He brightened. “Actually, I think I’ll head home for some fresh clothes. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her, pulling her in for that familiar, unmistakable warmth that she knew would be her undoing. Being with Jack was starting to become the norm. She liked it, likedhim, more than she should.
He moved away with a sigh. “You know, there’s no rush. Why don’t we…” He nodded back to the bed.
“Nope. We hit the sheets, we’ll be there all day. We’re shopping, remember?”
“Fine.” He turned to leave, and she swore she heard,“I’ll get you later.”
Once alone in the shower, she tried to wash away her concerns. Easier said than done. The soap suds swirled around the drain, but her confusion still remained.
She’d thought she was doing the right thing by getting herself together, confronting the past—in particular, Jack. But she didn’t want to revisit the pain of old mistakes. She wanted to take charge of her life and put her troubles far behind her. But it seemed as if Jack planned to make her a part of his future.
And maybe she wanted that too.
Confusing sex with love. A familiar pattern. Remember, he dumped you once. What’s to say he won’t do it again?
After finishing her shower, she dried and dressed. She planned on putting a bit of distance between her and Jack, though she didn’t intend to tell him that. The sex between them was new, and sure, they’d always been good together. But the rest, the dating, the sharing, that took its toll. A few more days in his company and she was pretty sure she’d be ready to say goodbye. He’d no doubt act like an ass soon enough.
One could hope.
Jack returned when he said he would. They decided to walk downtown, a short trip into the heart of Bend. There they perused each store—even the ones that had nothing to do with a baby. Testing him, Ann tried to bore him to death by shopping for hours, and not just for Julie, but for herself as well. Her excuse being she rarely took the time to go shopping.
She hadn’t expected him to like being with herthatmuch.
“No, I like the blue one better.”
She turned to see him eyeing the dress she’d tried on, as she looked at herself in front of the store mirror. “Really? You like this better than the pink one?”
“Brings out the blue in your eyes.” He winked.
To her astonishment, he wasn’t joking around or mildly tolerating her, but offering what appeared to be a sincere opinion.
“You’re having fun, aren’t you?”
He laughed. “Yeah. Why not? If I wasn’t out shopping with you, I’d be working on something for Dr. Singer or hiking at Todd Lake. And after our trip last week, hiking turns me on. Not cool when you’re by yourself in the woods and end up passing curious hikers, let me tell you.”
Her cheeks felt warm. “Oh, um. Okay.” She hurried into the dressing room to put her own clothes back on. Then she took the dresses she’d tried on and placed them on the return rack.
“You’re not going to get it?” he asked.
“Nah. Just window shopping.” On her salary, she needed to be bowled over to splurge on clothes. Though she loved the dress, she didn’t love the price tag.
Jack plucked the dress off the rack and took it to the counter.
“What are you doing?”
“Buying you this dress.” He noted a pair of earrings near the counter that she’d coveted earlier. “Those too.”
“Jack.”
The saleswoman smiled and added them to the purchase. “Good choice.” She rang up the sale and handed Jack the bag. He grabbed it and Ann’s hand and left the store.
“Where to next?”
She felt awkward, both pleased and weirded out that he’d purchased her something. Especially considering her conflicted feelings for him. Then another thought hit her, this one mortifying.
