Page 21 of So in Love
Crystal slid a glance at Jamie.He was watching her again.Her body hummed with desire.Dammit.Maybe this was a bad idea.
No, she could do this without falling into bed with Jamie Westcott again.Not that doing so would be terrible…
Duke brought their dinners, and it was a few minutes before they got back to the conversation.
“So what’s your plan to find out about the Stowes?”Brooke asked.
Crystal had been thinking about it while they’d settled into their food.“Jamie and I hit it off the other night.I’ll talk to him first.Just leave it to me.I’m good with people, right, Alaina?”She smiled at her friend, who nodded.
“The best,” Alaina said.“It’s why I asked her to come to LA with me.”
That wasn’t true at all, but Crystal wouldn’t correct her.That would stay their secret.
Brooke looked over her shoulder toward the bar.“He’s still here.Are you going to talk to him tonight?”
“Might as well.”Or at least reestablish contact.Since she hadn’t replied to his texts, she ought to apologize—and not just because she was hoping to get information from him.In fact, she didn’t want to come off like she was only talking to him to find out about his family.Except she sort of was, wasn’t she?Hadn’t she planned to just play things cool in the event that she ran into him again before heading back to LA?
Yes, that had been her plan, but everyone knew what happened to the best-laid plans.
Best laid.
Her lips curved into a smirk as she recalled New Year’s Eve and the feel of Jamie’s rock-hard thighs between hers.Best laid indeed.
“What are you smiling about?”Alaina asked.Her eyes had narrowed almost imperceptibly, but Crystal knew her as well as she knew herself practically.She was scrutinizing—and trying to draw conclusions.
“Nothing, knock it off.”
Alaina didn’t look convinced, but she returned her attention to her salad.
Crystal looked over at Jamie and saw that he was eating too.She suddenly felt bad for not inviting him to join them.“Hey, you guys mind if I go join Jamie at the bar?”
All three women pinned her with an inquisitive stare.
She felt as though she had to clarify.“To advance our objective.”
“Right,” Brooke said.“Are you sure you might not be a little interested?He’s a really nice guy.And he comes from a great family.”
Crystal gave her a side-eye.“Except for that whole KKK thing.”
Brooke huffed out a breath.“Yeah, except for that.But that’s not them—not now anyway.”
“Hell no,” Kelsey said vehemently.“The Westcotts are the nicest people, and they do a lot for the community.Their dad, Sam, is the principal at the middle school.He runs a summer school for the children of migrant workers.A lot of them get pulled out of school in the winter to go home to Mexico and they fall behind.He makes sure they catch up in the summer.And their mom, Angie, helps with that.She’s the head secretary at the elementary school.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Crystal said.She could’ve used a summer school.“But really, you don’t need to sell Jamie to me.Heisa nice guy.I’m just not interested.Inanyone.Besides, I don’t even live here.”
“You’re here a lot, though,” Alaina pointed out.
“Just because of you and this research.When that project is over, I will likely be here a little less.”She arched a brow at Alaina.“Someone has to hold things down in LA.”
Alaina exhaled.“I suppose.Go on, then.Go sit with Jamie and ask him if he’s aware his ancestors burned down a brothel.”
“I wonder why,” Kelsey mused, staring at her plate for a moment.She looked up, focusing on the rest of them.“I mean, I wonder why they targeted the brothel.Was it just because it was a house of ill repute, or was there some racial motivation?”
“You saw the photograph of Dorinda,” Crystal said.“She was definitely Caucasian.”
“Sure, but maybe not all the women there were.”Kelsey picked up her fork and speared a cucumber in her salad.“Just thinking out loud.”
Crystal scooped up her plate with its half-eaten burger and stood.“Okay, then, wish me luck.”
