“Guess we will,” he said with a smile.He looked lighter, as if a heavy weight no longer pinned him.
“You got a destination in mind?”I asked.
He shook his head.“I figured you’d throw me out and we wouldn’t get to dinner.”
I tsked.
“But I’ve been wanting to eat at that new place on the lake—the one Nash mentioned that’s Southern-vegan fusion.”
I raised an eyebrow.“I’ll try it if that’s where you want to go, but I’m going to tell you if I don’t like it.”
“You’ll like it,” Steve said as he whipped out his phone, probably to text Nash about getting a table.“Because under all that butter usage is a woman who loves vegetables.”
He had me there.
“Good thing we know some people who can pull a few strings.I’d like a table with a good view of the lake.Especially if I’m going to put on my black dress and fix my hair.”
“You always look beautiful, Jasmine.”
I smiled.“Charmer.”
He winked.His phone rang.“Nash.”He said, holding the device up so I saw the name.
“I won’t be but a minute,” I said as I headed up the stairs.
“Nash,” Steve said.“Thanks for helping me out.I really owe you one.”
I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation between Steve and Nash because I’d dived into my closet to find something pretty to wear.Good thing Kate stopped me from cleaning because I would have needed to shower.But since I’d not done much that day thanks to my kids’ hovering, I just needed to change.
I picked a three-quarter sleeve black dress with a skirt that hit at mid-calf.I paired it with my favorite hand-tooled cowboy boots that matched my silver and turquoise belt Cam and Jenna got for me last time they were in Arizona.
The kids liked to spoil me, which I appreciated.It was nice to feel loved and wanted, but at the same time, I didn’t need their gifts.I was so happy to be part of their lives, especially so involved with Cam, Jenna, and little Cash.I tugged on the dress as I considered what Steve had told me.
In some ways, his history mirrored my own.I hadn’t been abused like Steve and his poor mama, but Laurence crushed my spirt.It was only afterward that I realized how far I’d let myself fall…how much of myself I’d lost.
No, that wasn’t the same as the horrors Steve endured, but we’d both let our pasts dictate our current situation.He was right to lay his to res.I thought I’d done that the end of last year.
I so wanted to have paid my debt to the universe.I wanted to be happy, settled and in love.
I wanted romance.
After I changed, I pulled my hair back from my face on the left side, clipping it behind my ear with a silver comb.A quick swipe of mascara that Kate got me hooked on—I always oohed when I saw how long and thick my lashes became—and some lip gloss.
Stared at my reflection, shocked by the sparkle in my eye and the curve of my lips.Giddiness seized me.
“This is your chance,” I whispered.“You got to grab it with both hands.”I grimaced as I lifted my casted arm.
“Both of them, Jasmine.And you got to make sure that Steve knows his place in your life.The kids have their loves, heir families.You and Steve…you’ll be each other’s number one priority.Tell him that, and often.He deserves to be put first.”So did I.
Nerves fluttered through my stomach.“At least, I think that’s what he wants.Good golly.I hope so.”
I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs.
Steve was in the kitchen, probably throwing out my butter.“I was planning to tell you that you matter to me, but if you’re clearing out my refrigerator of food you don’t like, we’re going to have a big problem,” I said.
He blinked at me, mouth hanging open.“I was checking to see if you had any buttermilk.”
“Of course I have buttermilk.”I sniffed.“I bake.”
