by HK Carlton
“Sorry. But you look just like him.”
“Him who?” Lainey asked.
“Don’t encourage it, Lainey,” Jason cautioned gently.
The waitress walked away.
“I just wanted to know. I want to Google him. I want to see for myself if you look like this guy,” Lainey explained smiling, obviously enjoying his discomfort.
“Why? I’m better-looking. Period.”
“And modest too.”
“I’ll have to tell Henry that we must have hit that line twice too.”
“What?” she laughed. “Henry?” Her smile tilted a little. “How is Henry? I haven’t seen him in a while. He and Jill were kinda tight there for a while.”
“He’s good. He made the football team.”
“Ohhh. That explains it then.”
So, he had been right. “Too much like her dad?”
Her gaze met his. “I’m guessing. How much do you know about my life, Mr Westlake?”
“Mmm, back to Mr Westlake. Not good. I know some but it doesn’t matter to me. Everyone has a past.”
“So then tell me about yours.”
That was the last thing he wanted to do. Out and out lying to her was not an option. When the time came and she found out about him he didn’t want her to accuse him of just that. Then she’d never trust him. He’d be no better than her dishonest cheating husband and Jase didn’t want that. “I don’t want to talk about me. I want to get to know you.”
“Everything about my life leads back to my divorce and I don’t want to think about it let alone discuss it.”
“Okay, so let’s talk about your hobbies. What do you like to do?”
“I like to read.”
“What do you like to read?”
“Anything.”
“History books perhaps?” He grinned.
“Yes. Sometimes.”
“How about romance novels?” he teased.
“I haven’t read one of those in a very long while.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Maybe you should,” she countered.
“Maybe I will.”
“Get a historical romance. That’d be right up your alley.”
“Is there such a thing?” he asked, naively.
“Oh, your knowledge of romance novels is sorely lacking, Professor.” She smiled and took a small sip of the water.
“I will endeavor to be more informed. What else do you like to do?”
“I like to hike, which I also haven’t done in a long time.”
The waitress brought their food.
“Wow, that’s really quick,” Jason commented.
“They don’t fool around here.”
“I guess not. Smells delicious,” he said, inhaling the spicy aroma. He cut into it to let some of the steam out so that it would cool off. His mouth was still a little tender from the hot coffee this morning.
“So how about tomorrow?” he asked.
“Tomorrow?” she asked, passing him the Parmesan cheese after sprinkling some onto her pasta.
“Hiking. You and me. Tomorrow?”
Her face showed disappointment. “I can’t. I have to work.” Although he was let down that she had to work, he was encouraged by her reaction.
“How about Sunday then? Do you open on Sundays?” He took a bite of the pasta. It was incredible.
“No, I don’t. But I’ve recently started going back to church. I grew up going every Sunday when I was a kid. Well, forced to by my father. It’s different when you choose to go, somehow. And since everything that’s happened, I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I just feel like I need something to believe in again, you know?”
“Yeah, I get that. Had an epiphany of my own once.”
“Really?” She took a dainty bite.
“Yeah, the day I decided I wanted to be a teacher.”
“Tell me,” she pleaded her eyes shining with unconcealed interest.
“I will but not today. What time does church end?”
“About noon.”
“Then you’ll hike with me?”
“Sounds good. I’ll pack us a lunch.”
“That sounds even better.”
“What do you like on a sandwich?”
“I’m easy.”
“Most men are, but what do you like on a sandwich,” she teased.
“I will have you know, I am cheap but not easy.”
She giggled. “That looks like a very expensive suit, Professor. You are not cheap.”
He chuckled. “This is really good, Lainey.”
She thought that he was talking about the food. “I think it’s the best Italian food in town.”
All of a sudden a cellphone chimed making them both jump. “Oh, that must be Jilly. She must be at her dad’s by now. She calls when she lands so that I don’t worry. Do you mind?”
“No, of course not, get it.”
“It’s just a text.” She sounded disappointed. She dug into her purse and pulled out her cell then slid on a pair of reading glasses. After reading the text, she seemed to wilt.
“Is everything all right?” Jason asked.
“Yes. I just wish she’d called. I like to hear her voice. I can’t tell by a text how she is really feeling but I always know by the inflection in her voice. Even when what she is saying sounds good, I know when things are not. It either means her father or someone else is in the room, or she’s just trying to make it sound like she’s having a good time so that I’m not worried and unhappy the whole time that she’s gone. Sometimes I wonder who’s the parent?”
Jason reached across the table and touched the back of her hand. “You are a great mom, don’t you ever doubt it.”
“That’s very nice of you to say, but you don’t even know me.”
“Maybe, but I’m getting to know you and from what I’ve seen you are doing a fine job. And I’ve known Jill longer than I’ve known you and she’s a great kid and great kids come from good parents. You kind of get to know what kids are like seeing them every day and how they act. You know what kind of home life they have by the way they cope and by the way that they treat other people regardless of what kind of grades they pull down.”
Gazing down at the screen, she sent a response.
“And you look damn sexy in those glasses, Lainey.”
She blushed but laughed. “They make me look old.”
“Naw-uh, you look like a naughty librarian.” He grinned and raised his eyebrows repeatedly in a lascivious manner.
She took the glasses off and slid them and the cellphone back into her purse. “And you are a naughty teacher, Mr Westlake,” she commented, returning his gaze.
“Why do you say that? I haven’t taught you anything naughty…yet.”
She looked away and she pushed her food around the plate. There was a definite tilt in her mood since she’d read Jill’s text. Even though Lainey tried to hide that it wasn’t bothering her, it was obvious she was worrying about her daughter being under her father’s care and influence.
“Have you ever been married, Mr Westlake?” she asked, out of nowhere.
“Nope,” he answered taking the last bite.
“Any children?”
“Only about the hundred and twelve that they trust me with in a day.” He paused adding, “Well, that I know of anyway.” He knew the minute it was out of his mouth it had been the wrong thing to say.
She shoved her plate away suddenly and searched around for the waitress.
“It was a joke, Lainey.” Well, he hoped it was a joke. He hadn’t exactly been the most responsible guy for the last ten years, so God only knew what he had running around out there. But no one had ever come forward to accuse him of being a deadbeat dad and, with his money and his past fame, anyone could have come forward and claimed anything just to get a payout or their own fifteen minutes of fame. And it wasn’t as if he were hiding. He was easy to find.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Okay, so, I’m a teacher, not a
comedian.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not the best company these days. I think this was a mistake. I thought that I could sit here and play nice but I’m just not up for it. I’m sorry, Jason, I’d just like to call it a night.”
“No problem, another time.” Although he was disappointed he signaled the waitress who’d kept an eye on them all night.
Jason threw some bills on the table for a tip and paid the bill at the counter. Holding the door open for Lainey to exit the restaurant, he stuffed the receipt into his inside coat pocket.
They began the walk back to their cars.
“Are you going to call her?” Lainey asked, looking up the street and not at him.
“Who?”
“The waitress.”
“The waitress?” He frowned wondering what the hell she was talking about. It wasn’t because he’d given her any attention. “Why would I call her?”
Lainey reached over and pulled the corner of the receipt out of his pocket. She held up the piece of paper and turned it over. On the back in swoopy lettering it read ‘Candi’, the ‘i’ dotted with a heart, and a cellphone number under it.
Jason’s gaze met Lainey’s. “I didn’t even realize she’d done that. How did you?”
“Old habits die hard, I guess. Women were forever giving my husband their phone number in new and creative ways. It didn’t even matter if I was with him. Some women just have no respect. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to look or to pry into your personal business.”
He knew exactly what some women were capable of and at the time he’d taken complete advantage of what was offered. “Here, you take it. I don’t want to call her.”
“No, you keep it. You may change your mind. She was pretty. You probably should go out with her.”
Jason stopped in front of her and waited until she looked up at him. “I don’t want to go out with her. Actually, I don’t want to see anyone right now, but you.”
“Then you’re wasting your time, Mr Westlake. I’m not ready to see people, especially men that look like you. I’ve been there, done that. And I will never allow myself to be hurt in that way again.” After stepping around him, she then continued walking.
“So, what, are you just going to date hideous-looking men?”
“I have no intention to date at all, hideous or drop-dead gorgeous.”
“Ever?”
Extracting her keys from her bag, she hit the button on the key fob and it unlocked the driver’s door, as they pulled level with her car. Ignoring his question, she opened it. In an attempt to keep her from getting into the car, he placed his hand on her arm.
Her weary gaze met his.
“You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who could spend her life alone.” He gazed down at her, crowding her, his face close to hers.
It was then that he saw the fear coupled with desire in her eyes. She wanted him too, but she was afraid to allow herself to feel. She was a passionate woman. Of that he had no doubt. There was major sexual tension going on between them, just as he’d known from the moment she’d walked into his classroom. His heart pounded rapidly.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“Maybe not, but I know what I’m feeling and you can’t deny that you’re feeling it too.”
“But I don’t want to feel anything.”
“Maybe not, but it’s happening anyway.” He leaned down, wanting to kiss her so bad—to taste her sweet lips. He wanted to steal her breath right out of her mouth, but her eyes darted around his face and her shoulders rose in a defensive shift. At the last minute he made a detour and kissed her cheek. Backing away from her, he took a step back and another, giving her room. “Have a good night, Lainey. Drive safe.”
Hoping he’d made an impact, he left her standing there, walked across the street to his own car and headed home, alone.
Chapter Four
Lainey sprayed the glass of the front display case then wiped it down with a paper towel but her mind was not on the task. Jason was the only thing on her mind and every time she thought of him that little simmer bubbled low in her stomach, sometimes sending little tingles of feeling even lower. Worse, every time the bell hanging from the door jingled she looked up in anticipation hoping to see him standing there. Then she would berate herself for it. She shouldn’t want to see him. She was just asking for trouble. He was an amazing man to look at. Maybe even more attractive than Thad. Viciously, she wiped that thought from her mind. There would be no comparing Thad to Jason in any way, shape or form. Lainey didn’t want there to be any similarities between them. She would prefer not to think of either of them at all. But thoughts of Jason kept occupying her mind, making her yearn for and think of things she had never thought to feel and do again. She never wanted to immerse herself so deeply in another person again.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she was thinking at any given minute, she didn’t think she would see Jason today. Not that she wanted to, she told herself. She’d made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t ready for anything. But every time she replayed last night in her mind, she was certain she came off sounding like a complete and total bitch.
Why had she even brought up the waitress’s phone number? She should have just minded her own business. Nevertheless, she’d felt a pang of that old jealousy and had acted on it before she’d thought better of it. She had no right to feel anything. And she didn’t want to—especially jealousy. She hated that feeling. That loss of control, of being betrayed. It was something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Well, maybe Thad. He’d changed so much. Lainey didn’t even recognize him. She hated the Thad that he’d become and only felt grief for the man that she’d fallen in love with and lost. And he’d loved her too. Back when he had been a nobody—before fame and fortune had gone to his head. And maybe even the steroids. She wasn’t sure. There hadn’t been any proof. But what else could she attribute the sudden change in his behavior to? She could have handled it if he’d just fallen out of love with her. Yet the man she’d known would have had the balls to come out and tell her to her face that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. Lainey shook her head. She could drive herself crazy going around and around all the theories to explain the sudden and drastic changes in Thad.
After tossing the paper towel into the garbage she then tucked the glass cleaner back under the counter. No more Thad. No Jason, she vowed, but even just thinking his name sent another wave of excited little butterflies in her stomach. She gazed into the mirror.
“What, are you fifteen again?” she asked her reflection. “Nope, certainly not. You are old and washed up. That’s what you are.” She examined herself disdainfully. As if a man like Jason Westlake would be interested in her. A wounded divorced single mom with baggage. Lots and lots of it.
Pulling her dark hair up, she secured it with one of the pretty new tortoise shell clips that she’d just consigned to the shop. She gave her hair another twist and held it with the identical clip on the other side. She always thought she seemed a little younger when her hair was up. Silly probably, but right now it made her feel better. After selecting a pair of elegant pearl drop earrings from the display tree Lainey slid them into her ears then stepped back to admire them.
It was nearly four. Another hour, she’d close up the shop and head home to her empty house. She hated it there now and was actually looking forward to the day it finally sold and they could leave it. The thought of Thad with other women in their house made her sick to her stomach. Apparently, he’d done it everywhere else too, but knowing he would be so blatant, so bold was just another slap. “I told you to stop that. He’s not worth it,” she warned herself then turned her back on the mirror.
Maybe she should just give in and let Thad close the shop too. Screw it all—him, the house, the store. Perhaps just give up everything and start over somewhere else. When Jilly started college she could just move with her. She’d give Jill her freedom, of course, to have the whole college experience, but Jilly wo
uld know that her mom would still be near if and when she needed her to be. The possibility of opening a new store wherever Jilly landed wasn’t out of the question. But it still burned all the same. Just as much of her hard-earned money had gone into the place as Thad’s. She’d worked her ass off at many different jobs while Thad had tried to make his way to the NFL. She’d supported them all for years. The shop, the concept, the location, everything else had been her idea from the beginning. Thad had put up half of the original start-up cost, when he signed his first contract. On opening day he’d shown up to promote the place then never given it another thought after that. He didn’t care about the business or the house. “You came into this marriage with nothing, you’ll leave it the same way,” he’d said to her. That was true. But when they’d married, he didn’t have anything either. And they were happy that way.
Lainey started to do the normal things she did to close up for the day. She removed some of the more expensive merchandise out of the front window, so that it wouldn’t attract any would-be thieves to smash and grab, and placed the items farther toward the rear of the store or in the back. After refolding the few things that customers had rearranged, she made sure the lights and radio were off, and locked the back door. At the front of the store, she pulled out the deposit slip and bag from under the counter and totaled up the money in the till.
A little better day, she thought. Three hundred was better than seventy. But it still wouldn’t cover the rent or the insurance, or the twenty or so vendors who were breathing down her neck demanding payment. Finally getting smart, she’d been giving them Thad’s lawyer’s name and siccing them on him. Let him explain why they weren’t being paid. If this was all his, as he claimed, then Thad could damn well pay them.
For the next half hour she did nothing but watch the clock, learning long ago not to fill out the deposit slip until she’d actually locked the door. Nothing made her more pissy than to fill it out and have a customer come in and having to redo. But it would be great if she did make another sale before she closed up.
At exactly five o’clock Lainey turned the sign to ‘Closed’ and finished filling out the slip. Popping the cash in the bag, she then locked up and walked down the block subsequently tossing the deposit into the bank box. Back at the car she hesitated before getting in, then looked across the street at the coffee shop and decided to run over and get something for supper so that she didn’t have to cook or, worse, warm up soup for one.
