by Gina Wilkins
Locking the door, Stacy assured herself that she was greatly relieved he hadn’t tried to kiss her. That would have been awkward and uncomfortable, she decided, especially considering that they had already agreed to go to the drive-in together. She was glad he was keeping their interactions friendly and platonic, just a couple of casual friends spending time together to stave off boredom.
That was all she wanted, after all, she told herself. At least until she got to know him better, to make sure he wasn’t the love-’em-and-leave-’em kind. She’d had enough dealings with that type to last the rest of her life.
WHAT JAKE HAD BEEN dreading finally happened at the drive-in theater. Fortunately, Stacy wasn’t there to witness it.
“Oh, my gosh. You’re—you’re Jake Hinson.”
Jake winced, then managed to smile at the red-faced teen on the other side of the concessions counter. “Hi. How you doing?”
The boy’s eyes were as big as saucers. “You’re him, ain’t you?”
Grateful that he had come for snacks at a time when few other people were around, Jake lowered his voice to say, “Yeah, but do me a favor, will you, buddy? Keep it between us for now? I’d really like to watch the rest of the movie.”
“Oh, yeah. Folks find out you’re here, they’ll start bugging you for autographs and stuff, right?”
Jake nodded. “Right. I’m trying to be sort of incognito for now.”
The boy looked around with exaggerated stealth, his voice a dramatic stage whisper when he said, “You’re, like, my favorite driver ever, man. I thought for sure you were going to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship this year, you know? So, how you doing? You getting better?”
“I’m doing great,” Jake assured him. “I plan to be back behind the wheel for the last few races this season. And next year, I’m going to start working toward that championship title again.”
“You’ll get it, Jake. You can drive, dude.”
“Thanks. What’s your name?”
“I’m J-Joey,” the kid stammered. “Joey Baker.”
“Tell you what, Joey. Write down your name and address for me, and when I get back home, I’ll send you some team stuff. My way of thanking you for helping me out tonight.”
“No sh—really? Oh, man, that would be so freaking cool. And could you sign something? You know, to prove I met you?”
“You bet.” Jake scrawled his name and a quick message on a napkin, handed it to the boy, then pocketed the scrap of paper Joey gave him in return. Picking up the cardboard tray of snacks he’d ordered, he said, “I owe you, Joey. Thanks a lot.”
Beaming, Joey nodded, folding the autographed napkin as if it were made of the finest spun glass. “Thank you, Jake. I’ll be watching for that stuff.”
“Give it two or three weeks. I’m not sure when I’ll get back home, exactly, but I promise I won’t forget.”
Looking confident that his hero would follow through on that promise, Joey turned reluctantly to his next customer, a woman with two small children who were beginning to whine for their treats. Because Joey still looked flushed and excited, Jake hoped the boy would be able to resist bragging about the meeting at least until the movie ended. As it was, it was going to be harder for Jake to spend time in town unrecognized if word got out that he was in the area.
“That took a while,” Stacy commented when he climbed back into the car a few moments later. “Was there a long line?”
“No.” He handed her the soda and small popcorn she had requested, keeping a soda and hot dog for himself. “I got to talking to the kid behind the counter and lost track of time. I’m sorry I was gone so long.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t miss much. Thank you for the popcorn and drink.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked through the windshield at the large outdoor screen on which a clichéd but moderately entertaining action-adventure film was playing, the sound relayed through the car’s radio speakers.
The movie was a big enough draw that there were quite a few other vehicles around them—cars, pickup trucks, minivans. Some viewers had brought lawn chairs, while others sat in the back of their trucks. Many munched on concessions, or food they had brought from home. Fortunately, it was a pleasantly cool evening, and there were few mosquitoes to mar the pleasure.
Children dashed among the vehicles, and quite a bit of noise came through the open windows of Jake’s rental car, but it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t as if the movie required close attention.
The outside distractions didn’t have much to do with Jake’s inability to concentrate on what little plot there was. His eyes kept turning in Stacy’s direction, studying her delicate profile in the flickering light. He watched as she lifted her soda from the drink holder with her left hand, then winced and set it quickly back down.
“Is your arm hurting?”
She glanced at him with a slight shake of her head. “It’s fine,” she said—as he suspected she would have even if it was killing her. “Just a little sore. I’ve used it more today than I have in a while. I did some housecleaning and laundry.”
“I hope you haven’t overdone it.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I was thinking the same thing about you earlier,” she admitted. “I noticed you were limping a bit more than before when you came back from the concession stand.”
He nodded to acknowledge the touché. “I worked out more today than I have since the accident. My leg’s a little tired, but I think the exercise was good for me.”
“Same for me.”
He cleared his throat. “Stacy, about that trip to the concessions stand—”
A burst of sound from the speakers cut off the impulsive confession. They both turned their attention to the screen, where the beleaguered hero was engaged in a battle for his life. Maybe it was a good thing he’d been interrupted, he thought. This probably wasn’t the time for a serious talk.
“You were saying?” Stacy prodded a few moments later.
He smiled and shook his head. “Never mind.”
There would be plenty of time to tell her later, he assured himself. When the opportunity was right.
“THAT WAS an interesting experience,” Jake said as he left the drive-in theater lot and turned in the direction of the cabins.
“Yes. The movie wasn’t great, but it’s always fun to go to the drive-in,” Stacy agreed. “My brother and my nephew and I have been there together a couple of times.”
“What does your nephew think about that? Does he enjoy the drive-in more than the music on the square?”
“He used to when he was little. But not for the past couple of years. He says it’s ‘lame.’”
“Those teenagers in the pickup truck beside us didn’t seem to think so.”
Stacy cleared her throat as she remembered the rather obvious groping that had been going on in the truck. “Yes, well, I don’t think they’d have enjoyed the experience quite so much had their parents been around.”
“You talk about your brother and your nephew, but I haven’t heard you mention your sister-in-law.”
“That’s because she’s not in the picture,” Stacy replied with a slight shrug. “She divorced Nick five years ago. Three years later, she sent my nephew, Andrew, to live with his father. She claimed she couldn’t handle him anymore, but the truth was, Andrew was interfering with her social life.”
And then she stopped herself with a shake of her head. “I don’t mean to sound judgmental. My brother and sister-in-law were only nineteen when Andrew was born. Very young for such a responsibility.”
“Actually, their story sounds a bit too familiar,” Jake replied somberly. “I was raised by a young single parent myself. In my case, it was my mother who took the responsibility when my father decided that parenthood was too demanding. He took off when I was little more than a toddler.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No. It was just me and my mom. She died when I was a senior in high school. An anaphylactic
reaction to a bee sting. She was at home by herself when it happened and she waited too late to call for assistance. By the time the EMTs arrived, there was nothing to be done.”
Stacy’s heart ached in response to the tragic tale. It seemed her impression that Jake was very much alone had been more accurate than she’d known. He had certainly had his share of heartache in his short lifetime. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I just wished she had lived long enough to…well, anyway. We haven’t talked much about our families. Are your parents still living?”
“My mother is. She married a very nice retiree three years ago and they’re doing what she’s always dreamed of doing. Traveling around the world. They’ve been to ten different countries since they married. She’s having a ball.” And no one deserved it more, after the hell her first husband had put her through, Stacy thought, though she had no intention of discussing that now.
“Good for her.” Jake braked for an intersection, waiting until a long motor home passed before making a left turn. “You and your brother are close?”
“Yes. We supported each other through some difficult times. And I’ve tried to help him with Andrew.” Which hadn’t been an easy task, since Andrew had become a rebellious and withdrawn teenager.
“Your brother is older than you, I take it.”
“Five years older. He’s thirty-three.”
“I always wanted a brother. But I’ve been fortunate. I have a lot of really good friends in my business. One, especially, is almost like a brother to me. His name’s Wade. Great guy. He’s getting married in January, and I’m going to be his best man.”
The pride in the announcement made her smile. “Do you like his fiancée?”
“Very much.”
“There aren’t a lot of weddings in January.”
“Yes, well, it’s one of the few months Wade has free. Um, Stacy, about—”
“Look out!”
Jake spotted the speeding truck at the same moment Stacy cried out. Weaving over the yellow lines, the old vehicle was coming right toward them, headlights aimed blindingly through their windshield. Stacy braced herself for the impending crash.
CHAPTER FIVE
HAD THERE BEEN other cars in the intersection, there would have been a terrible wreck. As it was, Jake missed a head-on collision only by the narrowest margin.
His skillful handling of the car got them out of harm’s way and back in their lane almost before Stacy realized they had avoided disaster. She was jolted in her seat, the seat belt tightening across her, but she sensed in relief that Jake was in complete control of the vehicle.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling over to the narrow shoulder and already reaching for his cell phone.
She had to swallow hard before answering. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just very glad I wasn’t driving.”
He turned on his phone. She’d noticed he wore it clipped to his belt, and she had assumed he kept it on to receive calls. Apparently, he hadn’t wanted to take any calls this evening.
“I need to report a drunk driver in a red pickup truck,” he said into the phone a moment later. He then proceeded to give the details of location, model and approximate make of the pickup, and even a partial description of the driver, a heavyset, balding Caucasian male.
Stacy was amazed that he had gotten all those details in the split seconds while he was avoiding a wreck. Even with nothing else to do but hold on, she hadn’t had the presence of mind to notice any of the details, not that she’d seen much in the darkness outside their own vehicle.
Call concluded, Jake slipped the phone back into its holder and put the car into gear. “I hope they catch him before he hurts someone.”
“So do I.” Her pulse rate was still elevated from the near miss. “I think that’s as close as I’ve ever come to being in a car crash.”
“Really?”
His response had an odd twist to it. Almost ironic. “You’ve been in an accident before?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
No details, but again his tone seemed to carry hidden meaning. “I guess it’s a hazard of your job.”
“You could say that.”
He parked the car in the driveway of his borrowed cabin. “You’re sure you’re okay? That was a pretty hard jolt you took when I slammed on the brakes.”
“I’m fine. You handled it masterfully.”
Without responding to the praise, he reached for the door handle. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“I’ll walk you.”
She knew that tone. It was the one she always referred to as “stubborn-man mode” when she heard it from her brother. It was almost always accompanied by “overprotective-male syndrome.” After years of practice with her brother, she had gotten pretty good at putting her foot down when she chose to. But it just didn’t seem worth the effort over something this trivial. She didn’t argue any further when Jake fell into step beside her.
Security night-watcher lights gave soft illumination to their path. A very light breeze ruffled the tree leaves around them, creating a soothing, intimate sound. Had they been on a real date, she would have considered this stroll a romantic end to the evening.
She reminded herself firmly that there was no romance involved here. Jake had given no evidence that he regarded her as anything more than a new friend. He had been a perfect gentleman at the drive-in. Exactly as she wanted, she assured herself with a bit too much fervency. As for herself…well, a trucker from North Carolina didn’t seem a likely match, since everyone knew how difficult long-distance courtships could become.
Courtship. The old-fashioned word made her feel oddly wistful. If Jake had been from this area, and if he had shown special interest in her, and if he hadn’t been the charming, good-looking vagabond he seemed to be, then she might have allowed herself to hope something might develop. He seemed so nice. So easy to be with, and to talk to, which was a relatively new experience for her when it came to someone she had known such a short time.
She wanted love and family as much as any other average woman. She had been subject to occasional moments of envy when she was around her happily married or seriously involved friends. But she had also seen the devastation left in the wake of affairs gone wrong, and she didn’t need any more heartbreak in her life.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
Jake’s quiet comment broke the silence between them, causing her to look up at him. Moonlight did very nice things to his already handsome face, creating soft shadows beneath his chiseled cheekbones and gleaming in his dark eyes. If ever she’d met anyone who could almost tempt her into a reckless vacation fling, this would be the guy. Good thing she had such well-developed willpower when it came to that sort of thing.
“I was just thinking how nice an evening it is,” she said, stepping onto the front porch of her cabin.
He chuckled. “Great minds, I guess.”
A motion-activated light came on as they approached the front door, and both of them blinked in the sudden brightness. She heard Oscar barking inside, eager to welcome her back.
“Thank you for going to the movie with me tonight,” he said, leaning one shoulder against the wall beside the door. “I can’t tell you how good it felt to get out again for a while.”
“I’m happy to have provided a diversion,” she answered lightly.
“It was more than that,” he assured her. “I enjoy being with you. I think you and I have quite a few things in common.”
Her smile felt a bit strained. “Now, how could you know that after only a few days?”
Nodding with mock gravity, he replied, “You know, you’re right. It would take more than a few days to tell for certain. So, how do you feel about spending more time together? Maybe discussing our tastes in books, music and television as a means of comparison?”
She hesitated, trying to read between the lines of the lighthearted invitation. Was she just a convenient diversion for him—o
r was it more than that? Was he hoping for that vacation fling she’d thought about only moments before—or was he interested in finding out if they could be compatible for something more? Or was she way overthinking the whole thing? She tended to do that on occasion.
“Stacy?”
He must wonder why she was taking so long to answer a simple question. “Sure. Why not?”
Once again he gave her a smile that made her equally glad she had said yes and wary of her almost visceral reactions to him. “Great. There are a lot of things about you I’d like to learn. And a few things I should tell you about myself.”
She would decide later exactly how much she would share with him about herself. As for the things he wanted to tell her…well, she would deal with those when she heard them.
“I’d better get inside,” she said, sticking her key in the lock. “Oscar’s starting to sound impatient.”
She wondered if she only imagined reluctance in his nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
“Yes. Good night, Jake. Sleep well.”
His smile was a little melancholy. “Maybe tonight I will.”
He touched her cheek before he moved away. Just a fleeting brush, but enough to cause her pulse rate to leap.
She stood just inside the partially opened door and watched him walk away. He was dragging his injured leg just slightly after the day’s exertions, but he held his shoulders straight. His head higher. He looked more tired than sad now, which was a big improvement over a few days ago.
Realizing that she was standing there with one hand covering her cheek as if to hold on to the warmth of his touch, a foolish smile playing on her lips, she dropped her arm and abruptly closed the door.
Oscar stood on his back legs beside her, front paws pumping as he tried to get her attention. Feeling like a complete idiot, she reached down to pick him up, cradling him in her arms as she turned away from the door.