He smiled with a casual shrug.
“Thank you so much.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him just as the glass door slid open. Jessica stumbled back on her heels, and he caught her by the hip as Vera stepped outside carrying a beach tote.
“I’m sorry to have startled you. Please, continue.” She waved her hands with a conspiratorial grin and sat in one of the deck chairs.
As Jamie ran his hand down Jessica’s arm, his gaze lingered on her, warming her all over.
“Good morning, Gram. Want some coffee?”
“No, thank you, dear. I had some already. Did you two have fun last night?” Vera took a paperback out of her tote.
“We did,” Jamie answered.
The way the corner of his mouth kicked up combined with the heat Jessica saw in his eyes brought back the memory of being beneath him. Feeling his weight on her thighs and hips, the power behind each pelvic thrust, the passion in every heated kiss. Oh, good Lord, I am breathing hard again.
He squeezed her arm. She saw the recognition of her heady state in his eyes and had to look away. She handed Vera the wildflowers to distract herself from thinking of Jamie.
“I picked these for you.”
“Aren’t they lovely. Thank you, Jessica.”
“I’ll get a vase.” Jamie went inside the cottage and Jessica sat across from Vera.
“It’s going to be a beautiful day. Do you and Jamie have plans?” Vera asked.
“No, we don’t.” She just realized this was true, and yet it felt like a given that they’d do something together.
Jamie brought out a vase full of water and arranged the flowers in it. “There you go. What do you want to do today, Gram?”
“I’m still a little tired, so I’m going to sit and read for a while. Why don’t the two of you go do something fun?” She smiled up at Jessica.
Jessica recognized the matchmaking Jamie had mentioned, and when she glanced at Jamie she knew he felt it, too.
He touched her shoulder. “Do you like to bike?”
“Bike? Gosh, I haven’t been on a bicycle since I was little.” She honestly couldn’t remember how long it had been, but she had a vague memory of riding a bike before the cello took up all her free time.
“Oh, Jamie. Good idea. Jessica can use one of ours.” Vera patted Jessica’s leg. “It’s like reading music. It’ll come right back to you.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Jamie loaded the bikes on the rack on the back of his car, and they drove down to Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. The glass and brick building was built just off of Route 6, with a large amphitheater off to the side.
“Have you been here before?” Jamie took her hand as she stepped from the car.
“No. Other than one weekend trip as a teenager, this is the only time I’ve been to the Cape.” The air smelled like wet earth and sulfur. “What’s that smell?”
“Nauset Marsh. It’s behind the building. Let’s go inside before we ride. This is something you shouldn’t miss. I come every year, even though I’ve seen everything a million times.”
His hands were big and slightly calloused, manly and strong, like him. She loved how her hand felt in his. He had on a pair of army-green cargo shorts and a white tee, and he looked like every one of the words Bella had used to describe Caden. Only better.
“Did the girls grill you this morning?” he asked.
“A little, but it was obvious that they were just looking out for you. Especially Bella.”
He held open the door to the visitor center. “Bella’s protective of everyone, but her bark is worse than her bite.”
The atrium of the visitor center was spacious and busy with people milling about, talking to the forest rangers behind the information desk and hovering over a diorama of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in the center of the room. The glass back wall offered a spectacular view of Nauset Marsh. Jamie led Jessica through the atrium and down a hallway.
“There’s a bookstore we can check out afterward.” He nodded to a small bookstore as they passed, but continued walking through a set of heavy wooden double doors. “This is my favorite exhibit.”
They walked into a small museum, with stuffed birds and other animals perched around the room. There were articles and artifacts detailing the changes in boating, industry, and other aspects of the Cape’s seafaring heritage. It was fascinating, and Jamie didn’t rush her through, even though he’d seen it many times. He stood patiently beside her while she looked at each exhibit, and when they finally made it to the bookstore, which also served as a gift shop, he bought his and hers key rings engraved with their names on one side and an outline of the lower Cape on the other. He gave Jessica the one that said Jamie.
“Now you’re branded.” He kissed her softly.
She loved that he’d given her something so simple and so meaningful.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I am, too.” He put the one with her name on his key ring and then ran his finger down her cheek. “I figured that since you grew up under an iron thumb, you probably never had much time for these types of boyfriend/girlfriend things.”
“I never even had a real boyfriend in high school.” She’d been too busy practicing.
“Well, I know it’s silly, but every girl should experience things that let them know how special they are. Even if it’s about ten years later than what’s typical.”
She reached into her purse and handed him her keys, and he slipped the silver ring that said Jamie onto her key ring. He was right. She did feel special.
They walked around for a while longer, and then they unloaded the bikes and hid her purse in the trunk.
“Why don’t you ride around the parking lot first to make sure you’re comfortable?” He took care of everything, just as he had earlier that morning with tracking down the eBay seller.
“I feel so silly needing to practice,” she admitted.
“Well, you look hot as hell, so if that’s what silly looks like, I’m all for it.” He patted the bike seat. “Come on. I want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
She climbed on the bike, and after a minute of wobbling and finding her balance, the muscle memory returned, and she sailed across the parking lot feeling free and light and incredibly happy.
They followed the paved bike trail as it wound through woods and behind several businesses all the way to the Orleans Rotary, where they passed several bikers coming in the opposite direction. For the first time in as long as she could recall, Jessica felt normal. How she’d longed to experience life the way others did, without every hour spoken for, without always being properly attired, aware of giving appropriate answers. Here, she was meeting friends, laughing, and enjoying herself more than she ever had, and she never realized how wonderful a relationship could be until she met Jamie. No matter what they were doing, it felt natural to be with him. He looked out for her, and he treated her well, not to mention those heart-stopping kisses he doled out like candy.
The trail was cool beneath the umbrella of tall trees. They rode side by side where the path was wide enough, and when Jamie was forced to pull ahead, he looked back often to check on Jessica. They were surrounded by woods, with the smell of the sea in the air; it was like they’d entered their own private paradise. The path widened and the trees became sparse as they entered reality again and came into town. They followed the bike path behind a bike rental shop, and a few feet ahead, the path crossed Main Street. Jamie looked handsome with his windblown hair and glistening skin as he came to a stop beside her and grabbed hold of Jessica’s handlebars, then leaned in for a kiss.
“I want to show you something.” He nodded up Main Street toward the traffic light.
“The Chocolate Sparrow?” she asked hopefully. The Chocolate Sparrow was a chocolate specialty store across the street. She’d seen it in the tourist magazines, and now, as the scent of chocolate hung in the air, she could practically taste it.
“Sure, but I had something else in mind.”
>
She followed him to a stoplight, where they crossed the street and turned down the main road. They came to what looked like an abandoned office complex and parked their bikes by the empty parking lot.
“What is this place?” She took in the cedar-sided offices. The windows were filmy, the offices void of all signs of life.
“I’ll show you.” He took her hand and led her up a set of stairs between two buildings, to the entrance of an office. Above the door was a sign painted to look like a baseball and the words MY MOM THREW OUT MY BASEBALL CARDS written in black.
“Oh.” Her breath left her in a rush of hot air. “Jamie, how did you find this?” She ran her hand along the flat metal door.
“Bread crumbs.” He pulled his phone from the pocket of his shorts and checked his text messages. “Leanna said the owner, Steve, isn’t at the flea market, but she got his phone number from the flea market admin staff.” He smiled at her and handed her his phone. “You can call him.”
“Jamie, you did this. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”
They sat on the top step. “I like puzzles.”
The way his eyes darkened and his voice softened told her that wasn’t the only reason he’d done it.
“Thanks for helping me try to solve mine.” In so many more ways than one.
“Are you going to call?”
“Yeah, in a second.” She reached for his hand. “I don’t have a lot of friends outside of work, and I want you to know that I really appreciate what you’ve done. It means a lot to me. I’m a little nervous about calling, though. When I came to the Cape it was with the intention of figuring out how to be normal, and finding my dad’s ball was supposed to be something for me to focus on so I didn’t think about playing the cello day and night.”
“What are you worried about? That if you find the baseball you’ll suddenly begin practicing for hours on end?” He gathered her hair in his hands and laid it over her shoulder, then kissed her cheek. “What’s so bad about that?”
“What’s so bad? I’d lose this. You. The ability to be normal.” Her stomach twisted.
“Babe, there are twenty-four hours in a day. Two, three, four, or even five hours of practice? That’s nothing.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Besides, I’ve just found you. There’s no chance in hell that I’m going to let you get away that easy.”
“You don’t get it. Practicing is just a piece of my life. I work crazy hours. Maintaining friendships outside of other musicians is nearly impossible, and musicians can be cliquey, like any other industry, I guess, but they can be whiny and bitchy. Ugh. It’s a whole different world.”
“That doesn’t sound very different from any other industry. Maybe you just think your life is really different because it’s the only one you know. I work at night all the time, and every office has cliques and complainers. You just rise above it, work around it, ignore it as best you can and move on.” He pressed his leg against hers. “What else?”
“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. As you said, playing with an orchestra is really all I know. All I’ve ever known. I could go on and on, but it’s not that I hate what I do. I love it. There are times when I crave it like addicts crave a fix. But there are aspects that make it difficult. There’s a lot of travel, some international. It can be exhausting, and…lonely.” She hadn’t realized that until just now, but after spending time with Jamie, she knew what she was missing out on. “Listen to me. I have a job millions would give their eyeteeth to have, and I’m complaining like a child. I just want a little break from it, and the baseball was supposed to distract me from playing, because I really am drawn to it like it’s my drug of choice.”
“Okay, so what I’m hearing is that you love playing, you get lonely, and you want this vacation to be about something other than playing. So if you find your dad’s baseball, you need another distraction until you figure out what you really want to do with your career, right?” He had a serious look in his eyes.
She rolled her eyes. “Ridiculous, right?”
He folded her into his arms and touched his lips to hers. “Not at all. I’d say it’s my lucky summer, because I’m really good at being distracting and even better at keeping you company.” He took her in a deep, passionate kiss that made her tingle all over.
“You are incredibly good at that,” she said against his lips.
“Here, let me distract you again.”
She melted against his lips, her whole body warm and wanting. He was so much more than a distraction. He was becoming the air she needed to breathe.
She made the phone call, hardly able to believe she was getting that much closer to finding her father’s baseball. Her father didn’t even know she was looking for it. She’d struck it lucky when she found what she was sure was his baseball on eBay, and she’d only found eBay because a fellow musician said she was selling her violin on eBay and they got to talking about the website. She’d shown her how to find the site on her phone and how to bid. Luck had been on her side—even if she hadn’t won the baseball, she’d met Jamie, and that made it all worthwhile.
Steve didn’t answer. She left a message with her name and phone number and gave Jamie back his phone.
“Now we wait, I guess.” She told herself not to be too hopeful, but she couldn’t help it. Hope swelled within her.
“Hardly. Now we go enjoy life a little.” He drew her up to her feet and took her in another delectable kiss. “You’ll be sick of me by the end of the day.”
“Not a chance in the world.”
“This is our second date, you know.” He dragged his eyes down her body lasciviously as they descended the stairs.
She felt naked under his heated gaze, and she could hardly believe how much she wished she was.
They ate lunch on the lawn of the Orleans Windmill, overlooking the water, and soaked in the sun before heading across the street to the Bird Watcher’s General Store. By the time they got back to the car at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, it was nearly six o’clock.
“Do you mind if I call Vera and make sure she’s okay?”
“Not at all. I’m going to use the ladies’ room.” Inside the ladies’ room, the fluorescent lights were bright and unforgiving, and as she patted her face dry, she assessed herself in the mirror. Even in the harsh lighting, she noticed a difference in her looks. Her eyes were brighter, and despite being up half the night thinking about Jamie, the fine lines she’d seen around her eyes for the past few months were gone. Not only did she feel happier and more at ease, she was pleased to see that she looked less stressed as well. Before coming to the Cape she’d begun to feel twice her age, and she wondered how much of what she was seeing was caused by Jamie and how much was a result of taking a break from the orchestra.
When she came out of the restroom, Jamie was waiting for her.
“How’s Vera?” she asked, feeling a little guilty for monopolizing his day.
“She’s fine. She spent a few hours at the pool, and she’s already eaten dinner.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “How do you feel about wine tasting?”
She glanced down at her clothes. “I should probably shower and change first, but it sounds fun.”
“You’re such a tease. You really need to stop talking about showering together.” His eyes darkened.
Her mouth went dry at the idea of being naked beside him. Beneath him. Oh God. “I…I never used the word together.”
“Maybe I made that part up in my fantasies.”
His lips met hers in a succulent kiss that turned her mind to mush. His hands slid to her lower back as their hips came together, and her entire body flushed at the feel of his arousal. He was so hot. Everything he said and did was hot, sensual, sexy. No wonder her brain melted every time she was near him. If this kept up, he’d have to pour her into bed by the end of their third date.
Chapter Seven
THE TRURO WINERY wasn’t normally open in the evenings, but this was the week of the annual wine festiva
l, and tonight they had tastings and tours until midnight. The event was sold out, but Jamie knew the owner of the winery, Cliff Warner, and after calling Vera, he’d put a call into Cliff, who was thrilled to hear from him and more than willing to open their doors for them. Like every other event on the lower Cape, it was a casual affair. They could have come directly from their bike ride, but Jessica had insisted on showering—alone, unfortunately. She was a sight for sore eyes in a midthigh-length, forest-green tank dress that gathered at the waist. Her simple gold bracelet and matching necklace were dainty and feminine, and perfectly accented with a pair of dangling earrings.
They moved with the crowd from one room to the next in the old captain’s house. The interior boasted cathedral ceilings with views of thick wooden trusses and roughly finished hardwood floors and cabinetry. In each room they were given a different type of wine to taste while the staff explained the origin.
Jessica held Jamie’s arm as they shared a glass of strawberry wine. She licked her lips after taking a sip, leaving them glossy and inviting.
“That’s so sweet. Taste it,” she urged, flashing her baby blues at him.
He ignored the glass and went straight for her lips. As Cliff and his wife led the tour out of the room, Jamie ducked into an alcove with Jessica. She had a tentative look in her eyes as he backed her up against the wall in the dark area.
“We’re going to get in trouble,” she whispered.
“No, we won’t.”
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her like he’d been aching to do all evening, as he’d been forced to watch every man in the place steal glances at her. He couldn’t blame them. She was so gorgeous he wanted to devour her right that second. He had to at least taste her, and as he deepened the kiss, she rocked her hips into his and slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. He was so hard, and her body was so soft. He wanted to disappear into their kiss and let their bodies take over. It was all he could do to tear his lips from hers.
“Definite trouble,” she said in one hot breath against his lips. “We’ll get caught making out like teenagers.”
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