“A couple of times.” I kept the details to myself.
“How? Did she come here?”
I nodded.
“How the hell did you manage that?”
I grinned. “My charm.”
She stood up. “She’s really pretty, and she seemed sweet. I’ll take you, but we’re stopping at your place first.”
“Why?” I looked at my watch. It was after five. If I wanted to see Emily before she went to work, I had to move fast.
“You need a shower.”
“No I don’t. I didn’t play.”
“Jake, you’re taking a shower.”
“Fine. Then let’s go.”
“Okay. I have to call Ben. He’s going to love this.”
“He already knows about her.”
“How?” She put a hand on her hip. “You told him first?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It came up at work.”
“Came up? Oh. You were talking sex, weren’t you?”
“We’re not having this conversation.”
“Let’s go.”
We got in her car and were at my house a few minutes later.
Molly waited in the den while I showered. When I got out, she was grinning.
“What?”
“Ben says we can use this as an excuse for a date. He’s on his way over.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. What did you expect me to do while you took out your nurse?”
“Her name’s Emily.”
“I know. Sorry.” She really did look sorry. As much as Molly loved riling me up, she was a nice person.
I heard Ben’s truck pull up out front. I grabbed my keys even though I only needed the one to my house, and we got in Molly’s car. Thankfully, Ben didn’t force me to ride squashed in the cab of his truck with them.
“Already needed to see her again, huh?” Ben taunted as he pulled out onto my street.
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. I just think it’s funny.”
“Funny?”
“Have you ever made this kind of effort for a girl before?” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror.
“No. But I’ve never wanted to see one so bad.”
Ben moved his seat back, crushing my legs. I made a mental note to sit behind Molly on the way home. “I’m just waiting to find out what’s wrong with her.”
“Nothing’s wrong with her.”
“Something has to be wrong with her to make so much effort to see you.”
“Maybe I’m just irresistible.”
Molly snickered. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Hey, even you admitted to having a crush on me.”
“In middle school. I can’t account for my bad taste back then.”
“Maybe your taste only got bad after that.”
Ben laughed. “I’d say something in response, but I’m actually enjoying you two being back to normal.”
“So am I.” It was weird having Molly nice to me, especially after she found out what a jerk I was in high school. She should have hated me.
Ben put an arm behind Molly’s seat. “Where and when are you meeting her?”
“I don’t know. I need to call.”
“What?” Molly turned around to look at me. “She doesn’t know you’re coming?”
“Nope. She has to work at seven thirty, I think. I’ll call now.”
Emily picked up after two rings. “Hey. I was just thinking about you.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
“Definitely.”
“Any interest in seeing me?”
“I wish I could, but I have to work tonight.” She sounded disappointed.
“What if I come to you?”
“You can’t…”
“I’m about five miles outside Wilmington right now. Ben and Molly are driving me.”
“Really? What if I didn’t pick up or I said no?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
She laughed. “I already ate dinner, and I only have an hour. But we could do coffee, I guess. Do you guys know the city well? Want to meet at Port City Java?”
“We’ll find it.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon.”
“I can’t wait.” I hung up.
Molly shook her head. “You’re unreal. She must seriously like you to agree to a last minute date like that.”
“I cut it close. She only has an hour.”
Molly turned around again. “You’re going to have to find something to do for longer than that. We’re going to dinner.”
“You mean I’m not invited?”
Ben pulled off at the exit. “Not a chance in hell.”
I laughed. “Just drop me off at Port City Java.”
“Not a problem.”
We found the coffee shop and I hopped out. “Thanks for the ride. Give me a call when you finish dinner.”
“Have fun.” Molly smiled. I think she enjoyed having me at their mercy.
“You too. Don’t get in too much trouble,” I yelled before slamming the door.
I peered through the window, but Emily wasn’t there yet. I decided to wait outside. I glanced at my watch. Emily definitely wasn’t an early bird type. I paced, hoping she was just late again.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”
I glanced up. Emily looked incredible. She was beautiful in anything she wore, but there was something about the tight jeans, fitted blue t-shirt and cowboy boots that caught me off guard.
“Wow, you should be illegal.”
“I assume that’s some sort of compliment.”
“Yes. Definitely a compliment.” I stopped ogling long enough to pull her into a hug. The feeling of her body close to mine was amazing—she fit so perfectly.
“And here I thought you’d be disappointed I didn’t dress up for you.”
“You don’t ever have to feel like that. I like you in anything.” Or nothing. I kept that thought to myself. “You look cute with a ponytail.”
“Yeah? I didn’t feel like messing with my hair.”
“I can’t imagine ever having to mess with hair.”
“I can tell.” She reached up and tousled mine.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I teased.
“No comment.”
I held open the door to the coffee shop and she went in. I followed right behind her as she immediately went up to the counter.
“What’s your coffee of choice?” I asked.
“Just good old black coffee.”
“Really?” I’d been out with girls who liked nonfat macchiatos or chai teas, but never one who liked her coffee black. “That makes two of us.”
“I guess it’s an easy order.”
“I guess so.” I ordered our drinks, and Emily went to claim us a table. I joined her. “Do you like country music?”
“That’s random.”
I gestured to her boots. “Your footwear made me wonder.”
“What’s wrong with my boots?”
“Nothing. They’re pretty sexy actually. I’m just curious.”
“Maybe I do listen to country.”
“But what kind? There’s good country and bad country.”
She took a tentative sip of her coffee. “This I have to hear.”
“Bad country is the easy one to define—anything twangy.”
“Anything twangy?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m a huge Blake Shelton fan. I also love Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks.”
“Okay. That’s reasonable.”
“Reasonable? What do you listen to?”
I took a careful sip of my coffee. It was still piping hot. “Good stuff.”
“Such as?”
“The old classics. Nothing will ever beat Zeppelin. Or if you want something mellow, I’d go for Ben Harper.”
“Interesting.” She held her cup in her hands like she was trying to get warm.
“Interesting?”
; She took off the lid of her coffee, probably trying to cool it. “You can tell a lot about someone by their taste in music.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about coffee.”
“Oh? What does my coffee choice say about me?”
“It says, ‘I’m cool, laid back, and awesome.’” I followed her lead, removing the lid from my cup.
“Is that because it’s how you drink it?”
“Partly. But it’s even cooler because you’re a girl who likes it.”
She shifted in her seat. “Why is it different?”
“I don’t know. It just is.”
She shook her head. “No double standard or anything.”
“Just saying.”
“I think you’ve been around the wrong girls.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
“Let me see. Did the last girl you dated drink hers with skim milk and Splenda?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Because you’re the kind of guy who goes for health conscious girls who are afraid they’ll look high maintenance if they order a specialty drink.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, so you have my type figured out, huh?”
“Don’t I?” She crossed her arms, challenging me. All that did was pull the fabric of her t-shirt tight across her breasts. Yeah—I didn’t need that distraction.
“No.”
“Then what is your type?” She sipped her drink. My attention moved to her lips, which wasn’t any better.
“You.”
“Very suave.”
“It’s true. I just didn’t know it until I met you.”
“You’re working hard considering you know I’m not going home with you tonight.”
“And how do I know that?” I loved how easily we teased each other. Sometimes it was awkward when you saw a girl after you’d had sex. It wasn’t at all with us.
She laughed. “I have work in an hour, and your house is nowhere near here.”
“Maybe I’m working on an invitation to your apartment.”
A look of panic crossed her face.
“I’m joking, but why wouldn’t you want me to see it?”
“It’s a mess.”
She was obviously lying, but I decided to let it go. She still looked upset. I needed to change the conversation fast. “Is there anyone back home I need to be worried about?”
“Back home?”
“Yeah. Aren’t you going home this weekend?”
“Oh, no. No guys back home.”
“No high school sweetheart waiting to whisk you off?” I couldn’t help but think of Ben and Molly. They’d been broken up for five years, but less than forty-eight hours after she came home they’d hooked up again. We’d agreed to be exclusive, but a lot can change in a weekend.
“No.” She looked away.
“Hey, did that upset you?”
“No. It’s fine.”
I’d somehow struck a nerve. Hopefully, it had nothing to do with another guy.
Chapter Eleven
Emily
Jake’s phone call made my day. I didn’t want to leave without seeing him. I’d been thinking about him since I left his place that morning. I also knew it was time to tell him about Noah. If he broke things off, so be it. I only wanted to be with him if he could accept me completely. I’d almost told him when he asked about a high school sweetheart, but I wanted to enjoy a few more minutes, in case it was the last date we had.
“Would it be rude to ask how old you are?” He played with the cardboard sleeve from his nearly empty coffee cup.
“Maybe it’s rude, but I don’t mind telling you. Better yet, guess.”
He gave me a sly smile. “Oh no. You can’t do that to me.”
“How badly do you want to know?”
“Fine… hmm. Twenty two?”
“Do I really look that old?” I put on my most offended expression.
“No, no. You don’t look old.”
I laughed. “I’m twenty-one.”
“So I’m really robbing the cradle then.”
“You’re only twenty-three.”
“How’d you know?”
“I was your nurse.”
“Oh yeah.”
Suddenly, the Dixie Chick’s Wide Open Spaces blared from my purse.
I silenced my phone and glanced at my screen. “I’ve got to take this.”
I hurried outside, hoping Jake wouldn’t follow. I picked up right as the glass door closed behind me. “Is everything okay?”
My mom’s calm voice answered, immediately putting me at ease. “Yes, but Noah wants to talk to you.”
“Put him on.” I’d called earlier that day, but they’d been out.
“Mama.”
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?”
“Hi, Mama.” Noah only had a few words in his vocabulary.
I felt the tears threatening to spill. Hearing his voice always did that to me. “I miss you, but we’re going to have so much fun when you come home. I love you, baby. I’ll see you soon.”
Of course, Jake picked that moment to come outside. His eyes widened as he heard my last comment. Wordlessly he went back inside, slamming the door behind him.
“Noah, honey. Mommy has to go. You be good for Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”
My mom got back on. “We’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah. I have to run. See you tomorrow.”
Reluctantly I hung up, not ready to deal with Jake.
I walked in, and Jake was sitting with his arms crossed.
“Hi.” I sat down.
“Is there anything you feel like telling me? Maybe we have different definitions of the term exclusive, but unless you call your dog baby, I’m a little confused.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“It isn’t?” He looked at me skeptically.
I let out a deep breath. “You want to see Noah’s picture?”
“Noah? That’s his name?”
“Just look at his picture, Jake.” I handed my phone over after selecting a picture of Noah sitting on a swing.
“Wait. Is this…do you have a kid?” A look of shock crossed his face.
“Yes. I have a son.”
He stiffened. It was exactly the reaction I expected. “When were you going to tell me?” His voice was hard—accusatory.
“When it became an issue.”
“Where is he?”
“With my parents. They kept him for the summer so I could work more. My mom’s a teacher and has her summers off.” I left out the part about his grandfather being sick and wanting to spend time with him before he died.
“Oh.” He just sat there staring at me. His expression was unreadable, but it wasn’t friendly.
My heart sunk. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I wanted him to say something. Anything. “Okay, this was fun. Sorry to have wasted your time.” I put my purse back on my shoulder and headed outside. Part of me expected Jake to follow, but I refused to turn around until I reached my car. I looked back in through the large window. He was still sitting at the table with that unreadable expression. “Goodbye, Jake,” I said to myself as I got into my car and drove away.
***
I had to get through the next few days of work without thinking about Jake too much. I couldn’t afford to. I had to get everything ready for Noah when he got back. I dealt with the guilt of having him stay with my parents by picking up lots of little gifts for him. He wasn’t quite two, but he definitely had a soft spot for anything with wheels. Such a boy.
I smiled thinking about him. It had been nearly a month since my last trip up to see him. I hated sending him away, but we desperately needed the money. My mom kept encouraging me to move back home near them, but I wasn’t willing to do that. That felt too much like giving up.
Chapter Twelve
Jake
She had a kid? She actually had a kid and hadn’t even brought him up yet? That changed everything. Or did i
t? I had no idea what to think. By the time the news sank in, I went outside to find her but she was already gone. Shit.
I pulled out my phone to call her, but stopped. What would I say? There was no way I could just sit around and wait for Molly and Ben. I needed to walk.
I didn’t know Wilmington too well, but I headed further toward the downtown and just kept walking. When I got tired, I found a bench and just sat there. I had to think it through. Emily was amazing, nearly perfect. But could I really handle dating a mom? And what about the kid? What was I going to do around him? I thought she’d been really interested, but maybe she just wanted to mess around. Why would a mom want me around her son?
Finally, Ben called and I told him where to find me. I was ready to get home, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with the two of them. There’s nothing like being with a happy couple to remind you of how much it sucks to be alone.
Ten minutes later, he pulled up. I got in the backseat without saying anything.
“How was your date?” Molly turned around as soon as I closed the door.
“She has a kid.”
“What?” Ben looked at me in the rearview mirror after he pulled away from the curb.
“She has a kid.”
“Wow, she looked so young.” Molly still hadn’t turned back around.
“She is young. She’s twenty-one.”
“How old is her—is it a boy or girl?”
“Boy. And I didn’t get a chance to ask. He looked young in the picture she showed me, but not like a baby or anything.”
“Real helpful.” Molly rolled her eyes.
“How would I know how old he is?”
“So what did you do? Are you still going to see her?”
“I don’t know.” I buried my head in my hands. It was too much to think about.
“What does that mean?”
“She left before I could even process it.”
Molly put a hand to her chest. “Oh my god. What did you say, Jake?”
“I think I just said, ‘you’ve got a kid?’”
“That’s it?” Molly asked incredulously.
“Maybe I also said, ‘when were you going to tell me?’”
Molly gritted her teeth. “You two haven’t been dating long. She didn’t have to tell you yet.”
“So what does it mean? If I keep dating her, does that mean I have to be the kid’s dad or something?”
Wrecked (Clayton Falls) Page 7