for three months. If, after that time, you feel your needs are not being met, we would expect you to return to Emerald City Charters.” She smiled. “But I do not foresee that happening.”
Thirty minutes later, with a signed contract in her hand, Jenny walked out of North American Timber. It wasn’t until she got into her car that she let out a loud yell. She couldn’t believe it. She had landed the biggest account Blue Sky had ever dreamed of having. Three guaranteed charters a week to Canada.
Getting her cell phone out, she punched in the first number that came to her.
On the second ring, Jared answered.
When Jenny pulled into her driveway that evening, the glow of a campfire down on the beach immediately caught her attention. Her foot came off the gas, and the vehicle slowed to a crawl. There was only one person who would have a fire on her beach at this time of night. The same person who had held her in his arms last night and had caused her to burn with a need so hot and sharp her stomach clenched into a tight knot every time she thought about it. Which she’d tried not to do all day. And it had worked . . . some of the time . . . hardly any of the time. Silhouetted in the darkness and backlit by the fire, she saw Jared’s achingly familiar profile.
Her breath came out all at once in a whoosh. Sooner or later, she knew she would have to face him. Last night she’d fled like some sixteen-year-old virgin who’d been felt up for the first time. She owed him an explanation. She only hoped she’d be able to give him one that didn’t reveal too much.
Gravel crunched under her tires as she eased the vehicle into her normal parking spot and set the emergency brake. She gathered her purse and briefcase, then opened the door and slid down the seat.
Jared stood a few feet away from her.
She drew in a breath, and her heart bumped against the inside of her chest. The hangar’s outdoor lights were on, and he looked so good she held on to the door handle for support. Gone was the tuxedo and, instead, he was back in Levi’s, a soft cotton shirt, and his leather jacket stretched wide across his shoulders. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He closed the small distance between them. “Here, let me take that.” He reached out and took the briefcase from her hand. His fingers brushed across her skin, and all her hard work to forget the memory of their kiss vanished in that one touch. “You’re home late.”
“I . . . I got stuck in town.”
He was so close she had to look up to see him.
“Collecting cars?” He gestured behind her to the used black SUV she’d driven home.
She smiled at him tentatively, grateful for his patience. She knew he wanted answers, and yet he was thinking of her first, letting her find her way. “No. It’s Blue Sky’s newest and only vehicle. I traded in the Corvette.” Just saying the words made her ache but not as badly as she had imagined. It had been time to let go of the Corvette. It was time to let go of a lot of things from her past.
“You’ve had a busy day.”
“There’s a lot I would like to tell you.” She glanced at the fire, then back at Jared. “Give me a second to change and then meet you at the fire?”
“Sounds good.”
She hurried into the house and up to her room. Quickly, she changed out of her suit and pulled on a white T-shirt, a soft pink zip-up hooded sweatshirt that said BUM across the front, and a pair of matching sweatpants. She slipped her feet into white Nikes.
Then she went back outside. The bright hangar lights were off. It was then that she realized Jared had left them on for her, to make sure she didn’t stumble through the dark when she got home. She felt something warm squeeze her heart. It had been a long time since someone had done something so simple but thoughtful for her.
A full moon, stars, and crackling fire provided the only light she needed. As she walked through the sand, she found the hushed darkness inviting. “Thank you,” she said as she eased down into the chair next to him. There were three other chairs around the fire pit, but she didn’t take the easy way out