CHAPTER SIX. Jay stood in the middle of the room, holding swatches up, trying to decide on which shade of brown to go with

Jay stood in the middle of the room, holding swatches up, trying to decide on which shade of brown to go with. Earlier, after much indecision, she'd chosen a rusty red for the walls in the dining room, but the contrast for the baseboards and trim was proving a difficult choice. Mainly because she hated rusty red.

" Then why did you choose it? " she asked, her low voice echoing in the empty house.

Yesterday, as she finished up the faux painting in the living room—her specialty—she'd had to fight the last of the carpenters as they'd finished staining the cabinets in the kitchen. Today, she was completely alone, and she'd gone from room to room, picking out colors and designs. Tomorrow she'd start the actual painting. Connie, whom she met while still at Wilkes and Bonner, served as her part-time help, quite happy to slap paint on walls all day while she sang along with her iPod. Which was fine with Jay. She could play with faux painting for hours, but when it came to uniform colors, she got bored with it easily.

Which was what she was fast approaching as she tried to decide on this, her last room.

" Whatcha doin'? "

Jay jumped, her scream turning into a growl, watching hundreds of swatches fall to the floor as her hand went to still her racing heart. Drew Montgomery stood there, tiny tank top barely covering her upper body, loose-hanging shorts stained with dirt covering the lower portion. Jay couldn't help herself as her gaze moved over the woman, pausing at her feet, which were safely clad inside work boots.

She finally breathed again. " You scared the crap out of me, " she said, breaking into a smile.

" Sorry, didn't mean to. Thought you heard me." Drew bent to gather the fallen swatches and Jay did the same. " Hope these weren't in any particular order."

" Every good designer would tell you of course they're in some sort of order." Jay grinned. " I have a hard time keeping them that way." She paused. " You're starting on the yard? " Mr. Kline had told her Drew would be by sometime this week, not that Jay had been looking for her or anything.

" Yeah. Should have been here Monday, but we got behind. We were about half done with this other house when it sold. The new owner wanted some things changed."

" Can they do that? "

" Oh, sure. If they want to pay. The builders have already paid me and have tacked on the cost of landscaping into the price of the house. That won't change. But the new owners can plant whatever they want. I certainly don't want to go to the trouble of putting in my stuff only to have them rip it up. So I try to work with them on the cost."

They stood, Drew handing Jay her share of the swatches.

" Thanks, " Jay said, allowing Drew to capture her eyes. Now she knew why she'd picked that particular color of green for the master bedroom. It just oozed sexuality.

" I better get busy. I don't hear any work going on so I guess the guys are waiting on me."

" Okay, yeah. I should finish up too."

" Oh? You're already done for the day? "

Drew sounded disappointed and Jay shook her head. " Just with picking out the last of the colors. Then it's shopping for paint."

" You don't do all this yourself, do you? "

" Any type of faux painting, yes. But I have someone who helps me with wall painting. She's a college graduate with a degree in petroleum engineering who doesn't want to leave Austin." Jay shrugged. " And she works for fifty cents more than minimum wage."

" Quite the bargain then, " Drew said with a laugh. She headed for the door, then paused. " If you're up for it, we could swing by Rhonda's for a drink later."

It was said so casually, so friendly, Jay couldn't think of any reason to decline. So she smiled and nodded. " I'd love it."

" Great."

Jay watched her go, her gaze glued to her backside as she bounded down the steps and out into the yard. It was hot, she reasoned. A cold margarita would go down nicely after work. She spun around, a grin on her face. She shouldn't have accepted, she knew. But Drew Montgomery wasn't someone she could resist.

She stopped short, her smile turning into a frown. Resist? Oh, of course she could resist her. That wasn't what she meant. It was just... well, it was hot out.

" I never saw you again. Did you slip out early? " Drew asked as she settled into the booth opposite Jay. She'd changed shirts—in the privacy of her truck this time—before joining Jay on the sidewalk. And despite Jay's attempt to look disinterested, Drew saw her glance into the cab of the truck many times. She knew Jay was in a relationship, knew she wasn't interested in her, but still, sometimes when Jay looked at her, she had the impression Jay was fighting with herself.

" I got claustrophobic. I don't know what it was. All those women, all that noise." Jay waved her hand dismissively. " I just needed some air."

" Yeah. It was a bit crowded. Years ago, I used to love Tammy George. But she's gotten older, I've gotten older. She just doesn't do anything for me anymore."

Jay laughed. " I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing." Jay leaned closer. " And all those young girls there. How do they even know who Tammy George is? "

" Well, she's still attractive and she can still rock."

" And apparently draw a crowd."

Drew paused, waiting while Rhonda brought their drinks over. A margarita for Jay and a beer for her.

" Here you go, ladies. Chips and salsa, on the house. Enjoy."

" Thanks, Rhonda."

Drew smiled as she watched Jay reach for her drink, the audible sigh turning into a satisfied groan.

" God, that's good." Jay looked up. " I think I'm addicted to them."

Drew held up her beer. " I've never developed a taste for tequila." She grinned. " And don't tell anyone, but I have a fondness for fruity drinks."

" Would ruin your image, would it? "

" Oh, absolutely." Drew shoved a chip into her mouth after scooping up salsa.

" How was your date the other night? You said it was a first one, " Jay asked.

" She's the friend of a girlfriend of a friend of mine."

" Huh? "

Drew laughed. " My friend Val, her girlfriend is good friends with her. Sheila."

" Oh. And how did that work out? "

" It was okay. She's a bit young for me, I think. She wanted to go bar-hopping at straight clubs after Tammy George. Frankly, I couldn't keep up. I doubt there'll be a second date."

" Do you have these blind dates often? "

" Far too often, I'm afraid. Friends can't stand to see me single and can't understand how I can be content going home to an empty house every night." She held up her empty beer mug to Rhonda, then glanced at Jay's glass, still half full. " But I work hard during the week. I'm usually too exhausted for dating."

" And why exactly are you still single? "

Drew tilted her head. " What kind of question is that? "

" You're attractive, you own your own business. Why hasn't someone latched on to you? " Jay grinned. " Or do you have some really annoying habits that run them off? "

" Not that I'm aware of. But at this stage in my life, I'm not out just looking for a good time. You can get that anywhere. I've got this image in my mind of the type of woman I'd like to spend my life with." She leaned forward. " Certain qualities that appeal to me. And so far, I've not found her. And so I'm content going home to an empty house. I don't want to just settle."

" What are you? Mid-thirties? "

" Yeah. Thirty-six. You? "

" Thirty-two. " Jay twirled her glass, then looked up, meeting Drew's eyes. " Can I ask you something personal? "

Drew nodded.

" I love your name. But Drew... where did it come from? "

Drew laughed. " When you said you wanted to ask me something personal, I thought it was going to be about my love life."

" I don't know you that well yet." Jay took a chip, skipping the salsa.

" I see." Drew took her beer from Rhonda. " Thanks."

" Are you ladies staying for dinner? "

" Oh, no, " Jay said. " Just a drink."

" Very well. If you want something to snack on other than chips, let me know."

" Thanks, Rhonda." Jay looked back to Drew. " Your name? "

" My name. Well, I'm the youngest of four girls. My father is Andrew, one of five Andrews in his family, cousins and all. I was the last shot at a boy." She shrugged. " I would have preferred Andi instead of Drew though."

Jay shook her head. " Andi is too... too cutesy. Like Candi, or Toni, or something. Drew suits you better. It's stronger."

" Well, my father would be happy. Thank you." Their eyes held for a moment, and again Drew was confused by what she saw there. If this was any other woman, not one who was in a long-term relationship, she'd acknowledge the attraction, acknowledge the subtle undercurrents of electricity that flowed between them. But this was Jay, a woman she'd talked to a handful of times, a woman she'd asked out to dinner and was told a polite no, she was in a relationship. So, Drew dismissed those thoughts and instead gave in to her own curiosity. " What about your name? Jay? "

" Oh, nothing exciting. In fact, I hated it at first. I was Jessica, which suited me just fine. But in high school, there were three of us, so obviously, nicknames abounded. Jay just stuck with me." She laughed. " In fact, no one ended up with Jessica. There was Jess, there was J.C., and then me, Jay."

" Where was high school? Are you from Austin? "

Jay smirked. " Lubbock."

" Ouch."

" Yeah. The armpit. But I stayed there long enough for a couple of years of college. And then, well, things happened."

Drew raised an eyebrow. " Family? "

" Yeah, family. There was no boyfriend. It started to raise questions. So much so that my brother started following me around. It didn't take long to figure things out, you know."

" I'm sorry."

" There was no happy ending. And I know it happens a lot, I just never thought it would happen to me. I never imagined my father chasing me out of the house, waving a Bible at me. I'm totally estranged from my family still. I've not tried to contact them since I left, and as far as I know, they've not tried to find me.

" Wow. That's sad. One brother, that's it? "

" A younger sister. We were close. And my grandmother. I was really close with her. I called her after it happened, in tears, but she hung up on me." Jay stared at her empty glass for a moment before looking up. " I was twenty when I left, so it's been a while. But my grandmother, that hurt. She was special to me. I guess I miss her the most."

Drew nodded. " I don't see my family much, but it's not because we're estranged or anything. They're all still down in Houston. And when I get a break from work and want to get away, Houston isn't it, " she said with a smile. " I make a point to get down for Christmas though."

" They never come here? "

" My folks come every so often. My dad's health isn't great. My sisters, no. They're all married with a bunch of kids. They're big-city girls. They think of Austin as just a college town still. The last time they were here was when my grandfather died."

" I miss having a family, " Jay said. She looked around for Rhonda, holding up her empty glass with a smile. " I shouldn't have another, but what the hell."

" But you've got your own family now, right? "

Jay frowned. " What do you mean? "

" Katherine? " Drew raised an eyebrow as a faint blush crept over Jay's face.

" Right, Katherine." Jay nodded. " Sure. I mean, we've been together eight years. It's just, well, she works so much, I hardly ever see her. The last year, anyway."

Drew nodded, not knowing what to say.

" But yeah, she's my only family, really. And Audrey, she's been my rock. She's always there."

" Your therapist? "

Jay laughed. " Right. My therapy sessions."

Drew met her gaze, holding her eyes captive for a moment. " Well, if you're adding friends to your life, I hope you'll consider me. Because I really enjoy your company."