by Gail Sattler
Jillian’s voice broke his train of thought. “What are you grinning about?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Hungry? After all that pizza?”
“I feel like a big sticky donut.”
“You don’t look like a big sticky donut.”
“Aw, come on. Ever since you mentioned it when you were talking about your sister, I’ve been thinking of donuts.”
Jillian opened her mouth to protest but changed her mind. Despite her intentions to tell him that they wouldn’t be wise to see each other outside of their lessons, she didn’t want the evening to end. Besides, one could never eat too many fattening donuts. Jillian rested her hands on the door frame of the truck, waiting for Jed to boost her up again, telling herself that next time they went out together, they would take her little car, and he could be the passenger.
She glanced over her shoulder, trying not to appear nervous as she watched him stuff his keys in his pocket. What was she doing making plans, even if they were only in her mind? Twice a week for piano lessons was enough.
Once inside, she fastened her seat belt, watching Jed easily swing himself into the truck and start the engine. She couldn’t believe how effortlessly he had hoisted her up; she hadn’t had time to make even a cursory hop. Jed had picked her up and placed her on the seat of the truck as if he were lifting a child.
His voice broke through her thoughts. “What are you staring at, Jillian? Do I have popcorn in my hair or something?”
She couldn’t help her blush. “You lifted me so easily; it made me wonder if you worked out or something.”
Jed chuckled. “Only on the job. Most of the tool caddies weigh more than you do.”
Despite her best efforts to keep herself trim, Jillian knew she weighed a few pounds more than the books said she should, but she had no intention of telling that to Jed.
Unconsciously, Jillian pointed her finger to the right and inhaled to speak, but Jed shook his head. “This time I don’t need directions. I know where the all-night donut shop is.”
Immediately upon entering, they discovered a group of young men causing a ruckus in the corner, which was not the relaxing atmosphere they had hoped for.
With one hand on his arm, Jillian whispered as close as she could get to Jed’s ear, “Let’s bring a couple of donuts back to my place, and then I can make some decent coffee, too.”
He leaned down and whispered his reply in her ear. “Only if you let me pay.”
A deal she couldn’t refuse.
She followed Jed to the counter to purchase their selections. When she reached for the napkins, the dispenser was empty. “I’ll be right back; just get something chocolate for me,” she said to Jed and walked to one of the tables to help herself. As she tugged a couple napkins out of the holder, conversation among the rowdy crowd in the corner stopped.
“Hey, babe, these ones are better.”
Jillian raised her head to see everyone staring at her. Rather, they were staring down the neckline of her sweater as she leaned over, leering and making rude comments among themselves, loud enough so she could hear them, too. Standing abruptly, she pressed her hand to the neckline and turned toward Jed, who was busy talking to the clerk, laughing as he fished through his wallet. He wasn’t looking in her direction.
As she turned her head forward again, two members of the obnoxious crowd left their table and approached her. She could smell the liquor on their breath from five feet away.
Jillian stepped backward, but found herself pressed against the wall. Since they were in a public establishment, she knew she probably wasn’t in any real danger, but still, she didn’t want to be humiliated if they tried to touch her.
Her attempt at confidence dissolved as the largest of the group continued to approach until he was within a foot of her. Jillian started to open her mouth to call out to Jed, but no sound came out. The stench of liquor nearly made her gag.
“Hey, babe, want some help?” he sneered. Her stomach churned.
From the counter, she heard Jed mumble something, and in a flash he stood beside her. “Let’s get out of here.” With his arm around her waist, he ushered her out as the onlookers watched in silence. As the door closed, the whistles, catcalls, and lewd remarks began.
Jed inserted the key into the lock on the passenger door. “I’m sorry, Jillian. I wasn’t paying attention, and I should have been watching.”
She rested one hand on his arm as he turned the key. “It’s okay, Jed. It all happened so fast, and I really wasn’t in any danger, even if they were a disgusting bunch.”
Already standing beside her, Jed turned, then tipped her chin up with two fingers, positioning her so she was staring up into his face. In the glow of the distant streetlights, his blue eyes glistened, and his expression caused her heart to miss a beat.
“Jillian. . .” Jed’s voice trailed off as his eyes closed and his head lowered. The butterfly touch of his lips on hers almost made Jillian sink to the ground as all the strength left her legs. When he pulled away, Jillian missed the brief contact; without thinking, she lifted her chin and leaned into him.
In response, Jed’s hand moved from her chin to her nape, and his other hand, still holding the bag from the donut shop, brushed the small of her back. He tilted his head and kissed her fully on the mouth.
All coherent thought drifted out of Jillian’s mind; the fact that they were standing outside in the parking lot registered, but barely, as she raised her arms to drape them around the back of his neck—and then she kissed him back. Jed’s arms tightened around her as she rose on her toes and let herself drown in his kiss, until the sound of a car horn startled them apart.
Jillian backed up a step and stood frozen, unable to comprehend what she had just done. Jed backed up slowly, his eyes wide. Jillian wished she knew what he was thinking.
He stiffened, then opened the truck door. Jed reached inside, then turned back to her. “Donuts are in. You’re next.” As before, he lifted her with ease and gently guided her onto the seat.
Jillian cleared her throat, trying to appear calm, although inside, she was a bundle of nerves. “Am I being foolhardy inviting you over at this late hour?”
Jed started the engine, then turned to smile at her. “I don’t think so.”
His smile did funny things to her equilibrium. Feeling suddenly warm, Jillian started to roll the window down, thinking the fresh air would help her come to her senses. She looped her fingers over the window when it was three-quarters of the way down and inhaled deeply just as she heard the sound of footsteps.
“Hey, honey, where ya goin’?” the slurred voice of the guy from the donut shop drifted in. In the blink of an eye, his hand shot through the window and he grabbed her wrist before she realized what was happening. Jillian let out a startled squeak and tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.
In a flash, Jed’s arm shot across her and grasped the drunk’s wrist in an iron grip. He twisted until the man let go, but Jed didn’t release him. Instead, he gave the man’s wrist a few firm squeezes.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Jed growled. “Do you have something to say to the lady?”
The man cursed a blue streak and called Jillian a number of rude names. Jed increased the pressure and twisted again. “Well?” he snarled.
“Sorry! Ow! Sorry!”
Jed thrust the man’s arm out the window. “You’re lucky I’m in here and you’re out there.”
The drunk stumbled back into the donut shop. Jillian’s heart pounded and her hands shook as she rubbed her wrist with her other hand. Shock started to take effect as the back of her eyes burned. She didn’t want to cry, not here, not in front of Jed.
“You okay?” he asked. He reached one hand toward her, but Jillian automatically flinched, then regretted it. Jed leaned back in his seat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
Jillian nodded, not wanting to talk about it for fear of bursting into tears. “Let’s just go home,” she finally gulp
ed.
Jed filled the entire trip home with light and cheerful conversation, helping Jillian put the unpleasant incident behind her.
She slid out of the truck one last time, her hand carefully clutching the hem of her skirt to protect her modesty. As she started to push the door shut, Jed caught it and pulled it open. “Wait,” he mumbled.
Jillian’s breath caught and her heartbeat quickened as Jed’s hand moved toward her. He stepped beside her and started to bend down. Was he going to kiss her again? Jillian nearly melted at the thought. She started to move closer to him, but to her surprise, he didn’t touch her. He reached past her, then leaned into the truck.
Grinning, he pulled out the bag of donuts from behind the seat and held them in the air. “Now, we can go in.”
Jillian forced herself to smile. Was she doing the right thing?
seven
Without letting go of the bag of donuts, Jed toed off his cowboy boots, pushed them neatly in place on the shoe tray with his foot, then followed Jillian as she headed to the kitchen at the rear of the house, passing through the living room first.
By now, the living room was very familiar to him. Or at least, what should have been the living room. Converted to a serviceable music studio, it contained a shelf full of music books, a small couch for parents to sit and watch the lessons, Jillian’s small chair, and taking up most of the room, the large shiny black grand piano. Since she only used the room for lessons, he wondered if they were going to stay in the kitchen with their coffee and donuts, rather than sit on the couch beside the piano. “I guess you never entertain in there,” he commented on their way past.
Jillian turned her head slightly but did not stop walking. “No, the living room is for business only. The things people usually put in a living room are in the next biggest room, which really is the den. I have to make do with the rooms I have—it’s not a large house.”
Jed sat at the table and watched as she poured the water into the pot and then into the coffeemaker. The first time he met Jillian, he’d thought her beautiful. As the days and weeks went by, and the more he got to know her, the less he thought about it, although on days like today, her beauty nearly took his breath away.
Unlike Brenda, Jillian did not flaunt the beauty that God blessed her with. Quite the opposite, in fact. Until today, Jed had never seen her wearing makeup or flattering clothes.
He blinked twice, then wondered why in the world he thought of Brenda. Brenda no longer mattered to him. By moving in with his sister after losing his job, he’d managed to make a clean break and get on with his life. He had plans, and could see his future mapped out before him without looking back.
Jillian turned to face him. “There, the coffee’s on. In a few minutes it will be ready, although I don’t know why I’m making coffee at this hour.”
Jed lifted his wrist to check the time. “If this was a weeknight, then it would be about time for my last coffee break. One cup of coffee won’t keep me up. How about you?”
“One cup shouldn’t bother me.”
He started to reach for the bag of donuts, but something in Jillian’s expression made him withdraw his hand and wait for her to speak. “You look like you’re going to ask me something.” He hoped it wasn’t something he didn’t want to hear.
“Jed, this has been on my mind all evening.”
He forced a smile, his suspicions getting stronger. “Uh, yes?”
“About yesterday.”
Now he knew he didn’t want to hear it. Yesterday had been fun, but judging from Jillian’s stiff posture and the firm set to her mouth, she wasn’t about to discuss fun. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re not going to tell me you’re ready to try bungee jumping?”
“Jed, I’m really not the type to go jumping off swings in the middle of the night. I wanted to say I don’t know what came over me, and that I’m not normally like that.”
As far as he could recall, they’d had a lot of fun, even when she lost her shoe. “So I guess that means skydiving’s out too.” Not that he would ever try such a thing himself, but why was he disappointed?
“Jed, I’m trying to be serious.”
“Well, skydiving may be a little extreme. Tennis?”
Her mouth opened, then shut, as if she changed her mind about what she was going to say. He hoped she wouldn’t accuse him of trying to be dense on purpose, because that was exactly what he was trying to be.
Jed took advantage of her hesitation. “If I can’t find my racket, I’m sure Liz has one I could borrow. I had to pick through my stuff carefully, so a lot of things are packed away in storage.” He didn’t care if he had to go buy another racket, maybe even two, one for Jillian as well, even though he knew he had to count every penny.
“Don’t you think tennis is a summer sport? I can’t see playing tennis wearing a coat. After all, it is winter.”
“Oh. Right, I keep forgetting because there’s no snow on the ground here. Well, I’ll think of something else.” He reached for the bag of donuts before she had a chance to respond. “Isn’t that coffee ready yet?”
“I. . .” Her mouth snapped shut again. She turned to open a cupboard and reached for a pair of mugs.
Fortunately, she appeared to be in no rush as she poured the cream into a pretty little bowl with pink flowers on it, and set it beside a matching sugar bowl in the center of the table. He had the impression she had more to say, and that he’d like it even less than her denial she had enjoyed yesterday evening as much as he had. He tried to fight the premonition that a serious brush-off was coming. As much as he had neither the time nor the money to get involved in a relationship, he wanted to spend more time with Jillian.
She set everything on the table, then opened her mouth to speak again. Jed hastily opened the bag and stared inside. “Donut?” he asked, not giving her a chance to speak first.
Jillian sighed loudly, then turned to fetch some plates while Jed continued to stare at the donuts. He didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Was she going to tell him to back off? Had he blown it by kissing her? He didn’t move or raise his head, but he followed her with his eyes as she bent over and reached into the back of a cupboard for the napkins.
He still didn’t know what had come over him, but when that drunk approached her inside the donut shop, he’d surprised himself with a surge of protectiveness. He’d had to kiss her afterward.
Why was he still looking at these stupid donuts? He didn’t even want them. The only reason he suggested they buy some donuts was to extend the evening.
Jillian delicately placed two plates on the table, forcing him to look up. He handed her the bag of donuts he had been staring at for so long. “Here. You pick first.”
In silence, she held the bag open, peeked in, then hesitated. “There’s six in here. I thought you were only going to buy two.”
He shrugged his shoulders, not sure of how to respond but not wanting to take his eyes off her. “I couldn’t help myself. They all looked so good. I couldn’t decide.”
She picked out the smallest one and handed the bag back to him. “That’s all I want. Take the rest home for your family. If you leave them here I’ll eat them, and then I’ll be sick.”
Jed thought of offering to nurse her back to health but thought better of it. “Then I think I’ll take the stickiest one now so the kids don’t get it. Liz would kill me if she found chocolate fingerprints all over the place. She’d make me wipe down the walls.”
“A woman after my own heart.”
“Hmph. No comment.”
She bit into the donut, sparing Jed from having to play any more verbal tag. “So, what church do you go to?” he asked. He wanted to learn everything he could about her.
For a second, she stopped chewing, then sipped her coffee and swallowed. “Huntington. It’s across the street from the arena.”
Jed closed one eye, trying to picture the area. Liz had told him a little about most of the churches in the area, so he knew about Huntingto
n, but not much. “That’s small, isn’t it?”
She bit into the donut again and nodded. “How about you? I’ll bet you go to that big one near the mall with Mark and the family.”
“Yeah. I tag along with Liz’s family on Sunday. So, you like it there? Do they have a ladies’ Bible study once a week? I know you can’t do anything in the evenings.”
“No, they don’t have anything like that there.”
“I’ll bet you play piano for them Sunday mornings, though.”
“Actually, no, I don’t.”
“You don’t? They have a whole band at my sister’s church. I would think you could really get into that. They’re all dedicated God-loving people, and they really know how to bring the congregation into a meaningful time of worship. And Doreen, the piano player, is going to be needing a replacement soon because she’s really big and pregnant.” Jed linked his fingers and held his arms in a circle in front of his stomach.
“Pardon me?”
“I should introduce you; you’d like her. Doreen and her husband, Edwin, are really into dogs, and he keeps telling everyone she’s going to have a whole litter.”
Jillian’s mouth hung open, and Jed broke into a wide smile.
“Whenever he says that, she threatens to have him fixed, which always gives everyone a good laugh. The worship team is quite a lively bunch.”
Jillian’s face turned red. “Huntington’s is small and quiet. The guitarist is good, but not outstanding.”
“Why do you go to a small place like that?”
“The pastor preaches a good message, and there aren’t any single men.”
Their eyes met, and they finished their snack without further comment. Jed wasn’t sure he wanted to know the reason behind that statement. The quiet, middle-of-the-night atmosphere of her kitchen was too intimate for such a discussion, especially after putting his foot in his mouth making that comment about Edwin and Doreen. He usually didn’t babble, and his idiocy only proved how nervous he was.
Jillian delicately licked the tips of her fingers, doing funny things to Jed’s insides. “This was a nice idea,” she said quietly, then licked one finger again. “Thanks for the treat.”