Page 23 of Crossroads of Innocence
“Luckily it looks like you’ve got the day off and you can tell me all about it.” She tugged his elbow and pulled him forward. “Let’s get out of the cold, grab some lunch or something. I promise, I’m a good listener.”
He walked beside her, relieved to steer her further from Jude. “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t.”
She pressed her lips into a pout and pivoted to the side, her line of vision now pointing straight at Jude. “Why not?”
Shit.
Looping his arm around her shoulders, he aimed her back toward the front of the house. “Because I promised Chet I’d do some things for him. Will take me a couple days, probably. And since I had to close down the restaurant for electrical reasons, I figured it was the best time to lend him a hand.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled against him. “Anything I can help with?”
He winced, hating the tightrope he walked. He gave her a quick squeeze then increased his pace to put some space between them as he rounded the corner of the cabin and made a beeline toward her car. “Afraid not. I appreciate the concern though. You’re a good friend.”
Reaching the driver’s side door, he pulled it open for her, making sure there was no mistaking this impromptu rendezvous was over.
She sighed and climbed inside then stared up at him with big, blue eyes. “Fine. I guess I’ll see you later then.”
“Sure. Drive safe.” He closed the door and waved as he watched her drive away.
10
Awoman’s sugary sweet voice had Jude chancing a peek around the sappy pine tree. Heat crashed against her cheeks. The pretty blond from the night before rushed toward Wade, her excitement clear as the early-afternoon sun in the blue sky. Wade met her, both too far for their words to carry to her on breeze.
She gritted her teeth and held Macey close. She should stop watching, should sink back against the tree and wait for them to finish speaking. But she couldn’t tear away her gaze.
Wade hooked his arm over her shoulder and Jude saw red. When the blond looped her arm around his waist, the urge to tear the woman’s limbs from her body nearly had her running across the lawn. Instead, she pressed her back against the tree and sank to the ground. Pine needles brushed against her skin. Sticky sap slid against her jaw.
Macey whined and trembled in her arms.
“I’m sorry, girl,” Jude said, tucking the dog into her jacket to keep her warm. “We’ll go inside soon.”
Her mind raced with each passing second, her imagination in overdrive. She fought the temptation to take another look. Seeing Wade touching someone else was hard enough. If she caught him hugging or kissing her—well, she didn’t know if she could handle it.
The spot on her cheek where Wade had kissed her tingled, and she grazed the tips of her fingers across her skin. What had that been about? An impulse? A goodbye? A decision to do something sweet before rushing headfirst into danger to protect her?
Each possible explanation made the blood in her head pulse louder.
She shook away her fascination with the simple gesture. It didn’t matter why he’d done it. It was clear the peck on her cheek didn’t mean a damn thing. He hadn’t wasted any time wrapping his arms around another woman as soon as she presented herself.
“Jude!”
She blew out a long breath and stood. He couldn’t see how much he affected her—couldn’t know how he could still completely shake her world with something so dang little and obviously meaningless. Besides, she couldn’t get sucked into his vortex. Not now. Not ever.
“Everything’s okay. You can come out.”
Determined to play it cool, she set Macey on the ground and led her to Wade.
Wrigley galloped toward her.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Wade said, scratching the back of his neck. “Summer’s a friend. She was worried when I didn’t open the bar.”
Jude pressed her lips together and shrugged. “Nice friend. Your dog’s freezing. We should head back to the apartment.”
He nodded and stayed a step behind her as she marched back up the deck steps and rushed inside. She wished she could slam closed the sliding glass door and keep Wade outside. Too much turmoil bubbled in her stomach. She couldn’t keep it down much longer before she exploded pent-up emotion all over him and anyone else who happened to be around.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket just as Wade’s phone rang.
She secured her device and a dozen text messages littered her screen—all from Matthew and one from Brandon.
