Sweet Dreams (Sunset Dreams Series Book 1) (14 page)

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” His arms flail around as he motions to my bike.

“I’m on vacation,” I answer, stunned. I can only imagine the shocked look on my face.

I pick up my book and my bag and stand my bike up and notice the tire is now flat.

Great.

Jake, however, has the biggest smile on his face I have ever seen him wear. “I’m on vacation too! What are the odds?”

Disoriented, I start walking, not sure what to do. I’m still so shocked to see him here. This is so unexpected.

“Where are you going?” Jake starts to follow me.

“I’m walking back to town.” My heart tells me to jump up and hug him, but the shock of seeing him, here of all places, after not talking to him or seeing him for so long has me dizzy and befuddled.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll give you a ride. I still owe you a ride. Wait! Jen, don’t walk away. I thought we were friends.”

Incredulous, I stop and turn around, still holding on to my bike. “Jake, I haven’t seen you since last September and the last time we talked was months ago.”

We have obviously grown apart. He was busy with his life and I with mine and now as I start a new chapter, he pops up out of nowhere.

“Well, I’m here now. I thought you said time didn’t change anything between true friends. Get on my bike and you can leave yours here. We’ll call someone to come get it. I am not going to leave you on the road!” Jake looks angry, it’s a little scary.

There’s no way to get out of this without coming off as really mean and he won’t understand. I know the minute I get on his bike all the feelings I had for him will come rushing back for me.

This wasn’t the plan.

I was trying to get over him and get on with my life.

What can I do?

If we’re friends, there’s no reason for me not to take his offer.

Ugh I’m so screwed.

I can’t see a polite way out of this. “Fine,” I say, resigned.

“Good, leave the bike here and grab your bag.” Jake beams. He’s just the same. Like no time has passed.

Laying the bike on the ground, I take my bag and book with me. Scanning the ground to make sure nothing else is left, I turn toward Jake and he sweeps me up in an unexpected hug. The barrier around my heart where Jake is concerned crumbles.

Oh, his smell. He smells the same, so good, fresh and clean.

Unable to resist, I wrap my arms around his neck. I’m so weak when it comes to him. Now, I don’t want to let go. I feel Jake exhale against me and we both pull back at the same time smiling at each other.

“There you are.” Letting go of me, he jogs over to his bike and walks it back over to where I stand. “Come on, let me show you what this baby can do.” He looks excited and bounces up on his bike first as I climb on behind him, place my book in my bag, and throw my bag over my shoulder.

“This isn’t the same bike, is it?”

“No, I keep this one here. The one you saw before was a rental. I have another one in LA. Hold on.”

Jake turns the engine on and the vibration kicks in right away. I wrap my arms around his waist without needing an invitation and squeal as he turns back onto the road.

“Lean into me in the turns so you don’t fall off,” Jake calls over his shoulder.

“What? Oh sugar! Don’t let me fall off!” I yell back and scoot closer to him so I’m practically wrapped around him.

This is obviously encouragement as Jake laughs, hits the gas, and speeds down the road. This is so scary, but exhilarating at the same time.

What a rush.

We drive for a while, little squeals escape me every time Jake hits the gas. As we enter the main town, Jake slows down and asks, “Where are you staying?”

“Casa di Gino,” I say in his ear, feeling him shiver a little. This reaction makes me smile and I grab him a little tighter around the waist.

“I know where that is.” Jake takes a few corners and soon we pull up in front. He stops and turns off the bike, placing his hand on top of mine, which are still wrapped around his waist. “We’re here.”

I let go reluctantly and slip off the bike. Turning to face Jake with a big smile on my face I exclaim, “Wow, Jake, that was really fun. Scary, but fun. I can see why you always ride.”

Jake nods in agreement and takes off his glasses.

His eyes, green like… like the freshly cut grass of the Amalfi hills.

Amalfi green?

I feel a little weak in the knees as he looks down at me in earnest. “How long are you here for?”

I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I’m leaving it open.”

Does he want to get together? Maybe we can have lunch or something.

“I’ll go to the mechanic and have someone pick up your bike, fix the tire and bring it back to you.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure. It was great running into you, Jen.” A moment of silence passes between us as Jake regards me. “See you around?”

This rings so familiar. Even though I have no idea where he’s staying, or how we ran into each other, or when I might see him again, I smile and say, “See ya around, Jake. Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime, Jen.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all. Audrey Hepburn

U
p in my room, I sit on the bed thinking about my earlier run in with Jake. How is it possible that we were on the same road at the same time in the same country?

Serendipity?

I turn on the TV to try and distract myself from the thoughts running through my head and decide to take shower. As I’m changing, a picture of Jake and Amy appears on the screen. I can’t understand anything the announcer says except “
Benvenuiti a Italia.”

I deflate.

Of course he’s here with Amy.

I shut off the TV, not wanting to see any more and escape to the bathroom. After my shower, I put on my most comfortable clothes and sit on my bed to read for a while. My mind keeps going back to the ride with Jake; his smell, my arms around him, and the hug he gave me on the side of the road. I thought it had been long enough, but he still affects me the same way he did last year.

I can’t concentrate.

I keep reading the same page over and over. Eventually, I give up and put my book down. Climbing under the covers, I try not to think about him or if I will see him again while I’m here.

It doesn’t work.

The next morning I wake up early. Getting dressed for the day, I decide to head over to the café on the corner for an espresso. Grabbing my map and my bag, I leave my room, locking the door behind me.

What should I do today? Where should I go?

After getting down the stairs I open my map of the area and walk through the courtyard to the front of the
pensione
.

Gino is at the front desk as I pass and asks, “
Buon giorno, Signorina Jen, dove va?
”

“
Buon giorno, Gino, primo espresso
,” I answer with a smile and a wave.

As I walk out the front door I find Jake parked on his bike in front of the entrance gate: jacket, glasses, and all.

“Good morning.”

Surprised, I smile and say, “Good morning. I was on my way out for the day. What are you doing here?”

Jake looks down almost shyly and says, “Come with me for a ride? Come on, just for the day. We can catch up and I can show you around. I know this city like the back of my hand. Give me one day.”

I can’t hide my happiness and excitement at the thought of Jake and me spending a whole day together and accept. “Of course I will.”

Jake’s eyes are bright and sparkle as he flashes me his megawatt smile. “Great, get on.”

Placing my map in my bag and my bag around my shoulders, I ask, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see. Hang on.”

Off we go. Jake drives us down through the streets and I yelp and cringe as he avoids pedestrians and other cars until we hit the coast road. He speeds up, and I’m once again wrapped around him. There’s no way to keep the smile off my face. I can’t believe I’m here, on the back of Jake’s bike, riding along the Amalfi Coast. The day is beautiful as the sun glints off the water. There’s no place I would rather be.

We arrive in Positano and Jake drives us up into the hills where we admire the view as we navigate the small streets. Reaching a peak, we stop for a moment, not getting off the bike, taking in the breathtaking vista of the little town below. After a few minutes, we head back down to the waterfront. Parking the bike, Jake helps me off, taking my hand in his, and threading his fingers through mine. My heart skips a beat at the sensation of Jake’s hand in mine and I do a little internal dance when he doesn’t let go. He pulls me along the little road on the water where we end up at a café that faces the ocean. Unable to keep the huge smile off my face, I sit there with him as we wait for a server. I’m so incredibly happy. Jake orders two espressos and we sip them as we watch the people on the sand and the boats in the water, and comment on the beautiful weather.

“When you’re done, let’s take a little walk around town, okay?”

“Yes, that sounds great. Oh, it’s such a perfect day today,” I say, taking in a deep breath of the ocean air as I close my eyes and lift my face to the morning sun.

“How do you like Amalfi?”

“It’s beautiful here, Jake. You were right, I love it.”

After our espresso, Jake places some Euros on the table and again takes my hand in his. He guides me along the streets, pointing out places that he has been before, and tells me funny little anecdotes about learning to speak Italian. We go into a few boutiques and I browse while Jake hides in corners to keep a low profile. We find several bakeries and a candy shop where I buy a bag of assorted candy. Jake steals a couple of caramels out of my bag and I tease him and giggle as I skip down the street, keeping my bag of sweets just out of his reach. After we loop around, we head back down toward the ocean. Walking along the water, we watch the boats for a bit all the while Jake holding my hand in his. Breaking away, I splash him a couple of times with the cold water and after the third time, he gives me a warning look like he will throw me in.

“Sorry, sorry, please, don’t.” I hold my hands up in supplication while I try not to laugh.

He gives me a pass and nods his head toward the bike. “Come on, let’s go.” Grabbing my hand, he walks us back up to the road and over to his bike where he and I take off our shoes and empty them of the sand.

“Where to now?” I ask, getting situated on the bike behind Jake and wrapping my arms around him.

“Let’s take a little ride. There are some beautiful sights that I want to show you. Does that sound good?” Jake has his head turned back toward me so I look at his profile.

I bury my face in his shoulder blade to keep myself from licking his neck. “Sounds good.” And we’re off.

We drive down the coast, at a slower speed this time, Jake pointing to boats on the water as we go. I don’t see half of the things he tries to point out. Most of my time is spent with my eyes closed, content with my arms around him, the sun on my face, and the wind in my hair. We stop a couple of times at the vista points that look out over steep drop offs to the rocks and water below. Jake balances the bike with the balls of his feet as I rest my hands on his upper thighs to help keep my balance.

Yeah that’s it, to keep my balance.

Jake lets his hands occasionally drop down on top of mine, lacing our fingers together, making my heart pound and my stomach flip. This feels so natural and right.

I’m a total goner.

At one of the stops, Jake turns back toward me. “Are you getting hungry?”

His face is so close to mine I actually have to pull my head back a little to look him in the eye. “Yes, I’m starving.” I hope that came out the right way, because I really am hungry and a little light headed.