by Melinda Metz
“I think I might need a break. My brain is starting to hurt. I heard they have a tea room on the second floor. Want to check it out?” Jamie asked.
“Sure.” David followed her down one of the dim corridors and up a flight of stairs. The tea room was empty, but a few seconds later, a woman dressed all in black and gray appeared with two glasses of hot tea, as if she’d received some kind of advance alert they’d be needed. She gestured them to a dark wood table with a large doily in the center. Without a word, she set down the tea and disappeared. A few seconds later, she reappeared with a plate of cookies, set it on their table, and vanished again.
Jamie laughed. “I bet she likes her job. I don’t think you’d end up working at a place like this if you didn’t appreciate it. I’d love to take her picture, but no cell.” Cell phones weren’t allowed in the museum. “And I’d really love to meet the man who created this place. The museum has to be a passion project.”
David nodded. “It’s not a place designed to make money. Maybe it’s ended up making some, but it feels like he just wanted to make his vision come to life.”
“I envy that. I envy someone having that strong a vision,” Jamie said. “I’m having fun exploring. But I’m just zipping from here to there. Mostly I’ve just been seeing what other people have found to do with their lives.”
“And taking pictures of them. Noticing them. Appreciating them,” David answered. “That’s what I see. I see focus, even in just the short amount of time you’ve been out here. I can see you creating your own kind of Humans of New York.”
“Really?”
“Really. You could do a series of photos and stories about people doing what they love, whether it’s teaching surfing or creating a place like this,” David answered. “You’ve already started. I was serious when I said I thought that Technicolor treatment you were giving that picture of your surfing guru was great. You could start with a blog, or posting on Instagram or Facebook.”
“How cool would it be if coming to places like this could be part of my job?” Jamie asked, her brown eyes glowing with excitement and her face pinkening. He wanted to run his fingers over her cheeks and feel the warmth.
“If you saw yourself right now, you’d want to take your own picture,” David told her, trying to push away the thoughts of touching her face. And her breasts. And her—They were friends doing each other a favor by pretending to be more than friends. He needed to slap himself around until he could remember that.
Jamie leaned across the table and rested her hand on his. “Thanks, David. Just, thanks. It was right in front of me, but I’m not sure I’d have seen it without you.” She squeezed his hand, then picked up her tea. “Who knows if I could turn it into actual work, the way the Humans of New York guy did. But who cares? I’m going to start putting the pictures up on some kind of social media, because the people in them inspire me, and maybe they’ll inspire someone else.” She finally sucked in a breath after the rush of words. “Hey, do you think I could take some photos of you baking? You should be part of the series of people doing what they love for sure.”
“Anytime,” David told her.
“Now?” Jamie asked. “You’ve got me all inspired.”
“Now works,” he answered.
About an hour and a half later, they were in the basement of the bakery. He was stirring a tablespoon of sake into the pan where he was boiling pitted plums. “You put the sake in a tablespoon at a time,” he told Jamie as she continued taking pictures. “You want to get a little of the alcohol kick, but not too much.” He continued stirring, then spooned out some of the mixture. “Wanna be my taste tester?” Jamie set down her phone and came over to him. He raised the spoon to her lips. “Maybe blow on it a little first,” he suggested.
And as she did, he was focused on her mouth, thinking of sex again. He felt like a teenager. Everything she did was making him think about sex. Although watching her tentatively lick the mixture to make sure it wasn’t too hot would probably make an octogenarian hard.
“I think it could use a little more,” Jamie told him.
David was glad to have a reason to turn away. He added another tablespoonful of sake to the pan and stirred.
“How do you come up with your recipes?” Jamie asked, returning to taking pictures of him.
“Sometimes I’m inspired to cook something for a particular person,” David answered. “Like some jam cupcakes I made recently.”
Jamie smiled, but didn’t lower her cell. “Ahhh. Interesting. And other times?”
“I like to go to little shops and see what they have that’s different,” David answered. “For these, I saw wasabi and plum sesame seeds in a little market on Sawtelle Boulevard. I wanted to do something with them, and I decided to do an almond cupcake that would let the other flavors really pop. I’m doing some alcohol-infused cupcakes for a bar near here, so that’s where the sake came in. Plum sake to pick up the plum in the sesame seeds.” This time he sampled the mix. “Just so you know, when I’m cooking for the public, I use a new spoon each time. But since you’re my girlfriend, I figured you wouldn’t mind.” He put in another tablespoon of sake.
“I guess not. Even though you’re refusing to sleep with me until I buy you a nice meal, I suppose we must have swapped spit by this point,” Jamie teased. David let that one go.
“Think it’s good.” David added a mix of cornstarch and sugar to the pot. “I need one more taste test. Sweet enough?” He held out the spoon.
Jamie sipped. “Little more,” she said. He added a bit more sugar and turned off the heat, then he opened the top oven to check the cupcakes. “Just about ready. We’ll need to wait until they cool a little to start cutting out holes, actually more like cones, for the filling. Sake while we wait? In a glass instead of off the spoon this time?”
“Sure.” Jamie set the phone down.
“I actually don’t have any real glasses down here.” He found a clean glass measuring cup, poured about the equivalent of a shot’s worth of sake in, and handed it to Jamie, then got himself one. “Kanpai!” He clinked his cup with Jamie’s.
“Kanpai!” she repeated, swinging up to sit on one of the wooden tables. “Is it okay that I’m sitting up here?”
“Absolutely.” He swung up next to her. “Did you know that there’s a traditional Japanese toast that translates to ‘you’re tired’? It’s a big compliment, because working hard is valued.”
“Makes more sense than ‘here’s mud in your eye’,” Jamie said, taking a sip of her drink, and he noticed her eyes were locked on his face.
“You’re staring,” David told her.
Jamie blinked. “Sorry. Just trying to decide what kind of technique I’d want to use on your photos. I don’t know if I want to do the Technicolor thing on all of them. I saw this one effect that makes everything look kind of dreamy.... Maybe that.” She shook her head. “Okay, no. From your expression I can tell that has zero appeal.”
“I didn’t say that,” David protested. Although she was right. Some soft-focus, dreamy pictures of him sounded pretty embarrassing. Definitely nothing he’d let Adam see.
“There was also one I saw that you can use to give kind of an eighties vibe, all fluoro colors,” she said.
“Much more me. Billy Idol Baker,” David answered, then shout-sang the “more, more, more,” from “Rebel Yell.” While she was still laughing, he kissed her, just one fast kiss.
“Uhh . . .” Jamie didn’t seem to know how to react.
“You’re the one who said the fake couple of Jamie and David have kissed,” David reminded her. “If I have to kiss you in front of Marie and Helen, I don’t want it too look awkward, like we’ve never done it before.” It was a better reason than that he just couldn’t help himself.
“Ahh.” She nodded. “And under what circumstance do you think it would be necessary to kiss me in front of Marie and Helen?” She sounded amused, but was still looking a little startled.
“Like if I walk you to t
he door after we have dinner, and they’re standing on their porches or peering out their windows,” David told her.
“They are always watching,” Jamie agreed. She slid a little closer, pulled his head down to hers, and kissed him. Not fast. A long, sweet kiss that lit up his entire body. When she released him, she jumped off the table and poured herself some more sake. “That’s more of a good-night kiss, don’t you think?” she asked over her shoulder.
He jumped down, took the measuring cup out of her hand, put it down, and pulled her tight up against him, then he kissed her the way he’d been wanting to kiss her all day, letting his hands run down her back. When one hand slid down over her ass, she stepped away. “Nope,” she said, sounding a little breathless. “You can’t grab my butt in front of our little-old-lady neighbors.”
“Right. Right,” David said again. His brain wasn’t able to come up with more words than that. Finally, he managed to add, “Let me see if the cupcakes are cool enough to work on.”
* * *
Mac began to purr before Jamie even opened the door. There wasn’t even a whiff of the loneliness that had clung to her for so long, even when she’d had another human living with her.
He butted her leg with his head when she stepped inside, and she scooped him up and twirled around. He could tell that she’d been with the bonehead’s person, David. He could smell that, too. He’d chosen well. Jamie should let him make all the decisions about her life. For starters, she should eat a lot more sardines, and share them. He loved the crunch of their little bonesies.
He’d completed his mission. Jamie was happier than he’d ever smelled her, and that made him feel like he’d been rolling in catnip. Mac wanted more of that feeling. Much more. And he knew how to get it. All he had to do was wait until Jamie fell asleep.
CHAPTER 16
A knock on the front door the next morning pulled Jamie away from her work. She’d been fooling around with turning one of the pictures of David into something out of a Billy Idol album cover, coloring half his face in red on a diagonal. She’d been watching tutorials on hidden iPhone camera features, and she’d downloaded some apps to give her more techniques to play with.
When she opened the door, Ruby was standing there. “I brought iced coffees. I can’t drink hot coffee after noon,” she said.
Jamie saw that the sun was already high in the sky. “What time is it?”
“A little after one,” Ruby answered.
“I thought it was only about ten. I got up around six. I can’t believe I’ve been working this many hours,” Jamie said.
“Move aside and let me in, or we’re both going to get interrogated by Hud,” Ruby ordered.
Jamie obediently stepped back. When Ruby moved past her, Jamie’s mouth dropped open. The edge of the fountain was covered. There were usually a couple things, but today there were probably more than twenty. In just a quick glance, she saw underwear of an array of sizes, styles, and colors; a cloth doll; a Kanye T-shirt; and a long, dangly earring sparkling with what she hoped were fake jewels. She didn’t want Mac to start taking anything that was truly valuable. A couple people wandered around the fountain, looking at the array of items.
“Hurry up and shut the door,” Ruby told her.
But it was too late. “Hold up there, little lady,” Hud called as Jamie started to swing the door shut. “I was wondering where you, and your cat, were last night from, say, sundown to sunup,” he said when he reached her. He looked over her shoulder. “Your accomplice, too.”
“I was home from about ten thirty on,” Jamie answered. “My cat—” She looked at all the new things on the edge of the fountain. “My cat was probably out stealing stuff. I’m trying to figure out how he’s getting out, so I can stop him. But so far, no luck.”
The divorced man who owned the orange Speedo hurried across the courtyard and dropped one silk stocking on the edge of the fountain. “It was on my porch this morning,” he called to Hud as he walked away.
“Why don’t you just tell me the truth? We both know your cat can’t possibly be behind all this.” He gestured to the fountain. “Not without help.” He pulled down his sunglasses and gave her a long look, then looked at Ruby.
“You’re the detective. Or at least you played one on TV,” Ruby said. “Aren’t you supposed to get clues and evidence? You shouldn’t need us to tell you anything. Not if you’re as good as you think you are.”
“You think you can nibble the bait and leave the hook bare. And maybe you can—a few times. But one little miscalculation, and you’re supper,” Hud answered. “I’ll see you two at suppertime.” He sauntered away.
Jamie shut the door. “I’ve got to figure out how Mac is getting out. I keep trying to stay awake and catch him. But he’s too sneaky.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s harmless. Mac’s giving the Court some entertainment.” Ruby set the coffees down on the kitchen table. “What were you working on that made you lose complete track of time?
“This.” Jamie turned her laptop so her friend could see the photo of David.
“I. Love. It,” Ruby announced.
“I took some pictures of David at the bakery yesterday. He gave me this idea. He saw this picture of Kylie I’d been playing with, and he said I should think about doing a series of photos of people with different jobs. People who love their jobs. Kind of a spin on Humans—”
“Of New York,” Ruby finished for her. “That’s brilliant!” Her phone neighed and she checked it. “Addison wanting to know if Riley can hang with me this afternoon.” She typed in her answer.
“I’m sure that’s a yes,” Jamie said.
“Of course. I love it when she comes over. It’s such a kick to get a four-year-old’s view of the world. So, you’re going to keep taking pictures of people at work?”
“Yeah, I want to go back and talk some more to everyone, try to find out how they got into doing what they do,” Jamie said. “I can talk to Kylie at my next lesson, and I thought I could hit up the other people I photographed at Venice Beach then, too. As long as I bring enough singles. They all expect to get paid. And why not?”
“David came up with the perfect idea. How many times have you gone out with him now?” Ruby asked.
“I’m not going out with him,” Jamie protested. “I’m just hanging out with him. So his friends and Marie and Helen will stop trying to set me up. I mean, you and I have seen each other almost every day since you invited me in for gingerbread man decapitation. It’s not any different from that.”
Except for those kisses. Jamie felt heat flood her face—make that her whole body—just thinking about it.
Ruby pointed at her. “You slept with him!”
“I did not!” Jamie cried. Ruby raised her eyebrows, waiting. “I did kiss him a few times,” Jamie admitted. “But only so that if we had to kiss in front of anyone, it would look natural.”
Ruby cracked up. When she finally managed to stop laughing, she said, “You two are ridiculous. When are you going to admit that neither of you is doing this to keep people from matchmaking?”
“When’s the last time you tried to say no to Marie?” Jamie countered. “Or got in the middle of a competition between her and Helen? David and me pretending to go out has solved the problem.”
“News flash. You’re not pretending,” Ruby told her.
“Yeah, we are. You know I want to focus on myself this year,” Jamie said. “I have this amazing new project—”
“Thanks to an idea from David,” Ruby reminded her.
“Right, David. Who isn’t ready to go out with anyone yet. He’s still grieving.” Jamie picked up her coffee and took a long swallow, almost choking on an ice cube.
“Jamie, I was friends with Clarissa. She was a wonderful woman. It broke David’s heart to lose her. But he wouldn’t be practice-kissing you if he wasn’t ready to start another relationship. And you wouldn’t be practice-kissing him if you absolutely didn’t want a guy in your life. You have to know that.
”
“Look, I enjoyed kissing him, and it’s always fun hanging out with him. I like him, and it’s great to have a new friend out here. But that doesn’t mean I want to have to think about whether or not he’ll be jealous if I want to track down the puppet guys some night to interview them. Or worry about whether he ate dinner because I wasn’t around to cook for him.”
“You wouldn’t have to think about those things with David,” Ruby said. “And anyway, I’m not talking about you two moving in together or anything. I’m talking about more of a friends-with-benefits kind of thing—with the potential to upgrade.”
“I’m fine with how things are,” Jamie insisted. “David is, too. It’s working for us.”
“Are you’re fine with not kissing him again?” Ruby pressed. “Since you’ve gotten your practice in, there’s no reason to kiss him anymore, right?”
Jamie tried to pretend that the idea of never kissing David again didn’t make her body feel several degrees cooler. “Right.”
* * *
When David came home from work, Diogee greeted him leash in mouth, as always. David didn’t bother trying to convince the beast to give him two minutes to relax. He always lost that argument—even though David was absolutely the alpha dog.
He snapped on the leash and allowed Diogee to haul him outside. A few seconds later, Zachary burst out his front door and trotted over to them. “I can’t hang with you guys today,” he said, twisting his face to one side to avoid getting kissed on the lips by Diogee, who had his paws planted on the kid’s shoulders.
“What’s the up?” David asked, then he gave a pull on Diogee’s leash. “Diogee, knock it off,” he ordered. The dog usually just gave a lick or two, but today it was like he wanted to give Zachary a bath. Maybe it was because of the smell coming off the kid. It was like he’d doused himself in umbrella drinks and coconut suntan oil.