by Bree Verity
But she didn’t. Instead, she fiddled with her bracelet and waited.
“Listen, Desiree. I wanted to ask you somethin’.” Now Jack’s tone was hesitant. “It might come as a surprise to you, and it might be completely unwanted and forward of me, so you be sure to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable and I’ll stop, alright?”
“Okay.” Desiree kept her tone neutral, although a little thrill made its way up from her toes to hang suspended in the pit of her stomach.
“I was hopin’ that you and I might catch up for a drink sometime.”
Desiree closed her eyes and swallowed. Jack asked her out. The giddiness and happiness bubbled up, and broke out as a giant grin on her face.
Right before her brain switched back on, and arse-kicked her heart back into submission.
“Jack, I’d like that a lot, but I don’t think I can.” She tried to put her thoughts into some semblance of order, but before she could say another word, Jack butted in.
“I know you’re Faith’s teacher and all. I was just hoping that perhaps that wouldn’t be a problem. Since you only have her for one subject, and only ‘til the end of semester.” Desiree had to smile. He’d obviously thought about how he was going to present this.
“The problem isn’t that I’m Faith’s teacher. It’s that I’m her friend as well.”
“But that makes it even better.”
“Seriously? She’d hate us both.”
“No she wouldn’t.” Jack scoffed at Desiree’s words. “She’s got more brains on her than that.”
“Have you asked her?”
“I did talk to her about having you as a friend. She was okay with it.”
“Really?” In Desiree’s conversations with Faith the teenager had made it very clear that she would resist the imposition of a new woman into her life. She wondered if Jack and Faith had the same understanding of what he meant by friend.
Desiree didn’t know how to respond. She wanted this more than she could say. But she knew it was borderline unethical, to say nothing of how it would make Faith feel. Did she want to lose Faith’s confidence? But would she? And were the ethics really that bad?
Suddenly, Desiree needed to talk to her friends really badly. They would know what to do.
“Jack? I need to think this over, okay? I’m flattered, I really am, and if circumstances were different, I’d jump at the chance.”
And jump you while I was at it.
“This hasn’t come as a shock to you has it?”
“No.” No shock at all. There were sparks.
“And there isn’t anyone else? That Steve from the other night?” A tinge of jealousy entered his tone, and Desiree had to smile.
“No, Steve and I are just friends.” Not too much of a lie.
“And you think I’m… alright?” Jack’s voice deepened, his accent giving the words a very sexy undertone that didn’t escape Desiree’s ears.
“Yes, I think you’re… alright.” She sent it back to him with the same tone, then reverted to her own voice. “But I have to think it over.”
Jack sighed down the line. “Alright. You’ll let me know?” He sounded like a plaintive child.
“Yes, I’ll let you know. And I won’t keep you hanging on for very long, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that, ma’am. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
As soon as she hung up, she dialled Penny, then Lydia.
They met, as always, at Greens, Penny and Lydia’s eyes wide as Desiree told them about Jack’s phone call.
“What should I do? This guy pushes all my fuck buttons. But I don’t know if the costs will outweigh the benefits.”
Penny snorted with laughter. “Fuck buttons?”
But Lydia frowned. “It’s not a business decision, Des. Cost benefit analysis isn’t going to help. What does your heart say, and then what does your head say, and then what does your gut say?” She pointed out each emotional centre in turn, then sat back with her arms crossed, waiting for Desiree to answer.
“Heart is easy. It’s saying go for it. My head is trying to come up with all kinds of excuses to get around the ethics question. But my gut tells me Faith won’t like it.”
“No, she probably won’t. But is that reason enough to say no?”
“I don’t know! That’s why I called you guys.” Desiree smiled at them, willing the tears that were forming in her eyes to fuck off. She didn’t cry. Not over anything. Especially not over a guy. She looked down into her lap, suddenly focused on working through all the charms on her bracelet. “I’ve never done this serious relationship thing, you know. I need my friends to tell me what to do.”
“I think you should go for it.” Penny finally joined the conversation. “Jack is Faith’s dad, which means he would have looked harder than you ever will at how the whole thing would affect his daughter. I say, if he is cool with it, you should be too.”
Lydia nodded slowly. “That’s logical, Des. If Jack is good with it, maybe you should follow his lead?”
Desiree produced a wry smile. “Did you ever think you’d hear me thinking about following a man’s lead?”
“This is true,” said Penny, turning to Lydia. “Usually she’d be all ‘I’m not following any man’s lead. He can follow my fucking lead. Fuck fuck fuckety fuck.”
“And fuck him if he fucking doesn’t like it fuck,” replied Lydia, her eyes twinkling.
“Stop it you guys. I don’t swear that much.” With a grin she added, “Fuck.”
After the merriment died down a little, Desiree put her fingers to her lips, as she often did when thinking. Was Jack’s assurance that Faith would be alright good enough for her? “What about the ethical question?”
“I’m not even sure an ethical question exists, to be honest,” replied Penny. “If you were her doctor or something I’d say there was an ethical question. But you’re her teacher. For probably only this semester, and only for a couple of hours a day.” She flopped back in the couch.
“No, there’s still an ethical question,” argued Lydia. “What if Faith confides in Desiree? Will she find it hard to keep it from Jack? And what if she specifically says she doesn’t want Jack to know about it?”
“Like what?” Desiree stared at Lydia, demanding an answer.
Lydia flushed. “I don’t know. Like she’s sleeping with a boyfriend, or had her first smoke or something.”
“Faith would never…”
“I know, Des, but for the sake of the argument, let’s say Faith came to you with that. What would you do?”
Desiree thought for a moment. “I’m sure I could keep Faith’s confidences. That wouldn’t be hard. I already do that.” Nodding, she concluded. “Yep, I’m pretty sure I could separate the two.”
“Well, in that case, what have you got to lose? Call him and have a drink.”
Penny and Lydia grinned in Desiree’s face. Penny held out her phone.
“What, right now?”
“No time like the present!”
Scowling, Desiree snatched the phone out of Penny’s hand. “You guys are the worst friends ever.”
CHAPTER TEN.
“What are you going to wear?”
On the other end of the phone, Penny went straight for the practical. Desiree smiled, then looked into her wardrobe in despair.
“I don’t really have anything that isn’t black.”
“Really.” Penny’s voice was deadpan.
“Fuck off. I know I wear a lot of black. It’s just that today I don’t feel like it.”
“What about that red top you have?”
“I was wearing it the other day at the markets when we ran into each other. I don’t want him to think that I only own one set of casual clothes.”
“But it is the only set of casual clothes you own that aren’t black.”
“I know.”
“Then it’s going to have to be black, love.”
“Shit.”
“Do you have time to g
et over to my place and desecrate my wardrobe?” Penny’s offer was sweet, but Desiree couldn’t see herself being caught dead in any of Penny’s cutesy little dresses.
“Thanks, Pen, but I’ll see what I can manage.”
“Alright, but remember the offer is there.”
“Okay, thanks babe. Gotta go.”
Desiree grinned. Penny was the sweetest thing in the world. Desiree had no idea how they had ended up friends, they were so completely different, but there you had it. Perhaps it was a matter of opposites attracting, or maybe Lydia sat between them, so there was a kind of bridge or something. She didn’t know, but she didn’t have time now to work it out. She had to dredge through her wardrobe to come up with something that wasn’t too goth. She would have spent some time wondering about why she was less enthusiastic about her black clothes these days, but she didn’t have time.
Half an hour later, she thought she had hit on a reasonable ensemble. It was still black, but with short sleeves on the shirt, which was a kind of Victorian-rockabilly mashup with a high collar and a frill down the front, teamed up with a long, flowing skirt that pulled up at the front to about her knees via some threaded ribbons, she figured she was showing enough skin to offset the black. She opted to go without loads of black makeup, instead just putting on some eyeliner and a touch of mascara, and some bright red lipstick. She threaded a pair of big gold hoops through her ears, and attached a gold cuff to the upper two holes in her left ear. A red necklace lay a splash of colour at her throat. A silver anklet chattered around her ankle, and her usual charm bracelet completed the look. All in all, regarding herself in the mirror, Desiree was quite happy with what she saw.
Pushing her feet into a pair of high red heels, she glanced at the time, and realised she should be out the door. With one last look, Desiree picked up her purse and ran out of her house, locking the door on her way through.
The bar in Subiaco was busy, and Desiree scanned the crowds for Jack, her stomach fluttering. It took her a minute or two to locate him, during which time she had to fend off the comments of two other guys. It was okay. Being tall and thin and, well, unusual, she was used to it.
She found him seated at a table in the beer garden outside. Smiling in relief, she hurried over to the table. He stood up when he caught sight of her.
“Hi. Wow, you look amazing.” He kissed her on the cheek and her face flamed. Despite her height, and her heels, he was still taller than her. She liked it.
“Thanks.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Uh, yeah, a Little Creatures Pale would be great.”
As Desiree sat at the table, Jack excused himself and went to grab their drinks.
He returned very shortly with two pints, placing them carefully on two coasters before sitting himself down beside Desiree.
“Cheers.” He picked up his drink and clinked it against hers. They both took a sip, their eyes on each other.
Jack put his drink down. “I have a confession. I was sitting here thinking you wouldn’t show.”
Desiree pretended to be offended. “I always keep my appointments. I thought you wouldn’t be here.”
“Ah, but here I am.” He opened out his hands as if presenting himself, and Desiree laughed.
“Yes, here you are.”
They chuckled quietly, then silence descended. Desiree picked up her glass again and took another gulp. She had no idea what to say next.
She didn’t really do dates. She was more of a grab ‘em, kiss ‘em and tumble into bed kind of girl. It had always worked in the past, but Desiree knew she didn’t want to go that way with Jack. She wanted to talk to him, to get to know him, to work him out on an intellectual level, before they went and got all intimate. It felt very alien to Desiree, but at the same time, kind of thrilling.
“What are you thinking about?” Jack’s voice brought her back to earth and she laughed uncomfortably.
“I’m not sure that I want to tell you.”
“Try me.” Jack’s steady gaze held her and she felt safe.
Safe? That’s weird.
“I was thinking how much different to my usual dates this is.”
“How so?”
“Well, usually, there would be less talking and more kissing.” Desiree kept her eyes on Jack, wondering how he would react.
One of his eyebrows flew up. “Oh.” He considered for a moment. “Is that what you want? Because I’m happy to kiss you…”
“No.” Desiree threw him a small smile. “It’s not. I like talking to you.” Then she realised what she’d said and hurriedly backtracked. “Not that I don’t want you to kiss me. I do. Very much. But it’s not necessary. Yet.” She sat back in her chair, face flaming. “Fuck this is hard.”
Jack chuckled. “Do you do that a lot?”
“What?”
“Cuss?”
“Cuss. You mean swear? Yeah, I guess I do. Is that a problem?” She scanned Jack’s face anxiously, and was relieved to find he looked amused rather than censorious.
“No. Not at all.”
They sat silently for a few more moments, taking sips of their drinks and surreptitious glances at each others’ faces. Finally, Jack spoke.
“Okay. You asked for it ma’am.”
He leaned over, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. It was soft and subtle, but Desiree’s senses swam as she took in the feel of his big hands on her face, his smooth lips against hers, the brush of a tiny bit of stubble across her cheek, and the sight of his lashes coming down over his bright blue eyes. She closed her eyes as well and gave herself over to the feeling of the moment.
He pulled away slightly, and leaned his forehead against hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that for quite a while.”
Desiree was dazed. She could only look into his incredible eyes, and open and close her mouth like a fish. Jack smiled, amused. “I see I’ve rendered you speechless, ma’am,” he said, leaning back and giving his Texan twang full swing. “Looks like I still got it.” He breathed on his fingernails and rubbed them against his chest, as if he was polishing them. Desiree laughed, her trance broken.
“Oh, you definitely got it. And by ‘it’, I mean my lipstick all over your face.” Desiree grabbed a tissue out of her bag and tried to wipe the lipstick off Jack, with limited success. “Well, there will be no doubt what you’ve been up to tonight.” Jack winked and smiled, that damn dimple causing Desiree’s belly to flip again. “You should probably go see if you can get the rest of that off.”
“Later.”
After that, the conversation seemed to run much more smoothly. Perhaps, Desiree reflected, they needed to get that physical barrier out of the way, so that they could open up to each other. She found Jack incredibly easy to talk to, charming and attentive. Their drink segued into dinner without a hiccup. Jack took her to a nearby gourmet hamburger joint, where the hamburgers were so big, Desiree could barely pick hers up, let alone wrap her mouth around it. “And they say everything is bigger in Texas…” she muttered, giving in and cutting the burger in half.
Jack laughed. “I gotta admit, that is one enormous burger. But ours in Texas are even bigger. In fact, that’s one of the first things I noticed about Australia when I got here. The food servings are much smaller.”
“You mean they’re normal instead of heart-attack-waiting-to-happen?” Desiree picked up her now maneuverable burger, and took a bite. It was delicious - generous toppings of chicken, bacon and avocado along with loads of salad.
“I’m not sure you could call that monstrosity normal,” Jack indicated her burger, “but I have to admit, it’s probably more normal than some of the ones I’ve eaten in Texas.”
Jack concluded by picking up his own massive burger and taking a bite, making half of the insides fall out. His comical expression of consternation made Desiree chuckle.
“Need a knife and fork? Or maybe a bib?” She raised one cheeky eyebrow.
Jack just shook his head. “If you don’t mind me us
ing my fingers…” He picked up a piece of lettuce delicately with his fingers, popped it in his mouth, and made to clear the rest of his plate in the same way.
Shortly thereafter, Jack sat back in his chair, one hand resting on his stomach. “Yes ma’am, that was definitely more than a normal burger.”
“I don’t think I’ve eaten that much in… ever.” Desiree blew out a breath. “Perhaps we should take a walk or something? To push the food down.”
Jack pulled out his phone and looked at the screen and his shoulders dropped. “I’d love to, but I have to go rescue the babysitter from the kids.”
Desiree was surprised at how disappointed she was. “Well, maybe you could walk me back to my car?” Jack agreed, and as they paid and left the restaurant, he took her hand in his. It was the most natural thing in the world, and Desiree was amazed. She wasn’t getting heart flutterings or anything, it was just that it seemed, well, right.
They walked back toward their cars, taking their time, and still talking, about the things they saw in the shop windows, the people they saw on the streets and in the pubs and restaurants, and about themselves.
Jack asked, “What’s the story with the bracelet?” He touched it gently.
Desiree looked down at her charms and smiled. “Its my accomplishment bracelet. Each time something happens in my life, I get a new charm. See? This one is a mortarboard, from when I finished uni, I have an eye of Ra, for when I got my first tattoo - which just happened to be an eye of Ra, the theater masks are for Penny and the shoe is for Lydia - they are my best friends. And this one, the little sportscar, is for when I bought my first brand new car.”
Reaching the carpark, Jack asked Desiree which car was hers. Desiree pointed out her little sportscar, a low, black MX-5. Jack raised an eyebrow. “Nice car,” he commented nonchalantly.
“Matches my bracelet charm,” she replied with a smile. “That’s Trudy, my baby. What do you drive?”
“Well, I have to fit three kids in my car, so I’m embarrassed to say it’s a sensible sedan.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure when I have kids, I’ll have to trade Miss Trudy in. Although I love her so much, maybe I’ll forgo the kids.” Desiree was joking, and she could see that Jack knew it. However, a shadow crossed his face. He hesitated.