Chapter 4
Chapter Four
She just looked at him without answering. Now that it had clicked, she could see the shades of the boy she’d loved in the man who stood there watching her. Time had changed him… for the better.
“Jamie? You okay?”
She realized she’d been staring without blinking and forced herself to look away. “Uh, yeah, sorry. I’m just surprised to see you. It’s been… a while.”
“About twelve years, right?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. A little more, I think?” As if she wasn’t entirely sure, because she’d spent so much time thinking about him and missing him. “Let’s see. I was in my senior year the last time you visited, and your mom moved before I graduated.”
He nodded. “So, that would make it?—”
“A little over thirteen years.”
Oliver whistled and shook his head. “Damn. That’s a long time. Honestly, I hated that we stopped exchanging letters too. I kept meaning to write your mom to get your new address, but…” He trailed off and shook his head again. “Life in the military can be a lot. I’ve been pretty much everywhere in the world by now.”
“Is it everything you wanted? Was it worth it?” The questions popped out without thinking. They were things she’d wondered about a lot.
He was quiet for a minute and his eyes seemed slightly unfocused as he stared into the distance. Finally he shook it off and laughed. “Well, that’s a heavy question to answer while I’m hanging through a bathroom window, and you’re sprawled on the floor.”
For a second, she thought that was all he was going to say, but then he continued, “In some ways, it’s been everything and more. In others, well, I don’t think you’re ever really prepared for this kind of life, until you’re in it. They don’t tell you all the things you’ll be giving up, or how hard it’ll be.”
He started to say something else, and then he stopped and shook his head again. “Anyway, I was hoping we could catch up, but this wasn’t exactly how I’d pictured the conversation going.”
Right, because she was still sitting on the bathroom floor, and he was standing in a flower bed. She sighed. “Me either.” So much for the makeup and sexy outfits she’d packed, to stun him with her beauty and maturity.
“So…” He gave her an expectant look as the silence drew out between them. “Are you going to invite me in?” he asked finally.
Because that would be much better than talking through the window. “Sure. Meet me at the door.”
He vanished from the window, and she appreciated that, because getting off the floor was way more effort than it should have been. All the kicking and thrashing she’d done while hanging through the window had twinged a few things, and everything hurt.
But it was getting a look at herself in the mirror over the sink that really made her cringe. “Oh my god.” She just stared, blinking slowly. She’d known she wasn’t looking her best, but it was far worse than that.
She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail for comfort while driving. Now it was skewed to one side and flopped limply, while large bunches tried to escape the hairband. Her face was red, which she’d expected, but also streaked with sweat, dirt, and some flecks of dried paint that must have rubbed off the frame.
Her clothes, also planned for comfort during the drive, were a ratty old sweatpants and t-shirt combo that she usually only wore while running errands. Now they were dirty, and the hem of her shirt was torn. It was so far from the image she’d wanted to project, that she almost burst into tears.
She repaired what damage she could, washing her face and pulling her hair down so she could finger-comb it into some semblance of order. There wasn’t much else she could do. Her luggage was still in the car, of course, so she couldn’t even change.
And he was waiting at the door. Fuck.
It took her a full minute of deep breathing, to calm down enough to decide that she wasn’t going to let him in. He’d already seen her looking a mess, it was too late to fix that, but she was too unsettled to sit down next to him and chat. She’d just have to think of some reason to send him away.
She paused with her hand on the doorknob, thinking desperately, and then it came to her. Her mother had given her the perfect excuse. She tugged the door open. “Actually, I was just thinking… Oliver?” She frowned at the empty steps. He was nowhere in sight.
Had he just decided to leave? Not that she could blame him after the show she’d put on, but that didn’t seem much like him. “Oliver?” she called, as she leaned out to look around.
“Be right there!” He appeared around the corner of the house, holding a bouquet of flowers, and flashed her a wide smile. “I had to grab these from the car.”
Her glance flicked to the flowers, but they weren’t enough to hold her attention now that she was finally getting a good look at him . The sight was… impressive. If she wasn’t mistaken, he’d put on a few inches in height, and there seemed to be a lot of hard muscle filling out the combat uniform he wore.
There even appeared to be a touch of gray at his temples, although he had to be too young for that. It suited him though. That, and the fine lines around his eyes gave him an older, almost-stern, appearance. Yum.
“Wow, you… really look different,” she blurted.
He laughed. “Well, it has been a long time, Jamie.”
“I know but… wow.” She felt like an idiot, but she could barely keep herself from drooling. She quickly cleared her throat and forced a smile, as she changed the subject. “Are those for me?” She nodded at the flowers in his hand.
“They are, but full disclosure… I was going to give them to your mom if you weren’t here.” He laughed and held them out to her. “I hope you still like tulips.”
“I do.” They were her favorite flower and had been since she was a kid. Trust Oliver to know that. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“Hard not to, you used to draw them on everything. Remember when we got in trouble for painting them on your bedroom wall?”
“Of course.” The memory of them giggling and painting together was one of her happiest. Even if they had gotten in trouble and had to scrub the walls after. That had been just a few months before everything had fallen apart. The last summer before he went to high school, and she was left behind.
The reminder made her sad, and his thoughtfulness made the whole package seem unreal. There had to be something wrong. He couldn’t be a white knight, sexy, built, thoughtful, and available. Nope, he was probably married.
She hesitated and then took the flowers, offering him a slight smile. “Thank you.” She examined them, or pretended to, while she snuck a look at his ring finger. No wedding ring, although that didn’t mean much.
“So, are you going to invite me in? I’ve got a lot of great memories of your backyard, but I’m not sure I want to spend the day out here.”
Jamie wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t feel like her usual confident self. She had been shaken, and she needed time to think. “Um, actually, I just remembered my mother said I couldn’t have any boys in the house.” It had the benefit of being true… sort of.
“What?” He let out a surprised laugh, and said, “Jamie, we’re adults. I don’t think?—”
“Sorry, you know how moms are, and it is her house.” She took a step back inside.
“But I was hoping we could—” His eyes were full of confusion.
“Anyway, to be honest, I’m exhausted anyway. Long drive and all.” The regret in her voice was real; she was already second-guessing herself.
He tilted his head, squinting at her. “Did I do something wrong, Jamie?”
“Wrong?” She laughed as if nothing could be further from the truth. “No, of course not.” He’d done things right, and that was the problem. She was waiting for the downside, the gotcha, the flaw.
She could still feel where his hands had gripped her ass, when he’d appeared out of nowhere to save her. And now he stood there looking like the sexiest Daddy in the universe, after bringing her flowers. Meantime, she looked like… well, like she’d been climbing through windows.
He had to have a flaw, because if he didn’t, then he was still way out of her league.
Oliver stood there, silent, for a long moment and then shrugged. “Right. Sure. I’ll let you get some rest then.”
He turned and started to walk away, but he didn’t get more than five steps before she could feel the panic rising. What if she never saw him again? What if he thought she hated him. “Wait!” she blurted. And then, when he turned back, “Are you going to the cocktail thing tonight?”
“I hadn’t really planned on it. Why?”
“Oh.” There was a sinking feeling inside. She really had messed up her shot. “No reason.”
His brow furrowed. “Don’t give me that. You wouldn’t have asked if there wasn’t a reason. Spit it out.”
Jamie pursed her lips, scowling at him. “Do I have to say ‘Yes, Sir!’ when I answer too?”
One eyebrow went up as he stared her down. “Only if you want to, Jamie. And if Sir doesn’t work, I’m sure we can think of something else you can call me. Now answer the question.”
That sent a shock through her system. It was almost like one of her fantasies. “You’re not my dad, Ollie. And we’re not in ROTC anymore.” Did her voice sound a little breathless? She hoped it wasn’t obvious.
He crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes narrowed. “Never said I was your dad, brat. I could be your Daddy though. Sure seems like you need one.”
Had he actually said he could be her Daddy? It sent electricity shooting through her body, and she felt a hard pulse in her core. Heat flooded her face, again. At this rate Oliver was going to think beet red was her normal color.
“I…” She was literally speechless. She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. “I’m not a brat.” There was no confidence in her voice.
“Then stop acting like one. It’s a simple question.” He shook his head and snorted. “You might look different, but some things never change. I’ll tell you the same thing I told you in high school. If you act like a brat, I’m going to treat you like one.”
She was dying to ask what he meant by that. Her gaze skittered to the side as she tried to maintain a tough front. “Going to tell me to drop and give you twenty?” The sarcastic bite she’d intended seemed to be lacking, to her ears, at least.
“I’m sure I can think of a more inventive punishment, if you need me to.”
It was playing out just like her fantasies and she could barely believe it was really happening. She could have pushed. She wanted to, but instead she surrendered, “Ugh, fine. I was just wondering if I should bother going tonight.”
He took a second to mull that over. “So, if I’m going to be there, you’ll go?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, probably.”
“Good. See you at eight then.” He turned and started walking, leaving her gaping after him.
“I might not go!” she yelled at his retreating back.
Without stopping he laughed. “You will. See you there… brat.”