“You’ve been there?”
He shrugs. “I’ve heard.”
“I guess Anne and I will just have to see for ourselves. What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I have to take the kittens to the adoption event,” he says. “I was going to invite you, but it sounds like you’ll be having more fun than I am.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” I guess it makes sense now why he’s behaving the way that he is.
“It’s okay. I just figured if you weren’t doing anything else, maybe you’d want to come.”
I twirl my fork on my plate, picking up a string of pasta. “Are you sad to see them go?”
He nods. “A little. I’m happy that they’ll get a new home.”
The elevator opens and one of my neighbors steps out. She does a double-take when she sees us sitting on the floor. She heaves an exaggerated sigh, shakes her head, then lets herself into her apartment without a word. I look back at Jake in time to catch a funny look on his face. I almost snort out the food in my mouth.
“You’d think she’s never seen two people having a picnic in the hallway,” he says. There’s a glint in his eye that tells me his bad mood is coming to an end, or at the very least, he’s trying to move past it.
“Do you think she’ll call Joel to kick us out? I don’t remember seeing anything about eating in the hallway in my lease agreement.”
He laughs. “I think we’ll be okay.” He takes another bite of food, then asks, “How early do you have to be up tomorrow?”
“Anne is picking me up at four, which sounds early, but for me it means I get to sleep in a little.”
“I’m usually up at four to go for a run. Maybe I’ll see you on your way out?”
I don’t know why I forgot that he was up early and coming home from a run when Anne and I got back from San Diego last weekend. I guess I’m not the only early bird in the building. I wonder if this means I’ll get to see him shirtless again. I look at his chest, peeling his shirt off with my mind and trying to remember what he looks like underneath. The image I get is of his body tinted gold under the streetlight, like a statue. The lighting is all wrong for this hallway.
When I move my gaze up to his eyes, I realize that he’s watching me. My face flushes. I wonder if he’s aware of the thoughts going through my mind about his perfect body. Then I remember that he’s waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, sure.”
“I still want to take you out for dinner,” he says. “When will you be back in town?”
His question makes my heart skip. “It’s just a day trip. We’ll be back tomorrow night.”
“Perfect. I’ll take you out on Sunday then. Don’t make any plans.”
“It’s a date,” I tell him.
ChapterFifteen
PENNY PICKLES
In the morning, I get up and start a pot of coffee, then head back to my room to get dressed. Since it’s just a day trip, I don’t have to bring anything other than my purse. I know that Anne will be disappointed that I’m not bringing any letters, but after reading through them last night, I don’t feel right about that anymore. There was a change in tone from high school to adulthood that I don’t think I fully grasped until I reread the letters. Maybe I wanted to believe that we were only ever mean to each other, but now I feel like there was something more, and it should stay between us.
I’m almost done getting ready when I get a text from Anne. She’s on her way, and she’s bringing me a cup of coffee. We’re not even at work, yet she’s still supplying me with more caffeine than I need.
At four, there’s a light tap at my front door. I gather my purse, check my hair in the mirror, and then open the door. Jake is waiting for me. He’s wearing a T-shirt and running shorts similar to what he was wearing last weekend when we went out for breakfast. His eyelids look heavy like he just rolled out of bed, and his messy hair confirms it. It takes a lot of willpower to stop myself from reaching my hand up to comb my fingers through his hair.
“I thought maybe I missed you,” he says.
“Nope. Anne will be here any second. I was just about to head downstairs.”
I lock my apartment door, and then we head for the stairwell. He takes the stairs faster than I do, but I don’t mind because it gives me a moment to appreciate the way his back muscles fill out his shirt. And his shorts… I’m starting to think it’s been way too long since I’ve been laid. As the thought crosses my mind, I realize that sounds like something Anne would tell me. She must be rubbing off on me.
We make it to the front door, and he holds it open for me. His hand grazes my lower back as I pass through the doorway. The contact surprises me, but I don’t mind it. He closes the door and stands next to me. Anne isn’t here yet, so we have some time. It’s different being out here at this time of the morning when I’m not in a rush to get somewhere. The sky is still dark and the city is quiet. The usual hum of traffic is replaced by only the occasional passing car.
