Chapter 12
Twelve
After embarrassing himself last night, Jack decided avoiding Kayla was the best course of action. He couldn’t hang out with his parents because they had plans with their friends, but Ryan might be available.
Ryan answered on the first ring. “Hey. What’s up, besides you?”
“Are you busy today?” Jack asked.
“I’m going Christmas shopping. Why?”
“Christmas shopping?”
“It’s Black Friday. I want to take advantage of the sales.”
“Can I tag along?”
Ryan chuckled. “You’re being weird again. What happened now?”
Jack sat up in bed and warily glanced at his bedroom door. He couldn’t risk Kayla overhearing him again. “I’ll tell you when I see you.”
“Okay, but I’m warning you. I’ll be shopping all day,” Ryan said.
“That’s fine. I’ll buy lunch.”
“Deal,” Ryan said. “When should I pick you up?”
“Give me half an hour.”
“See you then.”
After they hung up, Jack sighed with relief.
Then he jumped out of bed and strode into the bathroom.
While he showered, he kept thinking about last night, flipping between segments of his dream, and Kayla’s reaction to it.
He should have spared her the details, but she’d kept asking questions.
The room had been dark, but he swore her cheeks were flushed as he recounted the intimate details.
Aside from that, she’d seemed cool with it.
Kayla’s response should have been reassuring, but he was still embarrassed.
She’d caught him with his hand down his pants, and if she’d entered his room a few minutes later, it might have been worse.
Jack quickly got ready, with a few minutes leftover to grab some coffee and a bagel.
Preparing to face Kayla, he inhaled deeply and went out of his bedroom.
The kitchen light was still on from last night, but the house was silent, so he assumed she was still asleep.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw a note by the coffeepot. Went Christmas shopping. K.
Jack exhaled. At least he wouldn’t have to face her this morning. Kayla had already made coffee, so he poured some into an insulated cup. As he was spreading cream cheese on a bagel, he wondered if she’d gone shopping alone or with someone. It’s none of my business, he reminded himself.
A few minutes later, Ryan rolled up in his black pickup truck. Jack tucked his wallet into his pocket and went outside with his coffee and bagel.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Ryan asked as they drove away.
“My pretend girlfriend,” Jack corrected him. “She went Christmas shopping too. She must have left really early because I didn’t even hear her.”
“How is it going so far, living with a beautiful woman and not being able to touch her?” Ryan mused.
“It’s hard,” Jack answered. Literally!
“Spill.”
Jack was anxious to unload his burden and trusted Ryan implicitly to keep his secrets. “Last night, we watched Friends With Benefits. Have you ever seen it?”
Ryan chuckled. “Since you just admitted it, yes, I have. What’d you do, ask Kayla to be your friend with benefits?”
“No!” Asking her what she thought of the concept wasn’t the same.
“What then?”
“After we went to bed—separately—I had a sexy dream about her.”
“Who? Mila Kunis?”
“No! Kayla.”
“So what?” Ryan said, clearly not understanding the problem.
“I called out her name, and she heard me.”
“Oh,” Ryan said, shooting Jack a sympathetic look.
“Wait. It gets worse.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows.
“Kayla came into the bedroom to check on me, and my hand was—”
Ryan shook his head vehemently. “Don’t say another word. I get the picture.”
Jack turned his gaze out the window. “It was so embarrassing.”
“How did she react?”
“She was surprisingly cool about it. She kept saying how everyone has dreams like that, and it was no big deal.”
“Well, then, what are you worried about?”
“Come on. We only dream about people we secretly want to hook up with. This never would have happened if I hadn’t asked her to move in with me.”
“Have you had sexy dreams about her before?”
“Yes, but she never knew about them. This is so much worse.”
“Maybe she was flattered by it,” Ryan suggested.
“Huh?”
“You said she handled it well. Maybe she’s been having sexy dreams about you, too.”
Jack peered at Ryan’s profile. For someone who avoided serious relationships like Jack did, Ryan was surprisingly knowledgeable about women. “She admitted it.”
“Great! Now you two can stop playing pretend and get down to business.”
Jack shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“It’s Kayla,” Jack replied, like that explained everything.
“She’s a beautiful woman who is also your friend. I don’t see the problem here.”
“That is the problem. If we hooked up, it might ruin our friendship, and I can’t let that happen. Plus, we work together, which makes it worse.”
“How did it go when you introduced her to your parents?”
“Good. They really liked each other.”
“I think you’re making this way more complicated than it has to be. Kayla’s a great catch. You like her, and your parents approve of her. Sounds like the perfect scenario to me.”
Jack sighed. “She’s a forever girl, and I’m not a forever guy. She won’t settle for a casual hook-up.”
Ryan glanced at Jack. “You sure about that?”
“Positive.”
They pulled into the Somerset Mall parking lot. Even though it was early, the place was packed, and it took a while to find a parking spot. “Where to first?” Jack asked as they entered the mall.
“Macy’s,” Ryan said.
“What are you looking for?”
“A sweater for my mom, and cologne for my dad.”
“I should shop for my parents too,” Jack said. Usually, he didn’t brave the crowds on Black Friday, but it was a good distraction. He’d buy something for Kayla, too. It would be weird not to give her a gift when they’d be together at Christmas.
“Let’s head to the women’s section first,” Ryan suggested.
“Lead the way.”
Jack and Ryan rode the escalator to the second floor. When they stepped off, Jack glanced around. Wouldn’t it be funny if Kayla were here, too? She loved Macy’s and often shopped here. Jack scanned the crowd, even though he was supposed to be avoiding her.
Ryan approached a display of women’s sweaters. They waited for a few women to move off before they perused the selection.
A shapely brunette who was straightening the sweaters turned and smiled at them. “Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked.
Before, Jack would have chatted her up, but today, he hung back and let Ryan lead.
“Yes, please,” Ryan said, smiling widely. He was a natural born charmer, and together, they made quite a team when it came to impressing the ladies.
I have a girlfriend, Jack reminded himself.
“My friend and I are shopping for our moms,” Ryan said.
“How sweet,” the brunette gushed.
“We’re not sure what the latest style is, so maybe you can help us,” Ryan said smoothly.
“You can’t go wrong with a classic crewneck,” she said. “They come in all colors and sizes and they’re on sale today.”
“Perfect,” said Ryan.
“Let’s start with your mom. What color is her hair?” the clerk asked.
Jack smirked. Ryan’s mom liked to experiment with different hair colors. The last time he’d seen her, her hair was a bold shade of red.
“Her hair?” Ryan looked confused.
The brunette chuckled. “Yes. You should choose a color that compliments her hair and skin tone.”
“I haven’t seen your mom in a while. What color is her hair these days?” Jack teased.
Ryan shot him a warning look. “It’s similar to mine.”
The brunette studied him. “So sandy brown. Is her skin tone similar to yours too?”
Ryan nodded. The clerk pulled a couple of sweaters off the shelf. Then she held them up to Ryan like they were for him.
Jack burst out laughing. “Those really compliment your coloring.”
Ignoring him, Ryan conferred with the clerk. “What do you think?”
Suddenly, Jack heard a familiar voice behind him and whipped around. Kayla stood a few feet away with her roommate, Josie. Their backs were to him as they perused a rack of jeans.
“Boyfriend jeans are the most comfortable,” Kayla stated.
“But they hide your figure,” Josie argued.
“I’ll take the teal sweater in size medium,” Ryan was saying.
Jack warred with himself. Should he approach Kayla or pretend like he hadn’t seen her?
“Jack, it’s your turn.” Ryan spoke loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear him.
Kayla twisted her head around, and her eyes widened. Jack gave her a sheepish smile and waved.
“Go say hi to your girlfriend,” Ryan said.
Jack scowled at him, but before he could move, Kayla and Josie approached him.
“Hello, Jack,” Kayla said briskly. Then she shifted her gaze to Ryan and the clerk.
“Hey, Kayla,” Ryan said before Jack had a chance to respond. “Who is your friend?”
“I wondered the same thing,” Kayla said, looking from Jack to the clerk.
“Oh. Um …” Jack mumbled.
“This kind lady is helping us shop for our moms,” Ryan explained.
“I’ll check back with you in a few minutes.” The clerk gave them a stiff smile and scurried away.
Reaching around Jack, Ryan offered his hand to Josie. “I’m Ryan … Kayla’s boyfriend’s best friend.”
Josie shook his hand and gaped at Kayla. “Boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Jack confirmed.
“It’s a long story,” Kayla said, scowling at Jack.
“I’m Josie, Kayla’s roommate,” Josie said to Ryan.
Ryan smiled knowingly, but Jack silenced him with a look.
“How is the Christmas shopping going?” Jack asked Kayla, desperate to change the subject.
“Good,” Kayla replied, tightening her hold on a Macy’s bag.
“The only gifts we’ve bought so far are for ourselves,” Josie joked. “Kayla bought a red dress, and I bought some boots.”
Jack gazed at Kayla and raised his eyebrows. “A red dress, huh?”
Kayla shifted uncomfortably and averted her eyes. “It’s for the holidays.”
“Of course,” Jack said, smirking.
“Hey, maybe you two would like to join us for lunch,” Ryan suggested.
The other three spoke at once.
“No,” chimed Jack and Kayla.
“Sure,” said Josie.
“Great. Where and when?” Ryan asked her, ignoring Jack and Kayla.
“We still have a lot of shopping to do,” Jack reminded Ryan.
“So do we,” Kayla said to Josie.
“We have to eat lunch sometime,” Josie argued.
“Why don’t we meet in the food court at 11:30?” Ryan asked.
“Sounds perfect,” Josie said, beaming.
“Okay,” Kayla muttered.
“Perfect,” Jack grumbled.
Then Kayla grabbed Josie’s wrist and pulled her away.
“See you in a little while,” Ryan called as they retreated.
Once they’d gone, Jack turned to him. “What in the hell did you do that for?”
“I was just being nice.”
“Nice, my ass.”
Ryan chuckled. “Your ass isn’t bad. I can see why the ladies like it.”
Jack frowned. “I wanted to avoid Kayla today, not have lunch with her!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just lunch,” Ryan argued.
Jack narrowed his eyes. “This is about Josie, isn’t it?”
“What about her?”
“You think she’s hot, and that’s why you invited them to lunch.”
“She is hot. Is she available?”
“According to Kayla, she’s a little too available, if you know what I mean.”
Ryan looked intrigued. “Explain it to me.”
“She has loud sex … Never mind.” Whatever he said would just make Josie more appealing in Ryan’s eyes.
Suddenly, the clerk reappeared. “You’re still here,” she said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
“Yes, but we need to get going. Jack, tell her about your mom’s coloring,” Ryan prompted him.
Now he’s in a hurry. Jack smiled politely at the clerk, since none of this was her fault. After she helped him choose a sweater, he and Ryan walked away with their purchases.
“Let’s hit up the men’s cologne counter. We should buy some for ourselves while we’re at it,” Ryan suggested.
“I already have cologne,” Jack sniped. Then he recalled Kayla’s perfume collection on his dresser. I choose a perfume based on my mood, she’d explained. As they rode down the escalator, Jack wondered if he’d find a scent to fit his current mood—surly and frustrated.