Been There Done That (Leffersbee #1) - Hope Ellis Page 0,107

him out of this haze. His eyes widened briefly before he stood and joined me, his gaze moving over me with newly-sharpened awareness. “Alright, everything’s fine. You’ve got this. They’re not gonna start without you. Just let me help you.”

We worked together, both of us pulling and tugging my dress into place. Nick was in the process of zipping my dress closed, with me simultaneously holding my breasts aloft for best placement, when the door unexpectedly swung open.

And Jackson James entered the room.

“Dear God,” I sighed in utter defeat, just as Nick swiftly pulled me partly behind him and blocking Jackson’s view, even though I was already fully clothed.

Several beats of silence passed before Jackson finally spoke.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled, and even I would have laughed at his wicked grin if the circumstances weren’t so dire. “What have we here? Is this where my date for the evening, who also abandoned me in that big ballroom, has been hiding all night? While I was left all alone, having to fend for myself?”

“Listen, Jackson—” Nick didn’t sound as if he found Jackson as entertaining as I did, but I could also tell he no longer identified Jackson as a threat. His posture was loose and relaxed, shoulders low, as he faced Jackson.

“No, you listen, Nick. We all need to get our asses back in that room in less than five minutes so she can hand over that check.” After a deliberate pause, Jackson added, “That is, if y’all are quite done?”

My cheeks warmed. I cleared my throat and reached up to place a hand on Nick’s solid shoulder. “Nick, do you mind? I’ll see you out there in a minute.”

Nick turned back toward me, slowly scanning my face again before he leaned in to kiss me. Softly, gently, as if reminding me of what had transpired and all that was now inevitable.

“Okay, baby,” he said, his voice low. “I’ll see you in there. You look great. You’ll be great.”

God, my heart.

Nick didn’t spare Jackson a glance as he left. Jackson waited until Nick was gone until he made his way over to me, all while shaking his head.

“Oh, I don’t want to hear it,” I said wearily, searching for the shoes that had somehow come off during my . . . interaction with Nick.

Jackson leaned against the nearby wall, arms crossed. “The other one’s under the chair.” He pointed. “There.”

“Thanks.” I kicked the missing low-heeled shoe into my reach.

“Zora.”

“Yeah?” I looked up to see Jackson watching me closely, his brown eyes serious. “Do you know what you’re doing? With him?”

I shoved my foot into my shoe. “Well . . .”

“No, I need you to look at me.” He paused and waited for me to meet his eyes before he continued.

“I need to know that you’re okay, that you’re comfortable with the decision you seem hell-bent on making with him. I’m not here to be your daddy, no matter how many bad jokes I may make about that. But I am your friend, and we’ve always been there for each other. So, I need you to let me know if you want me to back him off, slow this down, give you more time to think. Because I will do whatever you need, with no problem.”

How lucky was I? To have this beautiful, loyal man as my friend?

“Jackson, you are gonna make some woman incredibly lucky one day. If you ever slow down long enough.”

He frowned. “Stop chasing rabbit trails and answer my question, woman. Do you know what you’re doing?”

I pulled Jackson into a hug and felt his arms reluctantly fold around me. “Yeah. I do. It’s time, and I’m ready to see this through, wherever it takes me.”

“I’m here if you need me,” he said into my hair. “I’ve got your back no matter what happens. You just say the word, and I will throw that guy in the deepest, darkest pit—”

I huffed with laughter and he joined in. “Come on.” I whacked his side as I pulled away and towed him to the doorway. “I’ve got a check to give away.”

“Fine.” There was no mistaking the mischief in his voice when he added, “But I want a formal apology, for all the times you called me a horny goat. Cause even in my wildest days, I never got down and dirty in the middle of a fancy—”

“Shut up, Jackson.”

“In writing, Zora, I want it in writing.”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Zora

I turned in a circle, wide-eyed at the lake view from