first semester of grad school. I'm just adjusting to my new schedule."
He nodded, but I could tell he didn't quite believe me.
"What was Cam supposed to have told me?" I prompted.
J.J. crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward. "That I was coming back to town."
Okay, now I was officially confused. "Coming back for a visit? Did she need me to take over her shift at the shop so she could spend time with you?"
His brow puckered as he frowned at me. "I'm not here for a visit, Lee. I've moved back for good. Brody asked me to come onboard at his company as a VP and I accepted. We finalized everything the week after their wedding and I've spent the last month working out my notice and packing up to move back."
Oh. My. God.
"You're moving?" I asked faintly.
He grinned. "Yeah. Believe it or not, I'm excited about it." He leaned forward on his crossed arms. "I'd definitely like to see you again."
Oh. My. God.
I couldn't think, just kept repeating those three words in my head, over and over. J.J. was coming back. I would have to see him around town all the time. He would probably come into the shop to say hi to Cam.
Losing my virginity to J.J. McClane didn't seem like such a big deal when he lived in Dallas, but if he was here?
I didn't know what I was going to do.
I realized that he was looking at me, an expectant expression on his face. Oh, yeah, he wanted to see me again.
As if I would have time for a date now that I was cleaning eight houses a week, working twenty hours at Crave, and going to graduate school.
I stuck my pen inside my textbook to mark my place, closed it, and stacked the notebook I'd been writing in on top of it. Then, I put my elbows on the table and laced my fingers together. My brain raced as I tried to put together what I was going to say to him.
When I thought I had the best wording settled, I spoke, "Look, Jay, I had fun with you last month, but I've got a lot on my plate right now and I really don't think I could give you the time and attention you would deserve."
He smiled a little. "The time and attention I deserve?"
I knew it sounded prissy but I didn't think it would piss him off as much as me telling him that I had so much on my plate, plus the exhaustion I was experiencing, that I would likely be snoring before we even ordered drinks at dinner, much less got to the bedroom. Or that I didn't want him coming into my life and complicating it.
J.J. might not be as bad as my brothers in a lot of ways, but in others, he would be worse. Whether he intended to be or not, he was a major distraction and I couldn't afford to be distracted. When I'd paid my tuition for the fall semester, there had been a huge lump in my throat. I had enough saved up for the fall, spring, and summer sessions, but I was counting on making enough money this year to pay for the final two semesters I would need to finish my MBA.
That meant taking on extra house cleaning jobs and picking up the occasional extra shift for Cam and Sierra. Which meant I was either going to be working, studying, or sleeping every spare moment for the next two years.
"I promise I'm not very high maintenance," J.J. said.
I laughed a little. He probably wasn't. Unlike my brothers, he seemed to have grown up and become mostly an adult. He likely wouldn't expect my undivided attention and all my free time, but that didn't mean I wouldn't want to give it to him.
I could see the tactful way wasn't going to work, which meant I would have to be more blunt. J.J. had always taken my honest-to-a-fault words in stride when I was younger, I could only hope he was the same now.
"Why do you want to see me again?" I asked. I had to cut my sentence off abruptly as Steph came over to refill my tea glass.
"Hey, there, J.J. How're you doin'?" she asked him. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Sweet tea, please, Steph."
"Want a menu?"
He eyed me for a moment. "You already eat?"
I shook my head but before I could speak, Steph answered for me. "Nope, just took