Ready, Aim, Fire

 

Scanning the houses along East Cliff Drive, I wondered which one belonged to Jackson. I was excited to finally see his house, curious if it would at all fit the image in my mind. Knox slowed the truck and pulled into the driveway of one of the cutest houses on the street; if I had to pick one as my favorite based on exterior alone, this would definitely be it.

Waves crashed in the background as we walked up the paved stone pathway through the grassy lawn. Jackson’s charming bungalow had crisp white siding, and despite the low roofline, there appeared to be a second story. Dark charcoal trim lined the windows and all the exterior light fixtures were a dark, almost black, metal. Knox knocked on the charcoal-colored front door, and I could see Jackson’s figure approaching through the beveled glass windows that covered the top half.

“Come on in,” Jackson said, ushering us inside while keeping Penny from escaping to the small front yard and relatively busy road. Jackson was barefoot but otherwise still in his work attire, his shirtsleeves rolled up. Penny immediately greeted me, licking my hand and inviting me to pet her. “Thanks again for watching Penny. I really appreciate it.”

“Absolutely,” I said, ruffling Penny’s fur and trying not to be too obvious about checking out Jackson’s house as we followed him to the kitchen. A passing glance revealed that a door to the left led to a study with a sofa, and on the right was a full bathroom. Hardwood floors in a light stain with gray undertones ran the length of the first floor.

The interior was cozy, serene, and surprisingly relaxed considering what I knew of Jackson’s personality. Despite the cooler blue and white tones of the color palette, his home felt warm and welcoming. I loved the kitchen’s white cabinets and tile backsplash the color of sea glass. The main living space was divided between the kitchen and living room, all with windows that overlooked the ocean below.

While Jackson talked with Knox and gave him a tote packed with Penny’s food, leash, and toys, I peered out the wall of windows leading to a large deck with a wire railing that provided an unobstructed view. Situated on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean, there was a relatively steep incline behind the house. Halfway down the hill was a paved walking path, and in the near distance I could see a stairway that appeared to lead to the beach.

Large boulders provided a barrier between the beach and Jackson’s house. With the sun near setting and the temperature relatively cool, the beach was mostly empty. Any surfers determined enough to brave the chilly water were wading into the shore, the daylight soon fading.

“Like what you see?” Jackson asked, his voice indicating he was right behind me.

“I love it. Your house is beautiful.” I turned to face him. “Are you sure you only need a dog sitter and not a house sitter as well?” I inquired with a grin.

“Nuh uh,” Knox said, “Theo will kill me if he comes home to find you’ve moved out.”

Jackson smirked, his tone boastful. “I do have the best view and beach access.” He turned back to me. “You’re welcome anytime. Maybe we can finally take that run on the beach.”

“Um, Haley, I think it’s time to go home.” Knox tugged my arm playfully.

“Don’t fret,” Jackson chided. “Haley and I can always go surfing instead if running is your thing together.”

Seeking to change the subject before the banter between Knox and Jackson got too out of hand, I said, “I guess you won’t be coming to Taco Tuesday tonight?”

Jackson invited us to sit on the plush fabric sofas as we continued talking, and Penny plopped down on the floor at Jackson’s feet, clearly at home. His home was nothing like I had imagined, but it suited him perfectly. There was a large flat-screen television over the fireplace and a wall of built-in bookshelves with a loft space above that opened to the rest of the house.

Jackson shook his head. “I wish I could, but Patrick wants me to leave tonight.”

“Are you going anywhere exciting?” I asked, doubting he would answer.

“I’m headed to our Dallas office for a few days on Patrick’s behalf. After the break-in, he wants to keep an even closer eye on the San Jose office.”

“That’s understandable. Any leads on who hired the intruder?”

Jackson shook his head. “Not yet. Over the past few years, Zenith has grown so quickly that I fear it’s going to take some time to unravel who is behind this. In other news, I do have more information on Vincent DuBois.”

“Oh?” Given our history with such topics, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised that Jackson was actually volunteering to share.

“It’s not much, but he’s living in Oakland. He owns several businesses that appear legitimate, including a car dealership and a cleaning service, to name a few.” He paused a moment as if waiting for me to take in the news. “From what we can tell, there isn’t much chatter about DuBois outside his business interests, which indicates that either he’s behaving at the moment or he’s doing an excellent job of covering things up.”

I made a face, skeptical that DuBois had reformed his behavior. “And Gerald Douglas? Is he still searching for my dad?”

Jackson looked to Knox and then back to me. “We’ve been in touch with him, but since he’s had no other leads and is busy with his campaign, it doesn’t seem to be as much of a priority. I can’t promise he’s not pursuing your father, but for the moment, I would try not to worry about it.”

I let out a breath of air. “Well that’s a small relief, at least. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And, I know that you’re certain right now, but if you reconsider and want us to start searching for your father again, let me know.”

Although I was unlikely to change my mind, I agreed, “I will.”

Knox stood up. “We should get out of your hair so you can get ready. C’mon, Penny,” he called.

Jackson walked us to the door and kneeled down to scratch behind Penny’s ears. “Be a good girl for Haley and Knox,” he said in a slightly cutesy voice. I tamped down my smile when he turned to me and said, “I’ll drop by the loft on Sunday evening to pick her up.”

“Sounds good.”

Knox grabbed the tote and headed to his truck, hollering, “Have a good trip,” over his shoulder.

After helping Penny into the back seat, I climbed in after her. “I’m going to sit back here,” I told Knox.

He groaned good-naturedly. “I have a feeling I just lost my status as your favorite roommate.”

“You should be used to it since Theo usually holds that title,” I teased.

“Ouch.”

Back at the loft, I immediately started working on dinner since Liam and Ethan would arrive any minute. Thankfully, I planned ahead and made a pan of enchiladas the night before that just needed to bake. While I threw the ingredients for fresh salsa in the blender, I pondered how odd it would be without Theo, Chase, and Jackson there for dinner. Ever since our first Taco Tuesday—which had now become an every-few-weeks event—I tried to make sure that all, or at least most, of the guys were available ahead of time. But, I couldn’t do anything about half of them going out of town.

March seems so far off, I thought, sighing to myself. Theo and Chase had only been gone for six days, but it already felt like so much longer. Not surprisingly, Theo texted often and had even called a few times to share amusing stories and check in with me. Chase, however, was a different story. He was initiating contact again through “Words With Friends” and the occasional text, but our brief conversations were relatively impersonal. I still had no idea how he felt about me or our kiss, and the not knowing was driving me crazy. How will I survive two more months of this?

After dinner and a few games of pool, Liam and Ethan left, and I plopped down on the sectional in the basement. “I might just lie here and never get up,” I told Knox. “I love the furniture upstairs, but this couch is seriously amazing.”

“I know,” Knox said, turning on the television and flipping through the guide. “I always wonder why I don’t spend more time down here.”

Penny was looking up at me longingly, so I asked Knox, “Is Penny allowed on the couch?”

“Sure.”

I scooted back and patted the empty spot in front of me. “Come here, girl.” She hopped up and settled right next to me, placing her head on my stomach. I slowly stroked her fur and giggled when she licked my fingers, tickling me. “None of that, now.”

“You’re really good with her,” Knox said. “Have you ever had a dog?”

“No, although I’ve always wanted one. Maybe someday . . . how about you?”

“No. Theo and I have talked about getting one, but it’s not very practical since we’re gone so much. Jax has a neighbor who usually looks after Penny; otherwise, I’m not sure what he would do.”

Penny inched forward until she was partially covering me like a blanket and her head rested on my chest. I laughed at how happy she looked all snuggled up. Pointing to my phone on the coffee table, I asked Knox to take a photo of us and then sent it to Jackson. Hopefully it would make him smile when he landed in Dallas.

“See anything you want to watch?” Knox asked, skimming the streaming options.

“Um, I don’t know many TV series. Ethan keeps bugging me to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though.”

“Mmm, no. I don’t do vampires.” Knox scanned through the recommended shows based on whatever Theo had been watching before stopping on Arrow. “How about this? Billionaire playboy returns home after being stranded on an island for five years . . . secret identity . . . vigilante,” he read from the synopsis.

“Sure, sounds interesting.”

After finishing the first episode, I was already sucked into the storyline. “Another one?” I asked Knox hopefully, even though it was already past my usual bedtime. “We can skip our run in the morning since we’ve gone the last three in a row.”

“This is how it starts—you’re a bad influence on me.”

“You’re the one who suggested this show. I blame you for the fact that I have to know what happens next.”

Knox chuckled. “Great, I’ve created a monster. If you never run or read a book again, it’ll be all my fault.”

“Hush and push play.”

 

*  *  *

 

I double-checked the rearview mirror as I came to a stop at the traffic light. After a few weeks of driving with Knox, he released me to drive on my own and handed me the keys to the Subaru since Theo was carpooling with Chase and Logan on their assignment at UCLA. Today was my first day out on my own, driving alone across the city.

Although I was grateful for the freedom, I still couldn’t believe how easily Knox had let me go. What was to stop me from driving off never to return? Maybe that’s why he got me addicted to Arrow, I laughed to myself, although it really was as much my fault as his. We were trying to pace ourselves, but the show was way too action-packed to resist. Ever since that first night when we stayed up late, we had fallen into a habit of watching it together several times a week.

I pulled into the parking lot of the shooting range, gravel crunching under the tires. My eyes were immediately drawn to Liam’s cobalt blue sports car glimmering in the sunlight. He leaned against the car, his long, lean body looking good. Too good, I thought as he glanced up and flashed me a smile. I exited the car and approached him, feeling his eyes on me the entire time.

“Good afternoon, gorgeous,” Liam said as he reached for my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “How was your morning?”

“Nice. Knox and I went for our usual run, and then I made us waffles.”

“Lucky git. Why does he get to live with you? And when are you going to come stay with me again? Your last visit was all too brief.”

I shrugged noncommittally.

“I’d bring you breakfast in bed every day.”

I laughed and shoved him lightly in the shoulder. “I’m so sure, Casanova.”

“Where would you like to start—archery or guns?”

“Guns?”

A number of cars were in the parking lot, but I didn’t think it would be very crowded. Liam led the way down the slope of a hill to a building. We checked in, signed the release forms, and got our supplies before we were directed to the outdoor shooting range. After inserting the earplugs and putting on safety glasses, we took our handguns and headed over to the gun range.

Surrounded by open land, the hilly terrain was covered in dry grass, interspersed with green trees. As expected, it was noisy, even with the earplugs, and gunfire rang out almost non-stop. The weather was chilly, but sunny, as we walked down the dusty path. Men and women of various ages congregated around an awning for a beginner’s rifle course. The next group we passed was comprised of children that couldn’t have been older than ten years old, and I had a brief flashback to the first time my dad taught me to shoot.

Once we found an empty spot, Liam and I set up our supplies. He gave me some tips, but mostly we were silent, each focused on our own tasks. I ran through various exercises my dad had taught me and took breaks occasionally to observe Liam’s own practice. He was an excellent marksman, and I found myself stealing glances at him when I didn’t think he was watching.

Liam was pure focus, every part of his body attuned to his task; his long fingers wrapped around the gun, the muscles in his jaw held taut. I tried to be discreet, but I know he caught me more than once before I quickly busied myself with reloading my gun. After almost an hour, we finished our last rounds of bullets and set our guns on the table.

“Impressive,” Liam said, practically yelling over the gunfire as he gestured to the target riddled with holes.

We returned our supplies to the equipment shed and then walked over to the archery range. Fortunately, earplugs were no longer required and the space was in a more peaceful, wooded area. After a brief lesson from the employee on duty, we found a set of empty targets and began taking turns shooting.

“I’m pretty horrible, but this is fun. I feel like Katniss or the Arrow,” I told Liam as I pulled an arrow from my quiver and tried to emulate Oliver Queen.

“You’re definitely more Lara Croft than Katniss at the moment, despite the braid. How long have you been shooting guns?”

“Since I was twelve. At the time, I thought it was odd that my dad was so insistent about teaching me, but as always, I followed his guidance without questioning it. And, I have to admit that it was comforting to know I could protect myself if I absolutely had to, especially since I spent so much time alone in the middle of nowhere. How about you?”

“My father taught me when I was ten. Mum told him I was too young, but he wanted to take me hunting on our land.”

“Wow, you’re really doing nothing to quell my visions of you as some kind of lord presiding over a huge estate.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but if that’s your fantasy, I can make it a reality.”

“Oh, Lord Carlyle, take me to your manor and have your way with me,” I said in a breathy, over-the-top accent before bursting into laughter.

I took my shot and then looked over to find Liam staring at me as if stupefied. I waved my hand in front of his face. “Oh come on, Liam, don’t tell me you actually liked my, and I quote, ‘awful British accent’ for once.”

He swallowed and finally spoke, his voice lower and with an edge to it. “Don’t say things like that unless you’re serious.”

“Okay, okay,” I smirked. “I didn’t realize it would have such an effect.”

“Everything you do affects me,” he responded, his voice softer and less confident than normal. “You’ve put me off all other women.”

I took a deep breath and released my arrow. How am I supposed to respond to that? Ordinarily, I brushed off Liam’s flirtatious advances as harmless banter, but more and more, I got the feeling he was being earnest and genuine.

“So no more trust fund non-girlfriend whatevers?” I teased, wondering why he was admitting this to me.

He sighed and lowered his bow and arrow. “You have a memory like an elephant, don’t you? That was months ago, it was one date, and I was bullied into it by a friend. The date was a set-up by his girlfriend, and I went along with it to keep the peace.” Liam gazed at me, his gray eyes glinting silver in the sunlight. Stepping close, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “And, so you know, I was utterly miserable the entire night.”

Stunned, I murmured, “Oh.”

Perhaps realizing he’d just dropped a bomb on me, he moved back and picked up his bow. “First one to hit the bullseye buys lunch.”

On the drive back to the loft, my mind was churning with Liam’s words, expressions, body language. When had everything become so complicated? I knew only one thing would make me feel better—confessing my boy problems to Jessica.

Knox wasn't home, but not wanting to chance being overheard again, I threw on a jacket and hopped on one of Theo's bikes to head for the beach. I didn't have long before sunset, so once I found a private spot on the sand, I didn't waste any time dialing Jess's number.

"Hales!" she squealed loudly, and I instinctively pulled the phone away from my ear. "Finally. Now that you're talking to me again, I assumed I'd hear from you more than once a month. But, no . . ."

"Okay, drama queen. I've texted plenty of times and left a voicemail for you on Christmas."

"Yeah, well, Christmas doesn't count. You knew I'd be surrounded by my cousins and their screaming babies. Anyway, enough about that. What's going on with you and your harem of gorgeous men?"

"Harem?" I snorted. "Hardly. But, there is something I want to tell you."

"Ooooh. Please be something juicy."

"Sort of . . ." I said, pausing to draw out the suspense since I knew she would freak out when I shared my news.

"Well, what is it? I'm dying here!"

"On Christmas Eve, Chase and I kind of had a moment . . ." Anticipating Jess's reaction, I moved my phone away from my ear again. "And then he kissed me."

"Omigod!" she yelled. "Oh. My. God. How was it? Was it amazing? Or was it horrible? Tell me it wasn't horrible. You know, you can't judge all kisses by your first kiss. Sometimes they're awkward and wet, but they can get better. Or not. It depends on the guy."

Jess was talking so fast that I barely had time to process her rambling before she huffed and said, "Haley. Are you even listening to me? How was it?"

"Sorry, I was waiting for you to take a breath so I could speak," I said flatly.

"Ha, ha. Now stop stalling."

"I don't know what to say. It was great. Perfect, really."

“Okay . . . then why do you sound so depressed?” Jess asked, her tone skeptical.

I launched into a description of everything that had happened (or not happened) since the kiss and then explained that we’d only been texting because Chase was out of town until sometime in March.

“And if the situation with Chase wasn’t frustrating enough,” I said with a groan, “there’s also Liam . . . and Ethan.”

“Whoa, girly. Do not tell me that you’ve been kissed by three hot guys in the last month, because I will seriously be jealous.”

“No, no more kissing. It’s just that, Ethan took me to a movie last week, and I thought it was a friends thing, but with the way he was acting, it felt more like a date. And, even though I like him—have always liked him—he’s totally a player, which I am not okay with. Then, today, Liam—who I have nicknamed ‘Casanova’—basically admitted that he’s not interested in other girls anymore because of me, and I’m starting to freak out. I mean, neither of them have technically made a move, but I have no idea how I would react if they did. And if all of that wasn’t confusing enough, it’s possible that I also have crush-worthy feelings for Jackson, Theo, and Knox.” I released a deep breath. “So, yeah . . .”

When I was met with silence on the other end of the phone, I said, “Jess? Are you still there?”

“Oh, I’m here. I just can’t believe that you said so many words in a row. It’s a first; I’m not kidding.”

“Well, now is not the time to go quiet on me. Do you have any advice?”

“I don’t know, Haley. It’s not exactly a normal situation, but try not to stress out. Go with the flow and see what happens. It sucks that you don’t know where you stand with Chase, but you can’t put your life on hold while waiting for him to man up and tell you how he feels. You know my philosophy . . .”

“. . . You only live once,” I finished for her.

“Exactly. Especially now that I’m living vicariously through you,” she said with a laugh.

I shook my head, smiling at Jess’s c’est la vie outlook. Although I felt better after getting all of my frustrations off my chest, I knew I wouldn’t follow her advice. There were too many things she didn’t understand or even know about—the team dynamics, at the top of the list—and I couldn’t be so cavalier with other people’s feelings, anyway. But, I did agree that I should go with the flow . . . for now.