Soft Spot: A Hale Street Novella by Amy Knupp

Author:Amy Knupp [Knupp, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake House Books
Published: 2016-10-24T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Smitten. That was the word Jackson's smug sister Kennedy had called him when she'd heard, from Hunter Clayborne, that Jackson had been to Clayborne's twice in the past week. Smitten with Asia.

As he was about to open the main door to the bar yet again, he acknowledged that it could be true.

Making his way across the old wood-plank floor, Jackson scanned the room for the petite blonde who'd rarely been far from his thoughts since he'd taken her to his house.

Not spotting her on the main floor, he glanced upstairs as he sat on one of the stools at the counter. There she was. And there it was — the pounding of his heart, as hard as if he'd just finished a workout. She was heading down the stairs, her blond hair bouncing with every step. Beneath her half apron, she wore bright shorts — blue, pink, green, and some other colors that would scare most people off from wearing them — paired with a hot pink tank and beige sandals. He could see, even from his place at the other end of the room, silver earrings dangling from her ears and a three-inch stretch of her arm covered in an assortment of bracelets. She dressed the way she decorated her apartment, and though he'd never considered himself a color connoisseur, he was becoming a fan of her multi-hues. Even better was the smile she sent his way when she noticed him.

She held up a finger indicating she'd come talk to him in a minute and then set about entering something, maybe an order — a long one — into the register. Once she was finished, she rushed around the corner into the kitchen, and he heard her hollering something to whomever was cooking. Finally, she came back out and hurried halfway down the bar to the soft-drink machine, iced up some glasses, and set two under different flavors to fill automatically.

"Hey," she said as she turned toward him, blowing her hair out of her face and smiling again. "Crazy morning. Has anyone helped you yet?"

"Just got here."

"I'll get him." Von, the bartender who'd been working the last couple times Jackson had been in, finished mixing a frozen drink.

Asia stepped closer to Jackson's spot and, looking apologetic, said, "Party of twenty upstairs. Keeping me hopping."

"Don't worry about me," he said. "Guy's gotta eat." And food was always better with beautiful scenery.

She whisked back over to the machine, set the two full glasses on a tray, and stuck two more under the spigots, then told Von she needed two Tequila Sunrises and a Bloody Mary.

"You got it, hon," Von said. "As soon as I get something for this guy." She stopped in front of Jackson with a friendly smile. "What would you like today, Jackson?"

He ordered a reuben, a basket of pretzel bites, and a Guinness, and as soon as Von moved away to put the order in and make drinks for Asia, who'd gone upstairs with the tray of soft drinks, he noticed someone sliding onto the stool to the right of his.

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