Waiting for Love ((Waiting) Book 2) (3 page)

      My lips are tingling from their contact with his. I’ve never been kissed like that in my entire life and I’ve kissed more than a few guys. My whole body is trembling from the after effects and it makes me feel out of control and panicky. As much as I enjoyed his lips on mine, I have to make sure that never happens again. I’m not ready for someone like Professor Hanlon. He’s way out of my league and I want no part of him.

    When I get to the little café we prefer, Jeff is waiting at a table with a coffee for me.

“Hey, thanks for getting this.” I gesture to the cup as I sit down in the chair across from him. I place my bag on a vacant seat next to me, before taking my first sip. I’ve started to settle down now that I’m sitting here with him and I can finally relax.

“So what did Professor Hanlon want?” He asks, with a quirk of his brow.
Maybe I can’t relax after all.

“He got after me for being disruptive when I was talking with you.” I take another sip of my coffee and hope this part of our conversation will be over shortly.

“Seriously?” He asks, disbelief evident, in his tone.

“Yep,” I say, popping my p, “I’m completely serious. I kind of went off on him a bit. I hope I don’t get in trouble, but I don’t think he’ll want to file any disciplinary action over it.” After the kiss he gave me, what could he possibly do without fear that I would retaliate and report him?

“So let’s figure out a time that works for you to help me with my math. I’m desperate. There’s no way I’ll pass this class without your assistance. My brain is only wired for simple addition and subtraction, anything beyond that and I’m hopeless.”

Chapter Three

      Fall is my favorite season and now that it’s officially here I can look forward to all the fun activities it brings, like apple picking. Hailey, Jeff, his roommate Lee and I are meeting her brother Jake and some other friends at our favorite apple orchard. We’ve been going to the same one for years now. It’s about a forty-five-minute ride from Boston and since I have the newest and most comfortable vehicle to ride in, I offered to drive the four of us. Most of our trip involves traveling on the highway and the uninterrupted panorama of the fall foliage is exquisite. I should’ve had Jeff drive so I could really enjoy the scenery. I may have to ask him to on the way back so I can take in the colorful trees while it’s still peak foliage viewing season.

      Our ride there passes quickly and before I know it, I’m pulling my vehicle into an empty space. The area provided for parking is in a large, grassy field and sometimes it can be a muddy mess. It’s been fairly dry weather lately so the ground appears to be nice and solid. I have on my oldest pair of sneakers and some worn jeans because I know I’ll get dirty at some point. The weather is in the high sixties so I’m wearing a black, short sleeve Beacon University tee shirt. My hair is in a messy bun on top of my head so it won’t annoy me and I have my favorite pair of aviator sunglasses shading my eyes from the relentless glare of the midday sun.

     We decide to wait for Jake and his friends in the bakery that’s attached to the orchard’s gift shop. Jeff and Lee purchase apple cider and some apple cider donuts for us to enjoy while we’re killing time. The cold cider is the perfect complement to the donuts that are freshly made and still warm from the oven. The sugar and cinnamon that they sprinkle all over them leaves a sticky residue that I have to lick off my fingers. Everything is made here at the orchard café and it tastes so delicious that before we head home, I plan to purchase some more to bring with us. We can have some cider and donuts for breakfast this week. It will be a nice change from the granola bars I usually grab on my way out the door.

    “They’re here,” Hailey announces as she reads a new text on her phone. We collect our trash from the table and throw it in the rubbish on our way out of the bakery. We meet Jake and his roommates Cory, Brian and Tom in the line for apple picking. Hailey rolls her eyes when she notices that Cory’s with them. The two of them have some horrible history between them so they don’t interact at all. I should say, Hailey doesn’t have anything to do with him, even though he tries to talk to her from time to time. I can’t say I blame her since she’s the one that was wronged and he never even apologized for it. That was over two years ago, so he’s had ample opportunity to try to make amends and yet...he hasn’t. At this point we’re so used to her ignoring him, it’s not even awkward anymore. It is what it is and we all just accept that this is the way it will be when they’re in the same location.

      Hailey and I both purchase the largest size bag for our apples. Jeff tries to pay for mine, but I’m not having any of that. He and I are just friends and that screams “date” to me. It’s bad enough he bought my cider and donuts earlier. The guys all purchase bags to collect their apples in and before long we’re all climbing in the back of the tractor pulled wagon that will take us to the actual apple orchard. The wagon has bales of hay around some of the inner perimeter for us to sit on, but I prefer to sit on the wooden floor. Jeff sits next to me on one side and Hailey follows on the other. Interestingly enough, I notice Cory scowl when Lee sits in the vacant space next to her. I almost feel bad for him because I know he has feelings for Hailey, but he burned that bridge a long time ago and now it’s never going to happen. I’m kind of hoping that she and Lee will hit it off. She could use a nice guy to go out with. Judging by how he’s whispering in her ear and her ridiculous giggling, I’d say they're interested in each other.

    The bumpy, winding wagon ride is always a lot of fun and today is no exception. It’s always one of my favorite parts of coming here. We typically come picking on a weekend because the wagon ride isn’t available during the workweek. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if we had to hike up the hills to the orchard and then carry all our apples back down after
.

      The tractor pulls us in the wagon, along a steep incline that gives us an almost three hundred sixty-degree view of the surrounding area. We’re up on a ledge and all that’s visible beyond the orchard are red, yellow and orange colored treetops for as far as the eye can see. It’s truly breathtaking. We come to an abrupt stop at a point where there’s a four-way split, with signs directing us to different types of apple trees.  As I’m climbing out of the wagon Cory is already on the ground holding out his hand to assist me. I thank him and as I walk away, I take a quick glance at Hailey to see if she’ll accept his help. She ignores both him and his outstretched hand and Lee actually steps in to help her get down by grabbing onto her hips and swinging her out of the wagon, before placing her on her feet. She shrieks out loud with laughter before hugging him. Cory looks pissed that Lee has his hands on her and Hailey has no idea because she’s barely looked at him in over two years. It’s all extremely entertaining. I love drama, as long as it’s not mine.

      We spend the next hour hand picking apples from the gnarled branches of the fruit trees. We ended up spreading out to different parts of the orchard since we all like different kinds. Jake and I are only the only people in this particular row of trees. He’s helping me by picking the apples that are too high for me to reach. He’s always treated me well and now that I’m an adult, I consider him to be one of my friends. We don’t get the chance to hang out that often since I’m busy with school and he works full-time as an IT specialist. If Jake weren't Hailey’s brother, I would definitely be interested in him. He’s absolutely gorgeous with his curly black as midnight hair and piercing blue eyes. He and Hailey actually look quite a bit alike but where her eyes lean more toward a light turquoise, his are closer to a baby blue and they have a dark blue ring around the iris. As a result of his good looks he has quite the reputation for being a heartbreaker, but from what I’ve heard, he’s honest and upfront about preferring to do the friends with benefits thing, much like me.

      “Why do you think that you and I have never slept together?” Jake completely shocks me with his out of the blue question, so much so, that my mouth is literally hanging open. It takes me a minute to even formulate a reply.

“The main reason for me, is that you’re Hailey’s brother. If you guys weren’t related, I’d be all over you like poison ivy, big boy.” I wink at him before I return to picking more apples.

“I guess I don’t see the issue with me being Hailey’s brother. Why does that matter? Sex is sex; it doesn’t have to cloud anything.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal…as if we’re merely talking about the weather or what we had for dinner last night.

“Yeah, but your sister is my best friend and out of respect for her, I won’t sleep with you. You, my friend, are off limits.” I poke him in the chest for extra emphasis. He catches my hand in his, sensually rubbing my wrist with his thumb.

“You and I will sleep together, Shelby, it’s inevitable. It may not happen anytime in the immediate future, but mark my words, it will happen.” He smiles cockily at me before letting go of my hand. I pause to pick a few more apples and check them over for worm holes and bruises before placing them in my tote.

“Jake, I think you’re being a bit delusional and we can agree to disagree on this issue.” His only reaction to what I say is a small quirk of his lips. We spend the rest of our time picking apples in companionable silence.

***

    I sleep in on Sunday morning and finally drag myself out of bed at noon to do some much-needed studying. I’m doing well in all of my classes right now and I have to make sure this continues so I can maintain my high-grade point average. I’m passing math with a solid B, solely thanks to Jeff and his mad tutoring skills. He’s helped me to understand why we have to do things a certain way and not just how to do it. It’s really helpful if I can actually grasp the concepts and not just know the steps I need to follow.

      I’m sprawled on my bed with textbooks and notebooks spread out all around me when Hailey peeks her head in my room.

“Shelb, are you free tonight? I’m working at a faculty cocktail party and we’re short one server.”

Hailey works for a catering company that’s owned by a family friend. She makes great money working these events and from time to time I’ll fill in when they’re short staffed.

“Yeah, I can do it. What do I have to wear and I need the time and location.” I roll over on my back and look up at the ceiling. I hope Professor Hanlon won’t be there. Ugh, I really don’t want to deal with him. I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid him, including making Jeff sit with me in the rear of his class so I can blend in with all the gigglers and not be singled out.

“You need to wear a black skirt, knee length or shorter, black pantyhose and a plain white tee shirt. I have an extra black vest that you’ll need to borrow and make sure you wear heels. You have to be there by six thirty and I need to be there an hour earlier to help set up. It’s being held at Storrow House, where the dean lives. You know that big white Colonial with black shutters and the attached carriage house garage?”

“Yeah, I know exactly where it is and I’ll be there on time. Do I need to wear my hair a certain way?”

“You have to wear it up because we’re serving food.  Will you do a French braid for me, before I go? I haven’t worn my hair like that in a long time and you do a much tighter braid than I can.”

“Of course, I will. Now let me get back to work so I can finish up in plenty of time.” I smile at her before rolling back over to my stomach and focusing once again on my textbook.

     Finishing up my school work and braiding Hailey's hair took longer than I estimated. I didn’t have time to fully dry my own hair before, throwing it up in a twist on the back of my head. I secure it with a black plastic, four-pronged clip and give my head a shake to make sure it holds tight, before putting my makeup on. Since it’s a nighttime party, I use shimmery golden shades of brown to emphasize my eyes and put on my favorite red lipstick. The hemline on my black skirt lands just above my knees so I’m only wearing thigh high hose instead of the full set. I slide my feet into my most comfortable pair of black stiletto heeled pumps, grab my wallet and keys and I’m out the door.

      I called for a cab to take me to the dean’s house since visitor parking is scarce in that area. Hell, even the resident parking is extremely limited. I should be all set for the ride home because I can grab a ride with Hailey and worst case scenario, I can call for a cab. The ride is quick, only taking five minutes and I arrive with ten extra minutes to spare. I make my way inside the back entrance of the house as Hailey’s last text instructed me to do. I walk in the direction of the sound of clanging pots and pans, assuming it will lead me to the kitchen...and it does. The room is large with all the modern conveniences you wouldn’t expect in a house that dates back two hundred twenty years. The appliances are shiny stainless steel and look brand new. The room is warm due to the double ovens being utilized and the large number of catering staff working at preparing different dishes. There are white rectangular trays of appetizers laid out on the large granite topped island, just waiting to be handed out to the mingling guests. One of the staff is pouring champagne into glass flutes and strategically placing them on round white trays to be passed out. The way the woman is filling all the glasses an exact amount, before placing them precisely the same distance apart on the tray, makes me wonder if she suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder. Just the thought of having to carry those carefully organized champagne trays is enough to make me anxious. I hope I can stick with passing out hors d'oeuvres instead.

      Hailey walks in, sees me looking like a deer in the headlights and takes pity on me.

“Come on, I’ll show you where to leave your wallet and keys.” She grabs my arm and gently pulls me along behind her until we come to a hall closet. “Here, put your stuff in my purse so it won’t get lost.” I do as she says and try to psych myself up for the next few hours but I’ve never been good at motivating myself for things that I don’t want to be doing in the first place.

      “What’s the matter, Shelby?” Hailey asks, looking concerned. She puts her hand on my forehead to check me for a fever. “You look a little green around the gills.”

“I’m not sick, I’m just nervous about which faculty members might be here tonight.”

“Are you worried about seeing Professor Hanlon?” She asks as if I’m crazy for being concerned about him attending this party. She’s speaking in a voice way louder than I’d prefer.

“Shhh! Not so loud. Yes, I’m worried he’s going to be here. I’ve been trying to avoid him and him being here would kind of kill that.” I’m nauseous at the thought of running into him...possibly soon.

“Shelby, as long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen a guy have this effect on you, so why are you letting him? What makes him so different than any other guy? He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of them.” I smile at her when she finishes her little pep talk. I appreciate what she said and I know it’s true. He’s just a guy and I need to keep reminding myself of this one simple fact.
He's just a guy.

“Thanks, Hailey. What would I do without you?” I squeeze her to me in a quick hug.