Forgiving Patience

by Jennifer Simpkins

  “I don’t recall us agreeing on how many songs we would dance to.”

  “Well, I agreed to it in my head. So, can you just start talking?”

  “In your head?” He chuckled, white teeth glowing against his tanned, stubbled face.

  “Yes, in my head. Start talking,” she demanded.

  “Okay. Well, like I said before, we have some unfinished business to discuss. I figured doing it in a public place would be safer.”

  “What business do we have? Unless you’re moving out of my house, we have nothing to talk about.” When he said nothing, she asked, “Are you moving out of my house tomorrow?”

  “No.”

  “Well then, it’s settled. We have nothing to talk about, I listened…I danced.” She tugged against his hold, eager to get away. He still gripped her hand, twirled her, and yanked her back to fit nicely against his body again.

  Even though he was becoming impossible to deal with and he was a pain in the ass, she couldn’t deny her attraction to him.

  “I have a proposition for you.” His smile turned mischievous.

  She didn’t even know if she wanted to know his proposition. The expression on his face told her everything she needed to know. He was up to something, something she wasn’t going to like. Probably something that would make her life even more complicated.

  “You don’t even want to know what I’m suggesting? I can see your curiosity is winning out. Why not just ask?”

  “Fine. I’ll bite. What are you suggesting?”

  “Let’s just say…suggesting can mean so many things.”

  “Just get to the point,” she bit out.

  “The way I see it, we have some things we need to work out that are way overdue. You go on three dates with me and I’ll move out of your house, not asking for a cent of the money I’ve put into it.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding…right?”

  “What do you think?”

  If it hadn’t been for Ms. Edna’s gaze and the stares of probably everyone else who had nothing better to do, she would have run from the room. Run far, far away and planned never to return. She would throw her bags in her car and drive just as fast as she did the first time she’d sped away from this town.

  Was he joking? Blackmailing wasn’t the right word, because he had nothing on her. Hostage negotiation, that’s what he was doing. He was holding her house hostage unless she did what he wanted.

  “We have no business together, if that’s what you want to call it. What makes you think I would ever subject myself to you again?”

  “Because you want your house back.”

  “I could just wait until your lease is up and not have to worry with you at all.”

  “Now, we both know you won’t do that. You’ve probably already been to Garrett trying to find a way to get me out. You want that house right now for some reason, so you will go on three dates with me. Want to tell me why it’s so important to you now?”

  She pulled her body from his hold with more strength than she thought she had. Turning her back to him, she didn’t care about the old women scoping out the newest drama. She couldn’t stand there listening to his crap any longer.

  She quickly walked half ran, past a waiter holding a full tray of champagne glasses. When she swished past him, it took all of the waiter’s effort to keep the tray from tipping forward. That would’ve been just great if the champagne glasses went crashing to the floor. Patience would be talking about it for years to come.

  She hurriedly walked past the buffet spread, dancing couples—including Em and Tommy—and all the eager eyes watching to see what was yet to come in the next chapter of Anna and Jake.

  Anna was quickly out of the stuffy, overbooked hall and escaping into the night air, filling her lungs. She stepped off the last step onto the pavement leading to the parking lot. She took a second to look up at the vast sky—a little too long of a second, because a hand circled around her arm, forcing her to turn around.

  “Jake, I’m through listening to all your crap. If you want to be a stand-up guy and keep my house,” she said sarcastically, “then so be it, I can’t stop you. But I will fight you every step of the way. As for this little idea you have in your pea-sized brain that I will go on a date—let alone, three of them—with you…well, let’s just say No way in hell. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like my arm back.”

  She stood her ground, and he finally dropped her arm. He gave her a major headache but at the same time caused her heart to beat rapidly because of the depths she could see in his eyes.

  “I’m not intending to upset you. I was just coming up with a way for you to get your house back.”

  “How generous of you.” She crossed her arms, trying to resist stomping her foot again.

  She turned her back to him, making her way to her parked car. He jogged after her, catching her arm before she could open the car door. She wrestled it free.

  “Anna, will you please listen to me for one damn second without throwing some hissy fit?” He raked a hand through his unruly hair, looking frustrated as hell.

  “Hissy fit—hissy fit…do you hear yourself when you actually talk?”

  “Can you be calm, please? I was just thinking we could go on a couple of dates and maybe get tangled up in the sheets?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “This just keeps getting better. So now I have to sleep with you to get you out. Well, screw you, Jake.”

  With that she closed herself into the sanctuary of her car. After opening the console, she took out the keys she had placed there, and started the car. She backed out of her parking spot and left Jake standing in the gravel lot.

  Three dates? Sex? What is he, some genie granting her three wishes? Hot damn, I’m the lucky girl who gets to spend three very long dates and probably some great sex with the wonderful and talented Jake Lawrence. I don’t think so.

  * * * *

  “Oh, Anna, it’s about time you got here.” Em was dragging—hugging her, into the house. Her model-perfect friend, eyes growing wide, was giddy at the sight of the friend she didn’t get to see often enough. Anna had never seen her happier, and that was saying a lot because Em had a contagious smile and was a total optimist. Her long blond hair looked like silk, the sides swept up in a butterfly clip, complementing her bronze skin. To top off the look, she had pink manicured nails and a flawless face. The perky woman quickly had her parked in a stylish leather chair—situated on a zebra print rug—looking ready to get down to business. Anna just hoped it was about the wedding, running a marathon, or even ending world hunger, anything other than who she had seen since crossing the Patience city limits.

  “What, I don’t get a tour of the new house?” she asked, trying to bypass the Jake conversation. Em had always been a big J-Anna fan. More than once, she had tried smoothing over the blowup that had happened a decade ago, but Anna didn’t want to hear it. She’d moved on with her life and didn’t want to be reminded of the hurt he’d caused to her already vulnerable heart. After a few unsuccessful tries, Em gave up on the issue. Anna was thankful.

  She had a bad feeling about Em’s giddy attitude. “Nice rug.” Bringing up the subject of the unusual print for a living room might’ve been her only chance to delay the subject she had been dreading since yesterday. She knew that Em and Tommy had worked overtime for a year just so they could buy the Cape Cod house. Talking about it should be her saving grace. It was like talking about a new baby with a proud mother. She knew Em couldn’t resist the opportunity to brag about her accomplishments.

  Anna became intrigued by the unusual prints. Em was daring and bold when it came to décor. She brought everything together and made it look strangely beautiful. If she ever got to open her coffee shop, she would love to ask Em to help decorate it. She had always envisioned it as being bold and colorful. A welcoming place to come and spend an hour or two writing or just sipping coffee with a friend. One day her dream would come true.

  “It took me two months to talk Tommy in
to allowing it in the house. It’s pretty rocking, isn’t it? Now, stop stalling, we have some girl talk I’m dying to catch up on. So spill.” Her gossipy friend meant well, but she worked in a hair salon and thrived on the ins and outs of everybody else’s business.

  Acting like she had no idea what Em was talking about, Anna simply asked, “Spill what?”

  “Don’t give me that. You know damn well what I’m talking about. You lived in this town once. You know how the gossip mill runs. It might look small and move slow, but when something juicy happens the phone lines start humming. I’m just mad you’ve made me wait till…” Em glanced at her watch, frowning at the time, “…almost three o’clock.”

  “And me coming back is juicy?”

  “What you came home to find in your driveway is juicy. You and Jake dancing at my party is juicy. You coming home is just way overdue and long expected. I’ve been talking about it for weeks. So, what took you so long today?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t sleep much last night.”

  Anna didn’t want to tell her friend that insomnia was an every night thing—that sleeping until noon was common—and that she worked better when the sun set for the day. If she said all those things aloud, everyone would think she was taking the new vampire faze to the extreme.

  Em was all but rubbing her palms together, waiting on the juicy news that wasn’t going to be revealed. Her lack of sleep had everything and nothing to do with Jake, but not the way Em was thinking. Yeah, there had been some heavy breathing and weakened knees involved both times she’d seen him, but most of their contact was arguing. Em’s mind was going in a whole different direction—a direction Anna was not traveling.

  “That explains the pale face and dark circles. You don’t waste time, do you? I know Jake is good, but, man, I expected you to at least wait a week or so before you let him get you into bed.”

  Anna stared in shock. She could care less about the insult to her appearance, even though it drove home the thought that no matter how long she stood in front of the mirror she could never pull off Em’s looks. She was more concerned about how Em knew Jake was good in bed. Maybe she didn’t want to know—the thought was just wrong…unfathomable.

  As if Em could read her mind, she quickly added, “God, no, I didn’t mean I know from personal experience. It’s just, word gets around.”

  Anna guessed that fell into the juicy column for the town gossip. He was a man, and all men who looked like they could pose on the cover of GQ were bound to have multiple partners, but that didn’t mean she wanted to subject herself to the details.

  Anna recovered from the shock and was determined to change the subject to something not involving Jake. “What do you need me to do to get ready for your big day? You better be careful because Jesse seems very tempted to quit the whole thing.”

  “I’m really not going to get any details? At least tell me if his running you off the road is true,” Em begged.

  Good grief. Patience had to be the most gossipy town. With a pointed stare she reminded Em of the lack of information she’d neglected to warn Anna herself about. “No. You don’t get to hear anything since you just happened to forget to tell me he was living in my house.”

  Em crossed her arms and scrunched up her face. “Fine, I will just have to get my gossip from Tommy. And I am not sorry for not telling you. If I had, you probably wouldn’t have come back for my wedding. You can call me selfish, but I wanted my best friend here.”

  Shit—that stung. She was a horrible friend. It made her regret her time away from Em and her life. They didn’t see each other enough. Twice a year hardly qualified as enough time spent with your best friend. Em had never asked Anna to come visit her in Patience over the past eleven years, but Anna could have gathered up enough courage to set her own demons aside and come back to see her cherished friend. Em had a whole life Anna knew little about. She had friends, a job, and a future husband that Anna was just now actively becoming familiar with. A pain settled in her gut and forced her to see the reality of her best friend’s life she’d mostly only heard about.

  Anna abandoned her chair to kneel in front of Em. “You listen to me, Emilee Bradshaw. No amount of Jake exposure could keep me from your wedding, got it? You are my best friend, and I’m sorry if I made you feel you weren’t important enough for me to haul my ass back here.” She forced a tear back. She couldn’t afford to let the waterworks go, because there was a possibility they’d never leave.

  Em reached out and hugged her friend a little tighter than she had earlier. “Oh, don’t make me cry. I know you’ve had your reasons, and I understand them, believe me. I’ve just missed you, is all.”

  “Well, I’m here now and I plan to have lots of girl talk.”

  Em wiped away the beginning of tears about to run down her perfectly made-up cheeks. “Good. Now tell me about what’s going on with you.”

  “What do you mean?” Please don’t let it be any more Jake and sex talk.

  “About your coffee shop and bookstore. Have you told Jake that you need to sell the house so you can use the money for a down payment on a building?”

  “No. The building I had had my eye on sold about a month ago. They’re putting in another auto parts store.”

  “I’m sorry, Anna.”

  “I’ll find another spot, but it’s none of Jake’s business what I do with my house. One way or another, I will get him out. He has no right to be there. It was a lowball move of him to make this deal with Garrett.”

  “I’m on your side, you know that…”

  “But?”

  “Don’t be mad at me. I’m just saying that house has in some way saved Jake from his destructive self. When he first got home, it was no happy reunion. He was cold, hard, and furious with the world—and that included everyone around him. There were plenty of nights when Tommy was called to pick him up from Ollie’s because he was too drunk to put one foot in front of the other. When he moved into your house, that all changed. Maybe it was because of the butt whippings from Bradley, but mostly it was because he threw himself into something again. I know he’s worked hard to straighten up in his life. To be the Jake we all remember—the fun, arrogant, confident, and slightly cocky guy.”

  “Well, he sure is getting back to his old ways. Every time I’ve seen him, he’s been a complete jackass.”

  Her friend’s eyes grew twice their size. “So you have seen him more than once? You did find him in your driveway?”

  Anna had to laugh. It felt like old times to sit, talk guys, and let her guard down with someone she’d missed terribly. Even though she felt exhausted from lack of sleep, which had more to do with her sweet dreams of the old Jake she’d known as a stupid kid. She didn’t remember him like Em. To Anna, he was uncaring and making promises that in the end he couldn’t keep.

  “Okay, what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room. No shop talk or pillow talk. Got it?”

  “Deal.” They shook hands, hit their knuckles together, and made their hands into the shape of guns. It was a handshake they’d made up as kids, and for the most part it was the only thing that got Em to keep her big mouth shut. Whenever Em was about to open her mouth, revealing the sacred information she had been told not to mention, she thought back to the handshake and changed her mind.

  “I know you saw us dancing last night. Well, before I ran out and embarrassed myself, he tried making some ridiculous deal with me. A deal I will not be taking.”

  “What was the deal? You sure are making me beg today.”

  “It’s fun watching you when you’re starved for information. You really are a junky when it comes to gossip.”

  “Shut up and just tell me what Jake asked you, please.”

  Anna couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, he said he would give me my house back if I went on three dates with him, and he won’t ask for any of the money he’s sunk into it.”

  “I know this isn’t something you want to hear, but it sounds like a good deal. I mean, three dat
es with the famous Jake Lawrence—most women would fight you for that chance. Plus, you need to sell the place. If he’s done a lot of work on it, you can get more money out of it. That will be good for your future business.”

  “I don’t want his money, Em. I can take care of myself. I shouldn’t have to subject myself to anyone to get my own damn house back.”

  Anna could feel her temper showing its ugly head. While it was good to let things off her chest, she didn’t want to take her frustrations out on her best friend. She knew deep down that Em was only trying to help and look out for her.

  “Quit being stubborn, Anna Kelly. If the guy wants to put all his money into a house that isn’t even his, then that’s his stupidly. You should just chalk it up as good luck.”

  “Luck? Being around Jake is not something I would consider as luck. I came here for you…” and other things, but Em didn’t need to know about the nightmares, “…not to date Jake Lawrence. Besides, I’m sure he has some girlfriend on the side he’s not telling me about.”

  “Nope, no girlfriend since he’s been home. He doesn’t date. I’ve never even heard him talk about a woman in years. Not that he’s celibate. He is a hot-blooded male, but he hasn’t had a serious relationship since, well…probably you.”

  Good God, me? That was eleven years ago.

  She knew deep down he probably didn’t have a significant other right now. She was just trying to get information from Em without coming right out and asking for it. Even if she wasn’t interested in him, it didn’t mean she couldn’t be curious. And now her interest was piqued even more, because to go that long and not have a serious relationship was just unheard of. Of course, she hadn’t had but a couple dates in all this time, but he was a professional baseball player. He could get any woman he wanted…and he’d had nobody.

  She didn’t understand what she was feeling, but for some reason a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  “Well, I’m still not dating him.”

  “Have you ever thought that it might actually be fun? It might make your time here even more interesting—not to mention giving you a break from helping me plan my wedding—which, by the way, is not fun. It’s stressful and a lot of hard work dealing with me on a daily basis. Having a hot affair with a man would make your time here memorable.