“I don’t think so.” A wave of jealousy rushed through me at the thought that Jackson would be interested in my sister. “Besides, he’s not your type.”
“Gorgeous and sexy isn’t my type? Then please tell me what is.” The slight smirk on her face goaded me, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.
“Can we not talk about my boss, please?”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat. “What do you want to talk about?”
I didn’t want to discuss my ex, but I desperately needed someone to talk to about what happened last week.
“I ran into Bruno last week, here at the gym.”
“Bruno?”
“Mitch’s buddy.”
“Oh, shit.”
“I know. I asked him to please not tell Mitch he saw me, but he said he couldn’t do that. He then went on to tell me that it wasn’t fair of me to leave Mitch just because he works long hours.”
“That bastard. How about you left him because of years of abuse and because he was the one who caused your miscarriage?” Abby’s face flushed in her anger, and I appreciated the unwavering support for my situation. “He’s a piece of shit. I don’t know why you stayed married to him so long.”
“Me either.”
“At least you’re free of him now.”
I tilted my head from side to side, the left side of my mouth scrunching in a nonverbal disagreement.
“Free of him? Not really. Not yet anyway. Bruno told him he’d seen me, and later that day Mitch showed up outside the gym. Jackson and I had just come back from a run when I saw him. And when Jackson saw how upset I was, he confronted Mitch. He even threatened him.”
“He did?” Abby’s mouth curved into a huge grin. “What did he say?”
I ignored her glee. “He said that if he ever showed up here again, he’d regret it. And Mitch knows that Jackson is an MMA fighter.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “I hope that knowledge is enough for him to finally back off and leave me alone.”
“Has he come back since or called you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then maybe Jackson scared him off.”
“Maybe.” My shoulders quickly rose, then fell. “I hope so.” Abby draped her arm over the back of the sofa and stared at me, her smile increasing. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, regretting my question because I had an inkling the next words out of her mouth were going to be about my boss.
“Jackson saved you. I think he likes you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. She told the truth. Not only did Jackson come to my defense when Mitch showed up, but he did like me, as I did him. Or, at the very least, he desired me. We just hadn’t crossed that line, but not for lack of temptation.
“I do. The way he stared at you when I stopped by that one time… it was undeniable. I don’t know what your issue is. There’s obviously chemistry between you. Just act on it.”
“It’s not that easy,” I replied, realizing my mistake as soon as I uttered the words.
“Ah-ha!” she exclaimed, pointing at me as if she’d uncovered a thousand-year-old mystery. “I knew it! You want him.”
I wanted to gush that I really liked him and that all I could think about was what it would be like to kiss him, but I chose my words carefully. I could become lost in the image of Jackson all over again.
As if you ever stopped fantasizing about the man.
“Okay, yes, I’m attracted to him, but he’s my boss. We can’t cross that line.”
“But you want to.” Her words formed a statement and not a question.
