“We should go into business together then,” he told her, and it sure didn’t sound like he was joking. “It would be the perfect situation - you come up with the designs and I build the places. And I know damned well you’d supervise every wall and ceiling to make sure I did it to your satisfaction. And we could convince your foster mom - which one is the carpenter? - to do some built-in cabinets and benches and other stuff.”
Scarlett smiled wistfully at the fantastic image his words were creating. “Margie’s the carpenter, and some of the stuff she’s made over the years is gorgeous. And I know when she and Roz retire in a couple of years - fingers crossed - that she wants to spend more time making furniture and stuff. But as incredible as all that sounds, Jackson, you’re forgetting a couple of things. First, it would mean you’d have to break away from your family company. And second, you’d have to tell said family about me. I’m not sure which of those two issues sounds the least likely at this point.”
He sighed in resignation. “Yeah, I get that. But a guy can dream, can’t he? Speaking of which, are you really sure you don’t want to give this phone sex thing a try? Because I might have woken up from a wet dream this morning, and I think the last time that happened I was around twelve years old.”
After she’d finished laughing, Jackson deftly changed the subject, earning her undying gratitude. They talked for well over an hour, long enough for her phone battery to start getting perilously low, so she plugged it back in to charge while they continued chatting.
“You know, this is great being able to see you while we talk,” he began. “But nowhere near as good as the real thing - being in the same room with you, doing stuff together. I know I was just up there last weekend but I already miss you like hell. And this every other weekend arrangement isn’t going to satisfy me for much longer.”
“Same here,” she admitted. “But it’s the best we can manage, right? I mean, now that I have weekends free I could take my turn and fly down to see you. But we already agreed that was way too risky, that too many people around the area know who you are.”
“That hasn’t changed,” he agreed. “But even if we could see each other every weekend that wouldn’t be enough for me, Scarlett. I want to see you every damned day, spend as much time with you as possible.”
“Jackson.” She shook her head in dismay. “We’re supposed to be keeping this casual, you know. On the down low, or whatever they call it. That sure as hell doesn’t sound casual to me.”
“It’s not,” he stated firmly. “Oh, I know what we said at the beginning of all this. But that was before we’d spent very much time together. And the more I see you, talk to you, get to know you, the more I want to be with you.”
She exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I kind of feel the same way. But our feelings aren’t the only thing to consider here. Like it or not, we’re in a long distance relationship so we’re always going to have these issues unless one of us moves. I’ve got another year of school to finish here so I can’t be the one to pack up and relocate. And you’d have a hell of a time trying to come up with a valid excuse for why you were pulling up stakes in Phoenix and moving to California. From what you’ve told me of your father there’s no way he’d just let that one go without a fight. Or employing a private investigator to see what your real motivation is.”
“Yeah, either way you look at it the situation’s pretty fucked up,” agreed Jackson dismally. “Maybe we can start trying for three weekends a month. I can fly up there twice and we can meet somewhere in between on the other week. Still not good enough for my liking but I guess it’s the best we can do.”
“Isn’t your family going to get suspicious with you being out of town that often?” she asked in concern.
“Probably,” he admitted with a sigh. “So I’m going to have to dream up a whole bunch of believable reasons. Though in actuality I don’t see them much on Friday nights or Saturday. Maybe as long as I’m home in time for that mandatory Sunday dinner at my parents they won’t get too nosy.”
“But what happens if, for example, your flight gets delayed?” pointed out Scarlett. “You’ve been lucky thus far but the odds are sort of against you that you’ll never miss that dinner.”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. If it keeps happening I’d just have to catch an earlier flight. Or make up an excuse for missing those damned dinners every so often. Christ, I have no idea why my mother insists on getting together so often. And the dinners are so formal and stuffy and boring. I find myself counting the minutes until I can duck out of there and hear your voice. I know I shouldn’t complain about having a family and being able to see them all the time, but there’s mixed blessings involved there, too.”
“Speaking of crossing bridges when we come to them,” replied Scarlett. “I think we ought to take a similar approach to our relationship. Not thinking too far ahead, living for the moment, and enjoying whatever time we can spend together. I miss you, too, but in the next few days when classes start I’m going to be crazy busy. I’ll try to get all of my assignments and studying done during the week so that when we do see each other my weekends will be freed up.”
Jackson sighed in resignation. “Yeah, we’ve got a bunch of new construction projects starting in September, too. We tend to put most of the outdoor stuff on the back burner during the summer months since it’s so freaking hot here then. So I’ll be pretty busy myself beginning in a few weeks. I just wish - well, you know.”
“You know I can’t live in Phoenix,” she pointed out calmly. “Not unless you want your family to find out about me and for hell on earth to be unleashed. And sounds like you’re stuck there for the same reasons. I told you that I was the last person you should have gotten involved with. For a lot of reasons. Frankly,” she added jokingly, desperately trying to make light of what was quickly turning into a very intense conversation, “I’m still amazed that you’ve stuck with me this long.”
“That’s not going to work, you know,” he drawled. “Putting yourself down that way. Because I’m onto you, Scarlett Strohman, and I happen to know that despite all of your gloom and doom warnings, you are definitely not the worst girlfriend in the world. In fact, from my experience, I would have to say that you’re actually the best. The best I’ve ever had, anyway.”
“Jackson,” she whispered, gazing downwards so that he couldn’t see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. “God. I don’t even know what to say. I mean, it goes without saying that you’re the most amazing boyfriend any woman could ever hope for. And I still have zero idea why you’re attracted to me or why you put up with all my crap and bad moods.”
“Maybe I’ve developed a partiality for redheads,” he teased. “And your cooking skills are starting to improve. Not to mention all the really awesome things you can do with that tongue of yours.”
“Jesus.” She quivered in reaction to his husky, seductive voice, suddenly aware of how aroused she was. “Um, about that topic we were discussing before. About the, uh, phone sex.”