Page 12 of The Beach House With You

Jason shrugged.

“I’m as good with a sponge as I am with blueprints,” he said cheekily.

Unable to help herself, Jeanette felt a wide grin spread across her face. She wasn’t expecting to see Jason today, but she had to admit, she enjoyed it. And if he would help her with the dishes, that would give Amanda and Whitney the night off from cleaning up.

“What’s the catch?” Jeanette asked, placing her fists on her hips. Jason grinned back at her.

“You might have to talk with me. Maybe have a drink even.”

Jeanette let out a slow whistle as she shook her head in jest.

“I don’t know, that’s a pretty tall order there, cowboy.”

“What if I threw in a pint of chocolate coffee crunch from Shelby’s Dairy?” Jason countered.

For a moment this brought Jeanette up short. Shelby’s Dairy was another local family-owned business that no doubt had been kept alive by the generations, and chocolate coffee crunch had been her favorite flavor when they were younger. They’d gone together as a group every now and then, but it shocked her that Jason remembered that.

“Will you bring a side of hot fudge too?” she asked, continuing with their conversation.

“Even if I have to steal it.” Jason smiled, looking pleased.

Jeanette laughed, then heard the doorbell go off again.

“Sounds like a deal,” she replied, stepping away. “Dinner service is over at nine.”

“I’ll be back by 9:05 p.m.,” Jason promised.

6

Jason was back at The Sea Glass Cottage by 8:55 p.m., with enough ice cream and toppings for Amanda and Whitney as well. Jeanette’s cousins gladly accepted his offer of doing the dishes for them, and took their ice cream outside to enjoy on the back deck before they started gathering up the soiled tablecloths and napkins. Once Jason and Jeanette were alone, Jeanette went to the sink to start drawing the water. Jason bumped her out of the way with his hip and told her to sit at the table and enjoy her ice cream.

“Are you always this bossy?” she teased, popping the lid off her ice cream. She thrust her spoon into the smooth cream deftly and pulled out a small scoop. She sighed in happiness as she tasted the ice cream she enjoyed when she was younger, delighted that it hadn’t changed.

“I suppose I am.” Jason chuckled, depositing the first stack of dishes into the sink. “But I find that if I’m not, things don’t get done.” He turned to study her for a moment, then asked, “How’s your ice cream?”

“Perfect,” Jeanette replied happily, “just the way I remember it.”

Jason nodded. “Good.”

As Jeanette continued enjoying her frozen treat, she studied Jason’s back. He’d rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing a thin layer of dark hair that covered his arms. As she watched, the muscles in his back rippled, visible through the white shirt he was wearing.

“You’re staring,” he said, not turning away from the dishes.

“Am not,” Jeanette retorted, immediately looking down at her ice cream. “I’m pondering.”

“Oh?” Jason asked, amused, “And what is it that you’re pondering?”

“You’ve been helping Amanda and Whitney a lot, haven’t you?” Jeanette asked. “And at quite a discounted rate.”

Jason nodded his head, still facing the dishes.

“I have,” he agreed matter-of-factly, “though they don’t need much help to be honest. They know what they’re doing.”

“Why?” Jeanette asked.

“Why what?” Jason countered.

“Why are you helping them?” she asked. “What’s in it for you?”

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