A Bridge of Her Own

by Heywood, Carey

  Lacey strutted back into the living room in a short black dress.

  “How do I look?” She said, striking a pose. The dress was too short for Jane’s taste but looked amazing on Lacey.

  “Beautiful. It’s a keeper. Hey, I missed two calls from dun, dun, dun Wyatt. He had the audacity to tell me not to be immature. Grrr. Plus, I have to call my mom and tell her how it went, but I have no clue how she even found out about it in the first place."

  Sensing her distress, Ronald came and began head butting her shin until she reached down and scratched his ears. Content, he came and sat next to her and allowed her to continue petting him.

  “Do you think she is in cahoots with Wyatt?” Lacey wondered aloud.

  “That would not surprise me one bit,” Jane sighed. “I fully believe if she wasn’t happily married to my dad, she would try to marry Wyatt."

  Lacey gave her a funny look.

  “I don’t think they’d actually ever get together in real life. I just think that she thinks he is perfect and perfect for me. what I think doesn’t really matter on the subject." Jane continued.

  “You should take Gabe over to meet your parents. They’d be all like Wyatt Shmyatt.” Lacey hooted.

  “No way. I do not want him to find out my mother is certifiable. I should really call her back,” Jane hemmed.

  It was only 9:45. It wasn’t too late. She willed her inner strength and called. The phone call was painful. When asked what took her so long, Jane replied honestly that she had a date. When her mother learned that date was not with Wyatt, Jane sighed and rested her head in her hand. Jane finally told her she was not going to get back together with Wyatt. By the end of the call, Jane looked exhausted.

  “Chocolate?” Lacey asked, already getting her out a piece. Jane pouted and nodded, holding out her hand. Once finished, she groaned.

  “Why does she have to drive me so crazy?”

  “That’s what moms are for, sugar. They just want what they think is best for us." Jane rolled her eyes, and Lacey continued. “Come on, think about it. How old was your mom when she married your dad?” She didn’t wait for Jane to reply.

  “Wasn’t she still in college? She’s just trying to get you married so you can start making grandbabies." Lacey was clearly pleased with her assessment of the situation, and with a flourish, sat back down on the sofa and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Thanks for being my shrink. I’m going to call it a night."

  Chapter 25

  Jane slept fitfully and moaned when her alarm sounded. Annoyed by the noise, Ronald hissed at her clock until she turned it off. “Chill out, Ronald. You get to sleep all day,” she grumbled, patting his head. She sleepwalked through her shower, got dressed, and went to get breakfast. She put some coffee in a travel mug and headed to work. Most days, Jane felt very capable and productive. Today, luckily, her boss was at an offsite meeting, so she did the bare minimum and counted the minutes until lunch. At lunch she treated herself to a mani pedi. She was so tired she almost fell asleep in the chair as her feet soaked in the warm water and then were massaged.

  Her real highlight of the day came when she received a text from Gabe reiterating what a good time he had had and how he was looking forward to their next date. She quickly replied in agreement. Now with more energy, she knocked out some busy work in the afternoon: simple filing that made her look much more productive than she had actually been. She took a long hot bath when she got home. Then munched on a bagel and cream and some baby carrots for dinner and then went to bed early with a book.

  Lacey was temping in a call center this week and would be working a late shift. It was so quiet in the apartment that Jane was asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow. Tuesday passed the same as Monday, and it was Wednesday in no time. About an hour before lunch, Jane got called up to the front desk for a delivery. As she approached the lobby, she saw a huge floral arrangement at the front desk.

  She was thrilled until she saw who was delivering them: Wyatt.

  “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl,” he purred.

  The receptionist was drooling.

  “Wyatt, what are you doing here?” Jane said flatly.

  Her lack of thrall flustered him. “We just left things so strangely.”

  “Wyatt, I am at work. Thank you for the flowers, but I have to get back. Bye.”

  Jane hoisted the flowers up and lugged them around the corner with Wyatt calling after her. When she got back to her desk, she was shaking. How dare he ambush her at work? And speaking of work, clearly her mother had struck again. She picked up her desk phone and called Lacey, who was up and on her way to work. She told her about the flowers and her theory that her mother was in on it. Lacey was in agreement. Something was definitely up but, unfortunately, could not talk any longer because she had arrived at work.

  She hung up and sat staring at the flowers on her desk, fuming. She came very close to throwing them away, but they were pretty. She went ahead and moved them to the lunch table in the break room. It took all of her will power not to call her mother and tell her to butt out of her personal affairs. She did not want to say anything she would regret later.

  Luckily, with all of her fuming, the rest of the day flew by. She took a quick jog around her block to de-stress and clear her head for her date with Gabe. There was nothing like her running mix on her iPod and a pretty day to cheer her up. Must be the endorphins or something, she thought.

  She put her iPod in its dock in her room so she could keep jamming out while getting ready. She paused, grooving out for a hot shower. She had previously decided what she would wear that night. It was a warm fall day. She went with a delicate short-sleeved navy wrap dress, a beige cardigan, and a pair of brown peep-toe kitten heels.

  She wore a simple silver filigree pendant and silver hoops. She went a bit more dramatic with her eye makeup and did a semi smoky eye. She used brown shades so it wasn’t too crazy. She brushed her teeth, applied lip gloss, and had just spritzed on some perfume when she heard a knock at the door. He was early! She did a quick spin in the mirror, turned off her iPod, and headed to the door.

  She checked Gabe out through the peephole. He was pretty dressed up, rocking a tie and jacket. She retrieved her clutch and keys from the table by the door and opened the door to greet him.

  “Hey, Jane. Wow. I mean just wow! You look wow,” he sputtered.

  She gave him a hug, and with her face on his neck, inhaled. He smelled really good.

  Pulling back, she frowned and said, “I feel a little underdressed now."

  “No way,” Gabe interrupted. “You look perfect."

  Jane laughed. “Well in that case...”

  She closed and locked the door, and they were on their way. In the car, she asked how the school year was going. Gabe explained they were mainly doing a review of the previous year’s work. It helped set a foundation of what areas they would need to focus on.

  He inquired as to the world of finance. Jane explained how right now her boss was mainly working on returns for clients who had filed for an extension so their tax deadline was now in October.

  “Luckily, when things are busy at work, the day flies by." He had his mp3 player plugged into the car data port and offered it to her to pick out driving music.

  As she browsed his library, she was jazzed to see they liked a lot of the same music. Not that there weren’t any bands that she had never heard of because there were. She went around and selected one of her all-time favorite songs and turned to gauge Gabe’s reaction.

  He started drumming the stirring wheel and said, “Awesome choice!”

  It was just the reaction she was hoping for. He caught her eye and winked. They pulled up to an old-school Italian restaurant with red and white checked tablecloths and candles on every table. They were seated and placed their drink orders, then perused the menu. Jane went with chicken parmesan while Gabe opted for home-style lasagna with cheesy bread. The smell of the other patron’s meals made J
ane’s mouth water.

  “This is such a cute place,” Jane murmured as they waited for their meals. “Have you been here before?”

  “I love this place,” Gabe returned. “I believe it’s the best Italian in town."

  When their food arrived, it was well worth the wait. Jane actually caught herself moaning and looked up embarrassed.

  Gabe teased, “I know right? I’m amazed you have never been here. Aren’t you from around here? It may be blasphemy that you have never been here. Just wait until you try the breadsticks."

  Gabe went on to tell her his theory that these breadsticks alone could end all no carb diets out there. Jane wondered out loud how their pizza was and if they would deliver.

  Gabe grinned. “Have I created a monster?”

  The portions were so large they each asked for their leftovers to be boxed up, and Gabe ordered some tiramisu to go. They held hands as they made their way back to Gabe’s car. Back at her place, Jane invited him up so they could split the tiramisu. It was amazing, and Gabe let her in on another fact about the place. In the summer, they made gelato. He even offered to take her. That really hit home for her. He was talking about taking her somewhere eight months from now.

  “I’d like that,” she said. “And thank you so much for tonight. It was wonderful."

  She leaned in to kiss him on his cheek but changed her mind and went for his lips instead. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and deepening the kiss. Jane was just losing herself in the moment when she heard the front door open. They broke their kiss but kept their arms around each other.

  “Well hello,” Lacey said, entering the living room.

  “Hey, Lace,” Jane said from over Gabe’s shoulder.

  Gabe turned his head, and taking one arm from Jane’s waist, gave her a wave.

  Gabe nestled his face into Jane’s neck and murmured, “I should probably be taking off."

  She didn’t want him to go but agreed that since they both did have to work the next day it was for the best. She walked him to the door, and they shared another long kiss. Kissing Gabe was like getting a caramel frappuccino and licking off the bit of whip cream and caramel that peeks out from the top of the domed lid. She could kiss him all night, but grudgingly said goodnight and he was gone. She walked back into the living room to get a bottle of water. Lacey was sitting on the sofa with a bag of chips.

  “Looked like it was getting pretty hot in here,” Lacey said nonchalantly.

  Jane looked upward and shrugged her shoulders. She sat down with her drink, and when Lacey wasn’t looking, brought her fingers to her lips. They felt tender and in serious need of chap stick. It was a surreal feeling to have been in such an intense moment and now watch Lacey eating chips. Lacey was a messy chip eater. She was getting crumbs all over herself. Jane shook her head. How could she even be thinking about Lacey eating chips and not Gabe after a kiss like that?

  “Hey, are you listening?” Lacey said, raising her voice.

  “Huh?” Jane answered. “I’m sorry. My head was somewhere else."

  “I’ll bet,” Lacey grinned. “Well, anyway, I was just saying that Jack from Saturday night texted me."

  "Who’s Jack?” Jane asked, looking confused.

  “He’s the guy I played the golf game with and then smooched the rest of the night. We are meeting up this weekend."

  He was going to take her to one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook the food right at the table. Jane was fading fast, and after displaying enough excitement over Lacey’s upcoming date, called it a night. She struggled to fall asleep even though she was so tired. She couldn’t help thinking about Gabe. They hadn’t spoken about when they would see each other again. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was just an oversight or if maybe Gabe was not as into her as she thought. But he had said the thing about the gelato.

  She startled as her alarm sounded the next morning. Man, she did not want to go to work today. Jane turned her alarm off before it woke Ronald. Slowly, she got up and ready for the day. She daydreamed the whole way to work. As she pulled into her usual parking spot, she felt amazed that she had somehow made it to work. Only eight more hours to go, she thought. Jane caught herself dozing multiple times. She went ahead and ate her lunch at her desk in an effort to catch up. During her break, her phone chirped with a text from Gabe.

  Thinking of you.

  Swoon. She was instantly very awake but unsure of how to reply.

  Jane was always uncomfortable over text. She thought of maybe a dozen different things to say but could not decide, so she settled on a smiley face. He replied back, asking if she had any plans Saturday. She happily replied that she did not, and they arranged a date for Saturday afternoon. Taking advantage of her newfound energy, Jane focused on her work with abandon and only ended up having to stay an hour late to get everything caught up.

  She picked up some Chinese food on the way home. Once home, she camped out on the sofa with her pajamas on and caught up on her DVR queue. Before getting ready for bed, she checked her email. Ugh. Wyatt strikes again. He had invited her to lunch with his mother and went on to say his mother could not wait to catch up with the both of them.

  Huh? Jane scrolled back to the top of the email and realized he had not only invited her but her mother as well. There was no way she would be able to get out of this. She closed her laptop, popped an Advil PM, and went to bed. When her alarm clock went off the next morning, she actually felt well-rested and ready to take on her Friday.

  She went into the kitchen to make some coffee and saw a note from Lacey saying to stay up for her tonight. She added a “Will do!” and heart to Lacey’s note and left it in the kitchen for her. She got to work, and since she was able to accomplish so much the day before, it was a pretty laidback day. She went ahead and bit the bullet, calling her mother to see if she had seen the email from Wyatt. Not only had her mother seen it, but she had taken it upon herself to accept the invitation for the both of them, telling Jane it was so lovely that “dear” Wyatt would set this all up.

  Jane quietly sat at her desk and listened to her mother go on and on until she finally could not take it anymore.

  “Oh darn. Got to get back to work, Mom. Love you." Jane had never been confrontational so her biggest hope was that after this lunch, Wyatt would just go away without her having to actually do anything about it. It was a pretty day out, so Jane got a salad from a local shop and ate it in a park by her work.

  Jane sat there, soaking up the sunlight and fresh air. She wished she had brought a book to linger over and made a mental note to try to eat lunch outside until the weather became too cold to allow it. She grudgingly returned to her office. It was a co-worker’s birthday, so she happily snagged a piece cake.

  On the way home, she stopped by a bookstore. She perused the shelves for a good novel. She had been thinking of needing a good book ever since her lunch break. She purchased a new release of one of her favorite authors. Her plan was to go home, throw on some sweats, and read her new book. She stretched out on the sofa, and Ronald curled up on her hip. After moving around too often for his liking, he slowly stretched and then padded to the far end of the sofa to curl back up.

  She was buried in her book when she heard Lacey come in.

  “Hey stranger,” Lacey called out, kicking off her shoes at the door. “I am so happy that gig is over. Those hours were awful. Plus, I think I already have something new lined up for next week. I got an email on my phone but couldn’t open the attachment. I’ll pull it up on the laptop after I eat."

  Lacey walked into the kitchen and popped a TV dinner in the microwave, eating an apple as she waited for it to cook.

  “So what’s new? Excited for tomorrow?” Lacey asked.

  “Sure, but now I’m also dreading Sunday,” Jane returned.

  Lacey looking concerned. “Why?”

  Jane went on to tell her about how Wyatt had set up a luncheon with their mothers, and how without even asking her, her mother had
accepted.

  “Jane, you have got to nip this in the bud. Just reply to all and say that you do not want to go.” Lacey was in earnest. It drove her nuts to see her friend bend over backward to please everyone but herself.

  “It’s just lunch, Lace,” Jane began. “And who knows, maybe someday Wyatt and I could be friends again.” That was a long stretch, and she knew it.

  “Friends?” Lacey asked, dumbstruck. “After how he left things when you broke up? After the stunt he pulled with Matt at the coffee place?”

  The microwave beeped to indicate her dinner was ready.

  “You are so lucky I am starving because I could have kept going,” she said, getting up to get her food.

  Jane did her best to change the subject by asking if Lacey had talked to Jack since they last spoke. Feeling feisty, Ronald began to swat at Lacey’s fork while she tried to eat.

  “Lay off, Ronald,” she said, picking him up and putting him on the floor.

  Lacey had known her long enough to recognize the subject change, and between bites, said, “All I am saying is don’t let them walk all over you, and fine, I won’t say anything else, and yes, Jack and I have been texting quite a bit.”

  “I am not a good texter,” Jane returned. “But I do kinda wish Gabe would text or call more, though.”

  “He’s a teacher,” Lacey replied. “There are probably rules against that, and isn’t he fixing up his house or something?" Jane had not considered that. It seemed very reasonable and cheered her up right away. Lacey went on to tell her more about Jack.

  Given her usual aptitude for picking losers, he seemed to have a lot going for him. He was a paralegal for a local firm and was also in grad school with the hopes of taking his bar exam and becoming a lawyer. He did not go out a lot and was only at the bar the night he met Lacey because he was treating his little brother to a drink for his birthday. Lacey went on to say it was the little brother, Ian, who had encouraged Jack to hit on Lacey in the first place.