Rita tugged away and heaved a shaky breath up at the sky. 揧ou don抰 know what it was like. Being the one she chose. The one expected to learn the talent she was just born with. I couldn抰 live up. Every day was try, fail, try, fail. After the television show, it got to the point where I couldn抰 handle failing one more time. I couldn抰。？Jasper was now hanging on to Rita for dear life, the more she revealed about her struggle to live up. Couldn抰 she see how worthy she was of their pride? Simply by being the kind of person who did try that hard? 揑抦 sorry for what I did. I抦 so sorry.?
Belmont moved first. He stood, rounding the fire to plant himself behind Rita, laying a hand on her shoulder. Rita went still, those big, golden-brown eyes going wide. She抎 expected them to condemn her yet still told them everything? She was twice as brave as Jasper had given her credit for.
One by one, the Clarksons梐nd the smaller woman who couldn抰 seem to take her attention off Belmont梒lustered around Jasper and Rita. Everyone but Aaron, who watched the scene play out across the bonfire.
揑 didn抰 know,?Peggy whispered, giving Rita a kiss on the cheek. 揗om seemed so impressed with you. I-I was even jealous.?
Rita laughed tearfully into Jasper抯 neck. 揘o, you weren抰。？
揝ure I was.?Peggy gave a dainty shrug, but she was fighting a grin. 揊or at least a full minute.?
Based on the way Rita was trying to crawl inside his body, hiding her face from the light, Jasper reckoned she wasn抰 comfortable with the shows of affection, even though her relief and shock were palpable things. Emotions he could feel just by holding her梐nd wasn抰 that something? Christ, he wanted to take her home. Wanted to reward her for the courage she抎 shown, wanted to apologize until his face turned blue over the way he抎 overreacted that afternoon. But it was clear the siblings were waiting for Aaron to join them. Belmont, for his part, looked about ready to start a second bonfire with the glare leveled in his brother抯 direction.
Finally, Aaron found his feet, joining his family to ruffle Rita抯 hair. 揂ll right, already. It was a good souffl? Rita.?He adjusted the collar of his shirt. 揧ou didn抰 have to burn down the fucking restaurant just to make me admit it.?
Rita shook with laughter and was joined almost immediately by Peggy and Sage, Belmont抯 rumble rounding out the sound. When the laughter died down, Rita lifted her face to Jasper抯， and he could read her expression. It said, Holy shit, that just happened卋ut please get me out of here, plain and simple. Whether or not she would like his methods? Now that remained to be seen.
揑 haven抰 given my confession yet,?Jasper said, drawing several pairs of eyes to himself. He cleared his throat and braced for the fallout. 揟he Suburban has been fixed since Wednesday. You could have left two days ago.?
Rita抯 mouth fell open. 揥ait. What??
Aaron抯 good nature was gone in a flash. He released a blue streak of curses that had Sage covering her ears and Peggy giggling. And Jasper wouldn抰 swear to it in a courtroom, but he thought Belmont might have started growling. 揑 couldn抰 let Rita up and leave me so fast. You understand.?In a move that felt perfectly natural, Jasper pulled a still-agape Rita onto his lap. 揑抦 not sorry about bribing the mechanic,?he murmured against her temple, not caring whether the rest of the group was still listening or not. 揌ell no, I抦 not sorry. But, God, I抣l be sorry to watch you go.?
揓asper棓 Rita started, but he cut her off.
揑抣l just ask for one favor from you Clarksons, if you don抰 mind.?He pushed Rita抯 hair back behind her ear, memorizing the texture against his finger pads. 揌earing the way Rita梐nd you all梩alk about Miriam, I know going to New York is important. Rita wants to learn a new trade and there抯 no better place to do that.?God, he was still hanging on. Still pushing for more. Maybe he wasn抰 capable of giving up. 揃ut I need one more day. I need Rita there when I open Buried Treasure tomorrow night.?
As expected, Aaron was the first to protest. 揧ou抳e got nerve. I抣l give you that.?He started to turn away, but his gaze snagged on Rita. Whatever he saw in his sister抯 expression made him do a double take and sigh up at the desert sky. 揂h, fuck it. One extra day, right??
Peggy jumped up with a series of fluttering hand-claps. 揂ll of us can help out. If the Clarksons know one thing, it抯 the restaurant business.?
揝he抯 right,?Rita husked, a smile playing around her mouth. 揥e all had summer jobs at Wayfare, even before I went to culinary school. They抣l be a big help if they don抰 annoy you to death first.?
揑抦 sold.?Damn, Jasper was so glad that haunted look was gone from her eyes that he was considering going to church on Sunday to give thanks. There was nothing holy about what he wanted from Rita tonight, though. Not a single thing. He leaned in to whisper against her ear. 揅ome sleep in my bed, Rita.?
She was nodding before he finished speaking.
Everyone had stood to leave, all appearing slightly shell-shocked in their own way, when Glen抯 voice brought them up short. 揌ell抯 bells. The exercise worked.?He whooped loud enough to flicker the fire. 揇o y抋ll mind leaving a Yelp review??
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Showing his house to a woman was a first for Jasper. Rosemary had been over a few times to fuss, way back when he抎 purchased the property. But having Rita walk the old floorboards, her eyes roaming over his couch, his bread box, his wall of old maps梩hat was something different altogether. Her voice made his living room softer, somehow. Made the lights glow like lanterns. Made his furniture seem more inviting. Oh, mother of God, he loved having her there. She accepted a glass of wine from him in the kitchen and something began to sing in the back of his mind. A comforting hum with an underlying note of steel that insisted handing Rita wine in his kitchen was an activity meant to be performed as a routine.
Stop. Stop thinking like that. You have Rita here now. Don抰 waste time wishing for the impossible or being greedy. Just savor the moment.
揑 can抰 believe they didn抰 yell or?God, they didn抰 even seem mad,?Rita breathed over the rim of her glass, referring to her siblings. She smiled to herself a moment, then appeared to shake herself. 揌ow much did you pay the mechanic to lie about the Suburban??
揥ell.?Grinning, Jasper braced himself on the kitchen island. 揌e had a bar tab at the Liquor Hole as long as my arm. Let抯 just say we called it even.?
揤ery crafty.?Her eyes sparkled. 揑f Belmont hadn抰 busted Aaron抯 tooth, would you have made a second bribe??
揗y firstborn. Without hesitation.?
She laughed and Jasper about buckled over the way the sound slid down the walls of his home, filling it with life. 揟hank you.?The words from her own mouth seemed to startle her, but, maybe in the spirit of the evening so far, she kept going. 揊or bribing someone to keep me around. For wanting me around so badly.?
Jasper抯 feet carried him around the island until he was in his favorite place: within reaching distance of Rita. He tunneled his fingers through her hair, drawing her the remaining foot toward him. Promises dug like tiny tractors in his gut, excavating vital components of what impulse directed him to say, leaving messes behind. Allowing anything to go unsaid when so much had been admitted already tonight, when they were barefoot in his kitchen, seemed like a damn travesty. I would make a new bribe every day for the rest of my life if I thought staying here would make you happy.
He couldn抰 say those words out loud, lest she balk at the pressure. But he could sure as hell show Rita how they made him feel. How she made him feel. 揟hanking me for wanting you around is like厀ater thanking a man for taking a drink卭n the hottest day of the year.?When Jasper pressed their mouths together, she went a little breathless, making his head buzz. 揑抦 sorry about this afternoon, Rita. I抳e been tied in a goddamn knot.?