Jane started her car and drove through the streets and thought about going shopping. She had a few friends from college who had made a hobby out of shopping, but she couldn’t afford it. Their father, Landon Kendall was in rehab for drug addiction up in Seattle and the cost of his three month stay was so staggering that she wouldn’t be able to go shopping for a while. Hunter had insisted on paying half of Landon’s rehab costs, but that still left a small fortune to come up with. Michael had helped them get a loan to cover the rest. She just hoped they were able to pay it off in this lifetime.
She stopped at a red light and glanced at a billboard. Meetandmatch.com. Make new friends and meet new people in your area. First month FREE. The picture on the billboard showed a gorgeous blond girl surrounded by friends and a few men who looked eager to be with her. That was actually what she wanted. A circle of friends and a few cute guys to get her mind off of Tate. Maybe she should give it a try?
Jane flicked the rubber band on her wrist and headed home. She waved at Mandee and Kit and then went upstairs and grabbed her laptop and before she chickened out she typed in the web address and signed up. She studied the website and felt a little better knowing that it wasn’t just about dating. It was more about socializing and having fun. It was set up like a basic dating service, but its focus was more on making friends. She put in all of her information and then had to write a paragraph describing herself. Yuck. She decided to go with honest.
My two older sisters just ditched me for true love so now I’m bored, lonely and on my own on top of being new in town. It turns out I need friends. Would love to go dancing, out to dinner, to the movies or even to a football game. (Please note that football is the last on the list).
She frowned and pressed enter before she lost her courage. She shut the laptop and went downstairs to grab a croissant sandwich. They’d decided to go with chicken salad and bacon with butter lettuce today and there was no way she could resist that. She grabbed one and a bottle of water and then decided she probably needed a little chocolate too. She deserved it after signing up for meet and match. She deserved a whole pan of brownies for that.
She walked into the store front and waved at a few customers before taking a square of wax paper and opening the glass case to pull a brownie out. She felt her cell vibrate in her pocket and turned around to check her message. She had just been approved for Meet and Match. Hallelujah. When she turned around, she came face to face with Tate Matafeo.
“I didn’t think you ladies ever ate your own creations. You’re all so tiny,”
Jane froze and slowly slipped her cell back in her pocket. Tate Matafeo was smiling down at her with a raised black eyebrow.
She blushed as if she’d been caught shoving three donuts in her mouth and licked her lips. “Trust me, I’m just like anyone else. I love dessert,” she admitted, shutting the case and putting the square of decadent chocolate on the counter. She glanced at Mandee but she was busy helping a mother and four children.
“What can I get you Tate?” she asked politely before snapping the rubber band on her wrist hard. She was trying not to stare at Tate, but how could she resist? He was so tall and strong and he was only three feet away from her, just standing there with his hands on his narrow hips as he stared at the case of desserts. Since he was busy deciding which cupcake to choose she could stare at him all she wanted. Maybe she could get Kit to paint a portrait of him? She knew right where she’d hang it.
Jane groaned silently and flicked her wrist one more time, trying to beat into submission her out of control romantic heart.
Tate glanced at her with a frown. “Is there a reason you keep flicking yourself with a rubber band?” he asked.
Jane swallowed and looked away guiltily. “Yeah, actually, there’s a really good reason. So what are you craving today? Hunter’s mom came in and made apple pies. I tried a piece this morning and you would die it is so good,” she said with a happy grin.
Tate smiled back and leaned up against the case, staring into her face. “That sounds good. I’ll take a whole apple pie then. I’ve got a rugby game tonight and we’re all bringing a dessert to share. It’s the first game of the season,” he said.
Jane turned around and grabbed one of their boxes and expertly lifted an apple pie out of the case and boxed it up. “Sounds like fun,” she said sounding slightly forlorn.
Tate looked at her quickly and then away. “So what are you up to these days? I hear you and Garrett broke up,” he said, watching her intently.
Jane frowned and leaned against the case. “Yeah, he wasn’t for me. He’s a great guy, I really liked him, but it wasn’t there, you know?” she said quietly, still feeling sad about it.
Tate looked sympathetic and nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I date a girl and think she’s perfect. She’s everything I want but my heart disagrees.”
Jane looked up at Tate, her mouth opening as a wave of powerful longing swept over her. Her eyes connected with his and in that moment all the yearning and love for him that she’d been holding back filled her heart and she had to force herself to not leap over the display case and beg him to love her.
Tate stared intently into her eyes for a moment and then closed his own tightly as if he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. Jane sighed and looked away, flicking her wrist with the rubber band again.
“Mandee can ring you up,” she said quietly and carried his pie over to the cash register. She grabbed her brownie and walked out of the store and into the kitchen. She picked up her sandwich and water and headed outside into their backyard. She went to her favorite spot and sat down under the large maple tree. Bubba, Layla’s Basset hound came over immediately and flopped down beside her, looking at her with woeful pleading eyes.
Jane smiled a little and tore off a piece of bacon, throwing it to the dog and was rewarded with a yowling sound of happiness. “Bacon. The key to happiness,” she said wryly and ate her lunch. She tried desperately to not think about Tate and that one moment when she could have sworn she’d seen something dark and yearning in his eyes before it had disappeared. She was probably just seeing what she wanted to see though. She wondered if covering both arms from wrist to shoulder with rubber bands would cure her. She was so desperate she’d try anything at this point.
The rest of the day passed by quickly. Stella came promptly at four and she spent a fun two hours making cinnamon rolls with her niece. They packed up a plate for her to take home and when Carrie and Nathanial, Michael’s parent’s came to pick her up, Jane wanted to beg them to let her stay.
Stella wrapped her arms around Jane’s neck and squeezed tightly. “I want to bake with you every day Jane,” Stella said kissing her on the cheek sweetly.
Jane grinned and lifted Stella up into her arms before passing her over to Carrie. “I would love that. Come see me anytime.”
Carrie smiled at Jane and kissed her granddaughter’s cheek. “She loves being here with you. I think she’d live here if she could,” she said laughing at Stella’s expression of excitement.
“Can I Grandma? Please!”
Jane laughed and shook her head. “I wish you could honey, but you know your mom and dad just bought a new house down by the park. You’re going to love it,” she said, knowing Stella would.
Stella pouted for a moment but then smiled. “I already met two girls. They live next door and they go to my school.”
Jane waved goodbye a moment later and watched as Kit locked up. “Can you believe we’re aunts Jane? And I bet you a million dollars, Michael and Layla give us a new little niece or nephew very soon,” she said, her eyes soft and happy.
Jane sat down in one of their chairs and kicked her feet up. “I think you’re right. And then you’ll be married before you know it and it will be you giving me a new niece or nephew,” she said laughing in delight at Kit’s glowing face.
Kit sat down and smiled across the table at her sister. “Hunter and I do want children. I can’t wait. Isn’t that weird? I’ve n
ever been a real maternal person, but the idea of holding a little baby in my arms makes me go all soft and mushy inside.”
Jane sighed happily and shook her head. “You two will have gorgeous babies. And on top of that they’ll probably be geniuses. Your gene pool is so incredible it’s unfair to the rest of the world.”
Kit closed her eyes at the picture in her head and smiled sweetly. When she opened her eyes and stared at her sister though, she frowned a little.
“As long as they’re healthy and they have Hunter’s eyes I’ll be more than happy. Now Jane, there’s been so many changes lately, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I want to know if you’re okay with everything. I mean, Layla’s married now and will be moving to her new home when she gets back. She’ll still be working with us of course, but she won’t be here anymore. And pretty soon I’ll be married and I’ll be moving out to Vashon Island with Hunter. I worry about you being here all by yourself,” she said with a frown.
Jane pursed her lips and looked away. She was worried too. She hated the idea of being all alone in a huge house by herself at night. But she didn’t want to worry her sister when she should be thinking about her wedding.
“I’m a big girl Kit. I’ll be fine,” she said, sounding more self-assured than she felt.
Kit looked at her doubtfully and shook her head. “Yeah right. I wouldn’t want to be here all by myself. Layla told me she asked you to move in with her and Michael and you said no.”
Jane groaned and shook her head. “Are you kidding me Kit? Who would want to move in with them? They’ll be newlyweds. They don’t need me getting in their way. No Kit, I’ll be fine here. And don’t you dare invite me to move in with you either. Yuck,” she said with feeling.
Kit laughed and stood up. “So we’re affectionate. Deal with it you baby.”
Jane stood up too and walked over to the light switch, turning the lights off and walking toward the kitchen with Kit right behind her. “When you guys are in the same room, you’re either hugging, kissing or hugging and kissing. It’s not pretty,” she said and laughed when Kit pushed her from behind.
Kit laughed too and walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of grape juice. “Just wait, you’ll be worse than me and Layla put together. I remember you in high school. You always had your nose in a book, sighing over your fairy tales. What was that book you were obsessed with? That one with the fallen angel named Patch? You Jane are so romantic and mushy you’ll need to move to a different country when you get married. No one will be able to stand to be near you,” she said expertly dodging an oven mitt aimed at her head.
Jane felt a quick twist of pain in her heart and tried to smile. “Yeah, maybe,” she said softly and turned to walk away.
Kit frowned and moved to block her. “Hey now. What’s this? Why the sad puppy dog face?”
Jane shrugged and looked away. “I think I might be one of those weird people who only fall in love with one person and they’re biologically incapable of loving anyone else. I can’t picture myself ever getting married if I’m not head over heels in love with the man, like you and Layla are. Which leaves me with, um . . . nothing,” she said miserably.
Kit shut her eyes and groaned. “Tate Matafeo. Darn that man,” she muttered and moved out of the way so they could continue upstairs.
Kit followed her into the family room, watching her with a worried crease on her forehead. “Sometimes it just takes time Jane. Love is alive. This thing you have for Tate just has to die before you can love again.”
Jane sat down on the couch and grabbed her laptop, flipping it open before glancing at her sister. “So if Hunter dumped you right now and it was over, completely over between you and there was no hope of ever being with Hunter again in this lifetime, you’d be okay? You’d just wait for your love to die and move on to the next contender?”
Kit’s face turned pale and her eyes bleak at the thought and she shook her head jerkily. “No,” she whispered. “Sometimes love never dies,” she said and walked over and kissed Jane on the cheek. “Sorry Jane. When you put it that way . . . well, it’s just tragic. I’m so sorry,” she said and walked out of the room.
Jane closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She waited a moment and then flicked her wrist with the rubber band, ferociously determined to get her mind off of Tate. She glanced at her wrist and pursed her lips at the red marks all over her wrist. She was going to be bruised tomorrow and this was just day one. She had to get over him before she lost a hand. She checked her email and grimaced at all the welcome emails from her new match and mingle site. She clicked on a few and then stopped and re-read the one she’d just received a few moments ago.
Hey Jane! Welcome to match and mingle. There’s a bunch of us getting together tonight to watch a rugby game. My older brother plays for the Tacoma Tsunami. They need all the support they can get. Message me and I’ll give you the details. It’s a great way to meet new people. I look forward to getting to know you! - Meredith
Jane stared at the message and wondered if she should. She didn’t know anything about Rugby except that Tate played. What if this girl’s brother was on the same team or playing against Tate’s team? She’d have to sit there for an hour and watch him run around a field. In shorts.
Jane pulled the rubber band off her wrist and messaged Meredith.
Can’t wait to meet you. Sounds like fun. Can I bring a dessert?
Chapter 3 – The Bet
Jane drove up to the large field on Portland Avenue and parked her car. She picked up the large platter of assorted cupcakes and walked toward the crowd of people. Meredith had told her to look for the girl with shoulder length blond hair. After a few moments she spotted a girl with blond hair standing next to a woman with short red hair cut in a pixie style and she was staring back at her with a smile. The redhead was super teeny and looked like a fairy standing next to all the huge Rugby players and the other tall athletic looking girls. Finally the blond waved and Jane smiled back cautiously and headed in that direction.
“You must be Jane. I’m Meredith and this is Tawni, my BFF. Holy crap, you must have been baking for hours. Are you crazy? I just brought a dozen cookies I bought at the grocery store,” she said staring at the dozens of gorgeous cupcakes.
Jane blushed a little and shrugged. “Well, that’s what I do for a living. I’m a baker. Me and my sisters own Belinda’s Bakery in Fircrest. It’s no big deal,” she said as more people noticed what she was carrying and started walking over like wolves scenting prey.
Two large men, one of them Samoan or Tongan, walked up with friendly grins on their faces. “Meredith, introduce us to your friend here,” the man with brown hair and blue eyes said.
Meredith looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Jane, this is my older brother Tristan and his friend Feke. I should warn you though, they love anyone who brings dessert.”
Jane laughed lightly as the men grinned, not denying it. “She’s right. Do we have to wait until after the game?” Feke asked, his dark brown eyes pleading with her.
Tawni stepped forward with her hands on her teeny waist and shook her head. “No goodies until you guys win. If you lose, me and Meredith get all the cupcakes,” she said, with her little chin in the air.
Feke grinned at her and picked her up in his arms and threw her over his shoulder before running toward the field. Tawni’s shrieks of laughter and giggles let everyone know this was a common occurrence.
Meredith rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Do you ever get irritated by people who are in love? Kind of turns my stomach,” she said irritably.
Jane’s eyes widened and she nodded her head quickly. “I know exactly what you mean. My two older sisters are so in love I feel nauseated constantly.”
Meredith laughed, her bright blue eyes warm with amusement. “Good. I’m dumping her for you then. You can be my new BFF until she comes back to her senses.”
Jane grinned in return and nodded. Sounded good to her. Tristan stood by watching his siste
r and bumped her shoulder. “You know you wouldn’t be so irritated with Tawni if you were dating and having fun too. I’ve got three guys on the team who would love to ask you out.”
Meredith grimaced and looked a little vulnerable for a moment. “Tris, you know I’m not ready,” she said softly, looking up at him with sad eyes.
Tristan stared down at his sister and shook his head. “How long are you going to mourn Meredith? Dane has been gone for over a year sweetie. You gotta get out there and live again. He wouldn’t want you to sit on the sidelines the rest of your life,” he said gently and then touched his sister on the cheek before walking back to his team.
Jane’s eyebrows went up as she stared at the woman nonchalantly wiping a tear off her cheek. “Sorry about that. Dane was my boyfriend and he died last year in a boating accident. I should be over him I guess, but it’s just hard still. That’s why I’m doing this whole match and mingle thing. I have to get my family off my back. If they see me getting out of the house and meeting new people and having fun, maybe they’ll back off me dating again,” she said, her bottom lip trembling.
Jane set her cupcakes down on the table covered with Gatorades and plates of cookies. She walked back to Meredith and gave her a quick hug. “I’m trying to get over someone too. It’s not easy,” she said dryly.
Meredith nodded her head jerkily and then sighed. “Right now it feels impossible. Oh gag, would you look at that?” she said pointing to Tawni and Feke.
Jane looked at the couple and winced. The huge man had lifted Tawni up two feet off the ground and was kissing her in front of everyone. Loud cat calls and cheers surrounded them, but they obviously didn’t care.
“That’s what I have to put up with every day,” Jane said grimly. Meredith groaned as if she were in agony and pulled her toward the bleachers. They found a seat in the middle and Jane relaxed as Meredith introduced her to everybody. The people surrounding here were a mixture of all cultures and ethnicities.
My Sweetheart (Book 3 in The Love and Dessert Trilogy) Page 2