Page 19 of The Relationship Mechanic

“Absolutely not. I demand gold bars and diamonds for my service.” Jessica shrugged her hands off and grabbed the clothes from her bed. Grace’s laughter followed her into the bathroom, cutting off when she pushed the door shut behind her.

It wasn’t until they were pulling into the Williamses’ driveway that Jessica felt the cold grip of panic set in again. With each crunch of rock under her footsteps, she felt more and more like she was being escorted to her doom. Vini’s sisters would take one look at her and know that Jessica had been tapping their sister. She could already hear the accusations now. She braced herself as Grace rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and Jessica looked down at the child who welcomed them. He was a cute kid, coming up past Grace’s waist. His skin was a deep brown, and his eyes were familiar. He was dressed down in a Black Panther hoodie and jeans, making Jessica feel more comfortable about her own outfit. He darted forward giving Grace a tight hug before pushing them into the house.

“We’re waiting for you guys,” he said. “Mom wouldn’t let me grab a bite, even though Grandpa snuck a roll already.”

“Dad.”

“I was hungry.” An older man shrugged before standing up from his chair and walking toward Grace and Jessica. “Good to see you again, Grace.” He enveloped her in a hug, and Jessica tried not to stare around him to where Vini was sitting at the large family dining table.

Grace hugged him back before pulling away and gesturing at Jessica. “Mr. Williams, this is my best friend, Jessica Miller. Jessica, this is Ava’s dad, Mr. Williams.”

He shook his head. “I told you to call me Daniel.Mr. Williamsmakes me feel old.” Jessica snorted before her breath was stolen when she was pulled into a strong hug. Daniel didn’t look a day over forty with his deep brown skin and close-cut ebony beard. He was tall and broad, which meant Vini must have gotten her slight stature from her mother. When he took a step back, his smile had a boyish quality that Jessica found charming. It made it impossible to not smile back.

“Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Williams,” she said before holding out a bottle of wine. “I appreciate it.”

“Seriously, you two,” he retorted before waving them to the table. Jessica nodded at Aiden before taking the offered seat beside Vini. She knew it would look weird to not acknowledge the other woman, so she nodded and smiled.

“Hey, Vini. Good to see you again.”

Vini didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered. “Hey, Jess. Glad you decided to join us.”

Jessica nodded at Grace who sat down across the table from her. “That one wouldn’t have let me stay away as it is. She practically busted down my door and dragged me out by my toenails.”

Ava cocked an eyebrow at Jessica’s comment, but the last unfamiliar woman laughed before introducing herself. “That was probably my fault. I’m Dani.” She held out a hand and Jessica shook it. “I chewed her and Ava out about inviting someone who had a guest and not inviting the guest. It’s not how we do things around here.”

“I never said I wasn’t going to invite her,” Ava shot back. She looked back and forth between Jessica and Vini, but Jessica kept her expression neutral. She could handle dinner. Hell, she had gone to acting classes for years. She could play it cool. She was a goddam ice cube. “But I am glad you came. Any friend of Vini and all that.”

Jessica nodded. “Vini has been a great teacher. I think I might actually be ready to change my own tire.”

Everyone else paused for a moment before laughing. Jessica glanced at Vini who was covering her mouth with her hand. She wasn’t sure what the hell was so funny, but whatever it was seemed to break the tension, and Dani lifted the first serving dish, passing it to Jessica.

Conversation was relaxed as they loaded their plates with heaping spoonfuls of corn-bread stuffing, turkey, macaroni and cheese, and some type of green that Jessica couldn’t identify. She’d had plenty of Thanksgiving meals, but usually they were small affairs with her and her parents going out to eat in whatever city they lived in, or visiting Jason and hoping he didn’t get put on call for a shift. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a home-cooked Thanksgiving. At least, not American style. She tried to get back to Korea each year for Chuseok to spend time with her maternal grandparents and cousins, but she usually didn’t help prepare anything. This was a whole new experience for her.

“So Jessica, what is it that you do?” Daniel asked.

“Right now, I’m between contracts, but I do some voice-acting for television shows, commercials and audiobooks.” He nodded, but internally Jessica was waiting for the usual questions of what that meant and if that was really a job. It was usually what her other family members asked as well when they realized she wasn’t on-screen like her mother.

“Sounds like that could be a really interesting job,” he said before taking a bite of turkey and leaving Jessica off-kilter. “Do you do any podcasts?”

She blinked quickly, trying to cover her shock at what seemed like genuine interest in her work. It wasn’t that no one was ever interested. It was just that his acceptance came so easily. When she felt a warmth press against her leg, she glanced over. Vini was smiling softly as she looked down at her plate. No one would have been able to see anything, but that was the unmistakable heat of Vini’s hand on Jessica’s thigh. It didn’t seem to be a move to arouse, and to Jessica’s surprise it didn’t.

It was a comfort. She felt comforted by Vini’s presence, and before she could second-guess herself, she moved her hand down. She covered Vini’s hand with her own and squeezed in thanks. Her eyes drifted away and to her own plate as she covered her smile by taking another bite of food. Despite her initial misgivings, the dinner turned out to be comfortable and easy. It had been a long time since Jessica had ever relaxed with a group of people she hadn’t known closely for at least a few years beforehand. She was so busy musing on it, she didn’t come up for air until she realized she had been conned into washing dishes with Vini standing quietly at her side.

“So...that was a thing,” Jessica said slowly broaching the topic of her presence. “Dinner was pleasant. I enjoyed it.”

Vini glanced at her. “Yeah? It wasn’t too weird for you?”

“Not at all. That was top-five easiest of all dinners I have been to in a long while.” Jessica passed the last dish before rinsing her hands and drying them. She turned and leaned back against the sink as she watched Vini let her words sink in.

She didn’t look at Jessica when she spoke. “This is the first time my family has ever met anyone I was...with.” When she looked up at Jessica finally, her lips were twisted. “Sorry if it seemed so sudden. Dad really was curious to meet you.”

Jessica waved away Vini’s words. “It’s all good. Parents love me.” Vini’s chuckle was soft, and Jessica let it wash over her. She really did enjoy that sound. “Your dad seems like a great guy.”

“He is,” Vini agreed. She finished drying the last plate and set it on the rack beside her before turning to face Jessica fully. She looked soft and relaxed today in jeans and a butter-yellow T-shirt. Her braids were pulled back in one large loose braid, giving Jessica a view of her elegant neck. Jessica’s lips twitched with the desire to brush over that skin just to hear those deep, breathy noises she so loved. “What about your parents? Are they sad you couldn’t go see them?”

The last thing Jessica wanted to do was talk about her parents, but when the sound of laughter drifted in from the other room, she conceded that pulling Vini into a dark corner or an empty bathroom was probably not the best idea.

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