Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1) (12 page)

James smiled. “You’re pretty insightful.”

“Interesting observation, since most times I feel like I can’t see past my nose.” She let out small laugh with her admission.

“Did you have some big enlightening experience?”

“Isn’t that how all great pearls of wisdom are formed?” She snickered. “But yes, I was engaged before. I met him in New York at an alumni event and we dated for a couple of years. We just weren’t compatible, and even though deep down I knew something was off, I still went through the motions. In the end, we both wanted different things out of life and when I realized he wasn’t as committed to our relationship as I was, I walked away.”
Okay, not a total fabrication but that’s as far as the story is going right now.

“He made a huge mistake letting you go.”

“That’s what you say now, but maybe he was on to something.” Jessica shrugged and let out a deep sigh as James chuckled.

“Anyway, that’s really when I became a total workaholic.” She took another drink. “I threw everything I had into my job and took a break from the dating scene for a while. If I worked hard, I could get a promotion. No risk, lots of reward. It was just safer.”

“I know what you mean. But it gets lonely.”

“Yeah, it does.” She nodded. “How about you? Any relationship devastation to speak of?”

James smirked. “Isn’t there always? When I was a junior, I started my first business with a guy I’d known for a few years. His family had a lot of government connections. We were building an aerospace system we wanted to pitch for use at NASA. I was always a space buff, so it was like a dream for me to build something that could be used by our astronauts. At the same time, I started dating a girl pretty seriously. She spent a lot of time with us since we worked almost non-stop, and one weekend when I was laid up with a broken ankle, he went skiing with her and her friends and they hooked up. I didn’t find out until about a month later, though.”

“Oh
no
. What did you do?”

“Well, I did something very therapeutic when I caught them together at his apartment.”

Jessica leaned forward, her eyes wide. “
What
? Did you confront them?”

“Nope, I destroyed the prototype we created. I know, it was really immature but I couldn’t be around him anymore. We hadn’t officially filed for any patents or anything. So I torched it.”

“Good for you.” Jessica clapped her hands. “I would have done the exact same thing!”

“It wasn’t my brightest move, but I let anger get the better of me. They betrayed me and that’s something I couldn’t handle. It’s my thing, I guess.” Sitting up, he pointed to a red kayak in the distance. “Hey! There’s the hot dog kayak! I thought it was an urban legend!”

Jessica held a hand over her eyes, seeing the red kayak approach the fans in the cove. “How does he keep them hot?”

James grinned. “I have no idea. Want to try one? I can’t promise it’ll be the best you’ve ever tasted, but it’s still a hot dog, so how can it really be
bad
?”

“I’m in! Dirty water dogs are the
best
.” Jessica waved her arms. “This is officially the coolest first date
ever
!”

James paddled over to the red kayak and paid for two hot dogs, handing one to Jessica. She bit into it and moaned.

“How is it?” He watched her reaction.

“Bun’s kind of wet. But it’s still
delish
, so don’t worry. I can’t remember the last time I had a hot dog! Mmmm, so yummy.”

James took a huge bite of his hot dog and started paddling back towards the cove. The announcer’s voice came over the radio. “Up at bat next, Rick Fairchild! Will we see a fair ball from him today, folks? Bases loaded…”

“Yes!” James grabbed his glove. “This is it!”

“What are you doing?” Jessica watched him with confusion as she popped the last of her hot dog into her mouth. Fans throughout the cove all had the same idea as James. Guys with baseball gloves were balancing on the sides of their kayaks, awaiting the announcer’s call.

The announcer’s excited voice bellowed from the speakers, “And he
swings
!”
Click!
“Look at that fly ball, headed right for McCovey Cove! I hope the fans out there are paying attention to this one!”

The ball shot out of the stadium like a missile. The crowd roared, watching the eager fans hoping to capture the fly ball. It bolted through the air, straight at their location. Jessica shielded her head and squealed as it came closer.

“I’ve got it!” James jumped and reached overhead. The ball headed towards them. He caught it in the tip of his glove.

“Yea!” Jessica cheered and clapped her hands, along with all the other fans in the cove.

James flashed her a triumphant smile and as he stepped down into his seat, his foot caught a puddle and his leg slipped out from under him. “Argh!” he yelled, still clutching the ball in his glove. Arms flailing, he pitched forward into the water.

“Oh no!” Jessica stood up as the laughter from other fans exploded around her. Seconds later, James surfaced, holding up his arm for all to see. The glove was on and the ball was still secure in his grasp. Everyone cheered as he struggled to hoist himself out of the water. The kayak wasn’t cooperating, though. The current forced it to drift and Jessica panicked. “James, I can’t hold it still!”

“Don’t worry.” He panted, gripping on to the side. “Hand me one of the paddles.” She did as he asked and he used the paddle as leverage. He climbed up enough to fling a leg over the back of the kayak. Steadying himself, he slid down into his seat and let out a long breath. “Wow, I thought I lost you for a minute!” Jessica let out a nervous laugh.

Before James could respond, they heard the announcer again. “Looks like someone
really
wanted that ball, folks, bad enough to take a quick swim in the cove! I sure hope his girlfriend appreciates the souvenir!”

Jessica giggled. “He’s talking about us. Are you okay?”

“I think I’m waterlogged.” James handed her the baseball. “But it was worth it, I wanted you to have this.”

Jessica threw her head back and laughed. “You know, I would have been okay with a foam finger from the stadium.”

“Come on, where’s the romance in that?” He pushed the wet hair out of his eyes.

“I can’t argue, this was a big gesture. I will treasure it always!”

James leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. They felt so warm and gentle on hers. Her heart raced with anticipation.
Oh crap, why can’t I be more like Lisa? Why does this have to feel so amazing?

He put his hand on the back of her head, drawing her closer. His tongue separated her lips. James cupped her face in his hands and stroked her hair, making her pulse race. Jessica almost forgot where they were; she didn’t care who was watching. She only knew she never wanted him to stop. And that scared the hell out of her.

When the kiss broke, James looked at her with such intensity that a hot flush washed over her. “That was really nice,” she whispered.

“I’m glad you liked it.” He wrung out his t-shirt. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever made such a big splash on a first date before.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Really? That was a
bad
joke.”

“At least I can laugh at myself.”

“So now what? Are you going to drip dry while we listen to the rest of the game?”

James grinned. “Lucky for me, it’s not too cold out here. But if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to change.”

“So, how ironic is this? You fall into the water trying to catch a fly ball and now that you’re soaked and need a change of clothes, where are you headed? The pro shop, where they happen to sell those foam fingers I mentioned. Everything comes full circle, huh?”

He paddled back to the pier amid hoots and hollers from fellow kayakers who witnessed their amorous moment. “So is there any chance you might be out here again?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” She sighed. “I haven’t finished my work, but who knows what my boss is going to throw at me when we get back to New York? He’s such a control freak, and he’s always breathing down my neck.” She perked up, remembering his conversation with the mysterious Jackson earlier that day. “Maybe things will be different, maybe he’ll be focused on some other plans and leave me alone to do my job. I guess it
could
happen.” She gazed at him. “What would you think about that?”

“I think I’d like that very much. You’re an amazing girl, Jessica. Maybe I should play it cool with you, but I have a pretty telling poker face. I don’t want to play games and my instincts tell me that you feel the same way. Or maybe I’m completely off base with my assumption. No pun intended.”

That lopsided smile appeared again
.

Are you still going to feel that way when you find out I may be stuck in a wheelchair or go blind at some point? Will your feelings for me change, James? Will you leave just like Drew did? It took me too long to get past that rejection. I refuse to let it happen again.

But for the first time in months, Jessica decided to focus on the moment at hand.
I really wanted to keep this casual but there’s something about him that’s begging me to leap.
He’s taking a chance on me, maybe it’s time for me to do the same. Can I give this a fair shot? Am I finally ready to let go of the past?
One look at the sparkle in his eyes told her it was time. “Nope, you’re right on. I hate games. Life’s too short, right?”

THE MEN’S ROOM door swung open and James emerged with a flourish, dressed head to toe in Giants gear. “Okay, I’m all set!”

Jessica waved the bright yellow foam finger at him. She shook her head. “Tsk, tsk. Your Cubs wouldn’t be happy to see you in
that
getup.”

“What can I say? I should’ve been better prepared. I guess I got sidetracked.”

Jessica grinned. “Oh yeah?”

“Oh
yeah
.” James looked down at his phone. “So, I have another idea since I know you’re probably dying to watch the end of the game.”

Jessica flashed James a quizzical look. “Are we hang gliding over the field next?”

“Better. Ever been in the press box?”

“No! How are we going to get in there? I don’t usually carry my fake press pass with me, do you?”

“No need. I know a guy.”

Jessica squealed with mock glee. “You
do
? And this guy is going to get us in there to watch the rest of the game?”

“Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. It’s not a luxury box, it’s a
press
box, one step up from the grandstand. Adjust your expectations,” James teased.

“Wow, you really are going all out on me today. How much luckier can a girl
get
?”

James gave his name to the guard outside the press box who ushered them in. He approached an older man sitting in front of a laptop. “Jay!” The man got up and clapped him on the back. “How’ve you been? And who’s this pretty girl?”

“Gus, this is Jessica. Thanks so much for letting us up here. Had kind of a mishap out at the cove.” He gave Jessica a sheepish look. “Gus was a close friend of my dad’s. I called to see if he was up here when Plan A kind of failed.”

“Aw, Jay, don’t tell me you fell in again trying to catch one of those damned fly balls!” Gus guffawed and James felt a hot flush covering his face.

“Gus, it’s always a pleasure. Thanks for selling me out.”

Jessica giggled. “Well, you’ll be happy to know he
caught
the ball this time, Gus.”

“All right!” Gus cheered. “It’s about time, Jay. Your Pop would have been excited that you finally came through on that one.”

James groaned. “Enough. It happened once. And I was
twelve
! Can we say I’ve officially redeemed myself now?”

“Absolutely.” Jessica turned to Gus. “So whom do you write for?”

“Oh, I write for
The Daily News
. Can’t seem to retire, though. Love of the game and all that.” Gus smiled at Jessica. “Now tell me, how did this guy get lucky enough to meet
you
?”

Jessica blushed. “We kind of ran into each other on the street. Random, right?”

“I’m glad you’re finally taking some of the credit.” James murmured and gave her a light nudge.

Gus’s eyes lit up. “You don’t say! Jay, has she met your mom yet?”

“Gus, this is our
first
date. Like you said, I’m lucky she even agreed to go out with me, right?”

Gus chuckled. “That’s right, Jay, lucky indeed. Now, why don’t you two come on in and have something to drink? There’s a fridge in the back with all sorts of goodies, go take a look and then I’ll set you up with some seats. Don’t mind the noise…or the belching.” Gus winked again at Jessica.

“He’s so sweet.” Jessica whispered as James led her to the back of the press box. “How long were he and your dad friends?”

“Long time. He’s a great guy, I’m glad he was here when I called. I haven’t seen him in a while, he looks good.” James opened the refrigerator door. “Any preference?”

“Diet Coke would be great, thanks.” James handed her the can and she popped off the top. “So, did you tell your mom about our date?”

“I might have mentioned it.” James opened a can of ginger ale. “Since I live at home right now, it’s kind of hard to avoid lots of questions, you know?”

“I can imagine. But I think it’s great that you’re there for her.”

“Chris keeps trying to get me to move in with him, and even though my mom’s not pressuring me to stay, I just feel guilty about leaving her. Like my dad would disapprove or something.” He paused. “Is that crazy?”

Jessica shook her head. “Of course not. I get it. You feel like you need to be her protector now that your dad’s gone. She’s really lucky to have a son like you.” Jessica’s fingers grazed his arm as she gazed up at him.

“I just hate to think of her all alone in the house. It’s been a rough six months. Even though she’s finally moving forward, I know she’s scared.” He paused. “It’s the least I can do after being gone for so long.”

“That really bothers you, doesn’t it?” Jessica’s voice softened. “You can’t beat yourself up for leaving. It was your time to spread your wings and begin your own life. I’m sure your dad was so proud of everything you accomplished.”