Jenna: Sorry! Doug kidnapped me 2 take advantage of the kidless evening. Were gonna come back after, but…
Their twin daughters were at Doug’s parent’s house and since I knew they didn’t get many nights to themselves, I replied: Yeah, I really want to stay there now.
Jenna (after a ten minute wait): Oh, plz. Come over whenever u r ready. Front door unlocked, guest room made up. BTW, still hvn fun?
Me: Yeah, but getting tired after the flight and drive. And I have no ride home! I didn’t text that, though I did try to remember if Silver Falls offered a cab service. I didn’t want to ruin Jenna’s impromptu honeymoon re-run with my car troubles.
Jenna (after another couple minutes): Josh still eyeing you like chocolate cake after Lent?
Heat crept into my face. A quick glance around the bar confirmed no one paid me any attention as I slid off my stool and headed for the end of the bar, all the while texting like mad.
Me: Talk about oh, pluuease.
Jenna: Seriously, he’s interested.
I hesitated a moment, located him across the room talking to Dave, Randy Knutson, and Randy’s new fiancé Beth, then sent: Is that such a bad thing? After the undeniable attraction I’d felt for him at his house and throughout dinner, I was truly looking for guidance with that question.
Jenna: Yes!
Me: Remind me why?
A full minute passed before my phone dinged. It suddenly dawned on me I didn’t want to imagine what was going on in between my cousin’s texts.
Jenna: Um…he left u high and dry and never spoke 2 u again?
Me: There is that. And yet…
Jenna: Stay away from Josh Nelsen!
A chin propped on my shoulder and delicious masculine cologne hit my nostrils a second before a deep voice rumbled in my ear. “Why the frown face?”
I jumped and fumbled my phone. Josh’s quick grab saved it from the floor. He handed it back, but not before I saw him glance at the lit screen. If he actually read Jenna’s last message I couldn’t tell, because his half-teasing, half-concerned expression didn’t change. Hoping he hadn’t read the text, I answered his question with the next best thing to the truth.
“Jenna and Doug snuck home for…well, I’m sure you can guess…but I never got a chance to tell them I no longer have a car tonight.”
“Ah. You have no ride home,” he surmised in a suddenly somber voice.
I pretended I didn’t notice the change in his tone and avoided his gaze. “Not only that, but I’m supposed to stay at their house tonight.” I made a face. “Now I feel like I’m intruding.”
My phone dinged a new message.
Jenna: Summer?
I ignored her and asked Josh, “Is the Silver Falls Motel still operating these days?”
He made a face at me this time. “Better to pretend it’s not.” Then he took a deep breath and said, “Considering I more than owe you one, I’m happy to offer a ride back to my place and the use of one of my guest rooms.”
I completely ignored the implication of “considering I more than owe you one” and found myself focusing on “back to my place.” The teenager in me zipped straight to the highly anticipated, never realized goodnight kiss still hovering in my imagination and I found myself staring at his mouth. The woman in me liked the idea very much.
Another musical ding. I looked down.
Jenna: I’m coming back 2 town.
Crap. I worked my fingers fast: No. Got a place 2 stay and will c u in the a.m. Shutting off phone and lving now. U N Doug have a good nite.
I quickly hit OK to send, even as I cringed at the abbreviations littering my message. Being a writer, I usually avoided them, but time was of the essence. Josh watched me with an unsure expression, so I flipped my phone shut and gave him a quick smile.
“That would be great. Thanks.”
My phone dinged. I ignored it.
Josh slipped his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “How long do you want to stay?”
I followed his glance around the bar area, then shrugged, even though it’d been a long day and I was done in at this point. “It’s up to you.”
His gaze flicked to my phone when it chimed yet again. “Actually, I’m a little tired. I was up early and—”
“Me, too,” I broke in. Then I wanted to bite my stupid tongue. It sounded like I couldn’t wait to be alone with him. So I quickly continued, “And after the flight, and the drive up from Milwaukee in the snow…”
“And the ditch,” he added.
“Exactly. I’m definitely looking forward to your bed.”
Oh my God, I didn’t just say that. Mortified, I lifted my gaze to his and forced a light laugh. “I mean, your guest bed—not your bed.”
Shut up. Just shut up!
A smile tugged the corners of his kissable mouth. My face flamed so hot I swear the temperature in the bar shot up at least five degrees. I wanted to sink to the floor and crawl away in the dark.
He stepped back, jerking his head toward the dwindling crowd of our classmates. “You want to say goodbye to anyone?”
Ironic, coming from him. I shook my head. “I’ll see them tomorrow afternoon for bowling.”
His hand rested on the small of my back on our way to the door. Warmth spread through me at his touch. As he grabbed our coats, I quickly checked my phone to make sure Jenna wasn’t on her way. Four new messages, the first three within seconds of each other.
Jenna: With who?
Jenna: Not Josh…?
Jenna: Summer!!!
And then the last one, after a two minute lapse. Jenna: Just remember, I warned u.
I sighed as I powered the stupid thing off.
“Everything okay?” Josh asked. He wore a frown and looked a little unsure of himself. Or maybe the situation. I knew the feeling.
I nodded and turned to slide my arms into the sleeves of my coat as he held it out for me. When his hands rested on my shoulders, his body was near enough I could feel his warmth, but not pressed close in a blatant manner. I found I wanted to lean back. Was I setting myself up for more disappointment like Jenna suspected?
No. Because nothing was going to happen other than me literally sleeping in his guest room, and then I’d leave in the morning. Sunday afternoon I’d fly back to Florida and not see him for another five or ten years, at the next reunion.
I stepped away, toward the door, and we headed out to his truck. It was still snowing, though the flakes were a little smaller than earlier. When he would’ve done the whole ladies first thing, I pushed him ahead of me and used his large boot prints to keep from burying my bare toes in the snow blanketing the parking lot. Good thing I had to focus on my feet, it left me no time to check out his butt.
Okay, fine, I snuck a peek.
“This snow is ridiculous,” I declared as he unlocked his truck. My toes were freezing. “Didn’t Wisconsin get the memo that it’s May?”
“Apparently not.” He opened the passenger door and stood aside for me. “Sorry. I should’ve picked you up at the door.”
“It’s okay, I’m fine.”
Until I shivered as a gust of wind found its way under the hem of my dress and my shoe slipped on the running board of his truck. I fell back against him, but he easily caught me in his arms. I laughed with embarrassment, something I seemed to be doing a lot with him tonight.
“I’ll have another drink, please.”
His husky chuckle vibrated against my back. “All that soda really went to your head didn’t it?”
Something was going to my head all right, but it wasn’t soda bubbles.
“Lightweight.”
His teasing remark eased my nerves despite the intoxicating feel of his arms around me. With his assistance, I made it into the passenger seat and we were on our way. He made a stop at M & M’s for my suitcase in the rental car, and I was touched by his thoughtfulness.
“Tonight was fun,” I remarked, lifting my toes so the heat blew directly on them. “Sounds lik
e a number of people stayed in the area. Do you all get together a lot?”
He shrugged. “I see Jenna once in awhile, and a couple others, but mostly keep in touch with Dave and Randy. Everyone’s busy with their own lives. You know, jobs, marriage, kids.”
“Yeah, sounds about right. Do you keep up with anyone on Facebook?”
He shook his head. “I don’t Tweet, either. Couldn’t get the hang of it. Never knew what to say, so I quit even trying.”
“I know how you feel. Plus, I won’t do that stuff on my phone, and since I’m on the computer all day for my job, I’d rather spend my free time outside.”
“And what does Summer Clark like to do outside?”
“Garden, hike, swim. My dog, Jenga, loves the water, so we go to the beach a lot.”
After a brief pause, he said, “Lucky dog. What kind do you have?”
“She’s a mutt from the pound. The vet’s not even sure what’s all in her.”
“Those are the best dogs.”
I looked over when I heard the slight catch in his voice. “Speaking from experience?”
“I had to put mine down last fall.”
“I’m sorry, Josh.”
“It’s okay, Deek was older. He loved hiking and the water, too.”
To divert the subject, I asked, “Where do you like to hike?” I hadn’t discovered the joys and benefits of hiking until after college, so didn’t know what my old backyard offered.
He told me of a few places in the neighboring towns of Crivitz and Wausaukee and further north as we finished the slow, snowy drive to his house. I’d enjoyed our conversations over the course of the evening, and though most were more casual than personal, I was sorry when we parked back in his garage.
He was easy to talk to, and I realized we had a lot in common. In fact, if Josh lived in Florida, or I lived here, and he hadn’t ditched me all those years ago, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes if he asked me out again. I had to keep adding the negative reminder in my head. Otherwise I’d completely forget the blow he’d dealt to my fragile teen self-esteem.
He carried my bag, held the door, and helped me remove my coat. I leaned against the counter and bent to take off my sandals. My toes were still ice cold despite the heat he’d blasted in the truck.
“Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate to warm up, or would you rather just go to bed?” he asked.
I straightened but didn’t look at him because my mind went directly to my slip up at the bar and I knew my face was turning red again. Bed was the smartest option. Guest bed. Alone. Except...I’d enjoyed his company tonight and our conversation in the truck. And I wouldn’t see him again for years, so what was the harm in spending another half hour or so with him now?
“Hot chocolate sounds good, but I’d like to change into something more comfortable first.”
“Sure.”
He carried my bag across the living room and I followed him into the darkened hallway he’d disappeared down earlier. Once through a doorway to the left, he flipped on the light switch to reveal a bedroom decorated in hunter green and burgundy. Damn, the man looked good as he set my stuff on the roomy, queen-sized bed. I swallowed hard as I joined him next to the bed, but he retreated back to the hall and started to pull the door closed.
“Bathroom’s across the hall here—holler if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
I sank onto the bed as the door clicked shut. What the heck was I doing? I mean, for a split second, I’d actually considered pushing him down to have my way with him. Geesh! Where was the old Summer Clark when I needed her? I pressed my hands to my heated face and took a couple deep breaths to make my heart rate return to normal.
After zipping open my bag, I ignored my silky pajama set and changed into a pair of black cotton exercise Capri’s and my old dark gray sweatshirt. Then I scooped up my cosmetics bag and dashed into the bathroom. A firm admonishment to my mirror self to heed Jenna’s warning made it easier to resist the urge to touch up my makeup and add lip gloss.
Instead, I washed my face and stared into the mirror at my shiny, make-up free complexion. That should help. And he’d definitely know I wasn’t in any way trying to impress him. I pulled my long, layered locks off my face into a messy ponytail, brushed my teeth (just in case), and returned to the living room.
Josh stood at the stove, stirring a wooden spoon round and round a pot. On the counter sat a couple of ceramic mugs, a half-empty gallon of milk, and bottle of Hershey’s Chocolate. Mmm. He was making the good stuff. Having grown up with the powdered kind in water, I licked my lips in anticipation of the creamy smoothness of milk and real chocolate.
My heart leapt into my throat when he turned, but after no more than a quick sweep of his gaze down and up, he returned his attention to the stove. Mission accomplished. So why the disappointment as my heart dropped back into place? And the wish that I’d left my make-up on. Shrugging it off, I started over to join him, but the cold tile on my bare feet made me quick-step to the stools by the island counter.
“Who’d have thought I’d need wool socks for this trip,” I quipped with a self-conscious grin.
He leaned one hip against the stove and kept stirring. “Want a pair of mine?”
I brushed my fingers over my frozen toes and a shiver shimmied up my spine. “Would you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll get them as soon as this is done.”
I bit the bullet and crossed the floor to take the spoon from his hand.
He laughed. “Or I could get them now.”
Glancing to the side for the mugs, I noticed a couple of crayon drawings on his refrigerator. One was stick figures of what I’d guess to be a dad and son, and the other a stick figure of a kid jumping into a lake. Again, my best guess. Curiosity had me making a mental note to figure out a casual way to ask about them while we drank our hot chocolate. I knew he wasn’t married, but hadn’t heard him say a thing about kids all night.
I’d filled the mugs and was halfway across the kitchen when Josh emerged from his room at the end of the hall. We met in the living room, but he tossed a pair of black wool socks onto the couch and continued past. I set the hot chocolate on the coffee table and was pulling on the second soft, warm cocoon when Josh plopped down on the couch opposite me with a bag of mini-marshmallows.
“Can’t forget these.”
“Ooh, definitely not,” I agreed. Then I noticed him smiling at my feet engulfed in his socks. I wiggled my already warming toes.
“Sexy, hey?”
His gaze lifted, his brown eyes dark and serious. “Looks good to me.”
“They’re big, but they’re doing the job,” I said, ignoring my pounding pulse as I kept focus on the socks. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
He leaned forward to drop a handful of marshmallows into his mug and passed me the bag. Once I’d covered the surface of my hot chocolate with the mini puffs of fluff, I cradled the mug in my hand and curled my feet under me to sit facing him. The heated look in his eyes contradicted his seeming disinterest at the stove and I asked the first thing that came to my mind.
“How come you’re not married with a couple kids running around this place?”
Shock registered on his face. Then he gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Wow, jump right in why don’t you.”
“I just did.” With both feet and no life-jacket. So much for casual.
He lifted his mug for a sip, clearly stalling. I took a drink, too, and ignored the heat in my cheeks as I waited silently. I’m not sure why I’d been so forward, only that I was very interested to hear his answer. Probably too interested, but what the hell.
He watched me lick warm marshmallow goo from my upper lip before lifting his gaze to mine. “I guess I haven’t met the right person yet. Sounds like a cop-out, but it’s the truth.”
The husky tone of his voice melted my insides like the marshmallows. “Do you want kids?”
I swear, pain flashed in his eyes, but in one bl
ink it was gone. “Yes. Do you?”
“Yes.”
“So why give the ring back?”
He was talking about my fiancé that Jenna had mentioned earlier. Sitting there with Josh, it hit me that I hadn’t broken things off with Brad to keep from getting hurt first. My relief was so profound, I shared my sudden epiphany without even realizing I’d spoken out loud. “Wanting a family isn’t a good enough reason to marry the wrong person.”
“Is there any reason good enough if it’s the wrong person?” Josh asked.
I looked up to see a hint of a smile tugging at his lips and laughed. “No, none at all.”
After my unexpected ice-breaker, we talked long after our hot chocolate was nothing but dried residue on the bottom of our cups. Except for that night in high school, nothing was off limits. Past relationships, politics, religion, future dreams, mistakes, successes. Josh was smart and funny, well read and articulate, and I had the most fun I’d ever had with a guy, just sitting on his couch.
Until about two a.m. when he teased me about my preferred genre of reading and movies. I pelted him with one of the mini-marshmallows I’d been snacking on. “Watch it, buddy.”
He located the marshmallow and popped it in his mouth with a grin. “I’m just saying, all that hyped-up romance, and chick flicks in general—”
“There’s nothing hyped about it.” This time two marshmallows bounced off his forehead. “I would advise you to stop while you’re ahead.”
He raised his hands in defense as the last of my ammunition hailed down on his head. I caught a mischievous glint in his eyes when his gaze darted to the marshmallows on the edge of the coffee table. My competitive lunge for the bag proved victorious, but in the process, I fell off the couch onto the floor and spilled the white treats all over myself. I couldn’t stop giggling, even after Josh’s failed attempt to secure the bag landed him on top of me.
“Ahead of what?” he asked through his laughter.
“My former opinion of you,” I replied without thinking.
The humor in his eyes died along with the smile on his lips. We lay there on the floor, body to body, the night of the Snowball Winter Formal suddenly between us. Like earlier in the ditch, I read guilt in his expression. Yeah, he knew what he’d done. Felt bad about it, too. His gaze shifted from mine, focusing on my hair as he reached to pick out a marshmallow.
Stacey Joy Netzel Boxed Set Page 7