and swallowed before licking my lips. “Yeah.” Then I thought. “Jerry?”
“James.” He nodded with a smile. “Porter. James Porter, but I found myself going by the name Jimmy.”
“Oh.” Right! Ashton did mention his name since we’d been here. “Jimmy. I’m sorry.”
“No need to be.” He pulled a box of cigarettes from the tray, then plucked a lighter from inside of his big robe. “Your friend, Ashton, didn’t exactly introduce us properly. So, I wouldn’t expect you to remember. I hope you don’t mind.” He referred to his smoking. I shook my head, not feeling I could object if it would have offended me. He lit the cigarette and took a long and hard pull. Then he exhaled deeply, letting it out, making the act look relieving. It made me relax just a bit. “It’s his place, you know.” Jimmy’s eyes were above the fireplace, on the mantle.
I did.
“You live here.” I had no idea what I was saying, but it had hit me in that moment how much Jimmy resembled James Baldwin—like a lot—widow’s peak and all. “You’re here more than him. It’s yours, too.”
Taking another pull, he shook his head. “No. It’s all Ashton’s. I’m just the innkeeper.”
That pushed a hard laugh from my belly I couldn’t control. I tried covering my mouth.
“Ahhhhh…” His face brightened. “So she does have personality.”
“Yeah, I do.” My facial expression was mixed with humor, shock, and light offense. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” He reached for his glass of scotch. “I’m actually conversing with someone from Sir Spencer’s world.”
I winced. “I wouldn’t say that.”
Jimmy’s wide eyes met me as he froze with his glass in the air. The white of his eyeballs were yellowish and pupils dark. “You can’t stay the night in his home, sleep in his bed, and come with gifts without at least being a friend.”
I shook my head. “I’m not.” Being Ashton’s friend would make me a part of his BSU crew, and I wanted no parts of them.
“Then tell me, dear heart.” He sat back and took a sip of his drink. “What are you?”
Those dark eyes inside puffy lids captivated me. He waited for an answer.
“I don’t know.” My eyes fell. “We’re both athletes.”
“And lovers,” he observed out loud.
My heart banged on my chest walls. “He’s got a girlfriend.”
“Named Aivery.” Jimmy didn’t skip a beat. “A little heifer he never asked me to arrange for a private flight to bring home. And he’s never made such a big deal about her visiting.” His eyes swept the room.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, dear.” He let out a pillow of smoke. “We’ve not done Christmastime décor in here since…” He blinked, eyes toward the ceiling. “I believe since Robert was still around and Sir Ashton was maybe…twelve.” My eyes head jerked. “Well, we’ve put up trees, but that was the extent of it. No lights, no proper dinner, no fanfare about the holiday at all. This is why I ask, who are you?”
Why would Ashton do all of that? It couldn’t have been for me. Was this James guy turning out to be an unlikeable human after all? But he seemed to know a lot about Ashton, my favorite topic as of late. Jimmy seemed to be a talker, too.
And he called Aivery a heifer…
I pulled my feet from the slippers and curled my legs underneath me. “If I told you I was twenty-two like Ashton, would you give me a drink or make me go upstairs for my ID?”
I had no idea what I was doing. I only knew I was no longer sleepy, and James here seemed bored or entertained, and that intrigued me.
He squinted his eyes playfully, though I believed him at first. Then he reached over for the tray. “I’ll be collecting that ID in the morning once my judgment has returned.”
That made me laugh. “Who is this singing?”
Jimmy’s eyes danced around. “Why, that is Mr. Vandross singing the lovely “Every Year, Every Christmas,” dear heart. The balladeer of balladeers. I challenge you to tell me of a voice bearing the slightest resemblance to his.”
My face balled tight. “He sounds just like my friend, Ragee.” He honestly did.
Jimmy handed me the glass. It only had a few drops of light brown liquid in it, but I didn’t care. I was no drinker. I’d take what I could get.
“Young lady, you’re shitting me.” His delivery was curvy, but tone calm and confident. “If this young man is lucky, he can mimic some of Mr. Vandross’ range, but