He sighed. “I was hoping you’d be full of wisdom about how to handle Alison’s anger.”
“I wish I had the answers. She seems like a sweet girl. She was very interested in our relationship. Maybe if you just sit down and talk to her as if she’s your friend and not your niece, it would help. That’s kind of how I had to relate to her to make the tutoring work.” It was how she’d always related to May as well. She’d made it clear she had the authority, but she was also there to be a listening ear and a friend. It had worked for them.
“I’ve missed you.” He hadn’t meant to blurt it out quite that way, but once the words were out, he was relieved. “Are you seeing anyone?”
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t dated anyone since you left.”
“Really?” He shook his head. “You mean all the single male teachers at school aren’t after you?” He found it hard to believe she hadn’t dated at all in the years they’d been apart.
She shrugged. “I get asked out on occasion. I make it clear I’m not interested.”
“Because of May?”
She tilted her head to one side, trying to understand his question. “What does May have to do with anything? She’s married and pregnant. Why would I not date because of her?”
“Why would you not date otherwise? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
She wanted to tell him that she didn’t date because she couldn’t seem to stop thinking of him, but she couldn’t give him that kind of power over her. Not yet. “I guess there wasn’t anyone I cared to date. I’m not a casual dater and never have been. If I go out with a man, it’s because I think there could be a future.”
He took a deep breath, stepping closer to her. He’d lost some of his shyness over the years, but she still left him quivering in his cowboy boots. “So, what would happen if I asked you to forget the past and go out with me?”
“You don’t have someone waiting for you in Alaska?” She had to know. She had to understand what he’d been doing for the past twenty years.
He shook his head. “There aren’t a lot of women in that part of Alaska. Not in the winter, at least.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t think I can forget the past.”
His heart sank. “I understand. I do. I know I messed up, but I want you to at least think about it. Please.” He opened her car door for her. “I’m not sure I can keep going without you.”
“I don’t think you understand. I can’t forget the past because it’s part of us. I’ll go out with you, though.” She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him. She thought for a moment about what his reaction would be if she demanded the ring he’d once offered her.
“You will? Really?” His eyes studied hers by the dim light coming from the house.
She nodded. “I will. You’re the only man I could never say no to.”
“You did once.”
She sighed, knowing she needed to address that if they were going to move forward. “I did, and I don’t regret it. I don’t think May would have survived if I hadn’t given her the time and attention she needed. But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish things had been different. I wish my sister had lived. I wish I could have said yes that night.”
“All right.” He didn’t know what he wanted her to say about his proposal, but it wasn’t that. “Let’s just move on, then.”
“I’d like that a lot.” She took a step toward him and wrapped her arms around him, not making a move to kiss him, but just holding him close. “I’ve missed you more than I can say.”
His arms came around her. “I want it to work out between us this time. I don’t want to mess things up again.”
“Oh, Jay. You never messed things up. I didn’t either. It was circumstances that kept us apart. I should have explained exactly what was going on.”
“I don’t know if I would have waited even if you had. Back then, eight years sounded like an eternity.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t asking you to wait eight years. Just until May was a bit more confident and less depressed. One, maybe, but not much longer than that. She had a rough time, but she was at the top of her class by the end of the following semester.”
“So if I’d still been around then, you’d have married me?”
“I’d have dragged you down the aisle if I had to!”
He sighed. “I really did mess things up, didn’t I?”
“I don’t think so. If you were that willing to run off when I asked you to wait, you needed time as well. We both had some growing up to do. We were young and probably not ready. When I finally marry, it will be with the intention of never divorcing. I want it to be right.”
“And you’re willing to give me another chance?”
She nodded. “I have to.”
He decided not to question her about it anymore. “How about tomorrow night? We could have dinner in town.”
“I’m having dinner with May and Bob.” She stopped. “You know what? You and Alison should join us. We’re meeting at the Mexican place in Wiggieville at six.”
Jay frowned. “I can’t horn in on your time with May.”
“Why not? Bob is.” Sally rested the palm of her hand on his chest, feeling the strength of his heartbeat beneath her fingers. “Please join us.”
He finally nodded. “It feels weird, but I’ll be there if you’re sure.”
“I’m absolutely sure. And bring Alison. I don’t want her to feel like she’s not welcome.”
“I’ll ask Alison if she wants to come with me. You know teenagers. She might not be willing to be seen in public with her uncle and her English teacher.”
Sally grinned. “Her uncle’s pretty darned handsome. If she’s not willing to be seen in public with him, there’s something wrong with her.”
“Handsome, huh? You still think so?” He covered her hand, which was resting on his chest, with his own.
She nodded. “Men only get better with age. Women get old and wrinkled.”
With his free hand, he stroked her cheek. “Not you. You’re as beautiful as you were the day I met you.”
She shook her head. “Not hardly. But I am better at picking out tools than I was back then.”
He smiled. “You couldn’t be any worse.”
“How many dates will we have to go on before you kiss me this time?” Sally asked him.
He shook his head. “I’m not quite as shy as I used to be. I bet I can kiss you before we’ve had six or seven dates.”
She laughed. “Or now. You could kiss me now.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips gently against hers, feeling the same rush of feelings that had always been there with her. Only with her. “We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
As she drove back toward town, all she could think about was that kiss. How could she feel more than she had? She’d thought she loved him as much as was humanly possible twenty years before. Apparently, she’d had no idea what love was.
Chapter Three
Late Sunday afternoon, Sally stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, trying to figure out what to do with her hair. Alison’s comment about her being pretty if she’d just wear it down was ringing in her ears. She’d been wearing it up for school for so long that she barely remembered ever fixing it any other way. Her dark hair was straight and went to her mid-back. It was probably time for a trim.
She sighed, carefully brushing it until it shone. She’d wear it down, but she wouldn’t be very comfortable doing it. Hopefully Jay would appreciate her efforts.
She looked at the faint scar on her neck from her thyroid removal earlier that year. The doctor had done a good job and she could barely see it at all, but she was always aware it was there. The word “cancer” would always be so much harder for her to hear now.
Her phone rang about fifteen minutes before it was time to leave for the restaurant, and she grabbed it, glancing at the caller ID. Jay. How had he gotten her cell number? She hadn’t had one when they’d dated before.
<
br /> “Hello?”
“We never said if I was supposed to pick you up or just meet you there.”
She felt her heart flutter at the sound of his deep voice. It was one of the first things she’d noticed about him. He could talk to her nonstop forever, and she’d never get tired of hearing his deep, gravelly voice. “I was just planning to walk over, but if you want to walk with me, I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
“Wouldn’t that have you walking home alone after dark?”
Sally rolled her eyes. He’d always been overprotective of her. “I can catch a ride home with May and Bob.”
“We’ll come walk with you. Don’t leave before we get there.”
“Alison’s coming, then?” She wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or wary that the girl would be eating with them. She still hadn’t quite figured her out. Though she wished for time alone with Jay, she knew it was best if the girl always felt included.
“Yeah. She said it would be fun to watch me or something like that.”
Sally frowned. “What does that even mean?”
“She thinks I’m a dork when you’re around.”
Sally laughed. “Well, you always have been. It’s part of your charm.”
“Yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that. See you in ten.”
She stared at her phone after ending the call, wishing she had the words to tell him exactly how she felt without giving him the power over her that love gave a man. She sighed, walking back to the mirror in the bathroom and adding lipstick. She was nervous. She hadn’t been this nervous since their first date.
She sat down and picked up her Kindle to read May’s most recent book. It was all she could do to keep up with the girl. She could write as fast as Sally had time to read.
Sally jumped at a knock on the door a few minutes later, put her Kindle down, and hurried to the door. The characters were about to kiss for the first time, and Sally felt cheated to have to wait to read about it. First kisses were one of her favorite parts of a romance novel.
Jay stood at the door, a slight smile touching his lips. Alison was beside him, looking around inquisitively. “I always wondered where teachers lived.”
Sally opened the door wide. “Come in and wander around. I don’t have anything to hide.” She watched as Alison did as she asked, stopping to touch a framed picture of May.
“This is your niece?”
“Yeah. I raised her from the time she was ten.”
“Her parents died too?”
Sally shook her head. “No, just her mom. Her dad is still alive.” She wasn’t about to tell the full story, though. It was May’s to tell. It was enough that she’d told Jay.
Jay touched her shoulder lightly, his hand running down along her arm to catch hers. “Hi.”
She smiled at him. “Hi.”
“I like your hair like that. You always wore it down before.”
“I got used to putting it up for school. It needs a trim.”
“I think it looks wonderful.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. It didn’t need to be brushed away, but he needed to touch her.
Sally smiled. “You always were good for my ego.” She turned when she heard a laugh.
“Wow! This was you guys back when you used to date?”
Jay walked over to where his niece was looking at a picture of the two of them. “Oh, my. I remember that night. Sally—I mean, Miss Jackson—talked me into chaperoning a school dance with her. We spent the whole night pulling couples out of corners where they were making out.” He shook his head. “Miss Jackson looked beautiful, though, didn’t she?”
Alison nodded, looking at her teacher curiously. “I can’t believe you went to school dances back then. Everyone says you don’t do any extracurricular activities. You just teach.”
Sally shrugged. “I think that’s the only dance I’ve ever chaperoned. I volunteered because I knew I could talk Jay into going with me, and it might be the only time I ever saw him in a suit.”
Jay looked at her, his eyes wide. “You did not! You told me you had to chaperone the dance, and it would be easier if I was there!”
“I did have to chaperone, but only because I volunteered.”
He shook his head at her. “Forcing me to wear a suit and hang around with teenagers all night. That was just evil.”
“We got to dance a little!”
He sighed. “We did. And we got to bust some kids for spiking the punch, and bust more kids for making out, and more kids for fighting. We could have just gone out dancing.”
“I guess. It was more fun my way.” Sally winked at him, a grin transforming her face.
Alison just watched them. “You two are crazy.”
Jay shook his head. “Nope, just her. Someday I’ll tell you about how we met. I saved her from spending too much on tools.”
Alison gaped. “No way!”
“Yup. And I asked for her phone number before we ever left the hardware store.” He opened the front door for the two females to precede him. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
They walked the short distance to the Mexican restaurant with Alison asking for details and Jay refusing to give them. Sally was surprised that Jay openly held her hand in front of his niece.
When they got to the restaurant, they found May and Bob at a table for five. Sally hugged her niece and sat down between Jay and Alison. “May, you remember Jay, don’t you?”
May nodded. “I always wondered what happened to you.” She had a cold look in her eyes.
“I moved to Alaska to be a park ranger,” he said, picking up his menu.
Her eyes widened, and the cold look disappeared. “Are you serious? Can I pick your brain? I’ve been wanting to write a book set in Alaska!”
He shrugged. “I heard you write romance. Seems strange that the little girl I knew grew up to be a famous writer.”
May sighed. “I’m not so famous. I just write stories that make people laugh.”
Alison was openly gaping at Bob. “You’re on Lazy Love.”
Bob smiled. “I am. Are you a fan of the show?”
“I watch it every week! I’m a card-carrying member of Team Bob!”
May laughed. “I was one of the three who started Team Bob. I write as Jolene—”
“Jolene Gold! I’ve talked to you online a bunch!” Alison was practically bouncing in her chair. “Uncle Jay, you have to marry Miss Jackson! Then we’ll be related to two famous people!”
May looked back and forth between her aunt and Jay curiously. “Is marriage talk happening?”
Sally shook her head. “Not at all. We decided to start dating again just last night.”
“I still have the ring, though,” Jay said, shrugging.
May frowned. “Wait. Ring? You bought her a ring?”
Jay nodded. “Yeah, and she told me it wasn’t the right time. She needed to focus on you.”
“But I thought you two split because you didn’t want me around!”
Sally looked at May, surprised. “Why did you think that? I never said that!” She’d avoided the topic of Jay whenever it had come up, refusing to talk about him at all.
“I know, but you broke up shortly after I moved in with you, and I figured it was my fault.”
Sally shook her head. “I knew you needed more attention than I could give you if I was playing newlywed with Jay. I told him it wasn’t the right time for me, and he thought I meant that I wanted to wait until you were eighteen, so he ran away to Alaska. I didn’t even know he thought we’d broken up until I heard he’d left town.”
May looked at Jay, her face sad. “I’ve thought not-so-nice things about you for years. I’m sorry. I almost killed you in a book and had it all planned out how you were going to be decapitated by a train, but I realized it might upset Aunt Sally…” May noticed the look of horror on her aunt’s face. “Umm … I would never do that. I don’t kill real-life people in books to feel better. Writing books isn’t my therapy. I swear!”
/> Jay blinked a few times at May, trying to deal with what she’d just said. “You almost killed me in a book. Do you do that often?”
May shrugged. “Only when someone is really awful to me or someone I love.”
A blonde waitress stopped at the table and took their drink orders. She wrinkled her nose at May. “I hear you’re having a baby. Don’t you think it would have been smarter to wait a little longer before you got fatter?”
May smiled sweetly. “Hi, Tiffani. How are things at home? Has Cody found a new job yet?”
“My life is none of your business!” Tiffani finished taking their orders and stomped off in a huff.
May shook her head. “I’ve killed her in a book, and I’m not even ashamed of it.”
Jay bit back a laugh. “You aren’t the little girl I remember. I don’t think I saw you smile even once back then.”
“I know. I was a mess. It’s a good thing I had my aunt. I never would have made it through without her.”
Jay looked at Sally. “She’s pretty amazing. I wish I’d stuck around and waited like I should have. Of course, I learned a lot along the way, and I’ll be a much better husband now.”
“Is this a proposal?” May asked excitedly. “It sounds like a proposal. Doesn’t that kind of sound like a proposal, Bob?”
Bob looked at May. “I think your romance writerliness is coming out your ears again. You should eat a chip and figure out how many tacos little Bobby needs.”
May sighed contentedly. “Tacos. I love tacos.”
Bob shook his head, patting May’s shoulder. “That baby is going to be born with grated cheese for hair.”
Sally grinned at Jay. “May’s been craving tacos. It’s all she wants to eat.”
Jay looked at Alison, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement. “Can I read one of your books, Mrs. Bodefeld?” Alison asked, bouncing in her seat.
Lost Love (Lazy Love Book 4) Page 3
