Curiouser (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 3)

by Coryell, Christina

  “Say the word, and I’ll walk away,” he breathes against my lips. When I don’t make a move, he covers my mouth with his, slowly drawing me in, one hand holding tightly to mine while the other finds my waist and pulls me closer. Nothing within me resists as I bring my free hand up to wrap it around his arm, mesmerized by the tenderness of his kiss. It’s everything I always imagined a first kiss should feel like. Tentative, but filled with longing. Absolutely unselfish, like he’s inviting me to share with him rather than taking from me.

  I unwrap my fingers from his and lift my arms to his shoulders, locking my hands behind his neck. He keeps his hand at my waist, but the other weaves into the back of my hair, pressing me closer. My back is still touching the wall, but rather than succumb to my attempts to pull him against me, Jake removes his hand from my hair and spreads it against the wall near my head, holding himself back.

  Whatever story his body language tells, though, his kiss doesn’t hold back. It grows deeper as the seconds pass, and I could be content standing here as long as my legs hold up beneath me, tired feet all but forgotten. He breaks the connection between us, drawing back and breathing heavily as he stares into my eyes.

  It’s not enough. I lean into him, almost desperate to taste his lips again. He indulges me for a few seconds, but then groans as he pushes me back.

  “Alex.”

  I never thought I’d like the sound of that word, but hearing it from Jake’s lips after he’s kissed me makes it sound like a love song.

  He traces the line of my jaw again and I don’t move, instead searching his eyes, trying to see into their depths. The colors in them are fascinating, and I could study them for hours, if it weren’t for the fact that he’d be studying me right back. Reading things inside that I didn’t even know I’d written.

  One more time he moves in and presses his lips to mine, only for a few seconds before slowly drawing back, stepping away from me and bending to retrieve his jacket. I can’t make myself leave that spot by the wall, partly because I don’t want to lose the feeling of what we just had, but also because I don’t want him to say anything. Not that he got carried away, or that I kissed him first, or that it didn’t mean anything and I should forget it. I don’t want him to say anything, because I want to hold on to it just a little bit longer.

  He steps across the room and puts his hand on the doorknob, and my eyes follow him, begging him to walk away. Willing him to open the door and step out into the night.

  It almost happens. He twists the door knob and pulls it toward him, but as he’s stepping onto the porch, his face turns back and he focuses his eyes on me. One last moment of connection, just a shared look.

  “I’m not sorry,” he says, pulling the door closed behind him.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Alexis

  Maddie rises to her feet and stares out the window again, watching Josh throw a ball to Bailey in the yard. He’s wearing a navy blue sweatshirt and a stocking cap that covers his forehead all the way to the top of his glasses, but I bundled Bailey into her coat like she’s headed to the North Pole. No wonder she’s having trouble catching.

  “He’ll make a great dad someday,” Maddie states with a sigh, tracing a little heart on the window with her finger.

  “Forget that,” Annie tells her, retrieving her hot cocoa from the kitchen before plopping onto my couch. “Get in here and take your coat off. We’ve been waiting for you so we can get the dish on the date.”

  Maddie slides her coat off her arms, stepping away from the window to place it over the back of a kitchen chair. When she steps to the stove to ladle out some cocoa, Annie clears her throat.

  “Come on, will you? Every time I say the word ‘date’ Alexis turns beet red. I’m dying to hear this.”

  “While we’re waiting, why don’t you regale us with details about your date with Denton last night?” Harley suggests, giving Annie a sly grin.

  “What makes you think I went out with Denton last night?”

  Harley simply raises her eyebrows, calling Annie out nonverbally.

  “Ready,” Maddie states, settling between Harley and myself on the couch. Annie’s sitting across from us in a kitchen chair. I offered to take that place, but she insisted she would be fine.

  “Okay, so I was with Denton last night,” Annie admits, narrowing her eyes at Harley. “There’s nothing to tell. He’s nice. I like him.”

  “Boring,” Maddie mutters, taking a sip of her cocoa.

  Annie huffs and her arms fold across her chest, causing the curls atop her head to shake with the movement. “What do you want me to say? Sure, he’s attractive on TV, but you should see him when he’s at home trying to make sure there’s not an animal in his crawlspace. Wearing his jeans that have paint on them from when he first moved into his place. Asking me to hold the flashlight, so of course I flick it off and he screams like a girl.”

  “Oh, Annie,” Harley says with a laugh.

  “But the best is on Sunday afternoons when he hasn’t shaved in a couple days. He’ll put on a flannel shirt, and then he looks like a real lumberjack. Of course when he kisses me it does scratch my face, but then it will be gone Monday because he has to be clean shaven for TV.”

  “Too much information,” Harley states, placing her hands over her ears. “I do have to see Denton every day, remember?”

  “And I see Ryan every day, Green Beans,” Annie counters. “You two make me sick, but I don’t plug my ears because of it. At least I have some common courtesy.”

  “This is quite entertaining,” Maddie says, offering a shrug as she looks in my direction. “Alexis and I could watch this all day.”

  “Absolutely,” I agree with a smile. It might have been best to stay quiet, because Annie turns her attention to me.

  “So…give us some details. I can tell something happened last night. It’s written all over your face.”

  A slight sense of dread comes over me as I glance back at the door. “Okay, but this stays between us, right?”

  “Of course!” Annie states emphatically. “Girls of Wonder Lane information does not leave this room. Right?” She glances at Maddie, whose eyes widen in shock.

  “Why are you looking at me? I’m virtually a steel trap.”

  “A steel trap,” Harley repeats, giving me a small smile.

  It doesn’t make me feel much better about sharing any information, but I’m dying to tell someone.

  “He kissed me.”

  Annie lets out a whistle while Maddie laughs, and I nervously grab a piece of my hair and begin twisting it around my finger.

  “So the date went well, I take it?” Annie prods, a mischievous smile on her face.

  “No…Jake kissed me.”

  Three mugs of cocoa make their way to the coffee table at the same time, the bottoms clinking against it like a choreographed movement.

  “Hold the phone,” Annie says, leaning forward. “When did this happen? I mean, it’s pretty obvious you two have feelings for each other, but I thought you were dead set against being in a relationship with him.”

  “Obvious?” I ask, feeling heat creep into my face.

  “Well, he watches every move you make, like he can’t keep his eyes off you. You stare at him a lot, too, but you try to hide it so no one will notice.”

  “Just because he looks at me doesn’t mean he has feelings for me.”

  “Did you go on the date at all?” Maddie wants to know, her back flush against the couch so I can see Harley too.

  “Yes. Jake picked Bailey up before we left. He was wearing a suit and he brought her flowers.”

  “Wow,” Harley states, wide-eyed. “I think I would have kissed him too.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I add, growing more self-conscious. “Going out with Cody was just like being with some random guy that I didn’t know, rather than someone I shared a deep history with. When he brought me home, he didn’t want the date to be over, but I told him good night. And then when I came inside, Jake
was there, where he’d fallen asleep next to Bailey.”

  “So did you two talk about this?” Annie places her elbows on her knees as she props her chin on her hand.

  “Not really. It just happened, and then he left.”

  “Was it awkward?” Harley asks.

  Awkward? I suppose I was awkward, but…

  “It was perfect,” I whisper. “About as close to perfect as possible, anyway.”

  “Wow.”

  The final word was said quietly enough that I have no idea who uttered it, but it doesn’t matter. We sit in silence for a few seconds, and then the front door opens.

  “Hey,” Josh says, poking his head inside. “Jake’s here so he’s playing with Bailey. Mad, were you still riding over to Mom and Dad’s with me?”

  “Yeah.” She rises from her seat and carries her mug to the sink. “Sorry I’ve got to run, ladies. You can give me the dirt later.” She winks at me as she grabs her coat and steps toward the door.

  “See you!” Josh calls as they exit, and I take my focus off him in time to see Harley standing up as well.

  “Annie, don’t we have something to do?” she asks, a hint of a smile touching her face.

  “Huh? Oh! Yes, most definitely. Something to do.” Annie stands up and carries her chair back to the kitchen. “I want more details at church tomorrow.”

  As they walk out the door, I’m left alone sitting on the couch, nervous energy filling every part of my body. Jake’s outside with Bailey, and I have no idea what to do. What to say. How to feel.

  My indecision doesn’t last long, though, before Bailey bursts through the door.

  “That’s that!” she announces, heading straight down the hall to her bedroom. Jake enters the house a few seconds later with a smile on his face.

  “The ball landed in the mud,” he explains, crossing to the sink where he turns on the faucet. I could sit here and wait for him to turn around, but instead I follow Bailey down the hall, making a pretense of taking off her coat. She throws it on the floor nearly every time we walk through the front door, so I’m quite sure she can take it off by herself.

  “Hey,” I say when I see her sitting on her bed and pulling off her shoes. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yep. Josh wants to see me tonight.”

  “Oh?” I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “What makes you think that?”

  “‘Cause he telled me. I can play with him and Mad.”

  She jumps up from the bed and heads toward the living room again, so I remain in her room a minute and try to collect my thoughts. It’s so much easier to decide to put one foot in front of the other when I feel like I have some sort of control over my destination.

  “There you are,” Jake says, drawing my attention to the door. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  The same thoughts that flooded my mind last night take residence again. Mistake. Spur of the moment. Forget about it. But he takes my hand in his, thumb slowly drifting across my knuckles one by one, and my mind goes completely blank.

  “I have a problem.” He tilts my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I keep thinking about the way you looked last night, and it’s bothering me.”

  There it is. He’s going to tell me I’ve done something wrong.

  “Why?” I manage to ask.

  The corner of his mouth tilts up just enough to force his dimple into existence. “Because I know it was for Cody, and I wish it was for me.” He wraps our free hands together, holding both of my hands in front of him as he continues to gaze at me. “You deserve to be with someone who knows how incredible you are. Someone who has no other motive than simply being with you.” His grip on my hands tightens. “Let me take you out tonight. Josh and Maddie offered to watch Bailey.”

  “You want to take me out.”

  He gives a nearly irresistible sheepish grin while he nods his head. “I know it’s a few years too late, but… Alexis Jennings, please date me.”

  A small laugh escapes before I can manage my answer. “Are you going to wear a suit?”

  He releases my hands and pulls me into his arms, my cheek resting against his maroon shirt. I bring my finger up to trace the pattern that’s on the shirt, one line after another.

  “If I do, will you wear a dress?”

  “Maybe.”

  One quick kiss on my forehead and he releases me, backing away. He makes it all the way to the door before he turns back with a slightly perplexed look on his face.

  “You did say yes, right?”

  I can’t fight the smile that crosses my face.

  “Yes.”

  “Daddy, there’s a flower in my pocket. It’s for you.” Bailey steps into my view just past the doorway and extends her hand to Jake, holding out what appears to be a weed. He scoops her up into his arms, giving her a big kiss on the cheek, complete with a smacking sound.

  “Thanks, kiddo. I have to run, but I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” He deposits Bailey on the floor, and then looks at me again. “Six o’clock?”

  I nod, but as I watch him walk away, something inside me begins to sound an alarm. Jake’s not the kind of guy I’m looking for, and even though it’s hard to deny that I feel something for him, it’s beginning to resemble playing with fire.

  Two weeks ago I couldn’t imagine myself going on a date, and now I’m preparing for the second in two nights. Almost like Heather, juggling boys until she finds one that might make it a couple weeks. My eyes drift to Bailey, where she sits on my bedroom floor, pulling a new dress onto her Barbie. As I glance down at my own dress, I close my eyes and say a quick prayer that I’m not making a huge mistake. Bailey and I went shopping after Jake left, and I located this light gray sheath dress with an embroidered lace overlay and a pleated hem at the bottom that ties it all together. I still feel guilty for buying it. It’s not like Bailey and I are destitute, but I am trying to keep our heads above water, and there’s always that nagging thought at the back of my mind that my car could be headed for the graveyard at any given moment.

  Watching Bailey push against the Velcro on Barbie’s dress, I grab my cell phone and head into the hall, dialing as I walk.

  The ringing stops, and I hear the click before I hear a voice. “Sadie’s House of Ill Repute. Lorna Jean speaking.”

  Even though I fight the urge to roll my eyes, I can’t help but grin.

  “Very funny, Heather. Where’s Sadie?”

  “She had to run to town with Brent, so Jonah and I are hanging out. She forgot her phone. You want me to have her call you?”

  I lean against the wall in the hallway, breathing out a sigh. “No, I’ll be gone by then.”

  “Well, whatcha want? Maybe I can assist you.”

  Heaven help us all if I actually could be assisted by Heather.

  “I need help.”

  “Should I call 9-1-1?”

  “No, not that kind of help. Advice.”

  “Oh, I am a wealth of that, sis.”

  I shake my head and focus my gaze on the ceiling. “Promise not to yell at me.”

  “This is gonna be good.”

  “Promise,” I repeat.

  “Okay, okay. Promise. Why do I want to yell at you?”

  I wrinkle my forehead and grit my teeth, preparing for the onslaught of swearing. “I went out with Cody Hewitt last night.”

  Silence.

  “Did you hear me, Heather?”

  “Yes, but I made a promise.” She pauses, but before I can get a word in, she begins again. “I got nothin’, Alex. That’s pretty dumb. I never figured you to do something so stupid.”

  “I know, I know. It was totally stupid. But I have now solidified the fact in my mind that Cody’s not right for me.”

  “Hallelujah.” I hear a heavy breath make its way into the phone. “You ain’t regretting something you did last night, I hope?”

  “Heather!”

  “Sorry,” she blurts. “You’re the one asking for advice here. So if you figured out he’s a bum, what’s the p
roblem?”

  I march a few paces down the hall, farther away from Bailey. “The problem is, when I got home last night, Jake kissed me.”

  “Now you’re talking!” she states, a bit of excitement in her voice. “I can totally get behind this.”

  “We’re going out tonight.”

  “Sweet sister Susie, I’m totally jealous of you.”

  “Am I making a huge mistake?”

  The question hangs between us, like it got tangled up in cell phone air space somewhere, smashed between a cloud and a satellite radio signal.

  “The totally hot father of your kid wants to date you. Kind of seems like a no-brainer.”

  “Is it?” I mumble, right before a knock sounds on the door. “I think he’s here.”

  “Go get your man,” Heather orders, hanging up the phone.

  Bailey darts toward the door while I head to the bedroom to get my shoes. I’ve just emerged from the closet when I hear Bailey yell that Jake’s taking her next door. Normally I’d insist on telling her goodbye and taking her there myself, but I’m actually relieved for an extra moment to get myself together.

  Once I have my shoes on, I glance in the mirror, relieved that I look a little more like myself this time around. A dressed up version of myself, but still Alexis.

  Grabbing the phone again, I can’t resist texting Heather. Guess it’s not Boringland around here today.

  She answers almost immediately. Boringland? Alex, your life is far from boring. Have fun for me!

  This time when the knock sounds on the door, I actually think I’m ready. Stepping across the living room, I open it with a smile, not dreading it like last night. He’s standing there in his suit, looking absolutely perfect with the exception of that silly tie, which has to be a full inch off-center.

  “You seem to have a tie problem,” I tell him as I reach up to fix it for the second time in as many days.

  “Do I? Or did I just like you fixing it so much yesterday that I messed it up again on purpose?” He grins as he pulls a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. Gorgeous lilacs spill from the sides of the vase, with white roses tucked into the center.