Jubilee ducked into the kitchen and only found Trent and Lizzie kissing, which made her roll her eyes as she hurried out. She wandered outside, rubbing her arms from the chill. She should’ve brought a jacket, but it would’ve ruined her costume.
Her dress swished as she moved, and her heels almost got stuck in the mud from the latest rainstorm. Leaves crunched under her heels, the perennial sound of autumn.
Harrison’s house wasn’t as large as her parents’, but it certainly wasn’t a tiny bungalow, either. He had a swimming pool in the back, along with a small garden next to the pool that allowed a measure of privacy.
Jubilee had always wondered if Harrison hadn’t installed the garden on purpose for his own rendezvous.
She was about to give up when she heard someone mutter something. Coming around a bend, she found Heath sitting on a bench, his legs outstretched, his arms crossed. He started a little when she approached.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, breathless. The moon had edged him in white light, and it was rather absurd, but it made him seem mysterious. Like a prince from a fairy tale.
Don’t be an idiot, she admonished herself.
“Jubilee, what are you doing out here? You’ll freeze.” Standing, he shrugged out of his sport coat and draped it over her shoulders.
She noticed that he didn’t linger in touching her. In fact, he seemed to toss the coat onto her instead.
Pulling the coat closer, she inhaled his scent from the fabric. The residual warmth enveloped her, making it seem like he was embracing her.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “What are you doing out here? Howling at the moon?”
His lips quirked. “Not exactly, just have a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?”
He blinked in surprise before looking away. “Nothing that should matter to you. It’s cold out here—let’s go inside.”
“No.” At his confusion, she added, blushing, “No, I mean, we can stay out here. I’m not cold now. Are you cold?”
It took him a long moment to reply. “No, I’m not cold.”
Ask him out. Ask him out. Ask him out. The words were on the tip of her tongue, waiting to jump into the deep end. She felt her toes curling over the edge of the diving board.
“Heathwillyougooutwithme,” she blurted.
“What?”
She took a deep breath. She thanked the darkness for hiding her bright red cheeks. “Heath, will you go out with me?”
His stillness sent her hope spiraling down, down, down. He cleared his throat, pushed his fingers through his hair—hair that was the same color as the russet leaves of fall. “Jubilee, I’m flattered—”
She held up a hand. Suddenly, she wasn’t nervous: she was irritated. God, when would people treat her like an adult?
“But I’m Harrison’s sister. I’m too young. You already have somebody else. I get it.”
“No—yes. Kind of.” He sighed. “It’s complicated.”
She didn’t know what caused her to do what she did next. Maybe it was insanity, or sheer bravado. Maybe she was just tired of being pathetic and lonely.
Or maybe she wanted to show Heath that he was making a mistake.
Slipping out of his coat, she moved toward him, until only an inch or two stood between them. She heard him catch his breath, and she exulted in that quiet sound. It meant he wasn’t as uninterested in her as he’d like her to think.
Jubilee didn’t say another word; talking seemed pointless. Her heels gave her extra height so that she wasn’t much shorter than Heath now. And before she could think about what she was doing, or the consequences, or that all of her brothers were only yards away, she tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and kissed him.
He froze when her mouth touched his. Then, a split second later, he hauled her against him and ravished—positively ravished—her mouth until she couldn’t catch her breath.
And then, as soon as it had started, it ended.
He was panting, and so was she. Her body sizzled.
“You need to go,” he said, his tone harsh.
He wanted her—she knew it. She bit back a smile.
“This is never going to happen.” He picked up his coat and flung it over his shoulder. “Don’t do that ever again.”
Jubilee’s initial bravery wilted in the face of his disdain. Perilously near tears, she replied, “Then you shouldn’t have enjoyed that kiss as much as you did.”
His face was stark in the moonlight. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have.” His tone gentler now, he said, “Go back to the house.”
“Fine.” She sounded childish, and it frustrated her even more. Turning, her ankle turned on the soft ground, and Heath caught her before she fell.
“I’m fine.” She blushed, humiliated. Wrenching her arm away, she stalked away, her dignity in tatters.
She went to the bathroom again and sat on the toilet seat. Forcing the tears back, she pulled herself together. Anger stirred in her belly, and she was rather tempted to smash a vase sitting on a shelf overhead.
“He’s a coward,” she told her reflection. Reflection Jubilee was flushed, her lipstick smeared, and her hair a mess. She looked like hell.
After she put herself to rights, she pointed at herself one last time. “Don’t get mad,” she commanded. “Get even.”
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And don’t miss Jubilee and Heath’s story in Till There Was You. One fateful night, Jubilee throws caution to the wind and kisses her long-time crush, Heath DiMarco—until he pushes her away and tells her they can never be together. But fate has other plans…
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A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.
Sweet Crazy Song
Theresa Leigh
To Nancy
I’m a little broken
I hope you understand
Can you take me as I am?
Can you take me as I am?
God know I ain’t perfect
It’s not like I had planned
Can you take me as I am?
Can you take me as I am
Johnny Black - ‘Take Me As I Am’
Chapter One
Ruby
The piano music died away. There was a stray cough that sounded like Principal Donovan's persistent dry hack. Then, silence.
After a moment, Foster King stood up. His family watched him as he stood at the end of his row of chairs, unfolding a piece of torn notebook paper and smoothing it on his thigh before he walked stiffly to the podium in front of us.
I leaned back and blinked. Watching him meant I had to look at Gideon's casket for the first time. This was the funeral of a man who filled some of the empty space my father left when he died. Not all of it. Who could have?