I prefer the quiet of my shop.”

“Hillary says you two have one of those tragic romantic histories,” Betty said, and Elaine groaned.

“I think Hillary talks too much,” Cole said, but he agreed with the statement. He stole a glance at Jaden and wished he knew what she was thinking. She wore a soft smile on those lips he ached to feel beneath his own.

“They might not even like each other.” Elaine shook her head. “You’re getting worse with this romance nonsense.”

“One of those love triangles,” Betty said, her shoulder turned to Elaine.

Jaden laughed with a shake of her head. “I’m not sure I should answer that.”

Cole shifted in his seat. His ears warmed under all the attention. “I’m good with not answering.”

Betty pursed her lips and tapped a fingertip on the table. “Love triangles can be very tough, but I have some ideas—”

“No one needs your ideas, Betty,” Angie said. She glanced to Jaden. “Elaine’s granddaughter writes romance novels and Betty’s read every single one.”

“I went to school with Brianna,” Jaden told Elaine, and put down the turkey. “Her books are very good. I ran into her in Chicago a couple of years ago.”

“Her novels are very risqué.” Betty waggled her eyebrows. “I couldn’t put her last book down, I tell you what. Do you want to borrow it?”

“No, thank you.” When Betty’s face fell, Jaden added quickly. “I actually have a few of her titles already.”

“Do you have the new one?”

Jaden shook her head.

Betty leaned into the table. The newspaper on the table shifted against her blouse. “The new one’s got elevator sex—isn’t that exciting? Brianna’s in the Hall of Fame too.” Betty wiped paint off her hand with a paper towel.