Family Ties

Part 30

Two weeks later, Jackson still couldn't get any rest. He'd tried very hard to get over his infatuation with Raymond, but nothing seemed to help. All he could think of was Raymond, his adorable smile and quiet laugh that sounded like bells jingling.

Without a second thought, he jumped into the car and made his way to Raymond's. He'd been sitting around long enough torturing himself and trying to convince himself that Raymond wasn't the right person for him. Getting to the front door, he paused for a moment wondering if Raymond was alone but decided to ring the doorbell anyway.

"Jackson?" Raymond looked at him in surprise. This was the last person he'd expected to see.

"Hey Cook, I thought we could go out for the evening." He grinned, hoping that he looked confident.

"Ray, where do you keep the..." Tom came to a standstill behind Raymond with a bottle of wine in his hands. His eyes darted from Raymond to Jackson in confusion. "Oh, sorry." He turned away again, disappearing into the apartment.

"I see that you've moved on already?" His eyes narrowed, anger rising in his chest. What was that toad doing here and why was he walking around as if he owned the place?

"Was there something you wanted, Jackson?" He sighed, not wanting a war of words to break out.

"You don't seem to have a problem inviting strangers into your house anymore, I see. Skye must be really happy about his new dad." His sarcasm was barely veiled.

"You have no right to interfere in my life or who I bring home. You called it quits, remember?" He responded coolly. "Now, was there something you wanted, or did you come here only to check up on whether I'm still celibate?"

Instead of answering, Jackson turned on his heel and stormed off. He wasn't about to chase after a guy who had other plans. Getting into his car, he took off at high speed to Asuka's.

Entering the shop, he went straight to the back, took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and took an empty tray back out to clean the tables. He didn't think that he'd enjoy waiting and cleaning tables, but somehow the monotony of doing the same task over again was what he needed.

Asuka looked up when there was a sudden uptake in noise in the shop and spotted Jackson in his waistcoat clearing tables. She let him be since he seemed to need something to distract him. Since he'd started working at the bakery, there'd been an uptake in customers, which suited her well, especially since he could turn up at any time of the day. So the steady stream of customers remained in the hope of being around Jackson with his dashing good looks and irresistible charm.

She watched him flirt with a group of young girls who looked like they were on their way to a party. She could tell that they weren't there for the food, but if it kept them happy and the money kept rolling in, who was she to complain?

"Jack, why don't you take a break?" She called from the back of the shop, walking toward him with chocolate chip cookies and coffee. Taking his coffee, he followed her out of the store, leaning against the wall a short distance away.

"Jack, I really appreciate you helping out, but don't you think you should tackle the problem head-on, instead of hiding out here?" She prompted with concern.

"I'm not hiding out. I'm only trying to clear my head." He sighed heavily.

"Why don't you go and ask him out, if that's what still bothering you."

"Every time I do, things go awry. I'm starting to think I'm cursed when it comes to him." He took a bite of the cookie, slowly chewing it. "The last time he had that toad sniffing around him like a dog in heat!" He suddenly exclaimed.

"Jack, you don't have sole rights to him. If you want that, then you're going to have to do what every other person in love would do. You're going to have to swallow that bitter pill and admit that you could have handled things better." She bumped her shoulder against his, looking at him with a smile. "You know I'm right."

"Honestly, I'm not the one who did anything wrong here, so why am I taking all the blame and the heartache?"

"He came clean about the investigation when he didn't have to. If he didn't want to date you, then he could have used any other reason that wouldn't put his job on the line, don't you think?" Hopefully, Jackson would see reason and do what she could see was right for him.

"I don't know." He sighed, looking up at the night sky. "Come on, your customers aren't going to serve themselves," he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked back together.

What she said made sense to him, he was being an ass every time they met and that wasn't helping his case any. But how was he going to get to Raymond, other than stalking him, which might have him end in restraints and possibly a fist fight knowing Raymond?

With another shake of the head, he stepped into the shop, and immediately called to one of the tables.