“It had better be chocolate,” Hernandez grumbled as we peeled out into the street. No matter how much he grumbled, though, I couldn’t help but smile.
30
Dues
Derrick
Exactly one week later, Jade and I pulled up Jessie’s drive, and my breathing was slightly erratic in a way it hadn’t been since I’d first asked Amy out for a drink. But then again, this was different, too. Amy had been all smooth words and allure. Actually…now that I thought about it, how had I not seen that when we first met? She’d been looking to catch someone when I showed up at that bar with my friends, someone who would fit into her life exactly the way she wanted them to be. But Jessie…
Dating Amy had been like a constant tango. Every move had to be perfectly calculated and executed, and not a hair could be out of place. It was thrilling, I couldn’t deny that. And there was always that hint of danger that made the whole thing feel like an adventure. When I was with Jessie, though, I felt like we were taking a long, warm, spring day hike. There was nothing pretentious, nothing for show. Rather, we were a team, and we knew we wanted the same thing. She was steady and strong, and she was constantly looking ahead to spot any danger to her fellow travelers. And that was the kind of partner I wanted at my side.
If only I could convince her to conquer new mountains with me.
I rang the doorbell and waited, glancing back every few seconds at Jade, who was strapped into the truck with the air conditioner on behind me. Mr. Nickleby answered this time.
“Derrick.” He reached out to shake my hand. “What brings you by today?”
“Oh,” I grinned, “your daughter and I made a bet, and I won. So I’m coming to collect.”
“Collect?” He pushed the glasses up on his nose.
“She has to let me pick what we’re going to do for a whole day.”
He snickered. “She’s going to love that.” Then he turned and called down the hall. “Jess, Derrick’s here.”
“I’m coming!” She ran up to the door, still pinning her hair into place. Today she wore a white skirt with little pink flowers and a pink blouse. Instead of her usual sneakers, she was wearing little white shoes that looked like the slippers the princesses wore in all those movies Jade made me watch. Her green eyes were bright, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she looked slightly flushed.
I had to take another long breath.
“Where all are you going today?” Mr. Nickleby was still watching me, but his brows were slightly furrowed this time.
I pointed back at the truck. “Well, we’re starting with a few of Jade’s favorite things, and we’ll see from there.”
At the mention of Jade, his expression relaxed. “Have fun, Jess. Let me know when you’re coming home so we know what to do with your dinner.”
“All right, Dad.” She kissed him on the cheek and followed me out to the truck. I opened the door, and she hopped inside. Well, as well as one can hop in a skirt. Not that I minded. This girl had the prettiest legs I’d ever seen. I’d have to make sure I didn’t catch myself staring at them like I had before on accident.
“When you said you won,” she turned and gave me a sour look, “I didn’t think you’d need to claim your victory quite so soon.”
I laughed as I put the truck in drive. “You should know me better than that by now, Jessie Nickleby.”
“Nickleby mad,” Jade chirped from the back seat.
“You’re just as guilty as him, girlie.” Jade looked over her shoulder. “I was sure you’d like the diamond mine the best.”
In the rearview mirror, I could see Jade’s sly little smile, but she didn’t look up from her book.
“So.” Jessie grimaced. “Where are we going first? A monster truck rally? Some nasty, stinky gym?”
“Close.” I turned the music up and gunned the engine. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head, but a small smile played on the corner of her lips. And I smiled, too. Today was a good day. And I prayed that by the end, it would be even better.
I was rewarded for my prayers when we parallel parked downtown.
She looked at me like I was drunk. “We’re going to Dugan’s Pub?”
“Would you just wait and see?” I pulled Jade from her car seat. She sighed but to her credit, quit guessing until we had walked about three blocks and turned twice. Finally, we were across the street from a wide brick structure with a curved silver roof. And I was rewarded for my scheming when she looked genuinely surprised.
“The farmer’s market?”
