by JB Schroeder
“Nope, they’re all yours,” she said.
“Good. I’ll see if Sadie wants to come.”
Rita cocked her head. “You two are spending a lot of time together lately.”
He shrugged and played it cool. “We hit Vine on Friday. Jeremy’s place is the place to be, and people of the same age group do those things, Mom.” He poured coffee, then looked up. “I don’t even know if she’s free this afternoon. And I can’t help it if we work together. Don’t read into it.”
Better, Jake felt, if his mom thought their relationship was evolving naturally. Friends spending time together leading to oops, we’re now kissing. Besides, even if Rita had noticed some flirting at the restaurant, she’d still expect her son to be holding back—especially from his mom.
Rita threw up her hands. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”
She left, and Jake took a tentative sip of the hot brew. He grabbed his phone to call Sadie. Then he thought better of it and decided to text.
Sadie had been the one to suggest that he should court her—but now that he’d begun, she was planting stop signs in his path. He didn’t want to scare her off by coming on too strong or racing things along, but he found he didn’t want to waste time, either. Not because of the master plan, but because he was enjoying being with her. He wanted more of being with her.
Hell, he’d admit it. He also couldn’t stop fantasizing about getting her in bed. And if Friday night was any indication, they would end up in bed. Before they ended up at the magistrate.
Friends slept together all the time—that friends-with-benefits thing people did. He’d had a couple of women friends over the years that had evolved into that. Neither he nor they had expected anything more, and they’d retained an easy friendship even when they stopped sleeping together.
Surely, he could manage that with Sadie. Sleeping together, married, and friends. Of course, she hadn’t agreed to sleeping together—yet—but she had said yes to the practical marriage, after all. She wouldn’t have if she thought their friendship would be at risk. That he was sure of. And marriage was a bigger deal than sleeping together.
A ping came back. Jake grinned. Sadie had agreed to go to the game. She might be skittish around him still, but she was nuts about baseball. And he planned to make the most of today.
Sadie arrived a little early at the meeting spot she and Jake had agreed on, since he had both the tickets. Probably, she’d walked too fast in her excitement to see him. She tucked herself against a building to stay clear of the throng of people heading toward the stadium and kept an eye out for Jake.
Instead, she spotted Tom. He was about a block down on the other side of the street, and he walked with a young woman. She had generous curves, blond hair cut to chin length, and oversized sunglasses. Best of all, she wore a happy smile as she gazed up at Tom. In turn, his gaze was fastened on her as they chatted. As they approached a driveway, he paused, looked both ways, and then put his hand to the small of her back. Very protective, very chivalrous, very Tom. Sadie hoped this woman appreciated that.
Just as they drew opposite, Tom looked up. Their gazes caught. Sadie held up a hand in greeting. He nodded once and turned his attention back to his companion. Sadie breathed out, her shoulders relaxing.
Her life was beginning to feel very full with Jake in it, but she still regretted losing Tom’s friendship. He was a good guy, and she hoped with everything she had that he got his happy ending.
She bit her lip. Was it too much to hope that she’d get one, too?
She waited only another couple of minutes before Jake arrived. He kissed her on the cheek, flashed his boyish grin, and said, “Hi.”
One little kiss, one amazing smile, and one simple word and her heart did a happy flip. Dang. The talking-to she’d given herself this morning about trying to enjoy it without putting her silly heart at risk had been a waste.
It was a 1:10 game, and the sun was bright. They’d both peeled off their outer layers by the time they arrived at PNC Park. Jake wore a snug black Pirates t-shirt. He was tall and lean, but that didn’t mean he was a string bean. His shoulders were broad, his tummy flat under low-slung jeans, his chest and arms plenty defined.
He caught her ogling him. “Like it?” He smiled and his brown eyes twinkled, but he waved a hand at the t-shirt. “I needed some new ’burgh gear. It’s from that shop closest to the diner on Penn Avenue.”
Sadie breathed a sigh of relief. He had to have realized she was drooling over him like The Wanderlust customers did over the dessert case, but he wasn’t going to comment.
“I got you something recently, too,” he said.
“Well,” Sadie said, “what is it?”
“Patience. I’ll give it to you next shift.”
“That’s hardly fair,” she said. “You shouldn’t mention a gift to somebody unless you are prepared to hand it over.”
“Too bad,” he said, but he looked inordinately pleased with himself.
Hmmph, she thought, wondering what in the world he could have gotten her.
They navigated security at the stadium and then stopped at a food counter. “My treat,” he said, and ordered waters, a hot pretzel, and popcorn. “Want anything else? Soda? Beer?”
She specified a soda, and he ordered a big one.
“We can share,” he told her, and casually put one hand on her lower back.
Amazing. The man could even make ordering from a concession stand sexy.
“You don’t have to pay all the time,” Sadie told him as they headed for their seats, because he’d insisted on treating Friday night as well.
“I want to,” Jake said, and motioned her ahead of him up the stairs.
Sadie mentally shook her head as she climbed, hands full of snacks.
He’d buttered her up all week at the diner with all that flirting and teasing. The band outing had been a get-comfortable type of excursion—at least until they’d plastered themselves together while dancing. But this—casual as a ball game was—was an actual date.
Jake, it seemed, had begun formally courting her.
9
Monday night was generally a slow one for restaurants even in the popular Strip, so both Sadie and Jake had the evening off. He asked her to dinner under the guise of trying one of the newer restaurants downtown. When he was young, the city used to empty out after the workday, and he didn’t recall anyone actually living downtown. People might come back for a show at the Benedum Center or a symphony at Heinz Hall, and, of course, any of the sports venues drew a big crowd. But the city had really come into its own in the last decade or so. These days there were restaurants everywhere downtown, and the unique periphery areas like the Strip District, the South Side, and Lawrenceville were really booming.
He figured two birds with one stone: start courting Sadie in earnest and get reacquainted with this new version of his hometown. He was also hoping it’d be a real treat for Sadie. He figured that between working all the time and paying her own way, Sadie probably rarely did anything expensive or fancy.
So, he’d told her to dress up, and he’d made a stop for flowers. As he rang her bell, he shifted his shoulders under his sports jacket. He hadn’t anticipated being nervous and was glad he hadn’t opted for a tie; he’d likely feel like he couldn’t breathe. The car service he’d hired waited behind him, and Jake suddenly wished he hadn’t brought along a witness to his first official date with Sadie. He wasn’t sure if he should be counting the ball game or not.
He heard footsteps and looked up just as the door swung open.
Sadie was pure, gorgeous sunshine in a yellow printed dress and cropped pink jacket. It was a retro look, and yet on her looked as fresh and hip as could be. She smiled nervously, and he realized she was wearing a little more makeup than usual. Maybe lipstick instead of gloss? He didn’t really care—to him, she was just as beautiful wearing a diner t-shirt and food slop.
“Hi,” he said. “You look beautiful.”
He leaned in to kiss he
r on the cheek. Because he’d decided to kiss her as often as possible. It was appropriate if they were dating or courting, or whatever they were calling it. And she’d need to get used to it if people were going to buy them getting married. They had to start somewhere. Soon, he hoped, maybe by the end of the night, he’d get a signal that she was ready to be kissed on the lips…
Jake pulled the flowers out from behind his back. “For you.”
Her smile widened and she reached for them. “Thank you. I love flowers.”
He hadn’t known that and realized there was likely a lot he didn’t know.
“I should put these in water before we go.” She smiled shyly—so unlike Sadie to be so tentative. “Want to come up for a minute?”
Jake motioned to the driver that they’d be five minutes and followed her into the building and up to the top floor.
Typical for row houses like the Mexican War Street neighborhood, especially those that had been split into apartments, the stairwell ran along one side of the structure, and her space appeared to be railroad-style. The entry opened into the living room, and he had time to look around as she slipped into the kitchen at the right. He could see beyond the pass-through as she found a vase and grabbed some scissors.
The living room had a red futon, a printed chair, and bright yellow pillows. A series of prints of flowers—big, bold, and modern—lined the back wall.
He smiled. She did like flowers.
Her place was decorated somewhere between thrift shop and store-bought. Modern and spunky, but simple. Like the IKEA catalogue, where he’d chosen a lot of his New York stuff when he had to fill the place in a hurry. A laptop with stickers all over it, an open spiral notebook, and a soft-backed textbook had been set aside on the couch, and her backpack was on the coffee table. She must have been studying before he arrived.
A big bookshelf dominated the side wall and was filled with books and binders, random piles of notebooks and papers, and a few knickknacks. No TV, unless it was in the bedroom.
Jake corralled his thoughts away from considering the bedroom at all.
The car ride was short, and the driver stopped in front of the Fairmount Pittsburgh. Dinner was on the second floor of the hotel at a new hot spot called fl.2. Weird name, but that hadn’t stopped anyone. It was jammed despite it being a Monday. Thankfully, he’d called ahead for a reservation. Bonus: they were seated far from the circular bar, where it was a little quieter. He wanted to be able to converse with Sadie.
Once they were settled with drink menus, they discussed the pros and cons of the non-alcoholic “mocktails” that the trendy restaurant offered.
“Do you enjoy wine?” he asked.
She nodded. “I prefer red.”
He chose a nice Argentinian Malbec, as he thought it fit the overall menu, they decided what to order, and once the wine had been poured, Jake raised his glass to Sadie’s.
“To getting to know each other.”
She sipped and then replied, “We’ve known each other for years.”
“I knew fifteen- to eighteen-year-old you,” he said, and chuckled when she grimaced, “but I’m only just discovering adult you. I know you have an amazing work ethic and that you still ride a bike to commute and have an adorable habit of ending up with three pens stuck above your ears because you are the fastest server in the east.”
“Yikes.” She laughed.
“But,” he said, “I don’t know what you’re studying, I haven’t asked about your parents, I’m wondering how you keep up with the Pirates without a TV in the living room, and I’m curious about what you plan to do when you graduate.”
Sadie said, “That’s an awful lot to cover over one meal.”
He looked her right in the eyes. He’d always liked those big, warm brown eyes. “Don’t worry. We’ve got a lot of meals to look forward to.”
Sadie felt a little thrill at that idea. Months of talking with Jake? Sharing meals and ball games and outings? Texting him and flirting with him? Dancing with him and surely even kissing him? Maybe even getting seriously intimate with him?
Sharing an appetizer like they were now? Jake had even fed her the last bite, and all she could think was that she should take his finger into her mouth.
Yowza. And a good thing, too, because after her little panic yesterday, she’d given herself a smack upside the head and decided that, if nothing else, she should just enjoy this time with him. The worst that could happen (her heart scattered in little shards all over the diner’s kitchen floor where everyone could see it and grind it into dust as they tromped back and forth) was probably happening either way. So, she might as well enjoy now and have it to remember.
Sadie took a deep breath, let the smile in her heart show on her face, and opened her mouth to share her life and let him in.
She told him that she was originally an elementary ed major but ended up loving a marketing class enough to double major. She talked about her job at the Children’s Museum doing programming.
“It combines the best of both worlds. It’s exactly what I want to do, and I feel lucky to have already found it.”
Sadie’s smile wavered. To cover, she reached for her glass and sipped some wine. She hated to even think of leaving the museum to go teach, but she wouldn’t be telling Jake about going abroad anyway. He’d be long gone by then, and at least for now she could pretend it wasn’t happening.
“As for my parents, my mom is still local. I see her sometimes, but mostly she does her thing and I do mine.”
“Is she still tending bar over on the Northside?”
“Yep. Anyele’s a lifer. You can often find her there even when she’s not on shift.”
“Your dad?”
“He moved to Georgia, apparently.”
“No contact, then?”
Sadie knew Rita had probably let slip—or maybe she herself had when she was younger—that her dad meant well but wasn’t exactly stable. Honestly, it was easier to have him gone than to be constantly on the yo-yo string that dealing with him always entailed. It was why, Sadie thought, her mom had been so emotionally distant—a coping mechanism that, unfortunately, had extended to her young child. They’d made inroads the last few years, though, because in many ways Anyele had grown up, once she was out from under her husband.
“Haven’t heard from him in years and don’t expect to. Mom thinks he’s living with a psychiatrist—which is surely exactly what he needs.”
Jake gave a serious nod. “What about after graduation? What are your plans?”
Sadie waved her hand. “That’s for another time. I’d rather talk baseball.”
Jake laughed. “Of course you would. So how do you watch with no TV?”
Their dinner arrived, and after they nibbled a bit, she said, “A lot of the games are played when I’m at work, so I either listen to the radio or keep an eye on the score via my phone.” She paused and waited for him to look at her. “I do have a TV in my bedroom. Maybe we can watch one of the night games together.”
To her gratification, Jake’s voice was extra deep when he said, “I’d like that.”
Jake insisted on trying a dessert. Sadie would have passed, but he seemed to want to pull out all the stops tonight. She had a couple of bites of a delicious cheesecake with spring berries, then leaned back in her chair.
“Turnabout’s fair play,” she told Jake. “I want to know what happened in New York. Why you decided it was time to leave and come run the diner.”
“There’s not that much to tell. Mainly I just became disenchanted after a while.”
Sadie prodded him, and Jake explained about not enjoying his job, not liking the caliber of people he worked with, even tiring of the city somewhat. “I just didn’t know how or what to change to. Always in the past, I’ve had my next steps in mind—or at least a wish list. But when you’re on the fast track in a career, it’s hard to see outside of it.”
“So,” she said, “what prompted this epiphany to come home?”
He shook his head. “This crazy team-building event in some little town called True Springs.” Jake told her about cliff jumping and one of his team pushing a guy named Reese off and laughing. “It wasn’t just that, though. Nobody was interested in getting to know one another. Hell, if they’d have thought their phones would have survived the water, they never would have stopped working.”
“Not fun.”
“No, and it could have been. The town was kinda cool. It’s all built up around—” Jake broke off and shook his head.
Sadie said, “What?”
“Eh,” he said, “that’s a story for some other time.”
“Come on,” Sadie said. The fact that he didn’t want to tell her something made her even more interested.
But the server appeared and handed Jake the bill. Once he’d handed off his credit card, he continued the story. “On the way home from the event, my mom called about my dad. I knew then I was done. No way was I wasting time somewhere I didn’t want to be. Life’s way too short.”
A shadow crossed over his face, as it often did when somebody mentioned his dad, so Sadie decided to lighten the mood. “And Diner Boy came home where the three murky rivers, the gray days, and the harsh accents stole his heart all over again. Immediately, he knew it was the ’burgh forevermore.”
“Pretty much.” Jake laughed and stood.
“And the diner,” she said, continuing the game as he took her hand and helped her up. “He realized he couldn’t live without skating on grease and sweating over a grill.”
Jake’s eyes twinkled. “You forgot the part about seeing a wisecracking girl he used to know who turned into a gorgeous woman, which sparked a crazy-good idea in his head.”
“Now that’s a Shrek-worthy fairytale.” Sadie smiled.
“But all true,” Jake said, and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
10
Sadie felt a little glowy all day Tuesday. Fine, glowy wasn’t in the dictionary, but that was how she’d describe it: somewhere between warm and gooey, nicely satisfied and filled with anticipation. Last night’s official fancy-pants date had ended with a super-yummy episode on her front steps.
