by T. K. Rapp
“I’m not engaged,” she countered.
Wyatt looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. “No? Wait, I’m sorry…‘engaged to be engaged.’”
He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Do I want to know?”
“I can tell you later.”
“I’m right here,” Jolie argued. “And we are a work in progress… We’ll see what happens.”
“What about that guy you went out with last week?” Wyatt asked.
“Old news,” I told him. “Keep up.”
“Will you two get out of here,” Jolie groaned as she pushed us out the door. “I get enough grief from Connor. I don’t need it from you two as well.”
“You know I’m just kidding, right?” I asked and pulled her into a hug. When I released her, she smiled. “I just want you to be happy. And for what it’s worth…I like Connor.”
“I passed the Vi-Test?” I heard from behind me.
I turned around to see Connor standing next to Wyatt, smiling at Jolie.
“Thank God. I really think she would have cut me loose if you didn’t approve.”
“Shut up.” Jolie smiled flirtatiously and then turned eerily serious. “I would have dumped you on the spot.”
Connor looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or be concerned, but I patted his shoulder to ease his worry. In reality, she would have dropped him in a heartbeat if I didn’t like him.
“And now we’re gone.” I waved goodbye and walked down the hallway with Wyatt. He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.
“You really do look beautiful,” he said and then brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it.
We walked out of the building and I looked up at him. “Where are we going?”
“Have you ever been to Top Drawer?”
“Can’t say I have.”
“Good.”
“As long as it’s not seafood,” I said, holding back a gag at the mention of the fishy kind.
“You don’t like seafood?”
“Not even a little,” I answered.
“But that night with Dallas and Callie…the sushi?”
“I didn’t eat sushi. I’m not a fan. I just had rice and vegetables instead.”
“How did I miss that?” he asked. “So you don’t like anything? Oysters?”
I made a face and shuddered. “My dad made me try it once and I threw up.”
“Shrimp?”
“It looks like it has no skin. If it were on land, it would probably be a naked mole rat. Gross.”
“Not even fried fish?”
“Nope. Can’t do it even if it’s smothered in ketchup.”
Wyatt laughed and wrapped his arm around me as we walked to his Jeep. “Good thing I don’t like fish either.”
I stopped at looked up at him. “You don’t?”
“I can eat it if I have to. Except sushi. I can’t eat sushi.”
“Good to know,” I said as I climbed into his Jeep.
He walked around and got into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. He was waiting for a break in traffic before pulling onto the road and I remained quiet while he did. Cars were whizzing down the street in a blur while people meandered on the sidewalks.
He eased onto the road and a comfortable silence settled between us. I was looking ahead, but I was acutely aware of his hand resting on the stick shift. He raised it up slightly, as if debating to reach out to me, then set it back. He repeated the action again when I finally turned my hand palm up to welcome his.
We were on the freeway, so he didn’t need to change gears anytime soon—or at least I assumed. My entire arm felt like it was on fire from the small gesture.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked him when the quiet was too much for me to bear. Or maybe I needed a distraction from the way his hand felt in my own.
He smiled and looked over at me briefly before returning his attention to the road. “Your friend Kirk said that you wrote a song together?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “It’s their most popular song.”
“Nice. So how did that happen?”
“He and my ex used to be in a band together. Will was working late one night when Kirk came by to pick up the set list for their upcoming gig. When he saw my journal out, he picked it up before I could stop him.”
“What did Will say about that?”
I scoffed. “Will, for all his talent, is an insecure man when it comes to his music. I tried to talk Kirk out of it, but somehow he persuaded me to let him use it. We changed a few things, and next thing I knew, it was a song.”
“How many songs did you write together?”
“Just the one. I made him swear he wouldn’t tell Will that they were my lyrics.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, he’s insecure. I just decided to let it go and not say anything. And Kirk respected my decision, but he didn’t agree with it. He knows what Will’s like.”
“Did you ever tell your ex?”
I shook my head and shrugged. “He hurt me. Bad. But to tell him just to rub it in his face didn’t seem right. When I decide to write again, I’m not going to hide it.”
“Good for you.”
We pulled into a parking lot near the beach and I saw the small restaurant with its quaint outdoor setting. It was perfect.
Wyatt leaned over and kissed me briefly before we got out of the Jeep, and I felt everything inside of me light up. When we parted, he leaned his forehead against mine and a small laugh escaped from him.
“I wanted to do that the moment you opened the door.”
“Then do it again,” I urged, smiling as he kissed me again.
***
Top Drawer was not what I expected, though I’m not sure what I thought it would be like. The dimly lit interior made it feel romantic and cozy, with no more than twenty tables spread throughout the small space. The hostess sat us in a corner booth and lit the votive candle in the center. When she departed, Wyatt looked at me and smiled before leaning over and kissing me chastely.
“This place is nice,” I said, barely above a whisper as I looked at the moonlit ocean outside.
“My friend opened the place up right after college,” he said.
“Is there anyone in this city you don’t know?” I asked in my normal voice.
He raised his chin toward the table next to us and shrugged. “I don’t know them.”
I narrowed my eyes playfully at him and picked up my menu. We didn’t talk much until after we’d ordered our food. When the waiter left, Wyatt looked at me quizzically and I didn’t know if I liked it or if it made me uncomfortable.
“Any chance you’ll play me one of your songs?”
I shook my head and snorted. “No…no way. It’s too embarrassing.”
“Why?” he asked, looking somewhat hurt by my words.
“They’re awful. I have a hard enough time looking at them, alone let alone showing someone else.”
“Must not be too hard,” he said and I knew what he was implying.
“But that’s different,” I huffed. “Kirk is a friend and musician. Although, to me, he’s that annoying brother that won’t leave you alone. I doubt he’ll even use what we came up with today.”
“So you did come up with something, huh? That’s good,” he said sweetly. “Is it hard for you to write a song?”
“Actually, I don’t set out to try to write songs. I used to, but I think I put too much pressure on myself to the point that I froze. So I stopped. Now I write down what I’m feeling. And sometimes I write music. If I’m lucky, the two might go together. But I never set out to write a song.”
“What do you typically write about?”
“They say write what you know. So what do I know? Disappointment, fear, heartbreak. But I also know about letting go and moving on.”
“So you write country music,” he teased and I laughed.
“I’m sure some of them would actually make great country songs…if I wrote country music. But really, it’s jus
t my feelings at that moment in time. I suppose that’s why it’s embarrassing to share it. I have one moment of pathetic weakness and it’s forever immortalized in writing?”
“Everyone’s been there, Vi. Everyone.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. “Wish that made it easier.”
We spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking about our families, work, friends, and other stuff people do when they’re trying to get to know each other. I knew quite a bit about Wyatt just from being his neighbor and friend. But that night was moving us toward something significantly more.
I managed to avoid any further talk of Will, and Wyatt never mentioned any of his exes. I was thankful because nothing ruins a date faster than ghosts of exes past and it had been months since I’d laid eyes on Will.
I wasn’t sure what I felt about him, but I knew one thing: letting go of that part of my life was necessary for me to move on. And I hadn’t once regretted my decision to make the divorce final.
But those were all thoughts better kept to myself and not shared while enjoying my night with Wyatt.
As we walked outside to leave Top Drawer, Wyatt held my hand and guided me to a spot that looked out over the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing against the beach was soothing and filled the silence until it was interrupted by the sound of Wyatt’s phone.
“Sorry.” He winced disappointedly as he answered it. “Hey Dad? Can I call you back?” he asked, smiling down at me.
I watched as the carefree look disappeared from his face and was replaced with something that could only be described as fear. He started to walk toward his Jeep, pulling me alongside him as he continued to talk. I hurried into the passenger seat, unaware of what was happening but knowing it was urgent.
“What happened?” I asked when they hung up. Concern was still etched all over his face.
“It’s my mom. Dad was helping her down the ramp to the beach and she lost her balance. When he went to catch her, something happened and they both ended up on the ground.”
“Wyatt,” I breathed out and reached for his hand.
“Dad said he’s taking her to the hospital as a precaution because she hurt her leg. He doesn’t think it’s too bad, but he wants to make sure.”
“I’m sorry.”
He squeezed my hand that he was holding and kissed it. “She’ll be okay. I’ll drop you off and then go check on her.”
“Or…I can come with you.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all… The hospital is five minutes away, and dropping me off would be too much of a detour. Besides, I liked your parents.”
“They liked you too.”
“You think?”
“Mom asked about you every time I went over there this week.”
“That’s sweet.”
He turned down the street toward the hospital and I could tell he was more nervous than he was willing to admit.
“What was she like before the stroke?”
He smiled and looked over at me briefly. “She was the best. Always quick-witted, and really supportive. There was never a dull moment in our house. Mom and Dad were always harassing each other about something.”
“Sounds like my parents…except the supportive thing.”
“They didn’t encourage you?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Not like that. They pushed me to go to school, and even encouraged my music.”
“That sounds a lot like support to me,” he mused.
“Yeah, but when I told them I was getting married, they weren’t exactly thrilled. And when we went to the justice of the peace, they really hated it. But I’m their only kid, so they didn’t stay mad for long. And I guess in the end, they were right about Will and me.”
Wyatt didn’t have much time to respond because we arrived to the hospital and hurried inside. It took a few minutes of searching before a nurse directed us to Jennie’s room. It was then that we spotted Joe through the window looking distraught and limping as he paced just inside of a closed door.
“Dad?”
Chapter 29
VIOLA
Wyatt walked over to the hospital room and I stood back a bit to give the family space. Joe looked concerned—or maybe it was fear—and I wanted to hug the man. They’d been through so much with Jennie’s stroke that I thought maybe he was expecting the worst. As they walked in, Wyatt call to his mom before kissing her cheek. She looked up and smiled at her son while a nurse was making notes on a piece of paper.
The nurse informed them that a doctor would be in soon as she left the room. When she was gone, Wyatt looked at Joe and the worry in his tone was unmistakable. “Have you seen a doc yet?”
Joe ignored his son and looked over at me with a defeated smile as he waved me into the small room. “Hi, Viola.”
“Hi, Mr. Jensen.”
I didn’t know what else to do, so I walked over and hugged him, holding on for an awkwardly long time.
“It’s good to see you,” he said when I released him. “Wish it were under better circumstances.”
“You should let a doctor take a look at your leg,” I said.
“I will, but I want to make sure she’s okay first.”
A doctor pushed the door open and began talking about Jennie’s accident. Joe explained how they fell when she seemed to lose her footing. His biggest concern was that she might have had another stroke.
“We got the results from the MRI we did when you brought her in, and everything looks fine.”
“Thank God.” Joe sighed heavily, and walked to her bedside and kissed her cheek. “You’re okay, baby.”
Jennie looked at the doctor and spoke slow and quiet. “Can you please check him out? His leg.”
“Mr. Jensen, let’s have a look at that leg,” the doctor said.
“I don’t want to leave my wife.”
“Dad, I’ll come with you. Vi will stay with Mom,” he said, and looked over to see me nodding in agreement.
“I won’t leave her,” I said. I walked to her bed and pulled a chair over to make myself comfortable. “I promise.”
“But…”
“Joe,” Jennie interrupted. “I’ll be fine. Go.”
Wyatt stood next to his dad and put his arm around him to guide him out of the room and mouthed a thank you to me. I watched him leave the room and smiled when he glanced back and winked at me.
“Did you two make up?” Jennie asked me with a smile.
“Make up?” I questioned until I was unable to hide my grin. “We’re good.”
“You’re not fooling anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw the way you two looked at each other.”
“How’s that?” I asked coyly.
“I might speak slow, but my brain still works,” she said with a grin. “Admit it.”
I liked how easy Jennie made things and how comfortable I felt around her. It was only my second time seeing her, but it was as if I’d known her a while.
“We went on a date tonight.”
She reached for my hand and squeezed, her smile still in place. “He told me he was taking you out.”
“Did he?”
Jennie nodded. “I think he was nervous.”
“Wyatt? Nervous? Are we talking about the same man?”
“Don’t let his attitude fool you. He’s not as cool as he’d like you to believe.”
“Is that so?”
“Can you promise me something?”
“I’ll try,” I answered.
“He’s been through a lot. Wyatt gave up his entire life—his dreams—to come back here and help us. I didn’t want him to…”
“I don’t think you could’ve stopped him,” I said as I placed my hand over hers and smiled.
“You’re right about that,” she said sadly.
Jennie positioned herself so that she was facing the side of the bed a little more and leaned toward me. Whatever it was she wanted to say was important enough that
she needed me to feel the words, not just hear them.
“Be careful with Wyatt...don’t hurt him. When he gives his heart to someone, he’s all in, one hundred percent, and I can see that he’s falling for you, Vi. I like you…but if you can’t do the same, please let him go.”
It felt as if my heart had paused its beat and then rushed quickly to regain speed. My neck felt flushed and my hands clammy—all from her one sentence. I understood what she was asking, and I respected that she was only looking out for Wyatt. As much as I wanted to defend myself, to tell her that I cared very much for her son, the words failed me.
My mouth opened and shut as I tried to speak, but all I was able to do was a small nod.
The door opened and a smiling Wyatt waltzed in and pulled a chair next to mine. He kissed my cheek and then reached out to hold his mom’s hand.
“They’re doing an X-ray on Dad right now. I told him I’d come check on you. Doing okay?”
“I’m good. Vi was keeping me company.”
“She’s great at that,” he said with a wink.
I was still quiet, trying to smile when appropriate and appear as though I was listening, but all I could hear were Jennie’s words echoing in my ears. She wanted me to commit to him or let Wyatt go—something I’d already tried to do. I wasn’t sure what she knew of me, or us, but it was something we needed to figure out together.
“Do you want some coffee?” I asked Wyatt as I stood up.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just so cold in here,” I said, shivering slightly. “I need caffeine.”
“Stay here,” he said and stood up. “I can get it for you.”
“No,” I replied a little too abruptly. “Thanks. I got it. I’ll be right back.”
WYATT
“That was weird,” I muttered and then looked at my mom. “Is she okay?”
She looked at me and wrinkled her nose as she squeezed my hand.
“You said something, didn’t you?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. My mom, as good as her intentions were, always tried too hard to protect me. As much as it annoyed me that she had said something to Vi, it also made me feel better to know that despite the slow speech and seemingly aloof personality, my mom was still in there.