A Lesson on Love

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Jerry,” Rayne warned, not wanting him to encourage the tooth fairy fantasy, but he ignored her. His sole focus was on her child.

  “Grab something for us to put this in,” he said, handing Rayne the tooth and then gently tugged on Stormy’s chin. “Open up, Ladybug. Let me see.”

  There wasn’t much blood, but Rayne stood back and observed as he rinsed her daughter’s mouth with warm water. Normally a girlie-girl and squeamish when it came to blood and pain, Stormy was taking everything in stride, listening as Jerry talked to her in a calm voice. Telling her that eventually more of her baby teeth would fall out but that they would all grow back fast. Through it all, he held her in his arms, carrying her around, something that Stormy always enjoyed.

  Like Rayne, most of her friends didn’t have fathers in their lives. Which was why she appreciated the time Jerry spent with Stormy. He might have his faults, like everyone did, but he went beyond the call of duty for her daughter. And Rayne had no doubt he would one day be an amazing father.

  He put Stormy on her feet. “All right. You’re all set.”

  “Now the tooth fairy will come?”

  “Yup, but not until you go to sleep tonight. Tomorrow morning you’ll be a little richer.”

  “Does that mean I’m going to get five dollars like Anna got?”

  Rayne narrowed her eyes at Jerry, trying to subliminally tell him not to promise something she might not be able to deliver.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “We never know how much the tooth fairy will leave.”

  The song, Here Comes the Sun, rang out through the kitchen and Jerry dug his ringing cell phone out of his pocket.

  “Who is it?” Stormy asked, tugging on his arm.

  “It’s my mother. She’s probably calling to wish me a happy birthday.”

  “Can I talk to your mommy?” Stormy asked excitedly. “What’s her name?”

  Jerry laughed. “Her name is Violet.”

  “That’s Mrs. Jenkins to you,” Rayne added and scowled at him, only making him laugh again.

  “I’m sure my mom would love to talk to you. Here.” To Rayne’s surprise, he handed the phone to Stormy.

  “Hello?” Stormy said, and strolled into the living room with the device.

  “You do know that she’s going to talk your mother’s ear off, right? What if the call is important?”

  “Actually, my mother will probably do most of the talking. She’ll get a kick out of Ladybug.” He stood in front of Rayne. “So, let’s talk about that kiss.”

  *

  Before Rayne could respond, Stormy skipped back into the kitchen holding up his cell phone.

  “Jerry, your mommy is almost here,” she said, bouncing up and down, grinning. “She’s going to meet me.”

  He frowned and reached for the phone. “Hey, mom. What’s up?”

  “Happy birthday, baby,” she chirped in her usual sing-song voice.

  A smile tilted the corners of Jerry’s mouth. She was the only person he knew who was happy every single day, and it showed in her voice and the way she treated people.

  “Thank you. How are you this morning?” he asked, glancing down at Stormy who looked at him expectantly.

  “I’m wonderful. I was trying to be the first person to call and tell you happy birthday, but I guess Stormy beat me too it. She sounds like a doll. Now I know why you’re so taken with her. I’m looking forward to finally meeting her and Rayne.”

  Jerry’s gaze followed Rayne around the first floor as she tidied up. He talked about her and Stormy often in conversation, but had only told Liam about wanting to date her. “Hopefully, I can make that happen one day,” he said to his mother.

  “How about now? Your sister and I are outside.”

  “What?”

  Apparently Stormy had been right. With his phone plastered against his ear, Jerry headed to the door. “Mom, I thought we talked about you not dropping by unannounced. Why didn’t you call me earlier?”

  “I know, I know, sweetie. I shouldn’t be just dropping by out of the blue, but this is a special occasion. It’s your birthday.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal.” The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to pull them back. When they were kids, she prided herself on making his and his sisters’ birthdays special. Each celebration topped the previous year, making them the envy of all of their friends.

  She tsked. “Every day we’re alive is a big deal. None of us are promised tomorrow. That’s why we have to appreciate and celebrate each year God gives us.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” He opened the door. On the concrete stoop that was between his and Rayne’s place, stood his mother and his sister, Christina.

  Stormy slid past him before he could stop her. “Hi. Are you Jerry’s mommy?”

  Violet stooped down and hugged her. “Oh my, God. You are absolutely adorable. Yes, I’m Jerry’s mommy and you must be Stormy.”

  Jerry smiled, watching as they discussed each other’s outfit. His mother’s style was a throwback to her hippie days. Today her long, curly hair was held back with a floral headband, and her outfit consisted of an oversize buttoned up checkered shirt and a long floral skirt and flip flops.

  Now that he thought about it, Stormy had a similar style whenever Rayne let her dress herself, like today. She had paired a wrinkled, flowy, prairie style blouse with denim short shorts and pink cowboy boots.

  Jerry glanced at Christina who was also dressed like their mother. She was two years older than him and stood there grinning like she knew a secret.

  “Happy birthday, my brotha.” She hugged him, handing him a blue envelope before whispering in his ear. “You know mom’s gonna want to adopt her, right? Or worse, insist on one of us giving her some more grandkids.”

  “Yeah, you and Luke need to get on that,” he said of her husband.

  Violet absolutely adored kids and would’ve had more herself if she could’ve. With only two grandchildren so far, thanks to their sister, Peyton, their mother impatiently waited for more.

  “Jerry said you were a cutie-pie, and he was right,” Violet said.

  “He calls me his Ladybug. What’s your name?” Stormy asked Christina.

  “Everyone calls me CJ.”

  “Oh. My mommy’s name is Rayne. Wanna meet her?” Stormy ran off before they could answer, and they all burst out laughing.

  “She has a lot of energy,” Christina said and Jerry agreed.

  He wasn’t sure how Rayne would react to meeting part of his family, but he would love to introduce them. Within seconds, Stormy dragged Rayne to the door and his pulse amped up at the sight of her. It didn’t matter that he had just spent the last hour with her.

  What a sap. But I don’t even care.

  He draped his arm around Rayne’s shoulder. “This is my mother Violet Jenkins and my sister, Christina Jenkins-Hayden. You guys this is Rayne Ellison.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m a hugger,” Violet said.

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  They hugged and Jerry’s heart rate sped up a little. Seeing his favorite women together felt surreal, like it was the beginning of a future he’d been dreaming about. One big happy family.

  “It’s nice meeting you both. Would you like to come in?” Rayne asked, shocking Jerry a little. She was kind-hearted, but he hadn’t been sure how she’d react to the intrusion.

  “That would be great, if you don’t mind,” Violet said. “Jerry’s always getting on me about stopping by unannounced.”

  “It’s no problem. Come on in.” Rayne escorted them inside and Jerry followed.

  For the next thirty minutes, they sat in the family room talking and laughing at Stormy’s antics. She was in her element, prancing around and rattling off one question after another to his mother and sister.

  “Forgive my manners. Would either of you like something to drink? Coffee? Juice?” Rayne asked.

  “Coffee sounds good,
” Christina said.

  Rayne turned to Violet who was holding Stormy in her lap.

  “Just water for me. Thanks,” she said.

  Jerry followed Rayne into the kitchen. “Sorry about the imposition, but thank you for welcoming them.” He spoke only loud enough for her to hear.

  “No problem. They seem really nice.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” He poured his mother a glass of water from the Brita pitcher that was in the refrigerator. “If you and I move forward with dinner tonight, I know my parents wouldn’t mind watching Ladybug. And I promise they’re the best.”

  “Jerry.” She drew out his name, frowning as if struggling with herself. That’s when he knew she was softening to the idea of going out.

  “I promise we’ll have a good time tonight.”

  After a long hesitation, she said, “Fine. You win. I’m only going out to dinner with you because it’s your birthday, and we better have a good time.”

  Jerry smiled, not missing the humor in her voice.

  “We will. I promise.”

  Chapter Nine

  “What do you mean he kissed you? Are we talking a sweet little peck on the lips? Or are we talking holding you close and palming your ass while making mad, passionate love to your mouth, and leaving you panting for more?”

  Rayne’s mouth dropped open. “Really, Charlee? You do realize kids are running around here, right?”

  Charlee pushed back the colorful headband that was holding her wild, auburn curls out of her face. “Just answer the question.”

  Rayne thoughts drifted to Jerry, their conversation in the kitchen, and the fact that she had agreed to go to dinner with him. Instead of responding to her friend, her gaze swept over the McDonald’s where they were having lunch and catching up with each other’s lives. Stormy was nearby, running around the play area, having a blast with other children.

  “Your silence speaks volumes,” Charlee said. “I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all of this. I can’t believe you kissed Jerry “Jay” Jenkins. The gorgeous man who looks as if his body was carved by a master sculptor and then hand dipped in rich, dark chocolate.”

  Rayne smiled at her friend’s description and its accuracy. She also had to admit that Jerry had mad kissing skills. He had taken his time, savored her mouth and had definitely left her wanting more.

  Rayne picked at her salad. No matter how many excuses she came up with for why it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with him, she couldn’t deny their attraction.

  “Explain to me again how this kiss came about.”

  “You heard me. It just…happened.”

  “I hate when people say that crap. A hot, juicy ass kiss doesn’t just happen,” she retorted, her mouth twitching to hold back a smile. “Unless he held you and your face down, you had a chance to move your lips before his mouth landed on them. I’m just…floored. Ms. Buttoned-Up-Tight finally let a man kiss her, and I’m sure you kissed him back.”

  “I didn’t. Well, not exactly,” she defended weakly. She hadn’t been kissed in like…forever, especially not like Jerry had taken control of her mouth. She also hadn’t had sex in years. Of course, she would have a weakness for the first man to show an interest in her. Well, a weakness for one of the men who showed interest. There was also Calvin. But with him, there was a different type of attraction. Not a sexual one.

  “Jerry might have initiated the kiss, but you didn’t push him away. You wanted that kiss. You want him. And I’m pretty sure that blush tinting your cheeks is not makeup. Come on, admit it,” Charlee taunted, shoveling fries into her mouth.

  The woman could put away more food than most men. Yet, she didn’t gain a pound. Rayne usually stayed away from fried food and opted for at least one or two salads a day, but couldn’t lose the extra pounds she was carrying around.

  “I’m not admitting anything,” she said, picking at her salad with fruit and chicken on top of it. What she really wanted was a double cheese burger, fries and an apple pie. But she was determined to lose some weight.

  “I knew it. You liked it.”

  Rayne more than liked the kiss. She was going to be dreaming about how good Jerry’s lips felt against hers until the end of time. The moment his mouth landed on hers and he pulled her close to his hard body, she’d been a goner.

  “I just can’t let it happen again.”

  Charlee blew out a sigh and pointed her last fry at Rayne. “Sometimes I don’t understand you. Here you have this gorgeous, hot man who will worship the ground you walk on if you’d let him, but you keep shooting him down. Who does that?”

  “What do you mean who does that? You’re the one who told me about his reputation. You’re the one who told me that he’s rarely seen with the same woman twice. You’re also the one who told me that women fawn over him. Why would I subject myself to that, especially after what Kirk put me through?”

  “To be fair, I told you what I’ve heard about Jerry in the past. But from what you’ve told me about Kirk, he and Jerry are very different.”

  “And you know this how?” Rayne said with more edge in her tone than intended. She braced herself. Was her best friend going to tell her that she’d been with Jerry?

  “Okay, I’ll admit, I don’t really know Jerry. But I’ve heard some really nice things about him, and I know his family. Well, I don’t really know them, but I know of them.”

  “Really? How is it that I didn’t know that?”

  “I-I…it…it doesn’t matter. All that matters is… You know what? Maybe you should tell me everything that happened this morning. I’m gonna need all the details, and don’t leave anything out.”

  Rayne told her friend about Jerry’s birthday breakfast, Stormy’s tooth, and how they met Jerry’s mother and his youngest sister. Rayne didn’t know what she expected before meeting the women, but they both were like a breath of fresh air, acting as if they’d known her and Stormy forever. She hadn’t met Jerry’s father or his oldest sister, Peyton, but she already knew that he was blessed to have such wonderful people in his life.

  “Soo, you told Jerry about Kirk.”

  “Not exactly. I might or might not have called Kirk a selfish bastard, and I might’ve said something about not letting another man make a fool of me.”

  “Ah, I see. So you were being nice and didn’t tell him what Kirk was really like, huh?”

  Rayne covered her face with her hands and groaned before dropping them back to the table. “Trust me. I said way more than I should’ve. I even eluded to the fact that I was barely keeping a roof over our heads.”

  Thankfully, Jerry hadn’t asked her to expound on that topic. The last thing she wanted was his pity. Or knowing him, he would’ve offered to loan her money or worse, pay her bills or buy her a house. No, he’d done enough for them over the months. She was the one responsible for seeing to her and her daughter’s needs.

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Jerry is anything like Kirk. Well, not exactly. They might have similar reputations, but I never heard of Jerry mistreating anyone or leading anyone on. Not that I know everything about him mind you, but I know his family. Uh, sort of.”

  “Okay, spill. That’s the second time you’ve eluded to knowing his family. What do you know? Or who do you know?”

  “Girl, don’t mind me. Jenkins & Sons has done work for my father a number of times, and he speaks very highly of the family. Personally, I’ve only met a couple of them, and they seem like good people.”

  Charlee was hiding something. God only knew what. Growing up, her friend used to be what people back in the day called a wild child. She’d try anything once and got into more trouble than anyone Rayne knew, and didn’t mellow out until her mother died while they were in high school. After that, Rayne didn’t see much of her since Charlee’s father moved her to Cincinnati.

  “Okay, so what are you wearing tonight?” Charlee asked. “Because what you have on now won’t work.”

  Rayne glanced down at the baggy, pu
rple shirt and stretch pants. “Yeah, I’m going to have to dig through my closet and see what I can pull together.”

  Rayne hadn’t been on a date since before marrying Kirk, and even then, it hadn’t been many. The dressiest outfit she owned was a maxi dress that she purchased during her pregnancy and a really nice interview suit she had found at Goodwill years ago.

  “I’m sure you have nothing appropriate for a date. Let’s go shopping after we leave here.”

  When Charlee wasn’t working, she was shopping. The fashionista, rarely did she leave home without looking cute. Like now. The red halter sundress and strappy sandals looked amazing on her.

  “Girl, I don’t have money for shopping. I’ll pull something together.”

  “I have a better idea. We go shopping and I can buy you an early birthday gift.”

  “Early? Charlee, my birthday is not for another five months. That’s beyond early.”

  Charlee waved her off. “Whatever. We’re going. Or you could always get Stormy to find you something to wear. That little girl already has her own style. Look at her. Anyone who can put short shorts and cowboy boots together, and look cute in it, is a fashionista in my book.”

  Rayne laughed. “More like a hippie in the making. Did you see that little pink flower in her hair? I don’t know where she found it, but after she begged me to let her wear her hair down, the flower miraculously appeared. She told me she wanted to look pretty for Jerry’s birthday.”

  Charlee shook her head and grinned. “You have a special little girl there. She’s smart, adorable, and resourceful.”

  “You’re her godmother. Your opinion is a little biased.”

  “Maybe, but it’s all true. Look at her over there. I wonder what happened to her friend.”

  Stormy was standing near the door that led into the play area. She made a buddy wherever she went, and the little girl she’d been playing with was now crying, pointing to the slide that was inside of the enclosure.

  “Her friend’s father is kind of cute.”

  “And probably married,” Rayne said absently, wondering what had happened. Since Stormy seemed fine, she stayed seated to see how the scene would play out. The father was talking to his daughter while wiping her tears. Before long, the little girl seemed fine while he helped her into her shoes shortly before they left.