Blue Twilight (4 page)

Chapter 10

As Lisa drove home, she alternated between anger and tears. But she wasn’t even sure she was angry at Jake. He hadn’t really done anything wrong. Could she truly blame him for her screwed-up past? She
knew
she was furious with herself. Why was she letting her past dictate her present? Her father had been out of her life for twelve years and Eric for three. How much longer was she going to allow them to rule her life? Sighing, she pulled into the driveway and parked her car before letting herself inside. Lisa kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse by the couch, deciding what she really needed to do was take a nap. She stretched out on the sofa and felt herself start to drift off. No sooner than she had shut her eyes, she heard her phone ringing in her purse.

With a groan, she reached for her bag and pulled it out. “Hello?” she answered with a yawn.

“It’s a bit late in the day for a nap, don’t you think?”

She smiled at the familiar voice and sat up to cradle the phone. “Hi, mom. I actually just got home from work.”

“You found something already? That’s wonderful, Sweets. I’ve been worried about you, though. You haven’t called me since you stopped in Raleigh,” her mom scolded.

Lisa shut her eyes as the guilt hit her. “I know, Mom, I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy getting the house set up, and then I was lucky enough to find a job and it started today…”

Her mom interrupted with a laugh. “It seems like you have been busy. So, tell me everything! How’s the house? What’s the town like? Where are you working?”

Grinning at her mom’s enthusiasm, she launched into an account of the past few days. She told her mom about the hidden studio, the bakery, and finally, about Jake.

“Well, he sounds wonderful, Sweets. So what’s the problem?”

Lisa fiddled with the buttons on her shirt and considered that. What was the problem? Was she so hung up on her own issues that she was willing to let a perfectly nice guy walk away? She knew she’d have to take a chance again someday, but after dating Eric for two years and then having him tell her she just “wasn’t what he wanted”, she was scared. What if no one ever wanted her again?

“Sweets? Are you there?”

Lisa tried to explain things. “Mom, it’s just that when Dad left, and then Eric…”

“You stop right there, Lisa Nicole.” Lisa cringed at hearing her middle name, and knew she was in for a lecture.
“Your father just didn’t know how to be a dad. It had nothing to do with you. And Eric…he just wasn’t the one, sweetheart. It hurts. I know. But you have to pick yourself up and try again, baby girl. If I had never given Richard a chance, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now. And, if I’d never given your father a chance all those years ago, I never would have gotten the very best thing in my life, and that’s you, Sweets. Give him a chance, Lisa. Give yourself a chance to be happy.”

After promising to give it some serious thought, she hung up with her mom. Lisa tried to go back to her nap, but sleep would not come. Pacing in the kitchen did nothing to help her, and she was too lost inside her own head to write. Finally, trying to drown out her thoughts, she switched the radio on and
Landslide
helped chase the last of her doubts away. She knew what she had to do.

***

Jake hung up with Hank and then changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Grabbing a beer, he went to sit on the back porch. His day started out as such a success. The meeting went beyond his expectation, and he was excited to start on his next project. But after his disaster of a lunch with Lisa, all he wanted to do was drown his sorrows for a while. It was ridiculous, really. He shouldn’t be this hung up over someone he’d just met. If she wasn’t interested, fine. There were plenty of other women who would gladly take her place. Sighing, he realized that even though that might be true, he wasn’t interested. He’d never been a “love-′em-and-leave-′em” kind of guy.
Maybe I should be
. Shaking his head, he
gripped the bottle a little tighter and took a long pull before settling back in his chair. He had almost drifted off when he heard his phone beep.

Hank must have forgotten to tell him something. He fumbled for the phone, annoyed, and placed it to his ear. “What, man?”

“Jake? Umm, hi, it’s Lisa.”

Sitting up straighter, he asked, “Lisa?”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from Debra. Is this a bad time? I can call back.”

“No!” Taking a deep breath, he realized he sounded way too eager. “I mean, no, it’s not a bad time. What’s up?”
Way to be cool, Jake.

“Well, I’ve been doing a little thinking, well actually, a lot of thinking, and…”

Jake waited a moment, but when she didn’t continue, he prompted “And?”

“Would you like to have dinner?” she blurted out.

Smiling, he could almost picture her blowing the hair out of her face, a gesture he was quickly learning meant she was really frustrated or nervous. He was just about to answer when she cut him off again.

“What am I doing? You’re probably busy. It’s no problem. I’ll just…yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Lisa!” he shouted as he bit back a laugh. She was adorable when she was flustered.

“What?”

“How’s six tonight?”

A pause. “Six would be fine.”

Jake hung up after agreeing to pick her up. “Well, how do you like that?” he asked himself. Taking another sip of beer, he leaned back in his chair once more, smiling. It was a good day after all.

Chapter 11

After a short nap and a shower, Lisa stood in front of her closet as if facing the Spanish Inquisition. “It’s just a date,” she told herself. “You can do this.” She selected a pair of black linen pants and a gold tank. Sweeping her long hair back into a French braid and applying a small amount of makeup completed the look. With a final spritz of her favorite Jasmine body spray, she walked downstairs. She still had an hour and a half before Jake arrived, but she’d wanted to spend some time on her writing. Afraid she’d get too caught up in the studio, she set up at the kitchen table with her pencil and notebook. Biting on the eraser, she hummed a few notes before jotting down some ideas. However, it didn’t take long until she could no longer concentrate. Her thoughts kept straying to Jake. Laying her head on her arms, she wondered why dating had to be so hard. It wasn’t easy trying to get to know someone in the middle of a crowded restaurant… A sudden idea had her picking herself up. She questioned if it was the right move for a moment before remembering her promise to at least try. With a quick glance at the clock, she dashed out the door before she could change her mind.

***

Jake stood on Lisa’s doorstep right at six. Smoothing his hair one last time, he rang the doorbell. He heard some scuffling before the door was thrown open.

“Hi, come on in,” she said before turning to rush back down the hall. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Jake called to her back. Walking into her living room, he wandered around and found a few pictures of Lisa and who, he assumed, was her mother. He smiled when he saw the family resemblance and realized again how beautiful she was. A little further down, he noticed the sunflower he’d given her sitting in a vase. He hoped it was an indication that he’d been on her mind.

“Like what you see?”

Jake turned, a witty remark on the tip of his tongue before he got a good look at Lisa. She was gorgeous. The late evening sun coming through the window cast a golden glow over her. He’d never thought of himself as an overly romantic guy, but he couldn’t help himself. She was simply…”Breathtaking,” he murmured.

Lisa blushed and thrust a wine glass at him. “Would you like some wine?”

“Sure,” he said accepting the glass. He noticed the way her breath caught as their fingers touched. He could feel the electricity course through him as well. Taking a step back, he cleared his throat. “I made us a reservation in the next town over in about an hour.” Jake noticed the way she was chewing her bottom lip and quickly added, “But, we don’t have to go if you’ve changed your mind.” He hoped like hell she hadn’t.

“No,” Lisa said a little too quickly. “It’s just…well, I hope you won’t be mad, but I’ve sort of made us dinner.”

Jake was struck silent for a moment. When he noticed her smile falter, he realized she was mistaking his silence for disapproval. “You made me dinner?” he asked quietly.

“Well, I plan on eating too,” she said and snorted. Jake noticed her eyes widen and a blush steal over her cheeks as she realized what she’d done. “I’m just going to go check on dinner now…”

Jake laughed as she raced down the hallway once again. Well, well. Wasn’t she just full of surprises? Grinning, he followed her down the hall. , He watched from the kitchen doorway as she pulled the makings for a salad from the refrigerator. “Anything I can help with?”

“I think I’ve got it,” she said balancing tomatoes and carrots under her chin. And then as they dropped to the floor, “Okay, maybe not.”

Jake laughed as he came over to help her clean up. “You really do hate to ask for help, don’t you?”

Lisa smirked as she placed the produce next to a cutting board. “Dinner will be another twenty minutes or so,” she said effectively ignoring Jake’s question as she started to chop. “I hope you like lasagna.”

“Actually, I’m lactose intolerant.”

***

Lisa’s knife paused over the tomato.
Son of a…
“Okay, give me a second to clean up and we can go out.”

Jake’s deep laughter rang out. “Lisa, I’m kidding. You’ve got to loosen up.”

Lisa scowled as she picked up some of the lettuce she’d already chopped and threw it at Jake. “That wasn’t nice.”

He returned the favor. “Neither is throwing produce.”

Picking up another handful, she launched it. “You started it.”

Jake slowly stalked her around the counter. “And now, I’m going to finish it.” He picked up the entire colander full of lettuce and chased Lisa around the kitchen tossing handfuls as he went.

Lisa laughed as she ran and tried to dodge the flying lettuce. Suddenly, she was falling as she stepped on a discarded leaf.

Jake caught her right before she hit the floor.

Her heart pounded as she looked up into his face.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured. His face inched closer before he suddenly shook his head and released her. “Let me help you clean up.”

“Thanks,” she whispered as they both bent to pick up the lettuce from the floor.

When the kitchen was clean once more, they decided that the salad was a lost cause. Slicing some bread, Lisa glanced over at Jake. His white shirt was rolled at the sleeves, and his top button was undone.
Is there any time that he doesn’t look perfect?
When he suddenly cleared his throat, she realized he’d caught her ogling. A familiar warmth stole over her cheeks as she looked down and smeared butter on the slices. With a smirk, Jake refilled their wine glasses. He took them to the table as Lisa plated their dinner.

“This looks great,” he remarked as he dug in. He made appreciative noises as he ate, but for the most part, they ate in silence.

So much for it being easier to talk in private
.

Jake ate two portions before declaring he was stuffed, and Lisa cleared their dishes away.

Jake offered to help her clean up, but she’d needed a few moments to clear her head. While she rinsed the dishes and put the leftovers away, he walked around her kitchen whistling softly. The tune sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it…

“So, what’s this?”

Looking up from wiping the counter, Lisa almost choked. Jake was sitting at the table thumbing through her notebook. Nobody looked at her notebook. It was too private—too personal… It was exactly the type of thing she needed to be open and honest about if this thing with Jake had any chance of going anywhere. Steeling her nerve, she cleared her throat and said “It’s my notebook. I write songs.”

The sip of wine Jake took suddenly sprayed everywhere in a violent cough as he choked.

Lisa stared at him with wide eyes before she picked up a towel to clean up the second mess of the evening.

“Here, let me,” he said as he grabbed the towel from her hand and sopped up the wine. Taking it to the sink, he rinsed it out while Lisa looked on in disbelief.

It wasn’t that strange of a hobby—was it? It wasn’t like she collected toenails or anything gross. Was she really such a freak because she wrote? She didn’t think so, and her attitude toward Jake cooled almost immediately. “Well, it’s getting late…”

Hanging his head, Jake squeezed the towel. “Wait. Just wait.” He stalked to her and tilted her face so that she’d look at him. “I’m sorry. You just caught me off guard, is all. How long have you been writing?”

Lisa pulled her chin out of his hand and looked down. She’d probably be more comfortable standing here naked than talking about this. Groaning, she realized too late that was not the image she wanted in her head right now. Just thinking about this gorgeous man naked in front of her…

Jake cleared his throat and quickly brought her back to the present.

“It feels like forever, but probably thirteen years or so,” she finally murmured.

Walking back to the table, he pulled out a chair and sat down. He grabbed her notebook again and made a motion to open it. “May I?”

After a brief pause, she finally mumbled her permission and sank into the chair across from him. She blew a few tendrils of hair that had escaped the braid out of her face. Looking up, she noticed Jake’s grin. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” Jake continued reading for a few minutes. “These are actually quite good. Have you ever submitted any of them?”

Lisa bit her lip as she answered honestly. “I tried a few years ago, but never heard back.”

Jake grunted in response and continued to flip through her book.

Fidgeting in her seat, she tried desperately to take the attention off of herself. “So, you never told me how your meeting went today.”

“Really well, actually,” he murmured while he concentrated on her words. He seemed to be drumming a beat on the table as he mouthed the words silently.

“So, what is it you do, exactly?” Lisa was reaching near panic levels as he continued to read. When he reached the page for
Blue Twilight,
she thought she might pass out.

***

“I think you’re very talented,” Jake said, sidestepping her question. “Whoever turned your songs down was an idiot.”

Lisa flushed. “Yeah, well, you might be a bit biased.”

“No, really.” He set the book aside. “I know someone who might be able to help you. You’ve got a gift, Lisa.” He waited on her response while he silently cheered in his head.
Finally!
Finally something he could connect with her on. Something that, he hoped, could bring them closer together. He waited for the smile from Lisa to come. It didn’t.

“I think you need to go,” she said grabbing her notebook and clutching it to her chest. She stood and walked down the hall to the door.

Jake stared after her, confused. Was she serious? He was offering her an opportunity, and she was
mad
at him? He stood and stormed after her. “Hold on,” he said grabbing the door before she could slam it on his head. “Why are you upset?”

Making a disgruntled noise, she said, “Upset? I’m not upset. I don’t get upset.”

Jake snorted. “Clearly. Okay, then, why are you so
pissed off
?”

Lisa blew a wayward hair out of her face. “What do you want from me, Jake? I showed you something personal. You don’t have to patronize me. I don’t need the fantasies of you swooping in to make my dreams come true. I thought…I thought maybe we could be…friends, but I don’t think that’s going to work. I’d like you to leave.” She swung the door open again.

“You think I said those things just to make a play at you?” Jake was getting angrier by the minute and his accent was growing more pronounced. “Lady, are you delusional?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who in their right mind takes a compliment and twists it around so completely that they read something into it that was never even there? So, I ask you again,
are you delusional
?”

Lisa’s chest was heaving. “I think you need to leave.” She gestured to the door, “Now.”

“Fine,” said Jake “I’ll go, but I’ll have you know I meant every damn word I said.” He watched as Lisa’s eyes filled with tears before she slammed the door closed behind him.

The woman is so exasperating
, he thought as he kicked a rock out of his way. This was why he’d avoided relationships. Women were crazy, plain and simple. Couldn’t take a simple compliment… He reached his truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. Slapping his hands against the wheel, he wondered,
who needs this aggravation
? He sure as hell didn’t.

So, why was leaving making him feel so much worse? Shouting, he got out and slammed the truck door shut. “Dammit!”