by Mae Martini
Jake leaned back in his chair as he studied her. He looked to the left, then back to her.
“Jake, I’m not interested. He’s married with five kids and he gives me the creeps.”
“Is he going to be a problem? I can go have a talk with him.”
“No, I shouldn’t have a problem and thank you, but I’d rather handle it.”
They stared at each other until Jake nodded.
She rose up and removed her dish. He followed suit.
“No, you provided dinner, I’ll clean up. Go find something on the stereo.”
As she was cleaning, Gia heard Jake sing along to ‘I Hold On’ and smiled. Boy, that boy could sing, she sighed. When she walked into the living room, she found him sprawled out on the rug with his head on a pillow and Cookie was laying on his stomach and once again she lovingly looked up to him as he pet her.
She shook her head and giggled as she walked to them. Cookie finally looked up to her then back to Jake. She was ready to sit, but decided to go fill up and bring in their wine glasses. She turned around and Jake grabbed onto her ankle, causing her to gasp. The cat freaked at the sudden movement and jumped up, scratching Jake through his T-shirt, and then ran into the bedroom.
He sucked in a breath and Gia turned around just as the cat flew off him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Jake. Does it hurt?” She asked as she quickly crossed her legs and sat down with her legs folded and picked up his T-shirt.
“Oooohhh, it’s painful!” He really hammed it up.
Not seeing anything, she ran her hands over his chest.
Jake sighed softly at the feel of her hands. He brought a hand up to the nape of her neck and gently brought her face down to his, as he brought his other hand to her waist, and went to kiss her.
She moved back.
He clicked the roof of his mouth and let go of her.
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“No. Can we talk about this?”
“I’m sorry, you know she’s skittish.”
“No, G, not about Cookie, about us.”
“Oh, there really is nothing to talk about. I was the last to know, Jake. You told me I wouldn’t be the last to know. Not only about you and Jenn-”
“Whoa, whoa, there is no me and Jennie. From the moment I met you.” He sat up now mirroring her sitting position. “I went to help out a friend. That’s all.”
She pushed up and went to her phone. She came back and sat again as she handed him the phone.”
He read the text he had sent her and looked at her with confusion.
“You sent me this on Friday night.”
“It wasn’t meant for you.” He took out his phone and scrolled his messages.
“I gather that.”
“I know what it sounds like, but I wasn’t going there to be with her because you weren’t coming in.” He showed her the text that Jennie sent him. “She asked for help. Had I known it was a setup, I never would have gone.”
“Where’s Jennie now?”
“In jail, facing manslaughter charges. She couldn’t make bail and she has a public defender. It doesn’t look good for her.”
“Will you be involved at all?”
“I hired a lawyer and he said that I may have to testify, but the fact that I had passed out when she actually pulled the trigger and the fact that I was still tied to a chair when the cops arrived means I’m in the clear. She, however, is looking at twenty five years.”
“Oh, Jake. First, I got the text and then when I went to see you, everyone was there, and they all knew you were with Jennie that night. I thought, well, I thought I was the last to know, you know.”
“I know.”
They sat quietly. She looked down at the rug, contemplating her next words and he stared at her, going out of his mind, wondering what she was thinking.
“Rory mentioned that Doug retaliated because you beat him up in a parking lot a while back.”
He just watched her. He did confide in the guys about it. He was going to be real pissed if they spilled to Annie and his sister.
“Is that true?”
He nodded. “I don’t know if it was in retaliation, but yeah. I did give him a beating.”
How far will you go to defend Jennie?”
He chewed on his lower lip as he looked behind her then brought his gaze back to her. “I wasn’t defending her, G, I was defending you.”
“Me?”
“When he kicked and punched you the night he jumped me, he opened himself up. There was so much rage in me, still is, that he had the audacity to touch you.”
“Oh.” She reached for him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, thinking about all that he went through. And the thought about losing him caused her to tremble, which he felt and he drew closer to her and hugged her tight.
He gently moved her back and brought his lips down to hers. The kiss turned heated and his hands moved all over her as he moaned through the kiss.
Their parents came to her mind and she moved back.
He tipped his head to the side and gave her a questioning look.
“Our parents, Jake.”
He took in a breath and let it out slowly.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why was I the last to know?”
“I wasn’t even supposed to know. One Friday about two months ago, when I was coming out to you, I stopped by my mothers. I had just delivered a horse I was training and the owner gave me a check. I was giving the check to my sister to give to Cord. I walked in and your father and my mother were in the kitchen and they were in each other’s arms, kissing. I don’t know who was more shocked, me, or them. Anyway, um… your father asked me not to tell you yet.”
“My father,” she began, her voice cracking, “said to keep it a secret from me? Why?”
“He wanted to be the one to tell you. He said you might not understand and he wanted to protect our relationship. And with him knowing you best, I agreed.”
“So, how long did he plan on keeping it a secret?”
“I don’t know, G. You’ll have to ask him.”
She looked down at her hands. “The thing that hurts the most is that the one person I was close to, the one person I trusted with my body, heart and soul,” she looked in his eyes intensely, “didn’t tell me.”
“Gia.” He went to put his arms around her.
“No, Jake.” She rose up. “I’m truly sorry for the pain you went through at the hands of Doug, I truly am happy and relieved you are all right, but, I’m still hurt that you didn’t tell me of your plans to help Jennie that night, and I’m still angry that you kept something like my father and your mother dating, from me.”
Jake rose up. “You want me to go?”
“I need time.”
“For what?”
She just stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Until, finally she said. “I don’t know. To come to terms with the deceit?”
He blew out a breath and shook his head. “No one tricked you…. How much time?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“How much time, G?” his voice was rough.
“I don’t know.”
Cookie took that moment to make an appearance. They looked down to see her rub her body on Jake’s leg as she looked up to Jake and meowed. Jake looked up and locked eyes with Gia. He slowly nodded his head.
“Okay, I’m gonna go. I won’t call you, text you or see you. It’s your choosing, not mine. I don’t know how much time you’ll need, but don’t look for me to come to you anymore. If you want me, you know where to find me. But know this, Gia. I want you. I’ve wanted you from the first time I saw your beautiful smile when you sat down next to me in Vegas. I couldn’t think straight, see straight, heck, I couldn’t breathe right and still I can’t whenever I am with you. And when I’m inside you, it’s pure utopia, it’s a feeling like I’ve never felt before. It’s the right feeling.”
She was holding back tears, now. But, barely.
He pi
cked up his hat, slowly put it on his head, gave her one last look and walked to the door. And just before he left, he said. “I can’t wait forever.” He walked out.
Chapter 30
“What’s wrong with me?” Gia whined into the phone that night.
“Aw, honey, nothing’s wrong with you.”
“Jamie, I let Jake go. I didn’t want to, but the words came out of my mouth.” She sighed heavily as she rummaged through her kitchen cabinets out of habit. She needed something sweet, but the cupboards were bare. She was thinking of taking a run to the closest supermarket.
“You said yourself, he deceived you. That ain’t right, Gia.”
“He said he was doing it to protect-” She stopped mid-sentence as she stared into one of the cabinets.
“Gia?” Jamie said through the phone. “Gia, you still there?” His voice sounded a bit panicky.
“Yeah, I’m here,” she said as she picked up the container of chocolate frosting that was sitting next to the vanilla container. “Oh,” she whimpered.
“Girl, you’d better talk to me or I’m calling the police.”
“He bought me frosting, Jamie.”
Jamie laughed into the phone. “He knows about your frosting addiction?”
Gia giggled for the first time since Jake left. “Yeah, we had a lot of fun with them when he found them in my fridge a while back.”
“Oh, girl. Do tell and don’t leave anything out.”
“Sorry, you know I don’t kiss and tell.”
“You just did.” He chuckled deeply.
“Jamie, what am I going to do? I want it to work between us.”
“I sense a but coming.”
“But, what if my father and his mother get serious and, I don’t know…. marry? Jake would be my brother.”
“Stepbrother, and you are making this out to be way more than it is.”
“Mayb-”
“Oh, Gia, Tyler just walked in, softball, sweaty, I gotta go, girl. Think about it. I know you’ll make the right decision.”
Before Gia could answer, the phone went dead. She giggled as she knew exactly what Jamie was talking about.
When Gia came home from a business trip on Thursday evening, her father and brother were outside waiting for her. They had come to take her out to dinner. So, after she changed into more casual attire, they went to a Mexican restaurant near her home and while sipping Margaritas and picking on some appetizers, her father dropped a bomb, he told her about his plans to sell his house in California and move to Fredericksburg.
She turned to her brother who was sitting on her side of the booth. “You okay with this?”
“Yeah, why not. You should be too, dad’s happy again. Plus, I’m buying the house.” He smiled cheekily.
“Really, Marco?”
“Gia, dad wants this. He loves Joan and I have to tell you, I think she’s a wonderful woman.”
She turned to her father. “And Lola?”
“She’s good with it.”
“Hah! The last to know again.” She shook her head, then downed her drink. She looked around for the waiter, holding her glass high when she got his attention.
When she put her glass down, her father took her hand and her eyes shot up to his.
“Sweetheart, I never meant to keep anything from you. I just don’t know how you’re going to react and I understand with this whole me, you, Joan and Jake-”
“There is no Jake.” She cut him off.
Her father let go of her hand and sat back. “That boy is in love with you.”
She stared at her father as the waiter showed up and set down another round of drinks. When he left, she said, “Did he tell you that, because he didn’t tell me? Always the last to know.” She gave a cynical laugh.
“No, he didn’t tell me. It’s all over his face.”
“And if Joan and you marry, would my brother, Jake, be okay with it also?”
“Is that what this is all about?”
“Among other things, yes.”
“Don’t make it sound incestuous. It’s not.” Her father grew angry and her brother who was checking out a woman by the bar turned his attention to the conversation at the table.
“Listen, he wants to sell his share of the Bed and Breakfast and I am going to buy him out. And, no, he doesn’t know yet. I wanted you to know before I offered. I also want your blessing with all this.”
“Wow!” She turned and shared a look with her brother before looking back to her father. “That’s a lot to take in, dad. I know he’s not happy with the B&B. He wants to train horses full time. I think that’s why he bought the ranch.”
“That’s one reason.”
She stared at him just as the waiter came with their entrees.
“Why are you doing this, dad?”
“I want to retire. I’ve had enough of Los Angeles and the phoniness.” He looked from her to his plate and picked up a fork full of taco salad. As he went to take a bite, he saw his daughter scrutinize him. He put the fork down, picked up his drink and sat back.
“The first time I met Joan, I felt like I knew her. I felt so at ease with being around her. She reminds me of…..” He trailed off.
“Of what?”
“Of your mother.” His eyes shifted from her to his son.
She and Marco shared another look.”
“I never thought I’d find happiness again after she died, you know? Joan’s not your mother and will never take the place of her, but I-”
“It’s okay, dad.” Gia reached out her hand and placed it on her father’s. “We understand.”
He looked to his son and was relieved he was nodding his head.
That Saturday, if Gia didn’t have to wait for her furniture to arrive, she would have flown home, well, not home, Texas was her home now. She would have flown to California to get in a surf session. The Pacific Ocean seemed to be the only place she could find peace with herself, and a little soul searching was in order. She sat on her couch, surfing the internet instead. Maybe she could find a surf break, here, in Texas.
Her father pulled up at the same time the moving men did and they all got to work. Gia silently prayed that Jake would walk through the door to help them.
By the time the movers were done, Gia realized that Jake meant what he said. He wasn’t going to come after her anymore. Depressed, she declined her father’s offer to grab some dinner, with the excuse she needed to prepare for the monthly steel projection conference call she had coming up on Monday morning.
Chapter 31
Cord leaned against the fence and just watched Jake throw things around. Every now and then he’d hear a curse word out of his mouth. He had a lead rope in his hand and flicked it like it was a whip, hitting nothing but dirt. He picked up a pail and looked inside it, then flung it and walked into the barn.
When he came out, he was leading the new gelding Cord had picked up for him to train. The transformation had Cord chuckling to himself. No matter how ornery Jake could be, give him a horse to train or ride and he was as gentle as can be. He heard Jake talk calmly and pet the skittish horse and knew he had nothing to worry about. He’d miss having Jake around to train his horses, but at the same time he was happy for his friend that he was getting into the business himself.
After Jake worked the horse, he brushed him and put him away, with a fresh pile of straw, in his stall. No sooner did he come out of the barn and he was throwing things again. Cord, who had left earlier to train another horse in the smaller paddock, came back and walked up to Jake.
“What the hell’s eating you?”
Jake looked up to him as he grabbed one of the pylons, just one of the obstacles he used to train with. “Nothing.” He looked at, and walked to a second pylon. As he picked it up, he looked back to Cord. All frustrated, he flung the cone. “This girl is killing me, man.” He blew out a breath. “She hasn’t even tried to get in touch with me. I mean, am I supposed to do all the running to? I won’t. I can’t.” He picked his hat
up off his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know.”
He retrieved the pylon and walked to the bale of hay by the barn door. He placed the pylons on the side of it and sat down. Growling in frustration, he took off his cowboy hat again, this time, to wipe the sweat off his forehead with his arm then plopped it back on.
“I’ve never seen you all bothered by a woman before. It’s a little unnerving.” Cord chuckled.
Jake just stared at him. He looked to the left, then to the right then settled his stare back on Cord. “She’s the one, Cord.”
Cord nodded his head in understanding.
“What do I gotta do? Go after her again?”
“Hah! Be thankful she didn’t run off to Paris.”
Jake smirked, remembering how Cord went to Paris to get Annie back. “Yeah.”
“I know she’s into you. Me and Annie can see it in her eyes and mannerism when she’s around you. What?” He asked when he caught Jake eyeing him funny.
“The last time you told me someone was into me, I dove into a relationship that I felt was wrong. So excuse me if I don’t agree with you and Annie.”
Cord chuckled, remembering the conversation in Annie’s room the first time he took her to dinner in San Antonio. “Fair enough, but you have been acting, um... different with Gia. You’re always touchy feely and always kissing and so attentive, that, well, frankly, you’re making me look bad.” He grinned. He caught his friend blushing. Priceless! He’d use it against him sometime, but not now. He knew just how he felt not having his woman around.
Jake felt his cheeks redden. He quickly changed the subject. “I’m glad Annie’s okay with selling the Elm.”
“You and me both, brother. I didn’t tell her, but I don’t want my wife working while raising our kids. I’m glad she agreed when Luke offered to buy her out, too.”
The boys got moving and finished up in the barn. They walked toward Cord’s house. “You want to come in for dinner?”
“Nah, I’m gonna head over to the ranch and see how far the contractor got today with the new kitchen.”
“Okay. And, hey,” Cord said to Jake as Jake was getting into his truck. “Hurry up and fix this with Gia, I need you to be a daddy. I don’t think I can do this alone.”