Back to You (13 page)

“You weren’t in bed, were you?” he asked.

“Uh… no, it’s only ten o’clock,” she pointed out.  “I’m old, but not
that
old.”

He laughed. “You’re not old. Well, you
are
older than me, but not old.” He always liked to rub that in, probably because he knew it drove her insane.

“Why are you calling?” She wanted to know.

“I have something planned,” he told her. “A surprise.”

She loved surprises. She was officially intrigued. “At this hour?”

“Yep. I know it’s late. But this is the best time for it.”

“The best time for what?” she asked, curious.

“Well, I can’t tell you,” he said. “It’s a surprise, remember?”

Now he was officially driving her bonkers with his antics. “Okay,” she said, taking a breath. “Are you bringing it over now?”

He laughed. “It’s not something I can bring over,” he explained. “It’s something you go to.”

She was even more intrigued, and getting quite excited.

“I’m coming over to pick you up,” he told her. “Is Jesse around?”

“Yep,” she said, looking over at Jesse who was still trying to figure out his next move.

“He should come too,” John suggested, “…and your Mom too. Paige and I will be there in ten. You guys need to put on long pants, hiking shoes and jackets or sweaters. It’s a bit cool tonight.”

Sophie wasn’t sure what he was up to, but anything involving hiking shoes scared her a little.

“See you then…” she said with hesitation before hanging up. Sophie wasn’t sure she liked these kinds of surprises – the ones which came in pretty wrapped boxes were great, but she didn’t know what to think about this one.

“Change of plans,” she told Jesse. “I think we’re going for a hike.”

“You think?!” he asked, confused. “But it’s dark out.”

“I know. I’m not sure what we’re doing,” she admitted, confused as he was. “Go put on your jeans and a sweater.”

Sophie ran to her room and grabbed her pair of worn Levis and the purple skeleton covered hoodie which she was way too old to wear, but did anyway because it was so cozy. As she pulled her jeans on, she ran to her mother’s room.

Gloria was sitting comfortably in her bed, reading a book under the glow of the lamp on her night table.

“Mom, we’re going for a hike, I think,” Sophie told her, zipping up her jeans. “Do you want to come?”

“You think? At this hour?” Gloria asked. “Where?”

“I don’t know where?”

“You don’t know where?” Gloria asked, confused.

“John’s taking us,” she explained. “It’s a surprise destination.”

Gloria smiled. “I’m good here. I’ll leave you younglings to your crazy plans.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s pitch dark out. And you don’t even know where you’re going,” she pointed out with a smile. “I’m sure.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Mom?” Sophie joked.

“I’m just not forty anymore,” she said with a sigh.

When John and Paige showed up, Sophie and Jesse were scurrying about looking for Jesse’s favorite sweater.

John walked in without knocking – he had been doing that lately. He was going in and out of the house so much – Gloria had told him to stop knocking.

“We’re looking for Jesse’s favorite sweater,” Sophie told John.

He smiled. “No hurry,” he said. Sophie could never get enough of that smile of his. It was addictive – the more she saw it, the more she wanted to see it.

When they finally found the sweater, they headed out. Jesse seemed as excited as Sophie.  “Where are we going?” he asked.

Paige smiled. “We can’t tell you.”

They hopped in John’s truck. Jesse and Paige were happy to have the back seat all to themselves. Sophie sat next to John in the front. The interior of the truck; the dash and the smooth black leather seats brought back memories of that first kiss. And she wanted to kiss him again. She always wanted to kiss him.

He shot her a little smile before starting the engine. She almost melted. He barely had to do anything to get to her – it was effortless.

The kids were chatting away over the sound of talk radio, and they were on their way to an unknown destination – it was all kind of exciting.

“How far?” she asked.

“It’s about thirty minutes,” he told her, “…then a ten minute walk.”

She smiled and found herself content with that information – she didn’t need to know more.

“You want to listen to some music?” he asked with a playful smile.

“Sure.”

He put on his iPod track, and played a song. From the first few notes, she knew it was that song – that Bob Dylan song they had kissed to. And she was brought back to that kiss in its full intensity.

She smiled and closed her eyes. “You like to push my buttons, don’t you?”

“What?” he asked innocently.

“You know what,” she said, smiling. “You know exactly what you’re doing to me.”

He smiled. “And I know you don’t mind it at all.”

He was right. She didn’t mind it at all.

After a relatively quiet ride in the darkness, listening to music, they finally got to their destination – a hiking trail off the main highway.

“You’re taking us for a hike?” she asked, a little confused. A nighttime hike was kind of unusual and it certainly wasn’t the surprise she had expected.

“Yep,” he said, taking her hand. “Here, come… I’ll put some bug spray on you and the kids.” Why did his little adventures always involve bug spray?

As John sprayed her, he took great care in spraying all her exposed spots. He grabbed her ponytail, and slid out the bright pink elastic out of her hair gently, his fingers lightly brushing the back of her neck, sending shivers though her. She closed her eyes. Why did he have to keep touching her?

“You’ll be better off with your hair down,” he said matter-of-factly, “…might keep the mosquitoes off your neck.”

John sprayed himself and the kids, and they quickly took off on the hike through the dark woods. John lead the way with a flashlight, the kids in between, and Sophie at the back, hoping that she wouldn’t get attacked by bats, or a skunk or any other possible scary nocturnal creatures.

The air was not too chilly, the moon was bright in the sky, and the mosquitoes were not bothering her too much – it was actually a beautiful night for a hike. The walk led to a boardwalk by a swampy river, and she could hear the sounds of the night. It was quite pleasant – John had had a good idea, she thought. This was a nice surprise after all.

“Those sounds are barn owls,” John told them. She had never been on a night hike before, and it was kind of spooky and exciting. In fact, she was quite enjoying the hike – until a large bug landed on her neck and got caught in her hair.

She jumped up and down in a panic, hands feverishly raking though her hair, trying to get the bug out.

“Are you all right, Mom?” Jesse asked with concern.

“Yes,” she told him. “There was some kind of giant thing in my hair.”

John laughed.  “Well… you’re talking. It must mean you’re still alive.”

Rolling her eyes in the dark, Sophie was a little annoyed. John wasn’t so cute and charming when she could only hear him, and not see him.

Then John stopped abruptly.

“This is it. This is the spot,” he whispered. “Stand still and be quiet,” he told everyone, turning off his flashlight.

What? What is it? Sophie wondered.

And then she saw it.

A small flicker of green light in the distance. Then another – orange, a little dot of bright intense light flashing quickly, like a star at ground level. Then another – yellow.

And as they stood quiet, the lights started flashing everywhere, in quick succession – hundreds of them. They were everywhere, surrounding them with the most amazing energy.

“Wow,” she heard Jesse whisper.

Wow was right. It was one of the most magical sights she had ever seen.

“They’re fireflies,” Paige told Jesse, stating the obvious.

“It’s amazing,” Sophie whispered, in awe.

“Isn’t it,” John whispered in her ear.

Although she couldn’t see him, his presence just behind her took her breath away. And when he wrapped his arms gently around her waist, she felt her entire core melt. “I really wanted you to see this,” he said softly.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, barely audible. She could hardly speak – a lump in her throat taking her words. This was the most beautiful surprise.

And he held her tighter. And she closed her eyes – but not for too long, because she wanted to see the ‘stars’.

“Why do they light up like that?” she asked him, knowing he would know the answer – it seemed John knew everything.

“It’s about love,” he told her. “It’s a mating ritual.”

She smiled. Wasn’t it always about love?

“The males fly around flashing, letting the females know they’re up for a booty call,” he whispered, and although she couldn’t see him, she knew he wore that mischievous grin she loved.

She laughed a little. “Oh… is that how it works?”

“The females are on the ground, and when they see a flashing signal they like, they flash back.”

She smiled. “It’s not that different than how we humans do it… is it?”

“I think it’s a little more complicated for us humans… we don’t have a light we can just turn on.”

“True.” That would make things so much easier, she thought. But… it would also be chaos.

“If I had one of those lights,” he whispered “it would certainly light up around you.” He was doing it again – he was arousing her. And her heart began to beat a little faster.

“And…” he said, hesitating. “I know you probably know that already… the way I look at you.”

She did. She did know.

“But what I really want to know,” he went on, hesitating a little, “is… would you light up for me?” he asked, in barely a whisper.

She closed her eyes. Of course she would. Why would he even have to ask?

“Yes,” she said softly. “I would light up the sky.”

The drive home was too long – too intense. No matter how passionate a moment was with John – a new moment always seemed to surpass it and Sophie wasn’t sure her heart could take the intensity anymore. She seriously wondered if someone could die of unfulfilled lust.

When he drove up her driveway, she noticed it was quite late.

“Bye Jesse, see you tomorrow,” John said casually.

“See you next time,” Paige waived. She was so sweet.

Sophie smiled at John as she grabbed the car handle. “Thank you so much, John. That was wonderful.” It truly had been one of the most magical nights of her life.

“No problem,” he said, smiling. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I loved it.” She really wanted to hug him just then, but decided against it. She wasn’t sure if she could take the proximity to him.

“Thank you,” she said one last time before stepping out.

And as she walked to the house with Jesse, she finally realized what she must have known all along – she loved John Moretti.

Chapter 12

“HOW was last night?” Gloria asked, making herself a cup of coffee.

“It was amazing,” Sophie gushed, her eyes dreamy, remembering the night before.

Gloria cocked an eyebrow, a smile forming at the corner of her mouth. “What exactly did you do?”

Sophie laughed. “It wasn’t anything like that, Mom,” she told her between giggles. “Geez Mom, get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Well, what has got you so dreamy?”

“John took us to see fireflies.”
And I’ve completely fallen in love with him.
“They were everywhere. They were amazing.”

“Sounds magical,” Gloria said. “Now I regret not going.”

“They’re not going anywhere,” Sophie pointed out, grabbing a bowl of cereal. Her mind was full of John.

“Is it Friday today?” she asked her mother. It was a strange thing – not being gainfully employed and forgetting the days of the week – a strange thing, but a good thing.

“Yes,” Gloria cheered. “The big date is tonight.”

Sophie smiled – she would see John again – and soon. “You’re still available to look after Jesse?”

“Of course,” Gloria smiled at her daughter. “You go have fun. If anyone deserves to have a little fun, it’s you.”

She agreed with her mother – she did deserve to have a little fun – the last two years had been so hard.

And tonight she was going to paint the tip of her fingers and toes wild fuchsia, and have a blast.

***

Sophie couldn’t believe how excited she was. She hadn’t been to a pub in years. Of course, she had been to quite a few martini bars with Marcus, hob-knobbing with the elite, making perfectly polite conversation – perfectly polite, and perfectly dull. But how long had it been since she had been to a real bar – a good old down ‘n dirty bar? It had been forever.

And the most exciting part – she was going with John… and Craig and Jimmy too, but they were pretty good guys. And it was going to be so much fun.

She slipped on her skinny jeans and an old Bruce Springsteen t-shirt. As she brushed her hair, John occupied her thoughts – she wondered what he would wear. The usual, she imagined – faded jeans and body hugging t-shirt. Her mind wandered again…

“So Mom, can I watch a movie when you’re gone,” Jesse asked her.

“As long as it’s fine with Grandma,” Sophie told him. “Nothing worse than 14A,” she quickly added, dabbing on some lipstick.

He smiled. “You look nice, by the way.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing the top of his head, feeling a tug at her heart. Her little boy was growing up so fast.

John picked her up in his truck at about eight o’clock. As she climbed in the seat, he smiled and gave her a look – a look so fleeting, she barely noticed it. But notice it, she did.

“I like your nails,” he told her, “…wild.”

She smiled. She had finally put on the wild fuchsia. “Well, like I said. I don’t get out much, so it was now or never.”

“You look amazing,” he said, looking straight at the road ahead. “I like that shirt.”

She smiled. She liked his too – it was the same faded plaid shirt he wore the first time she saw him in her mother’s kitchen after all those years. And he looked damn sexy.

At this rate, she wasn’t even sure they’d make it to the bar.

The ‘Old Whiskey Jake’s’ was the same as she remembered. As she made her way in, she wondered how a place could remain unchanged for so many years. Nut shells littered the old filthy planked flooring. Neon lighted beer advertisements and old vintage beer posters plastered the walls. Photos of the locals were displayed as well, and an old school juke-box stood in the same corner; the same one she remembered playing Joan Jett’s ‘I Love Rock n Roll’ a zillion times on. And even the clientele hadn’t seemed to have changed – local friendly folks taking the edge off after a hard day’s work and having a good time.

Jimmy and Craig greeted them with huge grins.

“You finally made it,” Jimmy cheered, giving John a quick man-hug and a tap on the shoulder. “Nice to see you here too, Sophie” he added with a wink in his friend’s direction. John gave him an uncomfortable smile. Jimmy was certainly not known for his subtlety.

“Craig and I are already playing a game,” he told them, his eyes pointing to one of the dart boards on the wall. “You guys should grab that free board quick,” he told them with another grin. “Do you play?” he asked Sophie.

“A little,” she said in a low voice.

“I’m getting some drinks,” Craig chimed in. “What do you have?” he asked Sophie.

“Um…” she mused. “A beer… whatever’s on tap.” She hadn’t drunk a beer in ages, but ‘when in Rome’…

“And nothing for you boss?” Craig asked before heading off.

John nodded a ‘no’.

“John never drinks when he’s driving… not even a sip,” Craig explained. “Such an altar boy,” he joked before heading off.

But Sophie knew there was more to that story – she knew he would never drink and drive after what had happened to her father. She didn’t want to think about that tonight – she just wanted to have a good time.

“So how about a game of darts?” she asked.

“301?” he said with a crook of his brow. “Like the old days?”

She smiled. “I’d love it.”

She remembered how they used to go to the local diner close to her house, play darts and order hamburgers and Cokes. And back in the day, he had the most annoying habit of always beating her, and never ever letting her win – he was so much better than she was. She had been almost hopeless. And she figured he hadn’t changed a speck. But she had…

“How ‘bout we make it fun?” she asked, grabbing the red darts.

“What do you mean? A bet?”

She was feeling bold. “Yes. Exactly.”

“What do you want to bet? Money?” he asked, a confused look on his face.

“Not what I had in mind,” she said with a sly smile, inching towards him. “I was thinking…” she didn’t quite have the guts to say what she wanted to say.

“What?” he asked, curious, his eyes playful.

She hesitated. “Well… you could give something I want,” she struggled to say, “from you.”

He smiled. He was beginning to understand.

She bit her lip. She couldn’t believe how daring she was being. Maybe it was the few sips of beer, or maybe the easy-going atmosphere of the bar. Or maybe it was her intense attraction to him – now in another dimension altogether – it was no longer purely physical – it was emotional too.

“I wouldn’t mind another kiss,” she said in a barely audible voice, not quite looking at him.

He didn’t say a word. His grin stretched to his ears. He was enjoying this.

“Well?” she asked, more nervous than she thought she could ever possibly be.

He laughed. “Okay, if you win, I’ll kiss you. But what do I get if I win?”

“Uh…” she hesitated, “a kiss,” she said shyly.

He laughed out loud. “Oh… I’m not letting you off this easy,” he decided. “Nope. What I was thinking was more along the lines of,” he whispered in her ear, “I was thinking of you coming with me to the beach.”

She perked up, officially intrigued.

“…and I want to see
every
inch of your body,” he went on and paused to let her probably digest his words.

And as she did, her heart started beating faster, at a furious pace.

“I want to see every inch of your body in that cold freezing ocean water.”

She laughed. “Oh damn,” she said. “I better win then.”

There was no way she was going in that icy water.

But she had nothing to worry about. A little known fact John wasn’t aware of was that for the better part of a decade, she had had a dart board in her condo, and Marcus had taught her well. She had even played with Jesse who had played since he was small – she smiled at the memory of him standing on a stool, dart in hand, in his airplane covered pajamas.

“Well, let’s see who goes first. You throw first,” she offered. She watched him standing in his sexy plaid shirt, eyes focused, aim ready. Damn, he was hot. She had a sip of beer to cool off.

He didn’t even come close.

Her turn was up, and she considered going for the bull’s eye, but she wanted to keep up the pretense a little.

She planted the dart on the edge of the board. “I guess you go first.”

He smiled sweetly at her.

He messed up his shots, darts littered about everywhere, everywhere but where he wanted them.

“Those doubles are hard,” she teased.

She was up next, and as she took her first shot, she landed it right on the double 20 – a perfect play.

John leaned back against the wall, a smile on his face. But she knew he wasn’t pleased. “Impressive.”

“Lucky I guess,” she smirked. And then, she planted the other two darts – one on the triple.

“That’s 120” she said, scribbling her perfect score on the board, “For a score of 181.”

“You hustled me,” he accused her, his eyes wide.

“No, I didn’t,” she protested with a smile. “I never said I couldn’t play. You just assumed.”

“I
remembered
you couldn’t play,” he said. “But I guess you’ve been practicing.”

She smiled. “I have a dart board at my place. How about you? You haven’t played in a while?” she teased.

“Hey… that was just a rough start,” he told her. “I come here practically every weekend.”

He got a double on his second play and amped his game, hitting the bull’s eye.

“Not too bad,” she said with a sly smile. There was still no way he was beating her.

He wrote down his score on the board, and gave her a serious look on his way back. “You are going in that water,” he vowed, all business.

“Oh… am I?” she said. “I wouldn’t count on it if I were you.”

Her second play was as good as her first. It was a done game.

He tried to catch up – a respectable attempt, but the game was hers.

Finally, she threw her last dart and it landed exactly where it needed to, and she smiled gloriously at him. “Close game,” she offered, trying not to rub it in too much.

He walked towards her slowly, his eyes full of defeat.

And something else… desire.

“Well, I guess I have to pay my bet.”

“You do,” she agreed with a smile, her heart thudding.

He set his club soda on the table next to them, and cupped her face in his hands. He was going to kiss her – right there. She didn’t care about the people surrounding them. She was sure they couldn’t care less. That’s what people did in bars, after all. She was gearing herself up for another amazing kiss, eager with anticipation.

He leaned in slowly and planted his lips on hers.

A soft peck.

He backed away with a smile. “There.”

“That’s it?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“Well, that’s a kiss, isn’t it?” he asked with a playful smile, and it made her blood boil.

She frowned. “Well, I was thinking more along the lines of the kiss you gave me in your truck,” she clarified.

He shot her a devilish smile. “Well, you see… you didn’t specify that.”

She wanted to throttle him. “I thought that went without saying, John.”

He smiled again, enjoying every minute. “Rematch?”

“Um…” she thought about it for a few seconds. “And if I win again… you’ll kiss me properly?”

“I will,” he swore. “I’ll take you to my truck,” he whispered against her ear, “and I’ll kiss you senseless.”

Her breathing faltered. His words had completely rattled her.

Well she couldn’t very well say no to that.

Now she
needed
to play really well again – but she just wasn’t quite sure she could.

John couldn’t believe Sophie had hustled him. And he wanted payback. It was clear she had become a better player than him, despite the fact that he played almost every weekend with his buddies.

Yep – she was good – but could she still play with a few distractions…

As Sophie stood, a dart precisely positioned in her fingers, her eyes focused on the board, John could have sworn her hand was shaking a little. He leaned in behind her, his breath on her ear, “Are you sure your aim is accurate?” he whispered. “There’s a lot riding on this.”

“Back off,” she scoffed. Oh… she knew what he was up to. But nevertheless, she still messed up her shot.

First victory.

Focused on ruining her game, John’s game was unaffected and he played well. She scowled at him whenever he made a good throw.

He leaned in here and there, trying to distract her, commenting occasionally, trying to make her second-guess herself. But she was focused – and the game was close.