His Other Life

Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

GEMMA

May, three years ago

Gemma didn’t think she’d hear from Jonah again. He’d felt bad about her getting sick and therefore obliged to leave things on a polite note. People did that all the time. So when, a few weeks into May, she received a message that he’d be coming into town for a couple days, she first couldn’t believe it. He really wanted to see her?

I believe I owe you some food , he texted.

Not “dinner,” food. That could be interpreted any which way.

She weighed her response carefully, typing and erasing words until finally she settled on, What did you have in mind? Not too presumptuous, and it put the ball back in his court.

It took a while for him to respond—enough time that she wondered if she’d scared him away with her question. But after she’d unloaded the dishwasher and watered the half-dead spider plant Cheryl kept on the kitchen counter, her phone chimed with another message.

Are you free Thursday evening? Dinner?

Gemma’s stomach somersaulted. He was actually asking her out. A nice, normal guy with a job, a sense of humor, and the ability to carry a conversation. Sure I can make that work, she typed. Where do you want to meet?

Do you know Zazu’s Pizza? At 7?

Sounds good.

I know it’s not very exciting, but there aren’t many places that are still open and it’s walking distance from my hotel.

He’d looked around then. Which meant he’d been thinking about this. A smile slipped onto Gemma’s face. It’s perfect. See you then.

She’d never been to Zazu’s, but she’d heard good things about their wood-fired pies.

Cheryl entered the kitchen carrying a tub of clean laundry for folding. “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.” Gemma put her phone down on the counter, which made her aunt frown.

“Who are you messaging?”

“No one. Fran from work. Dr. Richards is still sick so the office will be closed tomorrow too.”

Cheryl eyed her for a beat, but then she seemed to accept the explanation. “All right. Well, good. Then you can help me clean tomorrow. I want to shampoo the carpets.”

Gemma temporarily forgot about Jonah. “You want to what?”

“I heard the virus can linger, especially on soft surfaces.”

Her aunt had made a 180 as far as precautions went after hearing from a former colleague who’d been hospitalized. “Cher, I really don’t think that’s an issue in here.”

“You think what you want, but I’m doing it. I’m renting a machine from the hardware store. Curbside pickup. Will you at least go get it for me?”

Gemma bit her tongue. It was a good thing that her aunt was off the couch and doing something. An improvement. She should encourage that. She picked up her phone again and moved toward her bedroom. “Sure thing. Let me know the time.”

Cheryl could clean and worry about germs. Gemma had other things on her mind.

After frantic searching, Gemma found an outfit in her closet that felt right for the dinner with Jonah. It wasn’t quite date garb but definitely a step up from work function, and miles above the sweats she lived in at home. Her reflection in the hallway mirror said “cute, but not trying too hard.” Black jeans and a polka-dotted top.

“You going somewhere?” Cheryl asked. She was back on the couch after scrubbing the apartment top to bottom over the past few days. Her follow-through had been impressive, so as much as this new hyperfocus on germs seemed a substitute for a real purpose, Gemma wasn’t complaining. Even in her aunt’s bedroom, a fresh spring scent had replaced the always lingering cigarette smoke. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Cheryl smoke in a while.

“Um, I’m meeting up with Sadie,” Gemma said.

“Is that safe?”

Best to stick close to the truth. “We’ve both had it recently, so we’re good.”

“Okay.” Cheryl turned her attention back to the TV. “Have fun. Just shower when you get back in case.”

Gemma didn’t respond to that. Instead, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door, grateful her high school acting skills could still come in handy.

Jonah was waiting outside the restaurant when she arrived. In blue jeans, suede shoes, and a lightweight gray jacket, he struck a more casual figure than when she’d seen him the first time in the office, but it was still a put-together look. He lit up when he spotted her and took a few steps her way.

“Hey,” she said, fighting a smile she wasn’t sure was appropriate.

“Hello.” He held out a small bag. “For you.”

A gift?

“It’s just something small.”

She took it and peered inside. Then she laughed. “Roasted nuts,” she said. “Because of the?—”

“Amusement park,” he filled in. “Yeah, it’s from this little sweet shop back home. They have the best stuff, and it made me think of our conversation.”

“Thank you so much.” A tender warmth spread outward from her chest. So thoughtful.

For a moment they simply looked at each other, a tentative current testing the air between them for purchase. Then Jonah nodded toward the restaurant.

“Are you hungry?” He put on a mask.

“Always.” Always? Gemma followed him inside, pulling up her gaiter. Could she sound any more eager?

As soon as they entered, it was clear that the evening wouldn’t go as planned. The dining area was barred off with a sign stating “TAKE-OUT ONLY.”

“You picking up?” the guy at the counter asked.

Jonah turned to Gemma, his eyes flicking back and forth. “Um, no, we…” He faced the guy. “Give us a minute.” He guided Gemma toward the door with a gentle touch to her lower back that she felt all the way up to her neck. “I didn’t know,” he said. “I should have called to ask. Do you want to leave?”

Gemma glanced at the sign. “Do we have a choice? They’re not seating people.”

“Yeah…” He frowned. “Fuck. I was looking forward to catching up.”

She was too. There had to be another place that was open somewhere. Or… “We could get it to go,” she said before she could change her mind. “Eat at your place?”

He stilled, eyes settling firmly on hers. “You’d be okay with that?”

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Sure. We both need to eat, right? I mean, if it’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, of course. Um…” He rocked back slightly on his heels. “Then let’s order, I guess. What are you in the mood for?”

Soon a prosciutto, basil, and mozzarella pie to split was cooking for them in the brick oven.

Jonah was staying in a regular hotel this time.

“The condo is only for longer visits,” he explained as he handed her the pizza box so he could unlock the door. “I’m heading home tomorrow.”

Maybe home to his wife, the angel on Gemma’s shoulder whispered. Don’t forget about that detail .

She followed him into a small suite that immediately opened into a kitchenette slash living space smaller than her room at home. There were two doors to their left which Gemma assumed led to a bathroom and a bedroom.

“Couch or counter?” Jonah asked, gesturing toward the sitting area and the kitchen before he shrugged out of his jacket.

“Couch,” Gemma said, continuing toward it.

“Couch it is. Can I take your jacket?”

She gave it to him along with the small gift bag, and he put them on one of the bar stools. Then he opened the fridge. “Water or light beer?”

“A beer is good. Thanks.”

The logistics of it all disturbed the butterflies inside her that had settled earlier when they’d ordered food. Being here in this tight space alone with him was different than being out in the open. Personal. As Jonah looked through drawers and turned on side lamps, Gemma couldn’t help but wonder if he felt it too and that’s why he was keeping busy.

“The pizza will get cold,” she said when he’d opened the fridge a third time. “Come sit.”

He paused what he was doing and stood, hands on the counter facing her. Then his shoulders lowered as if he’d willed them to. “Right,” he said. A half-smile flashed across his face. “I think I’m a little nervous.”

His confession was unexpected, but Gemma kept a straight face as he approached. “How so?”

“This.” He gestured to the food. Her on the couch. “I didn’t… I’m not…” His chin slumped to his chest. “Never mind.”

“Would you rather I leave?” She held her breath.

His eyebrows rose. “No,” he said empathetically. “No, I don’t want that at all.” He took a seat on the cushion farthest from her on the couch. “This is just different than what we’d planned.”

“And that’s… scary?” She forced herself to have a sip from her beer bottle.

He held her gaze. “A little.”

She reached for the box. “Why don’t we eat? Everyone needs food. You can tell me about your job.”

“You do not want to hear about my job.” He chuckled, and that seemed to break the tension. When he reached for a slice, he moved with more ease again.

“Why not?”

“Because everyone is losing their freaking minds right now. Half my team are refusing to do in-person sales calls currently, which means there’s more ground to cover for those of us that do.”

“So you don’t mind the traveling?”

“No. I get restless easily. I’ll do it as long as I can, especially since the new spike in cases might ground all of us soon. You’re lucky to have a job that’s deemed essential.” He folded his slice in half and took a bite. “Mm.” His eyes closed briefly. “So good.”

She watched him chew. Yuri had devoured food with a sort of frenzied chomping, but Jonah was completely different. He was deliberate in savoring the experience, and each time he swallowed, he paused for a beat as if revering each bite.

It made Gemma slow her intake too, and he was right. The pizza was delicious.

When they’d finished, Jonah sat back on the couch and stretched his arms above his head. His off-white Henley rode up a smidge, revealing a sliver of fair skin along his abdomen. Gemma busied herself with folding up her napkin and closing the box that now only held one measly slice to avoid ogling him.

“So what about clowns?” Jonah asked out of nowhere.

A laugh bubbled up through Gemma’s chest. “What?”

“You like them? You’re scared of them? People usually have opinions, and you’ve worked at an amusement park.”

“Ah, that.” She scooted back and folded one leg under her. “In that case, I’m neutral. They don’t scare me, but I also don’t find them funny. You?”

“Love ’em. Highlight of my childhood when the circus came to town.”

“A firm stance. I respect that.”

“Acrobats however? Terrifying. To this day, I will not watch any sort of daredevil stunts on TV unless I know it’s prerecorded, and no one will get hurt. And forget about live shows. My wife wanted to go see Cirque de—” He cut himself off and pressed his lips closed as if the W-word had registered a second too late.

Gemma focused on keeping her breath steady. Hearing him mention his wife for the first time dispersed the notion that she was somehow in the past. And if she wasn’t in the past, she was real.

Jonah ran his palms down his thighs. “Anyway, I didn’t go.”

Gemma knew she could leave. It would be the easiest thing. But despite the initial awkwardness and this tension, tonight was still the best time she’d had in a long while.

“What’s her name?” she asked, watching him carefully.

He ran a hand across his jaw. “Isla.”

“That’s pretty.”

He leaned forward. “Look, I?—”

Gemma interrupted him. “We shared a pizza. We’re talking. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“No?” His eyes were dark on hers in the golden lamp light.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked again.

He hesitated, but then he shook his head.

“Okay then.” She tried for a smile.

He looked down at his hands then back up. “Maybe the problem is how much I don’t want you to leave.”

Her stomach flipped. It wasn’t all in her head after all.

“That doesn’t have to mean anything,” she said once she thought her voice would hold steady. “Tell me more about your travels. Is it only for work? What’s the most interesting place you’ve been?”

Would he stay with her and let the moment pass? She waited.

“Italy,” he said finally, leaning back again. “Tuscany.”

Gemma relaxed. “I wish I could go.”

“You’d love it. Here, I’ll show you.” He pulled out his phone and clicked around, then he shifted so she could see. “I like photography,” he said. “I have way too many pictures on my laptop, but I keep some of my favorites in my phone.”

Beautiful landscapes of rolling golden-green hills and ancient stone villas lit up the screen. Gemma could almost feel the warmth of them on her skin.

“I’ve never been out of the country,” she said. “These make me want to go. They’re beautiful.”

“Thanks.” He put his phone away. “If you could travel, where would you go?”

“I might have to say Tuscany now.” She laughed. “No, but Paris is probably at the top of my list. Maybe it’s cliché, but it’s always seemed the epitome of class to me. Strolling the avenues looking at art, reading in some big park, a morning croissant at a quaint little café.”

“Why don’t you go?”

“By myself.”

“Why not? Or take a friend.”

“My best friend has kids now so that ship has sailed.”

He smirked. “I’m pretty sure people still travel after they have kids. The travel industry would collapse if they didn’t.”

Did he have kids? For all she knew, he could have a whole brood of them back home.

“I don’t think I would—at least not while they were little. It sounds so stressful when Sadie talks about it.”

“That’s your friend?”

Gemma nodded.

“Well.” He put his hands behind his head in a stretch. “She’d know best, I suppose. All we can do is speculate.”

No kids. She drew a breath of relief.

“So what made you want to work with teeth?” he asked.

She tittered. “Sounds kind of gross when you say it like that.”

“You know me—I’m prejudiced against anything dental.”

She told him about her start, not wanting to go to college after high school, finding a dental assistant ad, etcetera. She talked about what she liked about it, what her challenges had been, and he, in turn, regaled her with stories from the world of doctors’ offices and sales meetings.

The conversation meandered leisurely between topics, and when Gemma glanced at the clock some time later, it was already well past eleven.

She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “I should probably head out soon,” she said, not without regret. “Or my aunt will start texting me.”

Jonah glanced at the digital display on the microwave, a look of surprise coming over him. “I can’t believe it’s this late.”

She collected her plate and bottle and brought them to the kitchen.

“Leave the rest,” he said. “I’ll take care of it when I get back.”

She reached for her shoes. “Get back?”

“I’m obviously walking you to your car. It’s the middle of the night.”

“It’s like five minutes away.”

“Then it won’t take me any time.”

Gemma’s chest expanded. Why weren’t all guys like this?

It smelled like rain outside though the streets were dry. Maybe it was on the horizon. Spring showers and all that. Despite her jean jacket, goosebumps rose on Gemma’s arms.

“I can’t wait for summer,” she said as they strolled down the sidewalk at a casual pace.

The streetlights painted moving shadows across Jonah’s features with each step. “Is that your favorite season?”

“I don’t like being cold.”

“I prefer fall,” he said. “When the trees are changing.”

“Because it’s pretty or because of your photography?”

“Both. I’m also a sucker for pumpkin spice.” He sidestepped a planter and ended up in her space, his arm brushing hers.

“Are you?” She squinted up at him, only a foot or so away. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re being serious.”

He grinned. “A good trait to have when in sales. But I haven’t told you anything untrue.”

“Just maybe not the whole truth.” Gemma wasn’t sure why the words jumped out of her, but she regretted them right away. Way to make things serious. Now he’d probably think she was needy or disappointed or upset or all of the above.

But contrary to her fear, he didn’t take offense. Instead, he turned his attention forward and nodded to himself. “Only because we ran out of time,” he said quietly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean?—”

He put a hand up to stop her. “It’s fine. I get it.”

They walked in silence the last hundred yards to her car, where she steeled herself before meeting his gaze. “Thanks for walking me. And for dinner. I had a good time.”

“Of course.” He rubbed a hand across his neck. “Thank you . It’s been great. You’re very easy to talk to.”

Gemma’s stomach churned. This was goodbye. Had to be. It didn’t matter that the impending absence already made her miss him. “Okay, well…” She pulled her lips into a small smile and went in for a hug.

He hesitated for only a beat, then he wrapped his arms around her.

It was like coming home.

With her nose buried in the cool skin beneath his ear, his scent enveloped every fiber of her. She couldn’t help but inhale deeply, not caring if he noticed. He smelled like sea and rosemary, and paired with the proximity—his body heat, his hands on her back—it made heat pool low in her belly.

When he finally stepped back, one of his hands trailed down her arm until their fingers touched. At first, she thought it was accidental, but then he took hold of her hand and stayed there, watching their linked fingers.

“You should go,” he said, but he still didn’t release her.

“I should,” she said, but she made no attempt to move.

Around them, the city lay quiet with only distant sounds of traffic suggesting they weren’t completely alone in the world. The moon lined the low clouds in silver.

His foot slid forward half a step.

Hers did the same.

When he captured her other hand, she rolled her shoulders back and faced him. His lips parted as a silent understanding stretched between them. Then he let go and dragged his hands up her arms to rest on her shoulders. Still his gaze remained steady.

It was up to her, she realized. He was letting her choose.

Except it wasn’t really a conscious choice.

Banishing all thoughts of reason, she wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted her face to his. As soon as her breath skated across his lips, his self-control vanished, and he met her in a soft kiss. The sensation ignited a flame behind Gemma’s ribs that had lain dormant for a long time, and it made her tug at his jacket to get him closer. He deepened the kiss with a smooth stroke of his tongue as his hand trailed into her hair. She reciprocated by stroking his stubbled cheek while her blood whooshed an uneven rhythm in her ears.

When they finally parted, her lips prickled, but her heart sang.

“Now I’ll go,” she said. And she did.

There was no need for promises or plans. She’d see him again. As uncertain as the times they lived in were, of this one small thing, at least, she was sure.