charming than the last. I’d wished that I had the time to explore them, but our schedule was tight. Speaking of tight, Jackson was now bending over to stretch out his back and his butt was looking all sorts of tight.
“Nice view, huh?”
I jumped, startled, and also feeling like I’d been caught. When I turned around, I recognized the dark-haired beauty from pictures Mia had posted on social media. Her unique contemporary vintage style was a standout in a feed filled with Kardashian look-alikes. She was the epitome of a modern-day pinup girl. I’d followed her online just so I could admire her fashion and try to glean some of her confidence.
Today her thick, chestnut locks fell in soft curls around her shoulders. She wore a red halter-top with sweetheart neckline and tight, black high-waisted capris that complimented her hourglass figure. Her perfectly applied wing-tipped eyeliner and red lip was a callback to my grandmother’s contemporaries Jayne Mansfield and Bettie Page.
“Jessa?” I held out my hand.
She pulled me into a hug. The same exchange had happened several times over the last few days. I assumed it must be a small-town thing. People were big huggers. I didn’t hate it.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she enthused. When she pulled back, she wore a friendly smile that spread from ear to ear. “I have to admit, I’m a huge fan. My bestie Ali and I were obsessed with House of Love when it came out and we just binged it this weekend on Netflix.”
“Oh, that’s great.” I tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was hard.
That time in my life was horrible. I’d done my best to move on from it and see it for what it was, but it still sucked. And plastering a smile on my face every time someone mentioned it was draining.
“And can I just say, Gio is a low-life, scum-sucking asshole and if I ever see him I’m going to castrate that piece of shit.”
“Get in line.” A deep voice sounded from behind me.
My head spun around and I was shocked when I saw the murderous look in Jackson’s eyes.
“Right?!” Jessa seemed happy she’d found a kindred spirit in Jackson regarding the castration of my ex.
“Oh um, Jackson this is Jessa Myers.”
“Jessa Steele, actually.” She lifted her hand showcasing a large diamond that I was sure had the power to blind someone. “He put a ring on it.”
I couldn’t believe I’d missed it. “It’s beautiful. Jessa Steele, wow, that sounds like a superhero name.”
“I know, right?” she nodded.
“Nice to meet you, Jessa.” Jackson greeted the bombshell brunette.
“So, we have about half an hour before we’re scheduled to shoot with my parents. I would take you there now, but I think my mom would kill me. She’s probably doing some last-minute cleaning. I already did her hair and make-up, but I was thinking if you wanted to, I could do yours.”
“Oh my gosh, that would be amazing!”
I’d been handling all of that on my own, but I really didn’t know what I was doing. Thank god for beauty bloggers on YouTube.
“Great!! My shop is just right there.” She pointed across the street to a building with The Mane Attraction painted on its side.
“Do you want to come?” I offered to Jackson, suddenly feeling like I shouldn’t leave him out.
“I think I’ll just take a walk. Stretch my legs.”
“Okay.”
Jessa and I walked across the street, and I had to admit that I snuck one more peek at Jackson’s tight backside before ducking into the shop. The man was just easy on the eyes. I didn’t think that I’d ever get tired of looking at him.
When I sat down in her chair, she placed a cape over me, pulled out her water spray bottle and misted my hair. “Soooo, what’s going on with that?”
“With what?” I asked as if I had no clue what she was talking about.
“With Mr. Hottie McHotness.”
In my reflection, I could see my cheeks flush. “Nothing.”
“Really?” She lifted her brows and continued squirting. “Because I caught some serious sexy-time vibes between the two of you.”
I was a private person. I always had been, even before the most private moment in my life thus far had been violated and exposed. But there was just something about Jessa that made me want to open up to her.
It could be because the person that I would normally talk to was out of the question, since she was related to Jackson, if only by marriage. Still, I didn’t feel right