Page 7 of Poppy Kisses
Would Jensen and Hassie reconnect?
I couldn’t believe they had divorced. Jensen would’ve grown his hair to his waist and developed a taste for death metal if Hassie had wanted it. His tidy home came to mind. Hassie had been a diehard horse girl, and Jensen had said she was a professional barrel racer. Yet there were no pictures of horses.
Didn’t he have a closet full of Ariats and a dressy pair of Tony Lamas? Wranglers and Carhartts? A set of chaps that he wore whether he rode a horse or not?
Jensen had grown up in the country, and his family ranched. To be with Hassie, he’d had to have adopted her rodeo lifestyle. There would be at least one picture of a horse and something made out of horseshoes somewhere in that tidy farmhouse.
I pushed Jensen out of my head for the millionth time. Every time I let my mind wander, it landed on his abs. I was better than that!
Western flair or not, he had a nice body. A pleasing, deep voice. Puberty had done that man all the favors. I’d been left with pimples, more freckles, and a set of hips that made pants shopping a challenge.
Thankfully, it was a mild spring, and I could wear short pants with elastic waists.
I’d recognize those freckles anywhere.
I had to close my eyes. My body had never reacted this way when he’d tease me about connecting the dots in fifth grade. In seventh grade, there had been that one time he’d said it and my stomach had gone all jelly wiggles, but I’d also gotten the flu pretty bad that year. Must’ve been that.
My phone pinged. I took one last wistful glance at the house. The biggest bedroom was up in a corner, and it overlooked the expanse of property that came with the place. Aunt Linda never used to let us in there, but I’d snuck in when she’d been tied up chatting with my parents or grandparents. The windows were huge for such an old place, but they’d let in so much welcoming light. I’d fallen in love. Grandma Annie must’ve known.
So why all the stipulations?
Irritation scratched across the back of my neck. I checked the message.
Debbie: Auggie’s dad wants to hire you.
“What?” I set the phone down and put the car in drive. I used voice control to ask the car to call Debbie.
“You made quite an impression, young lady,” Debbie playfully chided.
“I’m so lost. Why is Jensen calling about me?”
“He said you’re old friends.”
“I guess you could say that,” I muttered.
“Aren’t you? Oh god, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed he was telling the truth. I didn’t give him your information.”
“No. No, it’s fine. Yes, we were old friends, but that was all.” Except on the playground when he and I used to square off for kickball. He’d had a powerful kick, but I’d practiced twice as hard to kick farther. Or when we had a group project, and he and I were the only ones pulling our weight. When we’d laugh together while waiting for the bus. Hassie’s mom always picked her up. Did they still live in town?
“He’s from Coal Haven?”
“I’m not sure he ever left.” I’d only been to his house once, after his dad’s funeral. The place had been packed with mourners and I’d gone outside after I’d seen Jensen sneak out. I’d found him sitting on a hillside. Hassie had avoided him much of the day as if dealing with the deep feelings of a friend losing a parent was an inconvenience, but we all dealt with the discomfort of loss differently. I hadn’t liked seeing him by himself that day, so I’d sat with him. We’d talked. No teasing. No joking around. No boasting. I’d never felt closer to a friend than I had that day.
“Maybe he’s into you.”
I snort-laughed. “No. Trust me. I grew up with that man, and he had eyes for one girl only. Auggie is theirs.”
“He’s married? I’ve only ever dealt with him. I mean, Auggie talks about his mom and horses, but never like she’s around.”
“They’re divorced. You had to be there. Adoration like that doesn’t go away. Since kindergarten, he said he was going to marry her. He asked her out in third grade.” I used to get so annoyed. Like,my dude, let the girl play The Ground is Lava. Then I’d thought it was sweet in sixth grade when Hassie had started to see him as a maybe. By the time my family had moved, I’d been glad to leave them and that toxic, one-sided romance behind me.
It’d been freeing to no longer be compared to Rodeo Barbie.
“If he wants to contact me, that’s fine.” I wouldn’t go out of my way though. When it came to Jensen Hollis, he’d shown me that when he had eyes for someone, no one else’s feelings mattered as much. We were adults now, but that hurt girl who’d been compared to Hassie and found short was still inside me.
Almost twenty years had passed. I should get over it. But one thing Jensen’s single focus had shown me was that he’d never have my best interests at heart.
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