turned his attention to the TV so he didn’t creep Jasmine out by staring at her. Even though she wasn’t wearing makeup and her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, her fresh-faced beauty made him want to cross over to her and kiss her.
He was soon sucked into the show. He’d watched a few episodes of House of Archer, curious about all the buzz the show generated. Since it followed The Void and focused on the band’s front man, Archer—Will’s future son-in-law, apparently—he had told himself that watching it only made sense. Now, it was a guilty pleasure whenever he had time to sit in front of the television, which wasn’t all that often.
As the show neared its end, Jasmine’s phone rang. She picked it up from the end table, glanced at the number on the display, and jumped to her feet.
“Hello,” she said into the phone as she jogged up the stairs.
Will heard her identify herself before the sound of the bedroom door closing cut her off. He had no reason to be jealous, he told himself. He had no idea who was on the other end of that call.
But boy, was he. The dark feeling was unwelcome and undeniable.
“She’s been waiting for that call all day,” May called out from the kitchen.
Because Jasmine hadn’t paused the show, Will walked over to the remote and did so. He carried what was left of his beer over to the kitchen’s breakfast bar and took a seat, watching as May added oil to the wok on her stove.
“What’s the call about?” he asked.
“She’s about to find out if she was selected for call backs or straight-out offered a job with the company she auditioned for yesterday.”
He had forgotten she had an audition. Why hadn’t she mentioned it again? Was she planning on telling him she could no longer work with Katie if she got the job?
Despite how that made him feel, he said, “I hope she gets good news.”
“We’ll find out soon enough. If she comes down right away, she’ll be shouting the good news. If we don’t see her for a while, she’s taking time to recover from the bad news herself before she breaks it to me.”
“Okay.”
May whisked some honey into a bowl containing a dark sauce. Whatever it was smelled divine even from where Will sat. He caught hints of garlic, ginger, and spices. It made his mouth water.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked after a minute.
“You can come and add the rice to this pot of boiling water if you want. It’s already measured in the cup on the counter.”
“Sure.” He walked over to the pot on the stove. “Maybe I can learn a thing or two by watching you work. I’ve gotten the sense from Jasmine that she doesn’t approve of my takeout and leftovers dining system.”
She chuckled as she adjusted the temperature of the wok. “Yeah, she’s always been a healthy eater. Dancers have to be.”
“My team’s trainers would agree with that. Doesn’t make me any better at cooking.”
Several minutes passed. Jasmine didn’t return.
“Should she be down here by now if the news was good?” he asked, looking to the empty stairs.
May sighed. “Yep.”
“Damn.”
She gave him a long, searching look. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
“Yeah. But don’t tell your sister. She’s a tough nut to crack.”
Her lips curved up. “You’re not wrong.”
“If you’ve got any tips on weaknesses I can exploit, I’m all ears.”
After a moment of thought, she replied, “Hot salty fries and chocolate milkshakes.”
“You mean like eating them together? That sounds…”
“Gross?”
He nodded.
“I know. It’s delicious though, and something she only rarely indulges in.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
It was nice to have an ally in his pursuit of Jasmine. She had him uncharacteristically unsure of himself. He’d take all the help he could get.
When the stir fry was ready, May served up two plates. “Jasmine will eat when she’s ready,” she explained. “Pushing her will only make things worse.”
He understood she was giving him more advice on his own approach to wooing her sister. Nodding, he carried his plate and a fresh beer with her to the dining table. As delicious as the food was, his mind was only half on the meal. He kept picturing Jasmine upstairs enduring her disappointment alone
May did her best to distract him, keeping him entertained with funny stories about her job and some from her and Jasmine’s childhood. Not surprisingly, Jasmine hadn’t burned a single thing as a kid.