Jackson tactfully didn’t comment on her rather obvious ploy in changing topics so quickly. It hadn’t escaped her notice that their texts and emails over the past few days had gradually begun to change from friendly teasing to borderline flirting. And while Scarlett sure as hell didn’t see herself playing the role of the other woman - especially when compared to someone as beautiful as Devon - she also didn’t think much of women who openly flirted with guys who were spoken for. She felt a little bit ashamed of herself for having done just that, even knowing that the light flirting had been entirely innocent. She was definitely sure that Jackson wouldn’t have taken much of anything she said seriously.
Still, she told herself to dial it back a notch or two. Teasing and joking were one thing, but she had to stop making it personal. Not only was it kind of rotten to flirt with another woman’s guy, but the last thing she wanted was to embarrass Jackson. Or, worse, to have him think she was desperately trying to get his attention.
He typed up a rather lengthy reply to her last question, telling her that Hannah had now received all three of the bone marrow infusions, and was improving a little bit each day. She was allowed to have visitors - immediate family only - and just for a few minutes at a time. Jackson had actually been able to see her the day before yesterday, though he’d had to don layers of protective gear to enter the carefully controlled, germ-free environment of her hospital room. It was too soon to tell for sure, of course, but thus far Doctor Parks was very pleased at her slow but steady progress, and the results of her blood counts.
I’m glad to hear that she’s doing a little better. Guess it was worth going through that torment if it means she’ll be okay. And being here at the resort has pretty much made me forget all about the pain and nausea and all. Um, in case I haven’t told you already, thanks for sending me here. I know I was a pain in the ass and gave you hell about the idea, but I never realized how much I needed to be here.
Scarlett figured he would type some smart-ass response, so she was both startled and touched to read what he wrote instead.
You don’t have to thank me, Scarlett. You more than deserve this, and a whole lot else. Think for a minute about how many vacations and other luxuries Hannah’s enjoyed in her life, except of course for these past couple of years. She’s a great kid and not the least bit spoiled, but I can’t deny she’s been treated like a princess since she was born. Meanwhile, you had to - never mind. But you get my point, right? This little getaway is the least you’re entitled to for all those years you were neglected, as well as for helping Hannah out. And, yeah, I know what you’re going to say next. I shouldn’t be the one paying for this, it should have been your father. I don’t have any obligation to you since we aren’t technically related. Blah blah blah. You need to accept that your father’s an asshole and is never going to change, and you’ll never be able to count on him to support you. That doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t take care of you, and I’m happy for that person to be me.
Her eyes were swimming with tears after reading that, and she could only reply with emojis - a smiley face, a thumbs up, and a heart - since for once she’d been left speechless.
Jackson signed off after that, telling her he was heading out to a work site, though she wondered perhaps if he’d belatedly realized just how personal and almost intimate that last part might have sounded. His words had left her with a warm feeling throughout her entire body, a feeling that lingered as she finished her breakfast and then took her usual morning stroll around the resort.
It was hotter than usual this morning, so she was grateful for the air-conditioned casita as she let herself in. The housekeeper had already been in, making up the bed and leaving clean linens and toiletries.
‘You’re going to be spoiled rotten when this little vacation ends,’ she told herself. ‘But start prepping yourself, because you’ve only got four more days in paradise before reality sets back in. Might as well enjoy every minute of it.’
She spent a half hour surfing the internet, replying to Ananda’s daily email, sending a few photos of the resort to Margie and Roz, and reading an article about a tiny home community being built in Washington state. But by then she couldn’t resist picking up her phone and re-reading this morning’s texts from Jackson.
Despite the fact that she was probably the least girly girl one could ever imagine, and that she had always scoffed at the notion of crushing over a guy or even daydreaming about him, Scarlett found that she was starting to change her views when it came to the extremely hot, extremely tempting Jackson Gilmore. It had been a long time since she’d had sex, and if memory served her correctly, the last time had been absolutely nothing to write home about, much less want a repeat performance of. Somewhat surprisingly, considering how difficult it was for her to get close to people, coupled with her reluctance to be touched, she liked having sex - provided her partner had even the slightest idea of what he was doing. And since she knew without having to ask that Jackson would know very, very well what he was doing in between the sheets, she felt her nipples tighten in reaction as her mind conjured up an image of the two of them tangled up in those same sheets.
But the likelihood of that ever happening was slim to none, she realized glumly. First and foremost was the issue of the beautiful Devon, a woman someone like Scarlett couldn’t even begin to compete with. However, reading in between the lines of some of Jackson’s recent comments, she sensed that perhaps his relationship with the gorgeous blonde might not be too steady, and that he might even be mulling over the idea of ending things between them.
That, of course, would have to happen first before Scarlett ever even considered pursuing him. She didn’t poach on someone else’s boyfriend, not that she’d ever had much opportunity to do so. But if she was correct in her hunch that Jackson and Devon might be a thing of the past in the not so distant future, then she had to decide if she was bold enough to make a play for him.
She glanced at herself in the mirror, furrowing her brow as she studied her appearance. Thanks to all of the delicious food she’d been eating since her arrival, her cheeks had begun to fill out nicely, while the dark circles under her eyes had completely disappeared. The soft peachy glow of her complexion diminished the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and for maybe the first time in her twenty-one years her eyes didn’t have that haunted, wary expression in their blue depths.
Scarlett ran a hand through the wild tangle of her red-gold curls, trying to recall the last time she’d had a haircut, thinking that it might be going on two years by now. Impulsively, she grabbed the leather bound directory of spa services that she’d merely glanced through since her arrival. The prices they charged for something as simple as a haircut or thirty minute massage had made her cringe in horror. However, she told herself, Jackson continued to prod her to have whatever sort of treatments she wanted, and insist that money was no object. And while there was no way in hell she would ever consent to a massage - the thought of some stranger seeing her scar made her shudder in revulsion - or many of the other frou-frou services, she really could use a professional haircut. And maybe a facial. And maybe, just maybe, if she made them swear not to use a brightly colored polish like red or hot pink, she could sit still just long enough to endure a mani/pedi.