Safeguarding Kelly(11)
Author: Zoe Dawson

 

Including her sister, who’d followed Kelly’s line of vision and was checking Jason out for herself.

 

“Wow, that’s some major eye candy. It’s not very often that we get that kind of hottie around here,” Kim said, then glanced back at Kelly, who was dumbfounded and glued to the spot, her heart now pounding hard and fast.

 

Her sister frowned, seemingly realizing that there was more to this scenario than initially met the eye. “Sweetie, do you know him?”

 

“Oh, yes.” The words escaped her throat in a rasp of sound, barely recognizable as her own.

 

“Yes?” Kim echoed in amusement. “Is that a ‘Oh, yes, I’d like to’ or a ‘Oh, yes, I have?’”

 

As much as Kelly dreaded the confrontation heading her way—and there was no doubt in her mind that’s exactly what this moment and Jason’s manners would dictate—she knew it would be senseless to lie to Kim. The jig was up. She just had to play it cool.

 

“I work with him, Kim. Get your mind out of the gutter.” A good defense was always a strong offense.

 

“But after looking at him, sweetie, it’s so damn hard.” Her sister frowned again. “He seems familiar…” Trailing off she studied Jason. A deep-seated fear took hold, and Kelly fought to keep it under wraps.

 

Kim was right. He looked familiar because Kiko had his features and Kim was reacting to that.

 

Her sister was about to meet the father of her daughter.

 

What a complete disaster.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

 

 

 

“Hi, Jason,” Kelly said, glancing at her sister’s contemplative face. She was studying his features like she recognized him.

 

“Have we met?” Kim said, offering her his hand.

 

“No, I don’t think so.” He took her hand in his and smiled. She looked a lot like Kelly, same pretty eyes, but hers were a dark brown, same long dark hair, but there was an ease about her that was lacking with Kelly. She looked uptight.

 

“Jason, this is my sister, Kim. Jason and I worked together in Alaska.”

 

Kim’s features cleared. “That must be it. Maybe I saw a picture of you guys.”

 

“Yeah, that must be it,” Kelly murmured.

 

They stood awkwardly for a moment and Kim glanced at the clock. “Damn, is that the time? I’m so late. I’ve got to go.” She gave Kelly a quick hug. “It was nice to meet you, Jason.” She went to turn away, then turned back. “Why don’t you invite him over for dinner, Kelly? He’s new in town.”

 

Kelly barely covered up her look of horror at her sister’s suggestion. Considering her attempts to keep her distance, he wasn’t shocked she wouldn’t want him at her family’s dinner table.

 

“I’m pretty busy lately with these homicides…,” he said to get her off the hook.

 

Looking terribly guilty and relieved, Kelly smiled wanly. “We’re both busy, Kim. We’ll have to see.”

 

“Okay, have a good day, you two.”

 

She hurried out of the shop. Kelly watched her sister go with a pensive look on her face. He could only guess at what she was thinking. When she noticed he was watching her, she turned to get back in line and he said, “Why don’t you find a table and I’ll get our orders.”

 

“You don’t know—”

 

“Half calf with cream no sugar.”

 

Her features softened. “You remembered.” Then it was as if she shook herself free of a pleasant memory. “I’m capable of getting my own coffee.”

 

He didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, and she gave him an exasperated huff and turned toward the tables, muttering under her breath. But she didn’t waste any energy arguing with him.

 

He moved up to the counter and ordered as Kelly found a table in the back a little apart from the others. He was aware she would want some privacy while they had their discussion. It’s why he offered to get the beverages.

 

After his name was called, he grabbed up their cups and headed to the back. Kelly was looking down, deep in thought. When he set her cup down in front of her, she looked up.

 

Her eyes, dark with concern, met his. But she didn’t say anything. She waited for him to sit and say his piece. That’s why they were here. Jason stared past her right shoulder, the traffic moving steadily as the light changed from red to green.

 

“I have to be honest with you,” he said. “It hurt to find out after the fact that you were gone, transferred. Of course, I know why you left, and I know you want me to drop this, but I have to say we had something special between us. Now that our relationship isn’t prohibited, we could get to know each other better. I’m not saying we have to have a romantic situation and nothing physical right now, but can’t we just…I don’t know, be friends?”

 

A soft smile curved up the corner of her mouth. “Friends?” She laughed, but it was mocking. “Right, Jason. I’m afraid that being friends with you will lead to something else. I’m being honest with you.” The sun behind her created a corona of light around her head, the dark blue collar of her blouse bright above the gray suit jacket. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, shining like black satin in the sunlight. She had her hands clasped around the coffee cup, but she hadn’t taken a sip, her dark eyes anxious as she watched him, and Jason’s chest tightened even more. It was all so familiar, as their time together always seemed to be fraught with so much tension.

 

Unless they were in bed. Then her eyes were dark with passion. He swallowed hard and looked away. “You have a good point.”

 

She watched him, judging his response, waiting for more, but he didn’t elaborate. They were both aware of what happened when they got close in any kind of setting. She hunched her shoulders and sat forward. “We do have to work together. That’s a fact. But it is only temporary.”

 

“Are you worried about being together, if that happened?” he clarified when her face closed up. “Do you feel that would be unprofessional?”

 

“No, I don’t. I think you would act accordingly, just as you did when we were flying rescue missions together.”

 

He sat back, the bitterness of his injury swamping him. Damn, but he missed being a rescue swimmer like hell. Every day. This work was interesting, and he would be able to make a career of the Coast Guard, but something was missing. He’d even gone through a new surgery for his rotator cuff, but the doctor wouldn’t listen to him. Even now, he swam every day and had no issues.