Chapter 19
Nineteen
Kayla was looking forward to their friend date. It seemed like the perfect antidote to her conflicting emotions about Jack.
“Ready to do this?” Jack asked.
They were at the ice rink and had just laced up their ice skates.
Kayla’s were rented, but Jack had brought his own hockey skates.
She stayed seated while he stood before her, his handsome face split into a wide grin.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to be really good at skating? ” she asked.
“Because I’m good at everything?”
Especially kissing. “And you’re humble too,” she chided him.
“I might have played hockey as a kid, and occasionally, as an adult.”
“I knew it! Why didn’t you mention it before?”
“Because you haven’t skated in a long time, and I didn’t want you to feel intimated.”
Kayla shook her head. “You just wanted to impress me with your expert skating skills.”
Jack offered her his hand. “Come on. Let’s get on the ice before it gets crowded.”
Kayla’s no touching rule was going to be challenging, especially since she hadn’t skated in so long. Jack patiently waited until she finally clasped his hand and allowed him to pull her to standing. She wobbled, and he placed his other hand on her waist and steadied her.
“You got this,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows. “This isn’t even the hard part!”
“Do you want to walk on your own?”
Kayla glanced around. The rink was getting busier, and she didn’t want to fall before she even got on the ice. “Just hold my hand until we get out there.”
Jack nodded and entwined their fingers together.
His grip felt warm and reassuring as they slowly strode toward the rink, receiving several appreciative looks as they went. We must look like we’re on a romantic date, thought Kayla. Somehow, the thought wasn’t as disturbing as she thought it would be.
At the entrance to the rink, they waited behind some young kids, who took off with ease. Now it was their turn.
“Are you ready to let go?” Jack asked.
Kayla glanced at the skaters whizzing past while others clung to the wall around the rink like their life depended on it. “Not yet,” she admitted.
Jack tightened his grip on her hand as he carefully led them onto the ice. Kayla assumed ice skating was like riding a bike, and her muscle memory would take over. However, it wasn’t quite as simple as that, especially with so many people to watch out for.
“We’ll stay near the edge for a few laps,” Jack reassured her.
Kayla skated tentatively at first, but with Jack’s support, her confidence grew. By the third lap around, she was ready to let go of his hand. “I’m good now.” She gently extracted her hand.
“I’ll stay nearby, just in case,” he said.
While Kayla skated cautiously, Jack glided effortlessly over the ice. After a few more times around, she felt bad for holding him back. “You don’t have to keep babysitting me. Why don’t you take a few spins alone?”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Besides, I know you’re dying to show off.”
Jack chuckled loudly, garnering attention from a group of teenaged girls who skated past. It wasn’t the first time Kayla had caught them eyeing him. Jack was ten years older than them, but he was still eye candy.
He took off, gliding over the ice with smooth, long strides.
Much like the giddy teenagers, Kayla couldn’t take her eyes off him.
From their first meeting, she’d been attracted to his charming, quiet confidence.
Jack was the perfect example of someone who was comfortable in his own skin, and it was easy for Kayla to be herself with him.
She’d never been afraid to tell him anything or show her flaws.
Until now. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks and made her weak at the knees.
She skated to the edge and leaned against the wall, adopting a casual pose.
As Jack approached her on his third or fourth time around the rink, he paused. “Are you okay?”
Kayla nodded vigorously. “Just resting. Keep going.”
He smiled sweetly and took off skating backward.
“Show off,” she called.
Jack chuckled, and smoothly faced forward again.
Kayla sighed. Like it or not, things were different between them now.
They could pretend they were on a friend date, but was it really?
The memory of kissing him, their bodies pressed together, his hands on her breasts, wouldn’t go away.
Kayla couldn’t be as open with him, for that very reason.
The truth was, her feelings for Jack went beyond friendship.
Furthermore, she’d had feelings for him prior to moving in with him.
But this was just a game to him. After the holidays, it was game over for her and Jack.
He glided toward her and executed a perfect stop on the edge of his skates, sending a spray of ice into the air, and impressing everyone in the vicinity.
Kayla smirked at him. “Way to make all the women want you.” Me included.
“There’s only one woman I care about,” Jack said. Then he winked, reminding her he was only playing the role of a doting boyfriend.
They skated for a while longer until Kayla’s stomach growled.
Jack laughed. “There’s the lunch bell!”
He helped her off the ice and kept his hand on her elbow as he guided her to a bench where they changed out of their skates.
Before long, they arrived at Rochester Village, an outdoor mall, and entered Bravo, an Italian restaurant.
Jack talked her into ordering a glass of wine while they waited for their food.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Jack said, holding up his glass.
Kayla eyed him warily. “What are we toasting?”
“To our fun friend date,” he proclaimed.
Friend date. Right. Kayla picked up her glass and clinked it against his. Then she took a deep sip of wine.
Jack nudged the breadbasket toward her. “You should eat something,” he suggested.
Kayla’s face flushed at the reminder of the drunken encounter in his bed. Their make-out session on his couch trumped that, though. That night, she didn’t have the excuse of being intoxicated.
Jack smiled knowingly over his wineglass. Averting her eyes, Kayla took a slice of bread out of the basket, and liberally buttered it.
“Our company holiday party is coming up,” Jack said conversationally.
“Mmm-hmm.” Kayla set down the knife and took a bite of the soft garlicky bread.
“We should go together.”
Suddenly, the bread lodged in her throat, and it took a few tries to swallow it. “Why?” she asked.
“We’ll both be leaving from my place, so it makes sense to take one car,” Jack reasoned.
Kayla shook her head. “We can’t show up together. People will talk.”
“Everyone knows we’re friends,” he insisted.
“But we’ve never gone to the party together before,” she argued.
Jack sighed. “I hate to break it to you, but our coworkers already gossip about us.”
Kayla’s eyes widened. “They do?”
Jack nodded and calmly buttered a second slice of bread.
“What do they say?”
“A while ago, there was a bet that we’d be dating by the end of the year.”
Kayla’s mouth gaped open while Jack took a bite of bread. “Who bet on that?”
He dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Some of the guys in IT. Oh, and a few in accounting.”
Kayla scowled. “Of course, it was the men.”
Jack shook his head. “A few women are in on it too.”
“You knew about this, but you didn’t bother to tell me?”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal, Kayla. It’s all in good fun.”
Fun? Suddenly, the fun fell out of their friend date. “If people are gossiping about me, I have the right to know.”
Jack was about to speak, but the server arrived with their food. “Chicken parmesan for the lady, and fettuccini alfredo for the gentleman.”
“Thank you,” Kayla and Jack said.
“Can I get you another glass of wine?” the server asked.
“Sure,” said Jack.
“No,” Kayla said at the same time.
The server gazed at them, waiting for them to reach a consensus.
“No, thank you. We’re good,” Jack conceded.
They took a break from their discussion and started eating. The food was delicious, and Kayla forced herself to relax and enjoy it.
“I’m sorry for not telling you about the bet,” Jack said after a while. “But there wasn’t anything we could do about it, anyway.”
Kayla frowned. “You could have put the rumors to bed … to rest,” she corrected herself.
“I should have tried to convince them we’re just friends?”
“Yes!”
Jack sighed. “Why are you so upset by this?”
“Because I don’t want people spreading lies about us.”
Jack eyed her for what felt like a long time. “Is it a lie? Maybe they’re seeing something we haven’t acknowledged.”
Kayla swallowed hard. “You promised not to do this,” she reminded him.
“Do what?”
“Pretend like we’re a couple when we’re not. We’re on a friend date, remember?”
“We’re just talking,” Jack insisted.
Exasperated, Kayla picked up her wineglass and drained what was left in it.
“I don’t want to argue with you, Kayla. If you want to drive separately to the party, we will,” Jack said, though he didn’t sound happy about it.
Before she could respond, the server reappeared. “Can I get you two anything else?” he asked.
Kayla shook her head.
“Just the bill, please,” Jack said.
“One check?” the server asked.
“Yes,” said Jack.
“No,” Kayla inserted.
“Two bills then. Be right back.” The server scurried away like he was afraid to get caught in an impending storm.
Jack eyed her intently. “Why won’t you let me pay?”
“You never paid for my meals before I moved in.”
“That’s not true.”
“We treated each other on our birthdays and special occasions, but this is just a friend date.” His expression told her he was tired of the reminder, and so was she. The sooner this friend date was over, the better.
When the server returned with their bills, they each handed him their credit card, and he went off again.
“Do you still want to go to Barnes and Noble?” Jack asked.
Kayla rarely turned down a trip to the bookstore, even though she had a backlog of books to read. Now, she just wanted to go home, and put as much distance between her and Jack as possible. “No, thanks.”
“But you love the bookstore.”
“I have plenty of books at home.” Home. Where was that anymore?
Kayla’s belongings were split between Jack’s house and her apartment.
After this was over, where would she go?
She hadn’t intended on returning to the apartment, even though she and Josie were on better terms now.
Besides, Ryan often stayed overnight with Josie now, and she didn’t want to interfere with their budding romance.
After the server returned their credit cards, they left the restaurant, each lost in their own thoughts. What had begun as a perfect distraction from her worries had become a stark reminder of them.
Driving home, they were quiet, until Jack broke the silence. “I don’t know what you want from me, Kayla. No matter what I say or do, it doesn’t seem like the right thing.”
She flinched at his honest assessment. “I’m sorry.”
“We only have a few weeks left. Let’s just try to make the best of it, okay?”
Jack was calm and logical as usual, but her emotions were flitting all over the place. “Okay,” she said. Make the best of it. If only it was that simple.