She Will Be Mine (New Horizon Book 2)

Chapter 13: Jason

It feels like weeks passed between Friday night when Ronnie agreed to go book shopping with me and Wednesday afternoon when it’s finally time to make good on that promise. We’ve kept in touch through text and a couple brief phone calls, and it’s not like I haven’t had plenty to keep me busy, but knowing that I had an actual date scheduled with my mate in the near but not right now future seemed to make time drag by exceptionally slowly.

I managed to successfully resist the urge to drive by Ronnie’s house before our agreed upon day and time though. I was so curious what it looked like, but I figured that a drive-by might elevate me to actual stalker status, especially if she or her mom caught me. So, it’s Wednesday afternoon before I finally allow myself to make the turn onto her street and see what her home is like, despite it being only blocks from where I’ve been working with Buddy the past couple days.

It’s cute. Smaller than I pictured for four people, especially when two of them are energetic young girls, but at least there’s a yard for them to play in. The painted shutters on all the windows give it that quaint, homey feel. I like it. It seems like a nice, modest place to have grown up.

Despite the urgency I’ve been feeling to get over here and finally see Ronnie in person again, I find myself taking my sweet time parking my car and getting out to walk up to the door. I’m nervous, and I know I have every reason to be, but it goes beyond that. I’m legitimately scared, terrified that she might change her mind as soon as I’m in the same room with her. Maybe she’s not ready yet, or maybe she doesn’t want to see me after all. Maybe there aren’t enough books in the world to entice her to spend time with me and consider what I might mean to her.

But eventually, I take a deep breath and walk myself up to the front door, and it swings open before I even get a chance to knock.

“You’re Jason,” one of the twins says, almost like it's an accusation, as she stands there squinting at me suspiciously.

“And you’re … Amy?” I take a guess, having studied that picture Ronnie sent me enough that I figure I have a decent shot at getting that right. Amy has a freckle beside her nose that I didn’t notice on Ashley.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” she wonders, quickly shifting from suspicious to impressed. She doesn’t even wait for my explanation before adding, “You’re even cuter in person!”

This must be the culprit of that first text I got. Either that, or she and her twin agree on that point.

“Let the poor guy in,” Vivian scolds as she makes her way into the living room. And then to me she adds, “Ronnie should be out in just a minute. She had a last-minute wardrobe malfunction.”

“She means Ashley spilled milk all over her. What a klutz,” Amy explains, rolling her eyes dramatically.

“Alright, there’s no hurry,” I say agreeably, chuckling to myself.

Amy is way too cute, but I can see how having two of her around might also be exhausting for someone like Ronnie.

The twin in question finally moves out of the doorway enough to allow me step into the living room. The first thing I notice about the inside is that it isn’t just clean, it’s spotless. Everything in the room is placed very carefully and deliberately, and if I’m not mistaken, the arrangement is symmetrical. I have to wonder if Ronnie isn’t responsible for at least some of the cleanly precision, considering that it’s mostly her and the girls who've been hanging out here. The twins don’t strike me as neat freaks.

“So, Buddy was telling me last night that you’ve been a big help to him so far. He’s impressed,” Vivian complements me. Or maybe congratulates me? Either way, she sounds pleased.

“Yeah, we’ve made a lot of progress in the back in just a couple days, especially considering that we’re only back there two or three hours at a time,” I explain in response. “The rest of my shifts he’s had me bussing tables.”

“Which we servers appreciate. We’ve been hopping busy lately.” She laughs, but I can tell it’s one of those laughs that comes from overwhelming stress.

I can only imagine how it’s been without my help because I’ve seen how busy and backed up it gets when I am there. I didn’t expect that at all from a town this small, though I'm told it's because it's vacation season in the neighboring towns and Reggie's gets a lot of the spillover business traffic.

“We also appreciate the work you’re doing with Buddy, though. He’s been stubborn since his surgery, and our inventory room is a mess because of it,” she goes on. “Did you know he’s been paying for small deliveries that are quick and easy to unload, not to mention expensive, because he doesn’t want to ‘bother us’ by asking for help unloading the big stuff? Imagine wasting money on stuff that we probably don’t even need because we already have it in bulk but just can’t get to it.”

“I didn’t know all of that, but I guessed most of it. There does seem to be a lot of pallets and crates back there collecting dust and getting in the way, and his inventory accounting is a mess. I’ve been helping him straighten that out as much as I’ve been helping him lift and put stuff away.”

“You’ve definitely come along at just the right time,” Vivian says appreciatively, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on my forearm. “I think he was on the brink of stubbornly driving his business into the ground.”

“Is it like that at the café he owns as well? I actually applied there instead of Reggie’s, but he wanted me at your location.”

“No, his business partner runs that one. And I use the term ‘partner’ lightly. It’s more like Buddy helped Jamal finance the place and is his partner on paper, but that’s Jamal’s business.”

“Ah, got it,” I say, nodding as if I understand, but I don’t really. Regardless of whatever arbitrary distinctions they make on paper or otherwise, why wasn’t this Jamal guy stepping in to help Buddy before now?

“Buddy’s just stubborn enough to prefer to bring in a complete stranger before letting someone who knows him well have anything to do with helping him,” she explains without my asking. “But he’s a good boss. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my job while also raising three kids if he wasn’t the man he is.”

I glance around and notice that Amy disappeared at some point during this conversation. Vivian doesn’t seem concerned about that, so I guess neither am I.

Especially since I can sense Ronnie making her way down the hall. Her scent is getting stronger, and I can hear her quiet footsteps gingerly approaching the living room.

“Hey, kid,” Vivian greets her a split-second before she comes into view. “I like that outfit better anyway.”

“Yeah, well, I decided to take another shower so I wouldn’t have to go around smelling like spoiled milk all day. I just hope –” Ronnie cuts off whatever she was going to say when she looks up and notices me in the room. “Oh. You’re here.”

I don’t entirely know how to take that. I had hoped for a little more excitement when she first laid eyes on me, but I suppose I’ll settle for mild interest and curiosity. At least she doesn’t seem disappointed.