Except…
It was like the first night he saw her out on the pier. Right now everything seemed ideal, but it was just a mirage–there was no happy ending for them. At least…he didn’t think there was.
Glancing over at Mallory, he saw the look of total peace on her face. She was smiling up at the sky as she cradled her coffee mug in her hands. She was wearing one of his shirts and her bare legs were crossed. She looked sexy as hell.
Down boy…
What would it be like to wake up like this every day? To know he could start his day looking at her face and go to sleep every night with her in his arms? Six years ago, he wasn’t ready for that reality. There were too many things he wanted to do with his life and Mallory had plans of her own as well. The timing wasn’t right for either of them and now that emotions weren’t running quite so high, he knew they could both agree on that. While it was true he hadn’t handled things in the best of ways–had insulted her and deliberately pushed her away–but it was for the best at the time.
Now? Well, now it was a completely different story and Jake sat there wondering why they were holding themselves to their past when there was a possibility of a future for them.
Of course, he was only thinking for himself. He had no idea what Mallory was thinking where the two of them were concerned.
Clearing his throat, he figured there was no time like the present to feel her out on the subject. “So…last night, you and Sam talked about your job,” he began casually. “Sounds like big things are happening for you there.”
Slowly, she shifted in her chair and looked over at him, her peaceful smile still in place. “They are,” she replied. “I always envisioned myself working on exciting new programs and being at different companies all the time, but what it turned into was me being stuck at the same places for long periods of time working on systems that aren’t particularly challenging and trying to convince people to upgrade. It was mentally exhausting and my hours were killer.” She paused. “But all that is finally behind me because I got a promotion and I’m going to have a lot more freedom while working fewer hours.”
He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Sounds great.”
Hopefully he didn’t sound as disgruntled as he felt.
“I hope it will be. I love technology and learning about all the new systems and apps…” She paused and sighed. “It was a lot more taxing than I thought it would be. I’m hopeful this new position will still be challenging even if it means I’m not out in the field as much.” Another pause. “Either way, it is what it is. This is the career I chose–the one I got my degree in–so…”
“Mal, you’re allowed to do something other than what your college diploma says,” he argued lightly. “I mean…not that you’re even suggesting that, but…still…”
“I know, and for a while I considered it–especially if I didn’t get this promotion, but…it would make me feel like a quitter or like I couldn’t handle the job.”
“No one’s saying that.” But part of him felt guilty because there was a time when he was the one accusing her of running away from her problems rather than dealing with them.
Probably not the time to remind her of that.
She gave him a small smile but turned her attention back to her coffee and looking out at the Sound.
Then he figured he’d throw something else out there for her to think about.
“You used to talk a lot about living here in Magnolia,” he said carefully, making sure he was looking out at the water and not at her. “I remember you telling me how you used to beg your mom to move here. Well, she’s here now and you could be too.”
Jake could feel her eyes on him and he fought the urge to look back at her. His heart was hammering like wild in his chest because he knew what he was trying to say without saying it. He didn’t want to spook or scare her, but this was something he wanted her to start considering.
“I can’t just pick up and move, Jake. I have a job and a home and…”
Now he did look. “People change jobs and move all the time, Mal,” he countered.
She didn’t immediately respond, but he did notice that her expression was no longer sweet and relaxed.
Maybe he shouldn’t have brought this up yet.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly, still not looking at him. “I mean, why now?”
Frowning, he looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“We talked about this…”
“Briefly,” he interrupted.
A loud sigh was her immediate response. “You know what I mean, Jake.” Now she did look at him and the look on her face made him ache. “We said no promises, no making demands on each other. That was only a few days ago and now…” Another sigh. “You’re just thinking like this because of the sex.”
“No!” he said adamantly. “No, it’s not that.”
“It’s okay,” she replied calmly. “Right now is…it’s kind of like our summer. It’s temporary, but it’s easy to get caught up in. Can’t we just enjoy the week?”
“Mallory, this is nothing like our summer…”
Only…it was.
Before she could argue, he had more to say. “The timing back then sucked. We knew we were on borrowed time and were looking at a long-distance relationship if we wanted to keep seeing each other.”
She gave him a very neutral look.
And he didn’t take it as a good sign.
“A lot has changed since then. We’re both older…”
“And more mature,” she added with a hint of sarcasm that he totally knew wasn’t a good sign.
“Yes, we’re both more mature,” he corrected. “I think we have something good here, Mallory, and it’s not just about the sex.”
“But it helps,” she murmured.
With a sigh, he hung his head. This was not going the way he had hoped. And one of the things he learned with his maturity, was when to fight and when to pull back.
This was definitely a situation where he needed to pull back.
Doing his best to seem like all was right with his world, Jake shrugged. “It was just an idea. No big deal.”
She didn’t look like she believed him but luckily she didn’t argue either. And that was fine with him. Let her think what she wanted because he had one week to prove her wrong. He was going to remind her of all the ways they worked and made sense, and how there was a time when they were in love.
He was going to remind her of it all. And as he took a sip of his own coffee, he hid a smug smile.
Let the wooing begin.
7
Something was up.
Mallory couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but the next day as she went about her business, everything seemed different.
Or maybe she was just paranoid.
No matter how much she tried to downplay her conversation with Jake, the bottom line was that she couldn’t stop thinking about it. He wanted her to stay? Was it just because he was concerned about her as a friend–or a friend with benefits? She immediately pushed that option aside because it seemed crazy. Was he looking to pick up where they left off so many years ago? And was it crazy how just the thought of that had her heart beating a bit faster?