thinking these things? All I did was pretend to eat breakfast with him, and that was stupid because now I want to take a big juicy bite off of that killer bicep.
“Take this one,” he said in a steady matter of fact tone as he pointed to an entry, paying no mind to the fact he was standing close enough that if her head fell back, it would be resting on his chest.
The closeness prompted her to hold her breath. She felt cornered. If she turned, they’d be face-to-face, if she happened to be wearing Savannah’s six-inch stilettos, that is, and she was definitely not ready for his face to be in her face. She felt overheated being so near to him. For Christ’s sake, don’t they believe in air conditioning in this place?
To avoid looking at him, she continued to look where his hand pointed, contemplating his suggestion. “Gardening?” She grimaced.
He leaned his back against the bulletin board, so he faced her. “Hey, gets you outside.” When he smiled his eyes lit up, there were little lines beginning to form in the creases around them. His skin was nicely colored and gently weathered by the sun. He was all man, no pretty boy about him.
“Yeah, just where I want to be, out in the ninety degree Florida heat. I might as well volunteer to be a ticket taker in Hell.” She had a flair for the dramatic and flashed him her ridiculous look, the one she would use to make Max laugh. The fun part of doing it was watching Max as he tried to bug his eyes, scrunch his face, and shake his little head all at the same time to mimic her.
Jackson’s head rocked back bursting with laughter. When his amusement with her died down, he fixed his eyes on hers. Slowly, he lowered them down her body and back again. “You look like you can handle the heat.” Casually, he walked away without looking back.
She couldn’t help smiling as she scribbled her name onto the list for gardening. What am I getting myself into?
~ ~ ~
Lunchtime approached fast. She wasn’t about to admit she hoped to run into Jackson again. At least not to anyone else. She gathered her hair into a ponytail to prepare for working in the garden after lunch, not her favorite style, but sweaty hair wasn’t her thing either. The running shoes she’d been wearing when she came to the facility would come in handy, too. She peeked into the mirror for one last inspection, mentally gave herself the thumbs up, and headed to the dining room.
After settling on soup and salad, she scanned the room for Jackson, trying not to be overt.
No such luck. Only Scar, a girl she’d met earlier in the restroom. She sat alone at a table for four. Before she took the seat across from her, she nodded toward the empty chair. “You don’t mind do you?”
Scar smiled. “Nah, go ahead. Sit where you want.” Her voice was soft and sweet, and her frame small, contradicting her dyed black hair and heavy make-up.
Their casual lunch passed without much talk. The whole time, Kinsley contemplated calling her friend, Veda, to ask if she’d pick Max up and take care of him for couple of days. Max staying with Wayde and Savannah didn’t sit right with her. The situation in the house was unstable, to say the least. She couldn’t imagine Dr. Pierce not allowing her to make those arrangements.
“You wanna go out for a smoke?” Scar asked.
She disconnected from her thoughts and gave Scar her attention. “I would, but I don’t smoke.”
Scar grinned. “You can still get a pass to go outside.”
After they grabbed their passes, they headed out. Wretchedly hot as usual, the mid-summer air was heavy. Kinsley’s mouth hung open in awe as she looked around. The place resembled a mini tropical paradise. “The grounds are magnificent. I came in last night; I didn’t get to see them.”
Scar kicked the dirt with her shoe. “Yeah, Lakeside’s the best of the best.”
That was plain to see. “So you’ve been … here before?”
Scar lit her cigarette and glanced around. “Yeah. When I was younger, I stayed here whenever my parents needed a vacation. Now, I come if I need one. Lakeside is like a second home to me.” Although laughing, she sounded almost sad. “Why are you here?”
Kinsley cringed. The dreaded question. “It’s rather complex. Things happened with, Wayde, this guy I live with. Well, his niece, Savannah,