by Hilary Dartt
He dropped his hand. She felt a mixture of delight (warmth throughout her upper body) and nerves (sweaty armpits. Thank goodness for the black sweater).
“You remembered, huh?”
She hoped the excitement she felt inside wasn’t showing on her face. It might make her come across as desperate. “I’ve been thinking this whole time that your name was Jake.”
‘I’ve been thinking this whole time’?! Come on, Delaney!
“So you’ve been thinking about me?” He pulled open the door to the restaurant, gestured for her to go in ahead of him.
Oh, yeah. You should see what I’ve been thinking. Also, one point for opening that door.
“Well, yeah. I mean, you were like a hero to the kids that day.”
“And to you, too, right?”
She shook her head, rolled her eyes. The hostess asked, “Two?” before leading them to a corner window table that looked out over Main Street. Dusk was just settling in, throwing a dusty pink light over everything.
“So who are you, really?” Delaney asked.
She took a moment to take in the scenery: wood paneling, landscape paintings of vineyards, still life paintings of cheese and crackers. She unrolled her linen napkin, draped it carefully across her lap and arranged her silverware on the table, stopping to remind herself Josie had said she was absolutely not to make napkin figurines on a first date.
“Sebastian Jacob Rhoades. I go by Jake in real life, but it’s such a small town, I put Sebastian on my dating profile so no one knows who I am. Would you have accepted my invite if you knew it was me?”
“Is that why you don’t put a picture on your profile? Or is it so you can hightail it if you show up somewhere and the woman doesn’t look like you expected her to?”
“Yep. Yep to both. And because the only picture I have is one my sister took of me when I was rock climbing. It’s not a very good view, you know?”
“Guess it depends on where she was standing.”
He chuckled, then leaned forward, his eyes still smiling but his face serious. “So would you?”
“Would I have come on the date if I knew it was you? Yes.”
He sat back. The server set down water glasses and then gargantuan, bowl-like wine glasses.
“Would you like to try a sample?” she asked. “We just got in a new red from a local winery. It’s a cabernet grown, harvested and made right here in Arizona.”
“Sure,” Jake and Delaney said simultaneously.
They ordered full glasses to go with their meat lovers’ pizza. Dark had fallen and the quaint little street lamps flickered on.
“So can I call you Jake, then?”
Delaney served him a melting slice of pizza, resisted the urge to lick the grease off her fingers and then served herself. Mental note: Thank Josie for nixing the green dress … I definitely would have gotten the sleeves oily.
“Of course. Did they ever catch the guy who hit you?”
“Nope. He was out of Phoenix. But my friend Summer is all forgiving about it. ‘All’s well that ends well,’ she says. The kids are fine, the van is fine. No harm, no foul, I guess.”
“Well, I’m glad it turned out all right. And I’m glad you didn’t turn me down for this date like you did when I invited you to Porky’s.”
Again, she found herself entertained. “Wow. You’re really holding onto that. I told you, I had to get the kids home. I was disappointed I didn’t get your number.”
“Why didn’t you ask for it?”
She was learning quickly that something about Jake made her want to be very honest. Was it too honest?
“I don’t do that.”
He laughed. “You don’t do that?”
“No.”
The pianist, a petite old woman with cotton for hair and arthritic looking knuckles, sat down and began to play. The melody drifted softly through the restaurant, reminding Delaney of an old-fashioned lounge.
“How do you ever go out with people?” Before she could answer, he asked, “Is this your first date, like, ever?”
“No, it’s –”
“Oh, you have rules, right? I’ve heard about girls like you. In fact, I’ve dated girls like you. My favorites, though, are the girls who don’t have any rules.”
When she blanched, his serious expression transformed into a smile. “Just kidding. There was one girl, kind of the one who got away, I guess, who had a bunch of rules. Brittany.”
Delaney was mortified to see that Jake looked nostalgic. Sad and a little dreamy.
“What happened with her?” This is like a car accident. I don’t want to know but I can’t help asking.
Jake shrugged. “It was weird. She just kind of disappeared. I figured I broke one of her rules, and that was that.”
Unsure of what to say, Delaney didn’t answer. Jake took a sip of wine, then shook his head just a little.
“So why are you dating online, then?” he asked. “Surely that’s against your rules.”
Should she tell him? Should she say it’s because she was too lame to figure out dating on her own and this was her friends’ way of reining her in, of screening her dates before she chose toxic men? Nah.
First of all, telling him really was against the rules and she had promised the girls she’d try harder to follow them. Plus, it was a bit too much information for a first date, probably. She’d leave that for later.
“Oh, you know. Just a change of pace, I guess.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what, Delaney Collins. When I met you outside of Porky’s, I thought, here’s a girl I’ve got to get to know. But I shut down. I was nervous as hell. Which, by the way, never happens.”
Delaney wondered if Jake could see the glow of happiness radiating out of her heart. Then she wondered if he’d think that analogy was as lame as it sounded.
Jake continued, “Then I saw you at Rowdy’s. But the nerves kicked in again. All my friends were there. It’s a man thing. I couldn’t ask for your number. So when I saw your picture on that profile, I was pleased. Actually, I was ecstatic. I thought, here’s my chance. So I’m going to go all out, here. Prepare to be wooed.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“‘Prepare to be wooed?’ He actually said that? I think I’m in love!” Summer said.
An overcast sky made everything look bright and surreal, especially the black pyramid that was Muscles Gym.
Summer wrapped a hair tie around the end of her braid and said, “Okay, I’m ready to go.”
“Now that you’ve spent ten minutes braiding your hair?” Josie said. She infused her voice with a honey-like sweetness that belied the angry crease between her eyebrows.
“Geez. If you’re going to be like this all afternoon, spare me the tongue lashing and go work out by yourself,” Summer said.
“Whoa. I’m not hanging out with you two,” Delaney muttered, even as they started walking across the parking lot. “A cat fight’s about to break out.”
“Want to give us an update on the principal stuff before we head in and I’m forced to lock you in the steam room for a time out?” Summer said, injecting her voice with a saccharine tone to rival Josie’s. They’d reached the entrance. Josie stopped.
“I’m sorry, Summer.” Her eyes filled with tears. After an initial shock-related pause, Summer hugged her. “I’m sorry,” Josie said again. “Today I saw that snot, Blair Upton, flirting with Scott Smith. Which means they’re probably sleeping together. I mean, it’s shameless. She’s a teacher and he’s the principal. He’s flirting right back. In public. It’s ridiculous. You should see it.”
“But he’s leaving. What good will it do her to flirt with him?” Delaney asked.
“Oh, I can guarantee you she’s not stopping at flirting,” Josie said. “And he’s on the hiring committee. Of course.”
She yanked the door open and stalked into the gym – holding it for the others as an afterthought. Summer shrugged at Delaney behind Josie’s back as they walked in.
“Sorry, Josie
,” Delaney said. “Want us to beat her up?”
Josie’s laugh came out short and harsh. “Yes, please.”
They arrived at the free weights. Each of them took a set off the rack.
“So can I message Jake Rhoades today? Set up another date?” Delaney said.
“Oh, no, sister,” Summer said. “You’re not messaging anybody. We do that. What about Mitchell?”
“True,” Josie said. “During the Mitchell and Jake-slash-Sebastian dates, we barely heard from you. Except, ‘Guys! You won’t believe this! It’s the hot car accident guy!’” Josie said.
“Right,” Summer said. “So that means they were successful. I think you need to go out with both of them again. But no kissing, no sex.”
“So do I contact them? Or wait for them to contact me?”
Delaney, unsure of what to do with her weights, mimicked Josie’s position and began doing bicep curls, too.
“I checked your profile right before I got here,” Summer said. “Mitchell already sent you a message. And Sebastian, or Jake, hasn’t. I think that’s enough on the bicep curls, Josie.”
“He’s probably testing me,” Delaney said. “I told him I don’t get guys’ numbers. So he probably wants me to make the next move.”
“Do you want to?” Josie asked. She put her weights away and grabbed a lighter set for tricep extensions.
“Hell, yeah, I want to.”
“Okay,” Josie said. “I’ll log into your profile and write him a note.”
“What will it say?”
“Probably something like, ‘Hey, big guy, I enjoyed our time in the backseat of your big truck. Wanna do it again?’”
“Shut up, Josie,” Delaney said. “There was no backseat. No truck, either. Say something good.”
“I will.”
An hour later, sweaty and red-faced from their cardio workouts, the girls gathered in the gym’s foyer.
“First gym day: success,” Summer said.
“My legs are going to fall off,” Josie said. “I walked for an hour and I feel like I’m going to die. But it did improve my mood.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Delaney said.
“I failed to mention, too, that I got a nasty call from a parent today,” Josie said. “A dad. His damn kid is always punching the other boys in the arm. It’s like a greeting or something, I don’t know. But a few of them have bruises. So anyway, I sent a note home with the kid yesterday and the dad called me in the middle of class today and started yelling at me that I won’t tell his kid whether he can say hello to his friends. Or something. He, of course, launched into everything that’s wrong with the school system and how teachers are glorified babysitters and how his son isn’t learning anything anyway.”
Summer shuddered. Delaney grimaced.
“Oh, yeah. It was that good. I didn’t mention that his son is also a disrespectful asshole and I now have a very clear picture of where he gets it.”
“So what did you say?”
“You know what I said, Dee? I said, ‘I don’t have time for this shit in the middle of my class. Go see the principal.’ And I hung up. I could still hear him spluttering.”
After a pause, Josie went on, “Then I realized that next year, I could be the principal. I could be dealing with assholes all the time.”
“Not all the time, surely,” Summer said.
“No. But it made me reconsider applying. I’m not sure I can do it, guys.”
***
The students in Country Kitchen’s How to Boil Water class bustled around the back of the store, taking out their aprons, setting up their dishes and perusing the evening’s menu. Delaney and Beth, done with their prep work, stood behind their island.
“So, the day after our last class, my mom calls, wanting to know if my new cooking skills have landed me a new guy,” Beth said.
“Well, have they?”
Beth snorted. “I don’t think I’m going to put ‘How to Boil Water Graduate’ on my FindLove.com profile, thank you very much.”
“I know. Seriously. I’m putting it on mine, though.”
“You’re on FindLove.com?”
Delaney cringed. “Yeah. Why? Should I not be?”
“It’s not that, it’s just that you seem so outgoing and friendly. I wouldn’t think you’d need online dating. You’re probably great in person.”
“My best friends again.” Delaney shrugged. “I’m too good in person. Too approachable. Losers just love me. So my friends, Summer and Josie, they’re screening everybody on my profile.”
“You’re letting them?”
“I hate to say it, but they’re doing better for me than I am for myself.”
At that moment, Delaney glanced up at the storefront window and saw Jake Rhoades on the sidewalk, staring at her with an intensity that bordered on scary, but mostly just made her want to strip him down right there where he stood.
Beth followed her gaze and said, “Ooh. Who is that? He looks like he wants to eat you up. Right now.”
“Ahhh,” Delaney sighed, “Jake Rhoades. Jake Rhoades the Dreamy. A FindLove.com find.”
“No!”
“Yes. Yes, indeed.”
As they stared at each other, Delaney felt a slow, sexy smile spreading across her face. She also heard a tiny voice wondering if he’d ever looked at The-One-Who-Got-Away Brittany like that. Shaking it off, she gave Jake a little wave. He smiled, then, sudden and bright, before waving and going on his way.
“Let’s begin,” Wendy said then, and the moment was gone.
That evening during class, Delaney worked through the roasted chicken and grilled steak, pretending she was cooking for Jake.
“Would you like some rosemary on your chicken?” she’d ask. He’d respond, “Of course, sugar lips.”
They’d sip cold white wine from sparkling wine glasses and she’d feed him a taste of the chicken, which he’d nibble sensually from the tips of her fingers.
“You’re burning the steak,” Beth said, nudging Delaney with her elbow and popping the bubble of fantasy she’d been living in.
“Oops.”
“Thinking about The Dreamy, huh?”
“You caught me.”
***
Delaney didn’t tell the girls about her first official job interview. For starters, they already knew almost every detail of her love life, and she wanted to keep some semblance of control and privacy. Also, she didn’t want them to be disappointed if she didn’t get the job. Mostly, though, if she were being honest with herself (haha), she’d be embarrassed if she failed at the job hunt again.
The Mountain Top Veterinary Clinic, a tiny stone building with generous windows in front, sat shaded in the trees a mile outside of downtown, within walking distance of her house. Delaney had driven, since the roads were still wet from snowmelt and she didn’t want to risk walking. She’d seen too many commercials where passing cars splashed pedestrians with grimy water and she didn’t want her new gray pinstriped suit to meet that fate.
She arrived exactly two minutes early and opted for the cat entrance, figuring it improved her suit’s chances of remaining hair-free. Naturally, as soon as she walked in, a huge, white, fluffy dog made a beeline for Delaney, its whole body trembling with joy. Its owner chuckled like a proud parent would, wearing an isn’t-he-cute? expression. It was all Delaney could do to keep from rolling her eyes. Within seconds, her pants were covered in wiry white hair.
“Sorry,” the dog’s owner said indulgently. “She just loves people.”
Delaney bit her tongue, literally, and was glad she did. Just then, a door behind the counter opened.
“I assume you’re Ms. Collins?”
Dr. Alexander Mott, a stern-faced, gray-haired man in jeans, a plaid flannel shirt and a white doctor’s coat, looked over his glasses at Delaney, who was madly trying to brush the hair off her pants.
“Uh, yes. I am,” she said. “Dr. Mott?”
“Right this way.”
Discomfited, she
scooted around the counter and followed him back to his office. Why had she worn a suit? What on Earth had made her think wearing a suit (a brand new suit) to an interview for a veterinary position was a good idea? She should have known better. Shoving the thought out of her mind, she took in her surroundings. Cluttered. The shelves were packed with pamphlets, binders and books, and paper covered every horizontal surface. He needs a professional organizer more than he needs another vet.
“You can sit here,” Dr. Mott said, scooping a stack of papers off a rickety-looking office chair.
She sat.
“So, your resume shows you’ve been unemployed for the past several years since you finished vet school.”
Wow. Cutting right to the chase, Delaney thought.
“Actually, I’ve been working, but I didn’t think it was relevant to this position, so I didn’t put it on my resume.”
Again, Dr. Mott looked over his glasses at her, his steely gray eyes piercing hers.
“What have you been doing, exactly?”
“I tend bar at Rowdy’s. Not exactly animal-related.” Her armpits tingled.
“Hm. I see. A word of advice, Ms. Collins?”
Delaney doubted he was really asking her permission, so she nodded, simultaneously cringing.
“Never leave a spot on your resume blank if you actually have something to put there. It makes you look like you can’t get or keep a job. Bartending is not, shall we say, the most pertinent experience, I realize. But at least your long-term employment proves you have staying power.”
Delaney nodded, too dumbstruck to respond in any other way.
“No internships, then?” Dr. Mott said.
“No.”
“So, no veterinary experience at all?”
“Not outside of vet school. But I’m a quick learner.”
***
That could have gone better. Delaney replayed the interview in her mind as she drove the short distance home just twenty minutes later. After the first set of scorching questions, Delaney asked Dr. Mott why he even called her for an interview. He responded that she’d been the only applicant. Finding vets in Juniper was difficult, he said.