30. Jones
30
JONES
Jones:
What’re you wearing?
Capri:
One kiss and you’re already asking for nudes?
Jones:
I recall it being much more than a kiss. You were there.
Capri:
Fine. *Sends picture of self in cherry pajamas.
Jones:
Virginal. I like it.
Capri:
Hound.
Jones:
When can I see you again?
Capri:
I think I can fit you in…Friday afternoon?
Jones:
It’s a date. I’ll pick you up.
Friday night came slower than I’d like.
Two weeks have passed since the best fucking day in Capri’s bedroom and I haven’t been able to wipe the stupid grin off my face.
I know there could be possible repercussions from touching her, but her permission left me no room to overthink it.
I might have set myself up to be hurt, but it’s a risk I’ll gladly take if it means there’s a chance.
I still need to figure out what that looks like for her.
Is she really ready? Something tells me Capri is not the type of woman to avoid feelings. Actually, I think it’s the opposite. She knows her feelings will lead her to love, which can also lead to hurt.
Hearing Capri’s story and how she lost Stevie explains so many gaps I had in my head about her reservations. Capri isn’t just a woman who was in a deceitful marriage and wound up divorced; she’s a mother to a baby boy who waits to be reunited with her someday.
Her love for Stevie alone is enough to last a lifetime. I know her choosing to love me will be exactly that—a choice. She doesn’t need me in her life, but I hope like hell she wants me there.
Lucky for her, I’ve spent too many years alone to bail now.
I’m all in.
I want a life partner and she better be fucking ready because my heart chooses her.
Tonight, I get Capri all to myself. As my date, with the potential of being more.
A realization I never thought was possible when meeting her in Italy.
I’ve got questions, but I’m happy to be patient with her and let her open up to me in her own time.
My plan tonight is to show her the vulnerable side of me. I want it to be casual, so I’m taking her to eat somewhere low-key, a place I’m sure she’s been to plenty of times. Then, I have one last thing in store.
I throw on some khaki shorts, a linen button-up, and my Sperrys before running some pomade through my freshly washed hair. I brush my teeth, spritz myself with cologne, and call it a day.
After grabbing some essentials I need for tonight, I climb into the truck to get my girl.
* * *
“Why have I never had this before?” Capri murmurs through bites.
I should be enjoying my artisanal grilled cheese, but my mind has other plans tonight. I fully intended to have a meaningful conversation, yet all I can think about is the way her tits look in that dress.
Fuck my life.
When Capri opened her apartment door, revealing herself to me, I lost my ability to speak. The strapless, yellow silk of her dress hugs every curve on her sculpted body. The most delicious tits I’ve ever seen are constricted so tight, I question the durability of the fabric. It slims her figure like it was made for her. Strappy heels on her feet and blonde hair straight like silk.
I'm hungry, and not for the grilled cheese in front of me.
“Huh?” I respond, feeling like a fucking teenager, horny over my buddy’s mom.
She’s a goddamn woman. A heaven-sent one at that.
“Eyes up here, Captain.”
Can men blush? Because I’m pretty sure I just did.
“Right. You just look…Christ, Capri. You’re stunning.”
She smiles brightly, grilled cheese stuffed in her mouth and eyes glassy with happiness. “How about now?” She takes another bite of her sandwich and brings it to her face, creating a smile.
I chuckle. “Even more.”
I brought Capri to the best grilled cheese food truck in town. Hands down, nothing tops The Grilled Melt. Pair it with their homemade tomato soup and you’ve got a damn good comfort meal.
I parked my truck on the cusp of downtown, where the coast meets the streets, and backed in so Capri and I could catch a view of the water at sunset.
I’m not super experienced in dating, so I Google searched “Chill date ideas” and this popped up. Wanting Capri to feel relaxed, I blew up an air mattress and laid it in the truck bed with blankets and pillows to make sure she stays warm.
Although it’s still summer, the nights are chilly by the water.
Once we finish eating, Capri lays herself back on a pillow and gazes at the stars. I join her, but the stars are nowhere near as distracting as the woman beside me.
The glow from the sky illuminates the freckles sprinkled across her nose and highlights the crisp blue of her eyes.
“What do you want most in this world?” Capri asks, eyes filled with so much wonder.
Her question is random but fitting for us.
“What do I want most in this world?” I repeat her question. I could spend more time thinking about it, but I don’t need to. I know exactly what I want most. “I want a full life. I spent too many years doing things that made other people happy and never myself. All I do is work. I want to have a simple life with someone who wants the same. Less work, more togetherness, I guess. I’m tired of being alone.”
That’s the most honest thing I’ve ever admitted to myself and someone else. Yet, I know it resonates with her.
Capri’s eyes lock with mine, and I see the understanding in them. “You’ll find it. I believe that for you.”
“What about you?”
Her thoughts surround her. I can see it. The way she searches the sky for answers as if they’ll be painted for her in galaxies far and wide.
“I want a family.” She smiles bright, as if she can see it clearly. “I want a huge dining room table with so many seats, there’s always room for one more. I want messy floors, fingerprints on the walls, and to make love in the early mornings with my husband. It feels so out of reach and a lot to ask for, but that’s what I want.”
Her smile and the pride in her voice make me want to move mountains to give it to her. Whether it be with me or some other lucky fuck. I want her to have it all.
Fullness to her heart’s content.
“Sounds like a full life,” I tell her sincerely.
“Yeah, I guess it does.” Capri snuggles herself in my arms, and I hold her close. “Do you want kids, Jones? A family?”
I figured this question was coming. I’m almost forty, and Capri just turned twenty-six. That’s a significant age gap. Enough to be on different terms for future plans.
If we stand any chance at being together, these questions are necessary.
“A year ago, I probably would have said no.” I see her heart sink, and I continue, “But today, there’s nothing I want more. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the trajectory of my life, but I know I’m in a place now career-wise where I can make sound decisions and I don’t have to consider the company.”
Capri gives me a puzzled look, so I explain. “I’ve built Archer Chartering from the ground up. We were struggling to make ends meet when my father died, and I busted my ass to turn it around. To make it profitable. Most people don’t know that. Now, I have more money than I ever planned on making and a team I trust more now to help it succeed even while I’m away.”
“Is that why you’ve worked so hard? To be financially stable and hand over the reins someday?”
I shake my head. “At first, I did it for my father. Still do, but I’m starting to see the error in that. Remember when I told you I made a mistake?” Capri nods. “Well, I wrecked one of his yachts, costing him thousands. I was young and stupid, but he never forgave me. He told me I meant nothing, that he owed me nothing. Not that I expected anything, but Archer Charter meant everything to him.”
“He didn’t leave the company to you…” Capri gasps.
I nod. “He wanted Tommy to have it.” Her hand grips mine tightly. “But Tommy died before him, leaving him no other choice than to leave it to me. Talk about feeling like a disappointment. I never knew I could still feel shame at almost forty over a juvenile mistake.”
“Jones, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. I hate that he made you feel that way. Like you were nothing to him.”
I kiss her head. “Don’t be. I’m using his hatred to drive me to be better, to work harder. Your advice that day helped me a lot with that. I’m done doing it for him. The last few years have been hard for my mother. Since her diagnosis, I should say.”
“This world doesn’t deserve you,” she tells me, bursting my heart at the seams. “I’m sorry you’ve felt so alone.”
“I don’t feel so alone anymore. You have a lot to do with that, so thank you.”
“It’s nothing at all. You make it easy. I mean that,” she tells me honestly.
I pull her in for a kiss, the distance feeling too far. Capri pours all of herself into the kiss. We know each other’s expectations and the plans we want for our futures.
The question now is…will they align? And who will be the one to compromise?