Five Years or So

by Kay Correll

  “At least with your stuff.”

  They headed out and Charlotte turned off to the marina and Sara turned off to head home. Robin slowly wandered down the sidewalk, enjoying the evening.

  Poor Charlotte. Her family still was impossible, and she was fairly certain neither Mrs. Duncan nor Eva would ever approve of anything Charlotte did. Eva had made it clear—over and over—how inconvenient the date of Char’s wedding was.

  She debated popping in for an ice cream at the Cone Corner but decided she better get back to Barney. She turned onto Palm Street and ran into Jay. Literally.

  “Oops.” He reached out to steady her. “You okay?”

  “Sure. I guess I was looking too closely at the Cone Corner, trying to decide if I needed an ice cream cone to top off my dinner.”

  “Let’s get one.” Jay suggested, his eyes hopeful.

  Her resolve faded. “Let’s.”

  They went into the shop, and she ordered a double scoop of butter pecan and Jay ordered vanilla. Plain vanilla. They walked back outside.

  “You headed home? I’ll walk with you,” he offered, sounding much nicer than he had the last few days.

  “I am.” She nodded. It’s not like she could stop him from walking the same direction she was headed. Not that she wanted to stop him. They ambled on, making small talk about the weather and nothing about their disagreement or whatever it was. She climbed up the stairs of her porch when she got home and turned around to face him.

  “Jay, I—”

  “Hey, Robs—”

  They laughed. “You go first,” Jay said.

  “You,” she countered.

  Jay took the last bite of his cone, shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked at her. “I don’t like it when we’re not getting along. I’m sorry I’ve been such a beast. A creep. A jerk.”

  “An ogre, a scoundrel, a miscreant… Go on, I won’t stop you.” She grinned.

  He gave her a wry smile. “Anyway, I’ve missed you. I miss you popping in and talking to me. I miss you swiping cookies.” His mouth curved into a wide, lazy grin. “And I even miss teasing you. So can we put this all behind us?”

  “Please, yes, let’s. I’ve missed you, too.”

  A relieved look crossed his face. “Great. It’s back to teasing you, then.”

  “And I’m back to swiping cookies.”

  A bark sounded from inside.

  “What’s that?” Jay asked.

  “That’s Barney. Mrs. Gleason’s dog. I’m dog sitting for the weekend. He must have heard us talking.”

  “Well, we should probably let him out for a bit, don’t you think?”

  She unlocked the door, and Barney stood there looking at her with an annoyed look. He sauntered past her, paused and looked at Jay, and wagged his tail. Jay reached down and petted him. “Good boy.”

  She glanced into the bungalow. Not so good boy. The pillows were all on the floor again.

  They stood and let Barney do his business, then the three of them headed inside.

  “Get you a beer?” She asked as she dropped her purse near the door. On second thought, she placed it up on a shelf way out of Barney’s reach.

  “Sounds good.”

  She brought him a beer and a big glass of ice water for herself. Jay had settled on the couch with Barney lying beside him with his chin propped up on Jay’s leg.

  “Looks like you’ve found a friend.” She reached down and picked up a couple of throw pillows and settled them on the couch and the overstuffed easy chair, then sank onto the chair. “I don’t think Barney likes me much. He eats my shoes and chews up my books and throws the pillows on the floor.”

  “He’s probably just bored and lonely being alone here, aren’t you boy?” Jay stroked the dog’s head.

  “He doesn’t get into Charlotte’s things.”

  “Maybe she’s better at putting her things away.”

  She took a sip of her water and set the glass on the end table, wondering if Barney would come over and tip it over if she left the room for the briefest second.

  Jay glanced over at her while she sat there. And glanced again. What was up with that? Which of course made her think about what Charlotte had said about him. That he liked her. But he never gave any sign at all that he did. He’d never asked her out. No, Charlotte was crazy.

  Jay stretched out his long legs, careful not to disturb Barney. “So, I’ve decided to give Dana more responsibility at the inn. I think she’s ready for it.” His forehead creased. “I hope so anyway. I’m going to let her be in charge of a dinner this week. Besides, I’m really busy getting food ready for Lil’s wedding.”

  “I think that’s smart. I think she’s ready to do more. Be responsible for more.” Ha, she hadn’t even had to bring up the subject. Now if he just actually did what he said he was going to do.

  “What was Mason’s dad’s surprise for Lillian?” Jay asked as he sat and mindlessly petted the dog. Barney closed his eyes.

  “I can’t say because, you know, it’s a surprise. But I’m helping Mason with it.”

  She didn’t miss the slight frown on Jay’s face when she mentioned Mason. “Anyway, Gary is very thoughtful and I think he’ll make Lillian very happy. That’s what counts.”

  “It is.” He smiled. “I guess I should head out.” He gingerly got up, trying not to disturb the dog, and took a last swallow of his beer.

  She stood, eyed Barney, and picked up her glass as she led Jay to the door.

  He turned to her and briefly rested his hand on her wrist. “I’m glad we smoothed things out between us.”

  A wave of heat smoldered through her. She looked down at where he had touched her and tried to gather her thoughts, her words. “Uh, me, too.”

  Jay slipped out the door, and she stood there staring at her wrist. Charlotte couldn’t be right, could she? Was there something between them? Though she hadn’t seen him have any reaction to touching her. She shook her head. Charlotte was just messing up her thoughts.

  She turned to look at Barney—who had already knocked two pillows onto the floor.

  Jay walked back to his home, staring at his hand off and on as he walked. He’d felt a bolt of electricity surge through him when he’d touched her wrist. What’s that about? He’d touched her before. Hugged her a few times. Touched her arm to get her attention.

  So why was tonight’s touch so… powerful?

  He’d almost jerked his hand back in shock. Which was crazy, of course.

  But he’d seen her eyes light up at his touch. He was certain of it. Positive. Almost certain.

  Maybe.

  He inhaled a deep breath of the fresh salty air and let it out slowly. Maybe things were more complicated than he’d originally thought.

  Chapter 10

  Robin stood at the kitchen door the next evening at the end of her workday. She’d had to stop herself from popping in there about a million times today. She’d walk up to the door, but then turn and walk away. She and Jay had made a tentative peace last night, and she didn’t want to break it. If she walked in there and he was cold to her again… well, she hadn’t wanted to face that.

  She took a deep breath, gathered up her courage, and finally slipped into the kitchen—first time for the whole day. She looked around and saw Dana putting things away and cleaning up the kitchen. No sign of Jay.

  “Hi, Dana. Did dinner go well?”

  Dana turned to her and smiled. “It did. Jay’s pot pie was a big hit.” She put down the towel she was holding. “And thank you for talking to him. He’s letting me plan the lunch menu and be in charge of the lunch at the end of the week so he can work on Lillian’s wedding prep.”

  “I’m glad he’s letting you do that. Baby steps. Though I kinda think it’s a big step for him.” She grinned. “So where’s Jay? Did he leave already?” Was he avoiding her?

  “No, Lillian asked him to put tonight’s cash payments in the safe. I expect him back any moment.”

  She couldn’t decide if she s
hould hang around and wait for him because it was just supposed to be a casual drop-in visit. Not a hunt-him-down visit. Or maybe she was just avoiding him, afraid to see that disinterested cool look in his eyes again.

  The door swung open and Jay strode in. He stopped abruptly when he saw her. She held her breath…

  And his face broke into a casual smile. “So, you came to swipe a cookie, I assume?”

  “Of course. I hear there were oatmeal cookies tonight.”

  “I saved you some.” He walked over and reached into a cabinet and took out a plate of cookies. “Go ahead.”

  She reached for a cookie and took a bite. “I swear, you make the best cookies.”

  “Old family recipe. Same as the pot pie. Though we had some extra veggies I threw in the pie tonight. Can’t stand to waste any food.”

  He glanced around the kitchen, taking in every detail, as she was used to him doing. Scanning, looking for anything that needed to be done or put away. He turned back to her. “You headed home?”

  “I am.” She held her breath. Again.

  “Mind if I walk with you?”

  “That would be nice.” She let out her breath.

  He turned to Dana. “You’ll lock up when you’re finished?”

  “Yes, I’ve got this.”

  “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

  They headed out the back door, out of the heat of the kitchen, and out into the warm night air that was still cooler than the kitchen. They walked in silence for a bit, which wasn’t that strange. They often walked in companionable silence. She just didn’t know if tonight the silence was companionable or awkward…

  “Another ice cream tonight?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so. The cookie was enough dessert.”

  They walked under a lamplight and she glanced at him and found he was looking at her. Almost staring. She gave him a little smile and quickly glanced away, pretending she hadn’t noticed he was watching her. They walked the rest of the way to her bungalow and stopped at her porch steps.

  “Thanks for walking me home.”

  “You going to let Barney out?”

  “Yes, I should.”

  “How about we take him for a walk? He’d probably like that after being cooped up all day.”

  “That’s a great idea.” They went inside and she found the leash. She called Barney, but he didn’t come.

  “Barney, wanna go for a walk?” Jay called out. The dog came trotting up to them.

  “Here, he obviously adores you.” She handed Jay the leash, and they headed outside and down the sidewalk.

  “Should be a full moon by Lillian’s wedding next weekend.” She scrambled for small talk, not wanting to continue with their silence.

  “That will be nice. I heard Charlotte talk all about something called fairy lights for the deck. She threw around words like fireflies and magical.” He shook his head. “But no doubt, knowing Charlotte, she’s got the decorations all planned for Lillian.”

  “She does. I’m sure it will be magical.”

  They slowed their pace as Barney stopped to explore a group of bushes. Exciting stuff, those bushes. They stood under the streetlamp and let Barney nose around. Jay turned to her, and she could see a look in his eyes that took her breath away. Literally. He reached out and took her hand. “Robs, I’m glad we talked.”

  Breathe, breathe, breathe.

  “I waited all day for you to stop by the kitchen. I finally thought that maybe my apology hadn’t gone so well. Or that you were still afraid I was in a lousy mood.” His voice was low, soothing, mesmerizing.

  Take a breath or you’ll pass out. She slowly inhaled the thick salty air.

  “I’m glad you came by tonight.” His eyes glimmered like summer lightning. “And I was wondering… speaking of Lillian’s wedding. Would you… I mean, since we’re both going… would you like to go with me? I know we both have to kind of work, but…”

  And just like that, the moment was shattered. Yes, she’d love to go with him. No, she couldn’t, because she already told Mason she’d go with him…

  “Oh, Jay… I… uh…” Nice. Put your words together. “Mason asked me to go with him. I mean, I’ll be busy doing some work stuff and making sure things go smoothly, and he is his dad’s best man so he’ll be busy, too. But…”

  “No, that’s fine. I’ll be busy making sure everything with the food goes well. I just thought—never mind.”

  His eyes shuttered, closing off the glittering look she’d seen just moments before.

  With another gulp of the sea air, she gathered her courage and reached out to touch his arm. A shock swept through her and she swore his eyes smoldered at her touch.

  “But I’d rather be going with you. I just said yes to him to be… nice. He doesn’t know anyone here.”

  Jay nodded, then stared down where her hand rested on his arm. He pulled his gaze from her touch and looked directly into her eyes, into her soul.

  For that brief moment, they were totally connected.

  She held her breath—yet again—and wondered if he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. He was going to kiss her. She was certain. Pretty certain. And how long could she hold her breath…? Thoughts ping-ponged through her mind.

  He leaned toward her slightly.

  Finally, finally, he was going to kiss her.

  Barney barked at a rabbit hopping out of the bushes and tugged on the leash, pulling Jay along with him, the moment shattered with the incessant barking. She swore that dog had it in for her.

  Chapter 11

  They headed back to Robin’s bungalow, the silence deafening between them. When they got to her porch, he unleashed Barney, who sat on the top step looking at them, turning his head from one to the other.

  The light from her front window bathed her in a golden circle. Jay considered kissing her… like he was going to back there on the sidewalk before Barney started barking like a fool. But the moment was gone now. Or quite possibly he’d lost his nerve.

  She stood looking at him. Waiting. Watching. Her hair blew in the breeze with a few locks framing her face, and she rested one delicate hand on the railing.

  Details. He was into all the little details again.

  With a snap decision, he took a step forward. “I was thinking.”

  “Yes?” Her eyes widened in anticipation.

  “Let’s go to Lighthouse Point for a picnic tomorrow. We could go after breakfast but be back in time for the dinner rush. Dana can handle it. You’re always saying to let her handle a meal.”

  “I… uh…” A confused look covered her face, but she recovered quickly. “I think I could get away. For a little bit, anyway. That sounds like fun.”

  “Perfect. I’ll pack us a lunch. You could come by the kitchen midmorning?”

  “Okay, I’ll see you then.” She looked at Barney. “Come on, Barney, let’s go in.”

  The dog just sat there staring at her.

  “Barney, go inside.” The dog looked at him, stood, stretched, and padded inside the house.

  Robin rolled her eyes. “He never listens to me.” With that, she slipped inside.

  He took the long way home, hoping the cooling air would soothe the fire inside him. Something had stirred inside of him at her touch. Something he’d been ignoring for a long time.

  But it was hard to ignore anymore. He had feelings for Robin. He’d had them for a long time but just couldn’t admit it to himself. But after tonight… it would be ridiculous to try to lie to himself.

  And the Mason guy. Grrrr. Why did he always get in the way? Even if she had said she’d rather be going with him to the wedding—you know, if he’d thought to ask her earlier before Mason had gotten around to it.

  At least he’d asked her to go on a picnic with him. Nothing formal or a date, but just a picnic out at the point. Kind of like when he’d planned on asking her to Classic Movie Night at the park, but Mason had ruined that, too.

  But Mason couldn’t possibly ruin thei
r picnic tomorrow—could he?

  He scowled as he walked into his house, closed the door, and leaned against it. The room mocked him with its sparse furnishings, so in contrast to Robin’s cheerful, homey bungalow. A bungalow that she was in right this very minute. The sparseness of his house didn’t usually bother him, but tonight the room seemed cold. Lonely. Empty.

  He didn’t even bother to turn on the lights and headed to his bedroom.

  Robin sat on her bed long after Jay had gone. She wished Charlotte were here to talk to. She needed to talk through her thoughts, through her feelings.

  She’d been almost certain that Jay was going to kiss her right there under the lamplight. And she’d wanted him to. After all these years, the secure just-friends footing she had with him had shifted. Everything she thought she knew about the two of them had changed.

  If only Barney hadn’t barked…

  Then again, for just a moment, she’d been certain Jay was going to kiss her there on her front porch. When he said he wanted to ask her something, she thought he might ask her if he could kiss her. But, no, it had been to ask her on a picnic.

  A picnic was fun.

  But it wasn’t a kiss.

  And she longed for Jay to kiss her now. Longed to feel his lips on hers. And wanted to know if they’d feel an instant connection…

  … or if they were better off just being friends.

  Chapter 12

  Jay got up early the next morning determined to get to the inn before Dana. It was almost starting to annoy him that she often got there before him. Besides, he had lots to do and wanted to make a special lunch for the picnic with Robin. He was kind of holding his breath on that, hoping something didn’t come up to stop them.

  He reached for the handle on the back door to the kitchen and noticed it was unlocked. He couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. Dana beat him again.

  A logical person, a good head chef, would come up with a schedule that they shared so they weren’t both working all the time…

  He strode inside. “Morning, Dana.” He saw she had cinnamon rolls started and walked over to look at them. She glanced at him with a look in her eyes like she was afraid he’d tell her they weren’t good enough. “Those look good.”