“Hmm?” she asked around a bite of sandwich.
I touched the thick gold band with the dazzling diamond. She swore she didn’t date, and I believed her, but if I didn’t ask, it’d drive me crazy. “Why do you wear a ring on your left ring finger? Isn’t that normally what girls do when they are engaged?”
She looked up at me, then down at the ring, then smiled. “I’m not engaged, Jesse. It’s a promise ring. My father gave it to me. It was my mother’s. I accepted it as a promise that I would remain pure until marriage. When I get engaged, my fiancé is supposed to remove it and replace it with an engagement ring, signifying a new promise.”
As she finished, her eyes got glassy, again reminding me of the blue-green water in the Caribbean. Water in which I would love to submerge myself to the deepest depths, to discover its mysteries. But other than my old stand-by, “Oh,” I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I stared down at my sandwich. At least she didn’t appear upset by my ignorance. Her stillness caused me to look up, and I was surprised to see she was smiling, as though she had private information. Kayla was a beautiful enigma indeed.
We ate the rest of our lunch silently, simply listening to the surrounding nature. It was so easy to be alone with her. She rested her head on my shoulder, and it felt so right. I didn’t ever want to move, but we had to leave. I didn’t want to miss the shuttle. Being in the swamp after dark definitely wasn’t a good idea.
“We’d better go.” I pulled her up to her feet and couldn’t resist one final kiss to hold me over the next two hours. I kept it short and sweet, loving the fact that she sighed in contentment.
“That’s nice,” she said with a smile.
After loading the kayak, we headed downstream. We were fortunate enough to see an otter, which came right up to the boat, and tons of turtles, but no gators.
“Humph! So … where are all the gators?” She glared at me as she stepped onto the dock at the end of the run. “Maybe they don’t really exist.”
“They exist, believe me. If you’re up for another trip, I can guarantee you some gator sightings.”
“Sure …” she taunted. “That’s what you said earlier. Bears, panthers, and gators. Right.”
She did want to see me wrestle a gator. I’d been thinking about taking her to Hillsborough River, which promised large gators around every turn, but I decided I’d give her a real thrill. I’d take her to Myakka River. The gators at Myakka weren’t just large; they were behemoth.
I pulled the kayak out of the water and walked up to her. “You just wait, cowgirl. Where I’m taking you tomorrow, you’ll see such big gators you’ll be latching onto me.”
Kayla leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “It won’t take a gator for that, Jesse.” She picked up her bag and sauntered off toward the waiting bus.
Yep, Kayla was going to break my heart.
Chapter 8 - Jesse
When we returned to the headspring, I led Kayla to the main boil. Concrete walls blocked off the swimming area so that nothing but small fish and turtles could enter, but still, her eyes grew wide as she saw that the bottom consisted of sand, rocks, and water plants. “No large creatures,” I assured her.
“You sure?” She dipped just her foot into the water, which drew my eye to the delicate silver ring wrapped around her middle toe. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not swimming in ice water.”
“I swear you get used to it.” I lifted my chin in the direction of the shallow end. “Look at those little kids.”
She shook her head, so I led her to the back of the area, where the pool was about twenty feet deep.
“Ready?” I asked as she stared down the rock wall into the shimmering blue water.
She crossed her arms. “I already told you. There’s no way I’m swimming in sub-zero temperatures. Ever hear of hypothermia?”
I resisted rolling my eyes at her forced drama, since I knew she was a rebel at heart. “And if you remember, I said if you didn’t jump in, I’d make you.”
“You wouldn’t dare —”
I reached down and swept her off her feet before she could finish telling me what I wouldn’t do.
“Jesse James! Don’t you dare —”
I jumped with her in my arms.
We plunged about twelve feet below the surface, and Kayla kicked wildly to get to the top.
We broke through at the same time, but Kayla gasped for air, smacking me on the arm as she swam to the steps. “I can’t believe …” she sputtered.
“Kayla! Look!”
She turned, and I pointed to the fish below her. She dipped her head and swam down to meet the tiny fish, then popped back up. “Did you bring masks?” she growled.
“Of course.”
She swam back over to me. “I might forgive you, then.”
I pulled her toward the steps, and then moved her up against the wall, pressing my body against hers. Together, the seventy-two-degree water felt warm. I touched my lips to hers, warming them too. “Do you forgive me?”
She gulped. “Umm …”
I cut off her words with another kiss, a little deeper than the first one. “Please forgive me. You’re not cold anymore, are you?”
She shook her head. “Did you bring Morgan —”
“Morgan who?” I pressed my lips against hers again and then pulled back. “No. Only you, Kayla.”
She sighed and wrapped her hands around my neck. “I forgive you.”
“Good. Then I’ll let you use my mask and snorkel.”
With that, she shoved me away and scrambled up the ladder.
I quickly followed, but when I got to the top, she pushed me off the ladder, back into the water, laughing the entire time as she dug into the dry bag I’d brought.
After we’d had our fill of diving to the bottom of the pool, I toured Kayla around the smaller boils, botanical gardens, and the Mill House with its water wheel that had been there since 1935.
I spread out the blanket over the grass and, for a while, we simply soaked up the rays, warming our bodies so we could go back into the spring.
As much fun as we were having, I knew we needed to go. I didn’t want to bring her home too late and make Mrs. Johnson angry. But I’d also started dreading the return trip; she didn’t seem to be the least bit tired. She’d inquired several times if it was her turn to ask questions. I’d given her entirely too much time to think.
When she jumped into the water for the third time, I called after her, “Kayla, we have to leave. I’m starving and it’s a couple hours’ drive.”
Like a little kid, she stuck out her lip. “Five more minutes.”
I couldn’t suppress a smile, knowing I’d provided her with a day to remember.
It was five o’clock when we finally loaded the truck and made our way back to Route 40. We weren’t on the road for a minute when she asked, “So, is it my turn?”
“Yes, I suppose it is, but answer me one more thing first. What do you want for dinner?”
“Pizza. I could eat pizza every day,” she replied happily.
Another item to add to my list. “Okay then, we have a while. There’s an Italian restaurant on the opposite side of Silver Springs that makes the best pizza. We’ll get some there.” I took a deep breath and let it out before asking, “So, what exactly would you like to know?”
Chapter 9 - Kayla
I wiggled in my seat, excited to get back in the car so I could not only sit next to Jesse, but learn more about him.
I struggled with what to ask first. I knew what I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t just throw it out there. I’d definitely scare him away. It was just like when Dad taught me how to train my horses: I needed to be patient, to let them approach me first.
To break the ice, I decided to repeat his questions. “Okay, what do you want to do when you graduate?”
“That’s a personal question, remember?” He laughed, but then let the words spill out easily. “Just kidding, that’s an easy one for me. I plan to go to college for business
. You’re right, plumbers do well, if they’re not afraid to expand. My dad is content just to work on his own with me as an apprentice. But if you want to do well, you have to be willing to hire workers and have a payroll and be able to manage accounts. I’ve already increased my dad’s business. Not that he cares, but I’m hoping that once I finish college, he’ll let me take the reins.”
“Wow! You really do know what you want. That’s great; my dad will love that about you.”
He stole a look in the rearview mirror, then peeked in my direction, his aqua eyes bright against his sun-bronzed skin. “The question is … will you? Will you be okay with a boyfriend who is a worker?”
I nearly jumped at his words, and I was pretty sure my heart was thumping so fast he could hear it. Jesse liked me more than he’d let on. Since I had an opening, I would strike while the iron was hot, as my dad always said. He’d always taught me to speak my mind, go after what I wanted. “Is that what you are?” I asked anxiously, hoping he’d answer the way I wanted.
“A worker? ’Fraid so, at least for a while. I’d never want to be a doctor or a lawyer, or be stuck behind a desk somewhere. I want to move around from site to site, oversee everything. But … I don’t want to have my hands in muck all day. That’s why you hire employees.” He grinned widely, showing off his perfectly straight and white teeth. God, he was cute.
I smiled at his excitement about running his own business one day, but he’d missed my real question. “I didn’t mean what you do for a living. You said, ‘Will you be okay with a boyfriend?’ Is that what you are?”
“Is that what you want, Kayla?”
I sighed loudly. “Jesse, you’re so blind.” I reached over, wrapped my hands around his arm, and snuggled into him. His skin was hot from the sun, and I could feel the power in his biceps. “It’s all I want,” I whispered. I didn’t have to ask any additional questions. That was the only question I had, and he’d admitted how he felt about me in so many words.
As he’d done the previous evening, Jesse kissed the top of my head. “I want that too, Kayla. I’m not so blind that I don’t recognize a good thing when I see it. I’m just scared.”
I sat back up and looked at him. It was hard to look in his eyes when he was driving, but he probably wanted it that way. That was the reason he wanted the long drive: so I couldn’t see too deeply into his soul.
“Jesse, pull over at the closest place to eat. I don’t care what we get or if we get nothing at all, but I want to talk to you face-to-face.”
“We need to get home —”
“We have plenty of time,” I retorted. “Just stop as soon as you see a spot.”
A few miles down the road, he pulled into a pizza chain that always had hot and fresh pizzas ready. He walked in, ordered a pizza, and brought it to the truck. A few minutes later, he drove into a small park and pulled into a parking spot on the end.
Jesse turned to me, his eyes searching mine. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Now why would you think that?” I asked. “That’s why I wanted to stop. Exactly what are you afraid of, Jesse? I’m not asking you for anything; I’m just being honest. It’s who I am. Sorry if I’m too pushy, but if I see something I want, I ask for it. I’ve never dated before, so I don’t know how this works. I assume if I like you and you like me, why not try? One minute you’re fine, though, and the next you’re scared. I’m not trying to push you into something you don’t want, but I keep getting confused. You seem as if you like me, but then you say you’re afraid.” Exasperated, I stopped to let everything sink in. Maybe I was being too pushy. We’d just met. What did I expect? I couldn’t expect that he’d fall in love with me the way my father had fallen in love with my mother. Gram was wrong; it wasn’t the same play. Life was different than it was twenty years ago. Maybe first loves didn’t meet in high school and live happily ever after anymore. God, I hoped that wasn’t the case.
Jesse reached for my hand. “I do like you, Kayla. That’s the problem.”
I pulled my hand back, refusing to give up on my happily ever after. I knew what I wanted. “See, that’s what I don’t understand. Why is that a problem? What happened to you, Jesse?”
He sat stock-still, looking as if he didn’t want to answer, dropping his head back against the headrest. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
“I’m sorry …” I rested my hand on his forearm. “I’m pushy —”
He opened his eyes and stared at me. “Don’t be sorry …”
I glared at him.
“Okay, Kayla.” He scooped up my hand again. “My mom is the reason I’m so gun-shy. She married my dad after she got pregnant with me, but I guess we weren’t enough for her. She left when I was nine and hasn’t been back since. I don’t remember much; I just know she was always crying. My dad said she wanted more than he could offer, so she left and found it elsewhere. She sends me birthday cards, but my own mother hasn’t come to see me once in nine years. Supposedly, she remarried some wealthy stockbroker and has two young children with him.”
Knowing he wasn’t finished, I sat still and waited.
“Also, I’ve dated a few girls through high school, but I was only serious with the one I told you about, Morgan. We were together almost two years. I thought she liked me, but I overheard her talking to Charity one day. She told her she could never introduce me to her parents because of what I did for a living, and that we weren’t going to go anywhere after high school. So I broke up with her that night.”
Jesse stopped and shook his head, but I knew he was nowhere near finished, so I nodded for him to continue. “Go on, Jesse.”
He dropped his head and huffed out a breath. “The strangest thing is … even though I wasn’t good enough to be in her future, she always tried to get me to sleep with her. I never would …because of my mother. All I could think was how getting pregnant ruined my parents’ lives. If my mom hadn’t gotten pregnant with me, she wouldn’t have married my father, then she wouldn’t have left him, sending him into a life of depression.” Jesse lifted his head, and drilled his gaze into mine. “What if I’d slept with her? What if she’d gotten pregnant … by me? It would’ve been the same thing all over again. Girls like Morgan and Charity, they want to go out with me because of how I look and because I don’t give them the time of day, but they don’t want what’s inside of me — just like my mother didn’t.”
“Oh God, Jesse, I’m so sorry.” I shoved the pizza on the dash and slid closer to him. Now I understood his questions and the constant standoffishness. “I swear to you, I’m not like them. I couldn’t care less what you do; of course, as long as you do something … like I said, I really have no aspirations of a career. That sounds terrible, doesn’t it?” I laughed nervously.
“No,” he said on a soft exhale. “It sounds like you know what you want. Promise me you’re for real, Kayla. Promise me you won’t hurt me,” he pleaded, burying his head against my neck, making my heart pound out an erratic rhythm. “I do want you to be mine, but I am scared.”
“I promise,” I whispered. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear my own voice.
He moved his mouth up my neck to my lips. “I know I’m falling for you, Kayla, as crazy as that sounds, and I promise I’ll wait for you as long as it takes,” he said between delicate kisses. He held my face with both hands as if he could seal his promise with a kiss.
“That’s all I ask.” I smiled. “Now that we have that hashed out, and we know where we both stand, can we try to enjoy our week together without you getting so moody?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, an authentic smile spreading across his face.
That was all I wanted. I’d broken through his shield, and he’d admitted that he was falling for me. I couldn’t wait to tell Gram; she’d be excited. She was crazy about Jesse, too.
Chapter 10 - Jesse
I loved feeling Kayla beside me. I’d be so down when she left, but she was right: I felt better. She was honest and kind and absolutely perfect fo
r me. At this stage in my life, it’d be better to have a long-distance relationship anyway.
I would work so hard while I prepared for her return. I’d knock out as many classes as I could, get my father to let me start getting more contracts, and hire more help. For now, though, I’d enjoy our week together.
Together we planned what we would do for the rest of the week. I decided to voice my one concern, though. “Won’t your grandmother be upset if I monopolize all your time?”
“Nah, but maybe we should plan a Dinner and a Movie night at home, though.”
I smiled. “Perfect.”
Every morning at eight, I picked up Kayla so we could explore Florida — and each other. I took her to Myakka River and her eyes grew wide with trepidation — and excitement — as we paddled past a gator that was no less than thirteen feet long, the length of my kayak and twice the width. Since we had to paddle through a canal to get to the lake, all I could do was hug one side of the channel while the mammoth beast sunned himself on the bank.
“Could you wrestle that gator?” she whispered once we were far away from the massive brute, as if the gator would’ve come after us if she’d spoken earlier.
“Umm … sorry, cowgirl. If I was anywhere in the water when he decided to come after me, it would be all over. But gators don’t mess with people around here. They’re more afraid of us than we are of them. I don’t ever try to feed wild animals, as that’s what makes them view humans as food.”
As we left the canal and paddled into the large lake, a family of wild boars scavenged around the banks at the top of the Myakka River. I paddled up close to them quietly. “Boars have poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell and hearing, so be very quiet,” I whispered. The momma caught our scent when we made it within a hundred feet and scattered her piglets up the bank, disappearing into the woods quickly.
“Aww … they’re so cute,” Kayla said when the piglets were out of sight, then turned to look at me. “Thank you, Jesse. This is incredible.”
Love Like Crazy (Crazy Love Book 1) Page 6