Someone Like You (7 page)

Jake could
tell Gen was about to say something, so he hoped she didn’t mind him jumping in
there first.

“It’s nice to
meet you, Nicky. It’s kind of rude to refuse someone’s hand.”

He heard the
boy mutter something inaudible under his breath, but he finally shook Jake’s
hand.

Jake turned
back to Gen. “So I assume
it’s
straight home for
Nicky?”

Gen nodded.

Jake put the
car into gear, drove out of the parking lot, and headed to the main road.

“Did your
mother ever embarrass you?”

Jake realized
Nicky was talking to him and not his mother.

He glanced in
the rearview mirror.

“Sure, all
mothers do. It’s one of their main purposes,” said Jake.

Nicky scooted
forward and perched himself between the two front seats.

“But I bet
she didn’t do it in front of your friends.”

“You’re too
young to be embarrassed,” said Gen.

“How could
you do that to me?”

“And how
could you do that to your grandmother after she took you to the movies and
bought you a meal?”

“She’s okay
up to a point, but then she gets boring when she starts talking about her
ladies’ knitting group.”

“Well now
that’s where I might have to draw the line too,” said Jake.

He glanced at
Gen, she glanced at him, and he winked at her. He hoped she knew he was joking
around to ease the tension that was building in the car. She smiled. The first
time she’d done that since she’d gotten the call from her mother. It was a pity
to let it go to waste because it was one that could brighten anyone’s sprits,
even on a rainy night.

Jake
remembered the way back to
Gen’s
house without having
to ask for directions. He pulled up on the driveway and turned off the
ignition.

“Nicky,
you’re to go straight to your room, and other than heading over to your grandma’s
to weed her yard and mow the lawn, you’re grounded for a week.”

“Shit, that’s
so not fair,” he said. He got out and slammed the door so hard that it shook
the car.

“I’m sorry
about that, and my apologies to the shocks on your car,” said Gen.

“That’s okay.
And don’t worry because he’ll sleep away his foul mood.”

“I hope so.
Thank you so much for tagging along.”

“I had
nothing else to do, and it was a pleasure to meet your son. Things will work
out between the two of you. I know it.”

“I think they
will once he turns thirty.”

Jake laughed.

“Do you want
to come in for coffee?” asked Gen.

“No, I should
be getting home, but I’ll give you a call.”

“I’d like
that. And I know you said no kissing, so I hope you don’t mind me planting one
on your cheek as a thank you for tonight.”

She leaned
across the seat as her lips made contact with his right cheek. He smiled as she
got out of the car. He waved to her and waited until she was safely inside
before driving away.

He touched
the spot where she’d kissed him. He’d been so tempted to end their evening by
kissing her, not on the cheek, but the lips. Guess he’d have to be more guarded
around her because he sensed she was the kind of woman who could quickly steal
his heart.

Chapter Seven

Gen woke up
the next morning with mixed emotions. Being with Jake, him riding along to help
her find
Nicky,
had actually spoiled her. All night
she’d fantasized about what it would be like to have a man in their lives after
all these years by themselves.
Someone to share the burden of
keeping Nicky in line.
Someone to wake up next to
every morning.
And yes, someone to have sex with
whenever you wanted it.
A man to cuddle you when the
world got too much for you to handle.

She turned
onto her side, a tear sliding down her cheek. They’d only had sex once, spent a
total of four hours together, but she already knew she’d have a tough time
keeping their relationship to only friends who have sex.
What’s wrong with us women? Why are we made this way? If I come back on
this earth again, it’s going to be as a man. Their lives are so less
complicated than ours.

Still she’d
have to settle for whatever he offered. If it meant them just hooking up for
sex now and then, that’s what it would have to be, better that than nothing.

Gen ran her
hand over the quilt, remembering the night before and her and Jake lying on it
mutually enjoying one another’s bodies. She wished he was here right now
because she was tense.

She suddenly
had a terrible thought. He’d said he’d call her, but would he? Wasn’t that what
every guy said?
The polite way to brush you off?
He
probably thought that she and Nicky were baggage he just didn’t need in his
life. After losing his wife, dealing with her cancer, more trouble was probably
the last thing the poor man wanted.

Gen flipped
over onto her back and squeezed her eyes shut.

She’d never
hear from him or see him again.

****

For the first
time since he’d been back in
Idaho
Falls
, Jake went jogging. He’d been too depressed to
think about getting back to his usual routine, but today, despite the rain,
he’d gotten up early, put on is running shoes, shorts, and t-shirt, and headed
out of the door with a sliver of optimism about what lay ahead for him.

He waved to
another jogger on the opposite side of the road. At least he wasn’t the only crazy
person out on the slick streets today. He took a deep breath, picking up the
pace of his run as the wind and rain whipped over his face and ears.

Jake had
slept all through the night without waking up. He hadn’t done that since Katie
had first been diagnosed. He usually found himself awake in the early hours of
the morning, thinking about the life that was ahead of him.
A
future without his wife and filled with despair.

The sex last
night must have been just want he needed to totally unwind. There was an added
plus to it besides the pleasure factor.

Jake stopped
at the newspaper machine outside the pancake restaurant and got himself one to
read later when he got home. He glanced at the back of it and saw there was a
baseball game today. He hadn’t been to one of those since the year before Katie
got sick. He loved going to them. Should he? And would it be wrong of him to
invite Gen and Nicky to tag along with him? Okay, she’d grounded the boy but
maybe it’s just want all three of them needed.

He looked at
his watch. He’d have time to get home, call Gen, shower, and then get ready for
the game.

****

Gen took out
the last batch of laundry from the washing machine and placed it in the basket.
She glanced outside. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast. Hanging
the clothes outside would probably be a waste of her time.

She opened
the dryer door as the phone rang.

“Nicky, can
you get that for me?”

“I thought I
was grounded in my room,” he called back.

“That doesn’t
include not answering the phone.”

She saw him
head into the kitchen, pick up an apple, and bite into it before picking up the
phone.

“Hello?
Sure, just one minute.”

He held out
the phone to her

“It sounds
like that guy from last night.”

Blood rushed
to
Gen’s
head, and her heartbeat quickened. He hadn’t
lied when he said he’d call her.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Gen,
it’s Jake. Hope I haven’t called at a bad time.”

“Nope,
just doing the weekly wash.”

“I was
wondering, if you and Nicky aren’t doing anything this afternoon there’s a
baseball game I’d love to see, and I could do with some company. That is if you
want to tag along with me?”

“Are you
sure?”

“I wouldn’t
ask if I didn’t mean it.”

“Okay, then
yes. Oh and let me bring some sandwiches and drinks for us. That’s if it’s
okay?”

“Great, it
saves me making myself yet another bologna sandwich. And how about I swing by
your place around 1:30 p.m.?”

“We’ll be
ready.”

“Okay, see
you then.”

Gen put the
phone down. It wasn’t technically a date because he’d asked Nicky to come along
too. But he’d called and had obviously thought about her and Nicky.

“Nicky, that
was Jake, and he’s invited us to baseball game with him this afternoon,” she
said, walking into the family room where her son was now watching TV and
finishing off the last of the apple.

“I’m grounded,
or did you forget?”

“Nope, I
didn’t, but you’re ungrounded if you’re with me.”

“So is this a
date for you? If it is I don’t want to tag along and be embarrassed if you hold
hands or start kissing.”

I wish.

“Nope, we’re
just friends. There’ll be no hand holding whatsoever.”

****

What was
wrong with him? He’d changed outfits twice and still wasn’t happy with his
choice of navy blue shorts and the light blue t-shirt. He took it off and
finally opted for the white one he’d originally tried on.

It was yet
another thing that he missed about not having Katie around.
Someone
to tell him if something looked okay or not.
It was a myth that only
women were fussy about their appearances. Men were too. Well, when they wanted
a woman to think they looked good.

He was running
late and hoped Gen didn’t think he’d changed his mind. He locked the door,
headed out to his car, and backed out of the driveway. He glanced up at the sky
while he waited at the stoplights. The sky was turning dark again, but maybe
the game would be over before they had another major downpour.

By the time
he got to
Gen’s
place, it was spitting rain. He rang
the doorbell, and Nicky answered it.

“Come in.
Mom’s just changing outfits for the fifth time.”

Jake smiled,
almost laughed, as he stepped inside the hallway.

Nicky
disappeared into the kitchen, but Jake remained by the door. Gen turned the
corner and looked at him.

She took his
breath away. Today she wore a pink T-shirt with white jeans, and her hair was
held back with a pink and white striped headband.

I want to kiss you.

“Geez, how
long have you been standing there? Didn’t Nicky invite you in to sit down while
you waited?”

Jake held up
his hand. “It’s okay because I went jogging this morning. It’s something I
haven’t done for awhile, and my muscles are
kinda
tight now, so standing’s good.”

Gen shook her
head. “Still, he should have asked.”

“So you guys
ready?” asked Jake.

“Let me get
the cooler, and we’re all set. Nicky, we’re about to leave.”

Jake noticed
that the cooler in question looked heavy as Gen picked it up. He rushed to take
it from her.

“Feels like
there’s more than a few sandwiches in here,” said Jake.

“I forgot to
tell you that I love to cook, so when the opportunity arises to feed people, I
get carried away.”

Nicky
sauntered out from the living room, hands in his pockets.

“You want to
get the door for Jake?” asked Gen.

“Sure. Hope
you’re hungry because Mom’s made enough food for the baseball team.”

“After my run
this morning, I’m starving.”

He winked at
Gen as the three of them headed out the door.

****

Gen saw the
disappointment in Jake’s face when they reached the ballpark and discovered
that the game had been canceled due to the weather. Not that she could blame
the teams for not wanting to play. It was raining much heavier now with no sign
of a break in the clouds.

“We could
still have a picnic under that shelter,” said Jake.

Gen saw a
large gazebo with a dozen picnic tables. Not surprisingly, all of them were
empty.

“I’m not
sitting out in this rain,” said Nicky.

Gen sensed
that this meant a lot to Jake, and that he’d invited them for company as much
as anything else. She couldn’t let him down.

“Then why
don’t I give you some food and you go and sit in the car while Jake and I
weather the elements?”

“You’re
serious, aren’t you?” said Nicky.

Gen opened up
the cooler and gave Nicky some sandwiches, a cup cake, a drink, and some
napkins. Jake handed him the car keys, and he dashed toward the parking lot.