like a woman who had been satisfied six ways to Sunday. She drifted down the porch steps to her car across the street while Colton watched, his gaze locked on Kerri’s swaying backside.
Jessica leaned back into the headrest as the tension in her neck relaxed. A laugh bubbled out of her, and once she started, she couldn’t stop. She laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks and her belly started to cramp.
She was still laughing when Colton knocked on the passenger-side window. Jessica unlocked the door, and he climbed in.
“What’s so funny?” he asked in a tone that sounded half-outraged, half-embarrassed.
That sobered her up. “I’m so glad you and Kerri found each other.”
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” he grumbled.
“No. Yes. Maybe a little. But really, I’m very happy for you. I think Kerri is terrific.”
“Yeah, well. After you sent me away last week, I got to thinking that maybe you were right.”
“It’s my red-letter day,” she said, the irony intense. “I can’t remember the last time you told me I was right about anything.” She rolled her head to give him a serious look.
“Yeah.” The word exploded from his mouth. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been pushing you lately. I apologize. It’s just that I want you to succeed.”
“I want to succeed too,” she said. “And I need your friendship for that. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I came to have a serious conversation with you about…stuff. But it looks like the crisis has passed.”
“About what I said the other day…” His voice trailed off, and he scratched at the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.
“It’s okay. I’m glad we’re back in the friend zone.”
“I guess I was just feeling lonely, you know. Like it was time to think about settling down. And then you were living out there alone in your grandmother’s house. And I thought I could…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Take care of you.”
“I can take care of myself, thank you.”
“Can you? I worry about you.”
“Stop. Really. I’m okay. I even replaced the P-trap in the kitchen sink.” She didn’t say one word about how Topher had helped.
“I knew that sink was going to give you trouble.”
“Well, it’s fixed now, okay?”
“Good for you.”
Silence welled up between them for a moment before he spoke again. “I guess wanting to take care of you isn’t exactly the same as having the hots for you.”
Colton had a definite way with words. And there was no doubt that he had the hots for Kerri. “So, you going to see Kerri again?”
“Uh. Yeah. I guess.”
“You guess? You like her, right?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I do.”
It was typical Colton understatement. Sometimes the man could be so cool that he was hard to read.
“Well, I think she’s great.”
“Thanks. So I heard you saved Topher Martin’s life.” He was changing the subject. She decided to let him.
“It wasn’t nearly as dramatic as it sounds.”
“You still designing his house?”
She nodded. “Yes. And I have other news.”
“Oh?”
“This architect from Miami called and offered me a job.”
“What? You moving away?” He seemed upset about that.
“I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see.” For the first time since Damon Brant had called her, she seriously entertained the idea of moving on. Maybe that was the best way to deal with the gossip. She’d thought that stuff was in the past, but clearly it wasn’t.
She turned and faced him. “Um, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” He sounded worried.
“Colton, do you know what people are saying about us? About how we had a baby together?”
“Um…” He gave her a funny look.
“So you know about this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I know. But it’s a very old story. I heard it back when I was in juvie. My daddy came to visit, and he was all over me about getting you pregnant.”
“So it wasn’t just something people at school were saying?”
“I think Jude heard the story at school and he told Daddy, and Daddy came down to the center and ripped me a new one. He was ready to make me take responsibility for the kid until I told him it was all a lie.”
“And he believed you?”
“Of course he did.”
Right there was the story of her life. Even Colton’s father, who would never win any awards for Father of the Year, had believed his son when he’d told the truth. She pushed the pain away as she stared out the windshield fighting her own personal demons.
“Jess,” Colton said softly into the silence, “it’s