With Sophia gone and my parents already asleep, I take the stairs up to my bedroom quietly. I’m not in the mood for a million questions from my mother that will all circle around Lenny. Quiet as a mouse is my motto for the evening. Shutting my door, I turn to face the room that is giving me nightmares. It’s clear now that Anna and Lacy were right—my life has become an eighties movie. Maybe not all of it, but this room certainly is.
Sliding my chair out from the tiny desk, I go back to a time when this was perfect. It was a place where I would sit in the evenings and stare out over the front lawn. Okay, maybe I was daydreaming more than watching anything in particular, but I’d come up with designs while sitting here, or dreaming of going to school and traveling overseas while studying interior design—maybe even taking a job in Paris or Italy.
That all changed when I met David my sophomore year. I let love blind me from my goals. I let it lead me down a path that wasn’t picked by me. It was chosen by David and his family. Back in college, we talked about settling down in a bigger city, making a life for ourselves outside of Savannah. Instead, we got married three months after graduation, and before I knew what was happening, I was decorating a brownstone on Jones Street gifted from David’s family. I loved our home, but it wasn’t my style. Too fancy, too David.
It wasn’t until we found out I was pregnant that we sold the brownstone and moved across town to Dutch Island, a gated community on the water. At first, I thought that was the best place for us to start a family. When I would drop where we lived people would scrunch their noses up at me. Eventually, I stopped explaining where we lived or showing pictures of my house to clients. I like my life simple. I like to make sure I have a nice nest egg for emergencies. Unlike David, who likes to show off everything he has right down to his handmade one of a kind Italian leather loafers.
It would piss David off even more if I started dating Lenny. At this moment, I wish I had a rule book for dating after a divorce.
My fingers tap against the old wood while I process my next action. Instead of overthinking, I slide open the screen to my phone and bring Lenny’s name up.
Me: You still up for some house hunting tomorrow?
Before I can even lock the screen three dancing dots appear.
Lenny: Always up for house hunting with you. What made you change your mind?
Me: Bad flashbacks from the eighties… You’ve seen it, do you blame me?
Lenny: No, surprised you lasted this long. I’ll have to admit that the vision of a younger Jules laying in that small bed staring up at her favorite boy band has run through my mind several times.
Me: Do you always turn everything into something sexual?
Lenny: Not usually. With you, yes. I can’t help it.
Me: Can you help it tomorrow? This is just house hunting, and you need to keep your hands to yourself. A girl needs dinner and a drink before the show.
Lenny: Are you asking me to dinner? If so, the answer is yes. I’ll even buy you a drink before giving you a show.
Me: Let’s just focus on the house first, okay?
Lenny: I’ll pick you up in the morning around nine at your office. Does that work for you?
Me: Works for me.
Lenny: Night.
Me: Night.
* * *
Placing my phone down, I tiptoe over to the closet, acting as if I make a sound everyone in this town will know that I agreed to house hunting with Lenny Ward. It’s just looking at some properties, but with him, it’s so much more. I’m not even sure if I can control my desire for him anymore. Tonight, I decided that I should give this a go, so why am I second guessing this again? Oh, that’s right. I’m a fool who thinks she can have a fling with no emotions. Dragging out another pencil skirt and blouse, I hang them both up on the outside of my closet door before retreating to bed for the night. This time I opt for a longer skirt than I’ve worn before. Instead of hitting right above the knee, this one is halfway down to my calves. I’ll wear my black heels that’ll tie the rest of the outfit together. I just might wear my hair up in a bun; it’s not the most attractive style on me, but maybe if I change my look Lenny will ignore the signs that I’m sending without meaning to.
Just as I climb into bed, I change my mind and race to the closet. I’ve only seen him in jeans. Maybe if I tie this up with jeans, the same black and white polka dot blouse and flats with a bun, that’ll do the trick. Exchanging my skirt for a pair of skinny jeans, I step back and smile at my decision. Nothing screams off limits like jeans.
Wait, is that still a thing?
12
Lenny
I was pretty shocked when Jules asked to see houses today. I thought I was going to have to fight her on this, which still makes no sense to me. Even hanging out at the club after dinner last night wasn’t my normal style. In the past, I’d eat and then excuse myself before dessert. Not last night. I stayed the whole time, trying to listen to what my parents and Rose were saying, but it was hard to focus when Jules was just a few tables away from me. There were a few times when I’d catch her catching a glimpse of me and vice versa. There’s an attraction between us, but it could be the simple fact that she’s cataloged as being unavailable. Sure, I could get her to sleep with me, but she’d never settle down with someone like me. That’s if that’s what I was looking for. I’d like to say I’m a better man than that, but then I’d be lying to you. I’m a douche, and I can admit that. However, Rose said something to me before she left dinner last night that got me to thinking. I’ve been replaying it over and over since she let it slip. “Lenny, sometimes what you need is standing right before you. Sometimes you just have to wish for the impossible.” Did she mean Jules or something else? That lady has dropped wisdom around like leaves falling from an old oak tree in the fall around this town. You know they’re going to come, but you might not know the reason. Is that even a good analogy? Maybe that doesn’t make sense. It does to me, so I’m going with it. The only way I can describe it is when a child goes to a candy store and wants to taste each of the samples until he finds the one he wants to eat. That’s been my life since I was a teenager, and I’ve still not found one that I’d be willing to eat forever. Jules deserves someone better than me; hell, she deserves so much better than her ex, David. He never treasured her, nor did he respect her. I wonder if Jules knows about everything from his past like I do when I enter her office.
“Morning, Mr. Ward,” the girl behind the desk—whose name I’ve learned is Anna—says.
“Morning, Anna. How are you this morning?”
“Amazing, and yourself?”
Shaking my head, I try to absorb some of her energy before responding. “Great, are you always this energetic?”
“I am, want to know the trick?”
“Sure,” I agree, but I’m not sure if I truly want the answer to this.
“Sex first thing in the morning before yoga. Makes your day amazing,” she says without blinking or batting an eye.
“Anna, how many times do I have to tell you that your morning routine doesn’t need to be the topic of the office,” Jules says, stepping around the corner. My eyes linger a little longer over her body; I thought she was a knockout in her business attire, but here in jeans and a blouse, it’s more attractive than being naked. It’s not the amount of skin she’s showing, it’s the way she’s carrying herself. She’s comfortable like this. Easy going Jules just might be my all-time new favorite look. Yes, I might like to throw on a tux from time to time, but I like my jeans and Henleys more than anything. Appears Jules does too.
“Morning, Lenny. I just need a moment, and then we can go,” she says, breaking me from my thoughts of her.
“Perfect, I’ll just wait here,” I say and nod like a fool.
“So, you’re trying to get my girl Jules into one of your houses, huh?”
“I am, but it’s for her and Sophia, not me.”
“Yeah, it would cramp your style to have to pick up your date from her parents’ house
.”
“Nobody's dating. I’m just helping a co-worker.”
“Okay, Lenny. Keep telling yourself that, but you just eye fucked my friend and rocked her world without even touching her,” she says quickly before answering the phone. Was I that noticeable?
I chance another look over at Anna and watch as she nods, confirming my thoughts that I had all to myself. I thought I had weird in my office. Jules has it beat by a mile.
I pace the front lobby while waiting on Jules, which seems like forever until I hear her clear her throat behind me.
“Ready?” she asks right as I turn around. She’s so close that I have to fight the urge to tuck the loose strand of hair that’s fallen around her face behind her ears.
“Ready,” I respond as I hold the door open for her. I toss up a hand toward Anna and pray I can exit before something else is said. Silently we walk side by side through the parking lot until we reach my car. Being the gentleman that I am, I bypass Jules and open the door for her and wait as she slinks down into the leather seats. Once she’s inside, I shut the door and head to my side. Before I can get there, the driver’s side door opens. I look in and notice that Jules has leaned over the console and opened mine from the inside. I smile as I slide in, “Thanks,” I say as I hit the button to start the ignition. “Welcome,” she says in such a simple voice as she buckles her seat belt. It was the simplest act, but for some reason, I’m shocked. There’s only been one other person who’s ever taken the time to bend awkwardly to open the door for me. That was Rachel, my ex-fiancée back when I was young and stupid. Back when I thought she hung the moon and stars. It’s also when I thought that when people said I love you, it also meant that they would be faithful to one another. No, it wasn’t me. It was her. Clearing my head of all images of Rachel, I throw the car in reverse and back out of the parking lot. Before entering traffic, I look over at Jules and ask, “Where to first?”
“Surprise me. Just nothing too big and fancy. I like simple and practical,” she confirms my suspicion, and instead of going to the first house I wanted to show her, I turn left and head for a newer subdivision that we actually just bought. It’s a complete build location with all the houses that it can hold, but the owner of the properties needed to get rid of some assets, which means we acquired them for a low price.
“Didn’t y’all live on Dutch Island?” I ask as I focus on the road before us as I try to make small talk.
“I did, David still lives there for now,” she says, and I notice there’s no sign of missing the house.
“You seem happy that you don’t live there anymore.”
“It was okay, it was a lot of house and all show. We didn’t live in it.”
“Makes sense, I mean a house isn’t a home if you can’t prop your feet up on the coffee table,” I say, and this earns me a laugh from Jules.
“What’s so funny?”
“If you put your feet up in that house, David might have had a massive heart attack. It’s funny when I look back at it all. We had this older brownstone down on Jones Street, and he wasn’t that way. It was a home until we moved. When we first settled into the new house, it wasn’t bad either. Over the years, you couldn’t sit anything anywhere without a mild freak out. It was like he started planning for this years ago,” she states, and I take a second to glance over. She’s staring out the passenger side window, watching the passing cars with a blank expression.
“Are y’all selling the place or haven’t gotten that far?”
“I want to sell, and so did David, but last night he dropped the whole ‘let’s work things out,’” she air quotes before blowing out a breath of air.
“Are y’all going to try?”
“Hell no! I’ve done my duty, and I’d rather eat nails than lay in a bed next to that rotten ass.” The way her voice hitches to another level causes me to laugh; it also makes my heart rate speed up a little.
“I guess that’s a good thing. I mean, I know it sucks, but you have to make sure you’re happy. How’s your daughter doing with it all?”
“She’s the one who encourages me daily to be strong. At first, she was the only thing I worried about, then one night she came home early from her friend’s house and found me crying at the kitchen island. I think it was more the look on her face at how defeated I was; it made me pack us that weekend and move in with my parents.”
“That must’ve been hard.”
“It was in a way, but then it was a relief. David and I hadn’t slept in the same room for over three months, we went about like neither of us lived in the same house. After I found him and the bimbo, I couldn’t even look at him. All I could think about was what if I would have been our daughter instead.”
“Understand,” I say, and I really do.
“Anyway, enough of my sad story as I’m sure you don’t want to hear any of this.”
“It’s okay, this is how we get to know each other, Jules,” I say, and before I even realize it, my right hand lifts from the steering wheel and rests on her upper thigh. She doesn’t push it away, no; instead, she lays her hand on top of mine and gives a gentle squeeze. The car turns silent, a dead silence that allows you to hear every single noise within the confines of the space. I’m not sure how long we sit here like this, but before I know it I’m pulling into the subdivision and finding the street that we need to be on. Before we pull into the driveway, I explain, “It’s close to Sophia’s school. You have access to the club house, pool, and there’s a grocery store less than a mile up the road.”
“I know,” Jules says as she undoes her seat belt and opens her door. I shake my head. Of course Jules knows the location. She’s either done her research, or it’s the simple fact that she was born and raised here in Savannah. She’s letting her true self show today. Not in a bad way, but in her designer mind. I can tell as she examines the exterior of the house. This might be one of my favorite smaller houses. It’s a three bedroom, two bath, but the upgrades in this place are perfect.
“Come on, let’s see what the inside has,” I say as I place my hand on the dip of her back, using it to guide her to the door. Opening the door, I gesture for her to enter. She slows as she takes in the foyer. It’s open with a room off each side and a staircase that leads to the upstairs bedrooms. Down the hallway leads you to the open floor plan, living room, and eat-in-kitchen. My favorite part is the backyard of this place. It has a covered porch, a hanging swing, and a small in-ground fire pit.
“You could have this space as your dining room or even turn it into an office,” I say, pointing to the room off to the right.
“I could.” She peeks her head inside and then goes back over to the other to take a look.
“Hmm,” is all I hear from her as she takes off upstairs. Instead of following, I stay down here and wait as I don’t need to follow step for step. A few minutes later Jules joins me back in the foyer. Without saying a word, she takes off to the back to inspect the kitchen.
“This is much bigger than the last house,” she says, running her fingers along the kitchen island while keeping eye contact with me.
“It is, I’m sure it’ll give you plenty of space for cooking or hanging out,” I reply, holding her gaze.
“Maybe,” she says, turning around to look at the pantry; suddenly she turns back. “Okay, let’s go look at the others.”
“Let’s go,” I say and wait for her to lead the way out of the house. Okay, I only want her in front of me so I can watch the swish in her hips while staring at her ass in those jeans.
The rest of the day goes by like this until a little after lunch. Jules refused to let me take her to eat, swearing that she needed to get back to her office to wrap up a few projects before the weekend. I can’t tell if she fell in love with any of the four houses that I showed her today or not. Usually, I can read people, but Jules is a different breed.
I park and follow her inside her office even though we argued for several minutes in the car that she could handle walking inside al
one. It wasn’t the fact that she couldn’t, it was the car that I’d seen parked in the parking lot when we pulled in. Jules was so engrossed with her phone that I don’t even think she noticed it. When we enter the lobby, my eyes land on David as soon as we enter. I watch Jules closely, and I know the moment she spots him. Instantly, her shoulders drop, and the air around her becomes colder. Being the person she is, she’s not going to cause a scene in front of me nor her employees. Well, I spoke too soon. When will I learn that Jules Aldridge will keep me on my toes when she’s proven that time after time?
Forty Candles: A Standalone Romantic Comedy Page 8