Love Realized (The Real Love Series)

chapter EIGHTEEN

“TGIF,” Allie said to Gillian as they made the turn out of the school parking lot. It was her day off and after dropping Dylan at school, the plan was to spend it with Allie—apartment hunting. Finding out yesterday that Allie had decided to move back home to San Diego had been great news, and Gillian was going to do whatever she could to encourage it and make it happen. Allie had taken the train down for the weekend because she planned on bringing Logan’s truck back up to Los Angeles with her to load it up. Thankfully, his tires being slashed and headlights being smashed in didn’t interfere, as it was back on four fully inflated tires and sported new lights in no time. The dent in the fender would be taken care of a bit later. The evil bitch inside her liked the thought of Logan having to stare at the dent for a while, letting it be a reminder to him of his mistakes. The little angel inside would remind her that Logan was already being punished because she was divorcing him. Then, of course, the evil bitch would again add her two cents, or so you hope it feels like punishment.

“I really wished you and Logan hadn’t already rented out that house next door to yours,” Allie added to the conversation that Gillian had yet to participate in.

“Yeah, actually, we decided the other night that we were going to give the tenant notice and then Logan was going to move in there. We have another property that the guy could move into and he said he’d be willing; he just had to see if he could get a roommate. He talked to a friend of his and got back to us yesterday that he would change properties.” She glanced over at her friend to gauge her reaction to that news. She and Logan hadn’t mentioned it to anyone yet because they wanted to make sure the tenant was okay with it. Some people might have thought it weird that divorced parents would live as neighbors, too, but both Gillian and Logan felt that it was a great idea. They’d have their separate living spaces, yet the kids could see either parent whenever they wanted. They hoped it would be the solution to custody and visitation problems that other couples had. The plan was that they would give it a try for three months and then discuss whether or not it was going to work in the long term.

Allie broke into her thoughts when she asked, “And you’re okay with that? More importantly, is Jake okay with that?” Gillian could the see the concern etched on Allie’s face. Since she hadn’t spoken with Jake about it, she didn’t know how he felt. She didn’t think she was keeping it a secret—it had only been confirmed last night—but that didn’t stop her from feeling like she was being secretive. Bottom line, though, her kids were always going to come first and both she and Logan were going to try what they could to make things easier for them.

She confessed, “I don’t know how Jake feels about it yet. You’re the first person I’ve told because it was only confirmed last night.” She added that at the end so Allie wouldn’t give her any crap about it.

Allie shrugged. “Jake’s a good guy. I'm sure if things between you continue, he’ll make it okay.” Gillian relaxed with Allie’s statement. It was true; Jake was a great guy, and she didn’t see him making a problem out of something like this, especially since it involved the kids. As she and Allie made their way to the coffee shop, Gillian couldn’t help but feel glad that she had confessed that bit of information to someone. They planned to come up with some ideas for living spaces for Allie, and then Gillian was going to meet up with the other source of guilt this week. She had only been able to communicate with Mike via text throughout the week, and she really wanted to speak with him in person about not being able to see him anymore. Truthfully, she knew she didn’t necessarily owe him that, but it was who she was as a person, and she really thought he was a great guy. He was going to meet her at around ten o’clock, so that would give her plenty of time to figure out what she was going to say to him.

It was about an hour and a half into the apartment hunting adventure when Gillian had to speak up, “Okay, Allie, I have to be honest with you. I’m really not a big fan of anything we have looked at in your price range. Maybe you should just move in with me, or with Logan, or any one of our friends. I want you here in San Diego, but not in a shady area.”

Allie sighed, “I know. I didn’t realize it was going to be this hard to find something. I already gave notice at my apartment, and at work. And since I wasn’t under contract at either place, I told them my last day was the end of next week.”

“Well, we can figure it out. It’s not like you are moving anywhere you don’t know people, and even if you found something, it might not have been available ‘til after you came down anyway. So, you can just stay with me, or with Logan, unless you were considering your parents’ place.”

“God, no. Please tell me you wouldn’t even think that?” Allie said in an offended voice. Of course she wasn’t, but Gillian wanted to make sure. “Then take your pick—who do you want to stay with?”

A masculine voice to her left caught her attention when it said, “I know who I would pick, but whatever you do, don’t pick the parents.” Gillian turned to see Mike standing there, looking down at both of them.

Standing up, Gillian leaned in to hug him before quickly retreating, “Hello Mike.”

“Hi there, Gillian,” he said, and she was surprised because that sexy voice he had last week wasn’t the same as today’s. She knew it really was the same, but this time it didn’t make her swoony or tingly inside. Lost in thought for a second, she realized that she hadn’t introduced him to Allie.

Turning toward her friend, she gestured with her hand and said, “Mike, this is my best friend, Allie Baxter. Allie, this is Mike.”

“Oh, so this is the best friend responsible for the meet and greet last week?” Mike said with a little humor in his voice, hinting that he knew who Allie was but that he hadn’t actually met her

“Oh, wait. That’s right, you two would’ve met last week … but you didn’t?” Confused by this, she looked down to see her friend staring up at Mike … blushing? Oh how very interesting this is, she thought as she watched Mike extend his hand, while Allie stood up to accept it. Gillian was still watching Allie when Mike leaned over and pressed a kiss to the back of Allie’s hand. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a giggle escaped as her cheeks reddened even more. Allie was acting like a schoolgirl in front of Mike … Allie liked Mike?

“How did you two not meet last weekend?” Gillian asked Allie, effectively breaking the spell Mike had apparently cast over her.

Allie quickly pulled her hand from his, directed her attention toward Gillian and said, “What … Oh, I was busy taking care of everybody so I seemed to miss him.”

Even though Allie was speaking to Gillian, Mike responded, “I’m sorry I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting you then.” This successfully pulled Allie’s attention back to him. The weight Gillian felt resting on her shoulders today over having to let him down lifted as she watched him interact with Allie, who smiled shyly at his comment.

“I could say the same about you,” Allie came back. There was no witty humor, dry sarcasm, or crude attitude in her words—just plain sincerity. This was an unexpected turn of events for her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.

Finally finding her voice hidden behind all of her surprise, Gillian offered Mike a seat, “Won’t you sit down and join us?”

Mike looked at her, smiled, and sat down. “Thanks.”

No time like the present, even though it was weird to address in front of Allie now, Gillian began, “Thanks for coming Mike, I wanted to talk to you in person …” Mike put his hand up to halt her.

“Gillian, there is nothing you need to say to me. I get the picture. I understand. Although I do appreciate you wanting to tell me in person, really, there is nothing you need to say.”

“Really?” she asked in a squeaky voice. Clearing her voice, she tried again, “Really?”

A big smile appeared on his face again as he answered, “Really. I’ve done the dating thing before; I can tell when someone has moved in another direction without me. The text messages that lacked a lot of conversation were a dead giveaway.”

“I'm sorry,” immediately came out of Gillian’s mouth. She felt horrible for making it like she was stringing him along. “It’s just that this old friend of mine and I … well we kind of started dating,” she finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Gillian, it’s fine. I understand, you have nothing to feel bad about. Now, would you both be okay if I still join you for a cup of coffee? Or do I have to leave now that I'm not potential dating material?”

Looking over at her friend to see her openly staring at Mike, she added, “Of course you can join us. Would you let me buy your cup of coffee?”

“Absolutely not. What kind of gentlemen would allow a nice lady to spend her money on him,” he asked in a mocking tone, reminding her of his playful sense of humor she enjoyed last week. “Now would either of you like a refill?”

“No thanks,” Gillian replied, but Allie just shook her head. She tried not to laugh at the cool irony of the situation. Her best friend accompanied her to let a guy down, and then goes ga-ga over him. Gillian had not seen Allie act like this since Marc was around, and it warmed her heart a little. Today, Allie looked a little more … alive.

After his first cup of coffee and a little advice on what areas he thought Allie should avoid living in, Allie opened up in front of Mike, and Gillian loved that she got to see it happen. Gillian knew that regardless of the fact she and Mike would only ever be friends, he now had a spot on her list of favorite people.

Gillian and Allie spent another thirty minutes chatting with Mike before he had to excuse himself to return to work. He was definitely an easy man to talk to, and Gillian hoped that they could be friends. Once he had left the coffee shop, she turned to Allie to question her reaction to Mike. Allie had her hand up and shook her head saying, “No, Gillian, I'm not going to do this. Just let me handle my own emotions and stay out of it.” Then Allie stood up and made her way to the bathroom. Since there was only one subject Allie was closed off about, and that was her late husband, Gillian knew to let her have her space. It was the only way to help Allie, and she didn’t want to do anything to derail her progress. If she were to assume what was going on, she would venture to guess that Allie had some kind of attraction to Mike and was now feeling guilty about it.

Sitting there waiting for her friend to return, and feeling lighter now that she had gotten the conversation with Mike successfully out of her way, she focused on the person she’d been wanting to focus on. She took out her phone and was pleasantly surprised to see he had already texted her.

Jake: In case you were wondering … I'm thinking about you, and I miss you.

Gillian: I think it’s cool that when I pull my phone out to text you, I find a text from you already there.

Jake: What were you going to text me?

Gillian: I was going to ask if you were going to the football game tonight? In case you were wondering.

Jake: If you’re going to be there, then so will I. Will you share your blanket with me again?

Gillian: Of course, I don’t want you to get cold.

Jake: So are you saying that you will warm me up?

Gillian: Yes, as long as you keep me warm, too.

Jake: I can promise that, beautiful.

Gillian: Oh, and I miss you too … In case you were wondering.

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~

Jake checked the time and smiled to himself before stuffing his phone back into his pocket. Recalling Gillian’s text earlier today saying she would warm him up did just that. He was running late getting here, and even though she was fine with meeting him, he felt bad about it. Especially since he was supposed to be off on Fridays, but he got asked to cover a shift, and he was busy from call to call all day long.

Making his way up to the ticket counter, he put his money down for one ticket when the older woman said, “No charge, sweetie.”

Jake looked up at the woman in confusion. “Why?”

She gestured to his uniform, which he didn’t have a chance to change before coming. “Paramedics get in free on my watch.” He felt a little bad with getting in and skipping the ticket cost. He knew how booster clubs worked and how every little bit helped the program, so he tried to give her the money anyway.

“No, that’s okay. I'm off duty at the moment.”

The money was shoved back at him as the old woman gave him a questioning look, “Are you saying that if one of those kids out there goes down with a bad injury, and they need help, you wouldn’t offer any?”

Taken aback by her comment and a little offended, he said, “Of course not.”

“Exactly my point, young man, so there is no need to pay because if you needed to work, I know you would. Now move along, you’re holdin’ up my line.” Then she winked at him and shooed him away with her hands. He barely got a thank you out before she was helping the next customer. Shaking his head at the feisty old woman, Jake rounded the corner to find Dylan and Ryan coming out of the bathroom in a bee-line for the snack-bar.

He made his way over to join them. “Hey boys, what are we getting tonight?”

Hellos came from both boys simultaneously before Dylan said, “We’re getting hot chocolate for all of us. Did you want one, too?”

“I sure do. Do you have enough money?”

“Yes, Mom gave me money. Told me to make sure I got the change before walking away, too.”

“That’s good advice, buddy, make sure you do. Can I go sit with your mom, or do you need my help?”

“We don’t need any help. Mom is sitting with her friend. He’s nice. He didn’t kiss her on the lips like you do now,” Dylan said in such a nonchalant tone that Jake almost missed what he said. Turning in the direction of the stands, Jake sought out Gillian and her friend. Since he knew where she liked to sit, it wasn’t hard to do. Finding her, he could see that she was sitting next to a man and talking—she even laughed a little. The guy had her complete attention, and Jake didn’t like it at all. The caveman in him was really getting a workout lately, and with that thought, he made his way toward Gillian, keeping his eyes on her as much as possible as he maneuvered through the crowd. He knew his reaction to seeing anyone near her needed to change, but this was still too new; he couldn’t risk anything, he wouldn’t. Climbing the steps, he made his way across the bleachers to where she was sitting. Her back was to him, so she couldn’t see his approach, but the guy could. The guy looked up at Jake from where he was seated, causing Gillian to look behind her, too.

Before breaking eye contact with the guy to look at Gillian, a small knowing smile appeared on his face, and he gave Jake a slight nod. Slipping down onto the seat next to her, Jake’s arm immediately found her waist, and he slid tightly up beside her.

“Hey beautiful,” he said, and she gave him one of those smiles, relaxing him.

Turning toward him, she leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips before pulling back and saying, “Hey yourself.” She kept her gaze on him, and he couldn’t help but melt a little, so he gave her a smile back. “Jake, I would like you to meet Mike,” she said and then turned toward the other guy and said, “Mike, this is Jake, the friend that I was telling you about.”

Jake turned his attention to this Mike guy, who now had his hand extended in Jake’s direction. For a moment he was thankful that he was sitting to Gillian’s right, so that his right hand was free because he wasn’t sure he would have let her go to shake the offered hand. Mike huffed a laugh before saying, “I figured that just by the look I got. Nice to meet you man, heard a lot about you.”

Jake shook Mike’s hand and asked, “How do you two know each other?”

Mike said, “I had the pleasure of meeting Gillian last Friday and was able to enjoy her company for dinner last weekend.” The guy didn’t say it in a nasty tone so Jake could only take it as sincere as he realized that this was her date last Saturday. He unconsciously stiffened a little, and Gillian leaned into Jake more, allowing him to hold her a little tighter.

“Mike’s the nice guy who took me to dinner last week.”

The soft tone of her voice had him calming down a little more; she was obviously worried about his reaction. He wasn’t going to be an ass or anything, and clearly Mike wasn’t, so Jake said the only thing he could say, “Well any friend of Gillian’s, is a friend of mine.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Mike said to Jake before turning his attention to Gillian again. “So you’ll give that information to Allie? I think it would be a great opportunity for her. The complex is great, I know the condo has an alarm system, and it’s ready immediately. When she calls, just have her tell him that I recommended her.”

“That does sound like a great opportunity. I really want to make sure she isn’t in some dump.”

“Definitely not a dump,” Mike said with a laugh.

Jake wasn’t sure what was going on so he asked. Gillian responded with an excited little squirm as she turned and gave her full attention to him. “Allie didn’t say it to everyone last night because you know how she is about attention, but guess what?” Her excitement was adorable and apparently contagious because he laughed at her.

With an excited, slightly mocking girl tone, he said, “Oh my god, what?”

She slapped his shoulder, before continuing, “Allie has decided to move back home! She is moving back to San Diego. Isn’t that great?”

“Holy shit! Are you serious?” he asked.

“Yes! I'm so excited, can you tell? She told me last night just before you got there, but I didn’t say anything because I figured she would. But today we tried looking for a place for her, and I didn’t like any of the places we found. I suggested that she could live with any one of us, but she didn’t seem too keen on that idea. So Mike just gave me some information on a neighbor of his who is subletting his condo for a year, since he moved in with his fiancé and can’t get out of his lease. Isn’t that great?”

Anyone could see that Gillian was super excited about this, but Jake knew what it really meant. He knew how much they all worried about Allie, and the fact that she was moving back to San Diego meant that she had made some progress with the guilt she had over Marc’s accident.

“That is great news, baby. I am glad to hear it,” he said as she threw her arms around his neck for an unexpected hug. Jake couldn’t contain his surprised laugh as he hugged her back. Once again, the sincere smile on this Mike guy’s face as he watched Gillian get excited over this had Jake accepting him a little. Anyone who wasn’t captured under Gillian’s spell wasn’t normal to him, and Mike was clearly under her spell.

The boys returned with the hot chocolates, including one for Mike. Gillian wrapped her blanket securely around their legs before making sure the boys had their blankets on. All snuggled up and warm with Gillian—it was a great night.