SheLikesHimBad by Scarlett Scott Page B

like
doing was waiting on him, especially given how ridiculous she must look. But
she did as her mother asked, heading to the fridge with tumbler in hand. When
she handed him the brimming glass, their fingers brushed.
    “Thanks, Em.”
    She tried to remain unaffected by the fleeting fire his
touch sent skittering through her body. “No problem.”
    Jean plopped a plate laden with bacon, eggs and fried
potatoes on the table. “There you are, honey. Emma Lee, have a seat and eat
something. You’re so skinny it makes me hungry just looking at you.”
    Jackson bit off a choked laugh. “You are a tiny thing
these days, Em. You look like you could use a cheeseburger from the Piggy
Wagon.”
    The Piggy Wagon had long been a staple in the social life
and diet of the residents of Paradise. As a teenager, Emma had spent many
nights flirting with boys and sneaking cigarettes behind the oversized trailer
that housed the burger joint.
    She frowned at Jackson. “I don’t eat meat.” Which was mostly
true. Occasionally, she splurged.
    “Oh yeah?” He picked a slice of bacon up from his plate and
bit into it with gusto, grinning. “Well I’m a carnivore.”
    “How nice for you.” She flashed him a saccharine smile she
didn’t feel. He was trying to get to her. And he was succeeding.
    “What’s this nonsense, Emma Lee?” Her mother delivered a
steaming plate of breakfast items that were definitely not figure friendly.
    She had to admit the bacon smelled sinfully good. “It’s not
nonsense, Mama. It’s my diet.”
    “It’s stupidity is more like it,” Jackson chimed in around a
mouthful of food.
    “No one asked you.” She stabbed the bacon her mother had
given her with her fork and deposited it on his plate. “Help yourself,
Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
    He had the nerve to wink at her. “Are you trying to tell me
that my arms are disproportional to my body?”
    Emma couldn’t quite squelch the laugh bubbling up inside her
no matter how hard she tried. “Never. That would be rude and then I’d be like
you.”
    “Emma Lee,” her mother admonished as she seated herself at
the table too. “Don’t give that boy any more sass. He fixed my Chev for free.”
    “I did the best I could, Mrs. Bridges. Your tranny is on its
way out of this world, though.” He took a healthy sip of orange juice.
    “Call me Jean.” She puffed up her curls. “I’ll make do until
it goes kaput. Are you sure I can’t give you anything for all your trouble?”
    “No trouble at all. Besides, you’re feeding me the best damn
breakfast I’ve had in a long time.”
    Emma reluctantly took a bite of her scrambled eggs. At least
Mama’s cooking hadn’t changed. It was still delicious, still more than one
person could eat in a sitting. “It is very good, Mama.”
    Jean beamed. “Eat seconds.”
    “Give him the seconds.” She pointed a finger in Jackson’s
direction. “At least it’ll keep his mouth closed.”
    He maintained his carefree expression, but his eyes darkened
as they met hers. “I’m cut to the quick.”
    Emma snorted. She couldn’t help it. She doubted feelings
even lived beneath that rough-boy exterior of his. “You’re skin’s tougher than
a tanned cowhide.”
    “Ah, we’re bringing back the country in you already.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I’ll have to flee immediately.”
    “I’d hate to see that.” There was sincerity, and unless she
was mistaken, an underlying edge of emotion in his voice.
    Startled, she glanced back up at him. Their gazes met and
suddenly, all the old emotions smacked her like a palm to the cheek. She had
loved him more than life itself once. She had kissed him, made love with him in
the backseat of his GTO. And she had left him behind when he hadn’t fit in with
her plans. He’d been furious at first, but later when regrets ate at her, she’d
sent emails he never answered. Not a single one. He hadn’t seemed to care.
    She recalled how many nights she’d lain awake in her
freshman