Brenda Jackson - Stern

“Walter Carmichael?”

“Yes. He’s just what I need to move ahead in another direction.” Away from Stern.

“And what if that doesn’t work?”

JoJo smiled. “It will. I intend to learn from the best.”

Wanda stared at her for a minute. “Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

JoJo shrugged as she went back to her desk and sat down. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

Wanda shook her head. “It’s not going to work, JoJo. When one man has your heart you can’t replace him with another. I learned that the hard way.”

JoJo watched as Wanda squared her shoulders and walked out of the office. One day, JoJo decided, she would have a long talk with Wanda and get the facts about what had happened with her second marriage. Why had it been so difficult to move on and fall in love again with a good man?

JoJo was certain it wouldn’t be that hard for her to shift her affections from Stern to Walter. She’d never been married to Stern, after all. Falling for another man shouldn’t be difficult.

In a way, she was looking forward to showing up at the Punch Bowl on Saturday night. From the information Wanda had just provided her with, it seemed that’s where Walter hung out on the weekends. She’d heard it had live entertainment and was a nice place to dance, a place where women went to meet men.

She drew in a deep breath knowing this weekend she would be in that number.

* * *

“This must be serious.” Zane Westmoreland opened the door to his cousin.

Stern walked past him and into the living room. “What makes you think that?”

Zane shrugged as he followed. “You’re here. I can’t recall the last time you came visiting.”

“You’ve had a house guest and I didn’t want to intrude. I heard she’s gone for now.” Stern was talking about the woman Zane would be marrying over the holidays. Stern was still somewhat in shock about that. If anyone had told him that his cousin Zane, the one man who not only knew women like the back of his hand but who also enjoyed them tremendously, would settle down and marry, Stern would not have believed them.

“Channing had to go back to Atlanta for work. She’ll be moving here from Atlanta permanently next month.”

“Think you can last until then?”

Zane smiled. “Not sure. She’ll be back in a few weeks for Riley’s wedding. We’ll spend Thanksgiving with her folks and then we marry on Christmas Day.”

“Sounds like you have it all planned out,” Stern said, sitting on the couch and stretching his long legs in front of him.

“I do.” There was a pause. “So what brings you by on a Monday night, Stern?”

Stern would think the reason he’d stopped by was obvious. Zane, who was six years older, had a reputation for knowing women. Not just a little about them but practically everything. Before he’d become engaged to Channing, Zane had been the family expert on the subject, and Stern figured the kind of knowledge Zane possessed didn’t dissipate with an engagement.

“It’s JoJo.”

Zane’s brow lifted. “What about JoJo?”

Stern released a slow breath. JoJo had been his best friend for years so everyone in the family knew her. “She asked me for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“She wanted me to tell her how to make a man want her. There’s this guy she’s been checking out. Only thing is, he doesn’t seem to reciprocate the interest, so she wants me to tell her what she needs to do to stimulate that interest.”

Zane nodded. “Oh, I see.”

Stern frowned. “Well, I sure as hell don’t.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Stern’s frown deepened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

A slight smile touched Zane’s lips. “It means that since JoJo’s your best friend, you’re too close to the situation. If you were another woman it wouldn’t be a big deal, but because you’re a man, to you it is a big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal. Why should she worry about making a man want her? If the guy doesn’t have the sense to want her on his own, why should she worry about it?”

“Because she evidently wants him and wants him to want her in return. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Stern figured there was a lot wrong with it.

“So what did you tell her?” Zane asked.

Stern leaned back against the sofa cushions. “When I didn’t take her seriously at first, she copped an attitude. That’s the last thing I needed so I offered a few pointers. I told her that she probably should wear more dresses. JoJo has great legs, and she should flaunt them more. I also suggested she stop hiding her hair under a cap. Her hair is one of her strong points. I particularly like it when she wears it down.”

Zane nodded again. “Anything else?”

“I told her that after her makeover, she should find out where this guy hangs out and go there, impress him as the new and improved JoJo. I told her if she decided to make such a move then I would go with her.”

“Why?”

Stern’s brow bunched in confusion. “Why?”

“Yes, why? Why do you feel the need to go with her?”

“Because I don’t know the guy,” he said defensively. “She won’t give me his name or tell me anything about him, other than that he brings his car in to get it serviced from time to time.”

“That’s all you need to know. If you ask me, that’s more than you should know. JoJo is a grown woman who can take care of herself.”

“You don’t know that.”

Zane chuckled. “We’re talking about JoJo, Stern. The same woman who can hit a target with a gun or a bow and arrow with one eye closed. The same woman who has a black belt. You and I both know she can take care of herself, so that means there’s something else bothering you. What is it?”

Stern frowned as he stared at the floor and mumbled, “Nothing.”

Zane didn’t say anything for a minute. “There is something, Stern. You didn’t come here because you wanted to see my pug face. There’s something bothering you, so come clean. I can only help if you do that.”

Stern paused. “I’m afraid, Zane.”

Zane lifted a brow. “Afraid? What are you afraid of?”

“That I’m going to lose my best friend. What if she gets serious with this guy and he has a problem with our relationship? You’ve said enough times that you wouldn’t want any woman of yours to share the kind of relationship with a man that JoJo shares with me.”

“You won’t lose her,” Zane said, trying to reassure him.

“You can’t be certain of that, and I can’t take that chance.”

Zane shook his head. “You’re going to have to trust her judgment.”

“I trust hers. I just don’t trust his.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “But you don’t know him.”

“Exactly,” Stern said, standing. “That’s why I need to find out who he is and check him out.”

“I think you’re going at it all wrong.”

“I don’t,” he said, heading for the door. “Bye, Zane. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“No, I didn’t. I suggest you examine your own feelings for JoJo,” Zane replied. But Stern was already out the door and didn’t hear what his cousin had said.

* * *

The next night JoJo stepped onto her porch and inhaled deeply to fill her lungs with crisp mountain air. She had put her hair in a ponytail before placing her favorite Denver Broncos cap on her head, but instead of her usual jeans and T-shirt, she was wearing a blue blouse and a pair of black corduroy slacks. She’d also grabbed a jacket because the evenings were turning cool.

She heard a sound, turned and then smiled at the man coming up the steps. Her heart raced. Stern’s well-toned physique was displayed in a pair of jeans, a blue Western shirt and a Stetson. He looked way too handsome for his own good.