Five Minutes to Love

by Jennifer Wilck

  Finally, he met her gaze, a pleading look in his eyes. But the more she looked at him, the angrier she got. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her focus. His posture was stiff, his jaw clenched. His eyes were wary. He looked as if he’d like to be anywhere but here, with anyone but her. Which was fine with her, because she didn’t want to be here either.

  “You two have a lot to talk about.” Her voice sounded strangled to her ears. “I need to catch up with my sister. It was nice to meet you, Karen, although I apologize for the strange circumstances.” She looked around for Sophie, trying to figure out a way to escape.

  Sophie and Ben were ahead at one of the food stands. They wouldn’t see her signs of distress. She took a step away.

  “Somehow, I don’t think you’re the one who needs to do the apologizing, Aviva,” Karen said. “But before you go, do you mind if I ask what you told your sister about Jacob?”

  Aviva shrugged. She shook her head at Jacob. “Everything, really. How we met, what he does, how much I like him…” Her voice caught. She cleared her throat. “She already knows he likes pirates, since my nephew hasn’t stopped talking about him since we ran into each other at the pirate exhibit.” She’d told her sister everything about him. Why hadn’t he done the same with his mother?

  Karen’s nostrils flared. She folded her arms across her chest. “How interesting. Did you hear her, Jacob? She told her everything. If I had to guess, I’d bet she told the truth.”

  Aviva nodded. “I don’t lie.” She never would have thought Jacob did, but apparently she was wrong.

  Karen placed a hand on her shoulder and softened her voice. “I’m sorry you had to witness this, Aviva. I don’t blame you for this. I’d love to have a chance to get to know you better, dear. The real you.”

  Jacob turned red. “Aviva, I’m sorry.”

  His voice wrapped around her, but instead of filling her with warmth as it usually did, it made her icy cold. Her head pounded and her throat felt thick. She didn’t want to talk to Jacob right now. She couldn’t. “Goodbye, Karen.”

  Trying not to run, she caught up with Sophie and Ben.

  “That was fast. I figured we’d lose you for the rest of the time,” Sophie said as they continued to walk.

  “No, I’m back.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “No.”

  ****

  “You lied to me, Jacob. How could you lie to your mother?” She glared at him as he rose.

  “I’m sorry, Ma. It wasn’t intentional.” He paced in front of the bench. Aviva was going to kill him.

  “Really? You told me information that wasn’t true. You answered questions with more information that wasn’t true. Seems to me that’s pretty intentional.” Her eyes flashed.

  Jacob ducked his head. “It just slipped out.” How the hell was he supposed to fix this? He should have come clean earlier.

  “Don’t compound your problems here. Your words ‘slipped out’ of your mouth no more than Janet Jackson’s nipple ‘slipped out’ of her costume. It took effort.”

  Even now, Jacob’s face heated at his mother’s imagery. “Ma, I can’t believe you’re talking to me about a nip slip.”

  “See, that’s the difference, Jacob. I talk to you about everything.”

  He’d fallen right into her trap. “I’m sorry.” Would Aviva accept his apology?

  “Sorry you got caught, or sorry you did it?”

  He was smart enough to know which way to answer. “Sorry I did it.”

  “Hmmph. What I want to know is why you thought you needed to lie to me in the first place. I thought we had a better relationship.”

  “We do, Ma, but you pressured me. I didn’t want to deal with it.”

  “So you should have said something to me about it. Not invented a pretend girlfriend. If you’re going to do that, you might as well just buy one of those inflatable dolls.”

  Jacob spun toward her. “I have said something to you, Ma. Multiple times. Yet you still try to set me up on dates.”

  She touched his arm. “Because I love you. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to only have a professional life. You need a personal life too.”

  “Yeah, Ma, personal. As in, it’s personal to me.”

  “Which is why I don’t question you too much about it when you’re in a relationship.”

  “I’d rather you left the relationship—even the getting to the relationship part—to me.”

  “Well, it’s a moot point now, anyway, since you apparently have one with this Amanda person.”

  “Aviva, Ma. Her name is Aviva.”

  “At least you were honest about that. Will you tell me the real facts about her, or will I have to ask her?”

  Some people’s nightmares involved showing up naked somewhere important. Others involved spiders or clowns. His involved his mother questioning his girlfriend. Except, he wasn’t asleep.

  He raked a hand through his hair and sat on the bench. “She’s in public relations. She has an older sister with a seven-year-old nephew who lives somewhere in New Jersey. I’m not sure where her parents live.”

  “I can believe this?”

  “Yes, Ma, you can believe this.”

  “She seemed pleasant.”

  “She’s very pleasant.” When she wasn’t angry with him.

  “I hope she’s more than pleasant if you expect to continue this relationship. How does she feel about your working?”

  “She’s not a fan of the long hours required by the law firm, but she knows it’s important to me. I’ve told her, hopefully shown her, she’s a priority, so it’s a little better.” Of course, now that she knew he lied to her, his long hours were the least of his problems.

  “But she knows you have to study.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, Ma, she does. Her job demands a lot of time as well, so she’s almost as busy as I am. She was very supportive of my checking out Croft.”

  “Good. I want you to invite her to Shabbat dinner, Jacob.”

  “I know.”

  “She’s mad at you.”

  “I know that too.” He didn’t need his mother to tell him that.

  “You planning on fixing things?”

  “Yes.” If she lets me.

  “When?”

  “Soon.” The thought of talking to her made his throat go dry.

  “Not ‘soon,’ Jacob. Today. If you care about her, you need to fix this before it festers and turns into something bigger. Trust me on this one. Fix this today.”

  “Okay, I’ll call her.” As soon as he gave her time to calm down. From the look on her face, it might take a few hours.

  “You will not call her! You need to fix this in person. She needs to see your face when you apologize. Your father and I were married for fifteen years. We never let things stew. We always apologized in person, no matter what we had to do.”

  “Fine, Ma, I’ll talk to her in person.” As much as he hated to admit it, his mother was right. Dammit.

  “Do it now.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sitting on the floor of her living room later, photos of the venue, menus, and linen choices displayed around her, Aviva stared into the distance. Her head pounded and her chest was tight. She couldn’t get Jacob and out of her mind, and every time she thought about him, her thoughts jumbled around like scenes in a kaleidoscope. The only thought that remained constant was this one—he’d lied.

  This was the second time she’d met someone in his life. The second time his response was odd. The first time, when she met Adam, he explained away his feelings with jealousy. She believed him. This time, he’d lied to his mother about her. Who did that and how could she ever believe him again? Her stomach twisted and she rubbed it, trying to ease the pain.

  He’d lied to his mother. His mother. He’d left Aviva to be cross-examined. The only times he’d tried to talk, he tried to interrupt his mother, as if he didn’t want her to find out anything else about her. How many lies had he tol
d? He hadn’t tried to clarify anything. Or apologize. He’d remained silent unless pressed. He hadn’t introduced her. He sat there stiff and unyielding. She fiddled with her necklace. What made him lie about her to his mother? She paced the room before sitting down again.

  What was wrong with her that he didn’t want to introduce her to the important people in his life? The color swatches on the floor jumbled together as her eyes glazed over. What the heck was she getting herself into?

  If today was any indication, maybe he didn’t have a good relationship with his mother. Maybe he was afraid for the two of them to meet. She inhaled and tried once again to see things from his perspective. Okay, a part of her could understand his nerves. She had them too. But she had such a good relationship with her mother; she wanted to date a man who could understand. Still it didn’t explain his lying to her. She clenched her fists at her sides.

  He’d lied. He’d lied about her. Never mind what was wrong with her; what was wrong with him? What kind of a man lied to his mother about something as important as the woman he was dating?

  She couldn’t have a relationship with a liar.

  Aviva remembered his reaction to her conversation about her mother wanting to meet him. He hadn’t wanted the meeting to happen. Did he have a problem with all mothers, or had he been afraid his mother would find out the truth?

  She groaned. Maybe he didn’t like her as much as he seemed. She knew she turned him on; every time they touched he couldn’t get enough of her. But she wanted way more than sex from a guy. She wanted Jacob to like her for things other than her body.

  She needed to confront him, drag everything out into the open. The thought of it made every bone in her body ache. Her emotions ricocheted from anger to embarrassed to confusion to hurt. This was the man she was dating?

  She rested her head against the sofa. Her thoughts spun in circles. Nothing made sense. Every time she tried to concentrate on work, memories from today intervened and prevented her from getting anything done. Aviva closed her eyes, but images of Jacob’s face taunted her.

  A knock at the door jolted her. Why the heck couldn’t her roommates remember their stupid keys? Looking through the peephole, she gasped.

  Jacob.

  She slid the chain out of the lock and cracked the door. “How’d you get inside?”

  “I followed someone in.”

  So much for building security.

  “Will you let me in?”

  “No.” She wasn’t ready to talk to him.

  “Please, Aviva. I owe you an explanation for earlier.”

  “Yeah, you do.” He owed her a helluva lot more than an explanation.

  “So, can I come in? I’d rather not have this conversation in the middle of the hallway.”

  She should tell him to leave. End the relationship right now. Forget about him. Except…she needed answers, and he was the only one who could explain. Once she had an explanation, she could tell him to leave. She let out a huff and backed away from the door. He came inside. She led him into the living room. Her stuff was everywhere. With another sigh, she bent to pick up her piles.

  He kneeled next to her. “Here, let me help.”

  “Don’t touch anything.” Her voice was sharp. Good.

  He jerked away, walking to the window. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

  When she finished cleaning up, she stared at his back. His navy shirt showed off broad shoulders and a trim waist. At one time, she’d wanted to lean into it, wrap her arms around him. Now, she wished it, and the rest of him, would walk out her door. Forever.

  She kept her mouth shut. If she opened it, she was afraid of what would pour out. He needed to explain. He needed to speak first. He owed her.

  Whether he heard the silence or saw a lack of movement reflected in the window, he turned, his hands thrust in his pockets. “I don’t exactly know what to say.”

  “How about the truth?”

  He pushed away from the window. “I’ve never lied to you.”

  “Lying about me isn’t any better.”

  He swallowed. “I know. And I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” She wrapped her arms around her waist.

  “Sorry for what I did today. For lying to my mother about you.”

  “I don’t understand why you did it. Are you that embarrassed by me? Do you wish I was the girl you invented?”

  He rushed toward her, stopping feet away. “No, Aviva. I made a mess of things.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, let me start from the beginning. I lied to my mom because she caught me off guard. She wanted to set me up with someone. I’d just met you. You popped into my head as a perfect way to foil her plan. But she asked me questions about you I didn’t know so I made things up.”

  “But why did you say those things specifically? Are those what you want in a girlfriend? Am I somehow not good enough for you?”

  “No, yes. Wait.” He held up a hand. “They’re not what I want in a girlfriend and you are more than good enough for me.” He sat gingerly on the sofa, as if he thought she’d push him off.

  Tempting, but she restrained herself.

  “They’re what I thought would keep her off my back. I didn’t expect to see you again, so it didn’t seem like a problem.”

  “But you are seeing me. Why didn’t you fix things?”

  “I wanted to straighten things out, but the time never seemed right. Lying to my mom was a big deal. I needed to have the time to talk to her about it.”

  Aviva rubbed her arms, chilled. “And did you?”

  “Yes, after you left, I explained everything to her.”

  Yet he never explained things to her. Aviva rose and walked around the room.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking, Avs.”

  Her stomach clenched at the nickname coming from his lips. “You’re obviously close to your mother. Yet you still lied to her. How do I know you won’t lie to me?”

  Jacob gripped her shoulders. “Aviva, my relationship with my mother is a complicated one, but I swear to you, I’m not a liar. I made a mistake. I compounded it by taking the easy way out. I’d never lie to you.”

  She spun around, put more distance between them. “You don’t talk to me either.”

  “Sure I do.”

  “Jacob, telling me about your day is not the same as telling me what’s in your heart. You listen to me when I’m upset or stressed, but when I ask about your day, you tell me what you did. You talk about the job descriptions at Smith Kane and Croft, but you don’t tell me why you make the choices you do. You don’t tell me how you feel about me, other than show me how attracted to me you are. It’s flattering, but shallow. If I knew how you felt, I’d understand what happened on the High Line. Instead, I’m left to wonder. Believe me, you don’t want to know what goes through my brain when I wonder.”

  He pushed his hair off his brow. “Okay, first, I’m pretty sure even if you knew what was in my heart, you still wouldn’t understand what happened today. Second, I always want to know what’s going through your brain, even if I’m not good at relaying what’s going through mine. Third, and most importantly, I’m sorry.”

  Aviva looked into his eyes. She saw remorse and embarrassment there. A part of her thawed. She’d had the same problems with her roommates. Granted, they weren’t family, but she understood the pressure to date and handling pressure badly.

  “Here’s my problem,” she said. “I don’t like the lying, regardless of the reason. I don’t like how it made me feel. Not to mention the position you put me in! What would have happened if your mom and I met without you there?”

  “It never would have happened.”

  “That’s not a good enough answer.”

  His shoulders slumped.

  “That’s why you didn’t want to meet my mom, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t tell the truth, whether it’s to me or someone else.”

  “It won’t happen again. My mom k
nows you’re blameless. You don’t have to worry about her opinion of you, either.”

  Aviva wrapped her arms around her waist. She wanted to believe him. But could she? “How do I know you told me the truth just now and not what you want me to hear?”

  Jacob flinched. He raised his chin. His brown eyes hardened. She had every right to doubt him. As if he heard her thoughts, he relaxed.

  “I deserved that.” He raked a hand through his hair again. “You’re right. I tell a lot of people what I think they want to hear. I’m great at listening to people, but I’m not good at sharing my feelings.”

  He cupped her elbows. They were inches apart. She could smell his soapy, spicy scent, feel his breath on her forehead. If she let herself, she could melt into him and be taken over by desire. But she couldn’t let herself. Not right now.

  “Okay, if it’s true, tell me about your feelings.”

  “About what?”

  She swallowed. “About me.”

  “You know I like you.”

  “Yes, but technically, like isn’t a feeling.”

  “How isn’t it a feeling?”

  She sighed. “It’s an opinion. It doesn’t tell me how your liking me makes you feel.”

  “Seriously?”

  She nodded. “Yes. If I’m going to believe you, I need to know what you tell me is what you feel, not what you think I want to hear. So you need to tell me how you feel about me.”

  He turned away and spun back again. “You’re difficult, you know that?”

  “Surprisingly, you’re not the first to tell me that.”

  He shook his head. He looked around the room, as if he expected someone to pop out from the shadows.

  She followed his gaze. “Don’t worry, my roommates are out tonight. We’re alone.”

  “You know, I can think of other ways to spend our time alone, Avs.”

  “So can I. Because we always fool around. That time I told you I wasn’t ready to have sex with you? I won’t be ready until I know your feelings. So please grant my request and tell me how you feel about me.”

  “That was a request? Remind me never to be on the receiving end of your demands.”

  She remained where she was, waiting.