by Lisa Lace
Now, I had my doubts. I felt like everything in my life was hanging in the balance again. If Victor somehow found me and started terrorizing me again, what choice would I have but to run again? The thought made my blood run cold. I loved it here. I really, truly loved this little town and the people I’d already met. I loved the routine I’d built, and the way I was finally living for me and seeing my dreams come to fruition. I didn’t think I could bear to let Victor take all this from me. I had so much hope here. So many possibilities.
I looked Nate square in the eye and nodded. “Yes. It feels just like home.”
“I’m glad. I know Harriet’s really hoping you’ll stick around.”
The way his eyes flickered when he said that, catching mine very deliberately, I wondered if he was trying to tell me that it was him who was hoping I’d stick around. The idea made me smile. Maybe I hadn’t ruined all my chances with him just yet.
“Look, Nate, we haven’t really spoken again about what happened a few weeks back.”
Nate cut me off. “There’s nothing to explain. You didn’t want things to go any further. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I guess I just hadn’t realized that the evening was meant to be a date, you know? I hadn’t expected things to go that way.” I glanced quickly around the room to see if any kids, parents—or worse, Mrs. Gatsby—were listening. Seeing that nobody was close enough to hear us, I carried on. “When things started to…heat up…I was taken by surprise, and I guess it just took a moment for my brain to catch up and realize what was going on.”
“So, it really wasn’t what you wanted?”
I flashed him a look that said otherwise. “I just wasn’t expecting it that night. I felt like I needed time to figure out whether it was a good idea.”
“And?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the hope I could sense in that one word. I bit down on my lip and gave a little shrug, looking up at him from under my lashes. “I’m still figuring it out.”
“I’m hoping maybe there’s something I can do to convince you that this is a good idea.”
“Like what?”
“Let me take you out tomorrow night.”
“Take me out?”
My heart skipped a beat and filled with joy. I could only imagine how incredible it would be to spend a real night with Nate, out in the open, free. I could only imagine how it would feel to be the woman on Nate’s arm, while every other woman turned to stare at him as he passed by.
At the same time, Victor’s unwanted image flashed into my mind. I wondered if he was any closer to finding me, and if he was, how close. Could I risk starting something new, or was life only moments away from completely unraveling? Even if I’d managed to overcome the way a broken heart and a bad relationship destroys trust, and even if I could believe that maybe Nate was worth the risk of being hurt again, could I be sure that things weren’t about to take a turn for the worse? When had Victor ever let me be happy before?
“Yes, I want to take you out. There’s a great little restaurant down on Parker Street. Italian. How does that sound?”
I twisted a strand of hair around my finger and hesitated.
“They have amazing pasta.”
I laughed. “It sounds great Nate, but I’m still not sure. I just don’t know whether now is the time for me to date.”
Nate furrowed his brow into a confused expression and shook his head. There was a little sparkle of mischief in his eye. “Date? What are you talking about? I’m not talking about a date. This would be a parent-teacher conference. For Harriet.”
That drew a smile from me, and I laughed again. “Oh, is that right? An Italian dinner for Harriet?”
“Absolutely.”
He was breaking down my defenses. He was making me want to take another risk. I looked up into his kind blue eyes and felt the last of my reservations swept away. I nodded. “Okay.”
Nate grinned. Oh God, that smile made me melt. “Okay? Fantastic. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Great.”
I called Harriet over and picked out her backpack from the pegs on the back wall. I handed it to her and then passed Harriet over to Nate. He took her hand and cast me a knowing smile. “Until tomorrow, Miss Dawson.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Nate left, and I stood in awe of how effortlessly he could draw me in. But what about Nate wasn’t captivating? He had the body, the smile, the personality…he was every girl’s dream.
Mrs. Gatsby was behind me, collecting up the children's finished drawings to hang on the line running across the ceiling. I didn’t know how much of the conversation she had caught, but she was grinning at me. I flushed red but found myself laughing. My whole body felt light and bubbly like I was floating on air. I grabbed my purse and raced out of the building, and up towards Main Street.
I reached Carla’s place and burst through the door. I was practically hopping from foot to foot as I waited for the line to die down so I could reach her and tell her the news.
When I got to the head of the line, Carla realized it was me and grinned. “You look like you have something to tell me.”
“You won’t believe it, Carla! Do you have time to talk?”
Carla casually undid the little apron she had on and took it off. “What’s the point in being the boss if you can’t take five for gossip? Lucy—two lattes please when you get a moment.” Carla gestured for me to follow her and led me to our usual table by the window. “So? What’s the big news?”
“I just saw Nate.”
“And?”
“He asked me out. We’re going to dinner tomorrow!”
Carla slapped a hand down victoriously on the table. “You’re kidding me! Really? At last?”
I nodded feverishly. “Oh God, Carla, I don’t know what to do. I haven’t been on a date in forever. I have nothing to wear.”
“Well, I have a whole closet full of knock-‘em-dead dresses. You’ll come over tonight. Fashion show.”
“I don’t want to wear anything too revealing. I don’t want to give the wrong impression.”
“And what impression is that?”
“I don’t know. I just want to take things slow. I don’t want to put it all out there on day one.”
“I think I have the perfect dress in mind.”
“Really? Oh Carla, thank you.”
“Anytime, honey. I’m just thrilled you two have finally got your priorities straight. You’ve been drooling over each other for weeks.”
“Has it been that obvious?”
Carla smiled a wicked grin. “Honey, I had Mrs. Gatsby in here on the weekend, asking me if you two had hit it off. She said whenever Nate enters the room, it’s like nobody else is there but the two of you.”
I flushed scarlet. “Are you joking? That’s so embarrassing. So unprofessional.”
Carla waved away my concerns with her hand. “She loves it. She started telling me all about when she met her husband, Frank, in the seventies. How their eyes met across the room, and they spent months just catching glances and exchanging just a few words here and there. But she said the whole time, there was a fire in her, and when he finally asked her out, everybody said it was about time. When there’s chemistry, everybody feels it. You two have got chemistry.”
“You really think so?” I smiled wistfully. “Nate’s just so…wow. I just feel like he could have his pick.”
“Jenna!” Carla exclaimed incredulously. “Take a look in the mirror, girl. You’re sex on legs.”
I blushed, laughed and looked down. “I don’t think so. I’m mom-jeans and a ponytail.”
“Nate doesn’t see it that way. I’ve known him for a long time, and I know when he’s hot under the collar for a girl. You’ve got his full attention, Jenna. You don’t have to worry about that.”
That night, I went to Carla’s. I had a fantastic time drinking wine and trying on what seemed like a thousand dresses, som
e of them no more than lace and string. I thought I’d never find anything in her closet full of suggestively low-cut, short-skirt dresses. And then we found the one.
When I put it on, Carla smiled and nodded. “Oh yeah, girl. That’s it. You’re gonna have him on his knees.”
Nate
Jenna opened the door, and I felt my mouth grow dry. She looked incredible. I’d never seen her in anything other than jeans and blouses, and that one pencil skirt that had first drawn my eye.
Tonight was the first time I’d seen Jenna dressed to the nines, and she looked like an old-time Hollywood starlet. She was wearing her hair loose, with one side clipped up, exposing one of those high cheekbones and the curve of her slender neck. She’d applied makeup to her eyes in a way that made them smoky and seductive so that every innocent gaze was dripping with allure. The lipstick she was wearing: red. A deep, dark crimson that beckoned.
The dress she was wearing made her look sensational. It was an off-the-shoulder black number that came down to just above the knee. It showed no cleavage, but it hugged every curve of her body. She was wearing dark nylons that silhouetted her shapely legs, extended by a pair of conservative black heels.
There was no skin visible except for her bare shoulders, but the effect of that dress was overwhelming. I had never wanted to undress a woman so badly in my life. The urge only grew when she stepped past me and I smelled that jasmine on her skin. She was a walking dream.
I wondered if she knew the effect she was having on me. If she did, she didn’t let on. She simply lifted her eyes, smiled, and asked, “Ready?”
“Ready.”
I held out a hand to her, and she took it. I helped her to my car and into the passenger seat. I could hardly keep my eyes on the road as I drove. Every instinct said to keep my eyes fixed on the sexual phenomenon next to me. “You look amazing tonight, Jenna.”
She kept her smile small and modest, but I could see the embarrassed flush traveling up her neck. “Thank you, Nate.”
When we arrived at the restaurant, I opened the door for Jenna and helped her from the car. She stood close to me as she held onto my arm and as we walked into the building, I knew that I was with the most beautiful woman in the whole place. Jenna was turning heads.
We were seated at a table at the back. It was quiet and private, and we were shielded from the view of the other diners by a pair of leafy potted trees. There was a candle in the center of the table and a small vase of fresh flowers which gave the place a romantic ambiance. I saw Jenna smile as she looked around.
“This really is a lovely restaurant.”
“It’s pretty new. I’ve only been in here once, for my parents’ anniversary.”
“Are your parents from around here?”
“They are. They still live in the same farmhouse I grew up in, just between here and Fort Wayne.”
Jenna’s lips parted in a warm smile, and her eyes glittered like she was enchanted by everything I said. “You grew up on a farm?”
“A farmhouse. I can’t say that we were people of the land, as such. We could never get the hang of a harvest. I know Dad tried. In the end, he went back to work in an office. Mom went back to styling hair. They still love the house.”
“I bet that was a great childhood, out in the fields.”
“It really was. I was very lucky. I was a really boisterous kid. Too much energy. I was constantly whizzing around everywhere I went. I think if we hadn’t had all that open space right outside our back door, I’d have driven my mom crazy.”
Jenna laughed. “I was the other way. I used to follow my mom around the house and copy her when she did chores. When I was six or seven, I thought the vacuum cleaner was about the most exciting thing ever.” She glanced up at me and then bust out laughing. “I bet you think I’m so boring, right?”
I met her gaze and smiled. “Not at all. I think that sounds real cute. I wish Harriet would follow me around cleaning. She’s about the messiest kid I’ve ever met. She likes to open bags herself.”
“Bags? Of what?”
“Doesn’t matter. Anything she can get her hands on—peas, pencils, chips, rubber bands. She likes to open them herself. Only thing is, she hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet. She doesn’t open bags—she explodes them. I’m constantly running around after her, picking up the mess she gets all over the place.”
“Aw! It’s so cute that she tries, though.”
“I don’t think she’s really got the strength yet to be opening all those bags. I’m hoping she’ll get better at it!”
“What does Harriet make of your parents’ farm?”
“Oh, she loves it. When she’s at Grandma and Grandpa’s, that’s when you know for sure she’s my kid. She likes to take off running across those fields, and if you don’t spot her, you’re in for a chase. Sometimes you lose her in the neighbor’s barley, and just have to follow her little giggle. Luckily, it’s real safe around there. We’ve known all the neighbors for years, and they all help keep an eye on her.”
“It sounds like a great place.”
“Maybe I’ll show you someday.” The waiter came, and we ordered our drinks. After he’d gone, I continued the conversation. “And what about you? Where did you grow up?”
“A small town in Pennsylvania called Briar’s Valley. Real cute town. We knew everybody by name out there. It was the sort of town where it’s safe for your kids to play outside, and nobody locks their doors. The sort of place where when one of your neighbors threw a barbeque, the whole town was there, crammed into the backyard. Really social.”
“Ah, so you’re used to small towns, then.”
“Oh yeah. We moved to Johnstone when I was about nine, and I missed it like crazy. I never really got the appeal of living in a place where it’s all hustle. I like to just take life at my own pace. In big towns, it’s so easy to feel like you’re just being swept along in a crowd. When I decided it was time for a change, I knew I wanted to find another small town like the one I was born in.”
“You can’t beat a small town,” I agreed. “Every street feels like home.”
“Have you been here your whole life?”
“Born and raised.”
“Wow, that’s something. I bet there weren’t many jobs going at the station! You got lucky.”
“Not so much luck. I was an athletic kid. In high school, I was on the football team. Always played a good game. But I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I was always good at sports, but I hated book work. I couldn’t figure out what kind of career would work for me.
“Then, one day, we had a job fair. The local fire station had a stand. As soon as I saw them there, I knew that was the job for me. I could just picture it! The excitement, the adventure…not a boring desk job where I’d lose my mind. I’d be using my body, and maybe doing something good for people at the same time. I got talking to the guys there that day, and they set me on the right track to work towards this job. Pretty much held a spot open for me at the station as soon as they knew I had an interest. People are like that around here. They help you out.”
“I think the job really suits you. You seem to be really good at it.”
“It’s what I love to do. And what about you? Have you always wanted to work with kids?”
“Since forever. I can’t tell you where it came from, but I’ve always loved being around kids. They just make me smile. You know, I’m actually working towards my degree to be a proper preschool teacher.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Jenna nodded shyly. “I’m only a few semesters from graduating. I was on a roll with it, but it got put on hold for a whole bunch of reasons. I’m determined to get it finished now. It feels like it’s the right time to pick up old dreams.”
I looked over at Jenna and realized that she wasn’t just a kind, warm person, and she wasn’t just attractive, but also intelligent and driven. She knew what she wanted, and she reached for it. I thought that was pretty incredible.
/> “You should go for it, Jenna. You’re so great with kids.”
“My sister’s got two. They’re my world.”
“They’re back in Pennsylvania?”
“That’s right.”
“I bet they miss you.”
“I miss them.” Jenna sighed and took a sip of her wine. She gave a little shrug. “But it was time for me to move on. Charlotte had her life all set up. Husband, kids, a great career. Whenever I was with her, I just wished things would work out for me so well. I decided I was finally going to do something about it.”
“Good for you. I think that’s great. It’s a big deal for you to just leave everything and start over. Brave.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Well, it’s admirable, at the very least. You should give yourself credit for what you’ve achieved here.”
“How do you get along with your sister? Kacey, right?”
I nodded. “Kacey’s great. You’ve met her, haven’t you?”
“Sure. When she picks up Harriet, we’ve spoken.”
“She’s great. Always been there for me. When I was younger, I always wanted a brother. As I’ve gotten older, I realized Kacey’s not so bad.” I grinned. “She’s actually a really great person. I respect her a lot.”
“She seems nice.”
The conversation moved on. The more I talked to Jenna, the easier the words flowed. I discovered we shared a love for country walks and Italian food, and we were both allergic to cats. We had similar tastes in music, but totally different tastes in movies. Jenna was a planner, I was more spontaneous. It didn’t matter what Jenna said—whether it was something we had in common, or some way that we were completely different—I was captivated by her.
As the evening went on and the wine flowed, Jenna seemed to relax. The more she relaxed, the more vibrant she became. Soon, she was laughing without restraint. I loved her laugh when it was just a shy chuckle or little giggle, but when she really laughed, she was magical. The sound was amazing, and she looked wonderful when she threw her head back and let the sound escape her. Her face lit up with each new laugh that rose up in her, and I noticed other people around us smiling at the sound—it was contagious. It was the first time I’d seen her really let herself go like that. She wasn’t drunk—she’d only had a glass and a half of wine—but she wasn’t holding herself back like she did at work. She was just being Jenna, and I thought she was incredible.
