Something Worth Fighting For (4 page)

The moment was lost as Tisha turned confused brown eyes his way. “What?”

“Nothing.” Jonah could feel his face heating from embarrassment as a conversation he and Cami had a few days back came roaring back to haunt him.

Of course “nothing” to Cami was code for “please talk more”. “I was telling Uncle J I thought you were pretty and he should ask you out on a date, but he said you’d probably say no because you thought he was a jerk.”

“Did he now?”

“Yes, and he said it was really a shame because he thought you were very prett—” Jonah reached out and pulled a protesting Cami into his arms and placed his hand over her mouth.

“That’s not exactly how the conversation went.”

“Really?”

Cami protested from behind his hand, causing him to tighten his grip on her. “Yes, and if someone wants to watch television tonight, then someone might want to stop sharing private conversations with other people.” As he’d hoped, his words did what his hand could not. It silenced his niece, once and for all. When he was sure his secrets were safe, he removed his hand and his hold on Cami, allowing the grinning girl to step away from him. “Now, before any more of my secrets are spilled, I’m going to go get in the shower and wash away my manly funk.”

“Feel free to take your time,” Tisha teased. “I’m sure Cami and I can keep each other company with girl talk.”

“Lord, I hope not.” With his shattered dignity surrounding him like a cloak of darkness, Jonah turned and headed out of the room. Before he could step past the entryway, Tisha called out his name. He glanced over his shoulder at her and said, “Yes?”

“Just for the record. I don’t think you’re a jerk. Not anymore at least.”

Really? Deciding to take advantage of the opening, he asked, “Then you’ll go out with me Saturday night?”

Tisha blinked in surprise and then smiled. “Sure, I’d love to. But first, let’s do lunch.”

“I’ll shower and be back in fifteen.”

“Sounds like a date.”

From jerk to date. Things were looking up for sure.

Chapter Four

“You’re not really going to wear that, are you?” questioned Nance as she shot down the fourth dress in less than five minutes. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Tisha had a) invited her for this little impromptu high-school-like gathering or b) gave a rat’s ass about the other woman’s opinion.

Nance being Nance didn’t let either of those reasons stop her from sharing her unwanted opinion. “I think you should pick something else.”

Exasperated and tired of the pathetic selection of clothes hanging in her closet, Tisha pulled the emerald, off-the-shoulder tunic dresses from the hanger, intent on wearing it whether her self-appointed fashion critique liked it or not. Jonah was supposed to be at her house in less than twenty minutes and she still needed to do her hair and makeup.

“Are you even listening to me?”

It was hard not to. “No, but that’s never stopped you from talking before.”

“And it’s not going to stop me now.” Nance stuck her tongue out as she plumped up one of Tisha’s pillows then tucked it behind her back, propping her up on the bed.

“Comfy?” Tisha asked, sarcasm dripping off her words like a leaky faucet.

“Very. Now let’s get on with the get on.”

Tisha snorted in lieu of a reply. Nance was a firecracker and she never had an opinion she didn’t feel free to express. If Tisha didn’t love the loud-mouthed Latino so much, she would have killed her ages ago. “Don’t you have something better you could be doing?” Her words were muffled by the dress she was pulling over her head, but she was sure her point was made loud and clear. Then again, she was talking about Nance here. When her head popped clear of the dress, she spoke again. “I’m a big girl, mommy. I can get ready for my date all by myself.”

“Really? I wasn’t sure you would remember how.”

Rolling her eyes, Tisha turned back to the closet and took out a pair of black leggings.

“Leggings.” Nance gasped. “Who the hell do you think you are, Lindsey Lohan? Put those back. No, burn them.”

“That’s it.” Tisha turned back to her lounging friend and tossed the leggings at her, hitting Nance square in the face. “Get out of my house. No, don’t just get out. Stay out and give me back my key.”

“Then I’d have no one to bug.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I’m beginning to get the feeling you don’t want my help.”

“You’re just now getting that feeling? I have to work on expressing myself better.” Tisha slipped the dress off and hung it back up. The outfit was ruined now, thanks to Nance’s comment. If she didn’t find something soon, she was going to be forced to go out in what she had on, and that wasn’t much. “Pick something out of the pit of despair while I finish getting ready.”

“It’s about damn time.” Nance rose from the bed with a smile and rushed over to the closet.

“You’ve been waiting all day to do this, haven’t you?”

“Girl, I’ve been waiting since your first date in high school.” Nance let out a heavy sigh. “I miss high school. Don’t you?”

“Hell to the no.” Tisha shuddered at the very thought. She definitely wasn’t one of the shiny, happy people who flourished in school. She had been more like a mirage, attending just enough days to pass and not a second more. “Besides, that was so long ago, I’m surprised you remember it.”

“Bite your tongue,” Nance growled.

“Biting.” Tisha laughed as she walked into the bathroom. The spitfire could take a charging bull head-on, but one small crack about her age had her near tears. Someone was not dealing well with turning thirty.

“So where are you guys going?”

“I don’t know.” She hadn’t asked and he hadn’t told. For some strange reason that worked for her. Jonah was taking charge of the date, as, in her opinion, all men should, leaving her to worry only about how good she was going to look and how soon she was going to be able to get rid of Nance.

She was still quite surprised Jonah had asked her out. The only bad part was that if this didn’t work out one of them was going to have to move, and her credit report couldn’t handle another big-ticket item purchase. Still, he was cute, and he loved the dickens out of his niece.

Glancing at her watch, she realized she’d wasted precious time daydreaming. Tisha fixed her hair and makeup in record time, considering the deadline she was under. She stared at herself in the mirror and assessed her efforts, pretty pleased with the results. She had her hair done yesterday, and thanks to the fresh flat iron, it only took a few minutes to flip the back. Her makeup was more dramatic than she usually wore, but still elegant and understated. She sighed, knowing it was time to stop admiring herself and to face the Clothes Queen to find out what she’d be wearing this evening.

Tisha felt as if she’d walked into the
Twilight Zone
when she crossed the threshold from her bathroom into the bedroom. Her bed was covered with what seemed to be almost every outfit from her closet. Nance stood, humming to herself, a skirt in one hand and a top in the other. The other woman shook her head and then, with a gleam in her eye, pounced on a blouse she must have missed in her earlier decimation of Tisha’s closet.

“Aha, this is it.” Turning around, Nance held it up for Tisha’s inspection. As much as it pained her to do so, Tisha had to admit the woman had skills.

The knee-length white A-line skirt with black floral embroidery at the bottom would look great with the black tie-neck halter shirt and black wedge heeled shoes. Of course, just because she liked the choice was no reason to let Nance know. “It’ll do.”

Then again, this was a woman she’d known for years. Nance wasn’t fooled at all. “Girl, please, you know it looks good.”

“Of course it does. I bought it.” Tisha made a face at her laughing friend as she took the outfit out of her hand and walked over to the full-length mirror on her closet door. She held the outfit up against her body, once more giving it a critical eye.

It was cute and flirty, showed a bit of skin without showing the whole package. It said, “I’m single and free to mingle, but I’m not a ho, so don’t get it twisted.” It was perfect.

“Are you going to get dressed or stare at yourself all day?”

“You know wha—” Before she could get her sentence out the doorbell rang.

“Let me get that for you.”

“Uhh…no.” Only god knew what would come out of Nance’s mouth if she did.

“What?” The amused woman quirked a brow. “Are you going to answer the door…like that?”

Tisha looked down at the outfit still in her hands then back at her smirking friend. “Good point.” She hung the shirt up on the clothing hook and began to remove the skirt from the hanger. “I’m only going to say this once though, Nance. Don’t make me kill you.”

“What? Don’t you trust me?”

Was she crazy? “No.”

“Smart
chica
.” Nance headed for the door, pausing long enough to toss over her shoulder, “Take your time. I’ll keep Uncle Nazi company.”

“His name is Jonah,” she shouted out, worried now more than ever.

She stepped into the skirt and then pulled the shirt over her head, careful to not mess her hair. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she slipped her feet into the wedge shoes and viewed herself in the full-length mirror. Not too damn bad. A quick spritz of perfume and she was on her way.

As she reached the living room, she heard Nance chattering away. Jonah stood, staring at the smaller woman in awe, as if he couldn’t believe someone could talk so much and not take a breath.

“I’m here to rescue you.”

He looked up with a smile and Tisha felt a clench in her belly at the look. Ah yes, now she remembered why she’d agreed to this date. There was definitely something here worth exploring.

* * * * *

The evening had been a perfect dinner date. The drive to Santa Monica had been relatively traffic jam free and their conversation allowed Jonah to start to develop a better picture of Tisha. Once at the pier, she’d readily agreed to his restaurant suggestion and they enjoyed a delicious meal with a side dish of great conversation. By the time dinner came to an end and they left the restaurant, Jonah was just beginning to feel as if he was really getting to know Tisha, the real woman behind the sass. He wasn’t ready for the evening to end, not yet.

“It’s still early. Babysitter is paid up until midnight. How about we hang out here for a few minutes more?”

“Are you going to try to win me a stuffed animal?”

“If you like, or we can simply take a stroll on the beach.”

“As lovely as that sounds, I’m not sure I’m up to it. I’m a bit tired. I had to work today. Friday and Saturday are my busiest days.”

“Are you ready to go?” Maybe this date wasn’t going as well as he thought it was. He was having a good time, but perhaps she wasn’t.

“No, not at all. I’m not sure I’ll survive the walk down to the water. The sand is the hardest part.”

“Well, I’ll give you a ride on my back until we reach the water.”

“Either you’re a lot stronger than you look, or I’m a lot heavier than you think,” she teased.

“I’m willing to take that chance,” Jonah said with all seriousness.

“Do you promise not to drop me?”

“Sweetheart, I think you should worry more if I ever plan on letting you down.”

She tilted her head and stared at him with an odd look for a brief moment. “I’ll walk…for now.”

“The offer will be open-ended.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Walking in the cool night air, Jonah and Tisha strolled on the crowded pier, their voices drowned out by the loud, boisterous crowd. Trying not to get separated, Jonah took her hand, sending a current of energy from him to her. The crowd thinned out as they turned the corner and headed down toward the beach. Once they were free of the horde of people, Tisha tried to release his hand, but he refused to let go.

“Are you going to let loose anytime soon?” she teased, looking over at him.

“I hadn’t planned on it.”

“I do need it, you know. I’ve grown attached to it.”

“So have I.” But to avoid appearing like the besotted fool he was beginning to feel like, he released her hand. Reluctantly. Leaving the main street, they crossed the road and headed down to the beach. When they reached the golden edge of the sand, Tisha paused to take off her shoes. Not one to be outdone, Jonah did the same, shoving his socks into his shoes when he finished.

Once they were both barefooted, they stepped onto the sand and began their casual stroll.

“Have you lived here long?” she asked, ending the comfortable silence.

“No,” he replied, turning the question back on her. “What about you?”

“Yes. I’ve lived in Southern California my entire life.”

“That’s a strange concept for me.”

“What?” He could see her brow furrow, even in the dimming light.

“Living in one place all my life.”

“Move around a lot?”

“Foster kid. Half my life was spent moving.”

“That’s sad.”

“It is what it is, you know?” Jonah shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. Although his childhood had been less than idyllic, he wouldn’t change it for the world. He was the man he was today because of the way he was reared. Plus, if he had never been in foster care, he would have never met Cami’s dad, nor become her guardian. Everything was as it was meant to be.

“You don’t like to talk about it?”

“I don’t have a problem talking about it. Dwelling on it is another thing altogether.”

“We can talk about something else.”

“Like you?”

“That would be a short conversation,” she teased. “Born here, raised here, more than likely will die here. The end.”

“That has to be the condensed version because I sincerely doubt someone as vivacious as you could be explained that easily.”

“As you said earlier, it is what it is.” Tisha stopped at the edge of the water and turned to him. The security lighting filling the pier lit the dark night, allowing Jonah to gaze down into her upturned face clearly.

“I don’t buy that.”

“Why not, because you’ve decided I’m something…more than I really am?”

“Why don’t you just say what you were thinking? You’re something special.”

“Dinner on the pier, moonlight walk on the beach, flattering comments—if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me.”

There was nothing Jonah wanted more than to take her home and swathe her body with his, but he would never put Cami or Tisha in the uncomfortable position of the morning after. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want her. Far from it, in fact. “I would never try to seduce you.”

“You wouldn’t?” Her eyes widened.

“No. Seduction reeks of sneakiness and deception. When you come to my bed, it will because you’re absolutely sure that’s where you want to be.”

The look of surprise melted into one of pleasure. “When…not if.”

“Most definitely when.” He nodded his head to emphasize his point.

“Conceited much?”