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“Good. I warned Jay that if he made you cry again I’d come after him and I might not have his skills with a weapon but I do know how to protect my own,” her mom said.
“Candi, I can respect that,” Jay said.
“Good,” her mom said. She patted Jay on the shoulder. “Thanks for listening to me.”
“No problem,” Jay said. Her mom gave Alysse a quick hug and then returned to the picnic area.
“What was that about?”
“She had some things to say to me and needed to clear the air,” Jay replied.
“Was it okay? Did she upset you?” Alysse asked.
“I’m a man, Aly, I don’t get upset,” he said.
“Then what do you get?” she asked.
“Pissed off. But your mom really loves you and only wants what is best for you, and I can’t get mad about that,” he said.
“Good. I wanted...I’m not sure how to say this,” she said. Now that she was standing in front of him the words she wanted to say wouldn’t form in her mouth.
“Just spit it out,” he said.
“Are you planning to leave me again?” she asked in one long breath.
He looked taken aback and stood up straighter. “I don’t know.”
Those quietly spoken words weren’t the ones she was looking for and they shot dread straight through her.
“It’s time for your brother’s match,” Jay said. “We can talk about this later.”
She let him lead her to the volleyball game and, though she pretended to watch, her mind was on his words and the fear in her heart just grew larger.
* * *
JAY PULLED THE CAR to a stop in front of Alysse’s place. His bike was stored in her garage and he knew he’d be leaving tonight. He had enjoyed hanging out with her, but they both knew she needed something more from him. Something he wasn’t going to be able to deliver.
He’d felt the disappointment in her when she’d asked if he was going to leave. He knew he should have just said no, but he didn’t want to lie to her.
“You got too much sun today,” he said. “Your cheeks are red.”
“I always do,” she said, the same cold shoulder she’d been giving him all afternoon. “No matter how much sunscreen I use.”
“I just get more tanned,” he said.
“Have we really come down to banal conversation? You don’t have anything more to say to me than that?” she asked, and he heard the anger in her tone. She wanted a fight and he got that, but he wasn’t sure he could accommodate her.
“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood,” he said. “I’m not good at this kind of thing. You should know that by now.”
“Yeah, you should try harder. You don’t encourage anyone to talk to you.”
“It’s not my scene,” he said. “I never know the right thing to say and I always end up feeling like I’m an idiot.”
“You are the furthest thing from an idiot that I’ve ever met.”
“That’s not what you were thinking earlier,” he said.
“True,” she said with a laugh. “Do you want to come inside?”
“Yes, but I thought we agreed we’d played this suburban fantasy long enough,” he said. He didn’t want to have to walk away again but they both knew that...what?
“Let’s talk inside. I really don’t want to sit out here in the car and have a long conversation.”
“Okay,” he said. “You go open the windows and I’ll get all the stuff from the trunk.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue with him, but then she just nodded and got out of the car. He watched her walk up the path to her cute little house and thought how idyllic this place was. The house was comfortable and cozy with a neatly manicured lawn. The neighborhood was friendly but not intrusive. The lady was sexy, sweet and just not right for a man like him.
He cleaned out the car and then walked up to the house. She’d opened all the windows and a nice breeze welcomed him as he stepped inside. He heard the sound of Jimmy Buffett coming from the patio and dumped the cooler in the kitchen before pausing on the threshold between the house and the patio to watch her watering the hibiscus which grew around the edge of her water feature.
A part of him craved this life more than he knew was safe. She’d become an obsession for him and he wanted her. He wanted to say to hell with all the people in her life and just scoop her up and take her away to somewhere special, just the two of them.
