Page 10 of Running Into The Grump

I groaned as I heard that voice, not sure if I was surprised or not that he was here. Finally, I lifted my head to look up at him, catching a smirk on his face.

“Jackson, I’m surprised your mom let you out of her sight tonight. I guess she doesn’t know about all your douche bag deeds that should have your ass grounded.”

“No one thinks I’m a jerk but you.”

At that, I laughed.

“Please don’t tell me you believe that? Plenty of people in this town think you’ve got the biggest attitude and haven’t changed at all since high school. Don’t kid yourself, Jackson.”

With that, I made it a point to turn my head, keeping my focus on the man who was once again on the stage.

“Everyone around here calls you sweet, do they know how nasty you really are, librarian?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I told him, tossing my hair over my shoulder to look at him, “but at least I have a permanent job, what do you have?”

He narrowed his eyes at me before he walked away.

Was it a low blow?

Okay, yes, it was.

But you know what? I didn’t care, because he was really being a world class prick to me and I hadn’t done a damn wrong thing to him. Again, made me feel so sorry for Maddie.

“Guess that man hasn’t changed,” Lina said, putting my coffee before me. “Yet still has all the women eyeing him.”

“That’s because they don’t know how much of a jerk he really is.”

“You know, he always wasn’t. I mean, he had his moments, sure, but I went to school with him. He wasn’t horrible.” She patted my arm with a smile. “Maybe just horrible to you.”

Well, that wasn’t comforting. I don’t think I called him out, even when he was in high school.

I shook my head again, not wanting to get into it. I brought myself out so that I could avoid him. And just because he had to stop by my table and say something to me, didn’t mean I was going to let him ruin my night.

With that, I gave the singer my whole attention, smiling as he started to sing. His voice was really good, even if country wasn’t my favorite thing to listen to.

And the way he worked a crowd to capture their attention told me he had been doing this for a long while.

After a few songs, he grinned at his audience.

“I got a great bunch tonight. Now, I know every female in here loves to dance. So, I’m going to play you a little line dancin’ songs and I want you up and moving.”

I jumped up as he started the number, wanting to be part of this, which was very much unlike me.

I made my way to the little area they had set off for it, but along the way, I literally smacked into Jackson, who glared at me.

“What the hell, Jacqueline?”

With a groan, I could feel the liquid seeping into my jeans and my top, making it stick even more to my skin.

“Where were you going in such a rush?”

“Why does it matter to you, Jackson? Why are you ruining all the fun stuff I want to do? Why? What the fuck did I ever do to you?”

“Don’t blame me, sweetheart, for your actions. You were the one running off in a tizzy to someplace.”

“To dance,” I said, flinging my hand at the crowd that was already moving. “I wanted to dance, something I don’t do nearly enough but not my luck. Instead, like the shit week it’s been, there you are, standing in my way. Now my jeans and top are wet and feel like glue on me. Thank you, asshole.”

His gaze traveled over my body very slowly before they landed on my face.