by J. P. Comeau
Annie clapped her hands, making me wince. “That’s my girl.”
I knew that if Jake didn’t call me, though, I’d be an emotional wreck.
10
_____
JAKE
It was the perfect day in River Valley. The sun was shining, as usual, and I was in a great mood. Partially it was because I’d taken some much needed time off from work. But it was also because I’d spent the night with Julianna, and I couldn’t deny it.
I made my way into Richard’s house, hearing him singing in the shower. I laughed and sat down on the couch, thinking about what I should do today. Part of me really wanted to text Julianna. She was in such a rush when she left my house, but I knew it was because she had to get home to her babysitter.
Richard came downstairs, running a towel through his wet hair.
“Dad texted me,” he said, sitting across from me with a towel around his waist. “He wants to have a cookout at his place. You in?”
“Absolutely,” I said as my stomach growled. “Do you know what he’s grilling?”
My dad was a hard worker with solid morals, but he almost set our parent's house on fire a few times.
Richard shrugged. “Hamburgers, hot dogs, the house probably.”
We both started laughing, and I remembered the last time our dad grilled steaks. Mom had told him to ease up on the lighter fluid, but he shrugged it off and told her to let him do the ‘manly’ stuff. The flames shot so high that a neighbor called the fire department, which ended in them arguing so loudly that I was surprised the cops didn’t show up, too.
Richard shook his head. “Mom has since placed a fire extinguisher in just about every room of the house. Anyway, I told him we’d bring some vegetables.”
My lip curled. “Vegetables? Are you going beta male on me, bro?”
Richard rolled his eyes. “When you get to be my age, you have to eat vegetables for your health.”
“So, when I’m old. Gotcha. And by the way, man, would you mind putting on some pants?”
Richard stood up and threw a pillow at me. It hit my back as I doubled over in laughter.
We took one of his vintage cars, a 1969 silver Aston Martin, to the cookout. By the time we got there, our parent's backyard was full of family and friends. I recognized several of his coworkers and a few neighbors from up the road, too.
As Richard and I spent time chatting with everyone in attendance, my mind kept going back to Julianna. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing if she was home and alone or with another guy. Thinking about her with anyone else sent a twinge of jealousy through my chest. It was a weird feeling, something I never felt about the women I dated. I shook it off, though, reminding myself that it was a fling. That she and I would always be good friends, but we had two different lives.
After dad managed to grill without setting the house on fire, we all sat around their pool and made polite conversation. Even though I was happy to catch up on all of the small-town gossip, my mind kept going back to Julianna. It was driving me insane. I couldn't take it any longer.
“Hey, Richard.” He was reaching for another beer when he looked up at me. “Mind if I take your car? I forgot to pick something up for, um, work. Long story.”
“Be my guest, buddy. I’ll probably have to call a cab, anyway.” Richard smiled and handed me the keys.
I drove to the nearest florist and went inside, not really knowing what I was going to buy. I couldn’t even remember the last time I bought flowers for a woman. Based on Julianna’s attire, I figured she liked anything red, so I went with classic roses. Even though it seemed a bit over the top after only one date, their color put a smile on my face. It made me think about that gorgeous red dress.
After purchasing two bouquets, I drove to the street I remembered Julianna mentioning when we talked about her house the night before. She didn’t tell me her house number, though. I sat at the end of the road staring at all of the homes, then I glanced over at the flowers in the passenger seat. I’d have to walk up and down her street looking for her car. The craziest part was, I had no qualms about it. I was not leaving without seeing her.
"Here goes nothing," I muttered as I parked the car at the curb and grabbed the flowers.
It only took me a few minutes to find her home. In fact, it took six houses, two no answers, three random people staring at me as if I were a stalker, and one nice old lady who pointed two doors down after glancing at the flowers. That I was thankful for.
I hurried down the sidewalk and ran my hand down the front of my shirt, staring up at the front door. Then I let out a deep breath, climbed up the stairs, and rang her doorbell. A little girl’s face popped in the window and smiled at me. I heard Julianna’s voice, followed by her footsteps.
“Surprise,” I said when she opened the door.
My heart sank when her face didn't turn into pure excitement.
She glanced behind her, closing the door just a bit. “Oh, Jake. Hi. How did you find my house?”
I suddenly regretted my decision. “Um, well, you mentioned what street you lived on, so I went house to house until your neighbor two doors down pointed me in the right direction.”
“Who is it, Mommy?” I looked at her blonde-haired daughter and smiled.
She grinned right back at me. Julianna’s daughter was the spitting image of her beautiful mom.
Julianna took a deep breath and opened the door a bit further. “This is Jake. Jake, this is my daughter Caley.”
I knelt down and smiled at her. “Hi, Caley.”
She eyed me for a moment and then nodded at the flowers. “Are those flowers for me?”
“One bunch is, and the other is for your mommy. Can you give this to her?” Caley took both bunches from my hands, smelled them, and then gave one to Julianna.
I could tell that it instantly put her at ease. “Thank you, Jakey!”
I laughed at the nickname.
Caley stepped forward again. “Do you like to swing? Mommy and Daddy got me a swing set, and I go on it all the time. Well, when Mommy says I can. Only after I do my homework.”
“I do! In fact, your mother and I used to play on the swings all the time! Maybe you and I will swing together sometime, okay?” She nodded and then ran away.
Julianna lifted a brow, her face showing her admitted defeat. “Well, she’s smitten with you. Why don’t you come in.”
Julianna gave me a brief tour of her home, which was considerably smaller than my brother’s guest house. It was charming, though. The way it was decorated, and the homey feel to it fit Julianna perfectly.
“Thank you for the flowers,” she said, putting both bunches into vases.
She positioned them on the kitchen counter where they’d get plenty of sunlight.
“And thank you for the other night.” Julianna came over and sat down next to me. “Are you hungry? Because it’s almost dinnertime. I’m making oven-fried chicken, and you’re welcome to stay.”
Even though I was fairly full from the cookout, I didn’t want to miss the chance to spend time with her and Caley.
“Starving,” I lied.
I helped set the table while she cooked dinner, and even pushed Caley for a bit on the swing. Julianna looked out at us a few times and smiled. All three of us conversed over dinner. Caley told me all about her school, how she’s her art teacher’s favorite student, and how she loved reading, too. Julianna and I told her about how we went to school together, and her eyes’ got bigger when I told how long we’d known each other.
“That’s longer than I’ve been alive.”
We all laughed at her comment.
“She has quite the personality,” Julianna said.
“Probably gets it from her mother.” I winked at her and then turned back to Caley, who was pushing broccoli around on her plate. “You don’t like broccoli?”
“No,” she said with a pouty face. “And mommy won’t let me leave the table until I eat it.”
“My brother
loves broccoli,” I told her. “In fact, he told me that only cool people eat broccoli. And you seem like a pretty cool kid.”
She gave me a huge grin before promptly eating her broccoli. We sat and waited for her to finish. Julianna gave her a celebratory clap and kissed her on the cheek. Then Caley immediately jumped down and ran off. I carried my plate to the sink and turned around, watching Julianna clean up. "Could I use your restroom?"
Julianna smiled and pointed toward the hallway. "First door on your right."
I washed my hands and stared at myself for a moment, not entirely sure what I was doing. I was going with the flow for once. It just felt refreshing to be around Julianna and her daughter. When I came out of the bathroom, Caley was walking up and down the hallway in a different outfit. “What’s the special occasion?”
“I’m gonna be a model when I grow up,” she said, twirling around.
“I can definitely see you doing that,” I said as I followed her upstairs into her bedroom.
She ran into her closet and started to throw clothes all over her bed, picking up each piece and telling me which were her favorites.
“See this purple shirt? I like to wear it with these black pants, but Becca at school wears hers with a skirt.” She held both pieces up at me for approval.
“I think pants are the better choice,” I said, laughing.
She was so adorable.
“Here,” she said, handing me a pink straw hat.
I put it on, looked in the mirror, and laughed.
Caley nodded with a serious face. “Now you need a purse. Hang on.”
“What is going on in here?” I looked up and saw Julianna standing in the doorway with a huge smile on her face.
“Caley’s putting on a little fashion show for me,” I said as Caley reemerged with a pink purse.
I put it around my arm and stood in front of the mirror.
“Doesn’t he look, good Mommy?” Julianna bit her lips so as not to laugh, then covered her mouth as I did a little fashion walk twirl.
“Yes, Sweetie. Jake looks really good. You know fashion! Now it’s time to get ready for bed.”
I put the hat and purse back on her bed, said goodnight as to not make bedtime harder, and went downstairs to wait for Julianna.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, walking downstairs in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.
Even though her dress from the other night got my attention, somehow seeing her so casual was even sexier.
“I wanted to,” I said, leaning against the wall. “And I want to see more of you, Julianna.”
“Tonight’s not a good night, Jake. I have to be up early, and as you can see, I’m not exactly in a sexy state of mind.” She motioned to her outfit and messy hair bun.
“I’m not talking about just sex, Julianna. I want to get to know you.”
“You already know me, though.” She said it so innocently, as though she questioned my intentions.
I held back a smile, stepping toward her. “I want to know more of the adult you, the woman you’ve become, and all that. And I was hoping you’d want to get to know me, too.”
She tilted her head to the side. “So, like, dating?”
I hadn't really thought about it, but that was exactly what I was proposing. “Yeah, dating. Is that okay?”
Her face blushed, and I could tell that she was surprised. I couldn’t say that I blamed her. She knew that I wasn’t exactly a relationship kind of guy, so I understood her apprehensions.
After a few moments of thought, she nodded. “Yeah, that’s okay.”
“I thought we could do brunch at the park on Sunday. We’ll pack a picnic basket, bring a blanket, and spend some time together. Really, Julianna. You have no idea how much I want this.”
She played with the edge of her shirt, nervously. “I do, too.”
I didn’t tell her that I chose brunch because I’d be less tempted to get her into bed. The truth was, I knew myself too well. I knew that if it was dinner, all I’d be thinking about was sex. I was beginning to feel things that I’d never felt before. Suddenly she wasn’t just Julianna, my hot best friend from high school.
Suddenly, she was Julianna, an intelligent, sexy, and articulate adult woman who I couldn’t stop thinking about. It both scared and intrigued me.
“So, it’s a date then,” I said, reaching for the door.
She nodded and walked closer to me. I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the mouth, stopping when I felt myself getting a little too excited.
Julianna was all I thought about on the way back to the guest house, and I had a feeling that wasn't going to end.
11
_____
JULIANNA
I woke up on Sunday, smiling ear to ear. Even though I told myself not to expect too much with Jake, just knowing that I would be seeing him soon made me so excited. I even bought Caley and I new outfits for our brunch date.
After giving her a quick bath, I put on her sundress and then slid into mine. It wasn’t nearly as sexy as what I wore on my first date with Jake if you could even call our wild fling a date. It was really just two friends who ran into each other, had a lot to drink, and then slept together.
It wouldn’t be a one-night stand if he asked you out for brunch. Jake made it very clear that he wanted to see more of me. So…
I sat down at my vanity and applied some lip gloss.
“Mommy, can I put on some lip gloss, too?” I turned around and smiled at Caley.
Even though she was just seven-years-old, I could already see the young woman in her blossoming. Thinking back, I realized I wasn’t into makeup and clothes at her age. Times had changed, at least for some, but not as far as I was concerned.
“Maybe in a few years, Sweetie. You’re much too young for lip gloss right now.”
“I’m not that little, Mommy.” She laid on her stomach and started to flip through one of my fashion magazines. “And, I really like Jake.”
“He’s a nice guy, isn’t he?” I tried to make light of the situation, not knowing if Caley understood that Jake could fulfill a more full-time role than her father was choosing to do. “And I like that you like one of my long-time friends.”
“He’s not just a friend, Mommy.” She continued to flip through the fashion magazine without looking up. “I’m not stupid, duh.”
Both of us started to giggle.
“Well, I never said you were stupid. Nor would I ever. What do you think he is, Caley?”
“I think he’s someone like Daddy, except he wouldn’t hurt you like Daddy did. I don’t think? He seems nicer… a little bit.”
It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of my chest. How did Caley know, at just seven-years-old, that her father had broken my heart? Did she hear one of our phone conversations?
“How do you know that Daddy hurt me?”
Caley shrugged and sat back on her knees to look at me. “Jake makes you happy, and I like it when you’re happy. You’re never happy with Daddy. Like when he calls. He always puts you in a bad mood.”
I didn’t know how to respond, but I definitely wasn’t going to tell her that her father had cheated on me. I wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her yet.
“Your daddy loves you, Caley.”
She went to my nightstand and picked up another fashion magazine. “Then how come he doesn’t play with me like Jake did?”
I turned around and quickly dabbed at the tears forming in my eyes. I refused to ruin my makeup over that guy, especially right before going out on a date with Jake. “He’s just always working, Sweetie. I promise you that he loves you so, so much, okay?”
I still hadn’t turned around to face her. The next thing I knew, Caley was behind me with her arms wrapped around me as far as they would go. “You and Jake are funny together. You should go out with him.”
I placed my hand on top of hers, and we sat there for a few moments, listening to the birds, making the moment last.
The pa
rk was full of people who also were making the most out of such a beautiful day. After we agreed to do brunch, Jake had texted me saying he’d bring the food if I could bring the chairs and a blanket. Caley saw him standing at a grill, and she ran toward him, leaping into his arms as he scooped her up.
“The food smells great." My stomach growled a little too loudly, causing Caley and Jake to burst out laughing. “Whatever. A woman needs to eat, doesn’t she?”
“I hope you ladies like barbecue chicken. I got the recipe for the sauce on one of my business trips to Nashville, Tennessee. It actually won a competition during Memphis in May.”
“Do you go to a lot of different places?” Caley looked up at him as he placed her on the ground.
“Sometimes I have to travel, yes. And if you like barbecue, then you would love the competitions down south, young lady. That’s where a bunch of people try to win prizes for cooking the best food.”
“Mommy thinks it’s funny when I eat ribs and get sauce all over my face!”
All three of us laughed, and I proceeded to spread out the blanket and unfolded the chairs. Caley and I sat down while Jake finished cooking.
I looked around the park. “Not that I’m complaining, but there are plenty of picnic benches here, so do we really need the chairs?”
Jake glanced over his shoulder at me. “There’s a community movie showing tonight, and I thought we could all watch it. Don’t worry, it’s appropriate for children. But I’ll have to Google the title again.”
I smiled up at Jake. “That sounds wonderful. Caley loves movies, don’t you?”
Caley pulled out a bag of barbecue potato chips and began munching away, all the while nodding her head. “I’ve seen every Disney movie!”
“Yes, yes, she sure has,” I replied with a sigh.
Jake shot me a look that said he understood what I was getting at. Mommy needed a much-needed break from Disney. “Well, tonight’s movie isn’t Disney, but it’s supposed to be good. And don’t fill up on potato chips, Caley. You have to save room for this barbecue chicken. Oh, and I brought some corn on the cob too.”
