“Don’t change the subject. Did you deposit the check I gave you? What else do you need, Harper?”
“I don’t want anything from you, Jordy. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“I needed to pick my guy up for robotics. I also needed to see you in person so I could let you know that you have my permission to go to dinner with Jase, but make sure he’s a gentleman.”
“And I need your permission because?”
“Because you’re an overthinker. You’ll talk yourself out of having a good time over expensive alcohol and a good meal and conversation with an old friend.”
“I’m not interested in friends, old or new.”
JoJo cracked a smile, and I swear I almost melted like the Wicked Witch. I fought to keep a straight face as he took a step closer and grabbed my hand.
“Yes, you are, Harper. You deserve it. I’ll talk to my mom if you need a sitter.”
“JoJo, stay out of my life, OK. You had the chance to be a part of what I have going on, and you declined.”
“That’s a lie, Harper. I never declined anything. You didn’t give me a choice.”
“I think I left my jacket at school,” Cam said as he ran back into the room. His presence broke some of the tension between Jordy and me.
“It’s cool, man. It’s nice out,” Jordy interjected.
Instead of telling him to mind his own damn business again, I rolled my eyes. JoJo just chuckled before heading to the door.
“I can’t wait to show my mom all the cool stuff you showed us, Doctor JoJo She loves learning and stuff just like you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at my son’s statement. Cam’s excitement softened me to the idea of going along with the program today. It was good to see him excited to learn. The thought barely had the chance to pass before JoJo looked at me over his shoulder and winked. I could only shake my head. I knew he was using my son to get close to me. I just didn’t have the heart to block him. This was good for Cameron. I knew it was. Still, as the butterflies in my stomach began to stir, I knew coming back to Lakeview was a bad idea.
Reluctantly, I followed Jordy and Cam to his car and stood back as he opened the door for Cameron to get inside, then opened my door. I could tell Jordy was content with himself as he moved around the car to the driver’s side and got in. He looked over at me and flashed that signature coy smile that I hated and loved at the same time. I had never gotten over how shy and gentle Jordy was when we met. His humility encouraged me to be bold.
Something about knowing that beneath that mysteriously sexy demeanor was a quiet, shy lover boy, turned me on. Jordy loved and cared for me the way women dreamed to be loved when things were good, and I loved him from the depths of my soul for it.
I had never completely healed from the heartache of his betrayal. Being close to him brought all those feelings back to the forefront. His ever-calm demeanor mixed with that sexy, warm cologne he wore threatened to disarm me, so I toyed with the keys resting in my lap to avoid having to pay attention to him.
Paying attention to him meant remembering the good times and not the way he crushed me. Remembering what a good guy he was would be the key to unlocking my heart. I had to focus on the pain to protect myself. I had too much to lose. My son had gone through enough. I refused to cause him any more psychological damage than I already had.
“You good?” Jordy asked, never taking his eyes off me.
“Amazing,” I muttered.
He laughed again, a little too entertained by my discomfort if you ask me. “You might as well pretend to be happy here. Look how happy your little man is.”
“He’s actually happy. You know I don’t pretend.”
“How could I forget?” he asked with a smirk that made me want to jump out of the car.
Jordy must have sensed my growing irritation because he finally pulled away from the curb. Cameron was oblivious to the tension between us as he leaned forward in his seat.
“Mom, wait until you see the cool robots. Doctor JoJo let us look in the room one day.”
I took a deep breath and released it as my son reminded me why I agreed to come in the first place. His excitement about something related to school was enough of a reward to get me to play nice for an hour or so.
“I can’t wait,” I said, not exactly having to force my small smile.
“That’s what I like to hear,” JoJo commented.
After a successful attempt at not rolling my eyes, I turned my attention out of the window. I could tolerate JoJo for a little while, for the sake of my son. Thankfully, it was a quick ride to his school. As soon as we pulled into a parking spot, I was out of the car. Cameron was right behind me. As soon as he was out of the car, he grabbed my hand to drag me with him.
