by Ines Saint
Marcus turned to Tania, smiled, and said, "So. Why don't you like me?"
For the first time in a long time, Tania was left speechless. But she quickly recovered, sticking her hand out to shake Marcus's. "You're wrong. I have no opinion about you whatsoever." She smiled sweetly. And the moment their hands met, heat flashed into Marcus's eyes. "Now, when do I get to meet Jake Kelly. Him I do have an opinion about." Tania turned to Kayla.
"Are you looking to spew some venom Jake's way, as well?" Marcus asked, looking amused.
"No, I only spew venom when I feel something needs to be nipped in the bud," Tania replied, still smiling.
"Some buds are too sturdy to be nipped," Marcus said, lifting a shoulder. He then turned and left.
"Why that cocky son of a—" but Kayla nudged her before she could finish her colorful thought.
They soon found themselves surrounded by a few people she'd met during her visits to Jake's campaign headquarters, and she was glad to be surrounded by distractions.
* * *
Jake hung his arms over the railing and looked out toward the dark waters, thinking it might be possible to avoid Kayla. When he'd surprised his staff with the schooner rental and Jess had asked if she could bring Kayla and her family along, there had been no time to think of a good reason to say no.
He sighed. It hadn't been as easy as he'd thought it would be to get her out of his mind the past six weeks, but he'd finally fallen into a busy rhythm of community meetings, neighborhood visits, round-table discussions, dinners, and parties, and whether in his thoughts or not, it had been easy to keep the reality of Kayla Diaz far away. He'd participated in two debates, and the general opinion had been that he'd one both.
"How do I look?" Marcus's voice came up beside him.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. How do I look?" Marcus repeated, slightly exasperated.
"Uh—you look... okay?"
"Damn it. Why can women count on their girlfriends to tell them how they look while men put these barriers up where they can't ask each other stuff like that?" Marcus demanded.
"All right, all right. You look like a handsome devil," Jake answered with a laugh. But after more careful consideration, he said, "Maybe you should get rid of the tie and loosen a few buttons."
Marcus complied, and Jake watched him, amused until Kayla's mass of golden brown waves caught his eye. He inhaled sharply. With the form-fitting, rust-colored sweater that complemented the gold in her hair, her skin, and her eyes, and with jeans that outlined every curve, Kayla would be hard to ignore. His hands had been on the soft curve between her waist and her hips, her coconut-scented hair had once brushed his face, her eyes had sparkled up at him...
Jake cleared his throat and turned to Marcus. "Hey. So. How do I look?" he asked, in as casual a tone as he could muster.
Marcus nodded his approval, "You're looking good, really rocking that casual look," he said, taking in Jake's khakis and black sweater.
And then next to Jake, a little voice giggled. Both Marcus and Jake whirled around. A young girl was pressing her lips together, her eyes wide, trying hard not to laugh.
"You're Kayla's niece, Mia, right?" Marcus asked.
Mia bobbed her head, still holding her breath in an effort to hold in laughter.
"Okay, Mia, what's it going to take for you to forget you heard that conversation?" Jake turned to her, smiling.
The girl released her pent-up giggles. "Oh, the conversation I heard was between the two of you? I thought I was listening to my girlfriends from school."
"Ouch." Jake put his hand on his chest.
"I see you take after your mother," Marcus remarked.
Mia shrugged. "I was just standing on the poop, minding my own business. I can't help it if I overheard you obsessing over your outfits."
"You were standing where?" Marcus asked.
"The poop. That's what this deck is called." Mia smiled, clearly happy the word had caught his attention. "I learned it in St. Mary's. It's a great school. We learn lots of funny stuff like that."
"Stuff like what?" Jake asked, amused.
"Well, to 'pooh-pooh' means to shoo someone away. It doesn't really mean to poop. And though 'to poop' is a verb, 'poop' is a noun that means the deck at the stern of a ship."
"Tell your mom maybe she should consider transferring you to the public school system," Marcus teased.
"And go co-ed. Never!" Mia pretended to shudder. "Besides, I like going to an all-girl school. It's a lot more fun to watch cute boys from far away and feel the really cool butterflies in your stomach than to talk to them up close and get all sick and nauseous."
Marcus shook his head and laughed, but Jake didn't join in. He'd just caught sight of Kayla and his own mother engaged in what looked like an intimate conversation.
"See, that's exactly what I mean right there," Mia said, pointing at Jake. "A few minutes ago, you looked excited and stuff when you saw my Aunt Kayla from far away. And now that she's closer, you look ill."
Marcus guffawed, and Jake ruffled Mia's hair good-naturedly. "Your aunt does not make me excited. Or ill," he lied.
"Then go talk to her," Marcus challenged him, and both he and Mia exchanged high-fives.
"Sure." Jake shrugged, backing away from them. In truth, he knew someone would stop and talk to him before he reached Kayla and his mother.
* * *
Patricia Kelly squeezed Kayla's arm affectionately as Kayla continued to humor the older woman by talking about when to initiate her yet-unborn grandchildren into the world of music. Patty was intent on having musical grandchildren.
"I think they should try the piano, first." Patty let out a happy sigh. "I can picture them now..."
While Kayla genuinely liked Jake's mom, picturing Jake's future children wasn't as fun for her as it seemed to be for Patty. She couldn't help but wonder why Mrs. Kelly was making plans for her future grandchildren. Was Jake seeing someone? And if he was, was it serious? She hadn't heard anything about it on the news, but politicians were known for being secretive little bastards. It had been six weeks since they'd kissed, and a lot could happen in six weeks. Heck, her own parents had fallen in love in two days.
"What's the matter, hon?" Patty asked her.
"Uh, nothing. I'm picturing Jake's future little girl or boy at the piano. It's a cute picture," she said, dismayed to hear the strain in her voice.
Thankfully, Kayla's mother and aunt walked over to them with food. Kayla introduced the women, and Patty was soon raving over both women's pastelón, a lasagna-like creation that had green plantains instead of pasta. Her family's idea of a picnic had never been traditional.
"But whose do you like better? Graciela's or mine?" Aunt Gina, who was always competitive when it came to food, wanted to know. Patty diplomatically made excuses as to why she was ill-qualified to judge.
Kayla caught sight of Jake, talking to a woman. She pressed her lips together as if that action could thwart the symptoms of her foolish and runaway infatuation. She'd never seen him dressed in anything but suits, ties, and that one, heart-stopping tuxedo. Tonight, he was preppy and sexy. Not a combination she would've thought would make her look twice at a man—but anything on a man with those shoulders and that butt simply looked good.
Her aunt Gina shoved a plate into Kayla's hand and said, "Then you tell us, Kayla, whose do you think tastes better today? You can tell us the truth, neither of us would hold it against you," her aunt lied.
"Yeah right," Kayla muttered. Aloud she said, "Well, see, I already know which is which, so it wouldn't be fair. Robbie can decide. Robbie!" she called and waved him over when she spotted him and Tania.
But Patty called, "Jake!" at the same time and said, "Jake can decide."
Both Jake and Robbie walked over, and when the two men saw each other, they exchanged enthusiastic greetings, as though they were long-lost friends. The sound of Jake's deep voice so very near to her did nothing to soothe her.
Patty pushed Kayl
a's to Jake. "You feed him the first one, and I'll feed him the second. We need you to decide which one tastes better," she explained to him.
Jake and Kayla looked at each other for the first time in weeks. The jolt was so electric, it was painful. She immediately glanced down at the plate in her hand, and, taking a deep breath, she looked up and shoved the fork-full of food into his mouth in one movement, before he could even say hello.
"Kayla and I were just talking about your future children," Patty remarked as Jake swallowed, and then choked.
"Our children?" he cried between coughs, his eyes bulging.
"Here, have some punch," Graciela offered.
"We were talking about your future children with, you know, your future wife. Whoever she may be," Kayla quickly clarified, lest he choke to death. "Okay, your turn to feed him," she said to Patty, who was acting a little too giddy for Kayla's liking. Aunt Gina then swiped the plate away from Patty, clearly wanting to partake in the pleasure of feeding Jake. Few women in her family could resist feeding anyone, least of all a good-looking man.
"Okay. So which one wins?" Gina asked.
Jake looked reluctant but brave. Taking a deep breath, he said, "That one," and pointed to Graciela's pastelón. Kayla's mom hopped up and down and improvised a mini-cheer. Gina scowled.
Tania, who had never been introduced to Jake, turned to him and said, "So. You remember Robbie from SummerDance, but you forgot my sister. Interesting."
Before Jake could answer, Graciela intervened. "Yes, Tania, he forgot Kayla, and we were not going to vote for him because of it, but he voted for my pastelón today, so we're going to reconsider. And now, Graciela's pastelón for everybody!" she shouted, and everyone followed her to a nearby table.
"I guess I lost your aunt's vote, then," Jake said to Kayla, without looking at her.
"She's vocal, and she has influence, so you lost all of Pilsen, buddy," she couldn't help teasing. That made him look at her, and smile his appreciative, eye-twinkling smile. Which made her smile, too. Fireworks whistled up and exploded in the sky, and Kayla glanced up and laughed at the timing. Jake laughed, too, and the two of them looked up at the bright, colorful display lighting up the sky. Wave after wave of multi-colored flashes and flares coupled with explosive sounds filled the air. The water below reflected the dazzle, but through it all, she was mostly aware of Jake standing beside her.
Until Tania exclaimed, "Hey, Robbie, there's Carrie!"
Kayla, who hadn't seen Robbie's younger sister in months, turned too, glad to have an old friend distract her.
"Carrie!" Robbie called.
Kayla turned toward Robbie and Tania first, to gauge the direction in which they were looking, and frowned when she saw their faces. Robbie's mouth was agape, and Tania looked furious. Kayla followed their gazes. Her eyes widened with shock.
Carrie was wrapped in Brandon's arms, and they were making out, heavily, on the pier. "Get a room!" someone somewhere shouted at the pair.
Kayla felt her heart hit her feet one second and a fiery burst of anger ignite her temper the next. But her aunt, her mother, and Tania were all by her side talking at once, saying things like "bendito," and "pobre Kayla," and trying to shield her from the show.
Both Carrie and Brandon finally turned in the direction of the boat, and Brandon met Kayla's glare. Her mother said, "Come, Kayla, let's get you away from those two."
But it was too late. Poof! Her temper had burst into flames. "Why that manipulative lying scumbag and that treacherous little—" she breathed in the last word because she was Robbie's sister after all, and marched across the boat, stopping to stand on the edge of the plank as a defiant Brandon and a guilty-looking Carrie stood on the other end. She heard her niece say, "And she says she's not feisty!" which made her swallow hard and try to keep her anger in check. She was not feisty. She was mad.
"How long has this been going on?" she confronted them.
They didn't answer, so she looked at Brandon, incredulously. "Did you start seeing her before or after we broke up?" Somehow, she knew the answer, and it was why she was angry.
Brandon glanced at Carrie as if to see if she would go along with a lie, but a miserable-looking Carrie simply stared at the ground. And Kayla had her answer. Robbie had said Carrie had been keeping quiet about a new boyfriend for months, and to top it off, Kayla had been the one to introduce them at her mother's house.
"You," Kayla pointed to Brandon. "Are an egotistical jerk, and a hypocrite."
"What about you? You and your issues—" Brandon began, hotly.
"I never cheated!" People began to look their way, and Kayla knew it was best to walk away.
"Aren't you even going to hear us out?" Brandon called after her.
Kayla threaded her way through a crowd of people still gazing up at the fireworks display and then flew down some stairs that led her to a cramped galley. She leaned against a cold, metal stove, and tried to gather her thoughts and make sense of her anger. No, she wasn't in love with Brandon at all, but she'd been honest with him. To think she'd felt guilty!
And then there was Carrie. That hurt even more. To be cheated on with someone she'd babysat, to be betrayed by someone she'd always been very good too! Feeling stupid, gullible, and blind, she wiped an angry tear off her cheek and held her breath, hoping to stop more from spilling, and wishing for once she wasn't so emotional.
"Kayla? Are you okay?" Jake's voice reached her before he did. He came to stand in front of her in the small space, and Kayla looked up, suddenly feeling she had no business being angry about Brandon and Carrie when she Jake had been sending her into the tizzy from the first moment they'd laid eyes on each other. The whole thing was too confusing.
"I take it that was your ex-boyfriend with a girl you know?" he asked, his deep voice so close it reverberated within her and threw her into a second tailspin of emotions.
"I feel so pathetic," she whispered. "My ex-boyfriend was trying to get back with me while still dating my first love's little sister, whom he had been seeing behind my back for months." While I lusted after you, she didn't add.
"Um, what?" Jake looked down at her. "Wait, I think I got it. Robbie was your first love, and that girl with your ex was Robbie's sister?"
"I imagined myself in love with Robbie for years. He was so easy to be with! And yes, that's his little sister." Kayla sighed. "And the worst part is that Tania and my mom will think I'm more upset than I am, and they'll want to drag me away with them this weekend. Or Aunt Gina will want to bring the whole family over to console me or drag me over there. And they won't let up. They don't know how to! And then there's Robbie. It'll be awful for him to feel stuck in the middle of this. It's not fair to him. I just want to send him a text telling him we don't even have to talk about it, but I know he'll want to come over and wring his hands over it. Jess, too. I love them all so much, but their smothering concern is the last thing I need. I'm stressed enough as it is."
"What do you need?" he asked.
Kayla looked into his eyes, to focus on something other than the dread of Thanksgiving weekend. She blew out a breath. "Peace and my violin. If I could have only those two things in the coming days, I'll be able to recharge and tackle anything."
"Then come away with me." His gaze was so intense, it nearly mesmerized her.
"Say what?"
"You heard me."
Hearing him ask her to go away with him filled her with unexpected longing. He dropped his gaze and stepped back, putting distance between them. "I need to blow off some steam, too, so I'm heading to my house by the Kankakee River this weekend, to do some work on it. It's a big house, plenty of room, and you can practice all you want. It's only an hour away and... I'd like to listen to you play while I work. I think listening to you will relax me."
Three days away from it all? It sounded like heaven. But those three days would be spent with Jake. Her mind went on a wild three-second ride where her brain said a firm "no," but her will to do what deep down she really
wanted to do, and her need to get away from everyone's concern over her, overrode it. Ignoring the nervous throbs in the pit of her belly she swallowed and murmured, "Okay."
They looked at each other for a long beat, until her mom's concerned voice floated down. "Kayla, are you down there? We're all looking for you."
Without taking his eyes off her, Jake called up, "She's down here, Mrs. Diaz." He then leaned toward her. "Pack a bag when you get home. I'll pick you up at midnight at the same corner I dropped you off last time."
Chapter 9
A little over two hours later, Kayla met Jake at the corner of her house. He leaned over the passenger seat, opened the door to his sexy, blue-with-white stripes '65 Shelby, and Kayla climbed in, feeling like a sneaky teenager.
"Hey," she said, without looking at him.
"Hey," he returned as he pulled back out onto the street, his posture rigid.
"Are you having second thoughts?" she asked.
"No. Are you?"
"No. But I think I should be."
"Same here." He sighed.
"Then maybe you should take me back home. I'll be fine."
He looked over at her. "Do you really want me to take you home, Kayla?"
"Do you want to take me home?" she asked. God, they were ridiculous.
"No. I don't."
"Well, then," she said, knowing she shouldn't be as relieved as she was. But there was one more thing. "Um, before we get too far, I—I have one small request." He glanced over at her again. "Please promise me you won't kiss me, Jake. I'm notorious for my self-control. Heck, I was dumped for it, but you need to promise me you won't kiss me. I believe you'll keep your word."
Jake looked back out onto the road, and she noticed his posture had instantly loosened up. "I promise I won't kiss you unless you kiss me first."
"Like I said, that won't be a problem. It'll just be you, working on your house, and me, playing my violin, just two friends, or ex-co-workers or whatever it is we are, keeping each other company while we take a break and get away from it all," Kayla's voice trailed off as she looked out the window. Soon they were whizzing down I-57, heading west to Rock Falls. As soon as they left the city, she relaxed.