Sweet Dreams (Sunset Dreams Series Book 1) (11 page)

“Well, that is all we wrote,” I say defensively.

“It didn’t even rhyme.” He’s making fun of me.

“I was four years old.” I’m annoyed Jake is making fun of my song and frown down at him even as I continue to stroke his forehead and hair. He opens both eyes, looks up at me, his green eyes sparkling while my fingers glide through his hair.

Jade green?

All of a sudden this feels too intimate and I stop stroking his head. Jake gazes up at me for a moment and then starts to sit up. I pull my hand away as he moves to the other side of the sofa.

“That was relaxing, thank you for showing me.” Jake runs his hands through his hair to straighten it out.

Now it’s awkward.

He stands up and wanders over to another shelf where I have my movies. I take a gulp of water and I try to think of something to say to lighten the tension in the room.

“So what were you like as a kid?”

“Well, I was a shy kid. My brother Cooper used to pick on me a lot, but he never let anyone else touch me. He was very protective. He used to get so sick of me following him around, but he was my hero. He was so good at everything. I wanted to be just like him.”

“You were shy, really?”

“I was, could never talk to girls and it was hard making friends.”

This is interesting. I can see some of that shyness in him now that I think about it, but he’s so confident most of the time.

“To help, my dad enrolled me in martial arts classes and my mom encouraged me to participate in the school plays. I was terrified the first time I was on stage, but my mom was always there telling me how great I was. I kept at both all through school and by the time I hit high school, I split my time between marital arts and drama. I loved them both and both really helped my confidence. I ended up transferring to The School of the Arts for acting my sophomore year of high school, then continuing on to a drama school after graduation and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“Do you still practice martial arts?”

“Yeah, I do. It’s a great way to keep focused. Plus it keeps me in shape.”

“I see.” I want to ask him more about his childhood, his family, but I get sidetracked instead imagining Jake doing a high roundhouse kick. “You know, I used to take Karate for a while.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I could totally take you. I have a yellow belt you know,” I taunt.

Jake laughs. “Jen, I have a second degree black belt in Karate and a black belt in Aikido, but we can spar sometime if you like.”

“Whatever, showoff.”

“What is
Fawlty Towers
?”

Standing up with my hands on my hips, I chastise him. “Sacrilege, you have never seen
Fawlty Towers
? John Cleese is hilarious. Our TV was always tuned to PBS or BBC.”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “Never heard of it.”

“Sit down and let me educate you then. We’ll watch one. They’re only like fifteen minutes each. You’ll see.”
I really hope he thinks this is as funny as I do or I may not be able to be friends with him anymore.

We start to watch and I’m relieved Jake laughs along with me. I stop paying attention to him and enjoy the show.

The Germans is the best episode.

Laughing, I hear Jake laugh next to me.

This is the best part.

John Cleese is a genius.

I can’t help it. I’m laughing and crying at the same time, this is so ridiculously funny. I can’t control it and my stomach starts to hurt. Jake is laughing at me now instead of the show. I try to stop, but John Cleese keeps me going. Tears stream down my face and it’s getting hard to breathe.

Jake turns to me with a concerned look on his face. “Jen, are you all right?”

He looks scared and this makes me laugh harder. I point and crack up at him, almost falling off the sofa. He’s trying to be serious, but I can see that he wants to laugh too. Waving him off, I answer, “I’m fine.” Not sure if he understands what I just said, I try to breathe deeply to get myself under control. Jake looks a little more relaxed now that I have started to calm down and I’m finally able to articulate. “Sorry. That was so funny.”

“Yes, but I was worried about you there for a minute. I thought you were starting to go crazy, it was a little scary,” Jake says as he hands me a tissue from the box on the table.

I wipe my eyes. “Ugh, it’s so healthy to really laugh like that once in a while. It’s good for the soul. Don’t you ever laugh so hard you cry?”

“Not like that, I don’t think I have ever seen anyone laugh that hard.”

“Well, you are missing out. I get that from my dad. He will start to tell a story and all of a sudden he’s crying and laughing and even if the story isn’t that funny, you can’t help but laugh along.”

“Do you see him often?”

“Yes, I see him and my stepmom usually once a month. They live an hour and a half away. Do you see your parents often?”

“No, I lost them both a few years ago.”

Shoot. I didn’t know.

“Drunk driver.” His eyes immediately start to water and it makes me so angry.

“That is so terrible, Jake.”

“Yes. They were both too young. I was really angry for a long time.” He pauses takes a shaky breath and continues. “You know what is really sad though? The drunk driver that hit them was just a kid. He was only nineteen at the time of the accident. He had been drinking at a house party, like most of us did at that age, and got behind the wheel, thinking like any kid his age that nothing would happen. He wasn’t a bad kid, just should never have been driving. Now he has to live with killing two people for the rest of his life, not to mention all the consequences that came along with it. I can’t even imagine what the guilt must be like for him.”

Wow! Jake having compassion for the person who took away his parents is admirable. I’m completely awestruck right now.

“I’m sorry. It’s really hard to lose a parent, let alone both at the same time. I can’t even imagine.”

“I have my brother Cooper and his family now. Life is short. You have to make the most of the time you have, you know.”

“Is that why you do so many dangerous things; rock climbing, motorcycles, your own movie stunts? You seem like kind of an adrenaline junkie.”

“I guess those things make me feel exhilarated, more alive, but I’m careful. When I want to do something I always do my research ahead of time. I take my time learning everything I can about it and I plan. I’m a planner and a pretty cautious person. Once I’m prepared and have all the information, I make my move. I never jump into anything with both feet without knowing exactly what I’m doing.”

I take a breath and say, “My life must seem pretty boring to you?”

“No, not at all. More peaceful, I guess. I like that though.” Jake gives me a small smile and I smile back. “Is there anything you want to do that you haven’t?”

“Oh, lots of things. Let’s see…I always wanted to learn how to surf, but I’m scared of sharks and don’t want to be part of the food chain.”

Jake chuckles. “That’s too bad, surfing is an amazing sport. What else?”

“Well, sky diving sounds exhilarating, I just don’t know if I could actually jump.”

“Oh it’s fun. If you go up high enough, you can see the curve of the earth. You should try it.”

“Maybe someday,” I muse. “Travel more, definitely, I want to see everything. There are so many incredible places to see, cultures to experience, and I want to see as many as possible.”

“Jen, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“Do you want to stay here and work in the café forever?”

“I love the café,” I say defensively.

“I know, but it seems with all the hours you work you don’t have time for anything else.”

“I don’t want to work six days a week for the rest of my life, but it’s mine. The café is me.”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong, I think the café is great. But don’t give up on the other stuff. Life is short. You have to go out there and live it.”

I don’t really know what to say.

Maybe he’s right, but I love the café.

I can love it and love other things too, I guess.

Am I holding myself back?

I frown down at my hands as I digest what he said.

Jake stands up and looks at his watch. “It’s getting late. I better get going.”

He grabs his jacket off the back of the sofa and I follow him to the front door.

“It was really good to see you, Jake. How long are you in town?”

“I leave tomorrow,” Jake says looking down at his shoes.

“Oh.” Suddenly my bare feet are really interesting too.

I don’t want him to go.

This was too good and too short and now he’s leaving.

Who knows when or if I will see him again?

Jake stands on the porch facing me in the doorway. When I look up, he takes a step toward me, puts his arms around my waist and pulls me gently to him, causing my arms to automatically come up around his neck so I can hug him back. His face is buried in my neck and mine is on his chest as I close my eyes to savor this moment.

Softly, against my neck Jake whispers, “It was really good to see you too, Jen.” He gives me a final squeeze, then his arms are gone. He walks down the steps and I miss him already. Getting on his bike, he looks back up at me as he starts the engine, nods, and my hand goes up in a wave as he pulls away from the curb.

“Bye, Jake,” I say as he drives away.

Chapter Nineteen

One is very crazy when in love. Sigmund Freud

November

I
t’s been a couple of months since Jake was here. We’ve talked on the phone and texted. He went to visit his brother and told me all about his nieces and the good time they had. He obviously adores them. I really enjoyed hearing about that. From what he has told me, it sounds like his brother is still his hero. Each time we talk, I learn a little more about him. We exchange funny stories about growing up and Jake is constantly teasing me about my clumsiness.

Last week, Jake and I had the most amazing night on the phone. We talked for hours, learning new things about each other. I smile as I remember one particularly awkward moment during our phone call…

“So…”

“So, I did play sports as a teenager. I played softball, basketball, volleyball, and pretty much anything the school offered. I was pretty athletic back then and basically a tomboy growing up.”

“You must have gotten hurt a lot,” Jake teases.

“Is that a crack about my clumsiness? No, I didn’t Mr. Smarty Pants. I’m not clumsy when I’m playing a sport, just when I do everything else.”

“Okay, how about kids, do you like kids? Do you want kids?” he asks.

“Oh yeah, I love kids. I would love to have kids. If I had my choice I would have three boys.”

“Why three boys?”

“Well, growing up as an only child, the house was always quiet. I used to love going to my friend’s house for dinner and sitting at the table with her and her three brothers. They were loud and fun and it was completely different than what I was used to. They played together and fought together, but it seemed great to me. Having a bunch of kids running through the house is what I want and boys are so fun; I wouldn’t know what to do with a little girl.”

“Jen, you are a girl.”

“I know.”

“Well, you better get on that. You’re not getting any younger.”

“What? I’m still young and I have plenty of time.”

I can’t believe he said that.

“I’m just saying three boys is ambitious. I know, I’m a boy and I had a brother growing up. You need to be young to keep up with them.”

Oh my God, does he even realize how far his foot is in his mouth right now.