His response made her laugh, and as he drove her home, they reminisced some more about their youth and some of the crazy times they shared with their friends. She wowed him with her tales of bungee jumping, skydiving, and kayaking the rapids, and by the time they arrived at her house, she felt even closer to him like they'd spent their lifetime as friends.
When Clay parked the truck in her driveway, he got out and walked her to the front door of her small cottage-style house.
"Is this where you grew up?" he asked.
She nodded. "For as far back as I can remember, this has always been my home. It's not very big, but there was enough space for the three of us while I was growing up. My grandparents passed it down to my dad, and when he and my mom moved to Rome, they passed it down to me."
He put his hands inside his pants pockets. "That seems like a lot of responsibility for someone so young," he remarked.
Jenny shrugged. "I got a job as a receptionist at one of the local medical clinics a couple of weeks after graduation, and there wasn't a mortgage over my head, so I was able to pay for the utilities and other bills I had. I will say I bought a lot of frozen TV dinners during that time because they were cheap." She laughed at the memory. "I was able to keep my job and go to nursing school at the same time, so that was a blessing. It was stressful at times, but it all worked out in the end."
Clay smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day when I had to move back to my childhood home, but I'm thankful now that I did. It helps me feel closer to my parents."
It made Jenny feel special the way he opened up to her, and she hoped that was a good sign of things to come. When they stopped at the front door, she decided to throw caution to the wind and open up to him too. "Clay, maybe I'm being too forward by saying this, and I apologize if I am, but I would love to do this again sometime. I enjoy being with you."
She thought it was adorable the way his cheeks turned red and the way he shuffled his feet on the porch.
"I don't think that's being too forward at all," he replied. "I feel the same way."
She wanted so badly to kiss him, but she was afraid that would definitely be rushing things along, so she decided to wait and let him make the first move. Jenny retrieved her house key from her purse and unlocked the door. "Good night, Clay."
Her heart nearly thumped right out of her chest when he bridged the gap between them and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger a bit longer than she expected he would.
"Good night, Jenny."
He turned to leave, and Jenny leaned against the doorframe for a while before trusting her shaky legs to carry her inside the house.
Chapter 11
Clay
Clay woke the next morning feeling better than he had in weeks and not just physically either. His mind was clearer, his spirits were lifted … even his burdens felt lighter. He dressed quickly and went to the kitchen so he could make breakfast for him and Aubrey. When he passed her bedroom, the door was open, and he found her sitting at her desk by the window, typing on her computer.
"I see someone has a spring in his step this morning," she teased. "I take it last night went well?"
She spun around in her desk chair, and Clay propped against her doorframe and prepared himself for the third degree. He knew there was no way Aubrey would let him do anything until he gave her all the details.
"We had a good time. We saw Tommy Young at the restaurant, and he hasn't changed a bit."
Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an exasperated look. "I know that. Everyone in this community knows that. Now, tell me about Jenny. How was the date?"
Clay chuckled. "Come on. I'm fixing breakfast. Any requests?"
Jenny shook her head. “Just the usual, I guess, unless you’ve finally decided to let me have french toast, bacon, and sausage.”
Clay winked at her. “Nice try.”
He took off for the kitchen, and she joined him a few minutes later. While he gathered what he needed to cook, she sat on one of the barstools at the counter to wait. He knew she wouldn't let their conversation slide, so when she circled back around to it, he wasn't surprised in the least.
"So, about that date. How did it go?" she asked again. “You didn’t wake up in your usual grumpy mood, so I’m guessing you had a good time.”
Clay sprayed a skillet with some cooking spray and cracked a few eggs to scramble. "It was fun, but don't go making too much of it. It was just a friendly dinner, and we enjoyed catching up with each other. Tommy showed up at the restaurant, so we weren’t alone for very long, but we went to the lake for a few minutes before I drove her home, and that was nice."
Jenny started grinning like a Cheshire cat, but he chose to ignore it.
"Is there any chance you'll go out again … as friends, of course?" she inquired.
Clay poured the egg mixture into the skillet and grabbed a loaf of bread to make toast. "She said she'd like to go out again, so we'll see."
His cell phone rang, and Clay pulled it from his pants pocket and cradled it between his shoulder and ear so he could keep cooking. "Hello?"
He grinned from ear to ear when he heard Tommy's familiar voice. "Hey, man! What's going on?"
Clay dropped two slices of bread in the toaster and grabbed a spatula from one of the kitchen drawers to stir the eggs. "Hey, Tommy! Nothing much. Just making some breakfast for me and Aubrey."
He heard a chuckle on the other end of the line. "Tell little sis I said hello. I haven't seen her in a long time," Tommy replied.
Clay moved his mouth from the speaker and relayed the message to Aubrey, who got a dreamy look in her eyes, much like when she was younger and followed Tommy around like a lovesick puppy when he came to the house to visit.
Clay rolled his eyes and returned to his conversation. "She says hello. What are you up to?"
He pulled two plates from the cabinet and divided the eggs and toast between them.
"I wanted to check and see if you'd like to go fishing today," Tommy said. "I know you mentioned last night that you're working the evening shift, so if you can't, I totally understand. I was just heading over to the pond behind my uncle's house and thought I'd give you a call."
Clay put Tommy on hold and handed Aubrey her plate. "Tommy's going fishing today. Do you mind if I go with him?"
Aubrey gave him a weary look. "Clay, I'm not your keeper. You don't have to ask for my permission. Of course, you can go. I'll be fine."
He and Tommy talked a few more minutes and made plans to meet up at his house within the hour. When he hung up, Clay sat beside Aubrey at the counter to eat. "Are you sure you don't mind? I won't be far away if you need me. The pond we’re going to is only three or four miles from here."
Aubrey shook her head and laughed. "I'm going to stab you in the hand with my fork if you don't stop hovering. I have a ton of work to catch up on, and I'll be fine."
Clay was excited as he wolfed down his eggs and toast. He hadn't been fishing in years, and he couldn't wait to get on the water.
"I'm just calling it like I see it, and there were some sparks between you and Jenny last night."
Clay reeled in his line while on the pond with Tommy in his aluminum fishing boat a couple of hours later. "I think you're imagining things. You've always been really good at that. Kind of like when you imagined Lauren Montgomery, the captain of the cheerleading squad, had a crush on you in tenth grade."
Tommy laughed out loud and kicked his feet up on the side of the boat. "Hey, I'm telling you, she flirted with me all the time. You just missed it."
Clay snorted as he cast his line again. "If you say so. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Tommy grinned as he reached into the ice chest he brought with them and grabbed a can of soda. "Seriously, though," he said. "I think you and Jenny might have something special going on."
Clay slowly reeled in his line. He felt a tug on the bait, and he jerked up on the fishing rod, but it went slack, so whatever nibbled on it must have gotten a
way. "I don't know. We had a good time and all, but I'm not sure she sees this beyond anything other than friendship."
Tommy set his can on the boat and changed out his lure before casting it back in the water. "Well, I know my fair share about women and relationships, and it looked to me like there was a lot more happening between you two besides friendship."
Clay finished reeling in his line and retrieved a soda from the ice chest before sitting on the opposite end of the boat from his friend. He popped the tab and gave him a curious look. "And how do you know so much about women and relationships? Aren't you still single?"
Tommy made a sweeping gesture from his head to his toes. "Only because no woman has been able to tame this wild beast yet."
Clay laughed so hard, he nearly spit out his soda, and his reaction made Tommy burst out laughing too. It had been so long since the two of them were able to talk and carry on, and he felt bad for missing out on the many years they could've spent hanging out together. A few seconds later, Tommy got a bite on his line, and he struggled with the big fish for a while before finally getting it inside the boat.
"Nice one!" Clay exclaimed.
The bass was at least six or seven pounds, but since they weren't planning on cleaning and cooking them, he removed the hook from its mouth and tossed it back in the water, where it swished its tail and slung water on the boat before darting away.
"Are you planning on asking her out again?" Tommy asked. "You'd be crazy not to."
Clay looked out over the pond, which was serene and still now except for the occasional ripple on top of the water when a turtle came up for air. "She said she wanted to see me again, so I'm thinking about it. I just don't want to get my hopes up and find out she considers me as nothing more than a friend. I don't want to get Aubrey's hopes up either. She really likes her, and she's been pushing for this ever since I moved back."
Tommy took a swig of his soda and nodded like he understood. "Well, I think you should, and if she happens to have any single friends, you could casually mention my name and say something about what a great catch I am."
Clay smirked. "Sure. I'll do that."
Tommy drank the last of his soda and threw the empty can in a plastic garbage bag before casting his line in the water again. "Clay, I wanted to tell you this last night, but I didn't get the chance before we had to leave the restaurant. I'm very sorry I wasn't here for your parents' funeral. My boss sent me to a convention in Wyoming a few days before their accident, and I didn't know anything about it until I got home. By then, the funeral was over and you’d gone back to Oregon."
Clay was touched by his remark, and he felt the familiar pang in his chest that happened every time someone mentioned his mom and dad. He reeled in his line and set the fishing pole on the boat beside him. "I appreciate that, Tommy. I probably should've stuck around longer after the funeral, but it was a terrible time, and I just wanted to distance myself from it all. I brought Aubrey home with me, and she stayed a couple of weeks until things calmed down a bit. I tried to convince her to move to Oregon, but she wouldn't do it. I've always admired her for that because I just couldn't stay. It hurt too much."
Tommy’s shoulders slumped. "I bet it did. I thought the world of your parents. I believe I spent more time at your house than my own while we were growing up, and they always treated me like part of the family. I'll never forget that."
They were both quiet for a moment until Tommy got another bite on his line that nearly jerked his fishing rod right out of his hands.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Clay laughed. "Again?"
They both jumped from their seats, and while Tommy fought to get the fish reeled in, he grabbed a net and stood by, waiting to snatch it out of the water as soon as it got close enough. This bass was even bigger than the last one by at least two or three pounds, and Tommy could barely contain his excitement. As soon as they got it inside the boat, he started taking pictures of it with his cell phone. Before he put it back in the water, he kissed its head.
"Yuck," Clay said. "I see now why you don't have a girlfriend."
They both laughed, and Tommy threw some water on him after he tossed the fish into the pond. They spent the remainder of the afternoon on the water until it was time for Clay to go home and prepare for work, but they made plans to do it again soon. On the drive home, he thought long and hard about what Tommy had said about the connection between him and Jenny and his belief that her feelings for him went beyond friendship. He had to admit, the idea of having Jenny by his side as his girlfriend made his heart beat a little faster. Perhaps there was a possibility of a relationship between them after all.
Only time would tell.
Chapter 12
Jenny
Jenny wistfully looked over her shoulder at the hospital one last time as she and Kelly made their way to the parking lot behind the emergency room entrance after their shift. She could hardly sleep the night before because she was so psyched over the possibility of seeing Clay at work, but her eight-hour shift was over now, and she hadn't seen or heard from him. She thought back to their dinner the night before and tried to recall if he mentioned he would be off work today, but she drew a blank.
"He's not going to magically appear, no matter how many times you turn around," Kelly said.
Jenny sighed. "I know. I was just really hoping to see him today."
They made it to their vehicles, and Kelly grasped her arm. "Come on. Let's get some dinner—and not in the cafeteria. I need a change of scenery, and you do too."
Jenny agreed, and they hopped in Kelly's car and drove to one of their favorite Mexican restaurants in the heart of the city. It was nearly full when they arrived, but that was fine with Jenny because the livelier the crowd, the less time she spent fretting over Clay. They were seated near the bar, which was surrounded by college students watching a football game on one of the enormous television sets attached to the wall. Every time someone scored, there was a round of cheers that was almost deafening.
After the waiter took their order, she checked her cell phone for messages. Still nothing.
"Stop it," Kelly insisted. "You're just driving yourself crazy. Put that away."
Jenny knew she was right. After all, Clay wasn't her boyfriend, so it wasn't like she had any kind of claim on him. She tossed the phone inside her purse and zipped it shut so she wouldn't be tempted to peek. When that didn’t help, she handed the purse to Kelly, who set it on the seat beside her and out of sight.
"I'm guessing by the way you've acted all day that your date last night went well," Kelly said.
Jenny glanced around the restaurant to avoid looking into Kelly’s eyes. She had no doubt the disappointment was clearly written all over her face. "I thought it did, but he hasn't called or texted, so maybe I was wrong."
The waiter brought their drinks, and Jenny took a big gulp of her tea.
"Jenny, if he means this much to you, then you should let him know. I'm sure I don't have to remind you how clueless men can be when it comes to stuff like this, so you'll probably have to give him a little nudge in the right direction."
She felt like she was standing on a precipice, waiting for something to happen that would either keep her from jumping or send her over the edge. In a way, it was like having a crush on the most popular boy in high school and waiting to see if he would ask her to prom, and the suspense was unbearable. The men at the bar started cheering, which startled Jenny and made her jump.
"I've never seen you this shy or anxious over anything," Kelly continued. "What's going on with you?"
Jenny pondered her question. She knew the answer, but she was almost too frightened to say the words, out of fear she would jinx herself. "Honestly, Kelly, I've never met anyone like him. We have fun together, and I feel like I can talk to him about anything. He's kind and humble and such a gentleman. I miss him when he's not around, and I can't sleep because I think about him constantly." She caught Kelly looking at her with a huge smile on her face. "What is
it?"
Kelly crossed her arms on top of the table and leaned in close. "You're falling in love with him, Jenny, and I think that's wonderful. From what you've told me about him, he sounds like a great guy. Uprooting his life and moving nearly a thousand miles away to take care of his ailing sister is the only proof I need. He's a keeper."
Jenny shrugged. "I know you're right, but he has so much going on in his life right now with Aubrey and his job. He may not be interested in a serious relationship, and I don't want to force him into anything."
The waiter returned with their food, but Jenny didn't start eating right away, unlike Kelly, who dove into her meal with gusto. She contemplated calling Clay but worried that would make her appear too pushy. She considered investigating online for his address and going to his house, but that was downright stalker material. The very idea made her giggle.
"What are you laughing about?" Kelly asked, over a mouthful of steak fajitas.
Jenny opened her napkin and spread it across her lap. "I was just thinking about how silly I've been acting since I first met him. I'm not usually like this when it comes to guys. What's gotten into me?"
Kelly picked up another forkful of food. "It happens to the best of us. I told you someone would come along someday and knock your socks off, and it's finally happened. I'm happy I was here to witness it."
Jenny smiled. Maybe she was right. "So, what should I do about it? Should I just play it cool and let him make the first move?"
Kelly wiped her face with her dinner napkin. "I think you should decide for yourself if a relationship with Clay is what you really want, and if it is, then go for it. It's a very old and outdated notion that you should wait for him to make the first move. I say just do it. If you don't, you'll regret it."
Jenny picked up her knife and fork and cut into her quesadilla. It was odd hearing such advice from Kelly since she was normally the sensible one who didn't take risks, the one who never ran with scissors or even thought about asking a boy on a date. Jenny was the risk-taker of the two, the one who never backed down from a challenge or thought twice about stepping out of her comfort zone. It was nice hearing Kelly talk with such conviction for once.
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