was the knowledge that he’d actually put thought into something like whether or not I eat meat. And he’d actually been right. I’d been a vegetarian for the past decade, but I always made exceptions when I was a guest at someone’s home.
Growing up around Hollywood types I’d heard it all from vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, pescatarian, kosher, to paleo. I’d had friends that only ate things that were a certain color, like green or orange. It’s not that I couldn’t get behind any diet that included Doritos, it was just that I thought it was ridiculous to enforce it when someone was showing you hospitality.
Unless you had a serious allergy, like say to peanuts or shellfish, my grandmother raised me with manners. I ate what I was served.
But how did Jackson know about my vegetarian status? Maybe he was able to read people the same way I was. Or maybe he could just read me.
That thought made me much happier than it should have.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, needing to know what led him to that conclusion.
His eyes shot down to the tag hanging off of my suitcase and he flipped it up with his thumb. It was bright pink and read: I DON’T EAT ANYTHING THAT POOPS.
I’d had it on there for over a decade and had completely forgotten about it.
“Oh, right.” A smile spread on my face and my cheeks heated as embarrassment bubbled up inside of me. He didn’t have some special connection to me, he was just observant. “Um… I am.”
His blue stare pinned me in place. Logically, I knew that there was just as much oxygen at my disposal as there had been seconds before. But somehow the intensity in his stare had tricked my brain into thinking that all the air had been sucked out of the hallway. I tried to breathe but felt myself growing lightheaded and it had nothing to do with an impending panic attack. During those, I went into flight mode. I wanted to escape. Right now, there was nowhere I’d rather be.
I could hear my air exchange, but still, my lips tingled with numbness.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Jackson’s tone was gravelly and deep, causing my already racing heart to speed to new levels.
I had no idea what he was talking about. My brain was too busy processing all the sensations that his nearness, his stare, and his voice were inspiring. “What?”
“When my mom asked, why didn’t you tell her you don’t eat meat?”
“Oh…sorry…right.” The vegetarian thing. Hearing where his mind was, shocked me back to reality. This entire attraction, this ‘moment’ was just a figment of my over-active imagination. “Um…I just…” Words, Josie, I chided myself. String ’em together and form a sentence. “I’m a guest here. That would be rude.”
It may not have been the most eloquent explanation, but it made sense. At least, I thought it did. It was hard to be sure with the entire world spinning.
I waited, sure he was going to ask a follow-up question, but instead he opened a door and set my luggage inside. “This was my little sister Harmony’s room. There’s a bathroom through there.” He pointed to a door in the far left corner.
“Oh, okay.”
He stepped back out into the hallway.
“Thanks.” I hated that my response was as breathless as it was.
I didn’t respond to men like this. Ever. But there was something so different about Jackson. He was so…male. I knew that was a silly description considering it applied to half the population, but that’s exactly what he was. Manly. Masculine. Rugged. Yet, I’d seen some of the movies he’d worked on as the director of photography, so he must have a creative side as well.
My grandmother would love him.
“I’m just down the hall. If you need anything.”
He walked away and I entered the room I’d be staying in, shut the door and leaned against it. I needed a moment to regain my bearings and catch my breath.
This entire day had not gone as planned. I’d planned to have a meeting with Mia on the way here. Then I thought I’d be ordering take-out and working on Hot Tea in the comfort of a two-bedroom Airbnb.
Now I was in a farmhouse that looked like it was designed by the queen of farmhouse herself, Joanna Gaines, and I’d be having a family dinner.
I looked down at my travel attire. I wore loose-fitting joggers with an elastic band that hit me mid-calf, a loose white V-neck T-shirt,