Page 36 of Just Like That
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose with a laugh. “Lovely.”
JP smiled into his coffee mug, and I eyed him behind lowered lashes. “So ... am I also invited to coffee and doughnuts?”
He frowned at me, and my body definitely should not have tingled at the seriousness of his stern brow. “Of course.”
Heat and awareness prickled at the base of my skull as I slid off the island stool. “I’ll go get dressed then.”
Taking my coffee mug with me, I headed toward the stairs at the back of the house. Once I was out of sight, I scampered up the steps with a fresh giddiness coursing through me.
THIRTEEN
HAZEL
The driveinto town was filled with Teddy talking nonstop from the back seat of JP’s car. For our trip from Chicago to Michigan, I’d picked up aRandom Facts Every Kid Should Knowbook.
I had regrets.
Teddy flipped a page. “Did you know that tarantula spiders can survive two and a half years without food?”
I turned to look at him. “Is that true?”
He gestured with the book and lifted a shoulder. “Apparently.”
I shivered. “Yeesh. No thanks.”
Teddy read another fact aloud. “The human body has six hundred muscles ... but that includes your heart, tongue, and the muscles you need to not pee your pants.”
A shotgun burst of laughter exploded from my chest.
As we drove, I stared out the passenger-side window and tried not to focus on the veins on the back of JP’s hand or the way the corded muscles of his forearms flexed as he gripped the steering wheel.
Or any of hisothersix hundred muscles.
JP looked at Teddy in the rearview mirror. “You think I could borrow that book sometime?”
I glanced over at him. “Doing some light reading?”
A muscle flicked in his cheek. “Nah. It’s payback.”
My eyebrows raised.
JP continued, “One time Royal got ahold of Duke Sullivan’s phone number and began spamming him with random cat facts just to mess with him. It was shockingly effective.”
A small laugh bubbled inside me. “But payback?”
His hand gripped the steering wheel. “A long while ago, the Sullivans got me pretty good. They’d hidden these little devices everywhere that emitted a cricket’s chirp. That damn chirp followed me around forweeks. I thought I was losing my mind until I found one under the seat of my car.”
My fingers pressed to my lips. “That’s hilarious and actually quite brilliant. Do you know who did it?”
His eyes narrowed, and I hated to admit that seeing a vengeful JP was kind of hot. “Kate planted it but I am fairly positive Lee was behind it. He’s due for some payback.”
“So, revenge after all this time?” I asked.
He pinned me with his icy stare, and a shiver slid down my spine. “I’m a very patient man when it comes to getting what I want.”
My lips pressed together to hide a smile. I settled back into the plush leather seat and soaked in the rolling hills and rambling blueberry fields bursting with dark, ripe blueberries.
From the back seat, Teddy changed topics. “Can we pick blueberries sometime?”