He shrugged and stepped inside behind her.
“Are you telling me that you broke up with her?”
Throwing her a glance over his shoulder as he walked toward the kitchen, he said, “No, she’s the one who dropped the bomb. Actually, it was more of an exploding ultimatum. I saw it coming a mile away.”
He reached into the fridge, grabbed a beer and twisted off the bottle cap.
“She gave you an ultimatum? Really? Well, but then again, how long were the two of you together?”
“Four or five months or so. Do you want a mug? I have some in the freezer.”
“Yes, please. Had it really been five months? I mean, I’ve only been back a month.”
He nodded as he poured the beer down the inside of the mug, careful to create just the right amount of foam on top. “She reminded me of that more than a few times last night. She was talking five-year plans that involved marriage and kids and bigger houses. She kept saying she needed some assurance about our future, needed to know where we were going. I’m not going to lie to her. I enjoyed her company, but I wasn’t going to marry her.”
He handed the beer to Anna.
“Why not?” Anna asked. “She was beautiful. You seemed like you were really into her.”
Jake nodded. “She was nice. Pretty. But...I couldn’t see myself spending the rest of my life with her. That’s the bottom line.”
Anna squinted at him, her brows drawn together, as she sipped her beer.
“What’s wrong? Is the beer not good? You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.”
She set down the mug on the kitchen counter. “No, I like it. But I have two questions for you.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“First question. If you’re fine with everything, how come you let me keep dancing and make a fool of myself?”
Her voice was stern.
He laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it. “Are you kidding? Watching you was the most fun I’ve had in months. No way was I going to stop you. For the record, you didn’t make a fool of yourself. You’re adorable. In fact, you’d been away so long down there in San Antonio, I’d almost forgotten how adorable you are.”
She rolled her eyes, but then smiled.
“So happy to have cheered you up,” she said.
“What’s the second question?” he asked.
She looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment.
“Why, Jake? Why do you keep dating the same type of women? I don’t mean to be judgmental and I know I haven’t been around for the last decade or so. But think of this as tough love. You keep dating the same type of women, expecting to get different results, but it always turns out the same way. Always has, always will.”
He crossed his arms, feeling a little defensive, but knowing she was right. Sometimes her friendship felt like the only real thing in the world. But still, he didn’t want to get into this right now.
“I don’t exactly see you out there blazing trails in the dating world,” he countered.
She sighed. “The divorce has only been final for a month.”
“But you were separated for nearly two years.”
“This isn’t about me, Jake. This is about you. What are you looking for?”
He shook his head.
“Company. Companionship? That’s why, when I know the relationship has run its course, I end it. Or in today’s case, I let Dorenda do the honors. I don’t string them along.”
“But you do sort of string them along. You dated Dorenda for four months. That’s a significant amount of time in the post-twenties dating world.”
Overhead, the fluorescent lights buzzed. He glanced out the kitchen window. Inky dusk was blotting out the last vestiges of the sunset.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Anna.”
“Say that you’ll let me fix you up with a different type of woman.”
Different?
“Define different.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe you should consider women who are a little more down-to-earth than the Miss Texases of the world.”
He knocked back the last of his beer and debated grabbing another, but his stomach growled, reminding him he really should think about getting some food into his system first.
“Down-to-earth, huh? I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for someone down-to-earth.”
“Exactly. That’s why I want you to let me fix you up.”
“I don’t know, Anna. Blind dates aren’t really my thing.”
He returned to the fridge, pulled open the door and surveyed the meager contents.
“When was the last time you went on a blind date?”
“Better question,” he countered. “When was the last time you even went on a date?”
He looked back over his shoulder to gauge her reaction. She didn’t seem to like being in the line of fire any more than he did.
“This isn’t about me, Jake.”
“It’s been nearly two years since you and Hal broke up. So, while we’re on the subject, it’s high time for you to get back in the saddle and try again.”
She put her hands on her hips and shook her head, looking solemn. “Okay, you’re changing the subject, and I don’t know if I even want to date. You, on the other hand, obviously do like getting involved. I know you so well, and if you’ll just let me help you, I’ll bet I can make it a much more rewarding experience for you. Or at least one that has the potential to last, maybe even change your mind about marriage. Come on. Be a sport.”
“Why are women always trying to change me?”
“The right woman wouldn’t change you, but she might make you want to see other possibilities.
He took out a carton of eggs, some butter, various veggies and the vestiges of a package of turkey bacon. It was all he had. When all else failed, breakfast for dinner always worked. It was his favorite go-to meal when the pickings were slim. He really should go to the grocery store later tonight. The rest of his week was busy.
“You’d really wager that you could fix me up with someone who is better for me than my usual type?”
She raised her chin. “You bet I could. In fact, I’ll bet I could introduce you to your soul mate if you gave me a fair chance.”
He chuckled. “You are the eternal optimist. Do you want to stay for dinner? I’ll make us an omelet.”
She put her hand on her stomach. “That sounds great. I’m starving. We can talk more about this wager. How can I help with dinner?”
“You can wash and dice the onions and red peppers.”
She stepped up to the sink to prep the peppers, but first she began by putting some dirty dishes into the dishwasher and hand-washed several pieces of flatware.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I didn’t have time to clean up this morning before I left for work. I’ll do those later when I clean up the dinner dishes.”
“Actually, it’s sort of hard to wash the peppers with dishes in the way. I don’t mind, really. You are fixing me dinner. And we’re going to need forks to eat with.”
Jake left her to do what she needed to do because God knew she would anyway.
He took a bowl out of one of the cupboards and began cracking eggs into it. “Since when did you become a matchmaker? And what makes you think you can find me the right woman? I’ve been trying all these years and I haven’t been successful.”
“That’s easy. A—I know you better than you know yourself, and B—you are attracted to the wrong women. Your judgment is clouded. Mine is not.”
She might’ve had a point. But after just getting out of a relationship, he wasn’t very eager to jump back into anything serious. So looking at it from that perspective, what harm would a few dates do? Other than take up what little free time he had away from the hospital. He could indulge Anna. She meant that much to him. Then again, could he ever really expect to find his soul mate or anyone long-term when he never wanted to get married?
That was so
mething he’d known for as long as he’d had a sense of himself as an adult. He did not want to get married. Marriage was the old ball and chain. It took something good, a relationship where two people chose to be together, and turned it into a contractual obligation. He’d witnessed it firsthand with his parents. All he could remember was the fighting, his mom leaving and his father’s profound sadness. Sadness that drove him to seek solace in the bottle. Anna knew his family history. Sure, she’d have good intentions. She’d think she was steering him toward someone who made him happy, but what was the point?
Jake vowed he’d never give a woman that much power over him.
So he said, “Before we go any farther, I have a stipulation.”
“Jake, no. If we’re going to do this and do it right, you have to play by my rules. You can’t give me a laundry list of what you want. That’s where you get into trouble with all these preconceived notions. Maybe we can talk about deal breakers, such as must not be marriage-minded or must not want kids, etcetera, but we’re not getting into the superficial. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
He poured a little milk into the eggs, a shake of salt, a grind of black pepper and began to beat them. Even though they’d spent a lot of time apart, Anna still knew him so well. A strange warmth spread through him and he whisked the eggs a little faster to work off the weird sensation.
“I wasn’t going to get superficial. In fact, my stipulation wasn’t even about me. I want to propose a double wager. Since we both need dates to the Holbrook wedding, I’ll let you fix me up, if you’ll let me fix you up.”
The daughter of Celebration Memorial Hospital’s chief executive officer Stanley Holbrook was getting married in mid-July. Jake had his eye on a promotion and attending his boss’s daughter’s wedding was one of the best ways to prove to the man he was the guy for the job. Since Holbrook was a conservative family man, Anna’s offer to fix him up with a woman of substance wasn’t a bad idea.
She was looking at him funny.
“Deal?” he said.
She opened her mouth, but then clamped it shut before saying anything. Instead, she shook her head. “No. Just...no.”
“Come on, Anna, fair is fair. I know Hal hurt you, but you’re too young to put yourself on a shelf. You want to get married again. You want to have kids. There are good guys out there, and I think I know one or two who would be worthy of you.”
She stopped chopping. “Worthy of me?” Her expression softened. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a very long time.”
“Case in point of why you need to get out more, my dear. Men should be saying many nice things to you.”
She made short order of chopping the peppers, scraping the tiny pieces into a bowl and then drying her hands.
“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you,” she said. “We’ll do this until Stan Holbrook’s daughter’s wedding. Between now and then, I’ll bet I can match you with your soul mate and cure you of your serial monogamy issues.”
He winced. “What? As in something permanent?”
She shrugged. “Just give me a chance.”
“Only if you’ll let me do the same for you. Do we have a deal?”
She nodded.
“So what are we betting?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t really mean it as a serious bet.”
“I think making a bet will make this more interesting. We don’t have to decide the prize right away. Let’s just agree that the first one who succeeds in making a match for the other wins.”
Anna wrinkled her nose. “Knowing you, you’ll let a good woman go just to win the challenge. You’re so competitive.”
“But if you think about it,” he said, “who will be the real winner? One will win the bet, but the other will win love.”
“That’s extremely profound for a man who has such bad taste in women.” She gave him that smile that always made him feel as if he’d come home. He paused to just take it in for a moment.
Then Jake shook her smooth, warm hand, and said, “Here’s to soul mates.”
Chapter Two
Soul mates.
Why did hearing Jake say that word make her stomach flip? Especially since she wasn’t even sure if she believed in such a thing as soul mates. After all she’d been through with Hal, she still believed in love and marriage enough to try again...someday. But soul mates? That was an entirely different subject. The sparkle had dulled from that notion when her marriage died.
“I’m done chopping.” Anna set the bowl on the granite counter next to the stove where Jake was melting butter in a frying pan. Then she deposited their empty beer bottles into the recycle bin in the garage.
“Now what can I do?” she said when she got back into the kitchen.
“Just have a seat over there.” With his elbow, he gestured toward the small kitchen table cluttered with mail and books. “Stay out of my way. Omelet-flipping is serious business. I am a trained professional. So don’t try this at home.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, eyeing the mess on the table’s surface. “That’s why I have you. So you can fix me omelets. Apparently, I will repay you by setting the table for us to eat. And after I’ve excavated a space to put the plates and silverware, then I might clean the rest of your house, too. I thought you had a housekeeper. Where has she been?”
“Her name’s Angie and she’s been down with the flu. Hasn’t been available to come in for two weeks.”
Anna glanced around the room at the newspapers littering the large, plush sectional sofa in the open-plan living room. There were mugs and stacks of magazines and opened mail on the masculine, wooden coffee and end tables. Several socks and running shoes littered the dark-stained, hardwood living room floor.
“Wow. Well...” In fact, it looked as if Jake had dropped everything right where he’d stood. “God, Jake, I didn’t realize you were such a slob.”
Jake followed her gaze. “I’m not a slob,” he said. “I’m just busy. And I wasn’t expecting company.”
Obviously.
Anna thought about asking why he didn’t simply walk a few more steps into the bathroom where he could deposit his socks into the dirty clothes hamper rather than leaving them strewn all over the floor. Instead, she focused on being part of the solution rather than nagging him and adding to the problem. She quickly organized the table clutter into neat piles, revealing two placemats underneath, and set out the silverware she’d just washed and dried.
“Where are your napkins?” she asked.
He handed her a roll of paper towels.
This was the first time in the month that she’d been home that they’d cooked at his place. Really, it was just an impromptu meal, but it was just dawning on her how little she’d been over at his place since she’d been back. That was thanks in large part to Jake’s girlfriend. She wondered if Dorenda had seen the mess—or had helped create it—but before she could ask, she realized she really didn’t want to know.
“It must be a pretty serious case of the flu if Angie has been down for two weeks. Has she been to the doctor?”
Jake gave a one-shoulder shrug. “She’s fine. I ran into her at the coffee shop in downtown the other day. She looked okay to me. She’ll probably be back next week.”
Anna balked. “Why do you keep her?”
She crossed the room to straighten the newspapers and corral the socks. She couldn’t just stand there while Jake was cooking and the papers were cluttering up the place and in the back of her mind she could hear him toasting soul mates.
Even that small act of picking up would help work off some of her nervous energy.
“I don’t have time to find someone else,” he said. “Besides, it’s not that bad around here.”
She did a double take, looking back at him to see if he was kidding.
Apparently not.
But even if it looked as if Jake had simply dropped things and left them where they fell, the house wasn’t dirty. It didn’t smell bad. In
fact, it smelled like him—like coffee and leather and something else that bridged the years and swept her back to a simpler time before she’d married the wrong man and Jake had become a serial monogamist. She breathed in deeper, wondering if they were still the same people or if the years and circumstances had changed them too much.
She bent to pick up a dog-eared issue of Sports Illustrated that was sprawled on the floor facedown. As she prepared to close it back to its regular shape, she nearly dropped it again when she spied the tiny, silky purple thong hidden underneath. Like a lavender spider. Only it didn’t get up and crawl away.
“Eww.” Anna grimaced. “I think Miss Texas forgot something.”
Jake gave a start as his gaze fell to where Anna pointed.
She reached over and grabbed the poker from the fireplace tool set on the hearth and used it to lift the thong off the ground.
“This is classy. How does a woman forget her underwear?”
He smiled that adorable lopsided smile that always suggested something a little bit naughty. There was no doubt why women fell for him. Heck, she’d fall for him if he weren’t her best friend.
“She carried a big purse,” Jake said. “It was like a portable closet. She probably didn’t leave here commando.” His gaze strayed back to the panties. “Then again, maybe she did.”
Anna raised the poker. The thong resembled a scanty purple flag, which she swiftly disposed of in the trash can.
“She might want that back,” Jake protested.
“Really? You think she’s going to call and ask if you found her underwear?”
They locked gazes.
“If she does—” Anna scowled at him and pointed to the garbage “—it’s right here.”
He was quiet as he pulled out the toaster and put in two slices of whole wheat bread.
Anna returned the poker to its stand.
“Jake, this is why we need to have a heart-to-heart talk about what you want in a woman. It’s no wonder you can’t seriously consider spending the rest of your life with a woman who leaves her panties on your living room floor. Even if she lived here, leaving her panties lying around in the living room wouldn’t be a good sign.”
How to Marry a Doctor (Celebrations, Inc.) Page 2