Chapter 12 #2
“All right, rendezvous in twenty minutes. Living room,” Jake instructed and got up to clear the table.
Exactly twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt, Jake bounded down the stairs to meet a stern and unsmiling Marley.
On the coffee table in front of her was her sticker-covered laptop, which was opened up to what looked like a presentation.
Pausing at the threshold of the living room, he stared at the picture of him side by side with a smiling Gia.
He recognized other pictures of her on the red carpet from her earlier movies.
“Should I sit, or…?”
“Sit.” Marley’s tone brooked no arguments.
On socked feet, he cautiously approached the leather couch, grimacing as it squeaked beneath his weight. Leaning forward, he braced his forearms on his legs, hands relaxed in front of him.
“Okay. Ready.”
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Nodding, Marley turned to her laptop and started her presentation. He watched with amusement as a video of kittens started playing. “As cute as kittens are, a feral kitten is a completely different animal. Literally.”
She advanced to the next slide. Replacing the adorable kittens was a feral one, hissing from a dark corner as a rescuer tried to lure it out of the tight space.
“If not handled properly, feral kittens can be quite aggressive and dangerous. This may work in the wild but would not make a great pet. Not that we want Gia to be a pet or anything. We just need her to soften up to you,” Marley rushed to clarify.
“Of course.” Jake nodded in agreement.
“So, in order to socialize a cat, it’s best to start when they are still kittens. Obviously, we have missed the window of opportunity. In terms of cat years, Gia is in the life stage known as prime. Which translates to about three to six years old in cat years.”
“Right. You mentioned that earlier, but what does it mean exactly?”
Marley sighed at being interrupted.
“It means we have a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s not too late to get her to warm up to us.”
“Okay. That sounds promising.”
Pausing in her presentation, Marley turned toward him, a curious expression on her face. Jake braced himself for whatever Marley had on her mind.
“Are you going to tell me what you did?” Marley asked, hands on her hips.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Nonya.”
“Are you serious?”
“Like a cancer.” Jake crossed his arms across his wide chest.
“That’s lame. How am I supposed to help if I don’t know what I’m working with?”
“Because I—”
“Don’t say ‘I told you so.’”
“Told you so.”
“Knew it.” Rolling her eyes, Marley turned back toward her presentation. “All right, fine. Be difficult, but then I get to say it.”
“Okay, boss.” Giving Marley a mock salute, Jake gestured for her to continue.
“Okay, as I was saying, it would be much easier if I knew what I was working with, but we can start with the basics.” With the push of a button, Marley advanced to the next slide, which showed images of cats in various poses.
“First. Body language. It’s really important to read their body language so you know when to advance or if you need to retreat or change your approach. ”
“Right. Makes sense.” Jake nodded.
“In your case, I don’t think Gia displays fear or feels threatened.”
“That’s good.”
Marley grimaced. “However…”
“This can’t be good.” Jake braced himself for what came next.
“However—she is displaying a great deal of irritation, disgust, and—now, this isn’t on the chart—hostility.”
“Really? I had no idea.” He huffed out a sardonic laugh. If I was constantly in the spotlight, then had to come home to hide—only to find my brother’s gravesite was not how I last saw it—and reunite with my estranged family, I’d be hostile, too.
“Shh.” Marley shushed him with a finger over her mouth. Jake mimed zipping his lips. “This is going to make it harder for you to wear her down.”
Jake groaned dramatically and plunked back onto the couch.
“This is hopeless.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiddo.”
“Well, it would be hopeless if you were doing it alone, but you have me. Plus, Alina and Diem said they’d help! Oh, and I also saw Mrs. Bennett earlier and talked to her. She said she’d love to help!” Marley’s enthusiasm made things seem less daunting.
Jake considered the situation. Alina and Gia shared a past, so they would help Gia feel more comfortable being back in Willowbrook.
Diem was new to town, having moved here from the city a couple of years ago when she inherited the Willowbrook Inn.
She would undoubtedly get along with Gia.
And it would be an opportunity to introduce the two and hope they hit it off.
Plus, he and Mrs. Bennett knew he had the support of Gia’s family.
He hoped reconnecting Gia to the good people of Willowbrook and reminding her of all the wonderful memories she had here would increase her chances of staying.
For the first time in years, Jake felt the fire burning inside of him again. For too long, it had dulled to an ember, having lost its oxygen—but now Gia was back in town, and her fire stoked the ember.
The beast inside him had been waiting patiently. Biding its time until this moment, when she returned. Now that she was within his grasp, he would never let her go.
For too long, he’d pushed his feelings aside.
He’d ignored the urge to chase after Gia more times than he could count.
He’d convinced himself she was happier chasing after her dreams, despite all the scandals splashed across the tabloids.
It pained him to know she was so far away, but he needed to stay in Willowbrook.
In the past year, raising Marley took priority over his life.
So he poured himself into being a responsible single father.
But the time for waiting was over.
He’d show her they were not only good together, but they belonged together.
There was no other woman for Jake. It was always Gia.
For as long as he lived, in this lifetime or the next.
The truth had been staring him in the face for over a decade, and living with regret had been bitter.
He’d have to figure out a way to thank the universe for bringing her back into his life again.
Back to Willowbrook. Back to her family.
The sleepy town was about to get quite a buzz once news spread that Gia had returned.
Willowbrook’s only celebrity, she had been the life of the town with her mischievous ways and bright smile.
Gia might think the town only loved Thao, but she was wrong.
Everyone loved the twins for their own unique characteristics.
Of course, the town had mourned Thao’s passing—a young and vibrant life gone too soon—but Gia’s departure had left the townspeople baffled.
If nothing else, he was determined to earn her forgiveness for ever hurting her.
“Okay, so what’s our game plan?”
“I’m glad you asked. Here’s what we’re gonna do…”
Jake listened closely as Marley reviewed the plan. Or “The Game Plan,” as Marley referred to it. He was skeptical that prolonged eye contact would do anything other than make Gia want to scratch his eyes out. And slow blinking seemed a little insane to him.
Do people really do that?
According to Marley, cats slow blink as a sign of love and affection, and since the goal was for Jake to show Gia his feelings for her, he had to find moments to… slow blink at Gia.
God, this is not going to work. Why am I treating Gia like an animal? Am I only wasting my time with this?
He should be smart about this and try to woo her the traditional way: flowers, chocolates, and maybe a boom box outside her bedroom window.
No, that was preposterous. Besides, the Liens would probably come outside with their lawn chairs and watch as Gia ripped him a new asshole for trying to pull such a stunt. They’d probably break out the popcorn and enjoy the spectacle, too. Nothing less than what he deserved.
If only there were a time machine. He could travel back in time and stop the words from ever leaving his mouth.
“This was a mistake.”
Why the hell did I say that?
Of all the asinine things to say to the girl he’d been in love with for as long as he could remember, this one took the cake.
It was not a mistake. Of course it wasn’t. That night had been the best moment of his entire pathetic life. He’d waited years to hold Gia the way he’d wanted to. Far from the brotherly, affectionate hugs he’d allowed until then.
In a moment of passion and mutual grief, they’d turned to each other.
Gia climbed into his bed as if she had always been there, and maybe in his dreams she had been.
She’d settled in under his covers, her head on his chest, one hand on his heart, while he held her as she silently wept.
His shirt had been soaked through, but he hadn’t complained.
It hurt him more to see her hurting than to know Thao was no longer with them.
It had always been three of them. A trio of friends who balanced each other out perfectly.
Gia with her wild ideas, Thao supporting her in her adventures, and Jake, who was the more practical one of the bunch.
He kept the twins safe as they schemed and got up to no good. Unfortunately, he’d failed Thao.
Ultimately, he’d failed Gia too.