by Cindi Madsen
Pete, Vinnie, and Adam frowned and hung their heads like they’d had something to do with the loss.
Adam tossed a napkin onto his plate. “I’m so sick of losing. Maybe I’ll just jump on the bandwagon and switch teams.”
As they argued the strategy needed for the Rockies to start winning, Jake took the black binder holding the check, put several bills into it, and held it out low for the waitress as she walked by. He gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Hope that wasn’t too boring.”
“I had a good time,” I said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been around crazy sports enthusiasts. And I forgot how good an entire meal of fried stuff could be.”
He laced his fingers with mine. “Ready to go?”
He’d paid the bill even though his team had won, and now he was going to sneak away before his friends found out. Steph was right. I was an idiot for not holding on to him.
Jake helped me to my feet and wrapped his arm around me. “See you guys later. Ball on Saturday morning, right?”
I waved. “It was nice meeting you all.”
Earlier I’d been prepared to give my speech about not getting too involved; walking out of the restaurant with Jake’s arm around me, I was sure it was way too late.
Chapter Twenty-five
You can tell a lot about people by the way they act when they don’t think anyone’s looking. I lingered near the bar of the restaurant, watching Drew and Lisa laughing and talking. I couldn’t believe I’d let him convince me to go to dinner with them—I was the third wheel way too often. But Drew was right. There was something different about Lisa. For one, I didn’t immediately dislike her. Most of the girls he dated got on my nerves within the first thirty minutes. But Lisa was actually easy to talk to and totally down to earth.
“Can I get you something?” the bartender asked, drawing my attention away from my brother and his girlfriend.
“No thanks.” I walked across the room and sat opposite Drew and Lisa.
She leaned her elbows on the table. “Drew talks to me about all the stuff he has to do on the ranch, and it sounds like a lot of long, hard days. How’d you like growing up there?”
“I hated it at first,” I said. “Moving there at thirteen wasn’t exactly easy.”
Her brows knit together as she turned to Drew. “I thought you said you lived there your whole life?”
“I did. Darby and Janet didn’t move in until Janet and my dad got married. I was fourteen.”
“Oh. I knew Janet was your stepmom. I guess I didn’t realize Darby was your stepsister. You two are so close.”
“It wasn’t always that way. I thought Drew and Devin hated me. I didn’t realize that’s just how brothers are.” I picked up a fry, swiped it through the puddle of ketchup, and tossed it in my mouth. “I never would’ve survived high school without them, though.”
“Darby learned to be tough by the end of her time on the ranch,” Drew said. “She actually turned into a pretty good cowgirl.”
“Aw, thanks.” I took a sip of my drink and turned my attention back on Lisa. “Drew tells me you’re a veterinarian.”
She tucked her red hair behind an ear. “I specialize in dogs and cats. I haven’t seen horses or cows since vet school.”
Most of the girls Drew dated couldn’t handle the farm. It never made any sense to me. They didn’t want to be there but freaked out when he dumped them, even though being with him would mean being on the farm. Sitting here, I started to wonder if Drew was actually going to break his pattern.
Great. If Drew falls in love and does the wedding thing, I’m going to have no one to hang out with. Or live with.
Lisa kissed Drew’s cheek. “Excuse me, honey. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”
Drew moved out of her way, then watched her walk away, a goofy grin on his face.
“Traitor,” I said.
He grinned at me. “I told you she was great.”
…
Monday after he got off work, Jake came over, even though he’d spent most of yesterday evening at my place as well. I’m pretty anti-let-me-cook-and-serve-you when it comes to men, but Jake had cooked for me twice—three times if you count the brownies. So I’d made him Sunday dinner, going so far as to set my table with candles and buy a good bottle of wine. It felt like a big step, and for me, it was. I was preparing meals and making plans that revolved around his schedule. We talked about my job, and options for my career if things at work continued going badly. And instead of pushing him away because of that, I just went with it. Mostly because I was so damn happy around him I couldn’t help myself.
We ate the leftovers and settled onto the couch to watch a movie. I scrolled through the selection on my TV, enjoying being tucked next to him. “How about this one?”
His eyebrows lowered. “It looks…awful. The guy in it bugs me.”
“He’s funny.”
“Go down two more. I remember thinking that one sounded good.”
I clicked down to the movie he wanted and hit the info button. I started reading about the true-life events of two brave men in World War I. And then my mind shut down. “I can’t even read what it’s about without getting bored. After my day today, I need something funny. And this one,” I said, scrolling back up to my original choice, “will be funny.” I stuck out my lower lip. “Are you telling me that you won’t watch it with me?”
“Don’t,” Jake said, the corners of his mouth twitching from fighting a smile. “That’s not fair.”
I worked at looking even sadder. “All I want is to sit back with a funny movie, and even after I watched baseball with you, you’re going to make me see it all alone?” I leaned in and kissed his neck. “Come on. You know you want to watch it with me.”
Jake laughed. “You think you can just pout and get your way?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fine. We’ll watch your stupid movie.”
I grinned at him. “Oh, okay. If you insist.” I bought the comedy and settled in next to Jake, happy to have a simple night at home to relax and watch a movie with my really cute…whatever he was.
Shortly after the movie got going, my eyelids felt heavy—I’d stayed up too late with Jake last night and it was catching up with me. I blinked a couple times, and with each blink it took a little longer to keep my eyes open. I rested my head on Jake’s shoulder, thinking I’d just close my eyes for a minute.
When I awoke, the credits were rolling up my TV screen, accompanied by an obnoxious wannabe rap song. Apparently, my minute had turned into two hours.
“You know how you pouted to get your way?” Jake asked.
“Nope,” I said with a smile. “I don’t remember that at all.”
“Then you fell asleep, leaving me to watch this stupid movie by myself. I kept eyeing the remote on the coffee table, wanting to turn it off and watch something else, but I didn’t want to wake you up.”
I stifled a yawn. “The twenty or so minutes I saw of it weren’t that bad.”
Jake kissed my forehead, leaving his lips there as he spoke. “Next time, I’m going to rent the war drama.”
The clock on the cable box read 1:34. In a little over five hours, my alarm would go off. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
Jake sighed. “Not this again.”
It took me a second to put it together. “I mean staying up this late night after night Dragging myself out of bed in the morning is going to be killer, and I’m already having enough stress at work without adding lack of sleep.”
“I guess I should go then.”
“I guess so,” I said, but I didn’t move. “It’s just that you’re really comfortable. And you’re warm and you smell nice…”
He ran his fingers down my back, and I had to fight hard to keep my eyes open. I pushed myself up. “Okay, I’ve got to get to bed before I fall asleep again and then you have to deal with me being grouchy in the morning.”
Just before we reached the door, Jake turned and wrapped his arms around
my waist. “You know, you forced me to watch a horrible movie—which you slept through—and I still had a good time. You know what that means, right?”
I tipped onto my toes and kissed his perfect lips, one kiss to hold onto tonight. Another to get me through the hours until I could see him again. “That pouting works better than I thought?”
Jake smiled, then his expression turned serious. The way his eyes were boring into mine somehow sent both heat and nerves through my stomach. “I want to tell you something, but I’m afraid it’ll freak you out.”
I swallowed, the gesture taking a lot more effort than usual. I suspected it might include the L-word, and he was right about it freaking me out. Things were finally easy between us again, and I didn’t want to step into the dangerous, serious zone. “Then you better not say it.”
He pulled me closer, our hips bumping together, and covered my mouth with his. As tired as I was a few seconds ago, every part of me was suddenly very alert. He slid a hand under my shirt, his fingertips stroking my bare back. I bit lightly at his bottom lip. He groaned and crushed me to him. Then he thrust his tongue in to meet mine, kissing me so deeply the room spun.
I clung onto him, losing myself in the moment, wanting to drag him to my bedroom but knowing I couldn’t yet. For some reason…I was having trouble remembering it right now. I broke the kiss and worked on getting air back into my lungs.
Jake blew out his breath. He raked a hand through his hair, making it messy. He looked so hot I had to work at holding back my surging hormones. “Good night,” he said, his voice husky. Then he shot me a roguish smile that sent desire burning through my veins. “Sweet dreams.”
Oh, I was pretty sure my dreams would be featuring him tonight. And they’d probably be more dirty than sweet.
Chapter Twenty-six
Stephanie paused outside of the gallery, her hand on the door. Instead of pulling it open like I thought she was going to, she spun around to face me. “I just realized something. Charlie wasn’t Prince Charming. Jake is.”
As we’d walked down the sidewalk, I’d been gushing about Jake, telling her all about how great he was and how much fun I’d been having with him lately. I should’ve known better.
“Don’t do that,” I said. “I don’t want to think about my stupid case studies right now.” I simply wanted to enjoy being with a guy who made me happy and not worry about the future or how he tied in to all my past exes.
“But think about it. You lost your shoe at the restaurant and you went dancing together. He cares about your job. He’s not deterred when you try to push him away. He’s totally Prince Charming.”
“The whole point of putting those case studies together was to prove that there is no Prince Charming. Fairy tales and real life are nothing alike.”
“Yeah, real life’s harder, blah, blah, blah.” Steph crossed her arms and raised a challenging eyebrow. “You’re just too scared to see if you’re wrong. Because it means putting yourself out there again.”
I thought about last night, how Jake had said he wanted to tell me something. I went back and forth on whether I should’ve let him tell me. If I could handle it. It was getting harder and harder to live life halfway with him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hold back anymore. I was too stubborn to admit she was the tiniest bit right, though, so I changed the subject. “Time crunch, remember? Patricia’s been commenting on how long my lunches are.”
“You normally love your work,” Stephanie said. “Maybe Jake’s right about you branching off on your own.”
“Maybe. But right now, I’ve got to focus on this job. After we get your vases. Because nothing’s as important as your wedding.”
Smiling, Steph nodded. “That’s right.”
Mission accomplished. When desperate for a distraction, the wedding’s always a winner.She pulled the door open and we headed back to Tina’s display room. Tina was talking to a woman in the corner, explaining the inspiration behind one of her larger pieces.
A red-and-blue heart sculpture that looked partway melted caught my eye. “I think I need this to remind myself that heartbreak—or heart melt—is inevitable.”
“Phfft. Like you need a reminder to be Debbie Downer,” Steph said.
Tina invited the woman to look around, then walked up to Stephanie and me. “Come on back and I’ll show you the vases before we pack them up.”
“I can’t thank you enough for doing this last minute,” I said.
Stephanie and I followed Tina through a small door. The walk-in closet had that stuffy smell that comes from lack of fresh air. Various glass pieces dotted the shelves and the heart vases sat on a desk.
Steph picked one up and studied it. “They’re even prettier than the vases I special ordered.” The three of us started bubble wrapping and placing them into little square cardboard places in the box. “Do you have your maid of honor speech prepared yet?”
I ripped off a sheet of bubble wrap. “Not yet.”
“You’re not going to say anything anti-marriage or anti-love, right?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
Steph raised her eyebrows, answering by not answering.
I scowled at her. “I’m not that bad. You know I want everything to go right for you on your big day. I’m sure I’ll find something great to say about love and the institution of marriage.”
Tina tucked the last vase inside the box, then straightened and stared at me. “I keep going back and forth on whether I should say something, but I can’t help myself. I’ve always been a loudmouth.”
I leaned against the table, waiting for whatever she was going to say.
“Jake could have his pick of nice girls, but for some reason, he always chooses girls who don’t appreciate him,” Tina said. “You know I like you. I think you’re funny, and you’ve been really great for my business. I just don’t think you’re good for Jake.”
Stunned would be an understatement. Stephanie stood there next to me, mouth hanging open, eyes wide, and I was sure my expression matched—if not surpassed—hers.
Tina lifted her chin, her jaw set. “Jake and I have been friends for a long time. He’s a great guy, and I feel like you’re messing with him. And he’ll let you because he likes you.”
I took a deep breath to steady my voice. “I’m not trying to mess with him. I told him from the beginning that I don’t do the big relationship thing. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to you or to him or to anyone. But this is who I am, and he says he’s okay with it.”
“He says that, but he’s lying. Lying to himself. I’m not going to give the whole ‘if you hurt him’ speech. All I’m saying is that if you really don’t think there’s something there, you shouldn’t waste any more of his time.”
Needless to say, things were a little weird after Tina’s speech. It was a relief when Steph and I finally made it back to my car. Steph stuck the box filled with her vases in the backseat, eased the door closed, and put a hand on my shoulder. “I totally get it. I’ve watched you get hurt over and over again.” Her eyes met mine. “But what if this time really is different? I don’t think you should dump him because of what Tina said. You’re not wasting his time.”
I bit my lip. “Despite my best efforts, I’m afraid I’m already too attached. I even tried to pull away, but it didn’t work. If I don’t have a good reason, I’ll just get sucked back in.” I leaned against my car, trying to figure out what I was going to do. “I need to find that thing that’ll eventually break us apart before I end up repeating all my past mistakes.”
“Just take him to meet Drew and Devin,” Stephanie said with a smile. “Those boys always cause fights between you and your boyfriends.”
I stared at her for a moment. Hadn’t I just rehashed how much conflict Robert and my clashing over our families had caused? “You’re right. I’ve got to put him through the real test before letting my guard down.”
Stephanie put her hands on my shoulders. “Darby, I was kidding. Don’t you have a rule about n
ot taking a guy home until you absolutely have to?”
“I’ve already been breaking all the rules.” I shrugged. “What’s one more?”
…
Jake invited me to “come on in.”
His giant flat-screen TV was tuned to the Yankees game. One of the players spit, and with the hugeness and the high-defness, I saw—way too clearly—a leftover bubble of saliva on his lip.
“You’ve really got to be committed to be a baseball fan,” I said, sitting next to him on the couch. “There’s a game on, like, every night.”
“This one’s pretty much over.” Jake picked up the remote, hovered his finger over the power button, and watched the next play.
“Go ahead and watch it. You just owe me dessert afterward.”
Jake set his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “You’re awesome, you know that?”
I smiled at him. “I know.”
All through the game, I chewed on my fingernail, going back and forth on my plan to take Jake home with me. Earlier today I’d been so sure; now I was wondering if I was ready for this casual, easy fun to end.
But Tina thinks I’m wasting his time. And maybe I am. I took in his profile, the stubble on his chin, how his eyes had a hint of green, since he was wearing black today. Who am I kidding? We already passed the casual stage. It’s time for the make-or-break one.
When the game was over, I picked up the remote—just to see how much I could get away with. Jake didn’t rip it out of my hands; he didn’t even say anything about it. Divine Design was on the HGTV channel, so I stopped there, waiting for the protests.
Jake didn’t protest. He started kissing my neck, then trailed kisses along my jaw. After that, I didn’t care what was on television anyway. Within a few minutes we ended up horizontal on the couch. The weight of his body made me feel secure and dizzy, all at the same time. Still, he didn’t seem close enough. I hooked my leg over his, bringing our bodies together. Delicious heat wound through me. His tongue rolled over mine.
