Love Like You've Never Been Hurt (12 page)

“Because,” laughed Emma, “as you well know, I
blend all the veggies into the sauce so that he still gets all the
nutrition you are so concerned about since you are such a wonderful
mother. And let’s just say that it’s such a great big
thing because I have a hunch, and leave it at that for now.”

“Is there anything at all I can do to help or does Miss
Super Mouse have it all covered?”

“You’ve set up the table beautifully. You’ve
managed to light all the tiki torches around the deck, which I would
never have thought of, and you have a wonderful fire pit set up on
the beach for later, so don’t make out you’ve done
nothing at all.”

“Since you put it like that I can sit back and enjoy my wine
then. I hope we’ll have a lot of nights like this this summer,
Em. It’s so good to have you back here.”

“It’s so good to be here. It feels right. And did Pete
tell you he’s going to do long weekends while he builds the
house?”

“He did. I’m hoping it’ll be like old times, the
four of us together again.”

“Well, here they come,” said Emma as the motor coach
turned into her driveway. The guys all piled out. Scott came to Missy
and hugged her.

“You doing OK, Son?”

“Awesome! Dan has a set-up in there that’s got more
power than I’ve ever seen and he’s letting me have an
external hard drive to use ‘til mine comes and the server rack
has....”

“Whoa, slow down, Buddy,” Missy interrupted. “Rewind
to ‘Hello’ and explain this to me in words of one
syllable or less, please?”

He grinned at her, “It’s OK, Mom. All you need to know
is that Dan is the most awesome dude I have ever met!” He gave
her a big hug. Missy looked over his shoulder at Dan who had arrived
in time to hear the last part. He gave Missy a bashful shrug as she
mouthed ‘Thank you’.

Emma was asking everyone’s preferences on steaks and came to
Scott. “Now then, you’ll want yours medium rare, right?”

Scott looked horrified. “I, err...” he looked
nervously at Missy.

“Don’t panic, Buddy,” laughed Emma, “I’m
only teasing. How does pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese sound?
Auntie Em special.”

“Phew.” Scott swiped at his brow with his sleeve.
“Yes, pur-leez, Auntie Em, you make the best pizza ever.”

“Coming up young man.” She turned to Dan, “And
how about you, steak? How do you like it?”

Dan shifted from one foot to the other and looked to Jack, much as
Scott had just looked at Missy. He opened his mouth, but no words
came out.

Emma smiled at him, “May I take a guess at pepperoni,
sausage and extra cheese for you too?”

He looked at the floor, then met her eye with that shy smile.
“Would that be OK?”

“More than OK. I made two huge pizzas,” she looked
back at Missy, “on a hunch. It should even be enough to get you
both through the night and breakfast too.”

She caught Jack’s eye as he watched her put his brother at
ease. The gratitude in the look he sent her warmed her heart.

“Anything I can do to help?” he asked as he followed
her into the kitchen.

“You can open another bottle of red, if you would, and take
a couple Mountain Dews out for Scott and Dan.”

“How did you know he’d rather have pizza?” asked
Jack, eyeing the two huge pies she’d prepared.

“Easy,” she smiled, “You told me the other night
that I had a head start since he was just like Scott. When I met him
this afternoon I understood how similar they are. Anyway, I didn’t
really know, I covered my options. If he’d wanted steak I would
have had a humongous pizza in the freezer for another day.”

“Thanks Emma.”

“What for?”

“For having us both here, for all of this,” he waved
his arm around the kitchen.

“Like I’ve said before, you’re my friend. I
think Dan will become my friend too.”

“OK, friend,” he smiled, passing her the wine he’d
uncorked, “I’ll get the Mountain Dew to the tech guys.”

Emma timed everything perfectly and with Pete’s help had it
all to the table at the same time. They all laughed as Dan and Scott
tucked into their pizza and both said, “Awesome!”

Ben groaned as he bit into his steak. “Oh, man! Mouse steak,
it’s died-and-gone-to-heaven food.” The rest of them
nodded their agreement.

“You know, Mouse,” said Ben, “I may have to hold
you hostage and keep you here when the summer ends.”

“I’ll help,” chimed in Missy.

“And me,” added Scott through a mouthful of pizza.

Pete exchanged a glance with Jack. “Maybe some of us want
her back in the city.”

“Maybe some of you should move up here too. Then we can all
eat Mouse food all the time.”

Emma laughed, thrilled that they were all enjoying the food.

“Well,” said Pete, “none of us can say what will
happen when the summer ends, but for now we still have the summer
ahead, so I propose a toast.” He raised his glass, “To
living the moment and enjoying it for what it is.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Ben.

The others all chinked their glasses and murmured their agreement.
Jack’s glass was the last to meet Emma’s. He raised his
eyebrows and held her gaze as he brought it back to his lips.

Emma stood, flustered. “I need to check on the pies,”
she said and returned to the kitchen.

Was that what she should be
doing? Living the moment with Jack? Enjoying it for what it was, as
each of her friends had now told her to? But, what exactly was it? It
was a very attractive man who made it plain he wanted her. Did it
have to be any more than that? Oh, who knew! Not her, that much was
for sure. She pulled the apple pie from the oven, then the cherry pie
that Pete loved so much.

She returned to the deck. “OK, who’s for pie?”

Everyone started clearing their own plates and bringing dishes
inside until she shooed them all back to the table.

“Go, go, go!” she laughed. “I enjoy doing this
part as much as you all enjoy eating it, so please sit and let me
play!”

Once they were all served the table was silent as they ate. Emma
beamed, “Now that is the highest compliment I can have. If my
pie managed to shut all of you up, then I know it’s good.”

“This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted,” said
Dan, his tone almost reverent.

“Oh no,” said Jack, “I know that voice, but I’ve
only ever heard it used when it comes to computer programs that he
then obsesses about for months. I have no idea what this will mean
when it comes to pie though.” He looked at Emma, “Be
warned, this could go anywhere.”

“Nowhere bad, I promise,” said Dan. He smiled at Scott
and then whispered to him. Scott nodded his head as a big grin spread
across his face.

“Hell yeah!” said Scott.

Missy shot him a look, “Was that ‘heck’, young
man?” Scott smiled and looked back at Dan, nodding
encouragingly.

“Let me add my name to the growing list of folk who are
going to be spending a lot of time here in the next few months,”
said Dan.

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Jack. “Really, little
Bro?”

“Really,” grinned Dan. “I just met one of the
smartest guys I’ve ever known and we have a few projects we
need to work on.” He looked down at Scott who seemed to grow
two feet taller at the compliment. “I get to hang out with my
big brother and get to know a bunch of great new friends.” He
smiled around the table, holding Missy’s eyes a moment longer
than the others, “And, I’ve been fed the best pizza and
apple pie I’ve ever tasted!”

They all laughed as he finished what for him was a long speech by
rubbing his tummy to accentuate the point.

“Well,” said Emma, “if you are going to be
hanging out with my godson and using your combined genius to better
the world, the least I can do is supply pizza and pies.”

“Then we have a deal,” smiled Dan. “Now would it
be OK with everyone if we get back to work?”

“Not so fast,” said Emma, “I need you to follow
me first.” She led him and Scott to the kitchen where she gave
them the second pizza and the remaining apple pie. “That should
see you through to morning.”

The rest of them made their way down to the beach where Missy had
set out chairs around a fire pit.

“Looks like those two have clicked,” observed Pete.

“Yeah,” said Jack, “I kind of knew that would
work out.”

“Looks like this whole thing is lining up to work out
nicely,” added Ben.

“How do you mean?” asked Missy.

“
Well, we’ve got
Emma back. We’re going to have Pete around more than we have
for years. Scott has a guy in his life who can help him in a way none
of us ever could. And Jack,” he paused, “Jack gets to
kick back and hang with us for a few months too. I think we’ll
all look back on this as a summer to remember.”

They all raised their glasses to that.

Emma leaned back in her chair, content to listen to the others
talk. It was a beautiful cool, clear evening, the fire cast a circle
of heat and bathed them all in flickering light. She watched Pete
entertain them all with a story about his parents and some gallery in
Denver. He was a natural leader. He’d always protected the rest
of their little group. She was intrigued by his friendship with Jack.
She watched the two of them banter back and forth, obviously equals.
She’d only ever known Pete in the lead role, so it was
interesting to see how easily he shared it with his partner. It was
obvious they made a great team. Pete’s words echoed through her
mind;

“I’m a good judge of character...”, “I
think you could be missing out on something special...”

Was that what she was doing? Missing out on something special
because she was too afraid to risk the hurt? Watching Jack throw his
head back and laugh at what Ben had said, she remembered the way he’d
kissed her. Now that had been something special! She couldn’t
deny that, and she did know she would like more of it.

Missy stood up, bringing Emma back to the moment.

“I’m going to check on those two and then I think I’m
going to go to bed, I’m exhausted.”

“Want me to show you your room?”

“No thanks, Hon. You showed us all before. Bedrooms,
bathrooms,” she laughed, “I know there’s a lot of
them, but I’m good. You stay here, I’ll see you in the
morning.”

“I think it’s time for me to turn in too,” said
Ben. “Some of us around here still have to work for a living.”

When they’d gone, the three of them sat in comfortable
silence looking into the flames.

After a while Pete said, “I think I’m going to like
being your neighbor out here, Mouse.”

“I already like it, Pete, and as you said, it’ll be
like this ‘til we’re old and gray.”

Jack was surprised to find himself feeling left out. They had a
lifetime of shared history and a lifetime ahead of them. He was only
a summer visitor, unless he could convince her to let him be more
than that. He wanted to be so much more than that; he wanted to be a
part of this place, a part of her life.

“Can I ask something that’s been puzzling me?”

“Fire away,” said Emma.

“Why ‘Mouse’? Where does the name come from?”

She and Pete exchanged a look he couldn’t decipher.

“I’ll let Pete tell you, it’s his name after
all,” she smiled, but he noticed that it didn’t reach her
eyes.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Pete. “It’s
a childhood thing I guess.”

Jack was surprised by the evasive answer but thought it best not
to push it.

All of a sudden Pete stood. “I think it’s time for me
to turn in too. I’ve got to be back out to my folks early in
the morning.” He was gone before they even had chance to say
goodnight.

“So,” said Jack, “then there were two. Are you
going to cry off on me as well?”

“I am not,” she surprised him. “This is my first
proper night in my new home. I want to make the most of it.”

He noticed her shiver as she reached down to put some more wood on
the fire. He took off his sweater and offered it to her.

“Here, it looks like you need this more than I do.”
She only hesitated for a moment before she took it from him and
pulled it over her head. She was adorable, swamped by the sweater
that was way too big for her. She smiled at him.

“Thank you. This is great. So, how do you like it here so
far?”

“I love it. Pete told me there was something special about
this place and he was right. And now I’ll get to see more of
Dan out here too, it’s going to be great.”

“Are you going to drive that big thing around everywhere you
go?”

“No,” he laughed at her mention of the RV. They had
towed Dan’s Jeep up so that he’d be able to drive back.
Jack, however, was going to need to find some other means of getting
around. “I talked to Ben earlier and he said there’s a
dealership about fifteen miles down Route Twenty. I figure I’ll
head out there on Monday after everyone’s left and buy myself a
pickup to run around in.”

“I’ll take you, if you like?”

Wow, this was progress. “Thanks, I’d love that.”

“That’s what friends are for,” she smiled.

There she went again. She sat there looking so damned cute, out
here under the stars, firelight dancing over her, snuggled inside his
sweater – a sweater he knew he’d never be able to wear
again without picturing this moment – and she was still
insisting on friendship only. He honestly believed that if he kissed
her again now, as he so badly wanted to, he could make her admit that
she wanted more too. The way she’d responded to his kiss made
that obvious. But he also knew that, if this was going to go
anywhere, she would have to decide that for herself.

“Thanks friend,” he smiled and shrugged his
resignation. He decided it was probably best not to sit out here
alone with her for too long. What he couldn’t have was driving
him crazy. “I think I’m going to turn in too. It was a
long drive up here and I’m beat.”