Falling For You - January Cove Book 3 (16 page)

Luckily, the menu did not list the prices of the food because if it did, she
’
d probably have a heart attack and then insist on going somewhere more reasonable, but she was going to allow herself to enjoy something just one time.

The waiter came up dressed in black and white, and Jackson immediately ordered the house wine and an appetizer of shrimp scampi. For a moment it made her think of her husband. He
’
d been the exact opposite; totally indecisive. She made many decisions for him and her both because he was a very laid back and shy person. Jackson clearly was a take charge kind of man.

She silently told herself to stop comparing Jackson to her late husband, but it was easier said than done. Hopefully, their differences would prove to help her get away from that thinking.

Jackson smiled apologetically at her having just caught him ordering for them both.
“
I
’
m sorry. It
’
s just a really bad habit I have. You
’
re just so unlike the other women I
’
ve dated, and I wasn
’
t sure if you
’
d like to order or not.
”

“
Breathe, Jackson. It
’
s not a big deal. It
’
s nice not making decisions sometimes, but just don
’
t get the wrong idea about me. I
’
m no pushover.
”
She pointed her finger at him in mock anger, and they both broke into laughter which they quickly quieted as the waiter came up with their wine glasses. She hadn’t gotten to drink a lot of wine lately, but she loved it. Back in New York, before the tragedy, she and her husband had even belonged to a wine tasting group for a short time.

It was funny how she measured life in terms of the terrorist attack. Never as a little girl would she have imagined that she would have been caught up in one of the most infamous days in history, but here she was. Her life had been separated into “before the attack” and “after the attack”.

Rebecca swiftly moved to place the napkin across her lap like everyone else in the restaurant. Ironically, even living right there near New York City, she hadn
’
t spent much time in expensive restaurants. Looking around she felt dressed down compared to the others. She knew that wasn’t logical since she was wearing her nicest dress, but she still felt out of place. This small town sure knew how to dress up.

When she looked up at Jackson he was smelling his wine, something he
’
d only ever seen people do in movies. She stifled a laugh as the waiter walked away, leaving the bottle at the table for them. Jackson noticed her looking at him and got a little red in the face before taking a large swig of the wine into his mouth and sloshing it around.

His world was obviously so different from hers, and she wondered just for a moment why he chose her to date. It
’
s not like Atlanta wouldn
’
t be full of women that seemed more his type, but then again, he grew up quickly in a small, friendly beach town. Maybe city girls weren
’
t really his thing. Which was probably unfortunate for him since he worked at a large business in the city. Rebecca found herself feeling suddenly very grateful and lucky that he
’
d spent so much time raising his siblings and then working. Otherwise, she probably wouldn
’
t have a chance with this brilliant man because he
’
d be taken by now.

The waiter brought the shrimp out and asked to take their order. Jackson ordered for her again, asking for the ahi tuna. This would be a new experience for her since she
’
d never tried sushi or anything close before. She
’
d never really felt like spending that kind of time or money on something she wasn
’
t absolutely sure she
’
d like. This was a night for indulgence, though, and she planned to enjoy it as such.

“
So, tell me more about yourself, Jackson,
”
she demanded boldly. Jackson dropped the shrimp he
’
d been about to eat in surprise making Rebecca laugh.

“
Well, what would you like to know?
”

“
Anything, really. I mean, it
’
s a date, so we
’
re supposed to get to know each other.
”

Jackson scratched his head.
“
Well, my favorite color is blue. Football is my favorite sport. I did terrible on my SATs, and I am a work-a-holic. Oh, and I love seafood.
”
Jackson grinned mischievously and took a huge bite of shrimp.

“
Well, I guess that
’
s everything. So, the date must be over then,
”
Rebecca responded jokingly.

“
What about you? It
’
s your turn.
”

Rebecca peeked at him from under her long eyelashes, about to protest. But, she decided to go ahead and play along.
“
Umm, my favorite color is emerald green. I don
’
t really have a favorite sport. Does bowling count? I used to bowl when I was younger. I did so-so on my SATs, but the math portion really got me. I am a crazy, obsessive single mother of a troubled teenage boy, and I am more of a burger and fries kind of girl most of the time. Not that there
’
s anything wrong with seafood.
”
Embarrassed that she may have insulted his choice of food she cowered a little as she said the last sentence. There was probably no need to be worried though, since Jackson was beaming across the table from her.

“
A woman after my own heart,
”
Jackson replied making Rebecca
’
s heart skip a beat. She knew he was probably making a joke, but the idea of it just made her feel butterflies throughout her whole body. It was weird how new relationships could make you feel and act like you were a kid again.

The waiter brought out their meals, setting two plates on the table with pinkish slabs of fish. At least, that
’
s what it looked like to Rebecca. She tried hard not to make a face and offend Jackson or the waiter, but from the way Jackson was holding back a laugh she
’
d obviously failed.
“
I promise it tastes better than it looks,
”
he assured as the waiter walked away. Forgetting her manners, Rebecca leaned down and sniffed at her plate making Jackson break out into full laughter.
“
Okay, just try it, and if you don
’
t like it we
’
ll go somewhere else for dessert.
”
She nodded and grabbed her fork, wanting to stick to her guns and try something different. She pulled off a small corner piece and placed it in her mouth. She let it sit on her tongue a minute to give it her best shot, and mostly what she tasted was salty. The fish was okay, but the texture reminded her of a mixture of spam and snot. She quickly swallowed and smiled sheepishly at Jackson. There was no hiding her distaste.

Jackson sighed and looked at her from under his eyelashes, a move Rebecca thought was generally choreographed in movies rather than a scene from real life. Then, she was saved by her phone which began vibrating in her purse. She held one finger up to tell Jackson she
’
d be back and took off to the ladies
’
room, purse in tow.

Rebecca was surprised to hear Leo on the other end.
“
Hey  honey, is something wrong?
”
She wasn
’
t used to being away from him at night like this, and it worried her like any parent of a small child leaving them home alone for the first time.

“
Everything
’
s fine, mom. I just wanted to see if I could go to Danny
’
s house. He just got a new game and wants to test it out. His mom said she could pick me up and drop me off, and I have the spare key for the shop.
”
Rebecca contemplated for just a moment, wondering if that was a good idea. The truth was she really wanted him to build friendships in January Cove, and this was a great start even if it was based on video games. Plus, it would leave the apartment open for her and Jackson, just in case.

“
Okay, sweetie, but please be sure to lock up and text me once in awhile to check in. Oh, and don
’
t stay up too too late. I don
’
t want your sleeping schedule to get out of whack for school.
”
She could hear him sigh on the other side of the line.

“
Yeah, mom. Thanks.
”

“
Love, you, honey.
”

“
You too, mom.
”

Rebecca heard the click before she hung up herself and headed back out to the table. She was surprised to see that Jackson had already gotten the check and a to go box for his meal. He smiled at her as she sat down.
“
So, madame, where would you like to go for dessert?
”

Rebecca thought for a moment whether she should dare to invite him back to her place. I mean, she could just cook some burgers and scoop out some ice cream, and it would give them a chance to talk more casually. It didn
’
t have to mean anything just because he was coming up to where the apartment was in the coffee shop, did it?

“
I know just the place.
”
She winked at him and took his hand to lead him to the car. She was going to take a leap of faith and jump right into whatever this was before it was too late.

Jackson wasn
’
t sure what to feel as he helped Rebecca haul in the bags of food she
’
d bought at the local market. She was clearly ready to have a more simple meal, and he was fine with that. However, he didn
’
t know what kind of signal she was sending by inviting him into her home. He didn
’
t even know if Leo was home or not, though he assumed the phone call she
’
d gotten was somehow related to that.

He followed Rebecca
’
s lead up the stairs and couldn
’
t help but take that moment to enjoy the view he had being behind her. She was a very naturally curvy woman, and she swayed just perfectly when she walked. She was so much more beautiful than the women he usually dated who were skin and bones really. He found that he preferred this more natural beauty to the beauty that came from surgery and piles of makeup.

The stairs led straight into a small living area with the kitchen at the back. It was small, but he noticed that someone in the kitchen would have a clear view of the television. That was a plus he didn
’
t have at his rental in Atlanta.

He followed her to the kitchen as she flipped on the lights and began pulling out everything she needed to cook with. She was a woman on a mission, and for a moment she reminded him of his mother, a whirlwind in the kitchen trying to cook up a meal to satisfy all her boys. He let himself question why he ever thought what he wanted could be found in a place like Atlanta instead of his hometown. He knew right then where he was supposed to be, but he still wasn
’
t sure how he
’
d get there.

When he noticed her tugging at her dress, he felt even worse about the date he had planned. He had made the mistake of planning a typical Jackson Parker date, but this woman deserved something so much less superficial than that. In fact, as beautiful as she looked in that dress, he could see it was not a natural state for her like it had been for his last girlfriend. This was a busy, working, single mother, and she looked and performed her best in something more practical.