Chapter 15 #2
“Lovely doing business wit’ cha,” I said as she turned and walked away.
“Did you just land a job while wearing Heidi braids and a dirndl?” Misha asked from behind me.
I shrugged my shoulders and shimmied. “Yeah, I did!”
“Good work, babe! I’m so proud of you,” he said with a side hug and a kiss to my temple. “Listen, I’m ’bout to fall into a cheese soup coma. Do you need me to stick around much longer?”
“Oh my goodness, of course. You’re free to go. Thank you so much for being here and coordinating the Canadian tuxedo theme. I love you so much, Meesh,” I said in the silly way Misha and I often showed our affection toward each other.
“I love you, dah-ling! Night, babe.” Misha slapped another kiss on my cheek and walked over to Eric, who was waiting for him by the door.
I watched them walk out together hand in hand. He seemed happy. Whole. It warmed my heart to witness him falling in love. At the same time, I couldn’t ignore the small ache blooming in my chest. It wasn’t jealousy. But recognition.
I wanted that kind of ease. That kind of certainty. That kind of love.
But getting there still felt too scary.
“Ali! Come over and have a shot with us.” Marjorie waved me over from where she was standing behind the bar.
Maggie Jo was sitting on top of the bar, and Stacy sat on a stool next to Maggie Jo.
I stacked up the auction bid sheets I was looking through and slipped them into my bag before walking over.
I noticed Jake was still moving around the Tavern.
I wasn’t sure what he was still cleaning.
The party looked to be swept away completely.
“Tequila,” Marjorie said, placing a shot glass down in front of me as I slipped onto the stool next to Stacy’s. A plate of limes and orange slices was set down in the center of our imperfectly shaped circle.
“What is Jake still cleaning up?” I asked in a low tone only the women could hear.
“He’s straightening all the chairs and lining up all the tables. The man is precise,” Marjorie said with a raise of her eyebrows and a shrug.
“He can come to my place and straighten every bit of furniture to his OCD heart’s content if he wears the lederhosen—and I don’t even like men,” Stacy said with a snort-laugh. “But fine is fine.”
We all lifted our shot glasses. “To Jake,” Marjorie said, and we all downed our shots.
“So what is going on with you two anyway?” Maggie Jo asked. They all looked at me expectantly.
“Oh, you’re asking me?” I said as Marjorie put out four waters for us.
“Mm-hmm . . .” Stacy said, nodding her head.
“Nothing at all. We’re just friends. He’s been very kind to me since I got here,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. They did not look convinced. “Seriously. Just friends.” I nodded.
“Damn. I really thought maybe there was a match there,” Marjorie said.
“Truly. He’s such a catch. He deserves to find someone great,” Stacy added.
“He’s been single since Charlotte left him at the altar, and that was damn near three years ago,” Maggie Jo said.
My brows lifted at that. This was news to me. They must have read the surprise on my face.
“You didn’t know?” Marjorie asked.
I shook my head side to side. “I did not. Yikes. Who would do that to him? He’s like the most emotionally mature man I’ve ever met,” I said, wanting to keep them talking.
“Yeah. It was messy. Pretty sad. We all hate Charlotte. Broke Jake’s heart,” Maggie Jo said.
“She actually left him at the altar? Like at the start of their wedding?” I asked in a whisper-shout.
Stacy nodded in response. “We were all there. The doors at the back of the church opened and Charlotte was there with her dad. The processional music was playing. Everyone stood up. Jake looked so handsome. If you think he looks good in lederhosen, you should see him in a tux. And then nothing. She froze. We weren’t sure if it was something with her dress or maybe her dad was overcome with emotion. ”
“I was watching Jake the whole time, and he had this look of confusion, then resignation and then defeat,” Marjorie said.
“I saw her mouth, I’m sorry to Jake, and she kissed her dad on the cheek and backed away,” Stacy added.
“Her dad came up to the front of the church and apologized for the inconvenience, told us all to go home,” Maggie Jo said. “Inconvenience. Can you believe that? It was a bit more than an inconvenience. It was the drama of the century.”
“Anyway, he’s been single ever since,” Marjorie finished with a sigh.
Right then, Marjorie’s husband poked his head into the Tavern door and waved. “Hey, honey. I’m here whenever you’re ready. I’ll wait in the truck.”
“Okay. We’re finishing up,” she said to him. Then to us, “Well, ladies, my knight in shining armor has arrived. I think we’re all set here. Ready to go? Stace, we can drop you if you need a ride. MJ, you still okay to walk?”
“I’m walking too, so we can walk together,” I said to MJ.
“Actually, I’m in the other direction. Mine is just a couple houses down. I’ll be fine,” she said. “But Jake is still here. I’m sure he could give you a lift in his truck.” She raised her brows conspiratorially.
Sure enough, Jake appeared by the door. I walked up to him. “I hear you need someone to escort you home to ensure you make it back safely,” I said smartly.
“Exactly.” He dropped his head, and a tiny side smile crept across his lips. “It’s pretty dark out there. I’d feel safer with a buddy,” he said, playing along.
He held the door open for me and helped me hop into the truck. My skin felt branded in all the spots his hand touched.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Maybe a little. I’m fine, though.” But even as I said it, Jake adjusted the vents toward me and turned up the temperature.
“Here, take my hoodie.” He unzipped the black sweatshirt.
“You don’t have to do that. Now you’ll be cold,” I said.
“Seriously, I’m good. Take it.”
I took the sweatshirt and wrapped it around my body, zipping the metal teeth. It was soft fleece on the inside and smelled just like him. I fluffed my hair out of the hooded collar and rolled the long sleeves slightly at the wrists. “Thank you.” He nodded in response.
“The event was a success. I’ve never seen Betsy like that. I hope she offered you the job,” he said.
“She did. I start tomorrow,” I said with a proud tilt to my words and a boastful lift of my chin.
“Always dreamed of working in a general store, have you?” he asked.
“Not exactly. I know it’s not much,” I demurred.
“No, hey. You’re excited about it. That’s great. I’m excited for you.”
“I know it’s dumb, but it feels really good that I earned it, you know? I did a good job and I won over Betsy. I feel like I proved myself. I guess I feel proud of that . . .” I said. “And the money we raised! The team really came together.”
“You inspired us,” he said.
I laughed. “Actually, I think it was you who inspired us. You in the lederhosen.”
“Well, this was a one-night-only sort of thing, so I hope everyone got their fill of it while they could.”
“Oh no! You’re retiring the lederhosen again? Sheila and Carol will be heartbroken.”
“They were unexpectedly obsessed with the lederhosen. I can’t believe they thought it looked familiar. I think you threw them off my scent, though. That romance series must be all the rage,” he said.
I shrugged. “Timbermen can be very tempting. It was all in the title.”
“You made that up?”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I winked.
And not for the first time tonight, I reveled in how easy it was to be with Jake.
We pulled into my driveway. Jake turned off the truck. My heart raced a little at the thought of him walking me to the door. I should’ve protested. I stayed quiet.
“Here, let me help you,” he said as he got out of the truck and walked to the passenger side.
He opened the door for me and helped me gather my belongings.
He led me to the door. Helped me unlock it.
Maybe it was because of the tequila shot with the girls, or how addicted I’d become to the scent of him all over me under his hoodie, but the proximity of our bodies gathered at the door made me dizzy.
We stepped into the dark house. It was quiet.
I turned and lifted my gaze. I looked directly into this charged moment and wondered if he felt it too.
“Well . . . good night,” he said, looking directly into my eyes. He had to feel it too, right?
“Oh, here. Your hoodie.” I started to unzip and shrug it off.
“Keep it for now. I’ll get it back some other time.”
He leaned in and my breath hitched. If he kissed me right now, I would not be able to resist leading us back to the bedroom.
He inched closer, placed his hand on my upper arm, and lowered his eyes.
This was it. My lips ached in anticipation as I replayed the night against the tree.
My chest expanded with an intake of thick air.
His chin arched and his lips lightly grazed . . . my cheek.
It was a kiss of valediction between friends—soft and innocent. It was soothing and safe.
“Good night, Ali. Congratulations again,” he whispered as he turned to leave.
“Good night, Jake. Thanks for the ride,” I said softly after him.