chapter Seventeen
Jake
“I have no clue how you got her to agree to go out with you, but I’m happy to hear it.” Mom took a sip of her coffee.
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You know I didn’t mean it that way. But you have to admit that most men would have a hard time getting a date in the condition you were in.”
“I guess I’m not most men.”
She laughed. “No, you definitely aren’t. I still don’t know where you get it. It’s not from your father.”
“Hmm?” Dad glanced up from his paper.
I took a bite of my bagel. I was having breakfast over at my parents’ house on Saturday morning. Usually I resisted those sorts of family gatherings, but I knew my mom wanted information, and she’d get it whether I told her or not.
“I’m sorry we missed Emily at the game on Friday. I’d have loved to have seen her. I meant to send her a note to say thank you. She really helped make a terrible situation bearable.” Mom started to tear up. I hated knowing it was my fault.
“Yeah. It’s too bad you didn’t see her.” I decided to put her out of her misery. I could tell she was still full of questions. “Come on. Just ask me what you want to ask. Get it over with.”
“Is there anything else about her you think I should know?”
“I’m guessing you’re asking about Noah?”
“Noah? That’s her son’s name?”
I got up and poured myself more coffee from the pot. “Yes.”
“Who’s the dad?” She looked right at me. All evidence of the tears were gone—the interrogation had started. That’s what I got for not telling her earlier. She must have heard about Noah from people in town who saw us after the game.
“He’s dead, but I think he was from her hometown.”
“Oh. That’s horrible. That poor girl.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s been an easy road.”
“Does her family live nearby?”
“Nope. They’re all in Ridgeview.”
“Up there? I’m surprised she didn’t move home.” Mom took another sip of her coffee.
“Me too. I’m sure she has her reasons.” I had so many questions for Emily, but I was going to wait until the right time to ask them.
“I’m guessing by the far off look on your face that you plan to see her again.”
“Yeah, I definitely do. She’s gotten under my skin in a way no one has before.”
“I can tell; which is why I want to see her again too. Even though we spent so much time in the hospital together, I hardly know anything about her. You should really bring her and Noah by next time she’s in town.”
“She’ll be here tonight. She’s having trouble finding a sitter so I told her to bring Noah with her.”
“I’ll watch him.” Mom got that excited look on her face.
“You don’t even know him.”
“So? Have them come over early so he can get to know me. I did raise two boys of my own, you know.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes! You know how much I love kids, and this way you two can have a proper date.”
“I’ll talk to Emily about it.”
“Good.”
“Are you sure your mom doesn’t mind?” Emily asked for the third time. We were sitting around my place. I’d never cleaned so well in my life, but Mom warned me Noah would get into everything.
“Not at all. It was her idea. We should probably go over there now. That way Noah can get used to her with you there.”
“That’s really nice of her.”
I shrugged. “It’s just my mom.” She might have been far too involved in my business, but my mom was always willing to help.
“All right. Do you want to go?”
“Sure.”
Emily bent down. “Noah, it’s time to go.”
Noah looked up from playing with a toy car on the floor. He really was cute. He had longish, dark brown hair and really big, blue eyes.
“You know that we have the same haircut, bud.”
Emily laughed. “Only because I haven’t had time to cut it.”
“Why would you cut it? The shaggy look is always in for little boys.”
“So is looking neat and presentable.”
“Are you trying to tell me I don’t look presentable?” I pretended to be offended.
“No. I like your hair.” She reached over and ran a hand through my hair.
“But your son needs his short?”
She smiled down at Noah. “At least trimmed.”
I bent down to Noah’s height. “Don’t listen to her, Noah. She’s going to cramp your style.”
He laughed but I doubt he had any idea what I was saying.
“Can you watch him for a second? I want to run to the bathroom.”
“Uh, sure.” I figured I should be able to watch a kid for a minute.
“Be right back.” I couldn’t tell if she was talking to me or Noah.
“What kind of car do you have there?” I slid down onto the floor next to him. He handed me the blue car.
“Car.”
“Yes, it doesn’t really matter what kind it is as long as it works, right?”
He took the car back from me and rolled it around on the worn wood floor again. The car he was playing with didn’t look too far off from what I had as a kid. I guess some things never change.
“All right, I’m ready,” Emily called.
I turned around and my breath hitched. It always did when I saw her—especially with her hair all wavy like it was. She looked gorgeous.
“You ready, bud?” I wasn’t sure why I started calling him that, but it kind of stuck.
Noah held his arms up to me.
Emily shook her head. “No, Noah. Jake doesn’t have to hold you.”
“I’ll hold you.” I bent down and scooped him up. He grinned.
“You don’t have to do that.” Emily reached for him.
“I want to.” I carried Noah outside and waited while Emily unlocked her car.
I put him in his car seat. It only took me two tries to figure out the seatbelts. I hoped I’d get it on the first try the next time.
Emily just smiled and got into the driver’s side. I hated that she was always the one who had to drive us everywhere. It’s hard to make a girl think you can take care of her when you can’t even pick her up. There was nothing I could do about it, so I’d have to find other ways to make up for it—even if I had to get creative.
“Where am I going?” She pulled out of the driveway.
“Turn here.” I led her through the directions to my parents’ house. It wasn’t too far away, and Noah seemed perfectly content playing with his toys in the backseat.
Emily parked in their driveway and looked up at the house. “Wow, pretty.”
I’d never really thought about it, but their house was nice. With a huge, wraparound porch on both levels, it kind of stood out. It was bigger than most of my friends’ houses, and when you add in the pool house I’d spent a few years living in, it was pretty cool. “Thanks.”
Mom had the door opened before I knocked. “Come in, come in.”
Emily had gotten to Noah before me because his seat was on her side, but he had reached out for me as we walked up the front steps. I was holding him when Mom opened the door. She got a kick out of it. She didn’t say it, but I could see it in her smile.
Emily held out her hand to Mom. “Hi, Mary. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s wonderful to see you too. And this must be Noah.”
Emily smiled. “That’s him.”
“He’s precious.” Mom patted his head.
“Thank you.”
“I pulled out some of the boys’ old toys.” Mom led the way into the den. She wasn’t kidding. There were all sorts of trucks, cars, and plastic dinosaurs on the carpet.
“You kept all of these?” I set Noah down. He went right over to a yellow dump truck.
“I knew we’d need them for grandchildren someday.”
“You must be excited that Molly’s pregnant.” Emily smiled. From what I gathered, she and Molly had hit it off. They’d even been talking on the phone a little. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it—but I knew it was probably a good thing.
“Very. It’s still months away, but we can hardly wait.”
“I bet. Are you hoping for a girl?”
Mom smiled. “It would be a nice change, but little boys are wonderful too.” She nodded toward Noah. “Jake mentioned that Noah spent the summer with his grandparents.”
Mom took a seat on the couch and gestured for Emily to sit next to her. I sat on a chair closer to Noah. He’d moved on from the truck and was currently pulling leaves off a plant.
Emily moved to stop him, but I took care of it. I tried to distract him with a T-Rex. It didn’t work until I added in the sound effects. He got a kick out of that and ended up balled up on the floor laughing.
Emily looked at me, and I just shrugged. “What? I’m kind of an expert on dinosaurs.”
She smiled and turned back to my mom. “Yes. I think he really liked it. It was nice that they got to spend more time with him, and I got to work some extra hours. But it was hard.”
“I’m sure.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom turn to Emily. “It’s never easy to be away from your children.”
They started talking about kids, and I tuned them out. Watching Noah took all my attention. He’d been pretty timid at my place, but the kid wouldn’t stop now. He got up and ran into the kitchen. “I’ve got him,” I called, assuming Emily would want to follow him.
I stopped him just as he started to climb into a chair. “I’ve got you.” I picked him up and he leaned back. I figured out he wanted to be held upside down and swung. He made this high-pitched squeal so I assumed I was doing it right.
I heard my dad laugh and righted Noah.
“Is this Noah?” Dad asked. I guess Mom had told him his name.
“Yeah. He’s a handful.”
“A cute one though.” Dad ruffled his hair.
“Is he okay, Jake?” Emily called.
“He’s fine.” I put Noah down and he immediately raced back into the den. Dad and I followed.
Emily stood up when we entered. “Hi, Mark.”
“Hello, Emily. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Same to you.” She shook his hand, but she had her eyes on Noah as he once again went after the plant. I decided to just move the plant onto the book case. Noah pouted for a second but then went back to the trucks.
“You have a cute little guy.” Dad watched Noah with amusement.
“Thank you.” Emily beamed at Noah.
“So when are you two heading out?” Dad turned to me.
“Oh…anytime I guess.”
“Why don’t you go? I promise he’s in good hands.” Mom smiled.
“Are you sure?” Emily asked. “I really don’t want you to feel put out. He can be a lot of work.”
“Of course. It will be fun. We’re used to energetic little boys.”
“Okay. I have diapers and wipes in this bag.” She showed Mom where everything was. “And please call if you need me. Be good, sweetheart.” She gave Noah a huge hug.
“We’ll be fine. And don’t rush back. We’ll think you don’t trust us if you do.” Dad smiled. I could tell he liked Emily.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked as I led her out to her car.
I leaned over her, pushing her against the car gently. “I show you what you’ve been missing.”
“That’s a good plan.”
“I hoped you’d think so.”
We went to dinner at a pizza place in the square. It wasn’t anything fancy, but when I asked Emily what she was in the mood for, that’s what she wanted. We ordered a large sausage and pepper pizza to share.
“This is nice.” She looked around at the simple restaurant. “It’s got a cozy feel.”
“If you want cozy, we’ll have to go to Marney’s after this for coffee.”
“Marney’s?”
“It’s a little coffee shop a few stores down from here. It’s owned by this sweet old lady named Gail. You’ll love it.”
“Okay, sounds great.”
Before my accident, I would have suggested we go to the local bar, Gill’s, for a drink. It was still strange trying to get used to the idea that I didn’t drink anymore. I knew no one would stop me if I did, but I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around the reality that I almost died. I wasn’t stupid. I knew I had trouble with alcohol sometimes. I’d been a heavy drinker since high school, and it only got worse after I turned twenty-one and could get it legally.
“Did you have a part-time job in high school?” She pulled me out of my thoughts.
“I worked for my dad during off seasons. What brought up that question?”
She smiled. “My brother worked at a pizza place kind of like this.”
“Oh yeah? Did he like it?”
“Not really, but it was a college hang-out and he made good tips especially his senior year when he looked older than he was.”
I laughed. “Charming the college girls out of their money, huh?”
“Exactly. He played football too. You remind me a little of him.”
“Yeah? Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Good.” She took a bite of her pizza. “This is exactly what I was in the mood for.”
“I’m glad.”
“Would you mind calling your mom? I don’t want to seem like the paranoid parent, but I’d love to check on Noah.”
I smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, but I’ll call.”
I paid, and we walked outside. I called my parents, and they assured me they were having a great time. The squeals in the background confirmed it. Satisfied that Noah was in good hands, Emily walked with me over to Marney’s café to meet Gail. I had a feeling the two would hit it off. Emily was smiling the moment we walked into the quaint shop. There was just something about that place that everyone loved.
“Hi, Jake.” Gail greeted us from behind the counter. She looked exactly the same as she always did, a sweet old lady with long, silver-gray hair.
“Hey, Gail. You haven’t met my girlfriend, Emily, yet, have you?”
Gail’s eyes lit up as they moved to Emily. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. It’s nice to meet you, Emily.”
“Same to you. You have a lovely place here.” Emily was looking around at all the photos on the wall. I’d have to tell her that Molly had taken them.
“Thank you. Can I get you two anything?”
“Two coffees and,” I turned to Emily, “what kind of pie is your favorite?”
“Anything with fruit.”
“How about peach?” Gail suggested.
“That’s perfect.”
Gail pulled out the peach pie from the display case. “One slice or two?”
Emily answered for us. “One, we can share.”
I’m sure I could have eaten my own slice, but I liked the idea of sharing.
“Jake, why don’t you go find a table.” Gail wasn’t really asking a question. I knew exactly what she was doing.
“Sure.” I grinned and carried our pie over to an empty table. There was only one other couple in the whole place, so it wasn’t hard to find one. I watched Emily break into a smile as she talked to Gail. I hoped Gail was putting in a good word for me.
A few minutes later, they both walked over with our coffees.
Gail patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve got the real deal here, Jake. Don’t let her go.”
I looked over my shoulder at her. “I don’t plan on it.”