Chapter 4
KANE
I think I was half expecting Jess to cancel on me today.
When I asked her out on Sunday, she seemed into the idea. But by the time I brought her home from Shea’s yesterday evening, she was already offering me an out.
“If you’re too busy,” she said in that quiet, uncertain voice she gets sometimes, “I understand if you’d rather reschedule. I’m sure you’re tired after your shift, and you might just want to go home instead.”
I’m not sure why she thought I’d already changed my mind about our date. Or why I’d want to.
Then I flipped the question back on her, asking if she was having second thoughts about going.
As I watched her cheeks turn bright pink as she fumbled for a response, I felt a flash of rare insecurity.
Maybe she didn’t want to go out with me.
Maybe I’ve been reading her right all along and she’s not interested in dating at all.
Maybe the vibe I got over the weekend from Jess, with her shy looks and soft smiles and the tentative hug she gave me on Saturday were just her attempts at being polite, and not a sign of interest, like I thought they were.
I’ve never thought about a woman not wanting to go out with me before.
Not because I think I’m God’s gift to women, though I’d be blind not to notice the interest I get when I go out in town.
But Sleepy Hollow is a small town and there’s not a whole lot of competition.
Plus, for some reason, women seem to like the whole man-in-a-uniform thing.
But the main reason I never gave much consideration to being turned down for a date was because I didn’t really care that much. The rejection might sting for a second, and I might wonder if my red hair— auburn , my mom always insists—could have been a turn off.
Which is weird. I don’t know why anyone would care what color it is, but whatever. It’s my hair. And I have no plans on changing it.
With Jess, though? I really want to go out with her. I have ever since we talked at the Halloween Fest, when I couldn’t stop staring at her lips and thinking about kissing her. I just never thought she might want to until this past weekend.
And then while we were texting on Sunday morning and she offered to show me her game, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Dinner and learning about something Jess loves? Getting to spend time with the woman who’s fascinated me for months? I had to ask.
If I’m being honest with myself, I’m more excited about this date than any other.
So it was a relief when Jess finally answered my question, giving me a small smile as she said, “Of course I haven’t changed my mind. I just wanted to make sure you still wanted to go.”
“I do,” I told her firmly. Then I grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “I can’t wait for tomorrow night.”
And it’s the truth. I’ve been thinking about going out with Jess all day. Contemplating the best place to bring her, someplace nice but not too fancy, so she doesn’t end up thinking I’m trying too hard. Debating whether to bring flowers or candy when I go to pick her up.
All things I wouldn’t have given a second thought to before. But this time around, I care.
Thanks to Shea’s advice—Oliver wormed my plans out of me within the first hour of our shift—I’m going with flowers over candy, just in case Jess has a food allergy I don’t know about.
It wouldn’t make the best impression if I give her chocolates with hazelnut and end up having to give her an Epi-pen shot and spend the rest of our date at the hospital.
As I head up the path to Jess’s front door, a giant bouquet tucked under my arm, my steps slow as a new thought hits me.
What if she’s allergic to flowers?
What if I end up giving poor Jess a massive allergy attack?
Shit. It was so much easier not worrying about these kinds of things.
But was it better ? That’s a different question with an answer I haven’t decided on yet.
My gut tells me my feelings towards Jess are different. She intrigues me more than any other woman I’ve met. And there’s just something about her that makes me want to take care of her.
Anyway. I lift my chin and square my shoulders as I make my way up the stairs and onto the porch. No doubt, I’m worrying about nothing. The night’s going to go well, I’ll get to know Jess a little better and find out if she’s someone I want to keep seeing or not.
Once I get to the door, I press the doorbell and peer into the new security camera I installed the other day.
When I saw the setup Jess had before, I had to swallow back my dismay.
Old cameras with grainy footage, motion light sensors that only came on half the time, and ancient windows that an amateur thief would have no trouble breaking into.
While I’m still not crazy about Jess being here alone, at least now she’s better protected.
A few seconds go by before the door opens to reveal Jess standing in front of me.
And for a few seconds more, all I can do is stare.
Shit.
I always knew she was pretty. But standing here, her hair falling in long waves over her shoulders, her cheeks pink and lips rosy with some sort of shimmery gloss, her expressive eyes framed with the longest lashes I’ve ever seen… Jess is way more than pretty.
She’s beautiful.
“Hi, Kane.” Her voice pitches up slightly, exposing her nerves. “It’s really good to see you.”
She gives me a lightning fast once-over, so quick I almost miss it. Then her cheeks flush an even deeper pink. Almost in a whisper, she adds, “You look nice.”
“You look amazing,” I reply with a smile. Then I hold the bouquet out to her. “I hope you’re not allergic. I didn’t think about it until I was walking up to the house. But if you are, I can go buy something else instead. Candy. Cookies from Sleepy Sweets.”
Jess looks at the flowers for a moment before turning her attention back to me. “Kane.” Her smile expands, lighting her face up with it. “These are gorgeous. Blue is my favorite color, too.” A beat later, as she hugs the flowers to her chest, she adds, “And I’m not allergic. Just for the record.”
Noted. And if flowers make Jess smile like that, I plan to buy more of them for her. Maybe for every date, if things go well.
Still clutching the flowers, Jess takes a few steps backwards and says, “Let me just put them in some water and then I’ll be ready to go.”
I spot a coat hanging from a hook next to the door and angle my chin towards it. “Is this the one you’re wearing?”
Halfway to the kitchen, Jess glances back over her shoulder. “Yes. Unless you think I should wear something different?”
“No, it’s perfect,” I reply as I pull the navy blue puffer coat off the hook. “It’s getting pretty cold out, so I just want to make sure you don’t get chilled.”
Less than a minute later, Jess is back in front of me, eyeing her coat in confusion. “I can put that on, Kane. You don’t?—”
“I want to, Jess.” Holding her coat out, I wait until she slips her arms into it before coming around to her front.
Then I pull up the zipper and adjust the collar around her throat.
My fingers graze her skin, and that same sizzle of electricity hits me, the one I felt back when I first held her hand.
I’ve been attracted to women before. Felt a rush of desire when I saw them. But this electric feeling is something different.
I’m so focused on the sensations flooding through me, I don’t realize the change in Jess’s demeanor right away. Her smile disappears. Her jaw goes tight. And the second I pull my hand away from her neck, she grabs hold of her collar and yanks it up higher.
Worry worms into my stomach. “Jess. Did I do something wrong? I was just trying to help.”
“No.” She shoves her hands into her pockets. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was fine.” She stops. Swallows hard. “Are you ready to go?”
Rather than press her on it, I just nod. “Absolutely.” Letting my hand rest on her lower back—technically, she could still be in danger, so it’s only smart to keep her within arm’s reach—I guide her out the front door.
Once we’re in the car, Jess seems more at ease again.
She tells me about work and her new promotion, which she’s clearly very excited about.
“Partly it’s nice because I’m being recognized for my hard work,” she explains.
“But also, it’s more money. Not a lot, but enough to put extra into savings. So that’s good.”
Then I tell Jess about my day at work, the highlight being yet another call from quirky Mrs. Plimpton, who managed to get stuck on her roof after she decided to try to rescue her runaway cat herself.
“But isn’t she in her seventies?” Jess asks, glancing over with her brows arched up in concern. “That can’t be safe. Was she okay? ”
“She was. Fortunately, she’s a very active lady. So she was able to hang on until the fire truck got there. But no, it definitely wasn’t safe. We made her promise to call the department before doing any more climbing in the future.”
After a brief pause, Jess looks back over at me with a mischievous smirk. “Maybe she did it on purpose. So she could get a bunch of young police officers and firemen over to her house.”
Hmm.
Mrs. Plimpton does seem to get into a lot of trouble. I just chalked it up to bad luck and bad choices, but maybe…
As I signal to turn into the restaurant parking lot, I give Jess a quick glance and a grin. “Who knows. You might be right.”
Once I find a parking spot and shut off the car, I gesture at the glowing sign above the restaurant’s front door.
“I hope The Horse and Ghost is okay. It’s a little quieter than Hop-less Horseman or Antonio’s, so I thought that would be good.
And the food is great. But if you’d prefer someplace else, that’s okay, too. ”
In hindsight, I probably should have asked Jess first.
“No, this is fine,” she replies. But a flicker of unease in her eyes makes me think differently.
“Are you sure?” I reach over to touch her hand. “I don’t mind going someplace else.”