A Better Reason to Fall in Love

by Marcia Lynn McClure

  “Something like that,” Jagger said as he finished scribbling and shoved the napkin into the front pocket of his pants.

  ❦

  “No. Seriously, Chloe,” Tabby said into her cell as she walked toward her car after work. “Can you believe that? I mean, really…what are the odds?”

  “Probably a billion to one,” Chloe answered. Tabby thought for a moment how utterly amazing it was that she could talk to her sister when they were hundreds of miles apart.

  “At least a billion!” Tabby giggled.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Chloe began. “Jocelyn is in love with some Latin cliff-diver restaurant-owner guy, who used to work with your hot sales and marketing analyst guy, who was sitting at lunch with some dapper professor from Boston who has Naomi’s heart racing—which in itself is astonishing—who teaches at the same college where Emmy’s soldier went to school?”

  “Exactly!” Tabby confirmed.

  “That’s freaky! I mean…seriously? Did you read your horoscope today? It’s like the planets are wigging out or something! I can’t believe I’m stuck at this training thing and missing all this.”

  “I know, huh?” Tabby said as a gust of spring wind nearly knocked her over.

  “Meanwhile, back at the ranch—literally back at the ranch—I’m still waiting for you to text me a picture of this Jagger Brodie dude!” Chloe said. “Can’t you find one opportunity to just hold up your phone and snap a picture for me? One lousy picture?”

  Tabby rolled her eyes, even though her sister couldn’t see her expression of exasperation.

  “Oh, yeah,” Tabby giggled. “I’m just going to randomly start snapping pictures of him at the office. You’re so dumb, Chloe.”

  “But I’ve got to see him! I’ve got to see this guy who has you so wound up all the time.”

  “He doesn’t have me wound up all the time,” Tabby scolded. “Just most of the time. He’s just…you know…like…it’s like he gives you goose bumps all over, puts butterflies in your stomach, and makes your mouth water all at the same time!”

  “Then I definitely need to see a photo of him.”

  Tabby opened her car door, awkwardly plopped her purse onto the passenger’s seat, and sighed.

  “I’ll try to snap a picture with my phone,” she said. “I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’ll try.”

  “Just do it! He won’t notice,” Chloe giggled. She paused a moment and then said, “Still, I think what has me freaking out the most is that somebody actually turned Naomi’s head. I was beginning to wonder if she had a romantic bone in her body at all!”

  Tabby smiled as she pushed the key into the ignition.

  “I know, huh?” she said. “I’d love to go spy on her tonight—you know, show up at the lecture and see if she gets to talk to the professor guy. He’s a good-looking man too.”

  “Another reason to be astonished that Naomi would be crushing on him.”

  “I’m in the car now, so I’ll let you know what happens with everything later,” Tabby said.

  “Okay,” Chloe said. “But snap a picture of…what was it you’re calling him now?”

  Tabby smiled. “The Derrière-inator.”

  Chloe broke into laughter for a moment. “Oh, that’s classic, Tabs! Classic.”

  “I know,” Tabby told her sister. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Tabby tossed her cell into the passenger’s seat with her purse and pushed play on the CD player.

  “Whew!” she sighed as Eric Clapton began to play “Driftin’ Blues.” “That was a long day,” she said to herself. Yet as she thought of the moments in the Acapulco at lunch—the moments she’d spent sort of talking to Jagger Brodie—she smiled. He was absolutely delicious, and those few moments had definitely been worth a long, rather monotonous workday.

  Tabby smiled, shaking her head with disbelief, as in that very instant Jagger Brodie himself stepped out of the building and into the parking lot.

  “Hmm,” Tabby whispered. “If only he’d appear every time I thought of him!”

  She watched Jagger—watched him saunter across the parking lot, watched him loosen his red power tie and unbutton his shirt collar button. Even for the wind, he stripped off his suit coat, and Tabby’s smile broadened as another sudden gust tousled his hair.

  She wondered where he was going. Would he just head home? And if so, where did he live? Did he have a date? After all, it was Friday night. Disappointed with that thought, Tabby determined to assume he was going home—going home to sit alone, eat some leftover takeout chicken, and watch TV. After all, it’s what she was doing.

  As she drove to the little two-bedroom house that had once been her grandmother’s and for which she and Chloe now split the rent, Tabby listened to Eric Clapton sing the blues and thought of Jagger Brodie. She thought of Jocelyn and her excitement over her impending date with Armando too. She briefly wondered how many hours Emmy would spend answering Luke’s letter and hoped Naomi got to meet the dashing Professor Lowery. Still, in the end, it was Jagger Brodie who dominated her thoughts. Yep—he was gorgeous! Not to mention polite and quite charming with his rather reserved, businessman’s manner.

  Tabby reached over and turned up the volume as Eric continued to drift the blues. Her mouth began to water. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if it was the anticipation of the leftover fried chicken waiting at home that caused it or the lingering thoughts of the scrumptious Jagger Brodie.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “And then,” Naomi continued, sighing wistfully, “then he recited an excerpt from Robert Browning’s ‘In a Gondola,’ and I wept and wept. It was so romantic!” Naomi exhaled another sigh of enchantment, smiling like Tabby had never seen her smile before.

  Emmy nudged Tabby with her elbow as she bit into her toasted bagel. Tabby glanced to her friend to see her grinning with amused delight. Jocelyn was smiling as well, all three listeners entirely enthralled by Naomi’s tale of her evening at Professor Lowery’s lecture.

  “And?” Emmy prodded.

  “And what?” Naomi asked.

  “Quit messing with us, Naomi. Did you get to meet the dashing Professor Lowery or not?”

  Naomi’s smile broadened, and Tabby giggled as her friend nodded.

  “I did!” Naomi breathed, closing her eyes for a moment as if she had known true euphoria in meeting Anthony Lowery. “He’s incredible! So articulate…so well-mannered!”

  Naomi opened her eyes once more, and Tabby thought she’d never seen them flash with such excitement.

  “Furthermore, he said he remembered seeing me at the Acapulco that day. He actually remembered seeing me! Can you believe it?” Naomi nearly squealed.

  Tabby was awed. She’d never seen Naomi so animated—never. There was an obvious radiance in her, a visible joy. Tabby thought for a moment that even Naomi’s dark hair seemed to shimmer with the vivacity of crushing on the professor.

  “Of course I can believe it!” Jocelyn said. “You’re gorgeous, Naomi. And so smart! It’s absolutely predictable that you would catch his eye.”

  “But isn’t he, like…old?” Emmy cautiously asked.

  Naomi shrugged. “Only thirty-seven. I did an extensive Internet search on him when I got home.”

  “Well, naturally,” Jocelyn teased, exchanging amused winks with Tabby.

  “Only thirty-seven?” Emmy asked.

  “Exactly,” Naomi said, still smiling. “I’m twenty-six, he’s thirty-seven. It’s perfect, isn’t it? And he asked for my number!”

  “No way!” Tabby exclaimed, delighted for her friend.

  “He really did,” Naomi assured her. “He asked permission to call me later this week. He’ll be in town again next weekend and asked me if I might be interested in accompanying him to dinner.”

  Emmy giggled. “He actually asked you if you’d be interested in accompanying him? He asked you that way?”

  Naomi nodded,
and Emmy giggled again. “Then he’s definitely the man for you, Naomi!”

  “Oh, I hope so!” Naomi sighed. She seemed lost in her own thoughts for a moment. Seeming to suddenly snap back to attention, however, she looked to Jocelyn. “But you still haven’t told us about your hot date with Armando the Cliff Diver.” Naomi shook her head, adding, “I guess I was just so excited to tell you all about Professor Lowery’s lecture that I’ve just been droning on. Sorry, Joss.”

  “No, no, no! Don’t be sorry,” Jocelyn assured Naomi, placing a friendly hand on her arm. “I wanted to hear about you and your professor. I love it!”

  Tabby smiled, gazing at Jocelyn with admiration. She was so kind—so sincerely kind. Jocelyn was always genuinely interested in what someone else had to say. Tabby was certain that the moment Naomi began to relate the tale of her evening with the professor, Jocelyn’s mind had been focused only on what Naomi was saying. She was like that—unselfish. Tabby thought the world would be a better place if more people were like Jocelyn, thinking about others more often than themselves.

  “But what did happen with Armando?” Emmy asked. “I was going to call you Saturday, but I thought it would be more fun to hear about it when we were all together for lunch today.”

  Tabby glanced up to the large glass wall in front of them. She watched a shark move slowly past, then another. Tabby never grew tired of watching the sharks, colorful fish, and sea creatures visible through the aquarium glass. Still, even though she liked the aquarium well enough, she wished it hadn’t been so windy outside. She’d rather be enjoying the sun while they ate.

  “So, what did happen?” she asked Jocelyn as her attention returned to her friends.

  “I’m…I’m sort of afraid to tell you,” Jocelyn said. Blushing, she glanced around the room as if to ensure that no one else could hear their conversation. “You guys will think I’m crazy. I know you will!”

  “Just tell us what happened, Joss!’ Emmy begged. “By the look on your face, it must’ve been fabulous.”

  Jocelyn nodded, the dreamy look on her face even surpassing the one on Naomi’s in its resplendence.

  “Well, he called me…to get directions to my apartment,” Jocelyn began, “and I swear, just the sound of his voice on the phone…I was so nervous!”

  “And?” Tabby prodded.

  “And he came to pick me up at seven,” Jocelyn explained, smiling. She shook her head, as if awestruck by the mere memory of the moment. “Well, you know how he’s all handsome and stuff when he’s diving at the Acapulco?”

  “Yeah…” Tabby, Emmy, and Naomi answered in unison.

  Jocelyn shook her head, obviously rendered breathless somehow at simply thinking on Armando.

  “Well, you guys should see him in jeans and a button-up shirt!” Jocelyn exclaimed. “I swear, it was surreal. I mean, he was standing there, just outside my door, looking like some gorgeous Latin soap star…and I’m telling you, I could hardly breathe!”

  Tabby giggled, exchanging understanding glances with Naomi and Emmy. Tabby had no doubt Jocelyn almost passed out when Armando showed up at her door. Jocelyn had always been the rather mild-mannered one of the group. In the past, she’d always dated guys that were rather average—nice, safe, and entirely predictable—the kind of guy that was best for a girl to date, in truth. Therefore, that Jocelyn had even been drawn to Armando enough to choose the Acapulco as her choice for Friday restaurant lunches four times in succession was uncharacteristic altogether. Still, something about the glow on her face, the excited twinkle in her eyes, told Tabby that perhaps Armando was what Jocelyn had needed all along.

  “But you did breathe, right?” Naomi asked. “You kept hold of your senses, right?”

  “Yes, Naomi,” Jocelyn said, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t faint or gasp or drool…or even stammer. I was cool…at least on the outside.”

  “So anyway,” Emmy prodded.

  “So anyway,” Jocelyn continued, “he walked me out to his car, opened the door for me—”

  “Ooooo!” breathed Tabby and Emmy simultaneously. The girls found that most men didn’t open car or building doors for women anymore. It seemed a lost piece of nostalgic chivalry—of romance.

  “Armando just leapt up a few spaces on my list,” Tabby said.

  “I know, huh?” Jocelyn giggled.

  “And then?” Naomi asked.

  “And then he took me to that old café over on the west side of town—the one with the delicious homemade cooking, like meatloaf and green beans and stuff.”

  “The Pickle Barrel?” Emmy offered.

  “Yeah! That’s it,” Jocelyn exclaimed. “I ordered the meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes, and Armando had the fried chicken and corn chowder. It was delicious! I swear, I thought I was eating something my grandma had cooked.”

  Tabby was astonished. Frowning, she asked, “How in the world did he know you’d like that? It’s, like, your favorite kind of food.”

  But Jocelyn only shrugged. “I have no idea…but it was perfect. We talked and talked and talked! I learned all about his family and how they came here when Armando was just a baby. It’s an amazing story. And we talked about, like, normal stuff—our interests, our jobs, our friends. I told him all about you guys.” Jocelyn paused, smiling, her eyes glistening with pure enchantment. “We sat at the restaurant for three hours. Three hours! Can you believe that? The poor waitress. I know she was freaking out because her table was being held up, but Armando left an outrageous tip for her to make up for it. It was fabulous! I never felt so comfortable with any guy before—not in my entire life!”

  “Did you do anything after dinner?” Naomi asked. “Not that dinner wasn’t obviously fabulous enough…but did you do anything else?”

  Though Tabby would’ve thought it impossible, Jocelyn’s smile widened even further as she nodded.

  “We went back to his place, and he has this awesome telescope that can see, like, out to everywhere in space. It was absolutely unbelievable!” Jocelyn exclaimed. “I’ve never seen the moon like that. Seriously, it was fantastic. He’s really into astronomy…knows all the constellations and stuff. I told him how mesmerized I am by cloud formations, and we started talking about weather patterns and stuff. It was like a dream!”

  “Are you trying to tell us you found a gorgeous Latin cliff-diving restaurant owner who is as into the sky and stuff as you are?” Emmy asked.

  Jocelyn nodded vigorously. “He’s even more into it than me!”

  “It’s too perfect,” Naomi said, shaking her head with obvious skepticism. “It’s just too perfect! How could he know you’re into all that stuff, Joss? The food, the moon? It has to be a hoax or something. No one meets a guy in a restaurant and has him turn out to be her ‘dream lover.’ It just can’t happen.”

  “Anything can happen,” Tabby mumbled, for she liked to believe that it could. Nearly anything was possible. Oh, certainly not things like time travel or Frankenstein monsters—but almost anything else was, especially when it had to do with romance and love. At least, that’s what she liked to believe.

  But Naomi shook her head. “It’s too surreal, girls,” she said. “This guy—Mr. Unbelievably Handsome Cliff Diver—walks up to our table one day, takes one look at Jocelyn, and announces that he thinks he’s going to love her? Then he turns out to be this man who prefers home cooking, whose hobby is stars and planets, not to mention he knows the Derrière-inator from the office?” Naomi shook her head. “I just can’t think it’s real, Joss. I mean, I don’t want to upset you. But really…what are the odds?”

  “Anything can happen, Naomi,” Tabby said. “If you think about it, it’s really no different than the fact that Professor Anthony Lowery teaches at the same college Luke attended before he enlisted…and who, I might mention, you are currently freaking out over…and who is also the brother of David Lowery, one the biggest jerks at the office…and both just happened to be having lunch with the Derrière-inator, who just happened to know Armando bec
ause they were once cliff divers together, and—”

  “Okay, okay,” Naomi interrupted. “I guess…I guess it’s all pretty implausible.”

  “Right,” Emmy said, smiling at Tabby. “Implausible…but not impossible.”

  “I feel good about him, Naomi,” Jocelyn said. Tabby looked to her friend to see an expression of extreme assurance owning her countenance. “No red flags are flapping in my head. He was a perfect gentleman. Furthermore, I’m not the kind of girl you see in all those teenage prom slasher movies—you know, where some crazy psycho fixates on some random cheerleader and follows her around spying on her and stuff.” Jocelyn paused, still smiling. “Call it fate, call it an accident, call it freaky or whatever you want—all I know is I agree with Armando…that first day we saw him, when he said that he might love me. I think…I think I might love him too…eventually.”

  “Eventually?” Emmy giggled. “Sweetness, you’re already in love with him. It’s so obvious!”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Emmy,” Naomi said. “She’s only had one date with him. There’s no such thing as love at first sight.”

  “Says the woman who’s swooning over some college professor poet guy who lives in Boston,” Emmy teased.

  Naomi rolled her eyes with exasperation. She looked to Tabby and said, “And I know what you think, Tabitha Flanders.”

  “You do?” Tabby asked, knowing full well Naomi was as confused about her own feelings for Professor Anthony Lowery as she was about Jocelyn’s for Armando.

  “Of course,” Naomi said. “You’re thinking that anything is possible and that the old six degrees of separation theory is working overtime on this one.”