Learning to Love

by Julie Evelyn Joyce

  “I’m gonna be coaching baseball in the spring,” she panted. “If you’re at KHS, you can coach with me.”

  God, he wanted to. Wished with every fiber of his being that he could. Afraid of hurting her or saying too much, he channeled his jumbled emotions into a kiss that started slow and grew into something beyond his control. Raw. Passionate. Exposing and explosive. Their lips collided. Her fingers dipped beneath his jacket and gripped his waist, pulling their bodies flush. She moaned as he surrounded her, trapped her between himself and the cool metal. He’d parked far enough away from the building that no one was around. No one there but them, just like it’d been at the dance.

  When her fingers tangled in his hair, the last of his restraint snapped. “Want you.” His tongue traced the line of her clavicle, then he sucked at the notch where the two bones met. “Need you.” He lifted his gaze, meeting her glassy eyes. “Now.”

  “Will,” she gasped as he pinched her nipple, a promise of things to come.

  “You’re . . . everything.”

  She blinked. Caressed the side of his face as short puffs of breath escaped her lips. “Take me home.”

  21

  Three weeks of dating Will. Three weeks of laughter, late nights, and lazy mornings tangled in each other’s arms. She thought it would be weird at first. That it would take time to get used to each other in a different capacity, apart from their work relationship, but they’d made the transition without a hitch. Most of their dates were activity-based. They’d gone bowling, to an indoor driving range, a pinball arcade, a karaoke bar (she’d stick to singing in the shower from now on), and a rock-climbing gym. But lately, they were content to coop up in her house, watch movies, and fool around.

  He made her feel young again. Growing up, she’d wished away her youth, anxious to put those years of powerlessness and insecurity behind her. And now she was reliving those days in a different way. A blissful way. She was beginning to understand what Towanda had meant when she’d said her old soul would be happiest with a younger man.

  School was out for her at the end of the coming week, and Will’s college had let out the week prior. He’d been living full-time in Kendal since then, and in her bed most nights. He still helped Berg with the basketball team when he could, and on those days, she’d stay late in hopes of seeing him at school. She missed passing him in the halls, sharing gym space with him. Eating lunch together.

  Did he know yet where his next placement would be? It struck her as odd that those details hadn’t been finalized before his semester ended. They hadn’t spoken about it much, but it seemed that whenever she brought up the subject, he never responded with a straight answer. Maybe she could pry it out of him today.

  He’d gone out last night for a semester-ending holiday get-together with some of his classmates, then crashed at his apartment in the city. She’d truly missed waking up next to him, having his smile be her first view. How could anyone not have a perfect day when they were greeted by such a handsome face?

  Today, they had plans to hit up the Cup-A-Cabana coffee shop and be all cutesy and couple-y around the town. And she was possibly more excited about that than all of their other dates combined. She wanted to show him off. Be seen with him. They could be one of those happy townie couples she’d envied not so long ago.

  Will had texted earlier, telling her he’d swing by around ten thirty, so she rolled out of bed to get herself ready to greet him. They were still in that early glow of their relationship when, even on the nights they slept together, she’d still rouse herself before him to comb the tangles from her hair, brush her teeth, pinch her cheeks, make it look like she always woke up as fresh-faced as a twenty-year-old.

  Stretching onto the tips of her toes, she reached her arms toward the ceiling and contemplated what she’d wear. Maybe her burgundy cable-knit sweater—Will had complimented her on it a couple weeks ago, seconds before he’d deftly removed it . . . along every other scrap of clothing she had on at the time—and she could pair it with a skinny jean and some knee-high leather boots. Hannah had forced Rebecca to go shopping with her not long after she and Will had begun dating, and after two excruciating hours in the dressing room while Hannah personally delivered “date-appropriate outfits,” she’d burned through a week’s worth of her salary. But she had to admit, she felt sexy. And Will certainly had no complaints.

  Then again, the man seemed just as turned on when she’d lounge around in a Comets jersey and basketball shorts.

  She moved to her closet and laid out the outfit she’d envisioned, planning on saving the Comets jersey for later, then darted off to shower. Will, she’d learned, was punctual with a capital P, so it came as no surprise when he knocked on her door at ten twenty-six.

  Rebecca’s insides vibrated in excitement. Giving herself one last appraising glance in the mirror, she strode to the front door, yanked it open, pulled him inside, then shoved him against the wall. She caught Will’s startled grunt with her mouth. Then she gave him everything she had at her disposal. Her lips. Her teeth. Her tongue. She hit him with every weapon in her arsenal, hoping he could taste exactly how much she appreciated those four bonus minutes of Will time.

  When she finally released him to suck in a much-needed breath, he hit her back with a look so smoldering, she nearly launched herself at him again.

  “What was that for?” he rasped.

  She glanced down at the floor, a blush heating her cheeks at her brazen behavior. “Guess absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

  Will laughed long and deep, then cupped her chin to tip her head up. “I’ve only been absent for, like, twelve hours.”

  “God help you if you stay away any longer.”

  He shook the bouquet of flowers in his hand, which she miraculously hadn’t crushed in the process of jumping him, and handed them to her.

  “What are these for?”

  He shrugged. “Guess my heart’s grown fonder, too.”

  She took a whiff of the assortment of roses, sunflowers, and calla lilies in autumnal colors, tied together with a corn husk bow. “Cute. And corny,” she teased.

  “I know you’re not really all that into flowers, but they’re pretty, and you’re pretty.”

  She led him into the house to locate her one and only vase. “You’re gonna make me a mushy girl.”

  “I’ll let you beat me up later.” He leaned against the counter as she dumped out the dead flowers that remained in her vase and replaced them with the new ones. “You should probably feed and water these ones. Ya know, even for a day.”

  Rebecca grinned sheepishly, then obediently filled the vase with water and sprinkled in some food from the packet included with the bouquet. “Happy?” she asked him.

  Will grabbed her by the hips and brought her flush against him. “Happiest I’ve ever been.”

  “Aww,” she murmured, pecking a soft kiss to his lips. “You’re definitely the mushy one.” Will’s answering smile had her questioning the logic of leaving her house. Sure, it would be great to tour the town as a couple, but they had the whole day ahead of them, and she had a big, comfy bed with freshly washed sheets. She hadn’t bothered to toss his pillow case in with this last load of laundry, wanting the scent of him to linger a bit longer in her room.

  Mushy title reclaimed.

  Will kissed her with purpose, his tongue darting into her mouth, his hands running up and down her sides, drawing closer to her breasts on every pass. “Are we staying or going?” he panted against her lips.

  Staying, her heart begged, but then her stomach growled—very loudly—in protest. “Uh . . .”

  Will laughed. “Going it is.” He slipped away and slapped her butt playfully in the process. “Let’s get moving, or we’ll never get out of here.”

  Hand in hand, he and Rebecca walked the relatively short distance from her house to the Cup-A-Cabana coffee shop. As always, the quaint town of Kendal was bustling on a Sunday. The crisp air, flavored with hints of cinnamon, tickled his nostri
ls. They didn’t speak much while they ambled along, simply content to be together and enjoy the day like dozens of others around them. He’d never felt such a level of comfort with a woman before, and certainly not this soon. Rebecca just seemed so relaxed with him, living in the moment. And every single moment they could spend together was precious, more than he dared to let on. He didn’t want to burst this perfect bubble of happiness.

  She curled her body tighter to his when they neared Main Street, and the intimate gesture made his heart feel lighter. He squeezed her hand and bent down to kiss her cheek, her skin cool beneath his lips. He’d warm her up with a steamy drink and a hot plate of food, and if her internal temperature dipped below a healthy 98.6 degrees on the walk back to her place, he’d get the fires burning again. In bed.

  Before long, they arrived at their destination. He’d yet to venture inside the Cup-A-Cabana, but he’d seen the crooked coffee cup sign many times on his jogging route and been tempted nearly every run by the heavenly aromas pouring out of the shop. Now he could finally give in. Will reached for the door and ushered Rebecca inside, his palm resting on her lower back.

  Bells jingled to announce their arrival. The place was packed with people—at the counter, at every table. Cripes. None of the coffee houses he frequented in the city were ever this busy. Then again, people there tended to take their caffeine to go. Here, they seemed to want to make a whole ritual of it.

  “Post-church rush,” Rebecca explained over the din. She waved down a short-haired woman clearing a table, who promptly dropped her rag and dashed toward them.

  “Rebecca! Is this Wi—”

  “Wicked fun to run into each other?” Rebecca cut the woman off. “You bet!” She glanced nervously at Will, then added, “Oh, Addie, this is Will. A person I’ve never talked to you about before, but we’re, uh, dating, and so, yeah. This is him.”

  Addie smiled at Will, then stretched her hand out to shake his. “It’s really nice to meet you, Will. I’ve heard nothing about you,” she offered robotically.

  Will bit back a grin. “Are you the Addie who bakes hand pies?”

  “Guilty as charged.” She beamed. “I’ll be taking my Pie-Cycle for a loop around the square after my shift.”

  “Ethan shared some of his stash with me,” Will said. “We’re roommates . . . which I’m sure you didn’t know.”

  Addie glanced at Rebecca, then toned down her smile. “I’m very surprised by this information, but thank you for sharing it with me.”

  Rebecca rolled her eyes at their overacting. “While Hollywood’s engraving your names on the Oscars, can we grab that table you’re cleaning, Addie?”

  “Absolutely.” She giggled. “Follow me.”

  Will trailed behind the two women, glad Rebecca couldn’t see the undoubtedly cheesy expression on his face. She’d talked about him with her girlfriends, and he couldn’t think of a greater compliment than that. Addie swept the remaining crumbs from the table and gathered the plastic tub filled with dirty dishes.

  “When did you start working here?” Rebecca asked as she took a seat opposite Will.

  “Just started last week, actually. Renovations are underway at my soon-to-be bakery, but I’m filling in here part-time to give Gwen a much-needed hand now that she’s with child.”

  Will felt a tap on his shoulder and swivelled to find Ethan staring back at him from his table next to theirs. Had he been there this whole time? He must have been hiding behind his laptop. “The Apple of My Pie,” Ethan said proudly. “That’s gonna be the name of her bakery. I came up with it.”

  “Umm, I’m pretty sure that was a combined effort, Hemingway,” Addie cut in. The two made eyes at each other, then she asked, “More tea?”

  “Please.” Ethan smiled and turned back to his work, typing frantically on his keyboard. Addie whirled away, a dreamy look on her face.

  “I think she’s his muse,” Rebecca said at Will’s raised eyebrows. She passed him one of the menus on her side of the table.

  Will flipped his open and had a strange urge to order tea, too. Ethan had told him about Addie’s talent for reading tea leaves. Maybe she could read his and assure him that things would work out with Rebecca. It couldn’t hurt to get a second cosmic opinion, right? The very fact that he was asking himself such a question was proof he’d been bitten by the Kendal bug.

  “Hey, you two!” A tall, beaming woman wearing a Cup-A-Cabana apron approached their table. “I brought you some menus.”

  Rebecca waved hers in the air and said pointedly, “We already have some, Gwen, as you can see.”

  “Yeah, but . . . these are new.”

  Taking a proffered menu, Rebecca quickly compared the two. “They look the same to me. Although, this so-called ‘new’ one has more grease stains on it.”

  Gwen cleared her throat. “There’s a few, um, additions and edits. Anyway, I’m just mingling with the customers. It’s what I do as the proprietor. Holler if you need anything. Hope you and Will enjoy your meal!”

  Rebecca’s eyes widened. “You mean, you hope we will enjoy our meal, right? Because you haven’t met Will yet or heard about him or anything.”

  “Riiiight,” Gwen stretched out the word. “Slip of the tongue, nothing more. It’s great to meet you, Will, whoever you are.”

  Will chuckled. “Likewise.” He waited a beat for Gwen to be out of hearing distance, then he pinned his gaze on a pink-cheeked Rebecca. “So, how many people don’t know about me?”

  “A few, okay?” She frowned at his growing smile. “Don’t get all excited.”

  He was ready to say to hell with brunch, scoop her into his arms, and show her exactly how excited he was. But he was a gentleman. He’d feed the lady first. Pancakes with an extra side of maple syrup. He had big plans for the syrup back at her place.

  She must have read the direction of his thoughts because she broke into a grin. “Stop devouring me with your eyes and read your damn menu.”

  The familiar swish-swish of several layers of gauzy fabric drew Will’s attention. Carmen floated toward their table, a twinkle in her eye. “My, my, aren’t you two the very vision of contentment?” she boasted.

  Rebecca jerked her head up. “Carmen, hi. Shouldn’t you be setting up your tent in the town square?”

  “I decided I’d get a hot drink first before heading out there. It’s awfully chilly today. Though it seems quite warm in here,” she added with a saucy wink. “Haven’t seen you around the house much lately, sweet thing,” she said to Will.

  “Well, I’m . . . I was, uh—”

  “Of course, I miss the hunky scenery,” Carmen continued, “but it helps explain that youthful glow in Rebecca’s cheeks.”

  Right on cue, Rebecca’s mouth dropped open.

  Carmen blew her a kiss. “I’d better scurry off before a line forms outside my tent. Ta-ta, my darlings!”

  Rebecca stared after the older woman and shook her head. “I’m beginning to wonder if we should have stayed at my place.”

  Will covered her hand with one of his, and she met his gaze again. “I’m happy to be here with you.” And he was. They could be anywhere, but she’d chosen to bring him into this particular coffee shop, knowing there’d be familiar faces there. Wanting him to be a part of her town, her world. He loved being with her, no matter where they were. But being here meant so much more to him than she likely realized.

  “Me, too.” Rebecca leaned toward him, and he cupped her cheek in his palm, stroking the smooth skin with his thumb. She wet her lips, and he lunged for them, caressing them with his own.

  The bells jingled in the background. A high-pitched squeal reverberated, threatening to shatter the glassware on the tables. Spell officially broken, they both looked to the door to find Hannah zipping toward them.

  Rebecca turned back to Will, then they promptly burst out laughing. “Maybe we’ll order lunch instead,” she said.

  22

  Finished with her marking for the day, Rebecca set her stack of
work aside and checked the time. Nearly three o’clock. Her prep period had raced by. School was out for winter break at the end of the week, so she kept busy updating her marks to give her students a better sense of where they stood going into the holiday. For some, it wouldn’t be a very merry Christmas unless they pulled up their gym socks.

  She jolted when Berg stormed into the office and slumped into his chair, dropping his head in his hands.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, rushing to his side.

  His troubled gaze met hers. “I just got a call from Ryan’s foster family. He’s in the hospital. OD’d on heroin last night.”

  “Jesus. Is he . . . Is he okay?”

  He rubbed his hand back and forth over his head. “He’s stable, apparently. He’d been out partying with some college kids in the city. They found him unconscious inside a club. He stopped breathing in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

  “Oh my God. I can’t even . . . What can we do?”

  “I need to make some calls. I’m cancelling the game tonight. After that, I’d like to see him if we can.”

  She nodded. “Absolutely.” Berg, herself, and Will had taken turns contacting Ryan’s family over the last few weeks, trying to get him to return to school. His teachers had put together packages of work for him to do at home, but nothing was getting done. He’d given up on everything once he’d lost the chance to play basketball. “Let me help. Who can I call?”

  Berg squeezed his eyes shut and blew out a shuddering breath. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him this shaken, and how could she blame him? Ryan was like a son to him. All the boys on his team were. “You could start with Whitney.”

  Will had been on his way to the school when he got the call that shocked him to his core. Ryan OD’d, she’d said. Berg and I are heading to the hospital. He’d told her he’d meet them there. And then Rebecca had texted him the address.