Page 11 of Just Curious

Chapter 7

Early the next morning, Jackson woke Willa with a kiss. “Ready to go for a run on the beach?”

“You have to be kidding,” she grumbled as she squinted at the bedside clock. Six am wasn’t her idea of fun. “It feels like we just went to sleep. Can’t we run this evening instead?” She turned to him then and grinned. “There are other ways to get your heart pumping at dawn if that’s what you want.”

Jackson considered this for a moment and then capitulated as he reached for the box of condoms. After their “heart-healthy exercise,” they went back to sleep for two more hours.

Eventually hunger drove them from the bed, and Willa wandered to the kitchen to make coffee. As she ground the beans, Jackson examined the contents of her refrigerator. He ended up making them scrambled eggs and toast.

“Sorry I don’t have a lot of offer. I usually just have cold cereal,” Willa explained. Or sometimes I buy a bunch of muffins or bagels and freeze them.”

“This is fine,” Jackson assured her with a kiss as he placed the plates on the table. “Do you have any fruit, though?”

They ended up splitting an orange, and Willa voiced the obvious, “I really do need to buy groceries if you’re going to keep making me breakfast.”

“You’d better get some groceries then,” Jackson replied with a flirtatious smile.

Over the next couple of weeks, they spent as much time together as possible, flowing back and forth between the two houses as naturally as the tides of the Pacific right behind them. It amazed them both how comfortable they were together after such a short time.

Willa needed to spend several hours a day working on her current book and discussing issues with her publisher and agent, and Jackson was worried at first that having him around would be too distracting for her. She assured him, “I love having you here, and you’re very quiet while you’re working too, so it’s fine, I promise.” Jackson was working on a new brainstorm and spent long hours at his computer. He found working beside her comforting and inspiring.

At the end of each day, they would both close their respective laptops and laugh about how driven they were for a billionaire and a multimillionaire.

“I’m way too young to retire,” Jackson said as they fell into bed one night. Tapping his temple, he added, “Gotta keep the brain working.”

“I know just what you mean,” she answered as she snuggled closer.

Sometimes they went out or had take-out delivered, and sometimes Jackson showed off his newly acquired, YouTube-inspired, cooking skills. They decided he was best at grilling, since that was basically a guy thing anyway. His other results were so-so, but they didn’t starve. At one point he suggested, “You know, I could hire us a chef.” They both thought that idea had merit and decided to start looking for one. “After all, what’s the use of all of this money if we don’t live it up a little?” Jackson also thought to himself that it would be fun to remodel their two houses into one extremely large one, but he kept that idea to himself for the time being.

His newly found wealth hadn’t changed him much, so he was trying to be creative about using it. He’d already invested a few million into his parents’ artichoke farming business, thus making life a lot easier for them, and he quietly gave a few more million away to charities he valued. Neither of these things made much of a dent in his fortune, but so far, he wasn’t used to his billionaire status. In a way, he hoped he never got used to it. Being wise about money was a virtue, in his opinion. Although now that he was with Willa, he thought it might be fun to splurge on things they might both enjoy.

One afternoon, Willa and Jackson sat side by side at his table. She was typing away happily while he stared at a blank screen. His thoughts wandered to his money, and how he might use it to increase their enjoyment.Maybe I could buy an NHL hockey team… or better yet, a football team! San Diego needs one of those since the Chargers left town. But maybe that’s not really something I want. I like football, but I don’t necessarily want to immerse myself in it on a daily basis. Nah… no football team.

Willa muttered something to herself as she wrote. Jackson glanced up at her, smiling at the image she presented in the afternoon sunshine, her hair curling around her neck and her eyes focused. She was biting her lip in concentration. He couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather have by his side. She really was his perfect match.

…And then a truly awesome idea struck.Maybe I could be the financial backing for one of Willa’s books to be made into a movie. I love the way that sounds; I know it’s been a dream of hers.

And so, his new computer app took a backseat to his research on how to be the producer and backer for a movie. He wanted to get a few ducks in a row before discussing it with her. He had a purpose now—and lots of calls to make.

As happy as she was with Jackson, Willa had some demons to deal with. Once Jackson awoke in the middle of the night to find Willa gone from the bed. When she didn’t come back right away, he got up and found her in the living room staring out at the moonlit ocean. So as not to startle her, he whispered her name before wrapping his arms around her. He had a pretty good idea of what bothered her, and this became crystal clear when she turned and buried her face into his warm chest and sobbed. “Sometimes I just miss them so much. They were so young; it just sucks. They were the best parents I could have asked for.”

Jackson stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, telling her how sorry he was for all that she’d lost. “You’re so brave, Willa, but I’m here now. I’ll keep you safe.”

Daytimes could also be difficult for her. Generally, she was able to get her ideas sorted out in her manuscript with no trouble, but now and then visions of Deb Abbey’s violation crept in and derailed her thoughts. Willa had never felt hatred for another soul in her entire life, but she detested everything about Deb and what the woman represented. She hated Deb for making her doubt herself before she ever published a book, and she hated Deb even more for taking advantage of her when she was so young and naïve. The whole mess depressed Willa.

When those thoughts crippled her creative thinking, Willa generally sought out Jackson’s company. His solid warmth and comforting nature were like a balm to her tortured brain. She would crawl into his lap and let him hold her or tell her about his family and the many wonders of artichokes. Eventually she’d laugh and call him Bubba when he recited too many recipes for them. He never failed to bring her out of her funk.

Chapter 8

Besides working on his new plans, Jackson spent a lot of time simply thinking about Willa. A few times here and there, he couldn’t resist snapping a selfie with her that he would ogle while she was busy writing. He sent a couple of them to Casey which set up the perfect opportunity for texting between the two men. Casey was apparently just as awestruck by Willa’s beauty as Jackson.

Casey: You are one lucky SOB. She is incredible. I can’t stop looking at her photo.

Jackson: She’s beautiful inside and out. Just wait ‘til you meet her.

Casey: Lusting from afar…

Jackson: LOL

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