17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
S tanding in the lobby of Jess's work wearing a suit jacket and a tie the next day, Kade looks like an idiot. Feels like one, too. But drastic times call for drastic measures.
Jess walked in on you going to town on Lena. If she turns you down and embarrasses you, you deserve it. Suck it up.
Jess looks at her phone as she walks into the lobby, ready to leave for the day, and doesn't seem to notice him at first. When she does see him, she stops so quickly she nearly falls over, her arm reaching out to keep her balance.
"What are you doing here?" Jess asks. "What's with the jacket and tie?"
Kade pastes a smile on his face, but his stomach feels like it's doing jumping jacks on a trampoline. "I'd like to ask you to join me for dinner tonight."
"What?"
"Will you go out with me tonight, Jessica Massey?"
She stares, blinking at him, but she says nothing. His entire body feels pins stabbing at his skin as he waits for her response.
"Do it!" the receptionist with large hair whispers behind Jess. "Go on, Jess!"
"I'm seeing someone, Kade. You know that."
He nods. "I also know he's waiting for you to make up your mind on who you want to date, and I want to make that decision as difficult as possible. You deserve to see firsthand how things have changed. How they'll be different if you decide to take the chance on me again."
"You're crazy, you know that, right?"
"Only about you."
"That's a good line!" the woman calls.
Jess turns and glares. "Shut up, Tiffany."
"I like Tiffany," Kade says and smirks. "She's on my side. It's also at the steakhouse. I know how hard it is for you to say no to a free seafood dinner at your favorite place."
Jess looks and stares at him for a moment, apparently thinking things over in her mind. "Fine."
"Yes?"
"I need to go home and change first."
"That's fine. Our reservation isn't until seven."
She sighs and walks outside to her car. Kade stares after her, appreciating her backside as she walks in black high heels and a tight, gray skirt. It actually worked. She's going on a date with him.
"Thank you, Tiffany," Kade says.
She nods to him. "Word of warning, Kade. If you hurt her again, I'll hire someone to break your kneecaps."
The threat catches him off-guard, and he stares in shock. "Excuse me?"
"That woman has been hurt enough by you. Walking in and seeing you screwing someone else is something that takes a long time to get over. If you're not serious, and this is just a game to you because she's moving on with someone else, I'll make you pay for it."
"You will?"
"My last name’s Tambino. My husband is Vinny Tambino."
Oh shit. Everyone in town knows the man heads up the largest organized crime ring in the city. Probably the state. "I'm serious, Tiff. I swear it."
"Good."
"Did you give the same warning to Landry?"
"Couldn't. He hasn't come in here like you have. Or sent her a damn thing. But he's not good for her. She's not really happy, and she's trying to force it because she thinks you're the reason she's holding herself back. Because of all the pain you caused her. Which is another reason you can't hurt her again. I don't know that she'll be able to recover."
Landry hasn't attempted to persuade her that he's the better choice. Well, that's because he's clearly not. This might be useful information. "I'll be careful with her heart. I promise."
Kade walks to his pickup and drives to Jess's house. As much as he'd love to walk inside and see if she needs any help getting ready, or un-ready, he waits in his pickup. The moment she steps out of her house, he hurries over and guides her to the passenger side, holding the door open for her.
"You look amazing," he says, staring down at the flattering green dress that fits her nicely in all the right places. He really did take for granted how great she looks dressed up. Almost as great as she does lying naked in just a bedsheet.
He shuts the door, hurrying to the driver’s side and climbing in next to her. Everything in him screams to just be near her. The calm to the storm that’s raged within him since she left him in the bar months ago.
"Thank you," Jess says and turns to look at him as he pulls out of her driveway and heads east. "You know I’m a sucker for the steakhouse, so I figured I better dress up and make it worth it."
Winking, he reaches over and takes her hand in his like he used to whenever they drove together. "I could go for a steak as much as I know you could go for the seafood platter."
Her eyes look to their clasped hands, but she doesn't pull away. He chooses to read it as a great sign, and he prays dinner goes well. He only has one shot to remind her of what she loved about him, and he needs to make sure he checks off all the boxes.
Jess laughs as they pull into the parking lot, and he turns to her. "What's so funny?"
"I don't know if I should tell you this or not."
"You can tell me anything." It's the truth. Nothing she could say would change how he feels.
"I don't want to ruin dinner because I really want to eat here tonight."
Lifting her hand to his lips, he kisses and releases it to shift into park. "What is it?"
"This is where I met Landry for the first time. With Lena."
Great. "Really?"
She laughs again. "How absurd is this?" Her laughter grows until she doubles over and wipes at her eyes.
Kade can't help it, and he starts laughing with her. No matter how ridiculous the scenario, her laugh is nothing short of infectious. "I shouldn't laugh at this, but it is pretty crazy."
"I met the woman I saw you screwing in your house and met the guy I'm now seeing," she says and sits back up. "This shouldn't be funny. It shouldn’t be funny at all."
He lets out a breath. "I'd rather you find it funny than anything else. It breaks my damn heart knowing how I made you feel."
Pulling down the visor, she checks the mirror as she wipes her eyes and reaches for the door handle. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."
His hand finds hers again as they walk into the restaurant, and the hostess brings them to their booth. He'd called ahead to reserve a private booth to give them some time to talk without too many distractions.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the server asks after he introduces himself.
"I'll take a beer. Whatever's seasonal and on tap is fine. Do you still like Pinot Grigio, babe?" Kade asks.
Jess's eyes snap to him in surprise. "Yes, please. I'll take a glass."
The server smiles and walks away. "I've been thinking about this dinner all day. I'm craving a T-bone."
"You remember what I drink?"
He smiles at her. "I remember everything, Jess. How you order your wine to match your food. How much you love the seafood platter, but you also love taking a bite of my steak. How relaxed you get when you take a bubble bath, and how much you hate turnips. Which is such an odd vegetable to have such strong feelings for, but it's one of the many quirks I love about you."
She stares at him with such awe. Again, he tested out the L-word, and it doesn't feel as foreign as he thought.
She doesn't say anything, and he decides to let the silence linger. It's by far the least uncomfortable moment he's had the past few months. At least she's with him during it.
The server drops off their drinks and takes their order. Over dinner, they make small talk about their jobs, he fills her in on his cousins, and the server stops by to ask about dessert. The evening feels like it’s going well.
"Do you want anything?" Kade asks.
Jess's attention suddenly pulls away from him, and he turns to see where she looks. Landry. Damn Landry is here at the restaurant, and he's with another woman. Well, the evening was going well.
"I think we'll just take the tab," he says as his stomach drops.
"Did you know he'd be here?" she asks, her eyes still on the other man in her life.
He shakes his head. "It's not like I found him and followed him on social media. We're not friends. I'm actually kind of pissed to see him here."
Landry looks over to them, and the expression on his face tells Kade everything he needs to know. He's getting back at Jess for being honest with him. His goal is to get a reaction and hurt her, and it makes Kade angry.
"Do you want to talk to him?" Kade asks, his temper barely in check.
"No, I don't want to interrupt his date," Jess says.
Kade quickly signs the receipt, and they slide out of the booth. As much as he wants to reach out and take her hand, he refrains. Being pushy right now won't get him anywhere, but he can't read what's going through her mind. It’s killing him not to know what she’s thinking.
The ride to her place remains silent, and she stares out the passenger side window most of the way home. She doesn't register when he parks in her driveway, and he hurries to open her door and walk her to the front door.
"Are you okay?"
Jess looks up at him. "I'm sorry, I just... I was taken off-guard, I guess."
"He wanted to hurt you."
"How'd he know we'd be there?"
That’s the question Kade asked himself the entire ride to her place. "I don't know. Maybe it was just a coincidence?"
"Maybe he's been seeing other women this entire time, too," she says. "Is it me? Do I do this?"
His hands cup her face. "No. You are not responsible for the bone-headedness of men. It's genetic, and they're currently working on a pill to help eradicate the disease as it's becoming a global epidemic."
For the first time since she saw Landry at the restaurant, she smiles. "Thank you, Kade. Dinner was lovely. I’m sorry I ruined our night."
"You didn't ruin anything," he says and kisses her.
Her body melts into his, just like it always has, and he feels the desire he's had since the last time he saw her kick up three notches. Her body reacts the same way, and he pulls back. She rests her forehead on his chest, and he rubs her back.
"Do you want me to come inside?"
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he knows they were the wrong ones. She stiffens and backs up.
"No."
"That's okay. I just want to make sure-"
"I have a sixty-day rule, Kade."
His eyes narrow. "A what?"
"Sixty days. That's how long I have to see someone before I'll consider taking them to bed. After what happened with us, I needed to take precautions to safeguard my heart. Make sure someone wants me for me, not just a few rolls in the hay."
Her eyes look into his, and he can tell she expects him to find an excuse to leave or say maybe they should just be friends. Instead, he lets the weight of what she's just said register with him. Words don't come to him, and he just stares at her.
"If you don't want to wait two months, I understand. I figured it would be best to be upfront and honest with you."
That's what she meant when she told Landry he was upset with her because she made him wait. But he has to know for sure. "Did Landry have the same rule?"
He knows she owes him no explanation, but his heart needs to know if Kade’s the only one she feels she needs to protect herself from.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, Jess."
Jess's lip quivers, but she forces a smile. "It's okay. I understand."
When her back turns to unlock her front door, it hits him what she believes he meant by that. That he's sorry because he doesn't want to wait. "Jess-"
"It's okay, Kade. Really."
"You're not understanding. Can I come inside? I won't leave the entryway, but I don't want to have this conversation on the porch."
She takes a moment to consider his request, but she finally concedes when she steps inside and says, "Okay."
Once inside, Kade pulls her against him, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry for the way I made you feel. That you now need to protect your heart. What I did was reckless and stupid, and one day, I hope I can explain it to you. I hope I can make it all make a little more sense, and you can understand what I did had nothing to do with you. It was me. All me."
Her arms hold him tightly, and he feels her heart race. "What are you saying, Kade?"
"I'm saying I'll wait forever if I have to. Sixty days seems like forever but not long enough at the same time. And if after sixty days you still don't feel like you're sure you can trust me, I'll wait another sixty. And sixty after that. I'm on your timeline, Jess."
"It's not meant to be a punishment."
"Punish me. I deserve it. Honestly, it might actually make me feel a little better," he says with a chuckle.
Her eyes look up to his. "I don't want to punish you. The last thing I ever want is to hurt you."
"I never wanted to hurt you, Jess. And maybe when I can explain everything, you'll believe me."
Stepping back, he kisses her softly and walks back out to his pickup. The night could have gone much better, but it could have also gone much, much worse.