Page 58 of The Love Audit
“Yeah?” I could hear the smirk in CJ’s voice. “Go ahead. Hit me with it.”
“I’m in love with Jasmine.”
“I knew it,” he shouted so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to spend any time with that girl without her wrapping you around her little finger. Just don’t let her poison you again.”
“Shut the hell up.” A grin I couldn’t suppress spread across my face.
“Does she feel the same way?”
“Yeah.” My smile grew wider. “She does.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me,” I said before adding, “And she showed me.”
“Oh shit!” CJ crowed, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear again. “You hit it?”
“C’mon, man, be an adult. But yes, Jasmine and I had sex.”
“And…”
“It was amazing, but it’s not about the sex. She makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. She makes me imagine a life outside of the corporate grind, a life with kids and a house and trips to Disney World and everything.”
“Hold on, D. Slow down. If you’re happy, I’m happy for you, but remember this is Jasmine Morgan we’re talking about. You’ve been with her in Miller’s Cove for a few weeks, and you’re talkingabout quitting your job and going to Disney World. I want you to be careful and really think about what you’re doing.”
“I know what I’m doing. I’m following my heart. Isn’t that what you just told me to do?”
“I want you to use your head, too. The big one, not the little one. Our folks used to be in love. They mixed business with pleasure, and look where they are now.”
“Jasmine and I are not our parents.”
“I know that, Derek. I also know that if we don’t learn from our past, we’re doomed to repeat it.”
“Did you get that out of a Snapple cap?” I muttered.
“Make jokes, but watch yourself, little brother.”
“I will. Thanks, man.”
“Don’t worry about it. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
When I’d called my brother, I’d felt sure about my relationship with Jasmine and confused about my job. I ended the call knowing exactly how I felt about MasonCorp but more confused than ever about Jasmine.
I thought about my brother’s advice. If I didn’t learn from my parents’ mistakes, I’d be doomed to repeat them. The one thing my parents did, the thing they were still doing, was keeping secrets. If I wanted my relationship with Jasmine to survive whatever was going to happen with our jobs, I had to be open with her.
I planned to march back into that apartment and tell her everything without chickening out like I did this morning.
I couldn’t do it.
I walked into the apartment determined to lay everything on the line: Greenwood, MasonCorp, Dennis Walker, the whole nine. But when I walked in the door, I took one look at her face and knew that I couldn’t tell her anything that would take that smile away.
As it turned out, she’d been spending all morning working on plans for the Founders’ Day picnic. She jumped up from the kitchen table, grabbed my face with both hands, and pulled me into a kiss that made my heart expand in my chest. I unhooked Tora’s leash, scooped Jasmine into my arms, and walked us toward the bedroom while she told me all of the ideas she and Eleanor had planned. I hung on her every word, hoping there was a way I could stretch these moments into forever.
“Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Boyce.” Jasmine stroked my face as she lay cuddled next to me, pressing her nude, sweaty body against mine and wrapping her thigh around my waist.
“I was just wondering if you were trying to kill me with that little move you do with your hips, Mrs. Boyce.” I chuckled and smoothed a hand over her back.
