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Why couldn’t she have found him earlier instead of right when she was about to grab hold of everything she’d always dreamed of?
Well, she couldn’t sit here all night daydreaming about Jake. She climbed out of the car before the neighbors looked at her suspiciously for sitting in the driveway. A shadow moved behind the living room curtain as she headed up the walk. Dad must not be asleep. So much for sneaking in unnoticed.
The minute she stepped into the house, her cat Tiger wrapped himself around her ankles. She picked him up for a cuddle while she closed and locked the door. His purring vibrated her arm. Some days, he was the only thing she could take comfort in when the world around her was so chaotic. Today, she wanted to curl up on her bed with Tiger and tell him all about the man she met.
She lowered Tiger to the floor and traipsed across the living room into the small kitchen at the back of the house. Daddy was, no surprise, sitting at the table, staring at an open book spread in front of him. If she knew him, he wasn’t really reading, but thinking about what could have been… and what wasn’t.
“Hey, Daddy.” She walked over and placed a kiss on his ruddy cheek, hollowed out from years of drinking and smoking and not exactly living.
“Hey, Honey.”
She tilted her head and studied him. His eyes were clearer than she expected. The corner of his mouth almost quirked up into a smile. She had long since stopped asking about his day, but recently he seemed, she didn’t know, better. Peppier. More clearheaded, more focused than normal. She’d been so busy finishing her degree that she hadn’t really spent more than a few minutes with him over the past few months.
“Did you have fun with your friends tonight?”
“I did. I’m gonna turn in.” She didn’t correct him. She had started going out with her friends, but her night had ended in a most unexpected way. She wasn’t ready to share Jake with anyone just yet. For right now, in this moment, what had started between them was private. Special.
“Okay, sweetie. I think I’m going to stay up a little longer.
For the first time in a long time, Erin wasn’t worried about her father. He seemed, well, better. She should have sat down with him, taken a few minutes to talk about what he was thinking, but her mind was filled with memories of her evening with a wonderful man.
Erin had just turned down the hall, Tiger on her heels, when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She hurried into her bedroom and closed the door, hoping to shut out the rest of the world for a few minutes.
Jake’s name flashed on her screen. He’d asked for her number before seeing her to her car at the beach. Just wanted to make sure you got home safely.
She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she typed a quick response. I did. Thx for a wonderful evening.
I wish we had more time together.
She grinned and wiggled a little happy dance on her bed, nearly dropping her phone before she could respond. Me too.
His next words came quickly. What about tomorrow?
Her heart leapt. Was he asking her out on a date? She wanted to say yes but needed to make sure she understood. What about tomorrow?
She waited as three dots flashed on her screen and then finally, a reply. I’d like to see you again. Do you have plans?
She jumped off her bed and danced at the foot of it, her hands waving in the air. It was like she was a giddy teenager when her first crush paid attention to her. She pressed her hands down onto the bed to stop them from trembling before responding.
No plans. I’d love to do something. Hopefully that sounded relaxed enough. Relaxed but confident.
How about I pick you up around 10? Dress casual.
Eep! She was going out with Jake again. Sounds good.
She gave him her address.
Good night. See you tomorrow.
She stared at her phone long after it went dark, rubbing her finger over the screen as if she could touch Jake through the phone. Then she squealed and fell back onto her pillows.
* * *
Erin donned her favorite T-shirt and shorts the next morning. She didn’t know what Jake had planned, so she threw on her most comfortable hiking boots and then checked herself in the mirror. Yep, she looked casual. At least on the outside. On the inside, her stomach was twisted in knots.
She stepped into the kitchen and nearly got run over when Melissa raced around her, grabbed the coffee pot, and topped off a travel mug.
“I’m out of here, sis. See you later.”
