Leia swallowed, unable to speak at the feelings coursing through her, as Jason raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.
“Jason…”
“Later,” he countered and shook his head at her. Leia had been holding onto the van door because she wasn’t sure her wobbly legs would hold her up after his bold claim. Jason smiled mischievously at her, crooking his finger at where she stood.
“Now, princess, I hope you like pop music and don’t get embarrassed easily. I plan on ‘shakin’ what my momma gave me’ on stage and belting out some funky lyrics to my girl.”
Leia followed along into the building as Jason tugged her hand, not letting go at all. They stepped inside and the music was extremely loud, but the overwhelming smell of deep-fried treasures to be eaten, beer, and desserts drew her in helplessly. She was starving and he’d promised over and over again a fun evening. Well, she was gonna have fun – even if she felt out of place.
“Do you know what you want to drink?”
“Water?”
“How about two waters, a flight of beers to sample and whatever that guy is eating over there on that platter,” Jason said immediately to the waitress as she walked up. Well, sauntered, Leia corrected mentally. Jason was a good-looking guy and she wasn’t surprised to see the pretty woman immediately run over to their table.
“Miss? What can I get you?”
“I’m good.”
“We are splitting it. She’s with me,” Jason said proudly, making both Leia’s and the waitresses jaws drop open. He took a seat and began looking through the booklet idly before setting it down.
“What?”
“I don’t drink beer.”
“You don’t do karaoke, either,” he countered quickly, his eyebrow arching.
“True.”
“Live a little, princess. This week is a time for you to let your hair down and try new things with your best friend ever. Does that sound okay?”
Instead of answering, they were interrupted by the waitress pointedly putting the flight board down between them. Leia glanced up in surprise and Jason didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he picked up one of the dark glasses and held it up to Leia. She picked up the opposite end and smiled nervously.
“To new things, new friends, and new experiences.”
“Agreed!”
She watched him drink half of the small glass. He set it down and watched her as she took a sip. The bitter malt taste immediately made her tongue curl as her body shivered in disgust. Her face scrunched up painfully just before she gagged.
“Ugh! That is terrible!”
“Don’t try the dark beer then,” Jason retorted, laughing uproariously. Leia glared at him; one eye still closed against the bitter taste of the beer. She reached over and picked up the glass he’d drunk from just to prove she could do anything he did. His eyebrow shot up in surprise as she took a big sip… and smiled.
“Oh my gosh, that one is so much better,” she breathed. “I don’t like the yellow ones. They taste… vinegary? This one is richer, more… caramel tasting? Is that a thing? You can have all the yellow ones.”
“Oh, I think I’m in trouble,” Jason sighed with a dreamy expression on his face as he rested his chin on his fist propped on the table. “A beautiful woman that described dark beer like a pro – and those other ones are called ‘pale’, princess, not yellow beers.”
“They are utterly horrid,” she countered, taking another sip of the beer.
“Maybe it’s because I sweetened that one for you by drinking first?” he breathed, leaning towards her. Leia found herself transfixed by the way Jason was looking at her, when a loud bang made the table jump. The waitress set down a massive platter of fries, a deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwich, a small bucket of ketchup, and a wad of napkins.
“You two need anything else?”
“A big serving of ranch dressing,” Jason quipped, not looking away from her, “…And I think we’ll have the cobbler for dessert that is on the chalk board behind the bar. Two spoons.”
“You remembered the ranch,” Leia praised, feeling special.
“I think I’ve read every email you’ve sent me about fifty times,” he admitted quietly and she had to strain to hear him speaking over the music. They ate silently for a while as another man got up on stage, absolutely butchering the lyrics to a Queen song. Dipping her French fry in ranch, she wagged it at Jason.
“I thought you were going to sing?”
Jason leaned forward and bit the French fry right out of her fingertips, chewing and smiling at her. He downed one of the small glasses of pale beer and took a sip of water.
“You’re right. Those are awful, aren’t they?”
Leia laughed as he stood, heading towards the counter where the DJ sat coordinating the music. She watched as Jason leaned in to speak to him, smiling congenially, and then pointed at where Leia sat. She glanced around nervously as Jason waved hello to her, and then the DJ did, too. Sinking in her seat nervously, she wondered what Jason was up to.
She didn’t have long to wait.
Jason hopped on stage and yanked the microphone out of the stand, grinning broadly as he introduced himself.
“Hi, my name is Jason Hody and I am here with the incomparable Princess Leia tonight. Leia, can you wave to everyone?”
“Oh my gosh, is he drunk?” she whispered aloud, in dawning horror as one of the spotlights shone on her, blinding her for a moment.
“Now you might be thinking, ‘oh that man has had one too many drinks tonight,’ but truthfully, that’s just not the case. I feel happier than I have in years and it’s because of this beautiful woman that has graced me with her company tonight. Leia, this one’s for you,” Jason praised as the music started to play.
She recognized the ballad as one from the pop band, Coldplay. Leia sat there stunned as he sang directly to her… and it was a fantastic rendition! Rich, deep, melodic tones carried from Jason’s lungs and seemed to touch her very soul. She had no idea that he could sing, much less carry such a beautiful inflection like that.
She didn’t care that she was in the spotlight anymore, as he stepped down from the stage, still singing the lyrics to her as if they were the only ones there. He outstretched his hand to her and Leia got to her feet, placing her hand in his as he crooned to her tenderly, the song ending. As the words died off, he held up her fingertips to his lips, kissing the tips.
…and she melted.
Leia had never had anyone sing to her like that before in her life. Just as she was about to say something, the music started up again. Confused, she glanced at Jason in alarm as he began to sing completely differently, tugging her to the stage.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t skip a beat and kept singing, rapping the words as dawning horror hit her. He was chanting a rap song from the nineties that she remembered only too well from the terrible video on VH1. It was called “Just a Friend,” and abrasive as a song could be, about an unrequited love.
“Jason, noooo,” Leia whispered, tugging her hand painfully from his but instead of letting her escape, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Sing with me,” he crooned, laughing.
Leia shook her head silently as everyone started cheering and applauding. Glancing out to where they had been sitting, she realized that with the spotlights on her, it was blinding, and she couldn’t see anyone watching her. No one else existed but Jason and he kept singing that atrocious song.
“Sing the chorus with me,” he encouraged in-between the lyrics, suddenly thrusting the microphone at her again.
Leia knew she sounded like a cat who’d had its tail stepped on as she tried to say the words. Jason’s unfettered joy was contagious as he nodded encouragingly and began singing with her.
By the end of the song, they were both laughing and singing, holding the microphone together and just having a good time. When the music ended, they both took a bow and moved down from the stage, heading back to thei
r table where the cobbler he’d order sat untouched.
“How about we get this to go and see if we can see the northern lights?”
“I’d like that,” she agreed, draining her glass of water. Between anxiety, the spotlights, and the fact that they’d been standing so closely on the stage together to use the microphone as a duet, she was awfully warm. Jason walked over to the bar to get the waitresses attention and returned with two Styrofoam cups full of ice.
“Let’s take the water with us,” he suggested as a bag was placed on the table with the bill. Glancing down, Leia happened to see that the waitress had written down her phone number on the slip of paper.
“Are you kidding?” she said, getting to her feet.
“I don’t even care and I’m not interested.”
“I do,” Leia said hotly, distractedly looking for her across the bar.
“Why?”
“Because no one is going after my…” Leia bit out and then stopped as Jason touched her cheek. She realized what she was saying and looked up at him slowly, meeting his eyes.
“Your what?”
“My friend,” she whispered awkwardly and saw his sad smile.
“Chicken.”
Walking out of the bar, the cooler air hit her face, immediately giving almost an immediate sense of relief. She glanced down and saw that she was still holding Jason’s hand. She wasn’t sure if she’d reached for him, or if he’d reached for her. She just enjoyed the contact.
“Thank you for singing with me. I know it wasn’t your thing but I hope you had a good time.”
“I can honestly say that is something I’ve never done, but I wouldn’t say no to doing it again… later on,” she hedged carefully. “I was definitely out of my element, but you? You have a beautiful voice and should sing more often.”
“I like singing but just have a hard time reading the music fast enough. If I hear it, I can remember it,” he admitted, shaking his head ruefully. “I sing a lot in the car or in the showers, but the only reason the guys leave me alone is cause I’m bigger than they are or I’d probably get my rear-end whipped.”
“See? There’s benefits to everything,” Leia teased, facing the front of the car as they pulled into a parking lot. She saw that they were parked facing the beach. The waves of water were dotted with beams of light from the strange sky above them. It was very late, but the sun was still up in the sky and barely darkening the world around them.
“Cmon,” Jason invited quietly, getting out of the car. He walked around the vehicle, opening the door for her again. They walked hand in hand onto the sand. Leia slipped off her shoes and carried them in one hand, clasping Jason’s hand with her other. She watched as he did the same thing. The sand was extremely cool in-between her toes and the water downright chilly compared to what she was used to. Looking up at the strange sky, she smiled at him.
“This has been a memorable first meeting.”
“Our first date,” Jason corrected, smiling back at her.
“Our first date,” she repeated shyly, nodding in agreement. As they stood there together, she listened to the water lap the shore. As she looked up again, she gasped. A faint glimmer of green seemed to bleed into the pale evening sky, spreading like a stain, and resembling a live wire or ribbon across the growing darkness.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed, “how beautiful.”
“I was just thinking the exact same thing,” Jason whispered softly. Leia looked at his dark eyes, seeing the wonder in his eyes.
“Thank you for sharing this moment with me.”
“That’s what friends are for,” he said quietly, withdrawing, and looking away. Leia felt a keen pang of disappointment that he didn’t just lean down and kiss her. It would have been a perfect moment for their first kiss to be in the moonlight and it felt like he was using her own words against her.
Couldn’t being friends become something more between them?
Was she even ready for what that ‘something more’ would entail?
Chapter 14
Early the next morning, everyone gathered at the small diner and practically filled the dining area with their massive group. Leia was surprised to see such unfettered happiness in the men’s faces, as Jamie walked in with his pregnant wife.
“Is it something in the water?” Marigold leaned over and whispered to her. “Scary thought, huh?”
“Not so much,” Leia found herself admitting, as she watched the now three pregnant women take a photo standing together. Each smoothed their outfits to show off their bellies, even Ava’s still flat one, as they smiled brightly. Colin, Jamie, and John ran over, mimicking the exact same photo as the women had just taken. The room was filled with boisterous laughter and chatter as they all began to talk over one another. Listening, Leia heard stories about Jason’s antics in the desert that had everyone laughing.
Jason threw a piece of bacon directly at Jamie, grinning.
The only one that wasn’t saying much was Watson, sitting opposite Marigold. The vivacious woman didn’t seem to be bothered by his silence, as she leaned forward to talk easily with the others at the long stretch of tables that had been pushed together. That was the one thing that Leia marveled at: no one was ever left feeling like a stranger in this group. It was like a family reunion - from all over the world.
“Pancakes, princess?” Jason asked, holding a platter with a large pancake, held aloft, speared on a fork.
“No, thank you…,” she began and then smiled. “You know what? I will have one.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Try new things, right?”
“You’ve never had pancakes?”
“It’s been years and years. I’ve always had to work at keeping a figure for banquets and events, but now I just want to be myself.”
“Well, if this is you letting go, I’d have probably died on the spot at the first smile you ever gave me,” Jason admitted aloud easily, passing a large bottle of warm syrup to her. Several loud, obnoxious “AWWWWs” filled the room as Leia just stared at Jason’s nonchalant manner.
“Syrup?” he asked easily.
“You say the sweetest things,” Leia breathed, accepting his offering.
“Hody? Sweet? Somebody! Take that woman’s temperature!” Ethan teased from the end of the table. “Ow! That was my good leg!”
“I know,” Daisy retorted.
“Baby, you know I’m teasing.”
“Let them be, Ethan.”
“Have I told you how beautiful you are when you get all feisty?”
“No, but feel free to any time.”
Jason smiled at Leia, ignoring the ribbing from the opposite end of the table, and raised one eyebrow at her. She smiled, held up her coffee cup and clinked it against his in mock solidarity. She liked this easy friendship and could certainly get used to it.
“Hash browns?” Mari said suddenly, passing a massive platter over towards Ben. He grunted and accepted the plate, before passing it to Jason. It was strange to watch the strange duo sitting beside them.
Where she and Jason were friendly and amicable, Ben and Marigold seemed to be polar opposites. She was bright and he was gloomy, as if he was just sitting there processing the reckless abandonment of the people around him, instead of the structured military life he was used to. No one was in uniform and everyone was dressed casually, except him. He was wearing a starched shirt. Several men had longer hair since exiting the military, only Watson, Post, Tobin, and Jason were wearing their hair cut in the ‘fade’ that was so popular with the men.
Jason accepted the plate and moved to serve Leia again, this time without asking. He winked at her and put a healthy scoop of the golden hash browns that smelled heavily of onion and topped with a dollop of thick creamy gravy.
“Ohhh, that looks amazing.”
“Doesn’t it, though?”
“What’s everyone doing today? Does anyone have plans?” Ava asked suddenly, glancing down the table. Several people glanced at each other an
d shrugged. Lucy and Jamie both seemed to speak at the same time before he conceded to his wife.
“There’s a lot of boutiques in the area, several walking trails that would be great for Paladin and Radar. Jamie can take you there with Bug…”
“Wait, what? That massive dog’s name is Bug?”
“Not because he’s tiny, he’s the size of a Volkswagen,” Jamie said with a grin. “Bug loves the trails and sometimes you can see wildlife off in the distance.”
“What about fishing?” Leia asked, remembering that Jason mentioned it in one of his emails.
“There’s several catch and release farms nearby, as well as a bait store where you can rent a pole for the day. It’s within walking distance, if you are wearing comfortable shoes.”
“Perfect. Does that sound okay with you?”
“Sounds great to me,” Jason readily agreed, looking at her with admiration in his eyes. She flushed happily, knowing he was pleased that she’d remembered he liked to fish.
“You’ll have to bait the hooks and show me how to cast a line,” she admitted. “I was a little girl the last time I ever threw a line out and didn’t catch anything.”
“How about we browse a few shops along the way, too?”
“I’d like that,” she nodded eagerly. “I would love to have a souvenir or two to bring home with me.”
They joined in the rest of the conversations that flowed around them. She kept catching Jason’s eyes on her and occasionally he would give her a soft smile that let her know he was thinking of her. The twinkle in his dark eyes and that lop-sided grin kept her heart pounding with excitement. He was such a fun, engaging man to be around, making her wonder why some woman hadn’t snatched him right up.
Before she knew it, Leia was thinking of Chandler and the differences between the two men. When she’d met her husband, he’d been warm, sweet, and possessive – not in a bad way – just different. They’d had ups and downs along the way but she loved who he was.
Remember Laughter Page 10
