Heart of Valor

by Adriana Peck

  “You said you used to come here?”

  “Dad used to bring us out here, take us fishing. Out on that dock, you see it there?” Jake points. I nod, beaming. The skies and clouds above are darkening, but I won’t let that stop us.

  “You wanna walk down there?” I ask, looking up at the grey sky. “Can’t be that much of a chance of rain.”

  “I’d love to,” Jake says.

  We hop out of his truck, walking down to the lake’s dock together. The skies overhead rumble, I know those are rainclouds on the horizon. But I don’t care. All I need is this moment, here with Jake.

  As we walk, I can feel his hand brush up against mine. I pause, grinning as I reach my pinky out. It reaches his hand, and I wrap my finger around his, pulling our hands together as they clasp.

  I look over at Jake, and he shoots me a wink.

  His hand is warm, his grip gentle, yet firm. I feel like I’m clamming up, nervous as can be. But I don’t think he cares all that much.

  We pass through the tall grass, reaching the dock at the end of the lake. Jake takes a tentative first step, making sure the wooden dock’s still stable.

  “Been a while since I came here,” he grins sheepishly. When he’s sure the dock is solid, he takes my hand again, pulling me with him as we walk out onto the dock. The lake’s calm, the water barely stirring. The lake isn’t a Great Lake, not in size. But it’s bigger than any pond I’ve been to in town, more secretive than any park that Twin Orchards has to offer. I love the sensation of being out in nature; it’s a calming relief to the bustling hubbub of my now-former job.

  “So, you really up and quit? Just like that?” Jake asks quietly as we stare out over the water.

  “I did,” I reply. “No backup plan. A little savings, sure, but not that much. I’ll find a way to survive, get my rent paid on time.”

  “You given any more thought to…?” he trails off, and I know exactly what he’s thinking about.

  “The engagement?”

  “Our plan, yeah,” Jake chuckles nervously. I wonder if he’s still interested in scamming Twin Orchards. With each passing day, I know I’m getting more and more comfortable with the idea. These people around have done nothing more than drag my name through the mud with gossip and lies about Jake, after everything I’ve done for them. Well, I’m sick of it. And I’ve just reached my breaking point.

  Standing out here on this dock, far away from Twin Orchards, I know what I want.

  I want this same sense of calm every day.

  I want to be away from these people. Away from these lies.

  And if Jake’ll come with me, I know we might have a shot at something together.

  Something real.

  “I’m in if you are,” I say to him. “The fake engagement. We’ll put an announcement in the paper, just like tradition. The showers, the gifts, that’ll all come after the rumor mill carries us around again. But I’m ready for it. I’m ready to get out of here once and for all.”

  Jake stares out over the lake, sighing as he weighs his options.

  “I’m in, too,” he says.

  He looks back over at me, a grin cracking across his face. He leans down, kissing me, and I reach my arms up to wrap around his neck carefully. It’s sweet, slower than our usual rate. But I know he means it, the kiss is nothing but genuine.

  I don’t know where this plan ends and our relationship begins.

  But for right now I don’t need to know.

  I just need him.

  When we pull away, a thunderclap cracks overhead. Jake looks up, and my eyes follow his. The skies are darker than ever, the grey clouds turning into a threatening black. Rain drops start to fall, bouncing off the dock with a wet thud as Jake and I start to run back to his truck. He holds his arms over me, doing his best to keep me dry as we giggle and run like our lives depend on it.

  We make it back to his truck, diving inside as we slam the doors behind us.

  And I don’t want to waste another second.

  I grab Jake suddenly, yanking him over to me as I start kissing him passionately. He wraps his arms around my waist, situating himself as he shifts his weight as close to me as he can get. I feel his heavy breath, I feel the tickle of his stubble on my chin. But his lips have never felt warmer, never felt more inviting.

  I pull back momentarily, grinning like a devil. The rain starts to fall heavy on the windshield, a gentle pounding on the truck’s roof above us.

  “You want to get out of here?” I ask.

  “What about your car?”

  I shrug. “I’ll get it later. I don’t care much about the gossip anymore. Do you?”

  He shakes his head. “I never did.”

  “Then it looks like we’re on the same page.”

  Jake nods, starting his truck as we pull away from our secret hideaway, the rain still falling overhead.

  ◆◆◆

  When we make it back to my place in Twin Orchards, Jake parks his truck in my lot and I turn to face him, almost unable to keep my hands to myself any longer. I reach across, a hand running over his face as I turn him to face me for another kiss. This one’s slow, inviting, the sultriest I can muster up. The rain falls heavy outside, covering the entire town in a shadow of grey. But I couldn’t care less about the damn weather outside.

  Jake pulls back after a moment, grinning like it’s his first kiss ever.

  “You want to head upstairs?” I ask, nodding to my apartment up on the third floor. Jake nods without another word, eyes eager as he looks me up and down.

  We rush out of the car, shielding ourselves from the rain as we rush over to the staircase, bounding up to the third floor to my apartment. I grab my keys out of my coat pocket, grinning as I push open the door, Jake following closely behind me.

  He slams the door behind him, and we don’t waste another millisecond.

  I grab him, wrapping my arms around him like he’s my prey. His arms wrap around my waist, clutching me tighter than ever before. The coldness from the wet rain doesn’t bother me, and I feel my heart race as Jake’s grip around me tightens. Our kissing resumes, picking up exactly where we’d left off from before. His lips are warm, more inviting than ever. I know I want him. I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life.

  I pull back, just for a second as we both catch out breath. We’re still standing in the living room, the lights still off.

  “You want to head somewhere more comfortable?” Jake asks. I nod, staring down at his lips.

  “Let’s get out of these wet clothes,” I breathe, closing the distance between us for another kiss.

  I pull Jake to my bedroom, tugging on his hoodie as he pulls off my rain-soaked jacket. We both collapse on the bed, pulling at one another’s jeans as we struggle to free ourselves from these binding clothes. I manage to slide my wet jeans off, and I turn to help Jake with his a moment later.

  He leans up, pulling off his tee-shirt and exposes his muscular physique. I lean back, sucking in air. I’m impressed, to say the least.

  He’s fucking ripped, and that’s putting it mildly. I knew boys in the military were usually in shape, but I never expected anything like this. I run my hands over his abs, feeling the hardness of his muscles as Jake sucks in air.

  “Your hands are cold,” he chuckles. I giggle, unable to contain my excitement.

  “Then we better find a way to warm them up,” I say back.

  He sinks back onto my bed, pulling me with him as his arms wrap around me. I can feel him tugging at the base of my tee-shirt, and I giggle again as he yanks it up. His arms reach around me, fiddling with my bra strap for a moment before getting it unclasped. He tosses my bra aside, cupping me in his hands as he shifts his weight on top of me.

  I know I want him.

  I want him real fucking bad.

  I can feel his hardness pressing up against my panties. I feel warm, tingling with excitement as I bring my legs up, wrapping them around Jake’s waist as props himself up on top of me.

/>   “Is this what you meant?” Jake asks me, leaning over me as he starts kissing underneath the softness of my ear.

  I thrust my hips up, pressing up into him as hard as I can.

  “Yes,” I moan into his ear. “Jake, please.”

  He pulls back, grinning.

  “What was that?” he says devilishly, his coffee-colored eyes sparkling in the dark of my room.

  “Get back down here,” I say. “I want you.”

  He sinks into me, and we both collapse into one other as the rain falls heavily outside.

  Nineteen

  Jake

  The next morning, I can feel Nancy’s body rise and falling with every breath she takes. Her head’s resting softly on my chest, her straw-colored blonde hair furled about. She looks sexy as all hell right about now, and I wrap an arm around her to pull her in close to me.

  She moans softly, grinning as she sleeps.

  God, I’m fucking enamored. Really.

  I’ve never met a girl quite like her. And I’ve never really clicked with anyone like I do with Nancy. We don’t fight, we don’t bicker about meaningless shit. She’s unlike any girl I’ve ever been with before.

  And, while I’m at it, she’s a fucking goddess in bed.

  The gentle light of the morning seeps in through a window above her bed, and I can finally get a good look at Nancy’s room for myself.

  The room’s tidy as can be, I’m impressed that Nancy’s such a clean person in her personal life. Posters and paintings hang along the wall, almost identical to her packed living room’s artworks. There’s a dresser directly ahead of us, and I can see the two of us resting from the angle in the mirror. I wonder if Nancy was watching us in the mirror last night, because had I known it was there I probably would’ve looked, too.

  I see some posters hanging on her walls, old romantic comedies that came out years and years ago. I see a few more watercolors hanging up, too. Some landscapes. A portrait of some old lady, probably Nancy’s Mom or Grandmother if I had to guess.

  Nancy stirs softly, still resting on my chest. I watch her as her eyes flutter open, gently and slowly. She props her chin up on my pec, staring up at me with those wide eyes of hers.

  “Hey,” she grins.

  “Hey,” I smile back.

  “I had a great last night.”

  “I did, too. Wasn’t expecting that to be so…”

  “Good?” she grins up at me expectantly.

  I chuckle. “Yeah. I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been picturing how that would go in my head for a while now.”

  Nancy sits up, grinning as she rests her naked torso atop me. “And how was reality compared to fantasy?”

  “Even better than I’d hoped,” I say, grinning.

  Nancy slinks on top of me.

  “Maybe we’d better try again, just to make sure,” she giggles.

  I wrap one arm around her naked waist, grabbing a handful of her ass as I press her up against my body.

  “Maybe we better,” I reply.

  She leans down, kissing me as I roll over on top of her.

  ◆◆◆

  After we’ve showered and gotten dressed, Nancy and I throw together a rudimentary oatmeal breakfast in her kitchenette as we discuss our plans for the day.

  “So, I guess I don’t have to go to work,” she says. “Today, or ever. Until I find another job, I suppose.”

  I finish the oatmeal in my bowl, taking it to Nancy’s sink to rinse out and clean. “You thought about what you’re going to do for money?”

  She shrugs. “Not that far ahead. I’ve got a little bit in savings, should last me a while. At least until I figure out what I want to do next. Maybe I should do what you said. Look into something with my artwork.”

  I put the newly cleaned bowl on Nancy’s drying rack, and she hands me her bowl as I clean it out, too.

  “Anything you want to do today?” Nancy asks me. I shrug.

  “Maybe we could get the engagement plan situated,” I say nervously. “Find out what we’re both thinking. If that’s alright with you.”

  Nancy nods, stepping into her living room and sitting down on the couch. Outside, the sun shines through the trees in the gold of the morning. I finish washing her bowl out, putting it next to mine on the drying rack. I walk over to sit down next to Nancy, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she smiles.

  “So, what were you thinking?” Nancy asks me.

  Shit. Now the ball’s in my court, and I don’t know where to even begin. I rack my brain, collecting my thoughts as I try to get as organized as I can on the matter.

  “Guess we’re in agreement, then. We’re going to get ‘engaged,’ right?”

  Nancy nods. “Thought I said yes to that already.”

  “Yeah, just making sure. So, I guess we’ll start with an announcement, then?”

  “Local paper?” Nancy says. “That was what I was saying the other night, it’s basically tradition around here at this point to announce an engagement that way. I know everyone and their grandmother in town reads the Daily Orchard. It’s the most popular paper at Nora’s, that’ll get the word spreading fast.”

  “We should include a registry,” I add. “Like you said. If the whole point of this thing is to get the town to collectively apologize with money and gifts, then the registry’s the best bet.”

  “I agree,” Nancy says. “We should get that set up. Today?”

  I shrug. “Works for me.” I know there’s a bridal shop in town, that’s probably where Nancy’ll get the registry set up at. “I can take you back to your car today, too. We should probably get that before Nora tows it for real.”

  Nancy grins. “I’d almost forgotten about that,” she chuckles. “Glad you said something.”

  “Want to head into town, then? Face the music?”

  Nancy giggles. She starts humming along to ‘Here comes the bride,’ waving her hand around like an orchestral conductor. I can’t help but laugh at that, and we both sink into the couch, giggling together like a pair of idiots.

  I turn to face her, staring into those emerald-green eyes of hers. She looks back at me, and a smile creeps across her face.

  “I think we can do this, Jake,” she says.

  “You think so?”

  She nods. “I know so.”

  I grin, pausing for a second to take it all in. I never want to forget this moment.

  “You want to head out, then?”

  Nancy nods again. “Let’s get this registry going,” she replies.

  We leave her apartment together, locking the door behind us as we face the future together, head-on into the unknown.

  Twenty

  Nancy

  After Jake and I make it back to my car, the two of us surprised that Nora hadn’t gotten it towed, we separate for the day as we both run our share of errands. I’ve got to get the engagement registry set up, and I know I’m overdue for an inspection on my car. My license plates just expired, too, and I need to get those changed as well. I try to keep all my errands sorted out in my head, but I can’t stop thinking about our night last night. As soon as Jake and I go our separate ways, I know I miss him already.

  I park in front of Janice’s Bridal, taking a deep breath as I collect myself. The Janice of Janice’s Bridal and I go back, she and I went to high school together. Same grade and everything. Once I get the registry set up for Jake and I, that’s it. This is the point of no return, right here. I doubt I’ll pick out a wedding dress for the plan, but Janice’s Bridal would be the perfect place to be if we were going this route.

  But there’s nobody else I’d take this plunge with.

  I send out a silent prayer, gathering my things as I hop out of my car and step inside the building.

  The walls are a painted bright pink, with elegant cursive lettering on every logo and letterhead I can see. There’s one woman behind the counter, organizing a row of corsages and jewelry on a rack. Her eyes light up when I walk in, and Janice Martins greets me che
erily when she recognizes me.

  “Nancy Callahan!” she beams eagerly. “I never thought I’d see you walking in here.”

  “I know. Usually I’m on the other side of the counter.”

  When Darius and I were set to get engaged, we’d skimped out on the formal announcement in the paper, electing instead to keep things purely on social media. Our personal registry’d gotten a few gifts, gifts that I’d given to Darry after ending things. But I know doing things this way’s going to net us far more attention.

  “How are you, Nancy? The diner treating you okay?”

  I figure we might as well get down to business. “I’m fine, Janice. I came to set up a registry, actually.”

  Janice breaks out into a squeal. “No! You did not get engaged!”

  I grin. “I did.”

  “Who?” I can tell she’s hungry for information, whatever I say to her is going to spread around the town like wildfire.

  “Jake Reeves,” I reply. I get a flashback from last night, a throbbing moment of pleasure that puts a grin on my face.

  “Let me see the ring he got you,” Janice croons. And I suddenly remember that Jake and I never settled on that part of our story. We don’t have rings, just the promise we made each other.

  I feel my face flush. “We…we haven’t gotten one yet—”

  Janice waves a hand. “It’s no worry, Nancy. He’ll get you one in his own time, I’m sure. However long that takes Jake.”

  I want to ask her what she means by that, but I’m more interested in getting this entire thing over with.

  “So, how does this registry thing work?” I ask Janice, doing my best to shift the subject away from Jake.

  Janice pulls out a massive binder, walking me through the steps I’m to follow as I set up the registry. Pick out gifts we need, check the box for model type, color, specifications. There are pictures of countless appliances, costly homegoods that I know can be sold for a massive turnaround. I pick out every gift I can that’ll rack us up the most in cash, grinning as I gleefully pick out thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

  Janice looks up as I finish selecting what gifts Jake and I ‘need’ for our life together.