“Deal.” I smiles at him and he strokes my cheek again. He shifts his head to look at me. “I didn’t know you went to Columbia. You said you just left as soon as you could.”
I nod. “I got a scholarship. It’s the only way I could afford to get out of here, otherwise I don’t know what I would have done. Resorted to petty crime, probably.”
He laughs that big belly laugh that I’m starting to love. “So your choices were successful intelligent college grad or criminal?”
“Basically,” I answer with a shrug and a laugh. He doesn’t realize how true that statement is. The pressure in this town when everything happened with before I left for college was incredible. I was seventeen, alone, and a pariah. The only thing that kept me from falling into an unending depression was Gram’s tough love, and school.
“You’re the most intriguing woman I’ve ever met,” Owen says as he lifts his head into his palm, looking me up and down. “You’re incredibly intelligent and beautiful and resourceful, and you’ve made something of yourself. Why does this town scare you so much? Why are you so afraid of what people think? It doesn’t make sense.”
I sigh. How can I explain it? How can I explain the torture I went through as a teenager, trying to keep Mary Hanson and her gang of bullies away from me, all the while being better at her in school and having a boyfriend before her. I know she liked him, and sometimes I wonder if that’s what started it all off. Just plain old teenage jealousy that snowballed into psychological warfare between the two of us.
“They just turn on you quickly around here,” I finally say. “It’s easier to just stay out of the headlines.”
He grunts in response and nods. “You can say that again.”
“You’re lucky I’m only here for a couple more days,” I say with a grin. “It’s the only redeeming thing about this whole situation.”
“Doesn’t feel like luck,” he says gently. I open my mouth to answer but can’t think of anything. Owen wraps his arm around me and I put my head on his chest. He kisses the top of my head and I fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
27
Owen
I feel like the luckiest man alive. I wake up as the sun is streaming through the window and look over to see Jess snoring softly on the pillow beside me. I still haven’t bought any blinds, but this morning it doesn’t seem to bother me. We’re both still completely naked, and I run my fingers down her side and over her hip.
I sigh as I feel the curves of her body. She shifts and groans as her eyes flutter open.
“Morning,” she says.
“Morning.”
She rolls onto her back and stretches her arms overhead, groaning in satisfaction. “I slept so well,” she says. “Better than I’ve slept in months.”
“Orgasms do that to a person,” I reply with a chuckle.
She laughs and then glances at the window. Her smile fades and she sits up. “What time is it??”
“I’m not sure. Relax,” I say. “It’s okay.”
“It’s definitely not okay,” she says, jumping up and flipping over her phone. “Fuck! Shit! It’s almost 9am!”
She hurries to the bathroom and when she comes out her hair is brushed and her face is washed. She pulls on her clothes and I sit up in bed.
“Relax, Jess. Come on,” I say, holding out my hands.
She shakes her head. “I have to go. Owen,” she says, placing both hands on my shoulders. “You should listen to me. People don’t like change around here. People don’t like me around here. You’re playing with fire.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I see how people talk to you! Howard seemed to love you! And Sam and her fiancé… No one hates you.”
“Howard likes me because he likes my grandmother. The other two are my only friends. People like Mary Hanson have more pull than you realize around here. She can cause a lot of damage…” She trails off and turns around, picking up her dress off the floor. She pulls on her dress and sighs. “Thank you for a great night.”
I stand up and wrap my arms around her. “Don’t worry about Mary Hanson. She’s probably just jealous because you’re beautiful and intelligent and funny, and she’s not.”
Jess smiles softly. “You’re playing with fire,” she repeats as she lays a gentle kiss on my lips. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“That doesn’t make me want you any less.”
“It’s not supposed to,” she answers with a grin. “See you tonight?”
I laugh and nod as she kisses me one last time and slips out the door. I flop back in bed and fold my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling.
I breathe in deeply and close my eyes. I don’t remember the last time I woke up with a beautiful woman in bed beside me and I didn’t want to run away. This time it was her who wanted to run away.
I mull over her words. In one breath she’s warning me against her and in the next, she’s telling me she’ll see me tonight. What does she mean, Mary Hanson can cause damage? What could that have to do with anything?
The town seems to have accepted me. Ever since the grand opening, the restaurant and bar have been full every night, and the rooms are starting to fill up with tourists for the start of the summer season.
Within a few months I should be able to put it back up for sale and turn a profit. Hell, maybe someone from the town will want to buy it up again.
I sigh. Jess is probably just paranoid because of what she’s been through. Coming back here and facing all the people who shunned her must be difficult, and she can’t see that it’s different now.
I’ll just have to show her it’s different. Maybe I can convince her to go out with me in public, and she’ll see that there’s nothing to be afraid of. I only have a few more days with her, and I don’t want to waste them hiding away in my room.
I stretch my arms overhead and sigh. I have another long day of work ahead of me, but it doesn’t seem so bad when I think of Jess’s goodbye kiss and her saying she would see me tonight. It’s only a few short hours to fill before I can have her in my arms again.
28
Jess
“You didn’t come home last night,” Gram says as I walk in the door. I head to the coffee pot and pour a mug, avoiding her questioning stare.
“Late night with Sam. Did you know that her and Ronnie are engaged? You didn’t tell me they were dating!”
Gram chuckles. “They’ve been loved up ever since he came back from Philadelphia. I thought you knew, I was sure Sam would have told you.”
A pang passes through my heart. “I guess we haven’t been talking so much lately,” I say. Gram nods.
“How did Mr. McAllister get on with all the garden tools?”
“Great!” I say right away, maybe a bit too loud. “Great,” I say again, burying my nose in my coffee mug.
“That’s good. You make sure to thank him again from me for the hedges out front. I’m getting too old to garden now, it’s nice to have someone make the place look nice.”
“Sure, Gram, I’ll say thanks, but I’m not sure when I’ll see him again.”
“Mmhmm,” Gram says, turning towards the sink to wash a few dishes. “Okay, honey.”
I look at the back of her head and can’t help but smile. Does she know? How would she know!
Last night Sam and Ronnie could tell right away that there was something between us, but surely when Owen was here yesterday it wasn’t that obvious?? I shake my head and stand up.
“I’m going to go to the shop today, do you need me to bring you anything back?”
“Get some berries and a bit of beef,” Gram says, glancing at the fridge. “I’ll cook us a roast tonight.”
“Sounds delicious,” I say as I slip out of the kitchen. I make my way upstairs and flop down on my bed as soon as I’m in my room. I put a hand to my forehead and sigh.
For the first time since I left his room this morning, I feel like I can relax. I look around my childhood bedroom and shake my head. I never would have im
agined that I’d be back here, having a secret love affair with the new owner of the Lex. I thought I’d come back and have some quiet evenings with Gram, see Sam and her mom, and maybe go into the Lex one night for a drink.
My phone buzzes and Rosie’s name pops up.
Rosie: So?? Update??
I grin.
Jess: I’m not coming back.
Rosie answers right away.
Rosie: What?! He’s that good, hey?
I laugh and turn onto my side, curling up in bed as I type my response.
Jess: Better than good. Spent the night
Knocked Up- The Complete Box Set Page 40
