Looking him straight in the eye, she said, “Okay, why not? I’d love to go fishing.”
CHAPTER NINE
AT HER HOUSE, Andrea held the phone tucked against her shoulder while she put the groceries away. “Am I crazy for doing this?” she asked Gina.
“You deserve a little downtime. You’re working way too hard. It will do you good to concentrate on something different, like not jabbing a fishing hook into your finger. It will give you a focus other than your daughter,” Gina said, chuckling. “Can’t wait to hear how you make out.”
“We’ll know pretty soon. He’s due here any minute,” Andrea said as she put the last item in the cupboard.
“Is this a first date?” Gina asked.
“It’s not a date. We’re going fishing.” Andrea went to her bedroom and started yanking clothes out of her closet, looking for jeans and a shirt that would be appropriate for fishing. Without fully admitting it, she looked for an outfit that said sexy in a subtle way. She and Jake might have gotten off to a rocky start, but his invitation today made her feel better about herself than she’d felt in so long. “I’ve never fished before.”
“I doubt you’ll get much fishing in. Want me to keep an eye on Shannon?”
“That would be great. She’s supposed to come straight home from school today.”
“Tell her I’ll pick her up and bring her here for dinner. My boys will be here as well, so they can all catch up.”
“That would be wonderful. Thanks so much.”
“Not a problem. We love Shannon.”
“I’ll pick her up when I’m done.”
“And don’t you rush back, hear me? You and Jake enjoy yourselves.”
“Don’t count on that. Seems we’re better at fighting.” The call waiting ping on her phone sounded. “Gotta go. I got another call.”
“Hope it’s Jake, and happy fishing,” Gina said, then hung up.
Andrea took the other call, and was thrilled to hear her mother’s voice.
“Where are you?” Andrea asked, expecting her mother to say she was leaving again for an exotic, faraway place to paint some famous person’s portrait.
“I’m home. Edna is cleaning, and I’ve been busy.” She hesitated. “I want to see you and Shannon, especially since she had her fall. How’s she doing?”
“She’s doing fine, back at school.”
“And you?”
“Busy. I’m hoping to make my sales target this year.”
“And you will. I have total faith in your abilities.”
Andrea was warmed by the genuine enthusiasm in her mother’s voice.
“So would tonight work for you and Shannon to come to dinner?”
She snatched a pair of socks from the drawer and sat on the bed. “No, we can’t. I have a previous commitment.”
“I had really hoped you could,” Carrie said, not bothering to hide her disappointment.
Andrea hated not pleasing her mother. Chances were that her mother wanted to see them before she left for another assignment. Carrie’s New York agent kept her extremely busy immortalizing people in portraits.
And Shannon needed to connect to family—there was always the possibility she’d open up to her grandmother. Maybe Andrea should cancel their plans and have dinner with her mom tonight. It would give Shannon a chance to be fussed over by her grandmother. It would mean making sure that she and Jake were back here before six.
Here you go again, doing what other people want you to do, not what you want to do.
But she silenced the little voice, partly out of guilt for not spending more time with Carrie and partly out of the need to reconnect with Shannon. “Okay, why don’t Shannon and I come over this evening? Maybe around six thirty?”
“That would be wonderful, darling. See you then.”
Andrea quickly finished changing then glanced out her bedroom window to see Jake’s BMW pull into the driveway.
She moved toward the door, making a quick call to Gina to rearrange their plans. Knowing Shannon was probably still in class, Andrea left a hurried message on her phone.
She set the alarm then locked the door. As she approached the car, Jake got out and came toward her, the sun glinting off his golden hair, his T-shirt emphasizing his muscular chest.
“It’s only fair to warn you,” Andrea said as she climbed into his car, “I can’t fish. I’ve spent my entire life on dry land.”
“I don’t care,” he said, starting the car. “You just sit back and relax. We can always go for a walk on the beach if you’d rather, but let me work my fishing magic on you first.”
“I’m all yours,” she said, glancing at his handsome profile, surprised at how much she meant those words. Jake was being kind to her, and she appreciated his effort.
“Sounds tempting.” He gave her a long, sideways glance that warmed her belly and made her glad she was sitting down with a seat belt around her. Otherwise she might have jumped the console into his lap—not a very cool move and perhaps a bit premature.
Deep inside she knew she’d never reveal how she felt. She couldn’t risk that kind of exposure. To do so would threaten her sense of control over a situation, over herself. As sweet and kind as he had been for the past few hours, she couldn’t let her guard down around him.
Still, she noticed the strength in his hand that rested on the console between them. She had the sense she was safe with him. How easy it would be to grow accustomed to such a feeling, to rely on it...
“Tell me about this place we’re going to today.” She wanted the conversation far away from her feelings.
“I’ve only been there once, but I enjoyed it.” He described the beach, the fishing pier, the way the sun slanted off the water and the bad sunburn he’d gotten that day. Andrea traced his profile in her mind, delighting in the way he looked over at her as he talked, his gaze catching hers. “I forgot to bring sunscreen,” she said.
“I have a tube of every strength available. Just to be safe.”
“Glad someone plans ahead.”
His brown eyes locked on hers. “I’m willing to bet you don’t do much that isn’t planned.”
“Haven’t had much choice in the past few years.”
He pulled into the flow of traffic on the highway. “I hear you. If you ask me, it’s time to change all that for both of us.”
“You feel overworked, too?” she asked, curious to know more about him.
“Seems like I’ve worked all my life—or at least once I started babysitting my sisters. Not my idea of fun, but my mom needed my help.”
“I envy you having sisters. I’m an only child,” she said.
“Not many of my friends envied me growing up. My sisters ate into my social life and teased me unmercifully. But it all worked out in the end. We’re great friends now, even though we all live in different parts of the country. My mother worked long hours at two jobs. I went to college on a scholarship.”
The thought that he’d worked the way she had made her feel close to him, made her think they had something in common. “So you also want to run away from it all,” she said.
“Yeah. But where would I run? And the truth is I love my work.”
She understood that, as well. Even though she resented what Jake had done to her and Shannon, Andrea didn’t doubt for a moment that he believed in what he was doing. “I’m glad I took your business card a few days ago,” she said.
“Me, too.”
Feeling more at ease around him, she luxuriated in the coziness of the vehicle as they drove through the countryside. Her senses were treated to a kaleidoscope of fall colors, broken occasionally by homes tucked into spaces framed by tall silver maple trees. After about an hour and a half they arrived at their destination, near the mouth of the St. Joseph River.
“All you have to do is relax and enjoy yourself. I’ll take care of the rest,” he said, parking in a narrow spot that adjoined the pier.
Andrea opened the door to a blast of fall heat. “Where do we go?”
“Follow me.”
He got the gear out of the trunk and took the rods in one hand, the tackle box in the other, and started down the pier at a fast pace.
“What’s the big rush?”
He laughed, a deep throaty sound. “Sorry about that. I guess I am a little excited.”
The planks rumbled beneath her feet. She turned to see a truck bouncing along the pier as it made its way to a fishing boat tied at the end. “I’ve never been on a pier in my life.”
“Glad to know I can offer you a new experience.” Jake put his gear on a bench and began putting bait on the hooks.
The sun warming her, Andrea watched what he was doing. Growing up, she’d had no opportunity to fish or do anything like that. Her mother believed that galleries and museums were the best way to spend free time, to educate Andrea on what the world’s art collections proved about society. Although she came to appreciate her mother’s efforts, as a young child she had felt constrained and often bored while touring a museum or gallery.
Being outside, seeing the gulls swoop and sway, she reveled in adding a new experience to the long list of things she’d never had the chance to do. But that would never happen with Shannon. Her daughter would have every learning experience possible in life, as well as learning about the art world—Andrea would see to it. Once they were over this rough patch, everything would be fine...just fine.
Turning her gaze to Jake, she was startled to find him looking at her. He was so gorgeous—something she hadn’t really noticed until recently—and he had chosen her to go fishing with him. Hiding her excitement behind a gaze of mild interest, she asked, “What can I do?”
“You can hold that rod for me while I get mine ready.” He worked swiftly and competently, and before long, he closed his fishing tackle box. “Are you ready?”
“Sure, but be prepared—you may be pulling fishing line out of my hair.”
“I look forward to the opportunity to run my fingers through your hair in search of fishing line,” he replied, leaning toward her, the heat of his body blending with hers. She fought to keep from swaying into his broad chest. She wanted to touch his face, feel the texture of his skin beneath her fingers. His body was so close...too close.
Suddenly uncertain, she retreated and concentrated on the rod she held. She couldn’t look at him for fear he’d see her need.
“Let’s fish,” he whispered in her ear, making her neck tingle in pleasure.
“Okay,” she said, her voice sounding like a gasp.
He showed her how to cast, how to hold the rod and what to do should a fish take the hook. His powerful hands guided hers.
An old man meandered over, watching Jake’s instruction. “You’ll make a fisherman out of her yet,” he said.
“I’ll certainly try.” Jake held her hands, his scent wafting around her, coaxing her into the curve of his arms.
“Hmm. This is nice.” Her heart opened, her spirits lifted as she spoke the words into the intimate space between them.
He didn’t say anything. He simply gazed into her eyes until she felt uncomfortable and turned her head away.
“Am I too close?” he asked.
Words of denial were on her lips, but she saw he would not be put off or lied to. “A little,” she murmured.
“Want to tell me about it?”
Feeling protected in his arms, she tried to explain. “I haven’t dated since the divorce. Well, except for an occasional night out with someone a friend recommended. Trial by terror, I call it, because the guys were always a bad fit.”
“And what would you prefer?” he inquired quietly as he took the fishing rod from her hands and put it aside.
“Someone who treats me well, who shares my interests, who loves me and my daughter.”
He encouraged her to sit on the bench beside him. “He’d also need to be someone who gave you room to be who you needed to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone who doesn’t force you to live your life his way, someone who allows you to be your own person. I’m guessing here, but I suspect that being your own person has been something you’ve had to work on.”
Jake hit a nerve with that observation. She had fought hard to be someone other than a famous artist’s daughter. And when she’d married Scott, he’d insisted on being the center of attention in the marriage, leaving her little opportunity to express herself other than as a wife and mother. “I wanted Shannon to grow up in a family with two parents who loved her. I didn’t have that. My mom was always busy with her art, and I never knew my dad. He died in a car accident before I was born.”
“My dad wasn’t around, either.” He paused. “Having heard your side of a conversation with Scott, is it possible he bullied you, that he still bullies you?”
He watched her closely...gauging her reaction. “You sound like Gina.”
“Do you think she might be right?”
Her first thought was to excuse or explain Scott’s behavior. She’d always been so quick to come to his defense, to take responsibility for how he acted. “I don’t know if he’s a bully.”
“You’re sure?”
“Is that how you see me? As a victim of bullying?”
“How you see yourself is what’s important,” he countered. “Do you resent Scott?”
“Why are we talking about Scott?” she asked, hating that the mention of her ex-husband had upset her.
“Sorry.” Jake gazed out across the water, and she felt a chill flood her heart.
Words of explanation were on her lips, but she held back. Jake had been kind to her. They were having a lovely afternoon. She felt safe around him, safer than she had for a very long time. “What I feel about my marriage doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, watching his face intently.
“Andrea, you have every right to feel what you’re feeling. Just so you know, I was angry for you when Scott called, and I saw your reaction to his words. Being angry is a natural response, but sooner or later we have to face what made us angry.”
She’d never had anyone talk to her like this before. Her first instinct was to lash out, to defend who she was and how she managed her life. Jake couldn’t possibly know what she’d gone through with her ex. “I didn’t come here to talk about my shortcomings. I came here to enjoy the afternoon. I thought you did, too.”
He offered a wry grin. “Did you just tell me to butt out?” he asked, hugging her close.
She soaked in his touch, feeling calmed. “A few days ago I would have yelled at you instead of saying what I felt.”
“You should give yourself credit for your honesty about how you feel. You could have stopped me from asking questions. I have no right to be invading your personal life.”
Surprised and pleased by his comments, she faced him. “While we’re on the subject of behavior, I want to ask something. How did you cope with your sisters as teenagers and not remember how moody they can be?”
“I remember quite well how unpredictable they could be,” he said, his gaze on her, unnerving her.
“Can we call a truce?” she asked, leaning closer, absorbing his scent.
“I didn’t know we needed one.”
“Let’s not talk about problems, please.”
He touched her hair, ran his fingers along her cheek. “Excellent suggestion,” he whispered, his lips moving slowly, purposefully along her chin to her mouth. He kissed her, wrapping her in his embrace.
Lost in his arms, she clung to him, never wanting this moment to end.
CHAPTER TEN
HIS KIS
S, SO gentle yet so possessive, had opened up a whole new world. She felt different in a way she couldn’t describe. As he stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes, she knew she would remember this moment long after today.
“We probably should get going,” he said, still holding her close.
His touch distracted her, and she struggled to answer. “I suppose so.”
She could still feel his lips on hers as he loaded the trunk. She’d never been kissed the way he kissed her. Never with such care and tenderness. She felt adrift in a place of beautiful sensation.
She was finely attuned to him—his easy grace as he moved to open the car door for her, his confidence, his patient acceptance. It all held her spellbound. As if in a trance, she got in and fastened her seat belt. The feeling of intimacy in the narrow space after he climbed in swept all worries and troubles from her mind...until her phone rang.
“Did Shannon call you?” Gina asked.
“No. Why?”
“She asked to go to your house to wait for you. She said she wanted to get ready for dinner.”
“Thanks for letting me know, Gina. We’re on our way back now,” she said, her life swooping in to steal the moment.
“How’s it going?” her friend whispered.
She glanced at Jake, who had been quiet since they’d gotten on the highway. “Nice. Really nice.”
“Okay. See you at work tomorrow. Say hi to Carrie for me.”
“Will do.”
As they drove the rest of the way home, Jake asked her about the real estate market and her views on the best parts of Kalamazoo and Portage when it came to buying a house.
“Are you interested in buying a home?”
“For now, I’m happy in my condo.”
“So you’re interested in what I do for a living,” she replied, scrambling for something intelligent to say. It was as though she couldn’t keep up with the complete reversal of despising him to...wanting something more from him.
“In case you didn’t notice, I’m trying to make conversation,” he said, squeezing her hand where it rested on the console.
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