Chapter 7
“Jen, what the bloody hell are you doing?” Denise opened Jen’s bedroom door, her brows drawn together. “I thought you were going over to Suzanne’s this evening?”
“I am. I’m just getting ready.”
Denise stepped into Jen’s bedroom. “Ready for what? To sit on a couch?”
“It’s a second date,” Jen explained as she picked up two different shirts. Did she go for the white one or the black with the fancy cufflinks? It didn’t really matter, in all honesty. It would be on Suzanne’s bedroom floor eventually. “I suggested going out for dinner, but Suzanne said she would cook instead. Just want to look nice for her, you know?”
“She’s a very lucky woman.”
“No, Mum. I’m the lucky one. Wait until you meet her.” Jen’s mind wandered to all thoughts of Suzanne. She could only smile. “She’s just…we get one another. We understand grief and what it takes from us. I’ve never met anyone like her before. She’s funny, she’s sweet, she’s…” Hot as fuck , Jen wanted to add but didn’t. “She’s special. That’s all I can really say about her.”
“Special, huh?” Denise sat on the edge of Jen’s bed, a brow quirked. “Then I look forward to meeting her one day.”
Jen was also looking forward to that. It just wasn’t the right time yet. She needed many more uninterrupted hours with Suzanne before Jen even contemplated asking her to meet Denise. “It’ll happen. I know it will. I feel so good about this, Mum.”
“I’m glad you’re doing something for yourself, Jen. It’s important that you put the past behind you.”
“You know, I haven’t really thought much about it in the last week. I guess I’ve had other things on my mind since meeting Suzanne.” Suzanne was probably the only person who had the ability to make Jen forget lately. Then again, she only had to flutter her eyelashes, and Jen was putty in her hands. “I think Ruby would have liked her.”
“You do?”
“Oh, yeah. Even if they only sat around talking about fashion, they’d have been right at home with one another.”
“Well, I know she’s looking down on you and cheering you on.”
Jen sat beside her mum and took her hand. “You think so? Because I always have it in my head that the day I also arrive up there, she’ll tell me she’s not speaking to me for being such a dick down here.”
Denise laughed from deep within her belly. “She probably would say that to you, but I know deep down she’ll be beside herself with happiness. She always did want the very best for you.”
“We were like sisters. We always said we’d been separated at birth because no one mother could handle us both.”
Denise patted Jen’s cheek and smiled. “Well, I can promise you right now that only one baby came out. And it was you. And even now, you’re as beautiful as you were the day I laid eyes on you for the first time.”
Jen wrapped her mum up in a strong embrace, willing her tears to remain at bay. “I missed you so much when I was away.”
“I know, love. I missed you, too.”
“Good days are coming, Mum. I just know they are.”
Denise held Jen against her, squeezing her tight. “I’m so proud of you, Jen. Even though you don’t believe me, I am. I’m proud of you for facing everything you had to face and coming out of it on the other side.”
“I’d hit the bottom. The only way was right back up again.” Jen soothed a palm down Denise’s back and sighed as she pulled away. “I’d better get ready for my hot date. I’m due there at seven.”
“Let me drop you off there.”
Jen lifted a brow. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not. Just let me know when you’re ready, and we’ll head off.”
Suzanne opened the front door, taken aback by the sheer beauty Jen possessed. She’d dressed up, as had Suzanne, and that honestly meant a lot. It meant Jen cared about whatever was happening here. Of course, she would have dressed up if they’d been going to a restaurant, but Suzanne had wondered if casual would have been better. Right now, she was glad she had spent the last hour or so applying makeup. She wanted Jen to know she was trying, too.
“You look…” Jen puffed out her cheeks and shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then say nothing and get yourself inside.” Suzanne encouraged Jen through the door, closing it the moment she was over the threshold. “You look amazing, Jen.”
“Thank you.” Jen stepped closer and pulled Suzanne in. When their lips met, Suzanne gripped the front of Jen’s shirt. Quite frankly, she wasn’t sure they’d make it to dinner. It seemed far more necessary to take Jen upstairs right now. When they broke apart, Jen’s eyes practically agreed. “You smell so good.” Jen held onto Suzanne’s waist, her eyes dipping as she smiled. “And you look remarkable.”
“I wanted to make the effort.” Suzanne guided Jen into the dining area. “And I’m glad I did since you really turned up.” Suzanne looked back at Jen, her gaze sweeping up her body. “You and black shirts go very well together.”
“I will admit that it took me a few hours to decide what to wear.” Jen lifted a shoulder, clearly not caring about too much honesty. But Suzanne loved that. It meant Jen felt comfortable with her. “My mum thought we were being burgled.”
“Oh, you’re one of those people? Empties the entire wardrobe until you’re satisfied?”
Jen held up her hands and laughed. “Guilty.”
“Me too. I’m terrible for it.” Suzanne moved through into the kitchen and took a 0% beer from the fridge. She handed it to Jen, then lifted the 0% gin and tonic she’d poured just before Jen had arrived. “Cheers to a second date.”
Jen checked the label before she clinked her beer bottle to Suzanne’s glass. “Cheers to you being so thoughtful.”
“Thoughtful?”
“Yeah. The beer. Most people wouldn’t bother to accommodate someone who didn’t drink alcohol.” Jen rested back against the edge of the dining table, holding out a hand to Suzanne. “But you? I think I’m beginning to understand that you’re kinda perfect.”
“Me? Oh, I’m not perfect. I never will be. But I do want you to feel comfortable here. I want you to enjoy the time we spend together. A few bottles of alcohol-free beer just seemed logical to me.” Suzanne came to stand between Jen’s legs. “And I’m drinking alcohol-free gin. It’s actually pretty good.”
“Suzanne, you don’t have to do that.” Suzanne knew Jen wouldn’t scold her for enjoying alcohol, but that was the thing. She didn’t enjoy alcohol, not really. While she was getting to know Jen, Suzanne wanted to be entirely coherent. “But I appreciate you. So much.”
Suzanne lowered her gin glass to the table and pressed her palms to the wood on either side of Jen’s body. She smiled into a kiss, knowing full well what Jen’s lips did to her body. Over the last week, Suzanne couldn’t recall a single time she’d felt so sure about something. Or so aroused. This woman had the ability to change Suzanne’s life, and she hoped Jen thought the very same thing in return. “I just want to know you, Jen. A week ago, when I found the courage to ask you out for a drink, I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but I’m finding that I want to spend more time with you whenever I can.”
“Yeah?” Jen lay her hands on Suzanne’s waist. Suzanne knew the dress she wore was beautiful, but she would prefer to be out of it before this night was over. “You really mean that?”
“Does it seem to you that I wouldn’t mean it?” Suzanne was surprised by Jen’s shock. Hadn’t it been obvious so far that something was absolutely happening here between them? “Do I have to do more to show you I’m genuinely interested in you?”
“N-no. Not at all.” Jen smiled as she stroked her thumb against the material of Suzanne’s dress. It only had every nerve ending firing up, her body requiring something more. “The last thing I expected was this. You . But I have no plans to do anything other than date you and hopefully return the feeling that you make me feel.”
“And what feeling is that?”
“Well, there’s several, but mostly that feeling that someone actually wants you.” Jen dipped her head as she said that, unable to look Suzanne in the eye. “Because that is what it’s like whenever I’m with you, and it’s been so long since I’ve felt wanted by anyone .”
Suzanne brought a hand to Jen’s jaw and looked her dead in the eye. “Oh, I want you. Make no mistake about that.”
“I know. I do feel it. It’s pretty intense, to be honest.”
Suzanne narrowed her eyes. “Intense good or intense bad?”
“Good. Always good.” Jen slid her hand to Suzanne’s arse as she pushed off the edge of the dining table. “But if you think this is moving too fast at any point, you tell me, and we can slow down. Just…not yet. Not tonight. Whatever you’re cooking smells fucking amazing.”
“It’s a good job you said that. I’ve been panicking for the last couple of hours that you wouldn’t like what I was serving up tonight.”
“Can you tell me, or is it a surprise?”
Suzanne stole a quick kiss and then backed away. “I can tell you. Your surprise comes later.”
“My surprise?” Jen lifted a brow, that want only intensifying as she stared back at Suzanne. “What surprise?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.” Suzanne moved back into the kitchen and checked on dinner. “As for what we’re having…it’s prosciutto-wrapped chicken with glazed vegetables. Dauphinoise potatoes, too.”
Jen puffed out her cheeks. “Landed on my feet here, haven’t I?”
Suzanne draped herself against the arch separating the kitchen from the dining area. “I was thinking the very same thing.”
Jen took a step closer and reached for Suzanne’s hand. When she brought it to her lips and kissed her skin, Suzanne’s stomach fluttered. “I feel incredibly lucky to be here with you. Thank you.”
Jen sat back in her seat, her eyes rarely leaving Suzanne’s for the entirety of dinner. There was just something about being here, sitting across from this woman, that had Jen feeling as though life really was picking up. She knew she had to take the leap and make that happen herself, but she truly hadn’t expected Suzanne. Not even a similar version of Suzanne.
“Tell me something about yourself,” Suzanne said, sipping the small glass of wine she’d poured with dinner. “Family life. That sort of thing.”
Oh, this was serious. Suzanne genuinely didn’t just want to fuck Jen. While Jen would be happy with the intimacy, she also felt better knowing Suzanne was taking an interest in her life. Well, the parts Jen chose to discuss, anyway. “It’s just me, my mum, and my sister. We lost Dad ten years ago. My sister, Grace, had a little boy recently. Toby is a few months old now.”
“Ah. Baby nephews. Adorable.”
Jen wished she could say more about Toby. About his little quirks. But she couldn’t because she barely knew anything about him. “He is adorable.”
“I have a niece. She’s ten now. Elsie. Named after our mother.”
“That’s a really sweet name,” Jen said, enjoying these moments. When she was dating, she wanted to know everything there was to know about the woman in her life. “Do you see her often?”
“I used to see her practically every day when they lived closer, but they moved down south for Jeff’s job, so it’s not quite the same anymore. She is visiting next week, though.”
“Oh, that’ll be nice. Will she be here for long? If I’ve got my dates right, it’s half term, isn’t it?”
Suzanne nodded. “It is. She’ll be here for one night, and then they have to get back. Jeff has a business meeting.”
“What does he do? If you don’t mind me asking.” Jen didn’t suspect Suzanne had anything to hide at all. Family included.
“He’s an architect, too,” Suzanne said. “He keeps asking if he can take this place off my hands because he wants to revamp it, but I love it here. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
“Yeah. I can see why. It really is a gorgeous home. But I think it’s the owner that makes it what it is.”
Suzanne’s cheeks reddened a little as she dipped her head. “It’s nice to share my evenings here with someone again. I don’t believe I could have picked anyone better.”
Jen chose not to comment on that. She was almost certain Suzanne wouldn’t feel that way when she learnt about some other aspects of Jen’s life. “You’ll have to take me for a spin in your Range Rover. It looks like it’s never been driven.”
Suzanne barked a laugh. “Oh, it’s been driven plenty. I just don’t really have anywhere to go in it these days. But yes, I’d love to take you out in it. Maybe that could be our next date? Out of the city for the day.”
“Sounds perfect.” Jen slid her hand across the table, feeling so content that she was quickly forgetting life prior to Suzanne. “I wish I could swap my workdays, but at the moment, I can’t. I’m still on the probation period, so I don’t want to do anything to piss them off, you know?”
“You have the weekends off, right?”
“Kind of. I usually have Friday off and work half a day on Saturdays. But Sundays are my own every week. I’m also not willing to give that up if they need a change on the shift.”
“How about this Sunday?” Suzanne looked up with excitement in her dark eyes. “If you don’t have any plans?”
“It’s a date.” Jen’s heart rate picked up a little, knowing she would see Suzanne again sooner than she thought she would. “Maybe lunch somewhere? It’s on me, of course.”
“I know some lovely places we can drive out to. I’ll make a list and decide which is the best option.”
“Then I will leave that up to you.” Jen pushed her seat back and got to her feet. “I’ll take care of the dishes. You head into the living room and finish your wine. Relax.”
“Jen,” Suzanne said, placing a hand on her wrist. “You don’t have to do that. You’re a guest.”
“You’re right, I am. But I also like to pull my weight. You’ve cooked an amazing dinner, so the least I can do is clear up.” Jen didn’t know what the issue was. The kitchen was already pristine. You’d never know Suzanne had cooked a meal in it. All Jen had to do was load the dishwasher with their plates and cutlery, and then she could spend what was left of this night in front of the fire with Suzanne. “Go on. It’ll only take me five minutes.”
Suzanne eventually agreed, giving Jen the perfect opportunity to check out her arse as she walked away and into the living room. God, she was stunning, but it was her personality and her outlook on life that Jen was most attracted to.
Jen quickly cleared the table and got busy in the kitchen. She wanted to be with Suzanne, not out here, where she could think about things she didn’t need to think about. Jen had been trying so hard to push the memories of the past away, but when she realised how incredibly lucky she was to be on a second date with Suzanne, it was hard to quiet those voices that told her she wasn’t good enough.
She knew she was. Jen had always been good enough for the women she dated. But her brain had a great way of telling her the opposite since she was released from prison.
“Jen?”
Jen popped her head around the wall. “Yeah?”
“I thought you’d got lost. Are you almost done?”
Jen grinned. “Yeah, gorgeous. I’m almost done.”
Slotting the last of the plates into the dishwasher, Jen took a tablet from the clear jar on the countertop and turned it on. She would help herself to another alcohol-free beer, and then she would settle down with Suzanne until she kicked her out the door. Though she hoped Suzanne had remembered her offer earlier. Staying the night was heavily on Jen’s mind right now.
Just enjoy this. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.