Chapter Sixteen

As I drove back to Barbara’s house on Thursday morning, I stuck in my earpiece and called Jake. All he’d said in his message last night was, “Give me a call,” so I decided to follow his instructions and see what happened.

“What time should I pick you up for dinner?”

I glanced at my phone to make sure I’d called Jake—yep. “I think you’re confused. This is Darby.”

“I know who it is. So what time works for you?”

“You just sounded like you’d already made plans, and I thought you must not realize it was me.”

“I did already make plans,” Jake said. “All you have to do is say yes.”

I found myself smiling, the stirrings of butterflies low in my stomach. “I’m free anytime after six.”

“Six thirty it is.”

Several hours later, I was thinking I’d never survive the day, much less make it to six thirty. Of all the days I could’ve chosen to break in my new gray heels, why’d it have to be today?

We were already on our sixth furniture store, and Nadine and I could hardly keep up with Barbara. The woman could win a gold medal in shopping. When she’d temporarily run out of things to say about her husbands, she’d asked Nadine and me about our love lives. When neither of us had much to say on the subject, she pursed her lips and studied us. “Hmm. Two pretty, smart girls who have never been married? I was on my second marriage by your age. I’ll tell you what’s wrong—you’re too intimidating to men. Do you rent or own?”

“Own,” Nadine said.

“I own, too,” I said.

Barbara frowned. For some reason it felt like we were getting scolded for being independent and good at our jobs. “Guys want a girl they can take care of. I read this book about it between numbers two and three…” Barbara went on to talk about what guys wanted in a domestic partner. Apparently, just because I wore a dress and heels sometimes didn’t make me feminine enough. I needed to act more desperate. To show a guy how much I needed him.

If I had to act needy and helpless to keep a guy, then I’d rather not have one. Nadine, on the other hand, was soaking it all in. In fact, while Barbara asked the salesman a question, Nadine got out her phone and made notes on all the books Barbara had suggested.

I peeked over her shoulder as she put the information into her phone. “You’re not seriously going to read those, are you?”

Nadine shrugged. “What’s the harm in seeing what they say? I don’t want to settle for anyone, and I’m not into marrying only for money, but I would like to get married. I’ve only got so long before my opportune time for having babies runs out. I’ve always wanted kids.”

After seeing what having kids could do to a relationship, I didn’t know why anyone had more than one.

“Did you two see this sofa?” Barbara said. “It’s simply hideous!”

My aching feet protested at the thought of walking around again. Money does talk, though—louder than feet—so I forced myself to shake it off and go see the hideous couch.

And it was hideous. The diamond-and-square, brown-and-orange print made me feel like I was having a seizure.

“Suddenly antique is taking on a horrible meaning.” Barbara looped her elbow through mine. “I know a place just up the street. Let’s go check it out.”

Some clients looked at a few samples and told you to do whatever; others wanted to be involved. Barbara wanted to oversee everything. Already, she was getting involved not only with the decorating, but also our personal lives.

“I’m having this function next weekend and you two must come,” Barbara said as we charged up the sidewalk. “You might have to settle for an older gentleman, but they have money and they will spoil you rotten. Of course if you want younger, some of my exes have handsome sons…”

As she rattled on and on, I felt myself growing more and more cynical.

Jake hadn’t specified a location, so I’d thrown on a black-sequined top and a pair of dark dressy jeans. Four- to five-inch heels were what I wore most days and I’d never had a problem before. But after all day shopping with Barbara, the thought of having to walk again—in heels of any kind—exhausted me. So I went with my black ballet flats.

I dropped onto my couch and watched TV until there was a knock on the door.

After checking it was Jake, I opened the door and leaned against the frame. “Hey, you’re not planning on going dancing or anything crazy like that, are you?”

“I’m open,” Jake said. “Why? Where do you want to go?”

“Somewhere we won’t have to walk much. I wore new shoes today and my client could outshop anyone. I’m exhausted.”

“I just got groceries. I’ll whip us up something to eat and we’ll stay in.”

“I don’t want you to have to go to all that trouble,” I said. “It’s not like I can’t walk. I just don’t want to be on my feet all night.”

“It’s no trouble. In fact, it’ll be nice. I’ve been going all day.” Jake extended his hand. “You ready?”

Jake and I made the short journey up to his place. Admittedly, his living in my same building was a perk tonight.

He opened the fridge and stared inside. “How does lemon-pepper chicken sound?”

“Sounds amazing.” I leaned back against the island counter as he pulled out the ingredients. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just keep me company.” Within a few minutes, the lemony scent of the grilling chicken filled the air, making my mouth water. Jake washed his hands then turned to me. “So, about the guy in the elevator the other night…?”

“I practically forgot about that.” I wondered how Karl’s eye was shaping up. Probably more yellow than purple. “It seems like ages ago.”

“I was worried that’s why you were avoiding me.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you, I swear. Everything’s been crazy lately.” I put more of my weight on the counter and crossed my ankles. I told him about ending up in the wrong bar, and as I gave the recap of the pool game gone wrong, the muscles along Jake’s jaw tensed.

“What happened to the other guy?” he asked. “At least tell me they threw him out.”

“I think they were regulars, because the bouncer picked them over us.”

Jake shook his head. “I would’ve taken his head off for something like that.” The protective way he said it made my heart skip a couple of beats.

“Believe me, I wanted to. Anyway, Karl’s eye was swelling pretty badly, and since he lives in north Boulder, I had him come up to ice his eye. The guy can actually be pretty funny when he wants to be.”

Jake braced his hands on the island on either side of me. “Sounds like I have some competition. I better step up my game.”

I placed my hand on his bicep and brushed my thumb across the curve of it. “I’m your only competition.”

He cocked his head, confusion creasing his features. “You’re my competition to win you over?”

“Yep. Me and all my issues. And the exes who gave me issues. Oh, and Ms. Barbara Covington.”

Jake’s eyebrows shot up. “This is getting more interesting by the second.”

“She’s my new client—the one I was with at Blue on Monday. She’s had four husbands and all she talks about is how horrible the marriages were.”

“So let me guess, she’s telling you that you should never get married.”

“Actually, she told me I should find a wealthy man and marry him so that when it ends, I can console myself with the finer things in life. I told her that in my experience, men like that are either workaholics who ignore you or rich, lazy pricks.” I ran my hand up his arm and placed it on the side of his neck. “She suggested I go for the workaholic so I can take a lover.”

“Nice,” he said, and I could feel his deep voice vibrate through my palm.

“She also has this strange philosophy about how a woman should reel in a man.” I shook my head. “I don’t really want to get into it, because just thinking about it makes me angry.” I looked into his blue eyes—they were pale tonight, no hint of the green I saw the other day.

Then it hit me. Maybe Barbara was right. “Do you think I’m some damsel in distress who needs a big strong man to save me? Is that the appeal of this…?” I motioned between us.

Jake laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Every time I’m around you, I’m a complete mess. It’s the only explanation for why you keep asking me out. You think I need rescuing.”

Jake closed the gap between us, pinning me against the counter. His eyes locked onto mine. “I like you, Darby. That’s why I keep asking you out. You act tough—and I’m not saying you’re not—but you’ve also got a kind heart. You’re funny. And instead of playing games, you tell me what you’re thinking.”

He leaned down and lightly pressed his lips against mine. “And you’re really sexy.” He ran his tongue along my bottom lip, his weight holding me in place. My knees went weak and a whole lot of fire, fire, fire wound through every inch of my body.

“I like you, too,” I said, my voice coming out breathy. “But I always choose the wrong guys. Always. Trust me, I’ve studied all my relationships in and out, and no matter how much I learn, I still choose wrong.”

Jake put his hand on my hip, like he had done so many times before, and slid his thumb between my shirt and pants, brushing the skin underneath. “I guess it’s a good thing I chose you, then.”

The way he was looking at me made it hard to breathe. Thinking clearly wasn’t really possible with his lips so close to mine either. So instead of trying to come up with something to say, I closed the gap and kissed him. I didn’t hold back, putting all the overwhelming emotions swirling through me into the kiss.

He made a low sound in the back of his throat, and it seemed to take him great effort to pull away. He exhaled, then turned to the stove and flipped the chicken.

I walked up behind him, put my arms around him, and leaned my head on his strong back. “Sweet talk and a guy who knows how to cook? A girl could get used to this.”

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