“Yet you were parading around in his shirt when I arrived.”
“We ended up skipping the whole friend part and going straight to . . . well . . .”
Jade took a bite and just let the sentence dangle. There was no need to spell it all out when her mother had witnessed everything already.
“Do you care for him?” Lana asked.
Swallowing, Jade swiped her napkin over her mouth. “More than I ever thought possible. I hurt him and I’m not sure if I can repair that.”
“But you’ll try.”
There wasn’t a question, and there was no judgment. Her mother stared across the table, waiting on a real answer.
“I’ll fight for what I want,” Jade replied, then quickly added, “just like my mother would.”
Lana stared for a moment before she nodded. “Well, I guess I don’t always have to approve, but I can respect you enough to step back.”
That wasn’t quite her blessing, but it was close enough for Lana McKenzie.
A new burst of hope filled Jade, and she had to use this emotion to fight her battle with Cash. Maybe he didn’t want to see her, maybe he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. But too damn bad. She wasn’t done with him, and if he loved her like he said he did, she had all the ammunition she needed.
Chapter Eighteen
Cash circled the empty office and tried to find a spot he’d missed. So far, the pale gray walls seemed to be perfect. Once they were completely dry, he’d be able to see any imperfections.
He rotated his right arm. Lifting weights was one thing, but painting worked a whole other set of muscles, and he hated to admit he was a little sore.
Once he cleaned up his mess, he had a date with his hot tub. He hadn’t been home much, other than to sleep. He’d done a pretty good job of staying at the gym or at the airport and keeping himself busy.
Dodging Jade had been necessary for his battered heart. But he wasn’t a coward and wouldn’t avoid her much longer. They had to talk, no matter how seeing her again would hurt.
She’d texted him twice. Once to apologize, though she admitted that word didn’t cover much, and again to tell him she wanted to talk. That last text had come yesterday just before midnight. Cash figured she’d been lying awake thinking of everything that had happened between them, just as he had.
The sleepless nights had been brutal. He’d wanted to feel her body against his, he’d wanted to be able to share his thoughts like he had before. Jade had been the one person he hadn’t been able to get a feel for, but then she’d become the one he wanted to confide in. Which was ridiculous. He’d never wanted to get that invested in anyone.
His mother had died, his wife had left him, the only person Cash could fully commit to was his father. And then Jade came along and made him question every vow he’d ever made to himself.
Could he even trust what he felt? Could he trust anything right now? He’d never had his emotions so raw, so exposed. He damn well didn’t like it, but he didn’t know what to do to fix things.
When he gave the room one last slow perusal, Cash turned in a circle and froze when his eyes landed on Jade in the doorway.
“I saw your truck out front,” she said in a small voice so unlike the bold woman he knew. “Then I followed the paint fumes.”
He didn’t move, didn’t speak. For just a moment, he wanted to take in the sight of her. That long, silky red hair tumbled around her shoulders. She had on only a pair of jeans, simple brown sandals, and a fitted green T-shirt. Nothing provocative or fancy, yet his body stirred. Damn, he’d missed her.
Jade remained in the doorway and slid her hands into her pockets as she glanced around the room. Nerves radiated from her and he’d never seen her this way before.
“This looks good,” she commented, then finally brought her eyes back to him. “Everything is really coming along.”
As much as Cash wanted to cross the space between them and just touch her, kiss her, he remained where he was. Fisting his hands at his sides, he was determined to get through this.
“You didn’t come here this late hoping for small talk,” he stated.
She chewed her bottom lip for a second before shaking her head. “No. I actually went to your house a couple of hours ago, then I drove to the gym. For the past hour I’ve been out in my car giving myself a pep talk.”
Cash’s lips twitched. “And what were you discussing with yourself?”
“If I’d rather turn around and go home or suck up my nerves and come in to face you.”