Page 28 of Wed to You-
Jagger. Her heart flip-flopped, as it always did when she heard his voice. Would her hormones ever stop lusting for him? “Hi, Jagger.”
“Kaden and I are having a little lunch gathering and wanted to invite you.”
Chelsea sank into her chair as questions swirled in her brain. Why was she being invited to lunch? It was a gathering, so maybe many people were being invited. She didn’t have anything to do thatday, except lament over her financial situation. Still, she wasn’t sure going to Jagger’s house for lunch was wise.
“Can you come? He’s eager to share something with you.”
Ah, so it wasn’t Jagger who wanted her over, it was Kaden. She felt a twinge of disappointment, and she chastised herself for it. It was sweet the way Jagger indulged Kaden. “Uh, yes, I can come.”
“Excellent. We’ll see you about twelve thirty then.”
“I’ll be there.” She looked at her watch, noting she had only an hour. “Is there a dress code?”
“Yes, you should dress.”
She smirked, until she realized he couldn’t see her expression. Before she could respond verbally, he said, “Wear something comfortable. We’ll be eating outside.”
“Okay.”
She was about to hang up when Jagger said, “I’m looking forward to seeing you, Chelsea.”
What did he mean by that?There was that little thrill again. She really needed to learn to calm it. Even if Jagger was flirting, she wasn’t interested in being the next notch on his bedpost. Okay, it might be fun in the moment, but she didn’t want to have that kind of fun only to be discarded when Jagger moved on to the next woman. She’d have to do better in taming her libido and hope to goodness that if he were flirting, she’d be able to keep a level head.
At twelve thirty, Chelsea walked into the Talbot home. This time a butler answered and led her toward the back of the house as Jagger had done a few nights before.
“Miss Beemer.” Kaden came running around the corner and into her arms. “You’re here.”
“Yes. Just in time.”
“Come look.” He grabbed her hand and led her to a room off the hall. At the back, there were built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The room was painted hunter green with ornate white trim andwainscoting. Leather chairs the same color as the walls sat to one side, while a large comfortable-looking chaise chair rested near a large window. The walls were decorated with pictures, except for the one frame Kaden was excitedly pointing at.
She studied it closer. “Your graduation certificate.”
“Yes. It’s in an important place.”
“Prestigious.” Jagger’s deep, mellow voice sounded behind her, causing a shiver over her nerve endings.
“Yes. A great feat like this should be honored.”
Kaden grinned at her. “My friend Matthew is here too. We’re having a sleepover.”
“Wonderful.” Chelsea couldn’t stop wondering if Jagger ever had sleepovers.
“We’re out back.” Jagger nodded his head toward the hall.
“Come on.” Kaden took her hand and led her out to the back terrace, where she’d had water with Jagger several nights before. During the day, she could better see the layout of the Talbot estate. It took her breath away. May in Virginia was always spectacular. The brown, cold deadness of winter was replaced by lush green trees with pops of colors from the blossoms. Flowers bloomed all around the patio. The trees surrounding the area gave it an intimate feel, as well as shade, but she could see the large grassy area she imagined Kaden ran in. To one side, a tire swing swayed gently in the breeze. A path led to the right, where a pool and a tennis court sat. The path wandered along farther, where she imagined the horses’ pastures blanketed the next hundreds of acres. Over to the left, a quaint one-and-a-half-story Cape Cod-style house stood. It looked kept up. Did the farm’s foreman live there or was it just a guesthouse?
“If you want, we can go for a walk and I’ll show you the estate.”
Chelsea shivered as Jagger’s breath heated her neck. He was standing too close. She turned her head, looking straight into mischievous, deep blue eyes. He must have known his effect on her.That was annoying. She took a step away, telling herself it wasn’t in retreat but in fact a bold statement. He grinned.
“But first, lunch.” He motioned with his hand toward the table where a stout, older woman was putting down a platter of hotdogs. “I hope you don’t mind hotdogs. It’s Kaden’s school celebration and he chose the menu.”
“I like hotdogs. Oh, I brought you something.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a jar of canned barbecue sauce.
Jagger took the jar and read the label. “Beau Beemer BBQ.” He looked at Chelsea and grinned. “This is yours?”
She nodded. “It’s my granddaddy’s recipe, but I made it.”
