Crashing Into Love

by Melissa Foster

  “Thank you.” Fiona looked over her shoulder at Jake. “Paul, this is Jake Braden. Jake, this is my supervisor, Paul Marx.”

  Paul looked to be in his mid to late thirties, with a shock of dark hair and hazel eyes. He had the build of a runner, thick-legged and lean, and a firm handshake. This didn’t look like a guy who dug up rocks for a living. He looked like a guy who dug up rocks and then carried them two miles.

  “Jake. You grew up with Fiona, right?”

  “Yes, sir.” And now I’m her boyfriend, so how about you let go of her hands?

  Paul pulled Fiona against his side. “You’ve got a great girl here. She’s brilliant, and she’s about to become a household name.”

  Fiona’s cheeks flushed. “Among scientists maybe.” She eased out of his arms and went to Jake’s side. “Our studies showed that geological factors such as counts of fossil collections and geological formations are not independent measures of bias in the fossil record and that only the area of preserved rock drives biodiversity.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t spoken in a foreign language.

  A blond-haired twentysomething guy came around a big desk where he’d been talking with another man who could only be Clark Kent, because his dark hair, black frames, and chiseled features had Jake doing a double take.

  “Hi, I’m Joe.” The blond man shook Jake’s hand and nodded to the dark-haired man. “That’s Clark. Fiona had suspected that the number of fossils wasn’t dictated by the amount of accessible rock, but rather that the similar patterns displayed by rock and fossil records were due to external factors.” He shook his head. “She was like a dinosaur with a bone. Well done, Fiona.”

  “When are you coming back?” Clark asked. “We wanted to discuss follow-up articles. Jackson and I have a few theories that feed off of what you’ve found.”

  “I’d love to hear them.” Fiona turned to Jake. “Do you mind if I stay and talk for just a minute?”

  “No. Take your time.”

  Fiona pointed to a wooden desk in the corner. “That’s my desk if you want to sit down for a while, or I can show you where the coffee room is.”

  “I’ll take him.” Paul nodded to Jake. “It’s just down the hall.”

  Jake followed Paul to the kitchen.

  “Fiona’s a hell of a scientist,” Paul said as he filled a cup with coffee and handed it to Jake. “Cream and sugar’s over there if you’d like it.”

  “Thanks, and yeah, she’s successful in everything she does.”

  “I can see that.” Paul leaned against the counter and eyed Jake over his mug as he took a sip of coffee.

  Jake mulled over his strange response, unsure what to make of it.

  “I’m sure she’s told you about the promotion she’s been offered.” Paul set his coffee down beside him.

  “She’s mentioned it.” It was obvious that Paul thought the world of Fiona. Jake wondered how far beyond her job that went.

  Paul nodded. “It’s a hell of a position. She’d lead two teams of geologists.”

  Jake leaned against the counter beside him. “She’s patient and she knows how to take control. I’m sure she’ll be a great leader.”

  “Listen, Jake, we both know why Fiona took this leave of absence, and obviously the two of you have reconnected.”

  “She shared that with you?” The way Fiona had played up the scientist relationship, it surprised him to hear she’d shared her feelings with Paul, and the green-eyed monster clawed at him again.

  “Not exactly.” His thin lips curved up in a smile. “She said she was taking an unpaid leave of absence to work with her friend Trish on her movie. I wondered why a woman who was as dedicated to her work as Fiona is would take six weeks off, unpaid, when she was in the midst of some of this year’s most important research.” He shrugged and slid his hands into his pockets and crossed his legs at the ankle. “I did a little of my own research and came up with a theory.”

  “And your point is?” Jake assessed Paul’s casual stance, the lack of threat in his tone, and his easy gaze and wondered what the hell he was getting at. This obviously wasn’t a pissing match between two guys fighting over a woman. This had the feel of something altogether different, but equally as important.

  “Fiona’s a brilliant scientist. She’s not a groupie who’s leaving a job at a tanning salon behind.” Paul’s eyes grew serious again.

  “I’m not sure I understand what you’re implying. Not that it’s any of your business, but Fiona isn’t a fling, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Paul took another sip of his coffee, meeting Jake’s stare. “I’m a scientist, Jake. Research is my thing. I’m fairly well versed in all things Jake Braden.” He stood up tall and drew his shoulders back.

  Jake rose to his full height, wondering where Paul was going with this.

  “She’s a good woman, Jake, as I’m sure you know. All I’m asking is that you’re sure of her before you take her away from what is probably the biggest opportunity that will ever come her way.”

  Jake clenched his jaw, but really, how could he get angry? The harsh truth was that anyone who went online and typed in Jake’s name would see that he hadn’t been photographed with the same woman more than twice. Paul obviously respected Fiona as a scientist, and he wanted to protect her, but Jake couldn’t help taking it one step further, just to be sure he wasn’t misreading him.

  “Just so we’re on the same page here, Paul, are you interested in Fiona’s career path or do you have other interests in her?”

  Paul smiled again. “You’re a sharp man. I guess I shouldn’t have underestimated a man with an engineering degree. If I weren’t gay, she’d be just the type of woman I’d go for. I can assure you, I care about her on a platonic level, not a sexual one. I’m very fond of her. She’s a good person and an excellent scientist. I guess I’m a bit protective of her.”

  Jake tried not to show his surprise, or his relief. “Fair enough.”

  Paul withdrew his wallet and showed Jake a picture of a very handsome dark-haired man with a toddler on his lap. “My husband, Kane, and our son, Johnny.”

  “Two handsome guys.” Jake withdrew his wallet and flashed the photograph of him and Fiona when they were teenagers.

  “The love of my life, Fiona.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  FIONA AND JAKE spent the afternoon walking through Fresno. After a nice dinner in a café, they went for a walk in the park and finally pulled into Fiona’s driveway as the sun was going down. It felt good to be home. Fiona loved her 1950s bungalow. She loved the dark wood siding with the beige trim and the deep front porch with a center peaked eave. It was simple and small enough to feel cozy without feeling confining, and she got excited just thinking about Jake being there with her.

  “Your house is really cute, Fi.” He looked over the house before mounting the stairs to the porch.

  “Thanks. I really like it.”

  “It was nice seeing your office today and meeting the guys you work with.”

  “I’m glad we went. I’d like to find a few hours to go over the ideas the guys want to explore.”

  “You could have stayed today. I would have come back later. I’m a big boy, Fi. I can entertain myself.”

  “I don’t mean now. I don’t want to take time away from us. I just meant sometime soon. I’ll figure it out.” She was excited about their research, and even if she decided not to take the promotion, she still wanted to hear about it.

  Jake touched one of the rocking chairs on the porch.

  “I can see you sitting out here.” He reached for her hand.

  “I love it here.” She gazed out at the grassy lawn and the woods that surrounded the house on three sides. “There’s never any traffic since I’m so far from the main drag. Sometimes I even eat dinner on the porch.”

  He slid his hands around her waist and lowered his voice. “Don’t you get lonely out here by yourself?”

  She shook her head. “I like the quiet.”


  He pressed his lips to hers. She loved that he was there with her, standing on the front porch she loved, and that he’d wanted to be there. She remembered thinking, when she’d first seen the house with the Realtor, that Jake would like it, and she remembered the way she’d chided herself for thinking about him.

  She unlocked the door, and Jake followed her into the wide center hall that ran the length of the house, ending at the stairs that led to the second floor.

  “I love the hardwood,” Jake said, peering into the living room. “Nice fireplace. I can see us sitting on your sofa with a fire blazing.”

  He went into the living room and looked over her pictures on her mantel. It reminded her of when she’d done the same thing at his cabin. It was a strange feeling to see people she knew as a teenager and then to see them all grown up. She’d seen his family through the years, but she no longer knew them as intimately as she once had. She wondered what Jake was thinking as he looked over a picture of her with her four brothers, Reggie, Finn, Jesse, and Brent. Standing behind Fiona was her twin brother, Finn. His hair had been longer then, brushing over his eyes and touching his collar. She was sitting on the grass in front of them all, smiling up at the camera like she was the happiest girl in the world.

  Jake smiled. “I haven’t seen Reggie or your brothers in years.”

  “I know. They’re so busy. Reggie hardly ever comes back from New York, and Jesse and Brent are crazy busy at Harborside with the surf shop and restaurant. And you know Finn. We never know when we’ll see him.”

  “We’ll have to make a point of getting everyone together again.” He took her hand and went through the foyer to the dining room. “This is really nice, Fi. It feels like you.”

  “Thanks.” She watched him look over her antique hutch and the small dining room table. He was so tall and broad that the room felt smaller with him in it. Even so, it felt better. Fiona could picture him lounging on the couch watching football while she read beside him and sitting at the table sharing a meal.

  “I really love your place, Fi. It’s very you, and it feels like home.”

  Her heart squeezed at the way his eyes warmed when he said the word home.

  As he lowered his lips to hers, his cell phone rang. He groaned.

  “Go ahead and answer it.” She walked into the kitchen. “Would you like some wine? We can sit out back on the deck.” She glanced up as he took his phone from his pocket.

  “Sounds great,” he said to her before answering the call. “What’s up, Trace?” He paused, listening, as Fiona handed him a glass of wine. “Goddamn it. Really?” He paused again. “I’m in Fresno.” He looked at his watch and sighed. “I can be there in a couple hours. Is Trish filming?”

  He narrowed his eyes as he listened. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Okay. Thanks, Trace.”

  After he ended the call, his expression fell flat.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “They’re changing two scenes. They want to meet about it tonight, then shoot this weekend. I’m sorry, Fi. I wanted nothing more than to live in your world for a few days, but—”

  “It’s okay. Is Trish filming too?” She tried not to let her disappointment show.

  “No, babe.”

  He reached for her, and it dawned on her how perfect the timing was. She needed to have a serious talk with Paul about the promotion, and she wanted to go over Joe’s and Clark’s ideas.

  “Why don’t you go back, have your meeting, shoot your scenes, and I’ll stick around and go over the research with the guys. I can have someone drive me back on Sunday afternoon.”

  “Sunday?” His voice was laden with disappointment.

  “It’s not like I want to be apart, but if I go back to LA, you’ll be shooting and I’ll be thinking about how I should be going over the research with Paul and the guys.”

  “I hate it when you make sense. But I don’t want to put out your coworkers. I’ll come get you Sunday.”

  “You’re filming,” she reminded him.

  He scrubbed his hand down his face. “Then I’ll send a driver to pick you up. You’re my responsibility, Fi, not your coworkers’.”

  “Actually,” she said just above a whisper as she dragged her index finger down the center of his chest. “I’m my own responsibility. You’re my boyfriend, not my parent.”

  He touched his forehead to hers. “I don’t mean it that way, babe. I love you, and I want to make sure you get back safe and sound. And it’s going to suck spending two nights away from you.”

  “Just think of how much fun it will be when we’re together again.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  SATURDAY WAS TURNING out to be the longest goddamn day Jake had ever lived through. Every scene had to be reshot several times. He screwed up two stunts because he was too distracted thinking about what Paul had said to him, and to top it all off, he hadn’t slept worth a darn without Fiona by his side. Waking up without her sucked. Going for a run without her was even worse—he didn’t know how he had gone without her for so long. He checked his watch. It was nearing six o’clock, and they still had another scene to shoot. He flagged Trace over.

  “Phone.” He motioned with his hand for her to hurry up.

  “You could say please.” She slapped it in his palm. “What is wrong with you today? You’re like a caged animal.”

  “Long day.” He texted Fiona. Miss you. Hope your research is going well. Xox.

  He handed the phone back to Trace, who was staring at him like he had six heads.

  “This is not a long day, and you just had yesterday off. What’s really wrong with you?” She crossed her arms and narrowed her heavily lined eyes. “It’s Fiona.” A smile crept across her lips as a scowl crept across his. “You’re so in love you can’t see straight. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  Jake narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he missed her, too damn much to think straight, but what was worse was that he’d seen the excitement in her eyes at the prospect of going over that research. Not that there was anything wrong with that. There wasn’t. He was happy that she was doing something she enjoyed, but hell if it wasn’t an eye-opener. He couldn’t ask Fiona to give up the biggest opportunity that will ever come her way. That would be like her asking him to give up the next film. He wouldn’t do that to her. Maybe the old Jake would, but now that he’d had his eyes opened to how selfish he’d become, there was no way he was going back down that road. That was the old Jake. The new and improved Jake—or maybe it would be more accurate to think of himself as the Jake who had reverted to the man he’d once been—would never ask Fiona to do that.

  Fuck.

  He was screwed.

  He had finally allowed himself to feel again, to love, to admit all that he’d done wrong with his life, and for what? To realize that he couldn’t have the one woman he really wanted unless they had a long-distance relationship or one of them traveled four hours to work each day? What about his filming schedule? He traveled more than half the year. There was no way he could be separated from her for that long. He’d lose his mind.

  “Hey. Daydreamer.” Trace tugged at his arm.

  He must have zoned out, because he’d had no idea Trace was even talking to him.

  She held out his phone, and he read Fiona’s reply.

  I miss you, too! I hope your stunts are safe and easy. This research is going to be a huge deal. We’re going to work through dinner and probably late tonight. Can’t wait to see you Sunday! Xox.

  “You good? You got your Fiona fix, big boy?” Trace held her hand out for the phone again. “They’re ready for you on set, and Hileberg just announced that he didn’t like the last scene. They’re reshooting. It’s going to be a very long night.”

  BY THE TIME Fiona and the guys called it quits, it was after ten o’clock. Paul drove her home, and he agreed to pick her up in the morning to discuss the promotion. Trace had texted her earlier to say that Steven Hileberg was keeping everyone on set to film night scenes and that they’d calle
d Trish in to shoot as well. Fiona felt horrible for not being there for her, even though she didn’t feel as though she contributed much in the way of being an efficient assistant. At least she could have been there for moral support. She’d texted Trish, and of course Trish had said it was no big deal that she wasn’t there.

  She dug through her purse for her keys, and when she pulled them out, a flash drive came with them. The string had hooked to one of her keys. She stared at the little black drive for a few seconds before remembering that Jake had given it to her the first day he’d driven her to the set—the morning of the paparazzi ambush. His voice sailed into her mind. I never realized why these songs appealed to me until last night. Now it kind of makes sense. It’s like the soundtrack to my life, or something like that.

  The thrill of anticipation tickled her spine. She unlocked her door and took the stairs two at a time. She plugged the flash drive into her laptop, hardly able to believe she’d forgotten about it for so long. She was nervous and excited to hear the soundtrack of his life. She tossed her purse on the bed and undressed while she listened. The first song was “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse. She moved to the easy and familiar rhythm as she brushed her teeth. The second song took her by surprise—and stung. “Go on…Miss Me” by Gloriana, which mentioned a person being unfaithful. She didn’t like hearing that, especially since neither of them had been unfaithful, but the rest of the song sure rang true. She had missed him like crazy and wanted to get back together. He’d said this was the soundtrack to his life. Did that mean that somewhere deep in his heart he’d been hoping they’d get back together, too?

  Fiona put on her sleeping shorts and a T-shirt and lay down on her bed, listening to the other songs on his list. “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down, “Drops of Jupiter” by Train, “You and Me” by Lifehouse, and Alicia Keys’s, “Fallen.” She hated thinking about Jake listening to songs that marked how much she’d hurt him, but she forced herself to listen to the rest of the songs. The next two nearly did her in, “She’s So Mean” by Matchbox 20 and “Please Forgive Me” by Bryan Adams.