Someone Like You (3 page)
“Really,
a widower.
So he’s old?”
Listen to me being picky.
Sadie shook
her head. “Not unless you call thirty-eight old.”
“No,
no, definitely not.”
“Should I
arrange a meeting for the two of you?
Coffee this Saturday
morning at Mabel’s.
Shall we say at 10 a.m.?”
The speed at
which all this was happening took Gen by surprise.
“Sure, that
sounds fine.”
“Good. I’ll
give him a call, and if there’s a problem with that day and time I’ll let you
know.”
Gen stood and
shook Sadie’s hand, once again feeling a relaxed calmness that assured her that
the rest of the day, hell, the rest of the week, was going to be perfect.
****
Sadie watched
as Gen walked back to her car and got inside. Everything had gone to plan. She
knew by luring Gen into the vicinity of Perfect Pairing with that sales call
would get her thinking about using the coupon. She turned around to see
Nadine’s supervisor from the Department of Love standing there. She was
visiting and monitoring Sadie’s activities so she could report back to The
Board. Sometimes it was hard to remember that the whole Perfect Pairing
business had started because she’d been punished for putting a spell on her
neighbor which caused him to crash his car into his front yard. Being assigned
to the Department of Love had been anything but a punishment. Everyday was more
fun than the day before. For that reason alone, she needed to toe the line.
“Ms. Sutton.
Do I have to remind you that you’re supposed to be working on bringing together
mortals for love and commitment, not just sex?”
“I know, but
sometimes people need to start somewhere. And I’d rather these two come together
for a little hanky-panky than not at all.” Sadie put her hand over her heart.
“I know deep in here that once these two spend time together, even if it’s just
to have sex, they’ll see they’re made for each other. I haven’t been wrong yet.
I’m two for two, and this will be my third, you wait and see.”
“I hope so.”
“That reminds
me, did I show you the photos of the previous two Perfect Pairing weddings
we’ve had?”
****
“Shit, not
again,” Jake swore when the razor nicked his face for the second time in less
than two minutes. How many times had he shaved in his life? Cutting himself was
a rare occurrence. Today of all days, he was going to look like he’d been
beaten up. He pressed his finger against the stream of blood and looked in the
mirror.
In a few hours
he was going to meet Gen Thompson, who Sadie had matched him with. He’d
panicked when he’d heard the words
single
mother
but then realized it wasn’t a commitment, just someone to have a
sexual adventure with. She was thirty-one years old and ran a landscaping
company in town.
The blood
seemed to have stopped, so Jake picked up the razor again, noticing from his
reflection that his hand was actually shaking.
He put it
down again and splashed his face. She’d have to put up with some stubble
because he’d bleed to death if he continued.
****
Gen hoped he
didn’t mind that she’d gone ahead and bought herself a coffee while she waited
at Mabel’s. Scared that she was going to be late for appointments and meetings,
Gen made a habit of always showing up fifteen minutes early. Today that had
been a mistake because she was nervous and sitting around waiting for Jake
Harris to arrive was putting her on edge.
What if he
didn’t like her? What if he did? How were they going to handle the whole we’re
just having sex thingy?
Sex.
Why was it
so compelling, so addictive, so complicated? It was sex that had changed
Gen’s
life when Nicky’s father had been oh so tempting and
talked her into it one Saturday night while her parents were out at a movie.
“I’m scared,
Andy. I mean what happens if I get pregnant?”
“I’m just
going to slide my dick inside you. I’m not going to even wiggle it, so
nothing’s going to come out inside you.”
Gen took a
deep breath. Yeah, like you should believe a guy when he says he’s not going to
wiggle it. He’d done more than wiggle it. He’d climaxed big time inside her,
and nine months later she’d given birth to Nicholas John Thompson. Andy AKA
Mr. I Won’t Wiggle It
was history.
The bell over
the door in Mabel’s rang. Gen looked up from her coffee mug. There standing in
the doorway was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Probably around six
feet, broad shoulders, dark hair, and even from this distance she could see he
had a strong jaw line. That was a good sign. Her mother had always told her
that it showed great character. He looked all around and then at Gen.
Was
this him? Or had she been ogling some stranger who
wasn’t Jake Harris and she was about to look like a complete idiot?
He’s coming my way.
“I hope
you’re Gen Thompson,” he said, standing by the table.
“I am. And
you must be Jake Harris.”
“That’s me.”
He extended
his hand, and Gen took it. Like his
jawline
, it was
strong and firm.
“I hope you
don’t mind that I went ahead and got a cup of coffee.”
“Not
at all.
I’ll just go get one for myself and be right back.”
Gen didn’t
want to get caught red handed, but every now and then she peeped over at him as
he stood in line waiting to order his drink.
He’d caught
her twice already and both times had nodded and smiled.
Jake finally
returned with a mug of what looked like plain old black coffee and sat down
opposite her.
“So, where do
we begin? I mean I’ve never done this sort of thing before,” he said.
“Me neither,
so I guess that makes us virgins.”
Did I just use that word? Ground, open up and
swallow me whole.
“Maybe we
should just talk about ourselves a bit and ask one another questions,” said
Jake.
“Sounds
good to me.
You probably know that I’m a single mom. I have a fourteen
year old boy named Nicky. How about you? You have any children?”
He shook his head,
looking sad all of a sudden, and Gen hoped she hadn’t started off on the wrong
topic.
“Nope, none
I’m afraid. And you have a landscaping company?”
“That’s
right. It was my parents’, but I took over about a year ago after my father
passed away.”
“So you must
really like plants and flowers?”
“I have to
admit I do. I grew up around them, and playing in the dirt is fun.”
Jake laughed.
“I’m not much of a gardener myself. In fact, while I’ve been away the yard’s
got a little out of hand. Maybe you’d stop by and take a look one day and give
me an estimate?”
“I’d be happy
too.”
“And you’re
from
“Born and
bred, how about you?”
“
“And you
haven’t thought of going back since she’s been…I’m sorry if this is painful.”
“No, it’s
fine. No, all my memories of my time with her are in this town, so I always
want to be here.”
Gen nodded.
“Have you been widowed long?”
“Almost two
years.”
“She must
have been young.”
“Thirty-one.”
Shit, my age.
“Did she have
an accident?”
Gen almost
bit her tongue. She’d always been inquisitive, borderline nosey, so she hoped
she wasn’t putting him off being with her.
“No, she had
cancer. Never smoked a single cigarette in her life, but got lung cancer.”
“That’s
terrible. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, I hear
it’s getting more common among women these days.”
“I had no
idea.”
“I’m planning
to set up a walk in her name this fall. Hopefully I can raise some money to
help find a cure.”
“If you need
any sponsors, Thompson Landscapes is here to help.”
“That’s very
nice of you.”
He took a sip
of his coffee, looking at her over the rim of the mug. She couldn’t help but
notice his hand shaking slightly and wondered if he was as uneasy about this as
she was.
Not that he wasn’t easy to talk to,
but it
was what came next that scared her the most.
There was an
uncomfortable silence between them, and luckily someone asking if the third
chair at their table was taken helped ease the obvious building tension.
Gen took a
deep breath, thinking maybe she should break the ice, but he obviously had the
same idea, so they ended up speaking at the very same time.
“Sorry, what
were you going to say?” asked Jake.
“I just
wondered if you’re okay with the whole set up. I mean I know it’s supposed to
be a matchmaking service, and we’ve opted to…”
She’d
blushed. She knew she had because her cheeks were burning, and it wasn’t
because of the steaming latte that sat in front of her. This had probably been
the worst idea of her entire life. What had she been thinking?
Without
warning, Jake put his hand on top of hers and gave it a squeeze. It sent an
electrical current throughout her body. In a way she wished he hadn’t done it
because she didn’t want to get used to a simple thing like a touch and then
ache for more than he was willing to give to her.
Gen wanted to
pull away, but couldn’t. He let his hand linger over hers. For some strange
reason she sensed he was as lonely as she was and simply in need of human
contact.
Hoping she
wouldn’t regret it, and that it wouldn’t put him off, she turned her hand over
so their palms kissed. Nothing was said, and they sat looking at one another.
He had
gorgeous eyes, a little blue, a little green, with tiny specks of hazel
scattered here and there. However, despite their beauty, she saw sadness
lurking there.
Instinct told
her to curl her fingers upward and hold his hand, squeeze it, hoping it was a
subtle way of telling him everything was going to be okay. He’d found a like
soul who missed having someone special in their life.
Jake finally
pulled his hand way and smiled.
“This is
awkward,” he said.
“I’m sorry if
I seemed pushy.”
“No, no, I
didn’t mean the holding hands bit. It’s the whole having sex with a stranger
bit. Not that I didn’t have one night stands before I met my wife, but when you
get older it gets more—”
“Awkward,”
said
Gen
.
They both
laughed.
“Very,” said
Jake. “So how are we going to get together and when? Maybe if we dive straight
in here we’ll both be more at ease.”
“Absolutely.
Would it be
okay if you came to my place? I can have my mother take my son to the movies or
something. She spoils him, so I don’t think he’ll mind.”
“That’s
perfect for me. And you realize that I won’t be staying overnight or anything
like that?”
Gen raised
her hand.
“Works for me.
I wouldn’t want my son coming
home thinking that his mom’s found him a potential stepdad and then, well, you
know.”
Jake nodded.
“How about next Saturday?
That way we can call one another a
couple of times during the week and get to know more about each other before
we
—”
He was the
one blushing now.
“Next
Saturday it is. Seven p.m. work for you?”
“Perfect.”
****
Jake had
planned to go straight home but instead found
himself
driving to the cemetery. Gen Thompson’s beauty had thrown him for a loop. He’d
almost stopped in his tracks when he’d first entered Mabel’s and seen her
sitting there cradling the blue mug. Shiny brunette hair had cascaded over her
shoulders and highlighted her face. As he’d approached the table he’d seen her
baby blue eyes and a hint of freckles across the bridge of her nose. He’d been
captivated, spellbound, and he didn’t want to be.
He thought he
had it under control until they’d sat looking at one another. It was almost as
if something magical was happening between them. He’d come close to getting up
and running out of the café, hoping he hadn’t been infected by whatever hung in
the air. However, his feet had been glued to the floor, and his mind kept
telling his legs not to cooperate.
Then the
unthinkable had happened. He’d put his hand on top of hers and realized it was
too late to run, even if his legs would let him. When she’d turned her hand
over, his heart had almost pounded out of his chest. The last time he’d felt
this way was when he’d first set eyes upon Katie.
