“Hey Noah, do you want to go for a walk?” Mel asked.
Noah nodded.
“Okay, let’s go.” She started to get up.
“You don’t have to do that—”
Mel have me a ‘don’t bother arguing’ look. “I want to. We’ll be back in a bit.”
I kissed Noah on the forehead. “Be good for Aunt Mel.”
I watched them leave.
Jake waited until the bell jingled, signaling their departure, before talking. “He’s a really cute kid.”
“Thank you.” I glanced over Jake’s head at the picture of two little boys sharing a waffle cone. I wondered how old those boys were now.
“He seems really sweet.”
I laughed. “That’s because you haven’t seen him when he doesn’t nap. Wait another hour and you might get a preview.”
“From what my mom tells me, I was quite the handful when I was little. He’s probably like me.”
I could imagine Jake being like that. “This was fun. Thanks for inviting us.”
“Thanks for coming.” He reached across the table and took my hand.
I took a deep breath and made myself speak. “Listen. I don’t know if you were only doing this because you thought you had to, but I’m not expecting anything from you.”
He squeezed my hand. “I’ve never done this before. I have no clue how it’s going to work, but we’ll figure it out.”
“You mean you think dating a single mom might be complicated?”
He smiled. “Maybe a little when you combine it with the fact that I currently have no license.”
“That’s only for a year.”
“True. A year isn’t that long.”
I balled up my napkin. “Where do we go from here?”
Jake flipped over my hand. He ran a finger over my palm. “You agree to another date with me.”
“I will, but I have to make sure I can get a sitter.”
“We’ll figure it out, and a date can include Noah. I just want to know that I get to see you again.”
“You can if you want to.” I looked down at the table.
“Hey, look at me.”
I listened and met his gaze.
He took my hand in both of his. “I want to see you. I definitely want to.”
“All right.”
“What’s your schedule like? Are you off weekends now?”
“I’m starting on weekday day shifts. I’ll work seven to seven four days a week, but I might pick up extra shifts here and there.”
“How about next Saturday night?”
“As long as I find a sitter.”
“I already told you that you don’t have to worry. We’ll work it out.”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
Someone knocked on the window. Noah was making faces at us. “I think that’s my cue.”
“This was fun.”
I picked up Noah’s sippy cup and stuffed it into my bag. “Thanks for the ice cream.”
“Anytime.”
Jake dropped my hand long enough for us to slide out of the booth. He took it again as we walked toward the door. “Jake...”
“What? He’s already seen us holding hands.”
I smiled. “I know.”
“Good.” He kissed me on the cheek before bending down to Noah’s height. “It was nice meeting you, Noah. Take care of your mommy for me.”
Noah smiled shyly and backed up to grab my leg.
Jake stood back up. “Nice to see you again, Mel.”
Mel smiled. “Same to you. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing more of you.”
“I hope so. I’ll call you, Emily.” Jake hugged me, careful to avoid knocking Noah over.
“I’ll be waiting.” I smiled as I buckled Noah in.
“Thanks for coming tonight.” I hugged Mel.
“This was fun. We’ll have to do it more often.”
“Did it bring back high school memories?”
“Definitely.”
I laughed. “All right, ‘night Mel.”
“Good night.” She drove away.
I turned to get into my car and found Jake waiting. I expected him to be on his way home already. “What are you still doing here?”
“I was hoping for a good night kiss.” There was something about the way he said it, the boyish charm that made me melt.
“So was I.” I waited for the kiss I knew was coming.
The kiss was gentle, his lips only lightly brushing against mine, but it was still enough to give me goose bumps. I’d missed Jake more than I wanted to admit.
“Have a good night.” He smiled, watching as I got in my car.
“You too.”
He waved as I pulled away. I looked in my rearview mirror as I moved into the traffic circle, he was watching with a smile on his face that matched the one I wore.
I was still smiling when I settled into a bath that night. Noah went down easily, probably because he ran around so much at the game, and I decided to take advantage of it. I was just drying off when my phone rang. I always took it in with me in case my mom or Mel called. It wasn’t either of them.
“When you said you’d call, I didn’t think it would be tonight.”
Jake laughed. “I guess I was eager. I miss you already.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
“Is Noah sleeping?”
“Yes, and I just finished a bath.”
“Wish I could have joined you.”
“You and me both.”
“I love your honesty, Em.”
“Em? Since when do you call me that?” I brushed out my hair.
“That’s what Mel calls you…would it bother you if I did?”
“No. I like it.”
“Good. You can call me a nickname too.”
“What’s the nickname for Jake?”
“I’m sure you can come up with one.”
I laughed. “All right, I’ll think of something.”
“I’m expecting a good one.”
“Don’t put any pressure on me or anything…”
“You don’t do your best under pressure?” he asked.
He was spot on. “No. I prefer things relaxed.”
“Me too. Do me a favor and think about me tonight. I’ll be thinking about you.”
He didn’t need to say it. “Because that isn’t a weird thing to ask…”
“If you don’t want weird, you shouldn’t be dating me.”
“You are so not what I expected.” I walked down the hall to my room.
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good. You’re like that really good surprise gift. It’s not the one you expect, or the one you asked for—but it’s all the better because of that.” I pulled an old t-shirt out of my dresser.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“You should. I guess I say weird stuff too.” I put the phone on speaker while I got dressed.
“Yes…but I like it.”
“I bet I’m unexpected.”
“I knew you were special, but you’ve kind of blown that idea out of the water.”
“You’re sweet.”
“So are you, Em….and you’re also incredibly sexy, and I want you so bad it hurts.”
“On that note, good night, Jake.”
“Hey, you can’t run off on me like that.”
“I’m not running. I’m hanging up.”
“You’re the one who told me you were getting out of the bath. That means you’re in a towel. My thoughts are going to go there.”
“In case you were wondering, I’m never having phone sex.”
He laughed. It was a deep, melodic laugh. “Good to know. But now that I’ve had the real thing, I’m not going to settle for the phone.”
“You’re going to have to wait quite a while, you know…”
“Yeah, I figured. But you know what? I’ve made it twenty-three years without you. What’s a few more days, or weeks. But please don’t say m
onths. That’s going to be pushing it.”
“I’ll agree with you there.” I sat down on my bed.
“Enjoy your quiet time.”
“I will. Sweet dreams.” I laid back against my pillows.
“Oh they’ll be sweet.”
“Good night, Jake.”
“Night, Emmy.”
“Emmy?” I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see it.
“I’m just trying it out.”
“All right. Good night.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jake
“I have no clue how you got her to agree to go out with you, but I’m happy to hear it.” Mom took a sip of her coffee.
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You know I didn’t mean it that way. But you have to admit that most men would have a hard time getting a date in the condition you were in.”
“I guess I’m not most men.”
She laughed. “No, you definitely aren’t. I still don’t know where you get it. It’s not from your father.”
“Hmm?” Dad glanced up from his paper.
I took a bite of my bagel. I was having breakfast over at my parents’ house on Saturday morning. Usually I resisted those sorts of family gatherings, but I knew my mom wanted information, and she’d get it whether I told her or not.
“I’m sorry we missed Emily at the game on Friday. I’d have loved to have seen her. I meant to send her a note to say thank you. She really helped make a terrible situation bearable.” Mom started to tear up. I hated knowing it was my fault.
“Yeah. It’s too bad you didn’t see her.” I decided to put her out of her misery. I could tell she was still full of questions. “Come on. Just ask me what you want to ask. Get it over with.”
“Is there anything else about her you think I should know?”
“I’m guessing you’re asking about Noah?”
“Noah? That’s her son’s name?”
I got up and poured myself more coffee from the pot. “Yes.”
“Who’s the dad?” She looked right at me. All evidence of the tears were gone—the interrogation had started. That’s what I got for not telling her earlier. She must have heard about Noah from people in town who saw us after the game.
“He’s dead, but I think he was from her hometown.”
“Oh. That’s horrible. That poor girl.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s been an easy road.”
“Does her family live nearby?”
“Nope. They’re all in Ridgeview.”
“Up there? I’m surprised she didn’t move home.” Mom took another sip of her coffee.
“Me too. I’m sure she has her reasons.” I had so many questions for Emily, but I was going to wait until the right time to ask them.
“I’m guessing by the far off look on your face that you plan to see her again.”
“Yeah, I definitely do. She’s gotten under my skin in a way no one has before.”
“I can tell; which is why I want to see her again too. Even though we spent so much time in the hospital together, I hardly know anything about her. You should really bring her and Noah by next time she’s in town.”
“She’ll be here tonight. She’s having trouble finding a sitter so I told her to bring Noah with her.”
“I’ll watch him.” Mom got that excited look on her face.
“You don’t even know him.”
“So? Have them come over early so he can get to know me. I did raise two boys of my own, you know.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes! You know how much I love kids, and this way you two can have a proper date.”
“I’ll talk to Emily about it.”
“Good.”
***
“Are you sure your mom doesn’t mind?” Emily asked for the third time. We were sitting around my place. I’d never cleaned so well in my life, but Mom warned me Noah would get into everything.
“Not at all. It was her idea. We should probably go over there now. That way Noah can get used to her with you there.”
“That’s really nice of her.”
I shrugged. “It’s just my mom.” She might have been far too involved in my business, but my mom was always willing to help.
“All right. Do you want to go?”
“Sure.”
Emily bent down. “Noah, it’s time to go.”
Noah looked up from playing with a toy car on the floor. He really was cute. He had longish, dark brown hair and really big, blue eyes.
“You know that we have the same haircut, bud.”
Emily laughed. “Only because I haven’t had time to cut it.”
“Why would you cut it? The shaggy look is always in for little boys.”
“So is looking neat and presentable.”
“Are you trying to tell me I don’t look presentable?” I pretended to be offended.
“No. I like your hair.” She reached over and ran a hand through my hair.
“But your son needs his short?”
She smiled down at Noah. “At least trimmed.”
I bent down to Noah’s height. “Don’t listen to her, Noah. She’s going to cramp your style.”
He laughed but I doubt he had any idea what I was saying.
“Can you watch him for a second? I want to run to the bathroom.”
“Uh, sure.” I figured I should be able to watch a kid for a minute.
“Be right back.” I couldn’t tell if she was talking to me or Noah.
“What kind of car do you have there?” I slid down onto the floor next to him. He handed me the blue car.
“Car.”
“Yes, it doesn’t really matter what kind it is as long as it works, right?”
He took the car back from me and rolled it around on the worn wood floor again. The car he was playing with didn’t look too far off from what I had as a kid. I guess some things never change.
“All right, I’m ready,” Emily called.
I turned around and my breath hitched. It always did when I saw her—especially with her hair all wavy like it was. She looked gorgeous.
“You ready, bud?” I wasn’t sure why I started calling him that, but it kind of stuck.
Noah held his arms up to me.
Emily shook her head. “No, Noah. Jake doesn’t have to hold you.”
“I’ll hold you.” I bent down and scooped him up. He grinned.
“You don’t have to do that.” Emily reached for him.
“I want to.” I carried Noah outside and waited while Emily unlocked her car.
I put him in his car seat. It only took me two tries to figure out the seatbelts. I hoped I’d get it on the first try the next time.
Emily just smiled and got into the driver’s side. I hated that she was always the one who had to drive us everywhere. It’s hard to make a girl think you can take care of her when you can’t even pick her up. There was nothing I could do about it, so I’d have to find other ways to make up for it—even if I had to get creative.
“Where am I going?” She pulled out of the driveway.
“Turn here.” I led her through the directions to my parents’ house. It wasn’t too far away, and Noah seemed perfectly content playing with his toys in the backseat.
Emily parked in their driveway and looked up at the house. “Wow, pretty.”
I’d never really thought about it, but their house was nice. With a huge, wraparound porch on both levels, it kind of stood out. It was bigger than most of my friends’ houses, and when you add in the pool house I’d spent a few years living in, it was pretty cool. “Thanks.”
Mom had the door opened before I knocked. “Come in, come in.”
Emily had gotten to Noah before me because his seat was on her side, but he had reached out for me as we walked up the front steps. I was holding him when Mom opened the door. She got a kick out of it. She didn’t say it, but I could see it in her smile.
Emily held out her hand to Mom. “Hi,
Mary. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s wonderful to see you too. And this must be Noah.”
Emily smiled. “That’s him.”
“He’s precious.” Mom patted his head.
“Thank you.”
“I pulled out some of the boys’ old toys.” Mom led the way into the den. She wasn’t kidding. There were all sorts of trucks, cars, and plastic dinosaurs on the carpet.
“You kept all of these?” I set Noah down. He went right over to a yellow dump truck.
“I knew we’d need them for grandchildren someday.”
“You must be excited that Molly’s pregnant.” Emily smiled. From what I gathered, she and Molly had hit it off. They’d even been talking on the phone a little. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it—but I knew it was probably a good thing.
“Very. It’s still months away, but we can hardly wait.”
“I bet. Are you hoping for a girl?”
Mom smiled. “It would be a nice change, but little boys are wonderful too.” She nodded toward Noah. “Jake mentioned that Noah spent the summer with his grandparents.”
Mom took a seat on the couch and gestured for Emily to sit next to her. I sat on a chair closer to Noah. He’d moved on from the truck and was currently pulling leaves off a plant.
Emily moved to stop him, but I took care of it. I tried to distract him with a T-Rex. It didn’t work until I added in the sound effects. He got a kick out of that and ended up balled up on the floor laughing.
Emily looked at me, and I just shrugged. “What? I’m kind of an expert on dinosaurs.”
She smiled and turned back to my mom. “Yes. I think he really liked it. It was nice that they got to spend more time with him, and I got to work some extra hours. But it was hard.”
“I’m sure.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom turn to Emily. “It’s never easy to be away from your children.”
They started talking about kids, and I tuned them out. Watching Noah took all my attention. He’d been pretty timid at my place, but the kid wouldn’t stop now. He got up and ran into the kitchen. “I’ve got him,” I called, assuming Emily would want to follow him.
I stopped him just as he started to climb into a chair. “I’ve got you.” I picked him up and he leaned back. I figured out he wanted to be held upside down and swung. He made this high-pitched squeal so I assumed I was doing it right.
Wrecked (Clayton Falls) Page 11