AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Her pink cheeks turned nearly crimson. An adorable color on her. He liked her humility. He’d wondered if it was just a show for the movie star, and he was glad to find that wasn’t the case.
“So, about the photography. Are you going to stick it out with the magazine?”
She sighed. Silence hung in the air for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t know. I love writing. It has always come naturally to me, so you’d think I’d be happy with that.”
“But…”
“I love taking pictures. Mostly wildlife, but people too. Capturing moments frozen in time, how composition and lighting can change the whole mood or tone of the image, and the expression that only a picture can give.”
“Wow. Sounds like your heart knows exactly what it wants.” It also sounded like she was describing his own heart when it came to his wood carving—something he’d pretty much given up on when no one seemed to be interested in it.
“How about you? Do you enjoy fixing up homes?”
He raked his hand through his hair, slid it down his cheek, rubbed his jaw. “I do. Although, I wish I could spend more time on my woodworking.” He wished it’d sold, but that’d been a failure. It’d hit hard at the time. Now, he was sort of glad it had. Maybe he wouldn’t be helping Charlie and she needed it. That made him feel good about himself and his purpose.
“Woodworking?”
“While I was in physical therapy, I had a lot of time on my hands. Depression settled in. I was moody and lost. I’d always loved woodworking, but football had taken over. One day I was hobbling around in my dad’s shop and found his lathe. That’s all she wrote. It gave me something to do, and it was fun letting the wood speak,” he said as he parked in front of the one and only sit-down restaurant in town, Capri’s Italian Restaurant, and cut the engine.
“I would say I hope this is okay, but I think we both know there’s really no other choice.”
She chuckled. “This is great. They make the best ravioli.”
“Wait there.” He jumped out of the pickup, jogged around the front, opened her door, and held out his hand.
Yet again, the moment her hand met his, a charge of electricity raced through his arm, hitting his heart and throwing it into overdrive.
Her feet hit the pavement, and she looked up. If the sky wasn’t clear he would say there was a lightning storm with as charged as the air felt. A desire to kiss her hit so strong he nearly choked. She wasn’t staying in Wishing Well, and kissing her would definitely be a mistake. Not only would it be too soon, but he suspected once he started kissing her, he wouldn’t want to stop.
Almost like she was sensing the same thing, she took a step back at the same time he did. A tinge of disappointment bounced around in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why. All evening, he’d given himself a guideline for the… not a date. Dinner with a gal. Food with a friend. One of numerous things to call this thing that didn’t include the “D” word.
No, he’d concluded that he was using this opportunity to put himself out there without having to worry about it meaning anything. A test run so to speak, so that when he finally asked a woman out on a date, he’d have a little practice under his belt.
This was only a confidence builder. Nothing more since nothing could come of it. They were from very different worlds. He loved his life. She obviously loved hers. A relationship wasn’t possible.
He needed to keep that in mind, and his heart corralled until it was safe.
CHAPTER 6
Jack
It’d sprinkled while they had dinner, and the air had turned humid. Jack had enjoyed getting to know about Jo’s life. They’d reminisced about high school and the different circles they’d run in, and he’d found her charming, engaging, and substantive.
“It feels so weird to be back.” Jo hugged herself as they walked the trail.
They’d finished dinner, and instead of going with his plan of taking her home right after, he’d asked if she wanted to take a walk. When she’d agreed, he’d felt like he’d thrown a touchdown. He wasn’t sure why since they’d only just met.
Sure, they’d gone to high school together, but they didn’t really know each other back then. Aside from that, even if they had, ten years was a long time to become a different person. He knew he was.
The cocky jock with unlimited potential and the future ahead of him was given a lesson on humility, respect, and loyalty. At eighteen, he knew everything. At twenty, unable to walk, he realized he knew nothing and that there was more to love and life than what was on the surface.
“Yeah? How so?” he asked.
“I don’t know. When I left, I was with Craig. We’d applied to a few schools in New York. I chose NYU, and he went to Columbia. It’s a little strange to be back without him. The last year of high school, we were inseparable.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Craig let her go. Beautiful, smart, and funny. Unless there was some weird personality thing that had yet to manifest, she was a woman worth holding onto.
