Saving Grace

His Name Is Jay

Chapter Twelve

Cali - One Month Later

I got out the butter and mixer and set then down on the counter. I turned to look at him and his green eyes were staring right into mine. I caught him looking at me all the time. I had to stop myself from smiling whenever he did that. I also had to wait a second for the butterflies to calm down to a tolerable level.

"What would do you if I egged your car?" Jay finally asked, looking away as he cracked an egg in the glass bowl. I turned I face him with an extremely puzzled look on my face. He burst out laughing as soon as he saw it.

"First I would kill you. Then I would probably egg your coffin and gravestone." He stopped laughing right away because he knew I was serious. Well, probably not. I could never kill Jay. The rest of the female population would probably kill me soon after.

Whenever were in town, he gets looks and waves and winks all the time from girls of all ages. But for some reason, he seems oblivious to it all. He practically blows them off and goes on with his day. I'd like to think its because I'm with him, but I don't know how he reacts when I'm not with him.

"God, learn to take a joke." He put his hands up in defense as I nudged his side.

"What would you do if I egged your truck?" I raised my eyebrow and stopped measuring the sugar.

He flung his hand to his forehead and said in his best dramatic voice, "No; not my baby!"

We both burst out laughing. I finally allowed myself to laugh. And I can tell you, it felt like a deaf person hearing for the first time in years. I hadn't laughed in over a year. But now it was normal to he giggling all the time around Jay. Laughs I could do. No smiles. Not just yet. I'm sticking with the small, fake ones.

After our little laughing fit, we got back to work. We could never get anything done. We had been trying to bake these cookies for over an hour. "Why would you even ask me about egging things?"

"I don't know. We should egg Preston's truck." I looked at him and nodded my head. We burst out laughing. Again.

Me and Jay were now what you could call friends. It had been more then a month since he first arrived. And we got closer every day.

But it did get awkward the day after the party a few weeks ago. I could tell he was about to kiss me. But I was scared and practically ran out of there. I really didn't want to be scared, but I couldn't help it. I also wasn't sure how I felt about Jay. I knew there were feelings and definitely a connection, but I knew I couldn't let him get to me. And there was no way I could tell if he felt the same way. He had walls too. I would always try to look past them and see inside who he really was, but he never let them down. Even if he didn't know they were there. I had that gift of seeing when people were hiding.

But since that day, we've both moved on. It's like it never happened. Which is probably a good thing. We spend almost all of our time together when he's not working out in the fields. Preston is usually around, but when he's not, the two of us are crazy. We're always laughing and trying to jump different obstacles on horses, climbing to the highest point on trees or doing other random shit. Like planning to egg Preston's car.

We finally got the cookies in the oven and I poured us glasses of iced tea. I set the timer and hopped up to sit on the counter. Preston walked in the door, all sweaty and shirtless. I had to admit. Having two extremely good looking boys walk around shirtless half the time, was fine by me. I was not complaining. I would sometimes even sneak peaks out the window while I was cooking just to see them.

"I need you're help. Our neighbors to the north broke the fence that divides the property and we gotta fix it. It's about a twenty minute drive out there," Preston said to Jay as he grabbed a water bottle. Jay nodded and grabbed one too.

"Can you manage the cookies?"

"I think I got," I replied with a grin. He laughed a little before following Preston out the door. The boys stopped at the back of Preston's truck to load some stuff and Jay took off his shirt. So, of course I watched through the window over the sink. He was just about to turn around when he looked directly at me and winked.

Dammit.

I waited for the cookies to finish baking and took them out of the oven. After they cooled, I went to town with the decorating. Today was the Fourth of July. I used red, white and blue to do my best flag on all the cookies. It didn't come out to good, but I wasn't much of an artist anyways. I also took one and decorated it for myself. It was special day for me too, but none of the boys knew it. And I was planning on keeping it that way.

I set the cookies on a plate and put them in the center of the kitchen table. Knowing the three men that I lived with, they'll be gone by dinner. They eat so much, it's crazy.

I made some lunch and lounged around for a while before walking down to the barn. I decided I would clean mine and Jay's horses stalls since they were only ones out in the pasture. I decided the female horse we got a month ago would be mine. She kind of reminded me of me. I could tell she was stubborn, but feisty. And I was okay admitting that about myself. Even though no one else knew I had.

And the male horse reminded me of Jay. He was calmer then my horse, but when they were out in the fields together, he would always stand right next to her. Sometimes I would watch from my bedroom window because I was weird like that, but he would get closer and she would walk a little farther away. It was cute and funny.

But I still had yet to come up with names though. I didn't have one for mine, but I had started calling Jay's horse Jay. It was the best I could come up with. For now.

I got down there, cleaned the stalls and decided to bring Jay in before my horse. I went out and got him and decided to spray him with the hose and brush him. He would always nuzzle his big nose against my shoulder. He was the cutest horse I had ever seen. He was probably my favorite.

"You're a good boy Jay. I love you Jay," I said as I gave him a treat and kissed his nose. He nudged my shoulder with his nose and I gave him another treat.

"Do I even want to know why you were saying my name like that?"

My hand flew to my heart as I tried to catch my breath. Holy shit. He had scared me half to death. I spun around and he was leaning against the barn door laughing and watching me. I regained my composer and glared at him.

"Why did you scare me?"

"Because I heard you screaming my name," he said with a wide grin. Asshole. He started walking towards me, his expression unchanged.

"I was not screaming it," I said, putting my hands on my hips and I even stomped y foot like a five year old.

"You're to cute for your own," he said with a smirk as he grabbed my arms and took them off my hips. I just rolled my eyes and held back a smile. He finally told me he thought I was cute and whenever he flirted with me that's what he would say. "You're to cute for you're own good" or "what a cutie pie." I really, secretly, hoped he meant it in a cute/hot way and not cute like a little girl with a tutu and pig tails.

"Whatever," I said with another eye roll. He just chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"But you were saying it. Kind of in a weird way..." He said, going back to the original topic. I finally understood what he was talking about.

"Oh my god! You're disgusting you pervert! Ugh. I would never. Oh my god. I'm gonna be sick." I said as I started cleaning up the brushes. What he was thinking really was disgusting. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"So then why?"

"Why do you care?"

"You're not winning today sweetheart."

"I always do."

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why so many questions?" I always won this game. He would eventually get fed up and storm away. But not today. He gasped and asked "Did you name my horse after me?"

"Oh don't let it go to your head," I replied as I walked past him. He walked next to me up to the house.

"So you did?"

"No I didn't," I said. But I could feel the blush creeping up my face and I bit my bottom lip. He had soon figured out that I did that when I was nervous or embarrassed. I looked up at him and he was grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and looked away.