Page 61 of Space Junk: Houston, We Have a Hottie
Jackie tries to loosen my grip, but I squeeze tighter. It has been a long fucking time since I’ve felt this way about anyone, and I’m not above caveman-like maneuvers to scare off the competition.
“Ian, you remember Flynn. Flynn, Ian.” She gestures between us with her free hand.
I nod at Ian.
“Yes, I remember Flynn.” Ian looks somewhat amused as he motions us to follow him through the crowd. “Better take a seat while you can. The crew should call down any minute,” he says when we reach an open table.
“Thanks.” Jackie moves to sit down, but hesitates. The tables are picnic style, with attached benches. There’s no way she can straddle a seat in that skirt without flashing someone.
My lips twitch. “Problem, darling?” I let her hand go and wait to see what she’ll do.
Jackie stares hard at the bench. “No. I just need…” She tilts her head to one side, surveying the bench. “…to think a moment.”
Then she sits down and spins on her butt with her legs straight out, in one smooth motion. She did it so quickly there’s no way anyone got a glimpse of anything.
And I should know. I’d been looking.
I swing just one leg over, straddling the bench so I can bracket Jackie with my body. I rest one hand across her lower back.
Ian seems to have gotten the message, but I might as well let the rest of her co-workers understand she’s taken. Speaking of co-workers, she seems determined to avoid their eyes, despite their attempts to catch hers.
If I think about it, she hadn’t actually invited me. Is she embarrassed of me? When it comes right down to it, Iamjust a mechanic. True, I might be able to buy and sell these people twice over, but they don’t know that. Hell,Jackiedoesn’t know that. At least, I hope she doesn’t. I lift my hand from her back, about to ask her if she’d like me to go when someone shouts out to her.
“Yoo-hoo! Jackie? We’re here!” Trish stands on the steps of the bar’s porch, waving her arm like a beauty queen on steroids. Rose is next to her trying to steer clear of getting clobbered. I see her eyes cut to the corner of the room, but before I can follow my sister’s line of sight, I see my brother behind her.
My whole body tenses. It’s been a while since Holt and I have been in the same room. In fact, the last time we were in the same room, he’d been busy plowing Beth.
Rose brings her attention back to Trish. “Yoo-hoo?” She rolls her eyes and makes her way to our table. “Jesus, Trish, between you and Jackie, I swear I’m hanging with the Bobbsey Twins. Why don’t you just start saying ‘Hi-dee-ho there, neighbor’ for fuck’s sake?”
“Rose. Language,” Holt’s familiar strong voice admonishes.
I smile despite the awkward situation. I’d forgotten about Holt’s life mission to get our sister to talk and act more like a lady.
Trish reaches the table and gets in Rose’s face. “Yeah, well the fact that you know who the Bobbsey Twins are negates any point you were trying to make.”
“Hey, my Gramps read those books to me. So suck it. And negate? Who are you, Jackie now? One genius is enough.”
That wipes the smile from my face and I look to see if my sister’s careless words have hurt Jackie. But she surprises me by laughing. Slowly, she stands, careful to tug down her skirt before waving to the rest of the crowd. “Everyone, these are my friends Rose, Trish and Flynn.”
Trish does the big wave again and Rose just smiles, throwing her shoulders back and putting one hand on her hip. Everyone on the porch seems transfixed with the newcomers, and I’m just happy to be included, even if she called me a friend.
I see Ian throwing a particularly intense look in Trish’s direction.
“Holt, is it?” Jackie asks, turning toward my brother.
Holt has been glaring at Rose, but looks to Jackie at the sound of his name.
“Yes, ma’am.” He tips his cowboy hat toward her and sticks out his hand. Jackie seems to melt a bit at the whole cowboy schtick Holt has always been good at, and a flare of jealousy hits me hard and fast. I stand before Jackie can take Holt’s hand, ready to plant a fist in his smiling face. But before I can even raise my arm, I’m interrupted.
“Holy shit, Jackie. You donotmess around.”
Everyone, including me, turns toward the bar at the back of the porch where a screen has been set up. On the screen, a cute brunette with tight spiral curls winks. I glance at Jackie to see her roll her eyes at the woman. “Nice to see you too, Jules.”
“You going to introduce me to these fine-looking men?” Jules asks.
Jackie sighs. “This is Flynn, he’s my—”
“Date,” I supply. “I’m her date.” I wrap one arm around Jackie’s waist.
