Jayne and Steelie - 01 - Freezing by Clea Koff Read Free Book Online

building through the wall of west-facing windows. He put his feet up on the footrest and ate from the pan.
    He took in a mouthful of cold water and let it rest against the roof of his mouth where he’d scalded it earlier. He really was glad that the reunion with Jayne had been over this freeway case. If he’d seen her any sooner after transferring to LA or met her over dinner, he would have been over-eager, pushing for an answer to the question on his mind ever since his transfer notice: what kind of relationship would they have after several years of long-distance companionship, flirtation, and restrained intimacy? He swallowed and then looked at the Times building. It was a confirmation: he was finally in LA. And if the case slowed things down with Jayne and kept him from acting ‘wolfish’, then maybe that was a good thing.
    Jayne pulled her truck close to the top of the driveway fronting the redwood two-story building that housed her apartment. She climbed the concrete staircase on the left side of the building, rising above a neat lawn that held its own under an ancient fir tree. The only neighbor was downstairs and his front door was on the other side so Jayne enjoyed the sense of privacy and ownership she felt every time she ascended to her door, which was why she’d finally bought some terracotta pots for the landing and filled them with plants.
    She had lived there for five years after moving out of her graduate student apartment in Westwood and refusing the tempting offer of a cottage at the end of her mother’s sprawling garden. Across the street, the Silver Lake Reservoir began immediately after tall redwoods and the sidewalk. The reservoir was a clear space in LA that no one could build on and so drew a faithful crowd of joggers and dog-walkers to its edge every day. Some of the faces were familiar to Jayne but she didn’t know anyone’s name.
    She was expecting her mother to drop by, so she left the front door open to the screen as she put together a light supper in the kitchen, which overlooked the open-plan main room. When Marie arrived fifteen minutes later, she just called out, ‘Yoo-hoo!’ and swept in through the doorway. Her gold silk shirt was mirrored in golden powder glinting at the base of her throat while bronze highlights emphasized a hairstyle usually achieved only on photo shoots by using large fans. Her every move produced a melody as bangles met and dangling earrings swayed.
    After hugging Jayne, Marie went back to look at the porch. ‘Darling, has it ever occurred to you that you’d get more dates if you kept something other than cacti by your front door?’
    â€˜Is that advice about gardening or relationships, Mom?’
    â€˜You should have something like gaura pinks. Or maybe gaura lindheimeri – you know, the white ones. Just a few pots, uneven in number.’
    â€˜What, so I can find the man who has just one similar pot and say, “You . . . complete me”?’ She faked a swoon as she crossed to the kitchen to finish preparing their roast chicken and avocado sandwiches.
    â€˜You’re so irreverent, darling. That also keeps people away.’
    Jayne cut the sandwiches into triangles. ‘This gaura. Is it the wispy one you planted all over your garden?’
    â€˜You’ve noticed!’
    â€˜Then, no thanks. Too feminine.’
    â€˜What’s wrong with a little femininity these days?’ Marie asked as she cast an apparently critical eye around the main room.
    â€˜Nothing, for you. It’s just not my style.’ Jayne walked over with the plate of sandwiches and a wooden salad bowl. She handed Marie the salad and ushered her on to the deck facing the reservoir. The table was covered in a white tablecloth, which was decorated with numerous tea lights and drying rose petals.
    As they sat down, Marie fluttered her fingers over the petals. ‘I thought you said feminine wasn’t your