Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,8
he realized that he’d never responded to his assistant about whether an appointment with the dealership’s body shop would be necessary.
I better get that woman’s insurance information first, he thought. A quick glance at his surroundings revealed that he was only a few blocks from the assisted living home where she worked. In fact, he could see the top of the tall brick building in the distance. It provided a guide for him as he navigated a few turns and then pulled over on the side of the street, very near to where he’d parked the night before after being rear-ended.
It was 6:55, and he remembered that the woman—what was her name? Oh yeah, Bianca—had said she’d be done with her shift at seven. He let Rufus out of the car and walked him down the block while he waited until a few minutes past the hour. Then he called the number she’d given him.
“Hello?” she answered.
Jackson felt a strange stirring in his chest when she picked up. It was a relief to hear her voice—as though he was hearing from an old friend with whom he’d been anxious to connect. Absurd, he thought, with a quick shake of his head. I barely know her.
“Is this Bianca Jones?” he said, while Rufus lifted a leg and watered a tree in the middle of the sidewalk.
“It is,” Bianca said breathlessly. Her voice echoed off of what sounded like surrounding walls, and he could hear footsteps. He imagined her in a stairwell. “Bye, Gail!” she said to someone nearby. Then, “Sorry. I’m just leaving work.”
“Right,” Jackson said. He eyed the double glass doors to Riverside Assisted Living, half expecting her to burst through them at any moment. “That’s the thing,” he said. “I’m actually in the area, and I was wondering if you might take a moment to sit down with me and iron out this insurance issue. Maybe at Easy Street Coffee?”
“Right now?” Bianca said.
Jackson paused. It wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. He realized, suddenly, that he cared a little bit too much about each statement she made. What is going on? he wondered.
After a beat of quiet, Bianca said, “Sorry, that wasn’t the right thing to say. Of course I’ll meet you—goodness knows I could use a cup of coffee before getting home to my dog. You should see her in the mornings when I get home from a night shift. She has the energy of a puppy! Jumps all over me,” she said, laughing. “I’ll be there. See you soon.”
When she hung up, Jackson looked down at Rufus, who was sitting attentively near the tree he’d just watered.
“She has a dog,” Jackson said. A smile formed on his lips unexpectedly as he said. “Let’s go get a seat.”
He ordered two coffees and bagels in the cafe and then found an outdoor table that was bathed in morning sunshine. He was placing creamers and sugars down on the table when he saw Bianca approaching.
Given the warm weather, she was no longer wearing the bulky black jacket that he’d seen her in the night before. Instead, a thin thermal covered her arms, beneath a loose-fitting maroon scrub top. She had the long sleeves of her thermal pushed up to her elbows, and he saw pale skin, delicate wrists, and a green plastic watch that looked rather cheap. He noticed, as well, that her fingers were ring-free.
Maybe she took off her wedding ring for work, he thought as she neared the table.
Her face lit up with a smile, and at first Jackson thought it was aimed at him. When she knelt down and stroked Rufus on the top of the head, he realized his mistake.
“What a sweetie pie!” she cooed, as she moved her fingers to behind the dog’s ears and gave a good scratch. “His eyes… oh my goodness. He’s looking right at me!”
Jackson laughed. He felt more relaxed, suddenly, than he had all day. “He has a way of doing that. He loves people.”
“Not shy at all,” Bianca said, as she squatted down and continued petting the big black-and-tan rottweiler. “Just a big love muffin, hm?” She smiled and looked up at Jackson. “He’s amazing. What a companion!”
Jackson nodded. “Yep. Rufus and I spend most days together.”
“Even work?” Bianca asked. She stood up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Sunlight formed a halo of warm light around the edge of her cheekbones, her cute nose, and the curve of her lips.
Jackson felt a jolt of