AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Blue. You?”
“Red. Favorite food?”
“Mexican. You?”
“Does chocolate cake count?” she asks with a smile. “Chicago hotdogs are my favorite.”
“Hotdogs? Really?”
“Yep. The ones loaded with all the toppings including a pepper. They’re the best. Favorite movie?” she asks.
“Easy. Shawshank Redemption. You?”
“Radio. Cuba Gooding Jr. was outstanding in that role. It still makes me cry every time I watch it.”
“I’ve seen it. Good movie. Now, my turn,” I say, straightening up in my seat.
“I already know your favorite flower, so how about favorite sport?”
“Hockey. Those tight pants are great to look at on television,” she replies, fighting her smirk. “You?”
“Hockey. I used to play street hockey as a kid, and when I was in college, I joined a club at a community center and played ice hockey during the winter. It was fun.”
“Huh. So, we have something in common.”
“Oh, I think we have more than something in common. I think it’s safe to say we have a lot of things–important things–in common,” I say.
“Like what?” she asks.
“Like the fact that you like spending time with me as much as I like spending time with you.”
A small smile spreads across her face as she nods her head. I reach over and squeeze her hand, unable to keep my own smile off my face. When I let go, we each dive back into our dinner, each one silently lost in our own thoughts.
After dinner, I gather up the dishes and run them inside. When I return, Jaime is curled up in a chair, her long brown hair gently blowing in the breeze. She looks casual, but deep in thought.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I ask as I move my chair so that it’s butted against hers.
Jaime looks over at me, her eyes guarded slightly. My heart stalls in my chest at the sight. She looks scared. Like she’s about to choose flight when having to decide between fight or flight.
“Five years ago, I was living in Cleveland where I went to college. My degree was in hospitality, and I was working full time at a travel agency that specialized in cruise trips. It was fine, but not really what I wanted to do with my life.”
She pauses for a moment. I almost ask for more information about what she wanted to do with her life, but I decide against it. My job right now is to keep quiet, listen, and offer her friendship if she wants it. Something tells me that Jaime revealing information about her past is a big deal for her. Therefore, I sit still and keep my mouth shut.
“I met Gavin when he came into the agency to book a guys’ trip with some of his friends. He was good looking, charismatic, and flirty, and I was smitten.”
My gut tightens with a foreign emotion that I haven’t experienced in a damn long time. Jealousy. Just the thought of some asshole with his hands all over Jaime, kissing that same place on her neck that I’ve been fantasizing about, makes me see red.
“We dated for almost two years before we moved in together. He was working a lot of hours, and I was at home, taking care of the household. We wanted the same things and seemed genuinely happy, or so I thought. That’s why when he left me the week of our wedding, I was devastated.”
Her eyes drop to the clutched fingers on her lap. She’s wringing them nervously, and all I want to do is make it all go away. I long to erase that wrinkled frown. I want to take away the hurt in her eyes. I want to eradicate her heartache and make her whole again.
“It wasn’t a breakdown the way Sara mentioned in the restaurant last week, but it was shocking all the same. He sent a text message. A text message. Who sends a text message to break up with someone? Especially an engagement.”
“I’m so sorry, Jaime. Clearly the guy’s an idiot. But the question isn’t who breaks up with someone by text, the question is who’s dumb enough to let a woman like you slip through their fingers,” I say, my voice husky and deep, even to my own ears.
“Wow, that was pretty smooth,” Jaime teases, feigning seriousness.
“Thank you,” I reply. Turning my chair once more, I lean forward until we’re almost face to face. Or more accurately, lips to lips. “I only speak the truth, though. I’m serious, Jaime. Who’s stupid enough to let you go? You’re funny and smart and gorgeous with your big green eyes and sexy brown hair. I think about kissing you every moment of every day. And my dreams? Well, they’re full of kissing too, because ever since I met you, feeling your lips against mine is all I can think about.”
