Chapter 13
VERA'S POV
I opened the door to my apartment and gestured for Jackson to come in, like a polite hostess welcoming a first-time guest. Though if we’re being honest, he had barged in like it was his place.
“Hey, neighbor!” a familiar voice called as a foot jammed the door from closing.
I flinched in surprise. I hadn’t even realized Nathan was home. The man moved like a ghost, silent and graceful. Sometimes I wondered how he walked so softly that you wouldn’t know he was around unless he wanted to be noticed.
“You’re home already?” I asked, stepping aside. “Wow. You’ve been coming home more lately. That’s new. What’s up?”
He shrugged, touching my chin with the casual fondness only a long-time friend could get away with. “Forgot something. Guess I’m lucky, I got to meet your visitor. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
I smiled faintly, suddenly aware of the tension thickening the room. “Oh, forgive me. This is Jackson Taylor, my boss. Jackson, meet my neighbor, Nathaniel Vasquez.”
Jackson gave a short nod of acknowledgement but refused to shake Nathan’s outstretched hand. The man was many things, but polite wasn’t always one of them.
Nathan’s smile faltered. He clapped his hands together, his voice stiff. “Nice to meet you, Mr. J.T. I guess I’ll see you later, Vera.”
He turned to leave, and I caught the subtle hurt in his eyes.
“Ehm… Nathan?” I called out. “I won’t be home for a few days. Could you please keep an eye on my door?”
He paused, nodded once. “Sure will.”
And just like that, he left.
“That wasn’t cool at all,” I snapped, closing the door behind him.
“I’m not shaking hands that touch every sick animal in Texas. He might as well go bang his head on the wall,” Jackson scoffed.
I turned to stare at him. “How did you know he’s a vet?”
“He smells like one.” Jackson started up the stairs with that irritatingly confident stride. “Are you two just neighbors or…?”
“What are you insinuating now?” I followed him, my voice rising. “You think I get intimate with every man who comes my way? Nathan’s responsible. He’s religious, even!”
“I never said intimate, you did. And judging by how fast you jumped to defend him, I’d say you’re the one ignoring the obvious.” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “He looks at you like he owns you. I don’t like it. And I’m pretty sure I never will.”
His words stung the way truth always does. I swallowed my anger and headed to the closet, pulling out clothes and shoes for my stay.
He wandered around my room, touching things, examining the space. I watched him as he bent slightly to get a better look at a framed photo. His movements were deliberate, fluid, and frustratingly attractive.
“Your room’s nice,” he said at last. “But something’s missing.”
“I know. Expensive things,” I replied dryly. “Not that I can’t afford them, but most of the stuff here was gifted by people. I can’t just throw them away. I love them.”
“No, I mean family. Memories.” He pointed to the wall. “You’re old enough to live on your own, sure. But most people hang photos of their parents, siblings, or something real. Instead of just art.”
I stiffened. Explaining my past, my parents, the homes I’d bounced through, it wasn’t something I was ready to revisit. I avoided those questions like the plague.
Thankfully, a voice floated from downstairs.
“Vera!”
Hannah.
I didn’t waste a second. “Coming!” I called, darting down the stairs.
“Oh my God,” she said dramatically, the second she saw Jackson following me down. “You didn’t tell me you had a model in your house! Hello, handsome!”
Jackson chuckled, apparently unbothered by the attention. “Hello.”
Seriously? Now he was Mr. Charming?
What was this open flirtation with my best friend? Yet he was rude to Nathan just because he was a man?
“I’m Hannah,” she said, stepping closer and giving him a playful kiss on the cheek. “You are...?”
“Jackson Taylor. Nice to meet you, Hannah.”
“Well,” I cut in, narrowing my eyes at both of them, “he’s my boss. And Hannah is my best friend. A wife. A mother.”
“Oh, boss?!” Hannah gasped dramatically. “You didn’t tell me he was hot enough to melt a bone! No wonder you acted like a maniac on your first day at work. Girl, I get it now.”
“Hannah!” I hissed, half-laughing, half-mortified. “That’s the last time I'll trust you with my secrets.”
She laughed again. “Well, since you’ve clearly got a taste for it, spill, what’s going on?”
“I’m staying at his place for a few days,” I said, almost as if daring her to react.
Her eyes widened. “Whoa! Okay, we’re on fast-forward here. Someone hit the brakes!”
“I was going to call you,” I said, suddenly defensive. “There’s something I needed to tell you, but I guess that’ll have to wait until next time.”
“No. We’re talking now.” Hannah stormed up the stairs. “Let’s go.”
“Excuse us,” I muttered to Jackson and ran after her.
In the privacy of my room, she turned to me sharply. “What the hell, Vera?! I know that guy seems harmless, but moving in with him like this? Are you insane? That’s a bad call.”
That was Hannah for you, blunt and motherly. She was older than me, and sometimes I honestly looked at her like a second mom. She’d been there through the chaos of my foster care years. She helped me settle here when I had nothing and no one.
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not what you imagine. He didn’t force me. I want this—”
“Want? Since when were you planning to keep this secret? Vera, I still say you need to visit Dr. Halmes.”
“You think I didn’t go?” I shot back. “Even though he thinks I’m crazy, he also said there’s nothing wrong with me. Hannah, I need to do this. I have my reasons.”
“What reasons?!” she snapped. “You swore you weren’t that girl anymore. Two years clean and now this? What the hell triggered you?!”
Her voice softened then, her anger folding into worry. “You said you were done with all this, Vera…”
“I know you care,” I said, cupping her face gently. “And I’m grateful, truly. But listen to me. Jackson is sick. He needs help. His son needs him whole again. This is temporary. Just until his doctor comes back.”
She blinked. “He has a son too? Girl! What if you fall for him and he ditches you? After everything you’ve been through, your heart can’t survive another crack.”
It was a clear warning. One I chose to ignore.
“That’s not going to happen. I know exactly what I’m doing. Love isn’t part of the plan. I’ll tell you more about him next time I visit, okay?”
She exhaled deeply, then leaned forward to press a kiss to my cheek. “You’d better be careful, or you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
She left the room, and I stood there in silence.
My bad.