let’s go.”
Chapter Seven
Annalise
I awoke early on Saturday. After a quick breakfast, I started to clean my apartment, needing to give my nervous energy something to do. Rover helped by sniffing everything I threw in the bin, looking behind furniture I moved for lost toys, and hiding under the bed when I vacuumed. By ten o’clock, I had to face that there was nothing left to clean and Jake wasn’t picking me up for another two hours.
I hadn’t seen him the day before, though he’d called to let me know the arrangements he’d made with his family. I’d certainly thought about him, though. And not the schoolgirl thoughts I’d had during my crush. These thoughts definitely had adult content. They involved mouths and hands and nakedness.
Even in my dreams at night, he’d appear, draped across my bed wearing nothing but that smile that drove me crazy. Or he’d be slowly undressing me in his living room with the breeze from the ocean drifting across my newly exposed skin. I gave my head an abrupt shake. This was not a mind-frame I wanted to be in when he arrived. It’d be like putting a picture of a chocolate brownie on the fridge door.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind, I showered, dressed, and picked up my keys. Rover stood on her back legs, pawing her leash.
“ Rrrreht ,” she kitty-barked.
I smiled indulgently. “Okay, you can have a quick ride.”
She turned a circle on her back legs in delight. I clipped the leash to her collar and led her down the steps to the Volvo. I did a quick lap of our block, Rover with her head almost out the window, sniffing the breeze, before dropping her home and heading out again to my favorite bottle shop.
After quickly browsing through the racks, I picked out an assortment of white wines to run past Jake. Maybe we could do that after we’d seen his family. That’d be nice, sitting back on a Saturday night with Jake, a glass of white each.
I stopped myself. I had to remember that the only reason he was doing this, the only reason he was even seeing me, was to get the attention of another woman.
Blond Scarlett.
Groaning, I took the wine to the counter.
The cashier packed the bottles into bags and raised his eyebrows. “Big night?”
“Unfortunately, no.” I picked up the bags and walked back to the Volvo.
Once I got home, with my nervous energy gone and replaced by a hollow sadness, I dropped onto my bed. Rover bounced up and down on the mattress, trying to get me to play.
“Sorry, girl. I just need a moment.”
Not to be beaten, she rolled onto her back and twisted from side to side, trying to catch the tip of her tail. Smiling, I watched her upside-down quest. She had such simple needs—no castles in the air for Rover. And the result? Happiness. Rover was happy most of the time. Her goals were achievable: food, walks, affection and toys. Jake, on the other hand, was practically the quintessential Unachievable Goal—my very own castle in the air.
I cast a glance at my dream collage on the closet door. Maybe I needed to add some more achievable goals?
Like Kelly and Eden. Why hadn’t I thought of them before? Of course they should be on there. Jumping up, I rummaged through my drawers till I found a photo of them—all three of us, arms around each other on my sixteenth birthday.
A sense of joy unfurled in my chest. These people definitely should be on my dream collage. After finding some glue, I added them, right at the top of the page. I couldn’t wait to see them again.
Perfect. Now I needed to think of other more achievable things that made me happy. Be realistic. No pipedreams.
Learn from Rover.
I looked down at my watch and realized I only had twenty minutes until Jake would be there. Pleased I’d made progress, I left the collage and rushed to get ready, only just making it when Jake knocked at my door.
“Hey, you look nice,” he greeted me. “Are you ready to go?”
I looked nice? He was filling out his old faithful jeans
Chapter Seven
Annalise
I awoke early on Saturday. After a quick breakfast, I started to clean my apartment, needing to give my nervous energy something to do. Rover helped by sniffing everything I threw in the bin, looking behind furniture I moved for lost toys, and hiding under the bed when I vacuumed. By ten o’clock, I had to face that there was nothing left to clean and Jake wasn’t picking me up for another two hours.
I hadn’t seen him the day before, though he’d called to let me know the arrangements he’d made with his family. I’d certainly thought about him, though. And not the schoolgirl thoughts I’d had during my crush. These thoughts definitely had adult content. They involved mouths and hands and nakedness.
Even in my dreams at night, he’d appear, draped across my bed wearing nothing but that smile that drove me crazy. Or he’d be slowly undressing me in his living room with the breeze from the ocean drifting across my newly exposed skin. I gave my head an abrupt shake. This was not a mind-frame I wanted to be in when he arrived. It’d be like putting a picture of a chocolate brownie on the fridge door.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind, I showered, dressed, and picked up my keys. Rover stood on her back legs, pawing her leash.
“ Rrrreht ,” she kitty-barked.
I smiled indulgently. “Okay, you can have a quick ride.”
She turned a circle on her back legs in delight. I clipped the leash to her collar and led her down the steps to the Volvo. I did a quick lap of our block, Rover with her head almost out the window, sniffing the breeze, before dropping her home and heading out again to my favorite bottle shop.
After quickly browsing through the racks, I picked out an assortment of white wines to run past Jake. Maybe we could do that after we’d seen his family. That’d be nice, sitting back on a Saturday night with Jake, a glass of white each.
I stopped myself. I had to remember that the only reason he was doing this, the only reason he was even seeing me, was to get the attention of another woman.
Blond Scarlett.
Groaning, I took the wine to the counter.
The cashier packed the bottles into bags and raised his eyebrows. “Big night?”
“Unfortunately, no.” I picked up the bags and walked back to the Volvo.
Once I got home, with my nervous energy gone and replaced by a hollow sadness, I dropped onto my bed. Rover bounced up and down on the mattress, trying to get me to play.
“Sorry, girl. I just need a moment.”
Not to be beaten, she rolled onto her back and twisted from side to side, trying to catch the tip of her tail. Smiling, I watched her upside-down quest. She had such simple needs—no castles in the air for Rover. And the result? Happiness. Rover was happy most of the time. Her goals were achievable: food, walks, affection and toys. Jake, on the other hand, was practically the quintessential Unachievable Goal—my very own castle in the air.
I cast a glance at my dream collage on the closet door. Maybe I needed to add some more achievable goals?
Like Kelly and Eden. Why hadn’t I thought of them before? Of course they should be on there. Jumping up, I rummaged through my drawers till I found a photo of them—all three of us, arms around each other on my sixteenth birthday.
A sense of joy unfurled in my chest. These people definitely should be on my dream collage. After finding some glue, I added them, right at the top of the page. I couldn’t wait to see them again.
Perfect. Now I needed to think of other more achievable things that made me happy. Be realistic. No pipedreams.
Learn from Rover.
I looked down at my watch and realized I only had twenty minutes until Jake would be there. Pleased I’d made progress, I left the collage and rushed to get ready, only just making it when Jake knocked at my door.
“Hey, you look nice,” he greeted me. “Are you ready to go?”
I looked nice? He was filling out his old faithful jeans
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