His smile was contagious. I giggled at him. “Well, maybe you would be better off with some manual sheers instead.”
“They’re in the storage closet in the garage. I’ll get them for you.” Viv added.
We laughed and agreed we’d talk later. I had to get to the shoppe and then while there, I decided to have a little talk with my aunt in private.
“Thank you again, Tommy.” Walking away, I sneaked a look back to see him one more time. Viv stayed behind.
“Viv, are you coming?”
“I have to talk to Tommy about something, but you go on ahead, and I’ll meet you there.”
He stood next toViv with a smile on his face, his hand raised to say goodbye. My aunt mimicked his gesture.
“Bye, sweetie”
Bye sweetie, my ass; she was up to something.
I returned to my house and walked directly up the stairs into my best friend’s care-free and inquisitive smile.
“Wipe that smile off your face,” I said, walking past her without a glance back, as I headed to my room. Of course, Blaze was not far behind.
“What was that all about?” She asked with humorous amazement.
“None of your business,” I replied, flatly.
“C’mon, Jade, who was that guy with you and Viv? And why do I get the feeling that this was not the first time you two met?” She teased.
“I don’t have time for your inquisition right now. I have to get to the shoppe.”
“Okay, don’t tell me, but I’ll be here all day. Right next door to Mr. Tattooed and Sexy. I’ll just have to bring him a big, tall glass of cold lemonade and ask him how you both know one another.”
“You wouldn’t dare?” I pivoted back around, to stare her down.
“Sweetie, you know I would. Save yourself the trouble of having to explain all of this to me later, and spill it now.” She grinned. She knew she had me right where she wanted me.
Bitch.
“Let’s have it.” Blaze was never one to beat around the bush and she expected others to be just like her.
We sat on the edge of my bed, while I explained my evening with Tommy.
“Please don’t be like Viv,” I looked her straight in the eyes to make sure she heard me.
She looked straight back at me. “I’m not. I just don’t get why you’re no longer open to the possibility of love.”
I closed my eyes to collect my thoughts and address her statement.
“You know I believe in love and happily ever after, but both of those things aren’t for me, not anymore, not now anyway.”
“It’s been almost three years. Don’t you think it’s about time you get back out there again? You have so much to offer, sweetie.” She pressed me further for a reason without actually asking the need-to-know questions.
I grinned. “I’m out there. I just told you I danced with a perfect stranger last night before I even knew his name.”
“Big deal! I don’t consider jumping around on a dance floor an intimate moment.” She was annoyed.
“It is a big deal when your bodies are rubbing against each other and your lips are so close they touch a person in areas they never felt before or at the very least haven’t felt in a long time.”
“You did that…with him?” Blaze’s eyes widened, as her mouth hung open from my vivid description of my brief dance with Tommy.
I stood up to get dressed. I needed to leave. Blaze didn’t try to stop me this time.
“Yes, I did that with him.” Finally, I was off the hook.
“Wow,” was all she could say when I walked back to Blaze to go in for the kill.
“Yeah, and for your information, if it wasn’t for your untimely phone call, our lips would have been doing a lot more than teasing each other.” I gave her some food for thought.
Hmm…that should keep her quiet for a while.
Tommy
HERE WITH VIV, we looked on as Jade disappeared into her home with some redhead. I would never have guessed in a million years the beautiful woman I met last night on the dance floor would have materialized this morning on my patio. Well, more like ferociously confronted me this morning in my yard.
I had to admit when she ran down the stairs in just a T-shirt and black lace panties I was taken back, but when I recognized her, I was pleasantly surprised. Jade was even more beautiful in the daylight. Her cheeks were sun-kissed, which matched the subtle fire she exuded as she demanded my gardening cease and desist.
Being my neighbor, I would definitely make it a point to get to know her better and be more…neighborly. Speaking of neighbors, I addressed… “So, do you want to explain to me why Jade thinks I’m renting?”
Appearing aloof yet whimsical, Viv turned her attention up and into the air before addressing me.
“Not really. So, would you like tell me why no one knows you’re here, except for Daniel, that is?” She quickly rattled off her rebuttal.
I shook my head.
“Well, then, I guess we’re even. See you at 8.” Except for a satisfied smile, Viv said nothing more as she waltzed out, whimsically, the same way she came in.
Just then, my cell phone vibrated on the glass table by the deck that was located at the beach level patio of the house. It had to be Daniel. I told him I would call him last night after I had dinner, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. Someone more beautiful had stolen my attention.
I ran back toward the house and answered it. Looking at the screen confirmed I was right; it was Daniel.
“Hey! Good morning,” I stated, almost excited to hear from him.
“Wow. Dude, you sound great. You’re not even down the shore a full week yet, and it seems to have already affected you.” Daniel said, surprised.
“Yeah, I gotta admit more and more this was the best decision I made for myself in a very long time,” I agreed with unequivocal sureness. One reason was the house on the beach. Another was the plan of meeting someone new. Both of which seemed to have materialized almost immediately.
“I’m really happy for you, Tommy. So how did it go yesterday? I didn’t hear from you, so I assumed you were exhausted and crashed early.”
“Not exactly,” I said, alluding to the fact that I had been doing more than unpacking necessities all day and night.
“Oh man, that statement has a woman written all over it,” he said, amused.
“You’re right, it does,” I chuckled.
“So, who is she and more importantly, does she have any friends for me?” Daniel lightheartedly asked.
“She’s Viv’s niece. I’m not sure if she has someone for you, but from what I can tell she has a girlfriend, a good looking redhead that appears to be staying with her for the weekend.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re there, what, less than a week? And you’ve already been out with Viv’s niece, and you know her well enough already that you’re aware of the comings and goings of her and her friends?”
I laughed out loud. “It sounds like that doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, from this end, it certainly does. By the way, just for your information, the redhead that’s staying with Jade is her best friend Blaze,” Daniel added.
“Blaze, huh? Well, her name definitely suits her.”
“It certainly does and not just in her appearance. From what I can remember, Blaze does everything full throttle. She’s fiery in more ways than one,” Daniel remarked with a bit of whimsy.
I chuckled. “Listen, do you have some time? There’s a lot I want to fill you in on.”
“I have all the time in the world. The center is closed for classes today.” Daniel was referring to the Center for Addiction and Disabilities near Philly.
He was employed there as an art therapist and counselor. He himself had been treated there for many years due to issues with his immobility. He had spinal cord issues that made movement from his legs difficult. He has sensation in his lower body, but his inability to walk comes from his muscles, not his nerves. Unfortunately, his condit
ion doesn’t allow him to be fully mobile.
“Great! Here’s what happened,” I paused. I had a better idea.
“Is something wrong?” He asked.
“I have a thought. Is the center closed for the entire weekend?”
“Yeah, actually it’s closed through Tuesday. Why?”
“How about I ditch all this work for the weekend and I pick you up, so we can hang out down here? Unless you made other plans, of course.”
“No, actually my plans fell through and I wasn't up for going into the city this weekend.”
“Problems with your family?” I asked.
“No, not at all, but they’ve come down here every holiday, so this holiday I had a date with a hot nurse I met at the hospital when I went for my physical therapy. She bailed on me and I didn’t want to call my folks to come down and babysit their forty-year-old son. They had already made plans to go away for the weekend with my brother and his family,” Daniel added.
Daniel’s sister-in-law, Rain, and I grew up together. If she knew Daniel would be alone for the weekend, she would have insisted he stay with them, whether he wanted to or not.
“What do you say?” I asked with the hope that Daniel would agree to stay for the weekend.
“I’m in, but you said that your new place has quite a few stairs. I wouldn't want that to be a problem for you.”
“That’s not a problem at all. There’s a bedroom on the main floor, as well as a bathroom with a walk-in shower, so that should make it easier for you. Plus, you’ll be right near the living room and the kitchen. There’s also a deck that runs around the parameter of the house. You’ll be able to take in all the views.”
“Are you sure it’s not any trouble for you?” He seemed awkward.
“Well, we all know that you can be trouble, but not the trouble that you're referring to.” I needed to lighten the conversation up a bit.
“Thanks, Tommy, I’m definitely up for a weekend at the shore,” he agreed.
“Great! Then it’s all set. I’ll just shower and get to you as soon as I can.”
“Shit! You're going to hit major traffic.”
“No big deal. My story will make the car ride back more interesting.”
“Okay. I’ll see you when you get here.” Daniel was just about to hang up when I realized something.
“Wait. Did I ever tell you Jade’s name before?”
“I guess it’s a possibility, but I’ve known Viv and Jade for years.”
“Oh, that’s right, Viv had a family member at the Center with you.”
“Yeah, Jimmy Stanton, he was Viv’s nephew and Jade’s older brother.”
“Was?” I wondered what Daniel meant by that.
“You didn’t hear this from me, but Jimmy died almost three years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, and the worst part about it was that he was way too young to die. He was an incredible surfer and a very talented artist. Although the whole thing was unfortunate and what was worse was that it was also preventable.”
“I don’t follow.” I was confused by what Daniel just stated. It sounded more than ominous.
“He didn’t have to die. He took his own life. It was so devastating for the family, but Jade was hurt the most. From what Viv told my parents, Jimmy’s death nearly destroyed Jade in the process. I don’t know if she ever moved on from it. You don’t ever get over that, but you find a way to live. Hopefully, with the time that has passed, Jade has done that,” Daniel said.
“I don’t know what to say. I knew there was more to the story about this house than Viv was letting on, but I had no idea about any of this.”
“Now, I’m the one who doesn’t follow you.”
“I’ll explain once I get down to the Center and we’re on our way back.”
Daniel agreed the ride back could be long, and that we could talk more then, to fill the time. After we hung up, I showered and headed to Philly. I put the top down on the Camaro. It was too beautiful of a day for air conditioning. With Daniel coming to hang out for the weekend, it was going to be better than I had originally planned.
Jade
AFTER I FINISHED cleaning up, getting dressed, and giving Blaze strict instructions to steer clear of my new neighbor, I headed to Summertime Sweets to start my day. A day I was no longer looking forward to. Apprehensive nausea bubbled to the surface at the thought of the long talk I was going to have with Viv about Tommy and the beach house. My reluctance gnawed at me for leaving Blaze to deal with Reece today. She knew he was demanding and I knew although she could handle herself better than most, her guilt for sending him into a heart attack during sex would have her feeling like she either owed him in some way or would have her running from him to parts unknown.
I opted to take my bike to the shoppe to clear my head in the sunshine and sea air. Hopefully to prepare myself for what I was about to say to my Aunt Viv. The roads on the island were filled with locals and tourists, so pedaling to work was the more practical option. When I wanted to get around the island effortlessly, it was my favorite mode of transportation.
I arrived to find the shoppe was packed. People were placing their pre-orders for the weekend, picking up their favorite treats for tonight, or they had just discovered the place because they were vacationing here on LBI for the first time and happened to stumble upon it. I was happy no matter why they chose Summertime Sweets to satisfy their sweet tooth. Aunt Viv was at one end of the shoppe with some locals, while a few of my summer staff were in the kitchen and the others waited on the customers at the counter who were ready to pay for their orders.
When Viv noticed me walk in, she finished up with her customers, then she politely excused herself to greet me. Once everything quieted down, I kissed her on the cheek and took her hand to lead her to my office where we could talk in private.
“Why did you keep it a secret that Jimmy’s house was rented out?”
“A secret? It was more like a surprise. Besides, I would think after learning about Reece and Blaze last night, anything I surprised you with would pale in comparison,” Viv said with a smirk on her face. I tried to hide my amusement, but it was always hard when it came to Viv. She had the uncanny ability to settle me.
“Yeah, I have to admit, I wasn’t shocked that Blaze slept with her client. The events of the day pointed in that direction, but when I saw it was Reece in that hospital bed and he had a mild heart attack from his game of sheet tag with Blaze, well, that took my evening over the top.” I tried to contain my laughter.
“All kidding aside, I hope you’ll be okay with everything…with Tommy I mean.”
“That depends.”
“On what?” Popping up on her seat…preparing herself, as if my response was not what she had expected.
“It depends on why you kept Tommy a secret in the first place. Did you think I’d come unglued at the fact that the house was rented out to him?”
I paced, I couldn't sit. I knew if I sat and looked at her, it was over. I would lose what little composure I was still holding onto. Viv calmly rose from her seat and moved in front of me to take hold of my shoulders and firmly stopped me in my tracks.
“Aren’t you? Look at you at how you're acting, Jade. It’s a house!” Her voice raised slightly before it softened. “It’s a house, a building, not a memory. My sweet girl, those memories of Jimmy are in here.” She gently tapped my chest above my heart. “That house can’t hold them or make them. Only the people who lived there, are the ones who created them. You and your brother made that house a home, not the other way around.”
My eyes stung and my nose burned. Tears prickled with the realization of what she was trying to drill into me—as she tried her best to set me straight, yet again. The problem was that the beach house felt like the only tangible thing I had left of my brother. It was true, I had his surfboards and his bracelets and his old car, which was still stored in one of the two garages below the house, but that house held the inta
ngible. It was the framed box that contained our laughter and our tears. It held food fights and late-night movies. It held long talks…well, it mainly held conversations of me talking while Jimmy listened and gave me sage, big-brother advice. It held what I could no longer touch within its walls…it held all that Jimmy was.
“I was going to tell you last night when you had gotten in. Yet, when you called in the middle of the night, I definitely didn’t feel that was the appropriate time to discuss the house,” she said to assure me. I know she never intended to deceive me.
“I just wish you had told me that you had been speaking with someone and not have me find out as he was cutting down the rose bushes Jimmy and I planted years ago.” I turned away to walk over to my desk. I quietly propped myself against the edge of it, crossing my arms and legs as I waited for her response.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out the way you did. I mean, I’m glad you met him. If for no other reason, it’ll make dinner this evening less awkward. Now, at least we won’t have to go through all of the formal introductions and traditional small talk.”
“Wait. Let me get this straight. Tommy is the friend you invited for dinner this evening?” I asked.
“Yes, Tommy is who I was talking about when I told you about the dinner. My plans were to tell you about the rental and then have both of you meet for dinner so that you could get to know each other in a less tense atmosphere,” she confessed.
“So, this dinner wasn’t one of your infamous matchmaking schemes?”
“No, but if you would like it to be, then say the word, and I will do my best to make that happen, too.” She seemed way too enthusiastic to kill two birds with one stone during this dinner.
I put up my hand to stop her in her tracks with ideas of arranging prospective dates for me.
“Viv, stop…I can find a man on my own without anyone’s help, especially yours.” I insisted.
Within Six Months (A Wild Roses Novel Book 1) Page 5
