Chapter Six
Josie
Bright sunlight woke Josie from a deep, dreamless sleep. Stretching with a moan of pleasure, Josie looked around the room in confusion. Last she recalled, Jax had just buckled her in for the journey home from his family’s gathering. She must have dropped off immediately. Since she didn’t recall their arrival, he obviously carried her to bed. Rolling to her side, Josie noted the mussed covers blanket and indented pillow lying beside her. So, for the second night in a row, Jax shared her bed. Not quite sure how to feel about the intimacy of the action but not wanting to analyze it now, she flopped back against her pillow and mentally revisited the list of topics she needed to speak with Jax about.
One: his motives.
Two: her duties for the month.
Three: his family.
Four: ... The smell of maple syrup hit her all of a sudden, and her stomach chose that moment to convey its empty state with a loud rumble.
List forgotten, Josie made her way to the bathroom to ready herself for the day. From the enticing aroma wafting from below, pancakes were on the menu, and she was not about to let them get cold.
Ten minutes later, dressed in a pair of high-waisted white shorts and a white and navy striped halter top, Josie entered the kitchen just as Jax was plating up the most delicious stack of pancakes Josie had ever seen. Glancing up at her entrance, he smiled at her appearance.
“Just in time Baby Girl; I was just about to go and drag you out of bed.” Walking around the island that housed the stove, Jax carried two plates piled high with breakfast toward the tiny table near the window; dropping a small kiss on Josie’s forehead as he passed.
Following his lead, Josie sat opposite him and waited for him to be seated before picking up her fork. She loved pancakes, but didn’t often get to indulge. Unfortunately for Josie, nuking a TV dinner in the microwaves was the extent of her culinary skills. As she didn’t eat out often, the only time she was able to treat herself with her favorite food was when she was invited out to friend’s homes.
Josie plate was half gone before she became aware of the silence from across the table. Face red with embarrassment, she realized Jax had forgone his own meal to watch her. Placing her fork on the table, she explained sheepishly “Sorry. Pancakes are my favorite, and since I can’t cook, I don’t really get to eat them.”
Smiling at her, Jax picked up his fork to start eating his own meal, nodding his head toward her fork, encouraging her to continue eating.
“Eat up baby. The pan is still warming, and I have extra batter if you want more.” Taking a bite, Jax continued “I love to see a woman eating enthusiastically. It seems like everyone is on a diet these days, and no one takes the time to just enjoy their food. Meals are treated like a chore and it’s a damn shame.”
Digging into their food, a pleasant silence descended, with only the occasional scraping of fork on plate breaking through. Savoring each bite, she studied Jax as he ate. Wearing jeans and another black pullover; golden hair finger combed over away from his face, Jax was relaxation personified.
As the meal progressed, she found they had more in common then she could have guessed. Josie found herself opening up to Jax; from her failed relationship with Lawrence to her dreams of becoming a writer. Jax, in turn, confided to Josie about his life growing up in the Montgomery home. Working as a team to clean the remnants of breakfast, he went on to tell her about his struggle to make a name for himself apart from his family.
“It’s not like we are royalty mind you, but my family have lived in a small town for generations. Before he retired, dad was an attorney who worked for the family firm, as was his dad, and his dad, etc. I became an attorney and was set to follow in their footsteps, but I needed to forge my own path.”
Nodding in understanding, Josie could see how breaking away must have been a tough call for Jax: not wanting to disappoint his family, but being too dominant to follow in another’s footsteps.
As the last dish was dried, and placed in the cabinet, Jax ushered Josie out of the kitchen for a belated tour of the house. Although he had offered her free reign and the ability to explore at her leisure, Jax had kept her too busy to take him up on the offer. Now, exploring the office she would be using while in residence, she could only stare in wonder at the cozy space.
The office was a writer’s paradise. A floor to ceiling bookshelf occupied one wall; perfect for housing many treasured tomes. Against the opposite wall stood a magnificent fireplace with a cozy arm chair positioned for maximum comfort and a spectacular view of the glorious gardens from the large bay window that took up the entirety of the connecting wall. The desk, tucked against the remaining wall, was decked out in the latest must haves for any aspiring writer. As Josie lowered herself to sit behind the desk, eyes on the pricey desktop she had been coveting for ages, she jumped up in surprise at the vibrations emanating from her seat.
As she turned to inspect the chair, Jax explained “The chair has a message function that can be controlled by a phone app. You can set it on a timer, or when pressure is applied; whatever you prefer.” At her raised eyebrow, he continued “I’ve noticed when you become immersed in a project, you tend to hunch closer to the computer screen, as if trying to see deeper into it. When you finally do get up, your back is sore, since you tend to grimace when you stretch out the kinks. This way, you can manage the soreness with a gentle massage…unless you would like me to rub you down.” He stated with a comical leer.
Laughing at his expression, Josie couldn’t help but shiver slightly at the idea of his large hands rubbing and kneading at her naked flesh. With quite some effort, she was able to shake off that alluring image to continue on with the tour.
As they spent the day together, touring the home and its surrounding lands, Josie’s mind swirled with doubts. Although Jax had stated his having wanted her for some time, Josie was unable to process such a mind boggling idea. Jaxson Montgomery was as close to perfection she’d ever seen, and she… well, she was not.
Short and a bit on the plump side, Josie knew she was cute in a farm girl sort of way; but Jax was the stuff dreams were made of. Rich, successful and charismatic, Jax could have his pick of women. Why would he want her? Her need to pursue something deeper with Jax warred with her own insecurities. Logically, she knew a lot of her self-doubt was a result of her time with Lawrence, but years of conditioning were hard to fight.
By the time dinner rolled around, she was no closer to a resolution. Her body screamed at her to give in, to take what was being offered and to hell with the consequences, but her mind: Oh how her mind continued to catalogue all of her flaws and imperfections. Enough was enough already , Josie silently swore. All this dithering was getting her nowhere.
Aided by the delicious meal Jax had prepared, and a few glasses of wine, Josie came to a decision at last. What was life without risk? She would see where this thing went; and if it ended in heartbreak, well… thanks to Lawrence, she was not unfamiliar with that emotion. She had survived his betrayal and had gone on; if things didn’t work out with Jax, she would survive that too. Ignoring the insidious voice that whispered her heart wouldn’t survive loving, then losing Jax, Josie resolved to give into her longing and see where the night lead.