The Match

by Sarah Adams

  I turn my eyes back to Evie just in time to see her stand up, empty glass in hand, and head toward the house.

  Next thing I know, I’m on my feet and striding after her. I suddenly feel like there is some unfinished business between us.

  I step into the house, and the cool air hits my bare chest. I probably should have grabbed a shirt, but there was no time. Everyone else is outside, and Evie’s alone in here, and I didn’t want to waste this moment.

  Turning the corner, I find Evie in the kitchen, pouring herself a new glass of lemonade and shoving a brownie into her mouth. She spots me and covers her mouth to keep her crumbs from spewing out with her laughter. “Caught red-handed,” she says from behind her fist.

  I round the island to get closer to her, and I notice her chewing slows and her body straightens a little. I stop just behind her, hoping she’ll turn around to face me. “You’re allowed to eat brownies, you know.”

  My plan works, because Evie turns around, and now she’s trapped between me and the counter, and I’m loving how close we are. I can see the freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and the perfect bow of her full top lip.

  “Yeah,” she says with a final swallow, “but am I allowed to have four brownies?”

  My eyebrows lift. “Did you really eat four brownies?”

  “What?? Me? No. I was kidding. I’d never eat that many. That would be soooo unhealthy.” That means she actually ate five.

  I smile and lean in and set my hands on the countertop behind her—one on either side of her, pinning her in. Her eyes widen. I know this is bold. Other than that ridiculously tiny kiss we had the other night, our relationship has looked nothing like this. And speaking of that kiss, neither of us even acknowledged it after. I just kinda swept it under the rug because my body had gotten away from me and started something that I wasn’t ready for yet.

  I’m ready now.

  I’ve been watching Evie all day, and there’s not a chance that I’m letting this woman leave my house with us stuck in the friend zone. I get closer and breathe in the scent of Banana Boat suntan lotion mixed with the sweet brownie on her breath. Let me tell you, it’s a ridiculously good combination.

  “Jaaaaaake,” says Evie in a slightly nervous, playful voice as she looks backward toward my hands. She takes a tiny step back toward the counter and puts her hands behind her to grip it. “What’s going on right now?”

  I smile because I like how frank she is. She doesn’t try to play games. She’s straightforward. What you see is what you get—and goodness, I like what I see.

  “What’s going on is…I think our kiss was way too short the other night.” I can be frank too.

  She sucks in a breath and blinks before pursing her lips together. She looks over both of her shoulders before her green eyes hit mine again. “Do you think THIS is the place to discuss that?” She’s cute when she’s nervous.

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “But what if Sam walks in here?”

  “She’ll probably be scarred for the rest of her life.”

  “Jake! I’m serious.”

  I smile and inch closer so our bodies are touching. “Me too.”

  Evie’s eyes drop to my mouth and then lower to my chest. She swallows, and her cheeks pink, and I swear I’ve never felt more cocky than at this moment.

  She looks back up at me. “You can’t just switch gears on me like this in the middle of the day at your family pool party. I mean…all week, we’ve been friends. And now you’re going to pin me against the counter and kiss me while you’re half-naked? You’re not allowed to do that. I think that’s skipping a few steps.”

  I smile bigger and move my hand up to her neck, enjoying the way her skin is still hot from the day in the sun. “It’s been a little while since I’ve brushed up on the rules, so you’ll have to forgive me. Because, yeah, I’m going to skip some steps now.”

  She smiles, and I can’t stand it any longer. I’ve gotta kiss her. I’m leaning down, and her hands move up to rest on my bare chest. The sudden skin-to-skin contact is electric, and it short-circuits my brain. I’ve been dead for the past year, and she just put two paddles to my chest. I’m alive now.

  My lips touch hers, and then I’m having terrible déjà vu, because we get interrupted.

  “Whoa!” says my dad from the doorway. Evie and I split apart. “Sorry, you two. I didn’t realize there was something going on in here.” But his smile says he very well knew.

  I lean my back against the opposite counter of Evie’s and give my dad an unamused smile. “Impeccable timing, Dad.”

  He shrugs and struts right on over to the fridge to fill his glass with ice. “I’ve got four daughters, son. I’ve had loads of practice to perfect my timing.” He looks at Evie and winks. WINKS!

  One minute, I was a cocky son of a gun, and now I’m fifteen with a face on fire, and my dad is embarrassing me and my pretty girlfriend. How can I recover this?

  Dad is taking his sweet time, adding one cube of ice to his glass at a time, filling it with water, taking a sip, and topping it off again. This goes on for two minutes, and I can see that Evie is trying so hard not to dissolve into laughter.

  I give her a look that says, Enjoying this, are you? That forces her to cover her mouth with the back of her hand so a laugh doesn’t spew out.

  All right, enough.

  I’m not fifteen, and this is my own freaking kitchen. “Okay, water boy, I think you’re well hydrated. Why don’t you take this outside now and stop doing whatever it is you’re doing in here.”

  My dad laughs as I’m pushing him from the kitchen. “I’m going, I’m going…but you should know that we can all see you out there.” He points toward the one sliver of an opening between the kitchen and the sliding door in the living room…and yep…it’s a straight shot. Everyone is gathered and watching on like their cable got canceled months ago and they’re starved for entertainment.

  Once I forcibly remove my father from my house, I turn around and go back into the kitchen. I find Evie giving in to her laughter with both hands covering her face. I take one of her wrists and pull her out of the kitchen into the hallway—AWAY from the prying eyes of my creepy family.

  “Are you going to sneak me away to make out in the hallway now?” she asks while laughing.

  I stop and turn around when I know we are clear from the audience. “No. The moment’s over.”

  “Boooooo,” she says with a big smile.

  I’m laughing now too, and I can’t believe how bad I am at this dating thing. Turns out, it’s something you can get rusty at.

  “What are you doing Friday night?” I ask.

  Her smile goes a tad serious. “Friday?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Well…nothing that I know of.”

  “Come over Friday night then.”

  Her smile peeks again. “Come over?”

  “Are you just going to keep repeating everything I say?”

  “Only if you don’t start explaining what you mean in full sentences. I mean, I know we just kinda kissed again in the kitchen, but I don’t want to misconstrue anything.” Gosh, I like this woman. I also really want to try to redeem our bad-kiss streak, but I refrain because I can’t handle another interruption, and the potential for that happening is way too high.

  “Sam has her slumber party that night, so I’m going to be off of dad duty. I was hoping you’d come over and let me cook you dinner…as a date.”

  “A date?”

  “You’re still repeating me.”

  She smiles wider and leans her back against the wall. The shadowy hallway we are encapsulated in only adds to the flirty look she’s giving me. Evie is not rusty. “So…a date-date? Like…you like me-like me? Not just a friend thing?”

  I chuckle and inch closer to her. “Yeah. Didn’t you get my note I passed you in science? I like you. Check yes or no if you like me, too.”

  She scrunches her nose and dares to step closer to me. She reaches up and wraps her ar
ms around my neck. “I check yes.”

  “So, does that mean you’ll come?”

  “You said you’re cooking?”

  I nod.

  “Count me in.”

  She raises up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek before breaking away and darting back out toward the pool.

  Chapter Twenty

  EVIE

  “Where do you want to go dress shopping this weekend?” Jo asks me around a bite of salad.

  “Doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Just prepare to get something skimpy to show off those legs for Jake.”

  I give Jo a flat look. “First of all, a man should like me for more than my body. And second, shouldn’t you be the one telling me this? You’re in your sixties. How am I the mature one here?”

  Jo shrugs and steals a fry from my plate. “Now, why would I tell you something you already know? I’m pretty sure all you ever think about is how to be upstandin’. Think of me as your fairy godmother.” She waves the fry like a wand over my head. “Bibbidi-bobbidi, do yourself a favor and live a little.”

  I shake my head at my fairy godmother and take a bite of my burger.

  My phone buzzes on the table with a new text, and I see the name Jake written across my screen. Jo sees it, too, and wags her eyebrows suggestively while reaching for my phone. I snatch it off the table and clutch it close to my chest before she gets a chance to swipe it open. “No one likes a Nosey Nelly.”

  “Even less people like a Boring Bessy.” She steals another fry, and I smack her hand playfully.

  I angle myself away from Jo, and I swipe open my phone.

  JAKE: Only two more days until our date. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.

  I smile because it has felt like a long time. Jake and I haven’t seen each other since the pool party last Saturday. It’s Wednesday now, and I’ve never felt like a week has gone by slower. It’s not that I haven’t been busy. In fact, I’ve been crazy busy training a new group of volunteers who signed up to be puppy raisers. Our newest litter of pups will be ready to leave their mama and go into a volunteer’s home to start learning their basic training techniques: potty training, don’t chew the rug, sit, and lots and lots of socialization.

  Our company literally wouldn’t survive without these volunteers and the time they sacrifice in helping train our dogs. But these weeks of breaking everyone in and teaching them the rules is always exhausting for me.

  Not only have I been teaching classes for the volunteers, but I’ve taken three dogs to the vet, had two match meetings with potential recipients, reviewed five new applications, and ignored three texts from my mama reminding me that I need to quit fooling around and do something useful with my life. Something like join the Powder Society of Revolutionary Ladies and drink martinis in the afternoon.

  But, in the meantime, Jake and I have been texting every day and have even talked on the phone a few of those nights. Remember how I felt like he was out of my league? Ha ha ha, oh how wrong I was. Jake is out of my universe.

  The more I get to know him, the more I like him. He’s thoughtful, and funny, and tender, and truly and completely ripped. You thought I was going to say something sentimental there, didn’t you? Well, sorry, but thoughts of Jake’s ridiculous body make my brain turn into mush, and all intelligent thoughts melt into steamy nonsense.

  This morning I got lost in a fantasy of what a real kiss with him would be like, and I accidentally overflowed my coffee all over the counter. If this date on Friday goes well, I’m afraid my brain will be permanently fried.

  EVIE: Oh. Is our date in two days? I totally forgot.

  JAKE: You’re not funny.

  EVIE: *Screenshot of countdown timer, titled: Days until date with Jake.*

  JAKE: Better. What time should I call you tonight?

  EVIE: I’ll be home by 7.

  JAKE: I’ll call you at 7:01. I mean…I’ll call you at some vague time after that so you don’t realize how much I like you.

  “Oh, he’s good,” says Jo from over my shoulder.

  “Hey!” I lock my phone screen again and give her the stink eye. “Mind your own beeswax.”

  “My beeswax is boring today. So, tell me, are things going good with you two?”

  I can’t hide my smile. “Really good. Too good, actually.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Only you would say that when a hot man is being attentive and flirting with you.”

  “I know! I don’t want to feel this way, but…I have too much experience that’s taught me it won’t last long. Every guy I’ve ever dated has either moved on to easier and perkier pastures, or they see one of my episodes and it scares them right out of my life.”

  “Yes, and do you know what you outta say to those types of guys? Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya! Because if you don’t know it already, honey, you’ve been known to date duds.”

  My mouth falls open. “What?”

  “It’s true. The few guys you’ve dated in the past have all been a few eggs short of a dozen, and waayy below your level. It’s like you're so desperate to not end up with anyone like your parents that you swing completely the opposite way. Jake is the first man you’ve ever been interested in that even comes close to being on the same tier as you.”

  “Ha! You think Jake and I are on the same level?”

  “No.” Her eyes slide to mine, and I see a twinkle. “I don’t think anyone will ever measure up to you. But I get the feeling that Jake will actually try.”

  I don’t know what to say. The fact that Jo thinks so highly of me makes me feel weepy. There’s nothing else to do but lean over and wrap her up in a hug and then slide my phone onto the table in front of her.

  “Just for that, you get unlimited access to my texts for the next five minutes.”

  She wastes no time in picking up my phone and scrolling through every text Jake and I have ever exchanged. While she continues giggling like a teenager, I decide to occupy myself by refilling my water.

  I stand up, and Charlie does, too, but with a big yawn. Poor guy has been bored to death the past few days. Or maybe exhausted from all the running around and meetings we’ve been to. Either way, I need to devote some special time to take him to the park and throw the ball.

  I’m filling up my water at the drink station and mentally planning on taking Charlie to the park on Friday morning so that he won’t feel slighted during my date with Jake—don’t worry, Charlie, you’ll always be my first love—when I feel the presence of someone else beside me.

  I cut my eyes to the side to get a look at whatever weirdo is entering my personal space, when I find an attractive man smirking down at me. He’s not Jacob-Broaden attractive, but I’m still woman enough to admit he’s good looking.

  “Hi,” he says.

  “Hi,” I reply back, and I’m a little embarrassed to say it sounded more like a mouse squeak.

  Come on, water. Fill faster!

  “I’m Garrett.”

  Okay. Nice. Cool. So, what’s going on here? This never happens to me. I briefly glance down, worried that maybe Charlie ran away, because men NEVER approach me when Charlie is around. He’s a giant man deterrent. Do not come near the pretty girl. She’s high maintenance.

  “Evie,” I say with a polite smile and then turn to set my cup on the counter and put the lid back on. Annnnnd then Garrett is beside me again, doing the same with his lid.

  “What’s your dog's name?”

  Huh. Okay, so he did see Charlie. And he’s not scared off? I don’t know how I feel about this. Actually, yes, I do. I’m not interested in this guy. Maybe a month ago, before I met Jake, I would have felt flattered. But right now, I just kinda want to extract myself from the conversation as quickly and politely as possible.

  “This is Charlie.”

  “Sup, Charlie,” he says, and I smile instead of telling him not to distract my dog while he’s working. “Are you from around here?” Alrighty then. I guess we are going to do the chit-cha
t thing now.

  This is so bizarre. Do men have some kind of scent tracker that helps them sniff out the women in town who are unavailable? Because, I swear, I never got hit on by cute, normal-looking guys before Jake asked me out.

  “Yeah, I am. Are you?”

  “Kind of. I just moved here a few months ago, so I’m still trying to get my bearings on the town.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “I’m actually a physician's assistant over at Roper Hospital.” Cool, cool, cool. Didn’t ask you, but that’s all right.

  “That’s a great hospital.”

  “Yeah? You’ve been?” He’s asking like we are talking about a hot new club that just opened or something. No way, I love that place! Maybe we could go together sometime. I know people who can get you one of the good gowns without stains on it. It’s a strange topic of conversation, but I give him slack because I’m pretty sure he’s just trying to find ways to keep me here talking and will likely want to punch himself later for asking that question.

  I chuckle. “A few times, yeah.” I glance down at Charlie, and Garrett follows my gaze to the patch that says Seizure Assist Dog. A look of dawning hits Garrett's face, and I expect him to start moonwalking away from me at any second.

  He doesn’t. “So, look, Evie, this is really forward of me and probably going to creep you out a little, but…I think you’re really attractive, and I’d like to take you out sometime if you’re free.”

  If I’m free? Does he mean if my schedule is free? Or if my relationship status is single and I’m free to date other people? Because honestly, I don’t know. I mean, Jake and I talk every day, we flirt, we’ve sort of kissed a few times, and we have a date on Friday…but does that, technically, mean I’m in a relationship?

  I cast a quick glance to Jo, hoping she’ll give me a thumbs up or down for what I should do right now, but her eyes are still glued to my phone. Useless. I think she’s even screenshotting text conversations to forward to Gary.