Hit the Wall

“I think he was just sick enough to listen to reason without putting up too much of a fight,” I said.

“That’s good to hear. I hope you don’t mind that we’ve asked Jackson to give you a ride back to your dorm. My husband had an early morning meeting, and I need to run or I’m going to be late. And since he’s apparently going to be heading in the same direction, it seemed to be the perfect solution.”

“That will be fine, Mrs. Silver,” I said. “Thanks for making me breakfast. I don’t get to have a home-cooked meal like this very often.”

“Oh, please call me Megan. You just saved my Jackson from what could have been a disastrous night and are friends with Aubrey from what she told me when she let me know you were on your way over. And you’re more than welcome to come over any time you want a nice meal, sweetie.”

“My mom really should have had more kids with the way she keeps trying to adopt all of the ones we bring home,” Jackson joked.

“That’s a good thing. You remind me of my roommate’s mom. She’s always so welcoming whenever I go to visit.”

“Thank you, Kaylie. That’s quite a compliment. I only wish Jackson appreciated me a little bit more,” she teased him as she poured us both a glass of orange juice.

“You know I think you’re the best, Mom,” Jackson said as he jumped up to give her a quick hug.

“And don’t you forget it!” she replied. “Speaking of forgetting, I hope you remembered to thank Kaylie for her help and to apologize for scaring her this morning. The poor girl had just woken up in a strange house and the first thing that happens is she’s accosted by my cranky boy in the hallway.”

I giggled at her comment, happy to hear that she didn’t think poorly of me after finding us in Jackson’s room. “Nope, he hasn’t actually gotten around to that part yet,” I said. “He’s mentioned owing me an apology, if that helps any.”

“Oh, you’ll get your apology. Don’t worry about that. And a thank-you for all of your help,” he said with a gleam in his eye that I just didn’t trust.

“Perfect! Now I need to head out or else. I hope this isn’t the last time I get to see you, Kaylie,” she said as she bent down to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. “And you better behave, Jackson. Don’t go making her think that your mom didn’t raise you right.”

“Even if he doesn’t, I already know you raised Aubrey right, so it will only reflect badly on Jackson and not you,” I joked as she walked out the door.

“If you’re friends with Aubrey, how come I haven’t seen you around before?” Jackson asked between bites of his breakfast.

“We’ve only really gotten to know each other recently. We have a dance class together.”

“And does my sister know you’re also friends with Sasha? Because I’m pretty sure that would go over with her like a lead balloon,” he said, picking up his plate to take it to the sink. He gestured at my empty one and grabbed it on the way.

“I never said I was friends with Sasha,” I pointed out as I helped him clear the rest of the table. “She’s just my neighbor at the dorm.”

“Well aren’t you just a good girl then?” he asked. “You run to the rescue of someone who I’m sure is the neighbor from hell and you help strange guys make it home to their parents when they get sick in the bar.”

“I didn’t run to Sasha’s rescue. I came over to ask you guys to keep it down so I could get some sleep and stayed when I realized that it was never going to happen anyway until you left,” I argued.

“And do you pick up strangers in bars often?”

“You weren’t a stranger, Jackson,” I reminded him. “And I didn’t pick you up.”

“You got in my truck, came to my house, and slept in my shirt. Seems pretty damn close to picking me up in a bar. We just missed out on the really good parts.”

“No, the really good part is going to be you thanking me and apologizing for accosting me in the hallway before you take me back to the dorm, where I can pretend this morning never happened.”

“Hmmmm,” he murmured. “I think I can do better than a half-assed apology like that. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t treat a friend of Aubrey’s right? I’ll just have to think of something on the ride back. You ready to go?”

“Yes, absolutely! Please, let’s go right now!”

CHAPTER 4

Jackson