She chuckled as she bit into her pizza. “And me?”
“You were defiantly there because you came with someone you cared about. You were having a good time, but you wouldn’t have been there if someone hadn’t needed a ride.”
She wiped her mouth and tried to hide the knowing grin she knew had surfaced.
Jesse reached across the table and touched her arm. “You finally looked up at the stage and caught my eye. We connected, did you feel it?”
She felt the blood drain from her head. “I thought I was crazy.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never had that happen before. That’s why I made them bring you on stage. I wanted to see you up close.”
“I thought it was all part of the show.”
“I’ve never done that before.”
Bryce had told her that, but she hadn’t really believed it. “I don’t understand. I’m older than you. I’m widowed. I have a son. I teach middle school biology…”
“You’re beautiful. Your eyes show your sensitivity. You’re not perfect, and I mean that in the most sincere way. You have to believe me. I live in L.A. I enjoy the freshness of you.”
She wasn’t sure it was a compliment, but his eyes reached into her soul, and she knew he was speaking from the heart.
“What do you want?” Her voice shook.
“I want to get to know you. Melissa, I know it’s crazy and this isn’t the circumstances in which you probably thought you’d meet someone, but I really do want to get to know you.”
“My son is too impressionable. I don’t want him getting a big head that you’re here. What happens when you’re gone? When I’m just some has-been to you? I’m not the kind to give myself to a man…”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“I can’t do this to Jonah.”
Jesse sat back. “I understand that.”
She waited for him to argue with her, but he didn’t. “You do?”
“Sure. My mom has been married six times. I met my dad when I was six, and he died when I was ten. I’ve lived in eight cities and…” He paused and looked up as though he were thinking and then continued, “twenty…no, twenty-one houses. I went to five elementary schools and was tutored through high school. I never went to prom or had a letterman’s jacket. Normal is what Jonah needs.”
Melissa wasn’t sure what she felt now, but there was a great deal of sorrow in her heart for the boyhood that was lost. Maybe Jesse Charles needed some normality, too.
“So where do you go when you leave here?”
He thought for a moment. “Let’s see, I just finished in Salt Lake, so I’m in Kansas City tomorrow night, Dallas on Wednesday, and New Orleans on Saturday.”
She was exhausted just listening to him. “You travel that much all the time?”
“Part of the job.”
“For how much longer?”
“The tour ends the first part of December in L.A..”
There was a pang of regret in her heart. For a moment she’d considered letting him into her life, even if just for a moment of normality in a pizza restaurant in a small town, but his life was too busy to include her and it was certainly too chaotic to make Jonah part of it.
“Maybe when things settle down for you, you could drop back through town. Jonah would really like to see you again.”
Again, he reached across the table and this time he took hold of her hands. “I was hoping maybe I could fly back out next Sunday. I bought the truck to have in town and…”
“The black pickup? You bought that to have here?”
“I was hoping to get a lot of use out of it.”
Now she didn’t know whether to be honored or feel shocked. “So what was your plan?”
His eyes softened, and he ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I was hoping to fly back out here and see you again. Maybe, if you didn’t mind, you could cook me dinner. I’m dying for a home-cooked meal. And I’d love to get to spend some time with both you and Jonah.”
She swallowed hard. “And my mother. She lives with us.”
“Even better.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to tell him that, but it was what she felt.
“Will you give me one more day? Melissa, I really want to get to know you.”
“Shouldn’t you be dating a super model? Or isn’t there some diva who needs a good looking man?”
He sat back and laughed. “Well, at least you think I’m good looking.”
She sure did, and it seemed to be the driving force in her forgetting her common sense.
Jesse shook Ramone’s hand as he let them out the side door. There was a great appreciation for the respect the man had shown them as they dined.
He’d seen the way Ramone had kept the girls in the back away from their table and a few others who had spotted them in the restaurant.
Perhaps it would give him a little more leverage with Melissa. He seemed nearly desperate for her to want to be with him.
He opened the car door for her and waited until she climbed in. Then he skirted to the front of the truck, gave a wave to Paul, the guard in the truck who Ramone had graciously fed as well, and then climbed into her car.
When she started the engine, it growled before it finally gave in.
“Sounds like it doesn’t like the cold.”
She shook her head. “This is what happens when you pay off a car. Then it wants to quit on you.”
“I could look at it for you next weekend.”
She chuckled and shifted her eyes toward him in the dark. “You can fix cars?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “No. I have no idea about cars, but I thought it would give me another reason to come back.”
Melissa rested her head against the seat. “You really want to do this? You really want to come back? I’m nothing but a dull, ordinary woman.”
“You’re exactly the woman I want to be with.”
“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.”
He moved in closer to her and cupped her face in his hands. “I can’t imagine that you will.”
It was time to give her something to remember him by. He caressed her cheek and then moved his fingers into her hair as he pulled her closer. He’d expected her to pull away, but she moved closer to him. Her breath grew heavier and her eyes closed as he pressed his lips to hers.
He’d kissed so many women in his life, and there was nothing compared to the spark he felt when he kissed Melissa.
Her lips had grown softer, and he took the kiss deeper. She accepted, and he let his tongue part her lips.
There was a moan that escaped from one of them, but he wasn’t so sure it hadn’t come from him.
Melissa’s hands moved to his chest. His heartbeat ramped up as the heat from her palms penetrated the cloth of his shirt and warmed his skin.
When she finally broke contact, she didn’t move away completely, and they were both breathless.
“That was dangerous,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.
“Why?”
“I haven’t kissed anyone like that in…”
“I’ve never kissed anyone like that.” He sat back. “It was nice.”
She gazed at him for a moment. “Yes. It was.”
“You’ll let me come back and visit next weekend?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Don’t hurt Jonah.”
The words pierced his heart, but he understood her concern. “I won’t hurt him.”
Melissa sighed. “I hope you like spaghetti. It’s one of the only things I know how to make and not screw up.”
There was no doubt in his mind it was going to be the best meal he’d ever have. Now all he had to do was break the news to his manager that he wouldn’t be meeting the date he’d set up for him. He didn’t want to meet anyone else. He wanted Melissa, the biology teacher from Aspen Creek.
Chapter Five
There was no doubt in Melissa’s mind that there was a pa
rticularly new spring in her step as she walked into the front office of the school and collected her papers from her box.
“Mornin’,” William said from his office.
She smiled and replied, “Mornin’.”
There was nothing much she had to say to him so she collected her items and walked out of the office, but as she’d figured would be the case, he was right behind her.
“I came by last night to help you grade those tests.”
“I told you I didn’t need any help.”
She was walking faster down the hall, and he was keeping in step with her. “Your mom said you were on a date.”
“She did, huh?” Melissa took the key from her pocket and unlocked her classroom door.
She pushed it open and stepped through, but William didn’t just walk in with her. As she turned on the light, he shut the door.
“I heard you were out with that rock star.”
“Pop star, big difference you know.” The grin on her lips was hurting her cheeks, but she was enjoying the sight of William losing his composure.
“This is ridiculous and has gone on too long.”
Melissa set her bags on her desk. “You’re ridiculous. Why are you so worked up?”
“Do you think Martin would approve of this?”
Her jaw clenched, and she was very aware that the smile had left her lips. “Martin is dead, and for three years I’ve played the dutiful wife to his memory. Look,” she said as she held her hand up, “I’ve never taken this ring off since he gave it to me. I didn’t go and change my name. I’ve never dated. A nice young man wants to spend some time with me. I think I’m entitled.”
William moved in toward her and rested his hands on her desk. “What about Jonah? This is good for him?”
“He likes Jesse.”
“Jesse? You’re on a first name basis with him?”
“I kissed him too. Are you going to fire me?” Her voice had risen much higher than she’d hoped it would.
Their argument was interrupted by a knock at the door, and Emmy Lou stepped into the room with an enormous bouquet of roses.
“These came for you. I told them I was going to walk by your room, and I’d bring them. I think there are three dozen roses in here. Morning, Mr. Scott,” she said all in one breath.
“Thank you.” Melissa walked across the room and took them from her. “Oh, they’re beautiful.”
Emmy Lou leaned in as Melissa took the vase from her. “Do you think they’re from him? I heard he was in town and took you to dinner.”
Melissa hadn’t expected anything less than for it to be common knowledge, but hearing it from someone other than a very worked up William Scott made her stomach drop.
“I assume so. Thank you.” She hoped her tone would shoo Emmy Lou away, but she remained.
William stood straight and crossed his arms over his chest. The room grew tense, and Melissa thought if one of them didn’t leave soon, she would.
Emmy Lou rose up on her toes and back down as she sucked in some of the stale air that was clogging up the room. “I’d better get back to my classroom. Art club starts tomorrow, and I have to get the projects together. Macramé. An art that’s coming back. You know you can pin some great designs on Pinterest.” She waved and finally walked out of the room.
William huffed out a breath. “That woman talks way too much.”
“She likes you. You should be nice.”
“Likes me?”
Melissa’s smile had returned. She could feel it down
to her toes. “Yes. As in she thinks you’re very handsome.”
“The women in this town have lost their minds.”
The bell rang and Melissa could hear the unmistakable sound of kids filling the halls. She set the flowers behind her desk on the file cabinet as William headed toward the door.
“I still don’t like this. I think you’re going to cause problems if you see him again.”
“Problems for who, William?”
“Yourself and your son. But think of the students, too. You’re giving them unrealistic expectations for life. Pop stars don’t always just show up for you and want to whisk you away. There are consequences for every action, Melissa, and you have a responsibility.”
He stormed out of the room, leaving her with a pang of guilt in her chest and the smell of floral beauty reminding her that he was right. Dinner with Jesse would have to be the end of this silly affair.
The door pushed open, and her class began to assemble. But the usual Monday morning banter had already turned into mummers among the girls.
When the final bell rang, Melissa picked up the stack of tests to hand back. One of the girls in the back of the room, who looked as though she were just about to burst, spoke up. “Mrs. Mathews, did you really go on a date with Jesse Charles last night?”
Before she could speak, a boy in the front piped up. “My dad’s cousin in Grand Junction sold him a truck so he could keep it in town.”
“My sister was working at the restaurant and saw you there with him,” another girl said.
“He’s a tool,” the boy to her left gave as his opinion. “He’s got that supermodel girlfriend. What would he want her for?” He motioned to Melissa.
She took a breath to speak, but the class continued on without her.
“He’s not dating that model,” a girl with a Jesse Charles folder on her desk defended. “That is made up.”
“Whatever. He can have anyone he wants. Why would he choose Mrs. Mathews?” The boy turned to look at her. “No offense. You’re just not his type.”
William had been right. She could smell the roses behind her, and her stomach churned at the scent. Supermodels, musicians, and biology teachers from small towns didn’t mix well.
When would the life in this parallel universe end?
She turned around and threw the tests in the trash. She heard the gasps from behind her.
“Let’s learn some biology. Clean slate. But the next test will be harder.”
Now she felt in control again.
Melissa had hurried away from the school as fast as she could when the day was over. The last thing she wanted to hear was another thirteen-year-old asking her if Jesse Charles was a good kisser.
Romances in small towns were hard enough when both people were normal, but when one was famous, it was proving to be nearly impossible.
The rumor mill had started, and her greater concern was Jonah. How was he going to take all of this attention? He hadn’t done so well when his father died. He didn’t like people needing to talk to him.
She pulled into the driveway and took a deep breath. She was about to find out what he thought about it. His day couldn’t have been any easier. She was sure of it.
When Melissa pushed open the front door, she was sure she’d lost her mind. She could still smell the roses. As she stepped further into the house, she realized why. There had to be another ten vases full of roses of all different colors.
Jonah walked around from the kitchen, juice bag in hand and an enormous smile on his face. “What do you think, Mom?”
“What is all this?”
“Jesse sent them.”
Her mother followed Jonah out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “They came from different florists from different towns all day. I think you made a good impression on him.”
“I think he’s lost his mind,” Melissa retorted, knowing it wasn’t a good sign, but she could feel a smile settle on her lips.
“Mom, are you going to go out with him again?” Jonah asked and took a sip from his pouch.
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
His brows drew closer. “Why? He likes you.”
“He’s nine years younger than me, and we don’t run in the same circles.”
“So.”
This wasn’t quite the conversation she’d expected. “Let’s just say this town isn’t ready for that.”
Jonah nodded. “Tell me abo
ut it. Everyone knows you went out with him last night. They talked about it all day.”
So he did have to deal with it. She knew it would reach him. Jonah didn’t need that. “And did it bother you that they were all talking about me?”
“Why? I think you’re lucky.”
Melissa set her hand on her chest, which was aching. “Why am I lucky?”
“Because he likes you.”
“He’s famous.”
“So is Mr. Carter, and no one cares anymore.”
The ache began to ease. “No one thinks Mr. Carter is important?”
“That’s not what I said.” He blew into the juice pouch and inflated it. “It’s just now they know him. He used to be a big time football guy, and now he’s the football coach and a dad. Big deal. I met Jesse. He came here. I think he’s a nice guy.”
“You’re not just saying that because you have a poster of him in your room?”
“I’m ten. I’m not dumb.” He slowly flattened the pouch between his palms. “He likes you, and he makes you happy. You haven’t been happy in a long time.”
The ache in her chest had become a lead weight in her stomach. There she thought she’d had a grasp on life and was worried about Jonah. Who would have thought she’d been the miserable one, and Jonah had been worried about her.
“Jonah, I don’t know that seeing Jesse is going to work out. I don’t want you to be upset about that.”
“Mom, enjoy it while it lasts. Sure, maybe you won’t get married and I won’t have brothers and sisters, but maybe you’ll have a good time while it lasts. That can’t hurt, can it?”
She could feel tears welling in her eyes, and when she looked at her mother, she was wiping tears from her eyes with the towel she hand in her hand.
Melissa walked over to her son and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “You’re an amazing kid.”
He wiggled, trying to get away. “I know. Can I just go over to Nathan’s and play? You’re too cuddly.”
She laughed and released him. “Yes. One hour.”
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