was falling in love with him.
Brent had become the one man in my life who I could count on. He never made me feel bad. If anything he always seemed to know how to make me feel better. And whether it was fate or his uncanny timing, he was always there whenever I needed someone the most.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “Why are you always here? Whenever I've needed someone lately, somehow you just show up.”
“Because from the first moment I saw you, I knew you needed someone. I want to be that someone,” he said.
“You just want sex,” I said, forcing a laugh.
“Stop it, Jackie.” He knelt down in front of me so I had no choice but to look at him. “I’ve been doing whatever I can to be with you. You have no idea how much I hate these events, but I will go to one every night of the week if it means I get to spend a few minutes with you.”
I shook my head and hid my face in my hands again.
“You’re crazy,” I said.
“Crazy for you.”
“And you’re cheesy too.”
He laughed as he pulled my hands away from my face.
“I’m tired of this, Jackie. I’m tired of playing games to get more time with you. Let me take you out to dinner.”
“As in a date?” I asked.
“Yes, a date, next Saturday.”
“Next Saturday? You’ve been stalking me for months and now you want to wait over a week?”
He grinned and laughed softly.
“I have to go away next week. There’s an environmental conference I’m attending in Geneva. Why don’t you come with me?”
“To Geneva?”
It took me by surprise, but I couldn't imagine wanting to do anything more. I could get away from the ghost of Marc, from the ever-present Dennis, and maybe start on my future with Brent. But just as I was going to say yes, I remembered I had booked myself solid with work. Not only that, but I had finals that week.
“I wish I could go, but I can’t. With work and finals, I can’t do it,” I said.
Disappointment flashed across his face.
“Then promise you’ll join me for dinner when I get back,” he said. “Then after dinner I want to show you off as my date at the Boone Christmas party. What do you say?”
I didn’t need to think about it. My head was nodding before the word came out of my mouth.
“Yes.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jackie
As I stared into my closet I realized I had nothing to wear for my date with Brent. Sure, the closet was packed tight and there were things in there that hadn’t seen the light of day in a long time, but tonight was a big deal. Tonight I was going on my first date in years.
I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the door. It was just past noon so I had enough time to get to the mall for an hour and then get back and get ready.
“Where are you going?” Dennis asked as he looked up from a magazine.
I sighed as I stopped in the doorway. Why didn’t I kick him out? Why was I always being so nice to him? He didn’t deserve it at all.
“I’m going to the mall,” I said. “I have a date tonight so I’d appreciate it if you disappeared.”
He set the magazine down on the coffee table.
“Mind if I tag along?” he asked. “I won’t get in your way, I just need to pick up a new pair of jeans.”
“Fine,” I said, not wanting any more delays. “Just hurry up. I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up his hands as if he was at gunpoint.
He got up and grabbed his wallet off the table as I stepped out the door.
Dennis snorted softly as we reached my new car. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his face squish into a pained look.
“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” I said.
“No, no, I really need a new pair of jeans.”
“You made a face,” I said.
“I had something caught in my throat,” he said.
He made a similar sound to his snort several times as he cleared his throat.
“Asshole,” I said under my breath as I unlocked the car.
We drove in silence to the mall. There was more traffic on the roads than I expected so I
Brent had become the one man in my life who I could count on. He never made me feel bad. If anything he always seemed to know how to make me feel better. And whether it was fate or his uncanny timing, he was always there whenever I needed someone the most.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “Why are you always here? Whenever I've needed someone lately, somehow you just show up.”
“Because from the first moment I saw you, I knew you needed someone. I want to be that someone,” he said.
“You just want sex,” I said, forcing a laugh.
“Stop it, Jackie.” He knelt down in front of me so I had no choice but to look at him. “I’ve been doing whatever I can to be with you. You have no idea how much I hate these events, but I will go to one every night of the week if it means I get to spend a few minutes with you.”
I shook my head and hid my face in my hands again.
“You’re crazy,” I said.
“Crazy for you.”
“And you’re cheesy too.”
He laughed as he pulled my hands away from my face.
“I’m tired of this, Jackie. I’m tired of playing games to get more time with you. Let me take you out to dinner.”
“As in a date?” I asked.
“Yes, a date, next Saturday.”
“Next Saturday? You’ve been stalking me for months and now you want to wait over a week?”
He grinned and laughed softly.
“I have to go away next week. There’s an environmental conference I’m attending in Geneva. Why don’t you come with me?”
“To Geneva?”
It took me by surprise, but I couldn't imagine wanting to do anything more. I could get away from the ghost of Marc, from the ever-present Dennis, and maybe start on my future with Brent. But just as I was going to say yes, I remembered I had booked myself solid with work. Not only that, but I had finals that week.
“I wish I could go, but I can’t. With work and finals, I can’t do it,” I said.
Disappointment flashed across his face.
“Then promise you’ll join me for dinner when I get back,” he said. “Then after dinner I want to show you off as my date at the Boone Christmas party. What do you say?”
I didn’t need to think about it. My head was nodding before the word came out of my mouth.
“Yes.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jackie
As I stared into my closet I realized I had nothing to wear for my date with Brent. Sure, the closet was packed tight and there were things in there that hadn’t seen the light of day in a long time, but tonight was a big deal. Tonight I was going on my first date in years.
I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the door. It was just past noon so I had enough time to get to the mall for an hour and then get back and get ready.
“Where are you going?” Dennis asked as he looked up from a magazine.
I sighed as I stopped in the doorway. Why didn’t I kick him out? Why was I always being so nice to him? He didn’t deserve it at all.
“I’m going to the mall,” I said. “I have a date tonight so I’d appreciate it if you disappeared.”
He set the magazine down on the coffee table.
“Mind if I tag along?” he asked. “I won’t get in your way, I just need to pick up a new pair of jeans.”
“Fine,” I said, not wanting any more delays. “Just hurry up. I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up his hands as if he was at gunpoint.
He got up and grabbed his wallet off the table as I stepped out the door.
Dennis snorted softly as we reached my new car. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his face squish into a pained look.
“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” I said.
“No, no, I really need a new pair of jeans.”
“You made a face,” I said.
“I had something caught in my throat,” he said.
He made a similar sound to his snort several times as he cleared his throat.
“Asshole,” I said under my breath as I unlocked the car.
We drove in silence to the mall. There was more traffic on the roads than I expected so I
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